Every Friday, as Shabbat approaches, Rabbi Yoshi offers a message rooted in the wisdom of the parasha or our rabbinic tradition — shared not as ancient history, but as living guidance for the world we’re actually navigating together. Thoughtful, timely, and always accessible, these reflections are a reminder that Torah has something real and generous to say about the moments that matter most.
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, August 22, 2025
This past Tuesday, we marked the yahrzeit of the six beautiful souls who were murdered by Hamas terrorists after they had survived nearly a year of horrific conditions in captivity: Or Danino, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lubanov, Almog Sarusi, and Eden Yerushalmi. The loss of these precious souls is [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, August 15, 2025
“God has forsaken me!”It’s not from a headline in The Times of Israel. It’s not the words of a family member of the hostages at the weekly vigil in Hostage Square, Tel Aviv. It’s the opening line of this week’s haftarah from the book of Isaiah, written some 2,500 years ago.The context is one [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, August 8, 2025
They are often the first Hebrew words learned by Jewish children, and traditionally the last ones uttered as one approaches the end of life:שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ ה׳ ׀ אֶחָֽד׃Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!Hear O Israel, the ETERNAL is your God, the ETERNAL is one! (Deut. 6:4)These words from this week’s [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, August 1, 2025
We are almost at the end of the Nine Days—a period in the Jewish calendar marked by introspection and sorrow. Our communal mourning culminates in Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, which begins tomorrow evening.Tisha B’Av is the day on which, according to tradition, both the First and Second Temples [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, July 25, 2025
On my recent trip to Israel, I had the privilege of attending Kabbalat Shabbat services in Tel Aviv—right at the marina as the sun was beginning to dip behind the Mediterranean. Just getting there was a gift: the golden light casting long shadows across the sand, the sounds of [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, July 18 2025
Our Diversity Is Our Strength On any given day this summer, our Wise Temple and Schools campus is alive with the energy of children. We host three programs running simultaneously, weaving together a tapestry of activity and joy. Recently, around 2:45pm, I stepped outside and saw a line of family-sized [...]