Coronavirus – Page 2 – Rabbi Jon 's Website and Blog

June 28, 2021

Ships, Planks, and Storms — Looking Back and Ahead

These were my words of Torah at the start of Temple Beth Abraham's annual congregational meeting on June 15, 2021. Though they refer specifically to that occasion in places, I think the Torah here is apt for all of us as we reflect on the past fifteen months and the transitions we in, each in our own… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Hope, Middot, Patience, Prayer, Soul, Spirituality, Study, Synagogue, Talmud, Temple Beth Abraham, Torah, USA

March 26, 2021

Pesach Community Message 5781

This is the note I sent out to our congregation on Friday, March 26, 2021 as we get ready for Pesach to begin. Dear Friends: I have a short Pesach agenda to share with you below, but first: I realized a couple days ago how much I want Pesach this year to be like Chanukkah. There's no way, at… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Food, Freedom, History, Holidays, Jewish Education, Justice, Pesach, Ritual, Study

March 15, 2021

A Year in the Desert — Reflections One Year Later

This was my D'var Torah on Saturday, March 13, 2021. Shabbat Ha-Chodesh is the name for the Shabbat that precedes the start of the month when Pesach occurs. These are some of my reflections on the past year of the Covid-19 pandemic; one piece can hardly say it all. Shabbat Ha-Chodesh, this day in the… Continue reading

February 25, 2021

Purim Playlist!

I've had fun making these, and hopefully you'll enjoy learning a bit about Purim and the month of Adar, one short bit at a time. A couple more are coming in the next few days. "Hamentashen for thought"! You can click on the video and watch it here, expand it, or click on the three… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Calendar, Community Relations, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Esther, Food, History, Holidays, Leadership, Middot, Pesach, Purim, Tikkun Olam, Tzedakah, Tzedek, USA

February 4, 2021

Jewish Sources on Electronics and Shabbat

Next week I'm teaching in our synagogue Ritual Committee about issues relating to the use of electronics on Shabbat, particularly in connection with conducting services. Since I'm gathering source material I thought I would post for everyone the raw material from the Conservative movement. There are certain basic concepts of halacha (Jewish law) that are important backdrop: m'lacha… Continue reading

Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Halacha, Shabbat, Study, Talmud, Torah, Web/Tech

January 11, 2021

Synagogue Collaboration — The Next Level

One of the great surprises of the pandemic has been a new kind of sustained, intense collaboration among Jewish professionals based in synagogues. Denominational networks, cohort programs such as those from the Center for Rabbinic Innovation, and sharing platforms like JEDLAB and eJewish Philanthropy are one part of the story. Something more bottom-up happened between Pesach and Rosh… Continue reading

Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Jewish Education, Leadership, Synagogue, Synaplex

December 21, 2020

Dreaming of Better Than Normal

(Photo: deviantart.com) This is the Dvar Torah I gave on Saturday, December 19, 2020. It was the Shabbat immediately following Chanukkah. Today is what I call the ninth day of Chanukkah. What do we see after we have finished lighting a full chanukkiah? Do we keep an afterimage, do we see in our mind’s eye… Continue reading

Calendar, Chanuka, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Holidays, Hope, Leadership, Miketz, Parashat Hashavua, Temple Beth Abraham, Tikkun Olam, USA

December 10, 2020

Thinking Out Loud — COVID Curfews

I'd like to be using my blog more to model and invite some ethical deliberation more of the time. This is something I dashed off to post on Facebook the other night. Particular references are to my locale of Nashua, NH, but it's relevant for elsewhere. Wondering about the curfew debate. This isn’t an argument in favor… Continue reading

Bioethics, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Ethics, Freedom, Health Care, Leadership, Patience, Science, Taking Sides, USA

September 24, 2020

My Rosh Hashanah Sermons 5781 (2020)

Rosh Hashanah 5781 (2020) Day 1 6 Feet Closer Rosh Hashanah 5781 (2020) Day 2 Hope Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Election, Elul, Ethics, High Holidays, History, Holidays, Inclusion, Middot, Rosh Hashanah, Spirituality, Temple Beth Abraham, Teshuvah, Tikkun Olam, Torah, USA, Yamim Noraim

July 29, 2020

Your Two Personal Assistants Toward the High Holy Days

This year I updated my usual re-post about Moshe and Yeshayahu, your “two personal spiritual assistants”, and published it at the Times of Israel: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/your-two-personal-spiritual-assistants-toward-the-new-year/ Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Devarim, Elul, Foregiveness, High Holidays, Holidays, Patience, Rosh Hashanah, Soul, Spirituality, Teshuvah, Theology, Torah, Vaetchanan, Yom Kippur

July 29, 2020

Pitchers and Catchers, Candles and Circles, Rivers and Apples: How Rituals Will Really Help Us Approach This New Year

This is almost too good to be true: the beginning of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar this year coincided with opening day for Major League Baseball. Usually around this time of year I show you this T-shirt based on an observation by Rabbi Morris Allen at my parents’ shul about the absolute… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Devarim, Elul, High Holidays, Holidays, Parashat Hashavua, Prayer, Ritual, Rosh Hashanah, Simchat Torah, Spirituality, Sukkot, Teshuvah, Torah, USA, Yamim Noraim, Yom Kippur

July 26, 2020

School Opening — Ethical Idea #1

School-related ethical idea #1. Whenever I have a lot on my plate and try to figure out what’s more important, one strategy I try to use is “2-for-1.” Which items on this list are both important once for themselves, and also valuable for what they enable me/my organization to do down the road? So as… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Current Affairs, Education, Ethics, Freedom, Leadership, Tzedek, USA