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 – Thursday, January 23, 2025
With Shabbat approaching, I know my heart is turned again towards the East; the same anticipation and anxiety is building as last week. I am waiting with bated breath, wondering who will come home this week, whether they are alive, healthy. I imagine the families waiting even more urgently. How, I wonder, are we meant to wait through this? There is a Talmudic teaching about Shabbat and its preparation that might give us a way forward through these days. In talking about how to get ready for Shabbat, the ancient rabbi, Shammai, gives us one option. Knowing that the Shabbat meal is meant to be one of ultimate joy, he would begin thinking about it not on Thursday—but all week long… how Jewish! Shopping at the market then, he would find the choicest meats and the freshest fruits, and put them aside for Shabbat. But, if he found another one [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Turning for a moment from Israel back to Los Angeles, I noticed that the traffic is picking back up again. Granted, the routes I travel are far removed from the areas hardest hit by the fires—but I know no surer sign of life in Los Angeles than its traffic. I can tell, simply by the patterns on good old Scadlock Lane, that more people are back and work, and schools are reopening. Life seems, in some ways and in some areas, to be returning to “normal.” But, of course, it is not.Tens of thousands of people, including members of our own Wise community and their families—have lost their homes. Even more are still evacuated, awaiting news on damage and remediation. And, of course, the bills are piling up. It is, traffic aside, a time of great upheaval and uncertainty.So, maybe it is fitting that we find ourselves in the beginning [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, January 21, 2025
’An entire country is waiting for them.’ Among all of the emotional statements from the reporters covering the hostage return, this is the one to which I keep returning. Like many of you, I am sure, I was awake early Sunday morning, glued to Israeli television and refreshing any app that I thought could give me news of the first hostage release since November 2023. The split screen on Israel’s Channel 11 was a stark contrast; thousands gathered in Gaza with guns and Hamas flags, and thousands gathered in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, silently waiting. I cannot imagine there was a single Israeli who was not waiting, waiting, waiting. This Shabbat, we began the Book of Exodus, our national story of freedom and of new beginnings. And while it is several weeks away, I kept thinking of the moment that the Israelites arrive at Mt. Sinai. Before the thunder, [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, January 20, 2025
Yesterday, 3 young women were returned home from an unfathomable 470+ days in Hamas captivity. In an emotional moment, the Israeli reporter’s voice caught as she announced: Doron, Emily, and Romi have arrived home. They are home. It seems fitting, somehow, that while the traditional prayer for hostages is long—expressing our collective hopes for safety and freedom, the prayer we say when a captive is freed is simple and short: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם. מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים: Baruch atah Adonai, Elohainu melech haolam, matir asurim. The prayer reads in English: Blessed are You Adonai, Lord our God, King of the universe, who frees the captive. There is no flowery language, no extraneous words—it is gratitude, pure and simple. And it was the expression of the entire nation of Israel, wherever we are. Hallelujah—they are home. And now, we return to our fervent prayer—and our activism—to bring them ALL [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, January 17, 2025
You inspire me. You have texted, emailed and called to check in on me and my family. You have asked how you can help others who have been evacuated or lost their homes. You have reached out to find out how we can support the firefighters and first responders. You have done all of this while dealing with your own concerns, anxieties, and difficulties. This is what it means to be a part of a sacred community. This is how we support and show up for one another. This is what it means to be a member of Am Yisrael, the Jewish people. It is in this week’s Torah portion that we first encounter that word, “people”, in relation to our community. It is, someone paradoxically, Pharaoh who says: וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֶל־עַמּ֑וֹ הִנֵּ֗ה עַ֚ם בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רַ֥ב וְעָצ֖וּם מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ And he said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are much [...]