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 – Monday, October 28, 2024
According to the Mishnah, our 3rd century compendium that records much of the history of the Temple Service, the Levites—part of the priestly class—would recite one Psalm each day. Sung in the Temple, this Psalm would signify the end of the morning sacrifice. When the Temple was destroyed and the sacrificial system ended, the practice was adapted into synagogue services, where the Shir Shel Yom, or Psalm of the Day, is recited towards the end of the daily morning service. Psalm 48 is Monday’s Psalm, the song associated with what is the second day of the week on the Jewish weekly calendar. Written before the destruction of Jerusalem, it imagines a triumphant God, and a triumphant King, celebrating a conquered Jerusalem. Knowing that it was read, and continues to be read publicly after the destruction of the Temple, this verse feels particularly poignant—perhaps even more so now when we [...]
Daily Kavanah – Friday, October 25, 2024
It’s right there in the Torah. It’s a mitzvah to celebrate at this time. Deuteronomy chapter 16 teaches that on Sukkot, “ וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ – you shall rejoice in your festival.” Later the sages added another festive day to this special time: Simchat Torah, an opportunity to rejoice in our study of Torah and the collective wisdom of the Jewish people. We conclude our reading of the five books and then immediately begin again. We dance with our Torah scrolls in the loving embrace of our community. But this year of course is different. We wonder: how are we are supposed to celebrate knowing there are still more than 100 hostages languishing in Gaza? How can we be happy when our soldiers are still at war, when loved ones and friends must rush to bomb shelters and safe rooms on a regular basis? And because our empathy is expansive, we also [...]
Daily Kavanah – Thursday, October 24, 2024
Today is Sh’mini Atzeret.Although Sukkot is only celebrated for seven days, the Book of Leviticus ordains an eighth day as a day of assembly: “Mark, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the yield of the earth, you shall celebrate a festival of Adonai for seven days, with complete rest on the first day and on the eighth day" (Lev 23:39).The day is not mentioned at all within the Book of Deuteronomy, which describes Sukkot as a seven-day holiday without mentioning any subsequent observance. Nor does Leviticus provide information regarding the rituals to be observed during the day other than rest, assembly (atzeret), and sacrifice. The day is mentioned in the first book of Kings, as well as Nehemiah, but in each instance, we only learn that, “an assembly— atzeret” was held on the eighth day.Though atzeret means gathering or assembly, the famous Medieval commentator, Rashi, reminds us that [...]
Daily Kavanah – Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Today is the 7th day of Sukkot. The seventh day of Sukkot is also known as Hoshana Rabbah, the Great Prayer for Deliverance, which is one of Judaism’s least renowned traditions. Traditionally, worshippers make seven circuits around the synagogue with the four species, emulating the practice of the Temple period, as described within the Mishnah, which prescribes one circuit for each day of Sukkot, until the seventh day, when seven circuits are performed. Afterward, special piyyutim—poems—are recited, followed by the beating of five willow branches, hoshanot. Several scholars have compared the practice to the conquest of Jericho, when God orders Joshua to complete one circuit around the city walls for six days, followed by seven circuits on the seventh day. After the seventh circuit, the priests blew the shofar, the soldiers shouted, and the fortification walls came tumbling down. Just as Joshua conducts the ritual to summon Divine assistance in [...]
Daily Kavanah – Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Today is the 6th day of Sukkot. One of the most meaningful ways to celebrate Sukkot is to invite guests to enjoy a meal in our Sukkot. Commonly associated with the tradition of inviting ancestral ushpizin, guests, to the Sukkah, inviting living guests to share in the bounty of the harvest represents an evocative way to imbue our Sukkot celebrations with the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim, hospitality toward guests. According to the Talmudic sage, Rabbi Judah, showing hospitality toward guests is even more important than welcoming God into our midst. As proof, he recalls the tale of Abraham, suggesting that Abraham abandons the Divine Presence to approach three strangers and invite them to his tent for a meal. Meanwhile, the Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text left out of the Hebrew Bible, suggests that this tent was, in fact, the very first Sukkah, reminding us of the need to open [...]