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, August 9, 2023
“The bittersweet side of appreciating life’s most precious moments is the unbearable awareness that those moments are passing.” —Marc Pleasant As the mother of two small children and the cantor and teacher of every b’nai mitzvah student who studies in our community, I am reminded daily of the bittersweet passing of time. As a parent, individual days sometimes feel like weeks, but somehow, the weeks themselves pass quickly. And often, I will be up at the Beverly Glen Center grabbing a coffee and I will hear “Cantor Emma! Cantor Emma!” only to turn around and see the early adult face of a bar or bat mitzvah student I taught and prayed with years before. It is impossible to wrap my head around how quickly time passes, but, when I am most present, I experience a deep sense of gratitude for the gifts of these relationships, for the privilege of [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, August 8, 2023
“Cover your bookcases with rugs and linens of fine quality; preserve them from dampness and mice and injury, for it books are your true treasures.” —Ibn Tibbon (1120-1190), Spanish Jewish scholar On a recent summer morning before the heat overwhelmed our Valley home, Adam and I had the opportunity to go through boxes of books from graduate school, revisiting old favorites and even discovering written treasures we didn’t know we owned. We both cherish the written word and collected so many books throughout our studies in Jerusalem and New York (even though we had little space in our apartments in both places). Adam, in particular, had the privilege of inheriting an entire collection of books from one of his rabbinic mentors upon the elder rabbi’s retirement. In short, we are joyfully drowning in books and are grateful for the wisdom and beauty they provide in our home and in [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, August 7, 2023
Recently, Adam and I had the opportunity to attend the Broadway tour of Sondheim's Into the Woods with members of Wise. I've seen the show many times—both in person and also on my worn out DVD of the 1987 Original Broadway cast production—and also had the privilege of playing the Witch the summer before my senior year of high school. There is something so special about visiting and revisiting a favorite piece of art (especially by a master composer like Sondheim) in that we can find new meaning in it every time we look back on it or experience it again. At the beginning of Act II, the Witch sings "No matter what you say, children won't listen, no matter what you know children refuse to learn." She's exhausted, like many a parent or community leader, trying to encourage others to listen to her sound advice and struggling to [...]
Daily Kavanah – Shabbat Message From Rabbi Yoshi – Friday, August 4, 2023
There have been many times in my career when I've officiated at a brit milah ceremony in the morning and a funeral in the afternoon. Sometimes sorrow and joy come together in powerful and unexpected ways.Every year around this time, sorrow and joy meet by design. A week ago Thursday, we commemorated Tisha B'Av, a day of painful remembrance: "On the Ninth of Av it was decreed upon our ancestors that they would all die in the wilderness and not enter Eretz Yisrael; and the Temple was destroyed the first time, in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, and the second time, by the Romans; and Beitar was captured; and the city of Jerusalem was plowed, as a sign that it would never be rebuilt" —Talmud—Ta’anit 26b This past Wednesday, just six days after our mourning, came joy—the 15th day of the month of Av is a time of celebration. According to Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, there were no days as joyous [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, August 3, 2023
Wednesday, August 2 is Tu B'Av—the 15th day of the month of Av. Originally an obscure date mentioned in the Mishnah and the Babylonian Talmud, it has found a renaissance as a Day of Love in modern Israel. In explaining Tu B'Av, the rabbis of the Talmud reference a story that long predates the destruction of the Temple, but is nonetheless connected. Remember that the generation of Egypt, the first generation to enter the wilderness—and also the generation to build the Golden Calf—was told that they would die in the wilderness. Throughout the books of Torah, we read about the growth of the new generations, of their preparations to enter the Promised Land, of what it means to be ready. And so, we read this story: All 40 years that they were in the desert, every Erev Tisha B’av, the proclaimer would go out and say: let each individual [...]