Wise Words
Writings of reflection by the Stephen Wise Temple clergy.
Each Monday morning, members of our mailing list receive the weekly email “This Week at Wise,” and on Fridays, a “Shabbat Shalom” email from Rabbi Yoshi which include messages of thought, inspiration, and contemplation from our clergy, along with a schedule of events. Sign up and don’t miss out!
Wise Words – Monday, June 1, 2026
This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Beha’alotcha, is filled with some of the Torah’s most breathtaking imagery. We can almost see the golden menorah glowing in the sacred tent, the Levites gathering in rituals of dedication and song, the glistening Mishkan beneath the mysterious cloud of God’s presence, and the silver trumpets sounding across the desert camp with majesty and purpose. This parshah shines with natural, ritual, and communal beauty, images and moments meant to lift the spirit and remind the Israelites that even in the wilderness, holiness surrounds them. And yet, amidst all this wonder–surprise, surprise!–the people still complain. They grow weary of the manna, exhausted by uncertainty, longing for the familiarity of Egypt even after liberation. We are only human after all, and the hardship of life’s desert moments can narrow our vision. Fatigue and fear can even diminish the greatness of miracles in our eyes. We know what it is to feel burdened [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, May 29, 2026
This week’s Torah portion begins with an instruction. While given specifically to Aaron as the High Priest, I think these words are meant for all of us and especially our leaders. We read: “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you cause the light to go up, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand.’” (Numbers 8:1-2) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ דַּבֵּר֙ אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֵלָ֑יו בְּהַעֲלֹֽתְךָ֙ אֶת־הַנֵּרֹ֔ת אֶל־מוּל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הַמְּנוֹרָ֔ה יָאִ֖ירוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת הַנֵּרֽוֹת׃ The Torah’s instruction to Aaron is precise. The word here is not the same as the one we use each Shabbat when we light our candles; it does not say l’hadlik. Aaron is not simply asked to kindle the lamps. Rather, the word is b’ha’alot’cha — when you cause the light to ascend, to go up. The purpose of the flame is not merely illumination. It is elevation. Our task as [...]
Wise Words – Monday, May 25, 2026
As a veteran of the United States Army, I am genuinely grateful when someone says, “Thank you for your service.” You can always feel the sincerity of these thanks, and sincerity matters. And yet, whenever someone offers such thanks, I’m simultaneously humbled and troubled. I’m humbled because veterans aren’t the only people who serve our country. Teachers serve. Nurses serve. Clergy, social workers, volunteers, children caring for aging parents, parents teaching their children, and neighbors looking after one another all help sustain the fragile fabric of a free society. We all serve and we all sacrifice, in our own ways, to make our communities and our country better. However, I’m also troubled by expressions of thanks, because true gratitude is expressed through action, not words. To truly honor those who serve, especially those who gave their lives for our country, we must create a country worthy of their sacrifice. [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, May 22, 2026
This Shabbat is Shavuot, the holiday that celebrates the giving of Torah at Sinai. And as is the custom on Shavuot, we read the Book of Ruth.I have been thinking about something my Bible teacher at Hebrew Union College, Rabbi Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, taught me about this remarkable book. What makes it so unusual and so beautiful is this: every one of the main characters in it behaves decently. Look across the sweep of biblical narrative and you will find great heroes and terrible villains, soaring moments and devastating ones. But it is rare to find a story where people are just good to one another. Some go further than others. Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi is extraordinary and Boaz’s generosity is exemplary. But no one in the story is cruel. No one schemes or betrays. Everyone, at minimum, behaves with basic human decency.What a vision. And what a gift, [...]
Wise Words – Monday, May 18, 2026
There are many theories as to why we read Megillah Ruth, the Book of Ruth, for the festival of Shavuot. This year, as I sit a week after Mother’s Day and just weeks before my son’s 6th grade graduation from Wise School, I am thinking about the lessons that Ruth and her story have to offer us about not just community, but about “the village,” the web of people who make family life possible. The Book of Ruth begins with loss and displacement, but it unfolds through acts of caregiving. Ruth accompanies Naomi. Boaz notices Ruth. The neighboring women notice Naomi. Redemption emerges not through miracles, but through people refusing to let one another carry suffering alone. And after all the dramatic moments in the story — death and famine, loyalty and risk, threshing floors and city gates, even birth and redemption — the book ends with an intimate and [...]