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Thanksgiving Begins with Awareness

As we celebrate this Thanksgiving weekend, I am reminded once again of how deeply this holiday resonates with our American story, and with our Jewish story as well. On October 3, 1789, President George Washington issued a special proclamation establishing the first national Thanksgiving Day. At a moment when our young nation was still finding its footing, Washington understood the importance of pausing to acknowledge our blessings, to reflect on our responsibilities, and to offer gratitude to the Source of all goodness. His proclamation set in motion a tradition that has endured for generations, inviting Americans of every background to take stock of the gifts that sustain us and the ideals that bind us together. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite days of the year. At its heart is the spiritual discipline of gratitude, pausing long enough to notice what we have, the people we love, what truly matters, and remembering that none of it should be taken for granted. It is...
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Dear Senator Kim: I Strongly Object to Your Recent Votes on Israel’s Security Needs

  I recently received a letter from Senator Andy Kim explaining his votes on two sets of Senate resolutions opposing weapon sales to Israel. You may recall that I was among almost 200 New Jersey Rabbis who publicly criticized Senator Kim for these votes.  I am sharing this week my response to Senator Kim’s recent letter to me. His original letter will follow mine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------   The Honorable Andrew Kim United States Senate Washington, DC 20510   Dear Senator Kim, Thank you for taking the time to write and explain your position regarding the recent Joint Resolutions of Disapproval on U.S. arms sales to Israel. I genuinely appreciate your willingness to communicate directly and to share the reasoning behind your votes. That said, I must express my profound disappointment and my alarm over your votes in favor of S.J.Res. 26 and S.J.Res. 33 in April, and S.J.Res.34 and S.J.Res. 41 in Jul...
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A Tribute To Our Veterans

For my Shabbat message this week, I would like to share with the community the tribute I offered to the veterans of our JCCP/CBT family during our minyan and roll call of veterans this past Tuesday evening. *                          *                          *  As we gather this Veterans Day for our daily evening minyan , we pause to   honor and express our deepest gratitude to the veterans within our JCCP/CBT community and to all who have served in the armed forces of the United States. In every generation, brave men and women have stepped forward to defend the freedoms we hold sacred. They left behind families, homes, and the comfort of daily life to serve a cause larger than themselves: the safety, security, and ideals of our nation. For the Jewish people, this gratitude carries special meaning. We who have known the pai...
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The Responsibility of Speech in an Age of Division

When I was in Rabbinical school, The Rabbi as Symbolic Exemplar by the late Rabbi Jack Bloom was required reading. In it, Rabbi Bloom, himself an extraordinary Rabbi and a leading psychologist, argued that a Rabbi is never perceived as merely a private individual, but rather, a living symbol of Judaism, the Jewish people and even God's covenant with Israel. In other words, congregants don't see me, Arthur Weiner the individual, but rather, "The Rabbi." As a result of that, everything a Rabbi does; how they pray, teach, dress, eat, spend money, respond to conflict, as well as a million other everyday activities, are interpreted symbolically, as representing what Judaism itself values or expects. It's a heavy burden. After all, I'm not sure that screaming at the television while watching my beloved NY Jets is the best example of behavior, but to do so in public might lend itself to all kinds of judgement not only about me, but Judaism itself.  I didn't ...
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