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, November 3, 2025
30 Years Since Rabin Over this past summer, I read Ayelet Tsabari’s somewhat autobiographical novel, Songs for the Brokenhearted (recommend!). While it is mostly a book about grief and love, mothers and daughters, and the complex questions of Sephardi and Israeli identities, it is also set partially in 1995. One of the subplots follows a grief-stricken teenage boy who finds himself drawn toward a world of religious and ideological fervor — the same currents that, in that moment of history, gave rise to Yigal Amir. As I read, I could feel myself traveling back in time, as Yoni went from Petah Tikvah to Jerusalem to, ultimately, the Tel Aviv peace rally that would change history — along with my own identity. I spent the summer of 1994 in Israel, in a time that — from the vantage point of 2025 — feels almost euphoric. The first Oslo Accords had been signed [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, October 31, 2025
From Rabbi Yoshi: Reflections from the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem This past week, I’ve been in Israel as part of the Arzenu delegation to the World Zionist Congress. Together with hundreds of Jews from across the diaspora—and delegates from Israel—we’ve been working to help set priorities for the World Zionist Organization for the next five years. It’s been a special honor, and personally deeply moving, to participate in this legislative body of the Jewish people—an institution originally envisioned and created by none other than Theodor Herzl himself back in 1897 and attended by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise. It is a profound kavod to serve the Jewish people in this way. I’m deeply grateful to all of you who voted in these elections for giving me this opportunity to represent our community and for participating in this ongoing, shared project of the Jewish people. I believe with all my heart that the State of Israel [...]
Wise Words – Monday, October 27, 2025
Shalom to the wonderful Stephen Wise Temple community! My name is Joshua Less and I am so thrilled to be the Rabbinic intern this year at Wise. I was born and raised in Memphis, TN. After living in Israel for two years, I moved to Los Angeles for Rabbinical school. I am a proud husband to my wife Leah, and proud dog-dad to two awesome golden retrievers. I look forward to seeing you all around campus throughout the year and hope your High Holy Days season was meaningful! Just a few days ago, our Jewish calendar quietly entered a new month. Known as Cheshvan, the eighth month of the calendar is the only one that does not contain either a holiday or a fast. For this reason, it is sometimes known as Mar Cheshvan, or “bitter Cheshvan.” But after what feels like a never-ending stretch of holidays, some of us perhaps [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, October 24, 2025
Our congregation bears the name of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise (1874–1949), a remarkable leader who was an inspiration to our founding rabbi, Isaiah Zeldin. One of the reasons Rabbi Zeldin so deeply esteemed Rabbi Wise was his fierce and unwavering devotion to the Zionist movement and the creation of the State of Israel. This was far from obvious—or a “given”—at the time. In the early 20th century, most American Jews—especially within the Reform movement—were not supporters of Zionism. They sought to become fully American, to assimilate into the fabric of their new country, and viewed the idea of Jewish nationhood as contrary to that goal. Left to right, American Zionist Leaders, 1922: Nathan Straus (co-owner of Macy’s), U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, and Rabbi Stephen S. Wise Rabbi Wise, however, saw things differently. He believed that embracing America and supporting a Jewish homeland were not [...]
Wise Words – Monday, October 20, 2025
A week ago today, we were awake through the night, our hearts racing with joy and disbelief. The hostages were released. We celebrated, we wept, we sang—we stayed up as though afraid to blink and miss a moment of the miracle unfolding before our eyes. It was surreal—truly a glimpse of redemption in real time. I remember sitting in that joy, feeling its weight and lightness all at once. Later that morning, one of my best friends texted me: “I’m so curious what will happen next in the conflict, in the peace process.” For a moment, I wanted to engage, to analyze, to move from wonder to worry. But then I caught myself—and simply stayed in the moment of joy. It was Hoshana Rabbah, the seventh day of Sukkot, the time our tradition calls z’man simchateinu—the season of our joy—and I realized how rare and necessary it is to let happiness have [...]