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As an American family, this D’var Torah is dedicated in loving memory of US Army Staff Sgt. Saul Fabian Gonzalez, Sgt. 1st Class Emmett Wilfred Goodridge Jr., and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Dustin K. Wright who died in the service of our country and defense of our nation in recent days. As Am Yisrael, the Jewish family, this D’var Torah is devoted in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel who have been under constant attack on multiple fronts. And, as a Beth El family, this D’var Torah is humbly dedicated to the memory of Carol Lorraine Smith and Barry Katz. May God Comfort the Smith and Katz families among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. Shabbat Shalom! I pray this finds you all well. In the incredible 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams, which details the life and career of our nation’s second president, there is a dramatic scene […]

This D’var is humbly and lovingly dedicated to our brothers and sisters in Israel, and to our brave American service members stationed throughout the Middle East. May the Holy One Blessed Be He shelter and protect them, and lead them to both righteous victory and everlasting peace. Shabbat Shalom! I pray this finds you all well. I remember it like it was yesterday – I was in the ER about 20 years ago with a pretty bad case of food poisoning and needed a couple of IV’s. In the next room, there was this man, screaming, yelling, and verbally abusing the nurses. When the nurse came in, my Mom (z”l) and I asked if everything was ok. “Oh yes, everything’s fine. The patient in the next room is detoxing and this is just part of it.” I’m so proud of what Mom said next: “He might not be in a […]

Rabbi Stucker-Rozovsky is away (on military orders) this week, so our D’var Torah (below) is from Rabbi Scott Klein, our “Guest Rabbi” (and friend of Rabbi Aaron), from Fort Bragg, NC.  I hope you are well. Here is a video message: https://drive.google.com/file/d/132rqJsVYTAoe7tKTpc-W2pkP4Pj6cAYP/view?usp=drivesdk And here is the written message: This week, we delve into Parshat Naso, the longest Torah portion in the entire Torah!  “Naso” means “to take up” or “to elevate,” and it carries a powerful message about individual responsibility, elevation of spirit, and the sacredness of our interactions. After the census and organization of the tribes in Bamidbar, Naso focuses on specific groups and their roles. It begins with the census of the Levites, detailing their duties in carrying the sacred components of the Tabernacle. This reminds us that spiritual work, the carrying of holy things, requires specific dedication and care. The parshah also discusses the laws and the […]

Loyalty in deed, Indeed! Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach. I hope this finds you all well. My wife said something truly powerful to me in the car the other night that she heard from attorney Elica Le Bon: “It’s more important to be good than to appear to be good.” She couldn’t be more right. Think about it- who do you want in your life: the friend who tells you they’ll show up for you and never does, or the friend that says they’ll show up and actually does? The choice is pretty clear. On the joyous holiday of Shavuot which starts this year on Sunday, we read the story of the Book of Ruth. In it, the elderly and impoverished Israelite Naomi, after having lost her husband Elimelech and two sons Machlon and Chilion, tells her Moabite daughters-in-law Naomi and Orpah to return to their parents as she has […]