Rabbi Steven Abraham

This year in preparation for the High Holy Days I wanted to provide a reading list. Perhaps to be read before the Holy Days, to get you in the mood, or to print off and read during services. This list is far from comprehensive, just the beginning of the journey Books Days of Awe: A Treasury of Jewish Wisdom for Reflection, Repentance, and Renewal on the High Holy Days – S.Y Agnon The Days Between: Blessings, Poems, and Directions of the Heart for the Jewish High Holiday Season by Marcia … [Read more...]

This year at Beth El we are taking a slightly different approach to the High Holy Days. No unlike Passover, we pushed ourselves to think about the theme of the Holy Day. At its core, Passover is about Freedom, it is the story of our ancestors journey from slavery to freedom and so we decided to create an experience that was thematically similar yet meaningful in 2016. Whether it was the tents inside the social hall, the camels and donkeys outside or the Hazzan and I dressed up as Moses and … [Read more...]

Purchase the Secret Book of Kings   I recently began reading a wonderful new book entitled "The Secret Book of Kings" by Israeli author Yochi Brandes.  The synopsis of the book is as follows: "The Secret Book of Kings upends conventions of biblical novels, engaging with the canonized stories of the founding of the Kingdom of Israel and turning them on their heads. Presented for the first time are the heretofore unknown stories of the House of Saul and of the northern Kingdom of … [Read more...]

As a child I always took the stories of the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) on face value or at least to the extent I could understand. While questioning was not frowned upon, it seemed easier to go along with the story being that day in Hebrew School. Did it really matter what happened between Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau...or was the moral of the story the greater lesson? In High School we read Shakespeare and learning about the time in which (we believe) Shakespeare lived was … [Read more...]

  Naama, Today was a day that your Imma (mom) and Abba (dad) looked forward to for many years. It was, to put it lightly a Shehecheyanu moment. We woke up, earlier than usual, and drove you to your first day of kindergarten at The Friedel Jewish Day School. I remember like it was yesterday arriving in Omaha in August 2011, you were 5 weeks old, and being taken on a tour of the school. Imma and I knew from the moment we got married that our children would … [Read more...]

  Three weeks ago my congregation, my community learned a hard truth that we had known in our minds, but not experienced in our hearts. That violence does not affect other people and other families, but something that touches us all. Three weeks ago, a young man, Seth Rich, 27 years old, was shot dead in the prime of his life on the streets of Washington, DC. Three weeks ago my congregation lost one of its children. Seth, grew up here in Omaha, attending Central High and Creighton. He … [Read more...]

As a kid I attended Camp Harlem, a Jewish overnight camp in the Poconos affiliated with the Reform movement. It was a wonderful place and it left an indelible mark on my Jewish future. Yet from the moment I began dating Shira it was apparent how important Ramah was to her and her family. It was not just about the place or the impact, but about the people. It was not until recently that I fully understand the last effect of camp. Many of us and I will include myself in this group, we see camp as … [Read more...]