by Rabbi David Lyon | Feb 16, 2023 | Uncategorized
On Saturday evening, I’ll be on my way to Israel. Every seven years, the CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) holds its annual convention in Israel. Though COVID interrupted the pattern, it will be good to reset the clock and to begin again in Israel, starting...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Feb 2, 2023 | Uncategorized
In recent weeks, our congregational family and community have sat on the mourner’s bench too often. I can’t tell you why, because there is no answer that would ever satisfy us. But I can tell you how we can mourn and then how to honor the memories of those whom we...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jan 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
Everyday we’re stuffed with news that the world is crumbling and the sky is falling. Thus far there’s no evidence of either even if the headlines tell us otherwise. If we look with opened eyes that are not cast downward we might find a glimpse of something more...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jan 12, 2023 | Uncategorized
The beginning of the book of Exodus is like an introduction to our favorite biblical characters. We’re introduced to Moses, Aaron, Miriam, among others, who will be part of the narrative that will engage us for many chapters and many centuries of commentary and...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jan 6, 2023 | Uncategorized
It’s difficult to believe that the same brothers who left Joseph for dead in a pit without water are now gathering around their father’s deathbed to receive his blessings. It was an ornamented tunic that sent the brothers into a snit about their brother’s favored...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Dec 22, 2022 | Uncategorized
It’s one thing to speak about lights in the darkness, but it’s another thing to miss the point of why we light the Chanukah lights at all. Yes, it’s about hope and faith, but it’s about much more. We’ve been softened by assuming roles we think we should play; somehow...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Dec 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
A Danish proverb teaches, “Even a small star shines in the darkness.” The first night of Chanukah is Sunday evening, December 18th! In the darkness of the evening, one small candle plus the shammash (lead candle) will hardly brighten the space around the Menorah. It...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Dec 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
In 1967, the Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn movie, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” also starring Sydney Poitier and Katherine Houghton, addressed the difficult subject of race relations in America that sometimes led to love and marriage. The movie was...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Nov 17, 2022 | Uncategorized
Following on Kanye West’s recent antisemitic rants, comedian Dave Chapelle appeared on SNL this past Saturday night. In his opening monologue, which dragged on longer than usual, he tried to accomplish what no one in history has ever done: he tried to assuage the...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Nov 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
Baseball is America’s great past-time. Many of us have memories of being at the great ballparks to see our favorite teams. When I was a boy, my brother and I joined our dad at Wrigley Field for Cubs games. The tickets were difficult to get, but when he could, my dad...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Oct 20, 2022 | Uncategorized
When my son, Adam, was about 4 years old, our family was invited to join friends for Second Seder at their home. Just as the leader began to read the Haggadah, Adam turned to me and said quietly (thankfully), “We did this already!” This week, we read, again, from the...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Oct 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
In Hebrew, “hakarat ha-tov,” means “recognizing the good.” In Alan Morinis’s book, “Everyday Holiness: the Spiritual Path of Mussar,” he explains, “The good is already there. Practicing gratitude means being fully aware of the good that is already yours” (p.64). On...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Sep 15, 2022 | Uncategorized
On my morning walk with my dog, I came upon a neighbor walking his dog. He asked me, “What kind of dog is that?” I replied, “He’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.” Then we both smiled and said, “King Charles III!” and went on our separate ways. As the British monarchy...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Sep 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
(adapted from an essay by Rabbi Lyon) The news is often filled with hate and indifference. It can be caustic and destructive. The antidote often begins with “Love your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18). It’s a Golden Rule that originates in the Holiness Code in the Hebrew...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Sep 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
With all the news, lately, it might have slipped your memory that the Hebrew month of Elul has begun. What’s Elul, you ask? It’s the Hebrew month that precedes Tishrei, the first day of which is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5783. Elul has intrigued us for...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Aug 11, 2022 | Uncategorized
This Shabbat is called “Shabbat Nachamu,” or the Sabbath of Comfort. It’s so-called because it comes after the observance of Tisha B’Av (9th of Av) when we remember the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and other disasters in Jewish history. Shabbat Nachamu, the...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Aug 4, 2022 | Uncategorized
On Saturday night, the Jewish observance of Tisha B’Av will begin. Literally the 9th of Av, the date recalls days of destructions in Jewish history, beginning with the ruin of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. As history records it, subsequent...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jul 21, 2022 | Uncategorized
Many of you know that I retreat to the mountains in July, to fish, hike, think, write, and breathe deeply. I like to fly-fish. Standing in the water in waders lets me focus on a few spots in the water while the rush of the river pushes against my legs. I balance on...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jul 14, 2022 | Uncategorized
adapted from Rabbi Lyon’s essay, July 2021 The Prophet Micah said to the Israelites, “Remember what Balak, king of Moab, plotted against You, and how Balaam responded to him, and you will recognize the gracious acts of the Lord.” Seeing that their safe journey in the...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jul 7, 2022 | Uncategorized
This past week, Lisa and I took off in a rental car to drive to Tucson. She’ll spend time there to follow up on matters following her father’s death in February. The 16-hour drive went fairly easily as we took turns driving, listened to music, and caught up on...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jun 23, 2022 | Uncategorized
How can anyone in the 21st century, who has witnessed and benefited from extraordinary technology, and advances in science and medicine, be solely committed to radical faith? In Judaism, there is room for science and faith. Writing in his book, “The Great Partnership:...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jun 16, 2022 | Uncategorized
The short but powerful story in Numbers 12, reveals tension between Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Aaron and Miriam call out their brother on account of his relationship with “that Cushite woman,” and for the privilege of God’s intimate communication, panim el panim,...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jun 9, 2022 | Uncategorized
(Excerpted from Rabbi Lyon’s sermon June 3, 2022) When summer heat in the Middle East fell on the rabbis-of-old, they studied lighter texts and considered less weighty matters. They devoted themselves to Pirkei Avot, the Sayings of the Fathers, whose Jewish...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jun 2, 2022 | Uncategorized
In 2016, we were in Jerusalem on “Jerusalem Day,” the day that commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. Defeating the Jordanians, who held the city for 19 years, was an amazing feat. Today, famous photos recall the victory that welcomed Jews back to the...
by Rabbi David Lyon | May 26, 2022 | Uncategorized
I don’t have to quote Torah or Talmud to clarify how much Judaism prioritizes life and love over the murder and annihilation of innocent children. Most Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and secularists, alike, inherently value the life and potential of their...
by Rabbi David Lyon | May 21, 2022 | Uncategorized
On May 8th, David Scott and I left for Israel with 35 other travelers. Our experience was nothing short of amazing. From an easy passport and Covid check to a simple arrival in Tel Aviv, we began immediately to get our bearings, prepare for walking tours, and grow...
by Rabbi David Lyon | May 5, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Alito Letter, or whatever it will be called in the future, set off a fury of reactions. Some are encouraged by the direction it portends, and others are dismayed and outraged by its ominous implications. My Reform Rabbinic colleagues elsewhere are reacting in...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Apr 28, 2022 | Uncategorized
When the Israelites came to Mount Sinai, they learned that the condition on which they would receive Torah was that they would teach it to their children and their children’s children. In Deuteronomy 6, it was made clear, “You shall teach them (Torah teachings) to...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Apr 21, 2022 | Uncategorized
(Reprinted by request) What is freedom? Passover teaches us that freedom is liberation from bondage and then revelation at Sinai. There is no freedom without liberation and there is no life without revelation. Torah teaches, “For [Torah] is your life and the length of...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Apr 7, 2022 | Uncategorized
Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Sabbath, is observed one week before the beginning of Passover. It’s so-called, in part, because it was on the Great Sabbath that the rabbi gave a long (not necessarily great) sermon on the details surrounding Passover observance. Such...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Mar 24, 2022 | Uncategorized
One of the first rules we were taught as children was to say “please” and “thank you.” Most of us caught on quickly and never forgot it. Since ancient times, such simple courtesies were expected between people, but it was first modeled in the relationship between the...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Mar 16, 2022 | Uncategorized
Be Happy, it’s ADAR! It’s Purim time, and Adar is the Hebrew month in which we celebrate the holiday. When the month begins, we’ve been taught to say, “When Adar enters, joy increases!” In history, Purim was a festive holiday that provided a place in the Jewish...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Mar 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
The atrocities. The bombing. The destruction. Russia’s Putin is fighting a war in the 21st century with strategies left over from the 20th. While the rest of the world learned lessons that were supposed to prevent this from ever happening again, Russia ignored them....
by Rabbi David Lyon | Feb 17, 2022 | Uncategorized
At the end of last month, an opinion writer for the New York Times, wrote on “Why Churches Should Drop their Online Services.” Thankfully, Tish Harrison Warren, a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, wasn’t speaking for synagogues, though her opinion caught...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Feb 10, 2022 | Uncategorized
This past week, you expressed compassion and kindness for more than a few families that were grieving, including mine. Lisa’s father died and was laid to rest in Tucson. For every family that faced grief, we comforted them with memories, stories, and shared...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Feb 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
If I were a Broadway critic, I’d have only one word to say, “Tremendous!” If I had two words to say, I’d say, “Bravo! Brava!” Congregation Beth Israel’s “Telling Our Stories: Where Tradition & Broadway Intersect” was a stellar accomplishment. Underwritten by the...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jan 27, 2022 | Uncategorized
This past week, we observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and a week ago, Tu B’shvat. International Holocaust Remembrance Day marked the 77th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Years have passed but the indelible memories and hard lessons endure....
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jan 20, 2022 | Uncategorized
If life imitates art, then this past weekend closely followed the bondage we read about in Torah on Shabbat, and the redemption celebrated by the Israelites who went free at last. But life shouldn’t imitate art; it should learn from art and draw new lines of...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jan 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
This week’s Torah portion is called Beshalach (Exodus 13:17-17:16), and it contains the Song of the Sea. It’s the victory song sung by the Israelites after they emerged from slavery in Egypt. The famous Biblical scenes are probably more familiar to us from Hollywood...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Jan 6, 2022 | Uncategorized
Have you had enough already? Have you reached your limit? If it isn’t COVID-19 and one of its variants, then it’s supply chain delays and economic insecurity. When will it let up? What is its expiration date? In the book of Exodus, we find the Israelites in the throes...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Dec 22, 2021 | Uncategorized
This past week, Beth Israel’s COVID Taskforce met to review what we can know about COVID-19 and its breakthrough variants, including Omicron. We care about your well-being, and we take very seriously the partnership between faith and science. Having weighed the data...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Dec 16, 2021 | Uncategorized
The book of Genesis ends this week with the portion called Vayechi. Next week we’ll begin the book of Exodus. Between the pages, we’ll say, “Hazak, Hazak, V’nitchazek,” Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other. These words of strength express our...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Dec 9, 2021 | Uncategorized
Thirty years ago, we witnessed the horror taking place at Tiananmen Square. On television, we had first-row seats to the unbelievable sight of tanks bearing down on a student protestor and the brutality of the Communist regime against democracy seekers. Their...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Dec 2, 2021 | Uncategorized
The only miracle we celebrate at this season is the victory of the Maccabees over their foes and the oil that lasted eight nights. The story is about our resilience to honor our tradition and faith under all circumstances. But there is no victory in a pandemic that...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Nov 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
In the New York Times, David Leonhardt once wrote an op-ed about the importance of enjoying a “tech-less” Thanksgiving. The point was to preserve the meaning of the holiday without interruptions from phones and tablets that take time away from expressing gratitude for...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Nov 4, 2021 | Uncategorized
I first began to learn the laws of physics in middle school. I was intrigued by Newton’s Third Law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the interest of science, we conducted experiments to demonstrate its truth. But as a budding rabbi,...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Oct 28, 2021 | Uncategorized
Three years ago, a lone gunman walked into Tree of Life Synagogue, in Pittsburgh, and murdered and injured worshipers in the synagogue. The horrifying news spread around the world, but it left the deepest impressions on Jewish communities. If it can happen in America,...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Oct 21, 2021 | Uncategorized
Incidents of antisemitism are rising dramatically. There are myriad reasons why it’s rising. There are age-old reasons: old canards, ignorance, gross misrepresentations, and pure hate. But if we look closely, we’ll discover new reasons. Recently, in Carroll ISD, in...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Sep 30, 2021 | Uncategorized
Our Judaism teaches, “All beginnings are hard.” It’s true. If it’s really a new beginning, then we’ve never done it in the past. We can only bring some life experience with us and do our best. But we can’t know with absolute certainty what the experience will be or...
by Rabbi David Lyon | Sep 23, 2021 | Uncategorized
Sukkot is one of my favorite holidays. It’s part of the season called Z’man Simchatienu, the “Season of our Joy.” Sukkot is purposely joyful to follow Yom Kippur’s solemn mood. In Leviticus 23:40ff, we learn to spend time in a sukkah, take up the four species (etrog,...
