FROM THE RABBI'S DESK
01/01/2000 12:00:00 AM
Welcome to the Rabbi's blog. Here you will find notes and memo's from Rabbi Mimran's Desk.
10 Tevet: United Under Siege
01/02/2023 12:42:31 PM
We all know the feeling of being under siege.
It may be as innocuous as being the only other vegetarian at the family reunion dinner, as disquieting as being the only member of your gender in a crowded elevator or as terrifying as being herded into a room with the rest of the embassy staff by masked gunmen. These scenarios share little in common, except for the situation of finding yourself part of a distinct group of people who...Read more...
Chanukah's Eternal Message
11/30/2022 10:00:31 AM
Dear Friends,
In our long history, few individuals have threatened the spiritual survival of the Jewish people as did Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who ascended to the Syrian-Greek throne in 175 BCE.
Antiochus outlawed core Jewish practices such as Sabbath observance,...Read more...
Elevating the Mundane
11/02/2022 09:38:08 AM
Dear friends,
The Chagim are over, and winter has begun.
The weather has changed, and our car headlights have gone into overdrive.
There is a mysterious book called Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation), it is the earliest extant...Read more...
Inside the Box
10/06/2022 08:45:42 AM
In Sukkot shall you dwell for seven days… (Vayikra 23:42)
What is a Sukkah? I think many of us would offer a technical definition or an instruction manual for constructing a Sukkah but what actually is a Sukkah? To understand a thing well one is advised to visit the first time it is referenced in the Torah.
After surviving a threatening confrontation with his arch enemy Essau, the Torah records the following: “And on...Read more...
Preparing for the Days of Awe
09/01/2022 04:51:43 PM
The current month of Elul - leading up to the Days of Awe - is imperative for us. Our sages tell us that G-d feels closer to us now and that we are supposed to prepare ourselves for the holiest Jewish days.
Five years ago, a medical student approached me and inquired ‘why is it that we need to prepare ourselves? Let me just come in and pray and repent on the day!’
During the ensuing conversation, I asked him what field he...Read more...
A City Under Seige
07/28/2022 01:03:38 PM
For the last 20 centuries our nation has mourned on Tisha B’Av (Sun, Aug 7). This National Day of Mourning is a day for us to reflect on all the tragedies that have befallen us, not least when Jerusalem was sieged twice with the subsequent destruction of our temples.
We pray three times every day for a return to Jerusalem and to be restored to our former glory, in order to be able to sanctify Hashem's name as a result....Read more...
Eruv Update, Map and Info
07/19/2022 07:28:23 PM
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Dear Congregation,
Last week the West Ashley Eruv underwent its expert check with Rabbi Chaim Jachter and the map has been updated (slightly). Below is the updated Eruv map - the inside of the black line marks the Eruv area. If you...Read more...
The Three Weeks - Laws and Customs
07/18/2022 09:42:23 PM
For a printable version of these laws and customs press HERE
In the three weeks leading up to Tisha B’av we start diminishing our joy, beginning on the 17th Tammuz (Sun, July 17), leading to...Read more...
An Emotional Rollercoaster
07/01/2022 09:00:08 AM
On Thursday (June 30) we began the Hebrew month of Tammuz, a month that features many significant events throughout our history.
It starts with the anniversary of the birth date and death date of Yosef (Joseph) on the first day of the month. He was so great that he was awarded by our Patriach Yaakov a double portion of his inheritance (Bava Batra 123).
Read more...
Shavuot and Ruth...
05/30/2022 01:10:56 PM
One of the main themes that appears in The Book of Ruth, which we read on Shavuot, is ‘chessed’. Now, most Hebrew speakers generally translate the word chessed as kindness. In the Torah, though, that is not solely what it means. Indeed, in many instances, when the concept comes up, it is better understood as loyalty.
The Book of Ruth begins and ends with displays of loyalty from the Moabite women, Orpah...Read more...
A Yom HaShoah Message from Rabbi Mimran
04/28/2022 12:28:57 PM
Dear Friends,
Today, on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day 2022, I recall the stark fact which helps us somewhat comprehend the scale of the brutality: If we held a minute of silence for every victim of the Holocaust we would be silent for eleven and a half...Read more...
Liberation Season
03/31/2022 05:14:57 PM
Dear friends,
As we approach Pesach (Passover) and the Season of our Liberation, I would like to mention just how meaningful this festival is to each of us.
One of the instructive messages of this Yom Tov is that a Jew has the inner capacity and actual ability to...Read more...
