In my small town - July 22, 2023

I have lived in communities with a population of just over 100,000 for much of my life (37 years).  

I can say this with authority out of personal experience. 

In my small town

People have a chance to get to know each other

Across differences

Beyond divisions 

Because they forge common ground

Through sharing stories

Through working together 

Through caring. 

In my small town

People know what it is 

To do justly

To act with compassion towards people in need

To show kindness 

And to walk humbly.

In my small town

People become leaders 

Who understand that they must value

Responsibility over power

In order to maintain the welfare and well-being of all citizens, 

And residents, 

Viewing them as neighbors 

Whose presence is welcome and valued. 

In my small town

It is true that no one is above the law

And that it also must be true

That laws promote equality for all 

and not privilege for a select few

And to apply disciple in a way that 

Makes positive growth possible. 

In my small town 

People of different faiths and philosophies

Talk to each other with respect 

In order to promote a level of understanding 

that directs them to continue their conversations indefinitely. 

In my small town, 

Children learn about who they are

And who their peers are 

So that everyone can be who they are

With pride and without fear

So that they will become adults who truly fathom

What it means to be human. 

Is my small town a dream? 

No. 

 It is simply up to us 

To make it real.

Shelter and Shade, Support and Hope - Daily Minyan Reading - July 17, 2023

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah 

July 17, 2023

Eternal One, 

Creator of the Universe, 

We look to you for shelter from storms and challenges,  

For shade from heat and conflict. 

There are times when light directs our path. 

At other times, flashes of illumination

That accompany foreboding clouds

Overwhelm us.  

We are often reminded of how the natural world 

And its seen and unseen forces

Impose their own control, 

Yet we also know that we have it in us 

To discover ways to cope with unexpected changes

That may come our way, 

Especially through reaching out to one another

In knowledge, wisdom and fortitude 

So that we will remain as partners with our neighbors

And with You.  

The command to love our neighbors as ourselves

Leads us to offer support and hope

To move forward to days where the brightness 

That suffuses the earth and our souls

Will continue to represent the oneness that binds us together

And the Oneness that holds us close within Your eternal love.

The Ideal of Liberty - Daily Minyan Reading - July 3, 2023

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Original Reading 

The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah 

July 3, 2023

Eternal One, 

Be with us in our pursuit of light, love, and freedom. 

On this night, 

The eve of the celebration of our nation’s independence,

How can the ideal of liberty be a beacon for our personal and national well-being? 

May it always lead us towards 

• Extending our helping hands to our neighbors
• Being open to new ideas
• Understanding our  many and varied views and beliefs that exist side-by-side
• Accepting every individual in a way that encourages participation in the betterment of our communities
• Engendering an enduring unity that will withstand attempts to sow division and discord
• Fostering hope and optimism even in the face of challenge. 

May this grand national experiment sustain our moral growth, 

Maintain our capacity for joy, 

And increase our sense of prosperity in our search for meaning every day of our lives. 

May we always remember that, “out of many, one” 

Can encompass us all not only here, 

but throughout the entire world. 

What gifts can we offer? - Daily minyan reading - June 26, 2023

Original reading 

The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah 

Facebook Live Daily Minyan

June 26, 2023

Eternal Presence 

Who makes the days pass, one by one, 

Source of light in our lives, 

How do we balance the dark times we may face 

With the brightness of our souls? 

What gifts can we offer 

That will lead to positivity and optimism? 

There is kindness that will spread warmth

From one person to another. 

There is understanding that will enable us

To discern the needs of our fellow human beings.

There is wisdom that will serve as the foundation

For our choices and actions. 

There is persistence that will direct us 

To remain committed to deeply-held values. 

There is dedication to principles of justice and mercy

That will maintain morality in our world. 

There is love that connects us to all existence 

That will sustain our potential for unity,

So that we may 

Become one 

within the Oneness 

That pervades the vast universe 

In which we live.   

To My Ancestors - June 24, 2023

Praise to the One and the ones

Who guided Your steps 

Who helped you to forge your path

That led you to this place. 

As I sit just miles from where you settled 

In this new world, 

I marvel at how you made such a drastic change

In your lives and lifestyle. 

I had no chance to ask you

Why you left the land of your birthplace

Your ancestral home 

To put down roots in the American midwest. 

I now know that the bonds that had held siblings together

Were broken by time and by distance,

Leaving it to us in the present, 

To search, 

To inquire, 

And to intensely study 

Photos, records, documents, and even letters

To try to piece together 

Your story.   

We don’t always get it exactly right. 

What I have learned is that

Immigration 

Naturalization 

And even “Alien Registration” 

All figure into the sweep of your tale

And my heritage. 

I will continue to hope for more information

Knowledge

And facts

To come to light

Because it is through learning about

Where you began

How you reestablished a home 

So far from your point of origin 

And why you undertook such a journey

That, I believe, 

I and the generations to come 

will find greater meaning 

In our past, present and future. 

 

Glimmers of Hope - Daily Minyan Reading - June 20, 2023

The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah 

Facebook Live Daily Minyan 

Original Reading

June 20, 2023

Creator of the universe,

Loving companion every day and night,

Open our eyes to find light amid darkness, 

To discover, in the clouded corners of our lives, 

Glimmers of hope,

Inspiration for action, 

Reservoirs of strength, 

Refuge from despair, 

Renewal of perspective, 

Rededication to our chosen mission, 

And reaffirmation for our own sense of purpose. 

May Your brightness shine into our hearts,

And may we feel Your presence

Encompassing us throughout the world 

To bring wholeness,

To reveal new levels of insight,

And to engender peace 

Within the oneness that begins with You.

To fashion a circle of unity - Daily Minyan reading - June 15, 2023

The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah 

Facebook Live Daily Minyan 

Original Reading 

June 15, 2023

Eternal One, 

Creator of the Universe, 

With planets, stars, and galaxies 

Moving in their appropriate paths, 

Open our eyes to see the light 

That shines upon this world. 

Open our hearts to feel the glow

Of connection with our fellow travelers 

On the earth. 

Open our minds to fathom 

The brilliance of the many forms 

of wisdom and insight

That have emanated from our ancestors

And that continue to grow 

Inside of us and alongside of us

 in our communities and nations. 

Be with us at sunset

So that we can contemplate the gifts 

of the new day to come. 

Be with us at sunrise

So that we will act in ways 

that will bring promise

To our future. 

Open our hands to give to others 

And to join with our brothers and sisters 

To fashion a circle of unity 

Which will bear the mark of Your Oneness

That will continue to pervade our very existence.