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, December 8, 2023
Today is the first day of Hanukkah. In the darkest time of the year, instead of cursing the darkness, we kindle a flame. This year, we need that flame more than ever. We need hope. We need healing. We need light. I am feeling this personally ever more poignantly because, yesterday, a great light was extinguished that diminishes our world considerably. My teacher and rabbi, David Ellenson, died suddenly at age 76. Rabbi Ellenson was an unparalleled scholar, a gifted and compassionate teacher, and institutional leader, and — above all else — a caring, loving, gracious, and compassionate human being. David brought his whole self to the classroom and was known, loved, and admired for his near encyclopedic recall of names and dates, his ability to connect the many disciplines he had mastered, and his great big loving heart that he poured into his scholarship, his work, and the [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, December 7, 2023
This past Sunday, students in our Camp Wise Sundays program studied the Jewish value of trust, bitachon, examining how trust shaped Jewish history – from Hanukkah to the present – as well as the role trust plays in our everyday lives. During this week’s Daily Kavannot, we examine how trust shapes our people’s history and present. The festival of Hanukkah, which begins tonight, is often portrayed exclusively as a tale of victory by the Jews, whose trust in their traditions, in themselves, and in one another led them to success against the superior forces of the Seleucid Greeks. But Hanukkah is much more than a tale of military victory. It is also an example of how we may navigate the events that call our trust into question. For, if the history of Hanukkah teaches us that, with trust, we can succeed against overwhelming odds, then the succeeding era of Jewish history [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, December 6, 2023
This past Sunday, students in our Camp Wise Sundays program studied the Jewish value of trust, bitachon, examining how trust shaped Jewish history – from Hanukkah to the present – as well as the role trust plays in our everyday lives. In this week’s Daily Kavanot, we’ll also examine how trust shapes our people’s history and present. Though we exercise trust in so many aspects of our lives, from performing the everyday tasks of life to conquering new and exciting challenges, our lives are also filled with moments when our trust falters. What do we do when our trust is betrayed? This is the fundamental question posed by the Book of Job. We regularly quote snippets from the book in our daily prayers (including the Oseh Shalom prayer which concludes the Amidah), in our High Holy Day prayers, and in moments of loss. However, there is no set time in the Jewish calendar [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, December 5, 2023
This past Sunday, students in our Camp Wise Sundays program studied the Jewish value of trust, bitachon, examining how trust shaped Jewish history – from Hanukkah to the present – as well as the role trust plays in our everyday lives. In this week’s Daily Kavanot, we’ll also examine how trust shapes our people’s history and present. Much of our campers’ exploration of trust this past Sunday focused upon the trust we must place in ourselves and in one another to overcome new obstacles and challenges. Students considered how trust affected their participation in various activities, from an obstacle course to team sports, to singing, to praying, and more. Their model, in part, for this exploration of trust was the Hanukkah story itself. As told within the Book of Maccabees and as remembered by most 21st-century Jews, Hanukkah represents the triumph of a dedicated group of Jews whose trust in [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, December 4, 2023
This past Sunday, students in our Camp Wise Sundays program studied the Jewish value of trust, bitachon, examining how trust shaped Jewish history — from Hanukkah to the present — as well as the role trust plays in our everyday lives. During this week’s daily kavannot, we’ll also examine how trust shapes our people’s history and present. Trust, בטחון, is derived from the Hebrew root בטח, which refers to assuredness and dependability. Ironically, we often associate trust with those times when our sense of trust is most significantly tested. However, our everyday lives are filled with endless acts of trust. Daily, we make use of our bodies — often to varying degrees of success — to navigate from our beds to the many tasks of our daily lives and back again, rarely pausing to consider the trust we have in our ability to accomplish everyday tasks. Similarly, we routinely make [...]