CBI Blogs

In our Shabbat morning liturgy, we find this beautiful poem on the theme of gratitude:

FOR THE EXPANDING GRANDEUR of Creation,

worlds known and unknown, galaxies beyond galaxies,

filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations,

מודים אנחנו לך

Modim anachnu lach, (we thank You)

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Do you know the date that enslaved Africans were legally freed by the Emancipation Proclamation? 

Answer: It was New Year's Day, 1863. 

Now another question: Were enslaved people in the US set free on that date?

Answer: No. Freedom was a process. It started in the North and as you traveled South, the acknowledgement of that new reality was not simple. Making it happen...Read more...

Imagine a Jewish person named Charlene. Charlene is a contestant on the classic game show, Jeopardy. Imagine that one of the categories that day is Jewish Religion, and that she decides to go for broke and take "Jewish Holidays for 500."

Alex Trebek (may his memory be a blessing) says, “Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Purim, Yom Hashoah and Shavuot.”

Charlene confidently mashes her buzzer and declares, “What...Read more...

Just a few days ago, I had the great honor and privilege of speaking at the Jewish Rally for Abortion Justice in Washington, DC. I was asked to speak because of the work I do to help promote reproductive justice and freedom in this country, but also because I serve as a rabbi in Texas. Along with my friend and colleague, Rabbi Josh Fixler (Congregation Emanu El in Houston), we spoke to thousands of Jews who support...Read more...

We’ve reaching the moment in Torah that I personally dread reading, more than any other verse in the entirety of our sacred text. As I explained last week during Friday night services, we are reading the second half of Parashat Acharei Mot in order to align our weekly Torah reading with the rest of the Jewish world.

This half of the portion is filled with laws and commandments...Read more...

Chag Pesach Sameach!

The trip to HEB is behind me. The brisket is in the fridge waiting to get rewarmed before dinner. The charoset has been doing the delicious thing it does while the wine macerates the apples, nuts and dates. The plan is set for rearranging our living/dining space to accommodate the tables and chairs. Its official. We are going to celebrate like it is 2019 and we...Read more...

I don’t know about you, but just two days into the City of Austin’s lifting of all COVID 19 protocols, I find myself still processing the news. While I had slowly been emerging from behind my mask: going to HEB, Purim rehearsals with our volunteers, leading worship in our sanctuary mask-free – I am surprised by how this announcement continues to feel like a miracle.

In fact,...Read more...

It was a particularly joyful scene in Sunday School this past week. It was the first time that we had been able to meet in person ("in three dimensions," as I like to say) since last fall, before the omicron variant of COVID-19 once again forced a retreat into virtual, online learning.

While our Education Director Carly Cera and her teaching staff brought every ounce of their...Read more...

I began my conversion during the year of 2020 while I was in Ohio. I was in unfamiliar territory, so I researched all the information I could find about converting to Judaism. The first thing I read about converting, was that it was expected for a rabbi to turn away potential converts three times “in part to reflect on whether they’re willing to deal with anti-Semitism.” (Weissman, 2015). As...Read more...

.When I was in second grade, I switched schools. I went from a private Montessori school to a private Jewish school. I was so excited to learn more about being Jewish and be surrounded by other Jews. But there was something off. Even though I was surrounded by people like me, I still felt like I was out of place. I was. Out of the entire school, I was the only person of color. I was too young to really understand what the problem was, but I...Read more...

This week's Torah portion, Mishpatim, provides the "fine print" to the 10 Commandments that we just read in last week's portion. In Saturday’s portion,  Mishpatim, the grand principles of the 10 Commandments are broken down for daily use in the form of all sorts of laws regarding justice, human relations and respectful treatment of your neighbor's property.

In Chapter 23,...Read more...

Time is a funny thing. There are days that seem to creep by so slowly, you’re absolutely sure the clock has stopped working. Then there are the days that go by so quickly you can barely catch your breath. And yet, no matter what, each day is measured in the exact same amount of seconds, minutes, and hours.

But here we are again, approaching the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....Read more...

Here we are…just two sleeps away from waking up on January 1st, 2022. Around this time every year I think back to a first-grade memory when I have returned to school after winter break, and I cannot remember to write the new year at the top of my page. I am frustrated by this as I do not enjoy the need to continuously erase and rewrite the year.

This remembrance makes me wonder:...Read more...

Friends,

On Wednesday night, we held a Service of Healing, a vigil, if you will, in the CBI parking lot. We wanted to provide an opportunity for expressing and validating the intense emotions that we know so many of you have experienced in the wake of the hate crime that has seriously damaged our sanctuary. 

It was quite dark by the time we began to assemble. Some people brought lawn...Read more...

As the Chanukah candles continue to add more light into our world, and as the latke smell continues to seep through every room in our homes, I want to tell you the story of a real Chanukah hero. You might be thinking of the Maccabees. Or you might be thinking of the oil that lasted for 8 days. But, in fact, I want to tell you all about Judith.

Some of you may have heard about or...Read more...