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 13, 2023
This week, we are dedicating our Daily Kavanot to the people and the State of Israel. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them. My wife was supposed to be in Israel right now for the wedding of the daughter of our dear friends, Leon and Bruria. I’ve known Leon since freshman year of college. He met Jacqueline in Israel a few days after I did through a mutual friend. After he and Bruria started dating, we all became fast friends. They danced at our wedding and we at theirs. We’ve known their first-born, Yael, since she was a baby. We attended her bat mitzvah in Jerusalem. She and her whole family are precious to us. Jacqueline couldn’t travel to Israel this week for obvious reasons but yesterday we were able to attend the wedding together—online. Because so many loved ones couldn’t be present, including many who have been called up [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, October 12, 2023
In October of 1973, during Yom Kippur services, I remember sitting in temple next to my father, who had a transistor radio earpiece pressed to the side of his head. He was earnestly listening for updates on the Yom Kippur War, which at that time was only hours old. Over the ensuing days, we held emergency meetings in our home and at our synagogue to coordinate our community’s response. As the Young Leadership Chair for the United Jewish Appeal, my father was central to national action as well. In that year before my bar mitzvah, my family and I would travel to Israel and visit the land that I witnessed my community work so hard to protect. I learned a critical lesson that shaped the entirety of my life: The responsibility for ensuring the safety and strength of Israel is inextricably linked to my identity as a Jew. On [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, October 11, 2023
This week, we are dedicating our Daily Kavanot to the people and the State of Israel. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them. Below, you'll find video of from our powerful community Jewish Community Vigil for Israel on Sunday night. In his words on Sunday, Rabbi Noah Farkas, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles spoke about the Jewish people as lev echad, one heart. Our hearts, he said, are a seismograph. For more information and ways you can help the people in Israel, or to watch the full event, please visit WiseLA.org/Israel. Please take a moment to send an urgent message to the White House and to your representatives in Congress, imploring them to continue to stand with Israel.
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, October 10, 2023
This week, we are dedicating our Daily Kavanot to the people and the State of Israel. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them. Below, you’ll find video from our powerful community gathering of solidarity on Sunday night. Together, we joined and sang HaTikvah, "The Hope," Israel's national anthem. For more information and ways you can help the people in Israel, please visit WiseLA.org/Israel.
Daily Kavanah – Monday, October 9, 2023: “Es Brent,” It Burns: Grab a Bucket and Douse the Flames
"Es Brent," It Burns: Grab a Bucket and Douse the FlamesBy Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback The following is the text of Rabbi Yoshi's speech on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023, at the Los Angeles Jewish Community Vigil for Israel sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, and area synagogues and other Jewish institutions I wish we were gathering for a different occasion, under different circumstances. We all do.But often we just don’t get to choose. Moments like this are chosen for us. What happened yesterday has happened before. In Fez and Tripoli. In Krakow and Kishinev. Innocents slaughtered: young and old alike, sitting quietly in their homes or gathered outside to enjoy music. What happened yesterday—what's happening now—has happened before. Over three millennia, we've survived pogrom after pogrom, massacre after massacre. We survived the Shoah. The trauma, the pain, the agony we carry—it's [...]