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 – 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 [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, December 1, 2023
“We look like we’re strong. We look like we’re doing ok, but the truth is, we are just pieces of ourselves.” It hurts to hear her utter these words. I’ve heard her say so much over the past 54 days, but never this. I listened to her speech before the U.N. and at the rally in D.C. and in her recent audience with the Pope in Rome. I’ve seen her and her husband again and again on social media. And long before the nightmare began, long before becoming the thing she least wanted in the world–the face of the families of the hostages–she was our Jerusalem neighbor and friend. The son she is fighting for was at our oldest daughter’s bat mitzvah in Jerusalem. Throughout it all, Rachel’s voice never wavers. She is always on point. She is clear, prophetic even. And she is strong—Jewish mother strong. She is [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, November 30, 2023
Third grade students, Isabella and David, dive deeply into the Mi Chamocha prayer in their introductions to its words. Taken from the Torah’s song of the sea which is attributed to Moses and the “Children of Israel” upon crossing the Red Sea, the Mi Chamocha’s words are seen both as a remembrance of the glorious story of the Exodus from Egyptian bondage and a promise that redemption will come once again. As it was understood by our rabbis, redemption would bring a changed world where war and bloodshed, poverty and suffering would be vanquished. For a more comprehensive explanation look here. Isabella sees the reinforcement of particular values in the Mi Chamocha. In the story of the Exodus she is reminded of principles that should guide our communities and inspire our world view: “When I chant the Mi Chamocha prayer I think “chessed” – kindness, “achrayut” – responsibility, and “tikvah” – hope. First, I think “chessed” or kindness because, [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Continuing this series highlighting words of wisdom offered by our third and fourth grade Wise Elementary Students at their morning worship services, the following introduces the V’ahavta. Under the guidance of their teachers, our students unpack the layers of meaning that they find in the prayers. They seek to connect the themes with pertinent principles in their own lives. Benjamin’s words below explore what it might mean to declare love for God. Adults can have difficulty embracing this concept, but this fourth grader thinks of God as the force for good in our lives and the world. In a time of so much darkness the optimism of a young man can and should inspire us all. I feel that to love God is to remember that good will always exist in the world, and that believing in God is how God exists as a divine entity that spurs us to do [...]