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Havdalah Transition Rabbi Cassi Kail rabbikail@bethelsp.org For the past fifteen months, community members have come together on Zoom every Saturday night to mark the end of Shabbat. With a short but meaningful ceremony called Havdalah. It is one of my favorite Jewish rituals, which delights the senses as well as the soul. While Havdalah comes […]
Celebrate Freedom Rabbi Cassi Kail rabbikail@bethelsp.org On an April afternoon, I went to the temple and was surprised by a building filled with workers going in and out, laying down materials, and taping up walls. The clangs and bangs were music to my ears. Workers were there to repair our broken elevator. You might recall […]
Resetting the Table Rabbi Cassi Kail rabbikail@bethelsp.org On a Sunday afternoon, eighteen community members gathered to begin a series of courageous conversations through an organization called Resetting the Table. Participants were diverse in age, perspectives, political leanings, and life experiences. They shared a desire to create meaningful relationships and learn skills for having difficult conversations […]
Celebrate Freedom Rabbi Cassi Kail rabbikail@bethelsp.org Passover is my favorite holiday. It isn’t the matzah ball soup or haroset that I most look forward to (though they are delicious). Instead, it is the way we gather around a table each year (virtual or in-person) and tell the story of our people. Tradition requires even the […]
A World Upside Down Rabbi Cassi Kail rabbikail@bethelsp.org Purim is a topsy-turvy holiday. One of the most important phrases in the entire Megillah is v’nahafoch hu, which means “upside down.” Last year, we honored this tradition through the hilarity of Purim spiels, costumes, pranks, drinks, and carnival games. Little did we know how upside-down this […]
Resetting the Table Rabbi Cassi Kail rabbikail@bethelsp.org I grew up in a mixed family. My mother was a democrat, and my father, a republican. Conversations around the dinner table often erupted into passionate debate over governmental policies, economics, and religion, especially when we had guests. My house defied the age-old rule never to talk politics […]
This Hanukkah, Be the Light Rabbi Cassi Kail rabbikail@bethelsp.org Nine months into the pandemic, every one of us has felt the impact. Somehow, around Thanksgiving, the emotional toll feels particularly pronounced. After my fourth conversation in one day with community members struggling from grief, loneliness, and isolation, I hung up the phone and thought, “Hanukkah […]
Self Care Rabbi Cassi Kail rabbikail@bethelsp.org I write this article as the month of Heshvan is beginning. Just after the four major holidays that occur in quick succession during the High Holy Day season, the month of Heshvan represents a change of pace. The Talmud refers to this month as Mar Heshvan; the word Mar […]
One mitzvah leads to another – A contagion worth spreading On Rosh Hashanah, many of us took part in a ritual called Tashlich, in which we toss our metaphorical sins into the water. Whether communally or individually, we took time to reflect on the year’s ups and downs, our missteps, and the choices we plan […]
Change is Possible, After All Derek Black was born into a family of white nationalists. His father was not only the grandmaster of the Ku Klux Klan, but the creator of the popular white supremacist website Stormfront. At a young age, he was primed to be a future leader in the Ku Klux Klan. By […]
