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, March 13, 2024
This Sunday, March 17, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, the namesake of our congregation and a pillar of the 20th Century American Jewish Community who helped shape Jewish life as we know it today. Throughout this week’s daily kavannot, we will explore many of his lasting contributions to our history and tradition. Unlike many of his Reform contemporaries, who viewed the nascent Zionist enterprise as a distraction or even an obstacle to the goal of integrating into American society, and unlike many of his Orthodox contemporaries, who viewed the nascent Zionist enterprise as a rejection of messianic faith, Stephen Wise’s commitment to the land of Israel and to the global Jewish community ultimately transformed him into America’s leading Zionist. Following the death of his grandfather, Rabbi Joseph Weisz, Stephen’s grandmother, Rachel, emigrated from Hungary to Jerusalem, where she lived out the remainder of her days. [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, March 12, 2024
This Sunday, March 17, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, the namesake of our congregation and a pillar of the 20th Century American Jewish Community who helped shape Jewish life as we know it today. Throughout this week’s daily kavannot, we will explore many of his lasting contributions to our history and tradition.Just as Rabbi Stephen Wise’s diverse educational influences deepened his commitment to the welfare of his fellow human beings, they also strengthened his resolve to use his position without restraint—to fuel social change, as well as advance the cause of the American and global Jewish communities.In his first position as senior rabbi of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, he quickly organized resistance against a wealthy New York socialite’s plan to erect a stable next door to his congregation. He then spoke out in support of an 1898 railway car strike, despite the objections of the congregation’s [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, March 11, 2024
This Sunday, March 17, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, the namesake of our congregation and a pillar of the 20th Century American Jewish Community who helped shape Jewish life as we know it today. Throughout this week’s daily kavannot, we will explore many of his lasting contributions to our history and tradition. Born in Budapest, Hungary, on March 17, 1874, Stephen Samuel Wise came from a distinguished line of rabbis—dating back six generations. His grandfather, Rabbi Joseph Weisz, was a traditional Orthodox rabbi, supported by the Hapsburg monarchy. However, Stephen’s father, Rabbi Aaron Weisz, studied at the Eisenstadt seminary in Austria, home to modern Orthodoxy, which taught that traditional Jewish practices may exist while embracing modern scholarship, technology, and science. When Stephen was seventeen months old, his father moved the family to Brooklyn, adopting the surname Wise. Aaron then served the Baith Israel community, before [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, March 8, 2024
This past week I joined more than 100 other North American rabbis across all denominations for a three day conversation about Zionism. Planning for the conference began more than a year ago, long before the tragedy of October 7th. Our work felt more urgent and deeply needed than ever before. We had the opportunity to hear from journalist Brett Stephens, sociologist Mijal Bitton, and Congressman Ritchie Torres. We also were joined by three inspiring college students, two of whom were invited to address Congress last week, who shared their experiences on college campuses. One of the animating questions of the gathering was how we can respond more effectively as a community to the terrible uptick in antisemitism, anti-Israel rhetoric, and anti-Zionism. A colleague, Rabbi Sam Klibanoff of Congregation Etz Chaim of Livingston, New Jersey, offered a beautiful teaching that shows us one way. He noted an interesting connection between two Hebrew [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, March 7, 2024
“Rest will simply make us more human.” –Tricia Hersey, American poet and performerEvery week, I meet with twelve and thirteen year old students as they prepare for their b’nai mitzvah, and I am continually shocked at how overscheduled they are. Even if they enjoy every single activity, ranging from sports to robotics to creative thinking projects to dance and performing arts, it is hard to imagine being a young person with every hour of the day filled to the brim with class, homework, and extracurricular activities. Our kids, and frankly, all of us could use a breather!This week’s Torah portion, Vayakhel, begins with a reminder from Moses about the importance of creating time for rest. The word וַיַּקְהֵל vayakhel means “to gather,” and Moses does just that; he gathers the People of Israel together so that no man, woman, or child will miss his reiteration of God’s commandment to observe Shabbat, to create a practice [...]