I fell in love with this “Chanukah How to” video at the Yo, Yenta! blog. I just may send this out to the whole congregation!
Or Ami in the News: Rededication at Chanukah Time
Los Angeles Daily News (12/4/07) focuses on Or Ami’s Chanukah celebrations. Quoting Rabbi Paul Kipnes and congregant Judy Soffer, we read: “I think most families don’t re-tell the story,” said Rabbi Paul Kipnes from Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas. “They jump quickly to the presents when they could be discussing religious freedom. “If a holiday …
Asperger’s Syndrome Gets a Very Public Face
The New York Times (December 4, 2007) wrote eloquently about the challenges and successes of Asperger’s Syndrome (Asperger’s Syndrome Gets a Very Public Face). It warmed my heart as a relative and as a rabbi. I care deeply about someone with Asperger’s Syndrome, a relative of autism, characterized by unusual social interaction and communication skills …
Talking to Kids about Drugs & Alcohol, Part I
From the Or Ami Center for Jewish ParentingThe First in a SeriesAdapted in part from Talking to Kids website Talk with your kids (and grandkids) about drugs and alcohol. It is not easy. It is often uncomfortable. And one conversation is not enough. But our drug treatment centers are littered with lives ruined because parents …
The Bris: A Hysterical Take on an Ancient Jewish Tradition
10 Ideas for a Spiritual Thanksgiving
Collected by Rabbi Paul J. Kipnes, Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas, CA(Adapted and expanded from work by Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein) Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein writes: “We do not often think of Thanksgiving as a Jewish holiday – it is an American holiday which we, as Americans observe. Thanksgiving in America was started by Christian pilgrims, …
Wordless Dina: The Dark & Light of Torah
By Rabbi Phyllis Berman & Rabbi Arthur Waskow (of The Shalom Center) The same mystical Hassidim who teach that the Torah is Divine Light also teach that there is no way to light except through darkness: “There was evening, there was morning: one day.” Creation begins in the dark of night; only then can it …
Kindle the Lights of Peace: A Rabbinic Call to the American Jewish Community
Peace… Always something we as Jews must be willing to vigorously pursue. I just signed onto this Rabbinic letter organized by Brit Tzedek v’Shalom: As we approach the festival of Chanukah, we American rabbis and cantors call on the American Jewish community to rekindle our commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace. When we light candles at this …
Did We Do That? Thinking about Climate Change
Did We Do That? By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN (October 28, 2007): We may have introduced enough CO2 emissions into Mother Nature’s operating system that we cannot determine anymore where she stopped and we started. On target yet again, Friedman writes: One should never extrapolate about climate change from any single weather event or season, but …
Parents and Children: A Biblical Legacy of Dysfunction
Parents and Children: A Biblical Legacy of Dysfunction Parents and children. Heartwarming. Challenging. Loving. Frustrating. Relationships fraught with misunderstanding. This jumble of emotions finds roots in our Biblical past. Even this week’s Torah portion recounts the challenging encounters between Abraham, Isaac and Sarah in the (Almost) Sacrifice of Isaac, the Akeda (Genesis 22).[Read the Torah …
Our Intern Grew Up: Installation of Rabbi Alissa Forrest
Installation of Rabbi Alissa ForrestAs a Rabbi at Temple Isaiah of Lafayette, CA By Rabbi Paul J. Kipnes, Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas, CA October 11, 2007 * 1 Cheshvan 5768 It is an honor to be here tonight, to stand on the bimah of four esteemed colleagues, Rabbis Roberto Graetz and Judy Shanks, Cantor Leigh …
Can We Pray That the Red Sox Win The World Series?
A young student stopped me at services to ask if we could pray to God that the Yankees would win the World Series. Clearly this was a ridiculous question from an unschooled, theologically naïve youngster. I had to keep from laughing at him. Of course, had he phrased his question differently, say, “Could we pray …
When It Comes to Genocide, You Can’t Split Hairs
When it comes to genocide, you can’t split hairs. Historically, we Jews have watched as others let their own self-interest take precedence over our safety. Now, as the tables are turned, as we face the opportunity of naming as genocide the 1915-1916 massacres by Ottoman forces against Armenians, we must speak truth to power. When …
E-Mail Is Easy to Write (and to Misread)
We have been explaining for years that email, a very helpful tool, is very unhelpful for working through areas of conflict. At Or Ami, our staff understands that because of the inability to read emotions into emails, they are never allowed to respond by email to those who express by email their anger, frustration or …
Just Two Weeks After Yom Kippur and I’m Already Sinning Again
I confess. It has only been two weeks since Yom Kippur and, oops, I did it again. I sinned. And I feel bad. It happened here in Calabasas around the corner from A.C. Stelle Middle School on Friday, October 5th, at about 3:15 pm. I was making my way home when I turned off the …