Talk to Cohen
Author | |
Date Added |
“Talk to Cohen”
Many of us know the old line that every Jewish holiday can be summed up in three sentences:
They tried to kill us.
We won.
Let’s eat.
It’s a joke and a simplification, but there’s something to it. Many of our holidays really are celebrations of some kind of escape from persecution. And nearly all of them have eating at the centre of the observance (except Yom Kippur, which has NOT eating at the centre of its observance).
Why is food so important in Judaism? I believe it’s not about the food, but rather about the relationships. Mealtimes are times when we are together with family and friends, when we catch up, ask each other questions, learn about each other’s lives, and build connections. This is true of our Shabbat dinners, our Passover seders, and our Onegs. In fact, as a rabbi, I strongly believe that the Oneg or Kiddush is as important as the service, because while the service is our time to connect with God, the Oneg/Kiddush is our time to connect with each other.
The Jewish writer and humorist Harry Golden (who, coincidentally, was a founding member of my previous congregation in North Carolina), is said to have once asked his staunch atheist father why he belonged to a synagogue and attended services every Shabbat. Golden’s father answered: “You see Cohen over there? Cohen comes to shul to talk to God. I come to shul to talk to Cohen.”
That’s the truth of Judaism. Some of us come to shul to talk to God (in the many varied forms that we conceive God as Reform Jews), and some of us come to shul to talk to each other. And there’s nothing wrong with that, because it is how relationships are formed. Strong congregations are built on strong relationships.
This is particularly important for us at this juncture in our congregational life. Having just brought together two congregations, we are engaged in the project of forging a single community. It began a year ago, when we gathered for the High Holy Days, and it continued over the course of 5779, even as we were still separated into Sunday School and Saturday program. But 5780 will be different, because with the merger of our two schools, our congregation is truly one!
So we have a job to do: in the words of Harry Golden, we need to “talk to Cohen” (where “Cohen” is any other person in the room, regardless of priestly status). We will need to reach out to one another, get to know the unfamiliar faces in the room, and welcome one another into our combined community. I encourage all of us this year to think of ourselves as community builders and ambassadors whenever we are together.
The first opportunity to be together will be at Rock Shabbat on Friday, September 6 at 6:30 pm.This rockin’ and rollin’ Shabbat service (with our band Shtyx andour choir) is a chance to kick off the year with music, food, and friends – both old and new. I look forward to seeing you there.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Micah Streiffer
Wed, February 19 2025
21 Sh'vat 5785
Update this content.
March 2020
February 2020
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
Bar/Bat Mitzvah: More Than A Service
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
What I Learned About Judaism From Children's Television
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
July 2018
June 2018
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go togeher
May 2018
The Voice of Joy & the Voice of Gladness
April 2018
What I Learned About Pesach From Grade 10 Geometry
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
Bringing Light to the Darkness
December 2017
November 2017
Hineini: Celebrating Jewish Choices
Yom Kippur 5778 Sermon
From Human Being to Human Doing
Kol Nidre 5778 Sermon
September 2017
Have you Seen My Alps?
August 2017
June 2017
Wherein I Reveal the Meaning of Life
May 2017
For Our Teachers and Their Students
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
"Not very Religious" - Rabbi Streiffer's Sermon for Kol Nidrei 5777
October 2016
"Think for Yourself" - Rabbi Streiffer's Sermon for Rosh Hashanah 5777
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
May 2016
June 2016
Don't Ever Stop Talking During Services
April 2016
My Father Was A Syrian Refugee: Pesach And Freedom In 2016
April 2016
Women And Judaism - A Pioneer's Perspective
April 2016
March 2016
March 2016
January 2016
November 2015
An Inclusive Community, A Holy Community
May 2015
Ancient Texts, Modern Lives
March 2015
Breaking Bread, err...Rice, Together
January 2015
Not Very Religious" - Rabbi Streiffer's Sermon for Kol Nidrei 5777
- January 2014
April 2014
Not Very Religious" - Rabbi Streiffer's Sermon for Kol Nidrei 5777
- January 2014
November 2014
April 2013
A Time to Work and a Time to Play
April 2013
September 2013
Privacy Settings | Privacy Policy | Member Terms
©2025 All rights reserved. Find out more about ShulCloud