"On the Rabbi's Mind" - 4/2/10 "Judaism, Business and Ethics"
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Ph.D.
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation
April 2, 2010
I was told the story of a woman my age who decided to introduce her mother to the magic of the internet. Her first move was to show her mom the popular “Ask.com” site. To impress her she told her that it could answer any question she had.
Her mother was really skeptical until she said, “It’s true, Mom. Just think of something to ask it,” and she sat with fingers poised over the keyboard. Her mother thought, and thought and finally responded, “OK I’ll ask it a question: How is Aunt Shirley feeling?”
"On the Rabbi's Mind" - 3/5/10 "What Jews Should Know about Islam"
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Ph.D.
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation
March 5th, 2010
Did you hear the one about the young man who was caught carrying a bomb on an airplane? When arrested, he claimed that he always carried a bomb with him on airplanes. After all, he said, what are the odds against there ever being two bombs on the same plane?
"On the Rabbi's Mind" - 1/1/10 "Raising Ethical Children"
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, PhD
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation
January 1, 2010
I read this story in Reader’s Digest once about a guy who was camping in a national forest and in the morning as he stood in the communal bathroom washing up, the man next to him asked him what he did for a living. “I’m a Juvenile Rehabilitation Counselor,” he replied. At which point the other man shook his head and said, “Yep, I’m a parent too!”
"On the Rabbi's Mind" - 12/4/09 "Jesus, Judaism and the Jewish Idea of the Messiah"
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, PhD
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation
December 4, 2009
I remember growing up in Los Angeles at Christmas time. I used to love going to the department stores to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what I wanted. Sometimes when he would ask “And what do you want for Christmas little boy?” I would simply answer with whatever toy or game or present I wanted that year without any further commentary. And sometimes Santa would ask the question, and I would look up and say, “I’m Jewish and we don’t celebrate Christmas but I’d like something for Hanukah,” and then proceed to tell Santa my dreams and desires just the same.
"On the Rabbi's Mind" - 11/6/09 "The Most Difficult Mitzvah in the Torah"
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, PhD
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation
November 6, 2009
“I offered to drive my mother-in-law to the doctor’s,” one of my friends once told me, “But when I arrived at her house, I found her standing in her front yard gossiping with her next door neighbor about another neighbor who lived down the street. “Mom, we’ve got to go,” he interjected, but she just ignored him and continued to talk to the neighbor telling her all the things about the other woman that she didn’t like. “Mom,” he repeated, “we really have to go.” But she just kept talking to the other woman anyway.
"On the Rabbi's Mind" - 10/2/09 "Why Pray If No One is Listening?”
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Ph.D.
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation
October 2, 2009
I’ll never forget the story of the small child who when asked, “Where is God?” answered, “God lives in the bathroom.” When pressed for an explanation as to how he knew that God lived in the bathroom the little boy replied, “Every morning I see my dad standing outside the bathroom door saying, “My God, are you still in there?”
"On the Rabbi's Mind" - 9/4/09 "When Life Doesn’t Turn Out the Way You Expected"
Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, PH.D.
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation of Pacific Palisdes
September 4, 2009
In a “Frank and Ernest” cartoon, you see Frank rousing slowly from his sleep, then looking out at the sun coming up. He says dryly, “Well, the sun is rising in the east . . . so far, so good.”
Jewish Holiday Calendar
Please click here for a complete list of upcoming 2009/2010 Jewish holidays.
Birhot Hamishpahah/Family Blessings
After welcoming the tranquil spirit of Shabbat, we turn to one another. Sometimes personal statements of appreciation that highlight experiences of the past week are offered. After these informal exchanges, the following traditional passages may be recited. more >
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