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, September 26, 2023
After Yom Kippur, What's Next? Sukkot By Rabbi David Woznica With last night's setting of the sun, the High Holy Days have ended. I hope these days were meaningful and you feel some renewal and excitement for the year ahead. What's next? We go from the personal introspection of Yom Kippur to one of the most joyful and communal holidays, Sukkot, which begins this Friday night. The Torah teaches we should "live in booths (sukkot) seven days…" (Leviticus 23:43). According to Jewish law, all food eaten during Sukkot is to be eaten in the sukkah. The sukkot symbolize the huts in which Jews lived during their 40 years of wandering in the desert. They are, by definition, a temporary structure. Walls are often made of canvas or wood. The "roof" or "sekhakh" is made of material that grows in, and is cut from, the ground, such as bamboo sticks, [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, September 21, 2023
From now through Yom Kippur, each of our Daily Kavanot will feature a piece written by our clergy on the themes and traditions of the High Holy Days. Each of these pieces can be found in Days of Awe, our High Holy Day Machzor supplement. The Yom Kippur Fast By Rabbi Josh Knobel Perhaps the most recognizable tradition associated with Yom Kippur is the fast. In compliance with the command in Leviticus to “afflict our life-forces,” we neither eat nor drink for 25 hours. The Torah reveals little about the actual purpose of our affliction, but other references to fasts within the Bible provide some clues.The Israelite prophet Joel calls upon the priests to declare a fast to beseech God for relief from famine. By fasting, the prophet seems to suggest, the Israelites physically embody their state of hopelessness and privation, beckoning the compassionate God [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, September 20, 2023
From now through Yom Kippur, each of our Daily Kavanot will feature a piece written by our clergy on the themes and traditions of the High Holy Days. Each of these pieces can be found in Days of Awe, our High Holy Day Machzor supplement. Folly and Fate By Rabbi Ron Stern As you enter the 20th hour of your Yom Kippur fast, your brain is fogged, your stomach is gurgling, your head is pounding, and you’ve got that Yom Kippur taste in your mouth, the last thing you might be looking for is humor, yet that is exactly what the Book of Jonah offers. Though we don’t often turn to the Bible as a sourcebook for comedy, there are a few intentionally funny stories. While it may not be side-splitting, from our giddy state of Yom Kippur hunger, Jonah at least engenders a chuckle—and [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, September 19, 2023
From now through Yom Kippur, each of our Daily Kavanot will feature a piece written by our clergy on the themes and traditions of the High Holy Days. Each of these pieces can be found in Days of Awe, our High Holy Day Machzor supplement. On the Throne By Rabbi Sari Laufer There is a beautiful teaching in the Talmud which imagines God in a moment of prayer. For what—the rabbis wonder—does God pray? The answer: "May it be My will that My mercy will overcome My anger (towards Israel), and may My mercy prevail over My other attributes and may I deal with My children with the quality of mercy, and may I stop short of the limit of strict justice." God prays that God will have mercy on us all. These attributes—justice and mercy—are the work of the High Holy Days. When I have [...]
Daily Kavanah – Monday, September 18, 2023
From now through Yom Kippur, each of our Daily Kavanot will feature a piece written by our clergy on the themes and traditions of the High Holy Days. Each of these pieces can be found in Days of Awe, our High Holy Day Machzor supplement. The Heavenly Court is in Session By Rabbi David Woznica On the High Holy Days we stand before God in judgment. We should feel a sense of humility and, at the same time, have optimism for our future. Our machzor (High Holy Day prayer book) reminds us Rosh Hashanah inaugurates the 10-day process of judgment, “On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed: How many shall pass away, how many shall be born? Who shall live and who shall die.” The words are meant to make us feel intensity in synagogue. These are, indeed, the [...]