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A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh

D’var Torah: We dance with the souls of our namesakes to find ourselves

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSHPublished December 1, 2022

“Alexander the Great had a soldier in his army who bore his own name but was a great coward. The emperor, enraged at the soldier’s conduct, justly said to him, ‘Either change your name, or learn to live up to it.’ ” (From “A Complete Treasury...

Temple Emanuel

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh: Embrace the music and the dance of faith

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSHPublished January 13, 2022

What inspires you? How are you empowered? The Torah portion Beshalach teaches us about the importance of faith, patience and action. We read about the importance of keeping our word and the importance of singing and dancing. There are moments we find...

Clockwise from top left: Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh, Rabbi Rachel Bearman, Rabbi Amy Feder and Rabbi Michael Alper

Reform rabbis from St. Louis congregations lead intro to Judaism course

Published September 28, 2021

Temple Emanuel is hosting an introduction to Judaism course from Oct. 5 to Jan. 25.  Classes will be taught virtually on Zoom. There is no tuition fee for the course.   Students are asked to purchase the book, “Honoring Tradition, Embracing Modernity:...

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh named a founding member of Melton Rabbinic Council

Published September 14, 2021

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh of Temple Emanuel has become one of the founding members of the Melton Rabbinic Council. The Melton Rabbinic Council will serve as a sounding board for major Melton ideas, directions and future initiatives. Melton is the largest...

Temple Emanuel

Rabbi Elizabeth Hersh: Creating a moral community is our choice

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSHPublished August 5, 2021

From “Stories for Public Speakers,” compiled and edited by Morris Mandel: “A man was marooned on an island for years. One day, he saw a ship in the distance and signaled to it. A boat was sent out to him. As the boat approached the shore...

Elizabeth Hersh is Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel.

We are tasked with bringing light into the world

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSHPublished January 21, 2021

The Torah portion for this week, Bo, is filled with plagues (three, to be exact), darkness, laws of Passover, the commandment to sanctify the new moon, borrowed items and pidyon ha-ben — redemption of the first-born son. This is a story about our liberation...

Rabbi Joseph Rosenbloom 

Rabbi Joseph Rosenbloom, longtime spiritual leader of Temple Emanuel, dies at 91

By Eric Berger & Robert A. Cohn, Associate Editor & Editor-in-Chief EmeritusPublished August 4, 2020

Rabbi Joseph Rosenbloom, who served Temple Emanuel for almost six decades, died Monday, Aug. 3, surrounded by family and friends. He was 91 and resided in St. Louis since the mid-1950s.Rosenbloom, who congregants called “Rabbi Joe,” was born in Rochester,...

 

Openness to miracles includes those we create

By Rabbi Elizabeth HershPublished July 2, 2020

Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever gazed at a sunset and wondered whether there was anything more breathtaking and awesome? Is not the birth of a child or the love between two human souls also miraculous? And what about ancient miracles? The Sea...

St. Louis synagogues providing live streaming

St. Louis synagogues providing live streaming

Published March 25, 2020

Listing below provided by the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, with additional information from congregations directly• Bais Abraham (Orthodox): Daily Tehillim, Halakha and Mishnah Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. Online at https://zoom.us/j/297962649...

Elizabeth Hersh is Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel.

We are not alone; we were present at Sinai

By Rabbi Elizabeth HershPublished September 26, 2019

Rabbi Mark Joel Mahler wrote, “On [his] first Shabbat in Jerusalem, I was at the  Kotel [Wall] with three other first-year Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion students when Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach walked up to us, wished each of us...

Elizabeth Hersh is Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel.

Moses, the Israelites and unconditional love

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSHPublished January 24, 2019

Reb Moshe Leib loved his fellow Jews so much that he searched daily for lost souls. In one of his excursions, he found himself in a tavern and overheard the following exchange between two Russian peasants:  Declared the first: “I love you, my...

Blessings from a place of peace and love

BY RABBI ELIZABETH HERSHPublished May 23, 2018

 The Priestly Benediction (Birkat ha-Kohanim) that we find in this week’s Torah portion, Naso, is my favorite blessing. In the words of Rabbi Steven Kushner, “Here the ultimate blessing is to be in perfect harmony with the Holy One.” This is...

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