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 – Friday, October 11, 2024
Tonight we will hear the melody of Kol Nidre, the opening notes of which remind us instantly of the solemnity of the day. We stand in community, reflect on the year that has passed, set our intentions for the year to come, and vow to do better. What a year we have had; filled with challenges which we could not have anticipated last year at this time. For so many reasons, Yom Kippur feels particularly urgent and important to me this year, just a few days after our solemn observance of the one year anniversary of October 7. It is a tremendous honor for us—the clergy, educators, administration, staff, and lay-leadership of Stephen Wise Temple and Schools—to be able to help our community observe this moment. We are grateful to YOU for allowing us this great kavod. More than anything else, we want you to be present with us this Yom Kippur. If you [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, October 10, 2024
“They [the chieftains] charged the People, saying: ‘When you see the Ark of the Covenant of Adonai carried by the Levitical priests, follow it, but keep a distance of two thousand cubits, never coming closer, so that you will know the road to travel, since you’ve never traveled this path before' (Joshua 3:3-4).” As the Israelites prepare to march forward into the Promised Land, with Joshua leading the charge, the chieftains provide very specific guidance regarding the distance they must remain from the Ark, lest they lose their way. Taken literally, our tradition’s insistence that the Israelites could never find their way seems dismissive. The Israelites were expected to conquer all of Canaan, yet none of them knew how to scout or navigate a new terrain? However, if taken metaphorically, then the chieftains’ instructions hold that the Ark serves a spiritual, rather than simply practical, purpose. After all, the Israelites [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, October 9, 2024
The words above (as they appear in the Wise High Holy Day prayer book) come from the Yizkor service for Yom Kippur. As we gather to mourn our own dead, our emotions raw and exposed by the “awesome power of this day,” our tradition bids us to turn our thoughts toward the martyrs of our people. We recount the sufferings of ages past and recognize that to be a Jew is to be forever bound to history. Nothing is ever truly past and forgotten; everything that our ancestors endured and cherished continues to live in us. Our holy days revolve around ancient events even as modern circumstances are layered over them. For example, the Passover seder is not limited to recounting the Egyptian exodus, we’ve added sections about the Shoah and other historical events.In so many ways, that is a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that we hold [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, October 8, 2024
When soldiers are called to duty in the Israel Defense Forces, they are told to write a letter to their families that will be delivered to them only in the event of the soldier’s death or if taken captive. I read one of these tear inducing letters during my Rosh Hashana sermon: October 7: What we Have Learned, What the Nations of the World Should Know, What Israel Should Mean to Us. The reading of the letter begins at the 16 minute and 25 second time mark. Rabbi Daniel Gordis notes that a common theme in many of these letters is that the soldiers felt they were giving their life for a greater purpose; “...defending my people, the Jewish people. There’s nothing more important to me.” They also frequently tell their families, “not to mourn forever,” but to live fully writing, “That’s what I went to fight for, so this nation [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, October 7, 2024
Of all of the post-October 7 Israeli poetry I have had the honor of reading in these brutal 12 months, perhaps none has a more painful opening than Kaddish by Asaf Gur. A journalist by trade, he draws on perhaps the most-recited words of our tradition to offer a scathing theological commentary.Yitgadal V’yitkadash Shmei RabaAnd no one cameMany thousands called Him on Shabbat morningCrying His name out loudBegging Him with tears just to comeBut He ceased from all His workNo God cameAnd no God calmedReading these words even now—maybe especially now—takes my breath away. He draws such a painful picture of the shock, the devastation, the total abandonment. If the opening of the poem was not enough, he closes with these words:And there is no governmentAnd there is no mercyJust the screaming and the picturesThat will never leave the mindThe seventh of OctoberTwo thousand twenty three.And while I am often loath to [...]