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, November 15, 2023
I am always amazed by the different ways that Jewish tradition, and particularly living in Jewish time, offers me (us!) the insight that we need to enrich our daily lives – and that we may struggle to find elsewhere. Kislev, the new month that began yesterday, is symbolized by the Hebrew letter ס, samech. The physical shape of the samech is a circle, representing completeness. Further, the word samech means “to support” or “lean on.” In the month of Kislev, this dual symbolism can inspire us to find the places and people on whom we can lean on as we navigate the ongoing circle of our lives. At the same time, we can reflect and consider who in our lives needs our support, and what we can offer. The Hebrew root embedded in the name of the month Kislev, כ.ס.ל., can be translated as “hope” or “confidence.” When we find ourselves feeling caught in the [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Chodesh Tov! We offer this greeting to one another on the first day of a new Hebrew month; today begins the new month of Kislev – a month rich with opportunity for reflection and light as we look towards the celebration of Hanukkah.In the month ahead, we will experience the days getting shorter: The sun seems to rise slower in the morning and doesn’t wait for us to leave work before it sets. For many people, the darkness that winter brings does not only impact the sun in their eyes on their commute, but also impacts them emotionally and physically. The emotional place that darkness pushes us into can feel isolating, scary, and, unsurprisingly, dark. The metaphorical darkness that many feel during this season is not far from the physical darkness of the natural world: It may feel cold and difficult to see and navigate out of.Whether or not you [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, November 13, 2023
If you try to search for “World Kindness Day,” you’ll likely encounter two important things. First, that World Kindness Day is today, November 13th. Second, that Krispy Kreme will give you a dozen donuts for free in celebration of World Kindness Day. Apparently, Krispy Kreme is the only one talking about this day that is dedicated to kindness, but I would argue that Krispy Kreme is doing something right. Especially this year. In a time when it may feel like we are surrounded by constant hate, fear, and violence, a day focused on kindness feels especially necessary. In difficult times, Jewish wisdom reminds us of the importance of kindness in our lives, as in these two foundational texts. First the prophet Micah teaches: הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם מַה־טּוֹב וּמָה־יְהֹוָה דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם־עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶיךָ׃ “You have been told, O mortal, what is good And what Adonai [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, November 10, 2023
I was in New York this past Sunday, cheering my oldest daughter Isa on, as she ran in her second New York City marathon. The NYC marathon is an amazing opportunity to celebrate: people coming together from all over the world to pursue the shared goal of completing the race; the fans come out to cheer everyone on, including runners with different abilities and wheelchair athletes as well. The best of humanity is on display. This year, I saw many runners wearing Israeli flags on their singlets (including my Israeli-American daughter) and a few people running with “Bring Them Home” shirts reminding us of the great mitzvah of pidyon sh’vuim (“returning the captives”). The next day, I saw a different side of humanity. It began with an interview of Gary Grappo, former ambassador to Oman and a true expert on the MIddle East. Gary and his wife Becky became our friends [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, November 9, 2023
As we continue to mourn the losses of October 7 and pray for the safe return of the hostages and the IDF troops, this week’s kavanot will focus on Israeli poetry and music. Each week in Ulpan, our Hebrew language class, we would listen to a news report. All of us – even in the higher Hebrew level – waited for the mezeg avir, the weather report. It was easy to understand – we knew shemesh, sun, or later in the year, geshem, rain. The soccer scores were fun too – usually it involved Israel, efes (zero). My first year of rabbinical school was 2001-2002. While on paper it seems unremarkable, other than being longer ago than I might care to admit, the reality of those dates means that I lived in Jerusalem through what many would agree was the worst year of the second Intifada. From September 2000 through August 2002, 260 Israelis were killed and [...]