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We often speak of stewardship in terms of the planet—the air, the water, and the soil that we leave behind. While we must face the fact that we are leaving the world more fragile than when we found it, our greatest responsibility isn’t just to the land; it’s to the human foundations we establish for our children.

Our children deserve a world that is whole, but more importantly, they deserve a guide on how to stay whole within it.

Moving Beyond Isolation

Many of us feel a deep sense of Karet, being cut off—not as a punishment imposed by an external authority, but as self-imposed isolation. We have drifted from our communities, our neighbors, and even our own sense of purpose. But the beauty of recognizing that we broke these connections is the realization that we are the ones who can repair them.

We don’t need to “change the world” in a grand, sweeping gesture. Instead, we simply need to care for our own universe—those concentric circles of influence that start with ourselves, extend to our family, and eventually reach into the broader community.

The Practice of Repair

To leave a meaningful legacy, we must first address the architecture of our own lives:

• • Self-Dignity: We cannot model respect for others if we do not honor ourselves. This requires Teshuva—a sincere turning away from past guilt. Maimonides teaches us that true healing occurs when we acknowledge past temptations but choose a new, nobler path.
  • Relational Integrity: Hillel’s ancient wisdom remains our clearest guide: “What is hateful to you, do not do to another.” By applying this to every small encounter, we begin rebuilding the social fabric. It’s not about grandiose schemes; it is about building one relationship at a time.
  • Intentional Stewardship: We should view our life lessons as an ethical inheritance. Our pain shouldn’t feel like a haunting ghost from the past; it should serve as a springboard toward the future. By openly sharing our struggles and growth, we equip our children with the tools to navigate their own life transitions. In this way, we are laying the groundwork or planting the seeds for a better tomorrow.

A Final Invitation

Our time is passing quickly, but it hasn’t gone yet. We have the tools, the wisdom, and the capacity for deep empathy. Our tradition teaches us that, to save a single life — to repair even one fractured relationship — is to save the world.

Let us stop dwelling in the place of pain and start intentionally planning our path forward. By healing ourselves and strengthening our connections today, we give the next generation the most loving gift possible: a solid foundation of meaning and a society that treats every person with dignity.

 

 

SPIRITUAL ARCHITECTURE

Parsha Emor  •  5786

Who Gets to Stand at the Altar?

On Inclusion, Sacred Roles, and the Architecture of Belonging

The Uncomfortable Blueprint

Parsha Emor opens with a disquieting set of instructions. The kohanim, the priests entrusted with Israel’s sacred service, must be without physical blemish. The blind, the lame, and the disfigured may eat the sacred food and belong fully to the priestly family, but they may not approach the altar to offer sacrifice. The Torah offers no apology. It draws a line between full membership in the community and access to the central sacred role.

It is a distinction that has never stopped being uncomfortable. It should not be.

The Tradition’s Own Revision

What is remarkable is that Torah’s own trajectory refuses to let the blueprint remain frozen. When the Temple fell, and Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai rebuilt Jewish life from the ruins, he did something architecturally audacious: he democratized the sacred. Prayer replaced sacrifice, and Torah study replaced priestly service. The altar came down from Jerusalem and rose again in every home, every synagogue, and every learning circle where two or three gathered with intention.

The physical requirements of Emor did not follow the altar into exile. When the structure changed, the restrictions that belonged to it faded quietly from halachic life, not by formal repeal but by the Rabbinic instinct that sacred roles must serve the living community rather than merely replicate a blueprint that no longer stood. This is not an abandonment of Torah. It is Torah reasoning at its most honest and most alive.

Modern Insight: The Line We Are Always Redrawing

Every generation of the Jewish community has inherited some version of Emor’s central question: who may stand fully in the sacred space? Every generation has drawn the line somewhere, and every generation, looking back, has found that its line was drawn too narrowly.

As a rabbi and Spiritual Architect, I do not pretend that Emor says anything other than what it says. But the Spiritual Architect also reads the whole tradition, the Torah and its living interpretation across centuries, and notices a persistent, restless movement toward greater inclusion. The question is not whether the line moves. History has settled that. The question is whether we are humble enough to ask, in our own moment, who stands just outside the circle of full belonging our community has drawn, and why.

The Torah’s term for the festival gatherings, a few chapters later in Emor, is mikra’ei Kodesh, holy callings or holy convocations. Sacred community is not a building with fixed walls. It is a calling, an ongoing act of summoning people toward the center. The architecture is never quite finished. That is not a flaw in the design. That is the design.

 

 

Shabbat is not the same.  As we welcome the Shabbat Bride, too many of us feel the absence of loved ones lost in the carnage and war.

Idan Raichal, an extraordinary poet/singer/songwriter, shares this sad longing for those we only wish could “Return”

#bringthemhome

Wishing you Shabbat Shalom

 

The tired hours that don’t let time run

The heavy legs that find no reason to walk

The days and nights like the faces in the pictures

Everything stops when you’re not here

And waking up from a dream and feeling you close

Then calling you out of the night

Come back!  Come back today!

I so wanted you to come!

I wish you would come without announcing today

I am a tower of light.

From distances that will reappear

I wish you would come without announcing today.

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Friends,

This Pesach is genuinely unique. The question,  Mah Nishtanah HaLailah Hazeh, takes on a whole new level of meaning as we confront the most challenging moments in our recent history.

Our tradition is guided by hope; together, we will get through this, guided by empathy and love for all, including those with whom we disagree.

As we gather around the seder table, let us share the ancient story of our journey towards freedom. Let us teach it to our children and embrace the values that unite us, making our tradition so wise and timeless.  Guided by the psalmist’s words, Olam Chesed Yibaneh, we will build this world with love.

Wishing you all Chag Pesach Sameach

Rabbi David

 

 

Dear Mr. Scott

As we all agree, pulling the movie The Child Within Me was wrong. A weak apology followed. Indeed, that apology did not bring me back into the fold. I am not alone in feeling like BMFI continues to let me down. So, how do we move forward?

This is a pivotal moment for your board and the community you serve. It’s an opportunity for growth, learning, and repair, where you can repair by transforming into a place for understanding, decision-making dynamics, and guided exploration of the mission and the complex issues it may raise.

Who are the BFMI stakeholders?

What is BMFI’s mission, and how does that mission intersect with the stakeholders’ and the community’s needs?

By convening a gathering to discuss the current situation openly, we can collectively work towards meaningful repair for the community. Your active participation and engagement are crucial in the healing process.

Let’s restore BMFI’s reputation and dedication to bringing culture into our community.

As we approach the holiday, I am sharing something a bit unorthodox.

Jackson Browne has done a new version of My Eyes with the people from Playing for Change.  It has always been a beautiful piece filled with emotions and reflection, and therefore keeping with our special time.

Wishing everyone Shabbat Shalom and L’Shanah Tova uMetukah, A good sweet year!