Daily Kavanot
Writings of reflection by the Stephen Wise Temple clergy.
Each weekday morning, members of our mailing list receive the “Daily Kavanah,” which includes messages of thought, inspiration, and contemplation from our clergy, along with a schedule of events. Every Thursday, the “Daily Kavanah” turns into “Eyes on Wise,” our weekly newsletter featuring the latest news, photos, videos, stories, and tikkun olam opportunities from our community. Sign up and don’t miss out!
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Our Daily Kavanot during Passover will feature pieces from our Wise Passover Haggadah Supplement. Each day, our clergy will focus on a different element of the Passover holiday. Rebirth, Renewal, and Hope By Rabbi Sari Laufer As big fans of both the beach and ice cream, one of our COVID finds was the Coastal Cone in Ventura. Always looking for ways to fill time normally spent with school, friends, and activities, we would often make the drive up from Sherman Oaks to catch some afternoon sun and sand, and of course, enjoy a favorite treat. While the frequency of those trips is now far less as life has—mostly—resumed its normal rhythms, my children still ask for the "ice cream beach," and when the schedule permits, we head north. With my little learners in the row behind me, we have often discussed the microclimates of the San Fernando and Conejo [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, April 4, 2023
There are few things in our tradition as special, as memorable, as participatory as the Passover seder. No matter what age you are, what your learning style is, what types of foods you enjoy, there is something wonderful, delicious, and meaningful for everyone to experience. Growing up, I loved hearing my dad lead our seder. At the time, I didn’t fully understand that his leading didn’t just mean telling the story of the Exodus or guiding us through the food rituals; his leadership mostly meant encouraging each of us—kids and adults alike—to participate. Everyone had a chance to read, everyone was nudged to sing along to songs (both traditional and parody), and everyone had an opportunity to ask questions or take a stab at answering those posed in the pages of the Haggadah. Over the years at our seders, I learned from my dad that leading is not about [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, April 3, 2023
אֶת־חַ֣ג הַמַּצּוֹת֮ תִּשְׁמֹר֒ שִׁבְעַ֨ת יָמִ֜ים תֹּאכַ֤ל מַצּוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֔ךָ לְמוֹעֵ֖ד חֹ֣דֶשׁ הָאָבִ֑יב כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָֽאָבִ֔יב יָצָ֖אתָ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread—eating unleavened bread for seven days, as I have commanded you—at the set time of Spring, for in the time of Spring you went forth from Egypt. —Exodus 34:18 Passover, which begins this week on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, is our communal commemoration of our Exodus from Egypt. In Exodus, Passover is referred to as "the feast of unleavened bread" after the food we are commanded to eat for seven days to commemorate our hasty exit from Egypt. But throughout our Torah, Passover is referred to by several other names, including the holiday of spring, the holiday of the sacrificial lamb, and the holiday of our redemption and freedom. No matter the name, Passover is a holiday of rich meaning; there is [...]
Daily Kavanah – Shabbat Message from Rabbi Josh Knobel – Friday, March 31, 2023
"Hark! I shall send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the great, fearful day of Adonai, and he shall turn the hearts of the parents to the children and the hearts of children to their parents, saving the land from destruction." —Malachai 3:23-24 The Shabbat before Passover is known as Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath, named for the day of judgment referenced at the end of the Haftarah, in which God promises to send the prophet Elijah before the great, fearful day of Adonai. According to the Midrash, this is also the day that the Israelites set aside the paschal lamb in preparation for Passover. Shabbat HaGadol reminds us, too, to turn our full attention toward Passover and its rituals. At Wise, we began the Passover season early, with our Wise Temple Youth teens preparing for Passover through our annual chocolate seder. This year, we welcomed a [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, March 30, 2023
"It is so obvious that to treat people equally is the right thing to do." —Gertrude Weil, 1964 As our thoughts turn toward Passover, we are reminded once again of our precious gift of liberation. We are also reminded of our sacred responsibility, mentioned 36 times throughout the Torah, to afford the same liberties and dignities to the stranger, having once been strangers in the Land of Egypt. Few in our people’s long history have exemplified our tradition’s commitment toward celebrating liberty by securing it for those deprived of it like Gertrude Weil. A dedicated Jew throughout her life and a lifelong resident of Goldsboro, N.C., Weil used her status and influence to serve as a fierce proponent of women’s suffrage, labor reform, Zionism, and civil rights, slowly transforming her community, her state, and beyond. Believing steadfastly that Judaism demanded the “expression of righteousness in the here and now,” [...]