Rabbi's Column - Fall 2022

“But Rabbi, I’m not really religious!”

Dear Friends,

What’s the Hebrew word for “religion?” It may surprise you to know that there isn’t one!

There are some close analogues: dat (דָת ,(minhag (מִנְהָג ,(and purkan (פּוּקרָן (all convey elements of Jewish ritual and practice. But none of them means religion. Why? because Judaism predates religion. Religion is a modern concept that consigns our spiritual and material selves to separate buckets. This is an illusion. There is no “religious life” and “secular life.” There is only life.

The great 20th Century American Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan thought of Judaism as a civilization. It’s an ancient wisdom tradition; an ethical system; a series of practices and a roadmap for cultivating the relationships that matter the most. It’s an orientation to the Mystery beyond our understanding.

But there’s more: Judaism is itself a later idea in our history (c. 2000+ years ago). Before we adopted that “ism,” we were a people - Israel. That identity has always come first. As a Jewish community we are connected to all Jews, past, present, and future. As I write this, we are reading Parashat Nitzavim, at the end of the Torah in which our ancestors assembled at Sinai to receive the Torah — everyone living and ready to enter Canaan, but also, existentially, everyone who has not yet been born. This means that all Jews are equally Jewish.

And there are so many ways to be Jewish. But the most important thing is to do, not necessarily to believe. Not sure if God exists? Okay. Light Shabbat candles with your family on Friday nights. Help a stranger in need. Volunteer with our social justice committee. Take one of my classes. Sing with the TBT Band. Attend a Kol Ami event. In short, have a joyful Jewish experience. Open your heart and your mind to something new. Judaism is much more interested in doing than believing, in relationship over dogma. If you ask me, God cares more about who we are than what we think of God.

At TBT, we’re starting to do a lot more in person. I’d love to greet you in person and learn more about what excites you about being Jewish.

Bivracha (with blessings),
Rabbi Moss

President's Column - Summer 2022

Hello TBT,

Approximately 11 years ago I was sitting through a high holy day service. Rabbi Tom Alpert, TBT’s interim Rabbi, was leading us in prayer. At that time, I had a demanding job and a 10-, 8-, and 6-year-old. I felt like I was barely treading water.

I was listening to the sermon which must have meant that the kids were downstairs with the SALTY teens. Some of you may remember the sermon, it was about feeling inspired by Judaism. He used the words, “feeling the spark.” I remember this clearly because it made me feel sad. As a child and teen, I had felt that spark. I loved being in youth group and loved my Jewish summer camp. Rowdy song sessions, outside Shabbat services, Israeli dancing, meaningful discussions, rallying for Soviet Jews, going on a NIFTY trip to Israel, etc. . . . made me feel great about being Jewish. However, at this time in my life, sending my kids to Hebrew school and going to a few services a year felt like I was just checking off an obligatory box.

I made an appointment to talk to Rabbi Alpert. I told him about my feelings and how his sermon had resonated with me. I explained that I wanted to be more involved but felt drained and didn’t have the time. We had a long discussion and I remember him telling me that it was ok. This may not be the time in my life when I can dedicate a lot of time to the synagogue. He did however advise me to find one small thing I can do regularly to rekindle that spark. I started picking up Challah on my way home from work on Friday evenings. That was it, that was what I could manage.

Now here I am 11 years later writing my first column as your temple president. I now feel very satisfied with my Jewish immersion. I have found community at TBT. I am so grateful to feel that inspiration while praying on Friday nights, while hiking in the woods and even while participating in temple board meetings. It all feels holy and I am all in.

! I share this story because I know many of you may feel the same way I did 11 years ago. I am here to say, that is OK. It may not be your time. . . or it may be the perfect time. Find one small activity: maybe social justice, maybe a service, maybe a hike, maybe torah study, or maybe just pick up a Challah. You never know where that one thing will lead.

Blessings,
Karen Goldberg

Rabbi's Column - Summer 2022

Dear TBT Friends,

In my magical, seemingly never ending summer days at camp OSRUI in Oconomowoc Wisconsin, we often cited this aphorism: every day is like a week; and every week is like a day. I feel the same about the year gone by: it has been so rich and full, but at the same time, I marvel at how quickly my first year as your rabbi has passed! It’s hard to believe that at this time in 2021, Susan and I were settling into our home, exploring the Shoreline for the first time, and beginning to meet all of you! What a wonderful year it has been.

As American Jews, we mark the new year at different times: we have Rosh HaShanah and the Gregorian New Year, of course; but also Tu Bishvat (the new year for trees and all things green) and, in the congregational world, the the fiscal year, which begins on July 1st. This is a meaningful time of transition at TBT, as we welcome a wonderful new Board and President: Dr. Karen Goldberg. At the same time, we offer a heartfelt todah rabbah (thank you very much) to Sarah Mervine, who served with dedication over the last two years.

Continuing the theme of exciting new beginnings: as we bid lehitra’ot (farewell) to Cantor Boyle, we are delighted to welcome Dr. Leah Cassorla as our new Religious School Director and Cantorial Soloist. Dr. Cassorla brings a wealth of experience, creativity, and passion to this role, and she is eager to get to know our TBT families. Soon, we will announce special gatherings this summer in which you will have the opportunity to meet her, tour the TBT construction site (I can’t wait for you to see the progress!), or both.

As the kids head to camp and many of us head to vacation or family gatherings, I wish everyone safe travels and a wonderful summer. I look forward to seeing you throughout the next few months — on the Green, at TBT, or perhaps for Shabbat on the Beach!

L’Shalom,
Rabbi Moss

President's Column - June 2022

Dear Friends,

This will mark my last article as President of TBT. On July 1, Karen Goldberg will step up and become the president, along with an amazing Board of Directors. That Board consists of many brand new Board members alongside some who have served TBT well over the years. We are lucky to have all of these leaders willing and ready to help TBT and I am grateful to each and every one of them for signing up for next year.

While it has been an extraordinary two years, I feel happy to say to all of you that TBT has such a bright future ahead. And not just in the distant future! We will soon have our own newly renovated building and we will gather there once again like we used to before the world turned upside down. And even before it is fully done we will continue to meet and be together and look for opportunities to see each other all summer. One such opportunity is just around the corner – the scholar in residence. Maybe we will see each other there,

One thing I can say for sure after these two years is how many wonderful and energetic people – clergy, staff, and countless volunteers -- it takes to make a temple run! And we are lucky to have so many of those people! These people do their part with willing hearts and open hands and do not ask for anything in return, except that the temple community continue to thrive. They are the backbone that hold us all up and we are so fortunate that our backbone is strong. At the same time, we are fortunate to have all of our members, who make up the heart and soul of the place.

As I have said before, even when you aren’t at TBT, you are part of the reason that it is doing so well. Because of you, we had countless B’Nai Mitzvah over the last two years, we helped people mourn, we helped people celebrate, we studied, we sang, we taught our big kids and our little kids, we prayed, we supported refugees and other people in need, and we have helped one another in countless ways.

For me and for my family, I thank you for being part of TBT every day and for helping to make it the inclusive and welcoming place it has always been. I am excited to sit back on the sidelines and watch all of the ways it will continue to grow and thrive into the future.

B’Shalom,
Sarah

Rabbi's Column - June 2022

Dear TBT Friends,

It’s trivia time! Could you name the very first letter in the Torah? It’s a bet, the second letter of the Hebrew alef-bet. Take a look at this letter:

ב

The ancient sages wondered why the Torah begins with this particular letter. One answer: its shape, closed on all sides except for its forward-facing left (we read Hebrew from right to left), reminds us to focus on that which is in front of us. Have you ever heard that the windshield is larger than the rearview mirror for a reason? I think this is a similar idea.

This season is full of endings and new beginnings: graduations, weddings; leadership transitions. Summer is just around the corner. Perhaps we’ve begun a new professional role, or recently welcomed a new member of the family. Occasions like these fill our hearts with excitement and hope.

At the same time, we are deeply aware of the losses of the past two years: milestones postponed; family gatherings canceled; loved ones who are no longer with us. It is impossible to move into the future without carrying the weight of these losses. Judaism also values memory of life’s hardships. Remember how Moses, seeing the Israelites worshiping a golden calf, threw down the tablets of the ten commandments in anger? According to the Midrash, the Israelites carried those broken fragments in the Ark of the Covenant right underneath the second versions that Moses carved. The broken pieces from our past become part of us.

I would contend that it is precisely because of this imperative to remember, that our ancient teachers direct our attention to the present moment. “Im lo achshav, eimatai?” asks the great sage Hillel — If not now, when? We keep our eyes focused on where we are, now. We acknowledge unmet expectations and unrealized hopes. We may find it impossible (or unhelpful) to jettison these lived realities. But they don’t need to weigh us down; rather, they occupy their own little corner of our psyche, like the rearview mirror, in balance with all that lies ahead.

Shalom,
Rabbi Danny Moss

President's Column - May 2022

Dear Friends,

When I was a law student living on a shoe-string budget in Chicago, I used to attend a Modern Orthodox Synagogue. Why was a student who grew up in Conservative Judaism and leaned towards all Reform ideas going to a Modern Orthodox Synagogue? While it was true that the Rabbi there was amazing, the reason was really simple: money. I simply did not have any extra money to join a synagogue or pay for High Holiday tickets and the Modern Orthodox Synagogue let everyone in for free.

Had I lived here in Madison, I could have attended Temple Beth Tikvah, where the Rabbis are also amazing. Why? Because, from the beginning, TBT has been committed to allowing anyone to become a member, no matter how much that person could pay. I would have been a full member at no cost.

No cost to me, that is. In order to offer this service on the Shoreline – this service of letting all who want to come in come – there is a cost. There is a cost to running our building, paying our staff, cleaning our floors, keeping the lights on. That cost is simply subsidized by TBT, by the members who are here who say: it is important that I be able to join and it is important to me that anyone who wants to be able to join can as well.

Perhaps, you, like me, were once or are now able to worship because of other synagogue members and you know how good it feels to have a place to go and worship. Or perhaps you weren’t helped out, and you felt how hard it was to pay to join. Many of us know both of these things to be equally true: it costs a lot to run a synagogue but if it costs so much that many cannot join there is no point to that synagogue.

That is why TBT is starting a new campaign this summer and fall, “sponsor a member.” As many have gone through hard times financially, we are stepping up our aid to make sure not one member leaves TBT due to finances and all who want to become members can do so. How to help? It is simple. When you get your dues pledges, check “yes, I will sponsor a member” and add the amount you are willing to pay, or pay the full additional membership if you can. Those payments will go towards any members who cannot pay the full amount or cannot pay anything at all.

We hope this program will not only help keep the lights on, it will help show every non-affiliated person on the Shoreline (and many current members) that we welcome them, and not for their money. That we are committed to this community and to one another in every way.

Thanks, in advance, for your help in welcoming all to TBT.
Sarah Mervine

President's Column - April 2022

Dear Friends,

Given some of the darkness we have seen in the world as of late, I have been thinking a lot about light. How to shine a light on things we need to change, how to be a light for others, and how to feel some of that brightness ourselves. As we all know, the very first step in creation was to “[l]et there be light” and everything followed from there.

I do feel proud of the light so many of our congregants are bringing to TBT and to the world in many ways. Some of you are thinking up creative ways to collect money for Ukraine, others of you have organized a vigil in support, while still others have attended that vigil. Some of you are building houses again for Raise the Roof, others of you are teaching our children, and many, many of you are taking advantage of TBT’s educational offerings to spark your own inner light.

It was fitting, then, as I have been focused on this light, that Kim Romine called me up the other day and said “you have to come in and see the light in our new building!.” This wasn’t any figurative light, but the actual light streaming in from all sides as the new building takes shape.

At Kim’s urging, I came in for a recent tour. I have toured the building many, many times, but, Kim was right, the light flowing into the new space now is unbelievable. For the first time she and I could see the space we will soon have that we have been promising for so long – a space full of light and hope.

If you haven’t had a chance to partake of some of the “figurative” light at TBT, I invite you to join our Social Justice efforts, come to services, come to second seder or come to TBT as we hand out some goodies for Passover. If you haven’t had a chance to partake of our literal light, I invite you to do that too! Come sign up for a quick tour and see what we have in store for our near future.

As the saying goes when faced with dark times: better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Thank you for being part of TBT and helping to foster this light in so many different ways!
- Sarah Mervine

Rabbi's Column - April 2022

Dear Friends,

I recently encountered this reflection on social media; it hit me like a punch to the gut.

 I am washing my face before bed while a country is on fire.
It feels absurd to wash my face, and equally absurd not to
It has never been this way, and it has always been this way
Someone has always clinked a cocktail glass in one hemisphere
As someone loses a home in another;
While someone falls in love in the same apartment building
Where someone grieves.

When we read the news, we are affected on a human level. And on a Jewish level, too: how can we help but be reminded of the invasions, pogroms, and expulsions of the Jewish past? For many of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters — whether Jewish or not — such violence is hardly consigned to the past. As I write this, millions of refugees amass in Poland and other friendly countries. Thousands of Ukrainian Jews have made (or will soon make) Aliyah, fleeing for the safe haven of Eretz Yisrael.

When we witness the horrific devastation of this unjust war, we feel helpless. Our lives march on while, simultaneously, human beings suffer half a world away. This cognitive dissonance — a mental tug of war — pulls us in two directions at once. It disturbs us. How could it not? As people of conscience, we feel an unresolvable conflict between our world and the world; between our safety and the role we might play to secure others’ safety.

I am grateful that people at TBT really care, and are ready to follow their words with actions. So far, we’ve raised thousands of dollars, donated life-saving supplies, become informed about Ukraine’s Jewish history, and gathered to pray and offer words of hope within our broader Shoreline Community. There will undoubtedly be refugees to support in months to come. Thanks to our TBT Ukraine-response task force, we have not been complacent. We can all get involved; we all have a role to play.

And conversely, for such a profound geopolitical issue, we can only do so much at once. That is why Rabbi Tarfon reminds us: The work is not all yours to complete; but neither are you free to desist from it. (Lo alecha ham’lacha ligmor; v’lo atah ben chorin l’hibatel mimenah). -- (Mishnah Avot, 2.16).

Among the gifts Ukraine gave to the Jewish world is the Hasidic movement. One of the early teachers, the great Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, taught: “The Exodus from Egypt occurs in every human being, in every era, in every year, and in every day.” Rabbi Nachman’s teaching will be on my lips this Passover, as I share in telling the story of our people’s journey from degradation to liberation; from oppression to freedom.

L’shalom - with fervent wishes for peace –

Rabbi Danny Moss

President's Column - March 2022

Dear TBT Family,

What makes a sanctuary? Reading the book of Exodus over the past several weeks, we’ve encountered details about the ancient Israelite sanctuary, the mishkan. The section begins with Moses collecting gifts of gold, silver, acacia wood, fine linen and more, in order to furnish it beautifully. Reading this section in Torah study, we remarked that this was the very first capital campaign in Jewish History!

And, as with the Capital Campaign, we quickly learn that the more interesting question becomes not what makes a sanctuary but who. In the Torah, no one is instructed to give. Rather, Moses is instructed to collect gifts from every Israelite whose “heart is moved…” – in Hebrew, asher yidvenu libo. G-d does not command participation; rather, the Israelites had faith that everyone would do their part.

So, too, with TBT. No one is commanded to give; only those whose “hearts are moved” need do it. For those of us who have been the “collectors” we stand in awe and appreciation of the more than 70% of our congregation who have helped us to raise nearly $6.5 million of our $8 million goal. We wonder if Moses felt the same – appreciation for how generous the people were, how willing to help the community, how much they gave from their own resources to make sure the community would thrive. Each gift touches us not only because it gets us closer to our goal, but because it gives us confidence in the future of our community and the people who are working so hard to secure its stability.

We read further in the Torah about the artisans Betzalel and Ohalieb, who designed the mishkan not only to make it functional, but also beautiful. We are similarly grateful for the ongoing work of our interior design committee, whose labors will make our renovated spaces beautiful and special – truly a place we can call home for the next generation. As you drive by our campus, you can already see the progress taking shape on the exterior of the building and on our grounds. In the coming weeks, we plan to offer tours of the interior so that you can see the amazing progress for yourself!

Among the Torah’s intricate descriptions of the mishkan, perhaps the most notable details are the ones that are missing: where did all of this finery come from, in the middle of the desert? What sorts of supply-chain issues and commerce delays (camel shipping is not fast in the best of times…) did they encounter during their big building project? It can’t have been easy, for those newly-freed Israelite slaves making their way through the desert. Likewise, it hasn’t been easy for our congregation, in the middle of a global pandemic, to keep our eye on the future in the midst of the storm.

Yet, whatever challenges or complications the Israelites experienced dropped out of the story at some point, because truly, in retrospect, they simply fade away. We know it will be the same for TBT. And then, at the end, all that remains is a beautiful sanctuary; a place to call home.

L’Shalom, Sarah Mervine & Rabbi Danny Moss