Is It That Time Of Year Again?

 

 

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

July 25-26, 2025 • 1 Av 5785 • Matos-Masai (Num 30-36).
In memory of Dovid ben Eliezer.

Thank you for all the positive feedback on the new teachers website.

This week, for the twentieth time in late July or early August, I have to speak about my late father zl in the past tense.

Anyone who ever lost a loved one knows the feeling. During shiva you're still talking about them in the present tense. It takes weeks or months to get used to using the past tense.

His death twenty years ago this week (on the Jewish calendar) was so sudden, violent, and young (65) that the Pierce County newspaper editors were moved to write a rare editorial-obituary.

Headline: We've Lost One of the Good Guys

I think that my mother summed him up best when she asked that his epitaph read, "Champion of Justice".

In that spirit, when we made a donation to our shul in his memory, we asked for the plaque to read, "One who chased tzedakah, loved Jews, and honored all creatures."



It seems to me that an epitaph is like a eulogy — it should at the end of the day inspire the rest of us to a higher sense of being and purpose.

Question for your table: What would you want your epitaph to say in order to inspire others about your life?


Shabbat Shalom


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Raise the Bar For Our Children?

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

July 18-19, 2025 • 23 Tamuz 5785 • Pinchas (Num 25-31).

Whether you are a parent or grandparent, or an aunt or uncle, or neighbor: you surely have children in your social network whom you care about.

The question is - have these children ever had a less-than-stellar teacher in any classroom?

I wish that this were a sincere question and not a rhetorical one. 

In my opinion, having an untrained teacher in any classroom is usually a bit of a tragedy. 

Finding great teachers is the dream of every principal. But it ain't easy. Sometimes they have to settle, and hope for the best. That's why we launched JTI 8 years ago.

But this week the game has changed, and I need your help, dear reader, to get the word out.

Our Jewish Teachers Institute (JTI) project has until now serviced only the Baltimore community. But as of this week - any school in the world can stream our workshops!

Please check out https://trainings.jsli.org 

I have two requests:

1. Spend 4.5 minutes perusing the site.

2. If you like what you see, share it with anyone you know involved with education.

Including: teachers (including college professors), principals, parents and grandparents of school-age children...

Most of our workshops are universal - even a public school teacher would benefit.

I have personally spent many hours over the past month trying to get this website right. I would very much appreciate your critical feedback if you see anything that can be improved! 

Many thanks to the generous supporters of JSLI whose partnership has made this new level of teacher training possible. 

Let's end as usual with a question for your table... One of the workshops on the new site is called PIVOT: Teach Any Subject Effectively - it's an acronym for 5 key practices of master teachers. Can you guess what each letter stands for? 

Shabbat Shalom


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Boerne Again?

Apropos the Kit, try asking these two questions at your Shabbat table:

 

 

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

July 11-12, 2025 • 16 Tamuz 5785 • Balak (Num 22-25).
 

 

Here's a question to start your Shabbat table conversation: Have you ever heard of Boerne, Texas?

"Sure, it's about a half-mosey from Fair Oaks Ranch, and a mosey-and-a-half from Comfort."

Related question: How do you pronounce Boerne?

("Burn-ee".)

The town has a website, a news site, plenty of green, wonderful things to see and do, and.... can you guess what else...?

Yessir, yes ma'am, a Chabad House.

Apparently Rabbi and Rebbetzin Marrus are doing tremendous acts of chesed to help victims of this flooding tragedy — everything from cash and food to chainsaws and refrigerators. Not to mention priceless emotional support.

(If you want to participate in the mitzvah, click here.)

Question for your table... Helping victims of a distant disaster is an unmistakable chesed (act of lovingkindness). But would you call it a duty?

Shabbat Shalom


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Do You NEED a Miracle, or Do You WANT a Miracle...?

Apropos the Kit, try asking these two questions at your Shabbat table:

 

 

Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld

July 4-5, 2025 • 9 Tamuz 5785 • Chukath (Num 19-22).

There are two types of people in the world.

One kind of person, like my Bubby of recent fame, who saw miracles in the small things. Everyday miracles.

(BTW, this book image is clickable - highly recommended!)

The other type of person sees the same everyday events and says, They are not miracles, they're "nature" or "random". 

First question for your table: Which kind are you?

For thousands of years through our many persecutions, we have been reading promises in our books of Prophets that the day will come when we see will see extraordinary events that even the latter kind of person would have to admit are miraculous.

Unless your head is in the sand, you are surely aware that we have arrived to the foretold time.

These stories don't make your Google or Yahoo news feed. But they are being told. Mili

Question for your table... Which kind of person are you?

Shabbat Shalom (and Happy 4th!)



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