The warmth of care and concern - Daily Minyan Reading - December 17, 2024

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Original reading

December 17, 2024

Our Creator, Friend and Shield, 

Loving Presence, 

Eternal Teacher, 

As the beginning of winter approaches, 

May we sustain, within our souls,

The warmth of care and concern

To dispel the cold of indifference that prevents us

From reaching out to our neighbors in need,

So that we will serve as Your hands and 

engender hope in this world. 

Help us to spread the light of Your wisdom and insight

In the face of the darkness of misunderstanding and ignorance

So that we will overcome any obstacles

That might preclude us from becoming one people on earth,

Acknowledging our differences 

But recognizing that there is a touch of You inside every person

And infused throughout all creation. 

Every night and every morning,

May we be united within Your Oneness 

As we continue to seek truth and establish justice and peace. 

Special and Precious - Daily Minyan Reading- December 11, 2024

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Original reading

December 11, 2024

Creator of the Universe,

Fashioner of Life, 

You made us all 

special and precious in Your sight

With the possibility 

of freedom, equality, and understanding

Among us

Always ever-present. 

May the Sun of Your wisdom 

shed light on our achievements 

When we reach our potential

And illuminate the moments 

in which we fall short,

Times that call upon us 

to readjust and renew,

Inspired by the wisdom 

that has been passed down to us

From one generation to the next.

May the darkness of night 

not linger past the morning

A situation which would signal 

a need for us 

To stand up for each other, 

to strengthen our sense of community

To teach the best of our respective traditions 

Across our differences 

So that we will enhance humanity 

in ways that 

We might not ever have imagined. 

Enable us to recognize 

that we are truly one,

As you are One, 

And that our destinies are not separate

But united 

As we walk this journey together.

On Giving - Daily Minyan Reading - December 3, 2024

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Original reading

December 3, 2024

Eternal One,

Giver of Life, 

Source of Light,

Cradle of creativity, 

Inspire us on this day

To give something of ourselves

To the world

As you present us, every minute and hour

With renewal of body and soul

With visions of Your handiwork in nature

And with realizations of our potential

To offer hope and support to people in need

To generously assist causes that deserve our attention

And to enhance efforts 

that will engender unity and understanding 

In the face of division and domination. 

Keep us strong within ourselves

And as a community

So that we can preserve Your world, our world, 

And all who dwell here 

With wisdom, with care, and with love.

May we continue to thrive 

within Your goodness, kindness and Oneness.  

The possibility of growth -Daily Minyan Reading - November 18, 2024

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Original reading (remembering my Bar Mitzvah) 

November 18, 2024

Merciful Creator, 

Author of Freedom,

As we move along the journey of our lives, 

We make choices that bring us

The possibility of growth 

And the specter of challenge. 

We don’t always know 

What the consequences of our actions will be. 

Yet, when we recognize the amazing order within nature

And the miracles that sustain our own existence, 

Our resulting gratitude should lead us in a direction

Established by the wisdom of our heritage

That has been passed down to us 

A tradition that encourages 

Nurturing our souls

Expanding our minds 

Valuing truth, 

Practicing respect, trust and decency

And demonstrating love for humanity

That reflects Your great love,

Which encompasses every one of us

Within Your guiding presence,

Longing to make us One. 

The touch of Your spirit - Daily Minyan Reading - November 5, 2024

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Original reading

November 5, 2024

Creator of the Universe, 

Source of wisdom, reservoir of strength,

How do You want us to see one another? 

If it is with Your sight, 

It must be that we should recognize

That a touch of Your spirit resides in each of us

And, because of that, we must act as if 

We are Your partners in preserving this world. 

It must be that we should acknowledge Your presence 

In the eyes and souls of other people,

Whether neighbor or stranger, 

So that we would know that if we denigrate anyone, 

We are diminishing You, 

And so that if we support our neighbors on this planet

 with respect, with compassion, and with love, 

We are raising You up through raising them up. 

Because You have fashioned us in Your image, 

Every day, may we speak as if our voice is Yours.

May we reach out as if our hands are Yours.

May we bask in the light of Your Oneness 

So that we will truly experience 

fulfillment, joy and peace

Which all comes from You. 

The blessing of Your light - Daily Minyan Reading - November 12, 2024

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Original reading

November 12, 2024

Soul of the Universe, 

Source of insight,

We turn to You to experience

The blessing of Your light

Which warms our hearts 

and raises us up to the heights

Of ideals and teachings 

Embedded in our heritage: 

Welcoming the strangers 

who come into our midst;

Engaging in dialogue that can bring people 

to a deeper, mutual understanding; 

Working in common cause 

To lift up neighbors in need

To greater well-being, increased subsistence, 

And more reasons for hope; 

And discovering new ways 

to turn conflict into cooperation, and even peace. 

Sustain us with the faith that Your Oneness,

Which binds us all together,

Will lead us and inspire us to become one

In ways that will enable us 

to offer our own gifts and blessings

To one another, to this world, and back to You, Eternal One. 

Infuse our souls…. - Daily Minyan Reading - October 28, 2024

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Original reading

October 28, 2024

Creator of the Universe, 

Guide for all of humanity, 

Infuse our souls with the depths of your mercy, 

Leading us to approach one another with empathy and compassion. 

Imbue our minds with wisdom, 

enabling us to distinguish between honesty and corruption, 

truth and subterfuge. 

Instill within us a desire to do right by Your teachings, 

to show kindness based on Your direction, 

and to love neighbor and stranger based on Your holy proclamations. 

Shine the light of Your face upon us, Eternal One, 

So that we can discern the presence of Your brilliance 

In the infinite corners of this world.  

Open our hearts to feel the love You have embedded among us 

That can connect us one to another, 

And make us one

As You are One. 

 

Good values and our upcoming national decision- October 24, 2024

From Exodus 23: “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.”  These are just good values.  

So, just because a candidate says, without evidence, “They cheat” doesn’t make it true.  

Just because a candidate says, “they are Marxists” doesn’t mean it’s true. 

Just because a candidate identifies an “enemy within” doesn’t mean there is such a group of people, and for those of us who fit into his definition of his “enemy within” (I have a few strikes against me personally), would those who believe his claim protect me and my family if you know me?

However, when people who worked with a candidate closely have revealed flaws of that person in the form of a warning, with copious examples and evidence, it is not gossip; it is a warning.   

For me, this is personal, as my father worked for the Army Corps of Engineers for 40 years.  I can only imagine that he would have been summarily fired from his position and replaced by a “loyalist.”    That is wrong. 

  So many of us just want to live side by side in peace, harboring our many disagreements and differences, but not in a spirit of hatred and vindictiveness and vengefulness, but with an approach of partnership and curiosity, with the hope of solving problems together.

  The ideal seems so far away.  But I, for one, can’t let it fall by the wayside, thinking it’s just impossible now.

The Promise of Unity -Daily Minyan Reading - October 14, 2024

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Original reading

October 14, 2024

Eternal One, 

Creator and Sustainer of us all, 

We see dancing lights, comets,

The waxing and waning moon, 

And stars in the night sky 

That remind us of the wonders 

within this universe.

We watch the leaves change colors 

With the turning of the seasons. 

We look inside ourselves and realize

That we can change as well. 

As the holiday of Sukkot approaches, 

And we seek to be protected, 

Compassionate God, 

 under Your sukkat shalom, Your shelter of peace, 

May we extend our hands and hearts 

Towards one another 

with the hope that the light and wisdom 

That emanates from You 

Will encompass us with the promise of unity, 

Blessing, and peace.