Our New Machzor

    Beginning in 2017, Beth Miriam will be using a new and exciting High Holiday machzor.  Watch this space in the coming months as we roll it out.

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Welcome

Beginning in 2017, Beth Miriam will be using a new and exciting High Holiday machzor.  Watch this space in the coming months as we roll it out.

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Ewwwwwww

One of the ‘impossible to teach moments’ for any rabbinic student is what to say to a parent or a kid who has the Torah portion for this week.  It is filled with all sorts of gross stuff.  It is heavily into the ‘ewwwwww’ factor.  Let’s see we start off with a woman who is…

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The In/Visible God

There is a beautiful passage in this week’s Torah portion that reads like this: וַיִּקַּ֥ח מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־עַצְמ֥וֹת יוֹסֵ֖ף עִמּ֑וֹ כִּי֩ הַשְׁבֵּ֙עַ הִשְׁבִּ֜יעַ אֶת־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פָּקֹ֙ד יִפְקֹ֤ד אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְהַעֲלִיתֶ֧ם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַ֛י מִזֶּ֖ה אִתְּכֶֽם׃ ” And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will…

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The Names Before Us

There is a silly word game that kids sometimes play.  One child creates a sentence and then, going down in a line, the next child adds their own sentence.  In short order a story is created and there was no way to tell if it would be funny, dramatic, or even meaningful.  As we move…

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Joseph’s Novel – our story

Every novel has a climax. In what can only be called the first Jewish novel, the story of Jacob and Joseph comes to its climax in this week’s portion.  Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, freed by Pharoah, elevated to a position of power because of his ability to interpret dreams and now a…

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Hannukah at the Atria

Hanukkah at the Atria   For over 25 years Temple Beth Miriam has been bringing Hanukkah to a senior residential facility in the area, primarily the Atria in Tinton Falls. This year was no different. On Sunday, December 6th Milt Ziment together with the 3rd and 4th grade students from the religious school, their teachers,…

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Hannukah Fire

When the Greek Seleucids prohibited the practice of Judaism in the Land of Israel it was one of the many turning points for the Jewish people.  It was also the first time that such a proclamation gave rise to a rebellion, what we call the Maccabean Revolt led by Judah Maccabee, his brothers and the…

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How Do You Like Your Steak?

The Torah portion this week is called ‘Vayishlach’ and contains within it the well-known story of Jacob wrestling with the ‘ish’ – the ‘man’ – which the Torah does not identify.  Was it Esau, his brother from whom Jacob had been estranged for some 20 years?  Was it Jacob’s conscience which bothered him since taking…

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