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!
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, August 29, 2025
Outside the office of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, of blessed memory, there hung a framed poster illustrated by Mordechai Rosenstein with the words: “Justice, justice shall you pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). For her, as for so many, these words captured the moral imperative at the heart of a life devoted to law, fairness, and the protection of the vulnerable. That famous verse is found in this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, a parashah deeply concerned with the exercise of authority—our expectations for our leaders and, more broadly, for ourselves. After discussing the appointment of judges and the importance of judging justly, Shoftim turns to the possibility that the Israelites may, at some future time, wish—like other nations—to be ruled by a king. The Torah allows for such a possibility, but immediately sets limits on royal power. Unlike the rulers of other nations, Israel’s king cannot accumulate unlimited wealth, horses, or wives. Power must be restrained and, ultimately, shared. Leadership, [...]
Wise Words – Monday, August 25, 2025
As Wise School, Aaron Milken Center, and our Center for Youth Engagement prepare to commence and as we prepare to begin a New Jewish Year, our tradition continues to ease us from the pain of Tisha B’Av towards the resolve and commitment required to begin anew. This coming Shabbat features the fourth of seven haftarot of consolation, passages from the prophet Isaiah written to console the exiled Israelites. Towards the end of this week’s haftarah, we discover a poetic promise: הִתְנַעֲרִ֧י מֵעָפָ֛ר ק֥וּמִי שְּׁבִ֖י יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם הִֽתְפַּתְּחִי֙ מוֹסְרֵ֣י צַוָּארֵ֔ךְ שְׁבִיָּ֖ה בַּת־צִיּֽוֹן׃ כִּי־כֹה֙ אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֔ה חִנָּ֖ם נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֑ם וְלֹ֥א בְכֶ֖סֶף תִּגָּאֵֽלוּ׃ “Shake off the dust, arise, and take your seat, Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, captive daughter of Zion. For thus said the Eternal: You were sold for nothing, and it is not through money that you shall be redeemed.” (Isaiah 52:2-3). Here the prophet depicts Jerusalem not as a city of hewn stone, but [...]
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 felt deeply across Israel and the Jewish world.Reflecting on how they are responding to their grief, Hersh’s family invited others to do something in honor of this first yahrtzeit: “to make our complicated world better… It can be something big or small, quiet or loud, private or public. Do it in memory of the Beautiful Six, including our Hersh. May his memory be a revolution... for goodness.”I’m sure many of us remember exactly where we were when we heard about their deaths. I was at a bar mitzvah celebration, rejoicing in the simcha of a young man and his family whom I’d known since [...]
Wise Words – Monday, August 18, 2025
On occasion, a profound message is communicated in a seemingly trivial piece of information. Our Torah reading this week offers such a message.Consider the difference between the first two houses of worship for our people.When the Israelites were travelling through the desert on their way to the Promised Land of Israel, they were instructed to build a Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary, a temporary place to worship that accompanied them on the journey. It is a tent-like structure, significant for it is the dwelling place of God.However, in our Torah portion this week, R’eihe’eh, Moses tells the Israelites that when they arrive in Israel, they are to create a center and permanent temple. Known as the Holy Temple, it is to be built on “the place that God will choose” (Deuteronomy 12:5). It comes to fruition when, in 957 BCE, King Solomon erected The Holy Temple (also known as The First Temple) in Jerusalem, [...]
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 of loss, dislocation, and exile. Our ancient ancestors were still reeling from the destruction of the First Temple, along with the bloodshed and terror that came with it. Composed sometime after that catastrophe, Isaiah’s words fit our moment with disturbing precision.It’s a heartbreaking cry—one that feels urgently, even tragically, relevant right now:Our Israeli brothers and sisters today are traumatized by a terrible war—679 days and counting. Hostages languish in captivity as the clock ticks relentlessly, time running out for them. The humanitarian needs in Gaza remain urgent and heartbreaking. The sense of our being abandoned—by the world, and perhaps by heaven itself—feels overwhelming.I find inspiration in Isaiah’s ancient words. He refuses [...]