Rabbi Alison Adler

The essence of Torah -- and therefore of our creed -- is lovingkindness, to love our neighbors as ourselves.   But how do we acquire this sacred lovingkindness, this combination of energy and patience, and righteousness and understanding, that makes what we call a mensch? The Talmud answers in one sentence:  “Torah can be acquired only through friendship ."  (Talmud, Berakhot 63b) Judaism is relational – as we discussed yesterday when we spoke about the meaning of community.    And our tradition regards friendship as the key to human relations. But we have a tendency to use the word “friendship” carelessly sometimes - to forget what it really means. My niece, Ava, recently reminded me of the true meaning of friendship. She’s fifteen and lives in Southern California. Not long ago, she met up with one of her girlfriends who, she could tell, was upset about something. A discreet inquiry revealed that the poor girl had a painful condition that required her t...

“Life has a way of confusing us. Blessing and bruising us. Drink, l'chaim, to life!” Remember that one? From Fiddler on the Roof? Tevye, a loveable everyman, has just concluded a traditional marriage agreement, arranging for Lazar Wolf, the wealthiest Jew in the little village of Anetevka, to marry his daughter, Tzetiel. Both men are joyful. Lazar Wolf is joyful because   Tzeitel is a pretty, modest, capable young girl; and Tevye is joyful because he loves his daughter and believes the marriage to be her best available opportunity for security and happiness. To seal the deal, the two men crack-open a bottle of schnapps and prepare to drink: L’chaim!, they shout -- To life! And, oh, how they celebrate, with the singing and the dancing and the drinking.    “God would like us to be joyful,” they sing “even when our hearts lie panting on the floor. How much more should we be joyful When there’s really something to be joyful for?”   It’s wonderf...

            Shannah Tovah.  Gut Yontif. A few weeks ago, our seven-year-old son, Leo, asked his father a question. He walked into the living room and said, “Hey dad.  Why are we here?”             “Because we love it here!,” my husband, Chuck, answered enthusiastically. “What’s not to love about the North Shore? All these great little historic towns right next to the ocean -- and Boston just down the road! I wish we had more of a music scene and maybe a minor league baseball team, but –”             “No, no, no” Leo interrupted. “I mean, why are we here?” [Pause]             “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” said Chuck, “You mean, why are we here on earth ? What is our existential purpose , so to speak?”             I don’t know why C...

Shannah tovah! A good new year. Here’s my basic New Year’s message for you today: GOD LOVES YOU! Really!  I mean it: God loves you. Now, I imagine it sounds odd to hear a rabbi say, “God loves you.” Does it make you wonder: “Who does she think she is, Rabbi Billy Graham? Because for a lot of us, the phrase “God loves you” conjures up images of tent revival meetings and charismatic Christian preachers with broad Southern accents.  And well, that’s not exactly me. But I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: With all due respect to our Christian friends and neighbors, we Jews were saying, “God loves you” long before Christianity was even a thing . In fact, “God Loves You” is the beating heart of a Jewish spiritual life. And that, by the way, is one reason love is the central pillar in our new tagline, which you may have seen on the large poster at the back of the sanctuary.   Temple B’nai Abraham: To Learn, To Love, To Life!   That’s...