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 – Tuesday, September 6, 2022
In honor of this Labor Day week, here are some reflections on the history of the labor movement, and Jewish heroes who have fought for worker rights. When I left my former congregation to come here to Stephen Wise, a group of mothers with whom I had shared parenting and activism gifted me a number of children's books focused on justice. One of those books was "Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909." It is a children's biography of Ukrainian immigrant Clara Lemlich Shavelson, the farbrente Yidishe meydle (fiery Jewish girl) who organized women into the International Ladies Garment Workers Union beginning in 1905. At a 1909 strike meeting at the Cooper Union, Shavelson's fiery speech, in Yiddish, set off the Uprising of the 20,000, the largest strike by women workers to that date. The book itself focuses entirely on her labor activism upon her arrival in the [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, September 5, 2022
In honor of this Labor Day week, here are some reflections on the history of the labor movement, and Jewish heroes who have fought for worker rights. The meeting last night was held in Bauer's Union Saenger Hall, on the corner of Ewen and Meserole Streets, and was composed of the members of Local Unions No. 27, 66, and 83, of the United Garment Workers' Union of America. There were about three hundred and fifty men present and fifty more women and girls, all of whom were members of the union. The proceedings were conducted entirely in the dialect spoken among the Dutchtown tailors, which is sometimes known as Jehudls, pronounced Yahooda … two speeches had been made beside the opening address of the chairman, whose name was Isaac Walman. The orators were Morlx Alexander and Louis Grossman … Alexander said that they were victims of the worst form of [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, September 2, 2022
For me, the best part of running is the feeling you experience when you’re done. There are moments in the "going" that are beautiful and satisfying to be sure, but finishing—being done, knowing that you’ve reached your goal—that feels amazing. After having told myself that two marathons was more than enough, I'm currently training with my family for this year's New York City Marathon as part of "Team Handsome Hank," running in memory of my beloved father-in-law, Henry Hantgan (z"l). This Sunday, Jacqueline and I are running the Santa Monica Half Marathon—we are hoping for a miraculous cool-down from the oppressive heat of the past few days. As hard as it is sometimes to mentally prepare oneself for spending several hours running, only—in the case of the Santa Monica Half—to end up right back where you began, this week's Torah portion asks us to imagine a never-ending race in which [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, September 1, 2022
"We all worship the same God." While that aphorism bears a lovely sentiment that conveys only the best intentions, when we say it, we are minimizing the beautiful complexities of the different ways in which the world's religions understand God. The last 250 years or so of the Enlightenment have seen a proliferation of theologies in Christianity and Judaism. And wonderfully, there's been a great deal of engagement that allows philosophers from one religion to inspire those of another. While a survey of their ideas is far beyond the scope of this short kavanah, suffice it to say that some of the world's greatest minds have been engaged in the task. For Judaism, the first controversial thinker actually preceded the Enlightenment. Writing in the 12th century, Maimonides postulated that God is wholly other, separate from any physicality, and fully perfect; God is the very order that establishes the rules of [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, August 31, 2022
For a while, in exasperation after my teenage opposition, my father would say, "Just do it because I said so!" As parents, we've likely had occasional recourse to that approach. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers have that understanding of God in common. "Do it, because I am Adonai, your God!" But parents soon learn that, as our kids enter adulthood, they want and deserve a deeper explanation. "I'm asking you to do this (or more strategically: "suggesting that you do this") because these will likely be the consequences of you not following this particular path." That is the tone of Deuteronomy and many of the Prophets. Of course, just like parents, those who embraced this consequential view of God quickly discovered that even the promise of rewards or punishments brings unpredictable results! Like many of us, our ancestors longed for an ordered world where behaviors had reasonable [...]