Mishkan Blog
“…The verses in this parsha let me down.” — Parashat Emor and Disability Justice
At our May 6th Saturday Morning Shabbat service, Rabbi Deena reflected on the difficult verses in Parashat Emor which ban people with certain physical disabilities from serving as priests. In the light of the disability rights movement, how can we do better? You can...
Sharing Some News…
With much appreciation, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be leaving Mishkan at the end of May 2023. I feel so blessed to have built relationships with so many of you over the last three years. I have loved guiding our BMitzvah students on their journeys to becoming...
Prayer for North American Jews on the 75th Anniversary of Israel’s Founding
As we approach Israel’s 75th birthday while Israelis and Palestinians on the ground continue to struggle to preserve and create a full democracy, we offer this prayer by Rabbi Ayelet Cohen for the state of Israel, originally published by T'ruah. Special thanks to...
Keeping Kosher: Ancient Mindful Eating?
At our Saturday morning service on April 15th, Rabbi Deena argued that keeping kosher is more than just an all-or-nothing, take-it-or-leave-it obligation — kashrut is also an ancient mindful eating practice we can all learn from! You can listen to R'Deena's sermon on...
What’s Holding You Back In Mitzrayim?
Our April 1st service was our final Shabbat before Passover, so Rabbi Steven left us with some words of wisdom on kitchen kashering, spring cleaning, and spiritual liberation. You can listen to this sermon on the Contact Chai Podcast. And while we won't be holding...
Sephardic Passover Traditions: An Interview with Rabbi Deena
Rabbi Deena sat down to discuss how her Sephardic heritage informs her family's celebration of Passover, and how researching your own family's and communities' history can help you craft a more engaging, meaningful Seder. If you want to hear the full interview, you...
Standing Together For True Democracy In Israel
Standing Together organizers protest for “Minimum 40,” a minimum wage campaign in Israel. **** I don’t write or say much about what’s happening in Israel because frankly, there’s plenty of local news of concern happening to keep us busy. That said, as I’ve written...
From Haman To Huwara
The Shabbat before Purim is known as Shabbat Zachor, when we unpack the story of a blood feud between Israel and Amalek which stretches from the time of Moses through the kingdom of Saul all the way until its bloody conclusion in the Megillah. Tragically, while we...
Luminous Beings: On Disability And Radical Love
February is Jewish Disability, Awareness, and Inclusion Month. In recognition of this important initiative, Rabbi Lizzi welcomed Mishkanite Anna Giuliano to speak about her experiences as a member of the disability community. You can listen to this sermon on the...
Dive In — The Water’s Parted
Even with a charismatic, visionary leader like Moshe, big changes are impossible without ordinary people choosing to bravely place their faith in a better future. At our February 4th Saturday morning service, Rabbi Lizzi wished us all a happy Tu B’Shevat (the birthday...
Decarbonization Tips From The Mishkan Sustainability Justice Team
Give the trees what they really want for their birthday — decarbonization. Recently, Rabbi Steven spoke with environmental activist Hans Detweiler for Tu B'Shevat (listen on Contact Chai!). Hans is a member of the Mishkan Sustainability Justice Team, and a longtime...
What If We Are The Egyptians In The Exodus Story?
At our Friday Night service on January 27th, following a painful week of mass shootings, Rabbi Deena delivered a drash on this week’s parsha from Exodus comparing its plagues of death to our own. You can listen to this sermon on the latest episode of Contact Chai...