Welcome to
Congregation
Beth Tikvah
We empower people to live & learn Jewishly
and make the world a better place.
Meet Rabbi Rick Kellner
Rabbi Rick is the guiding light and heartbeat of our congregation, whose wisdom and warmth inspire and uplift us all. We can’t wait for you to meet him.
Congregation Beth Tikvah holds weekly Shabbat Services on Friday evenings.
Learn More by visiting our Music & Ritual Page.
Read Our Blog
How-To with Beth Tikvah
Celebrating Purim
Purim is one of Judaism’s most joyful holidays. At its heart is a story of courage and survival that has resonated with Jews for centuries.
In Reform Judaism, Purim is both a time to rejoice and a moment to reflect on what it means to stand for justice, generosity, and community.
The Story, the Scroll, & the Spiel
The Purim Story
Purim commemorates the events told in M’gillat Esther (the Book of Esther), set in ancient Persia. The story follows Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai as they courageously thwart a plot by Haman, the king’s advisor, to destroy the Jewish people. Through careful timing, bravery, and advocacy, Esther risks everything to protect her community.
Uniquely, God’s name never appears in the text. Many Reform commentators understand this absence as intentional; a reminder that redemption can emerge through human courage and moral action, even when the Divine presence feels hidden or unspoken.
Reading the Megillah
A central mitzvah of Purim is the public reading of M’gillat Esther. Reform congregations often hold lively readings in the synagogue on Purim. Each time Haman’s name is spoken, the congregation—especially children—erupts with groggers and noise to “drown it out,” symbolically erasing his legacy of hate and harm. The result is a reading that is participatory, energetic, and deeply communal.
The Purim Spiel
Many communities bring the story to life through a Purim Spiel, a humorous, theatrical retelling of the Purim narrative. Spiels range from classic parodies to creative, contemporary interpretations that explore themes of resilience and community. By blending laughter with meaning, spiels make the story accessible to all ages and remain a beloved highlight of Purim celebrations. Join Beth Tikvah for our Purim Spiel and Dinner on Monday, March 2, 2026!
Food, Gifts, & the Four Mitzvot
Hamantaschen & Delicious Traditions
No Purim celebration is complete without hamantaschen, the iconic triangular pastries filled with poppy seed, fruit, chocolate, or other sweet fillings. Their shape is often associated with Haman and offers a playful, symbolic way of “defeating” him through joy and sweetness.
Purim is marked by festive eating and drinking, reflecting the holiday’s emphasis on celebration and abundance. Across Jewish communities around the world, Purim foods vary widely, highlighting the rich diversity of Jewish cultures and culinary traditions.
The Four Mitzvot of Purim
Jewish tradition identifies four central mitzvot that shape how we observe Purim:
- Hearing the Megillah – so the story is told and retold
- Mishloach Manot – sending gifts of food to friends and neighbors
- Matanot La’Evyonim – giving gifts to those in need
- Se’udat Purim – enjoying a festive meal
Together, these practices ensure that Purim’s joy is a shared experience, woven with generosity, care, and inclusion.
Mishloach Manot & Gifts of Care
Sending mishloach manot strengthens communal bonds and reminds us that celebration is sweeter when shared. Matanot la’evyonim centers those who might otherwise be overlooked, ensuring that everyone can experience Purim with dignity. Reform jews often elevate this mitzvah through organized tzedakah efforts that place compassion at the heart of the holiday.
Symbols & Meaning
Esther, Hadassah, & Hiddenness
Esther’s Hebrew name, Hadassah, remains hidden beneath her Persian name, a reflection of one of Purim’s central themes. Just as Esther conceals her identity before revealing it at a critical moment, the absence of God’s name in the text underscores the idea that holiness and redemption often work quietly, through human choice and courage. Reform thinkers frequently point to this hiddenness as a call to recognize the sacred power of ethical action.
Costumes, Celebration, & Reversal
Costumes are a joyful hallmark of Purim, embodying the holiday’s themes of disguise and reversal. On Purim, roles shift, expectations are upended, and hidden truths come to light. Dressing up invites us to play, but also to reflect: Who holds power? Who finds their voice? And how do we choose to show up when it matters most?
Music, dancing, and festive songs add to Purim’s vibrant energy, especially during megillah readings and spiels. Through sound and movement, joy becomes collective, echoing the holiday’s message that survival and celebration are communal acts.
Click here for the URJ’s list of Purim media and resources.
Click here for PJ Library’s Purim resources for family with young children.
Joy with Purpose
Purim asks us to laugh loudly and give generously; to tell the story again and again until it becomes part of who we are. It reminds us that joy can be a form of resistance and that even in uncertain times, courage often arrives disguised as ordinary people doing the right thing.
May we celebrate boldly and carry the spirit of Purim beyond this special day! We hope to see you at the 2026 Allison Senser Community Purim Festival on March 1 and the Beth Tikvah Purim Dinner & Spiel on March 2!
Sources & Further Reading:
Jewish Women’s Archive. “Esther: Bible.”
My Jewish Learning. “Purim in the Community.”
My Jewish Learning. “The Four Mitzvot of Purim.”
My Jewish Learning. “Purim Foods.”
Union for Reform Judaism. “Purim Resources for Congregations to Use.”
Union for Reform Judaism. ” Purim: Customs and Rituals.”
Union for Reform Judaism. “Purim.”
Sefaria Library. “Esther 1:1.”
PJ Library. “Celebrating Purim with Your Family.”
HOW-TO WITH BETH TIKVAH
Each month, Beth Tikvah releases a monthly feature meant to help you explore different aspects of Jewish life. From celebrating holidays and hosting Shabbat Dinners, to navigating life’s milestones and moments of loss, this series will help deepen your understanding of Jewish practice in a Reform context. Each month, Our goal is simple: to make Jewish living accessible, meaningful, and relevant for everyone in our Beth Tikvah community. Whether you’re learning something new or rediscovering an old tradition, “How-To” offers practical guidance with a Beth Tikvah touch!
Writing & Research by Hannah Karr
Director of Marketing & Community Engagement at Congregation Beth Tikvah
February 19, 2026
Rachamim: The Work of Compassion
February 13, 2026
As we continue our journey to nurture our soul, I hope that you have taken time this past week to work on strengthening your patience. As a reminder, Mussar practice helps us grow and nurture the middot—virtues or measures that live within our soul.
This week, I would like to focus on the middah of compassion. As a Semitic language based on a root system, Hebrew allows us to learn much about words through their affiliation with other words. Just as we saw last week with the Hebrew word for patience being tied to burden, the Hebrew word for compassion, rachamim, also offers a meaningful connection. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch notes that this word is closely tied to the word rechem, which means womb. He explains, “Compassion is a feeling of empathy which the pain of one being of itself awakens in another; and the higher and more human the beings are, the more keenly attuned are they to re-echo the note of suffering which, like a voice from heaven, penetrates the heart.” We learn from Hirsch the powerful insight of connection resulting from the pain one feels and how it is impressed upon another. For Hirsch, compassion is a feeling. However, compassion needs to be more than that.
Compassion is expressed as an action. When we encounter another person and empathize with their suffering, that empathy is certainly important; however, taking that empathy to the next step means doing something to lift up another person and bringing a measure of healing to their soul. The rabbis teach us that visiting the sick takes away one-sixtieth of their pain. The act of visiting stems from rachamim, compassion. If we are quick to dismiss that person, or we act harshly toward them, then we have to ask ourselves if we are truly acting with compassion. And yet there are times when a loved one might need tough love. Contemporary Mussar master Alan Morinis teaches in Everyday Holiness that, “There is ‘compassion in the form of compassion,’ when our feeling along with the other leads us to act kindly, softly, and gently. The second type of compassion comes as ‘compassion in the form of judgment.’ In this case, our shared feelings with the other call for action that is firm, hard, or possibly even harsh.” More often than not, our loved ones need that gentleness. However, if we see our loved one heading down the wrong path in life, tough love may be what is needed to help that person navigate back to the right path.
Alan Morinis teaches us that we can use the following phrase to guide our practice: “Care for the other—we are one.” It is a reminder that compassion is rooted in the connectedness between two individuals.
For a practice, Morinis suggests in his book Every Day, Holy Day that we might try the following:
- Identify a person or people with whom there is a heaviness in your relationship, then act toward them in a way that reaches beyond what is required in order to relieve them of their burden.
- See the part of you that lives within the other and take care.
As we move about our week, let us nurture the compassion that lives within our soul.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rick Kellner
A Month of Mussar: Beginning with Patience
February 6, 2026
Throughout the month of February, while I am away on my monthlong sabbatical, I have prewritten each of these messages and will be spending this month focusing on Mussar. Long before there were self-help sections in bookstores and libraries, Jewish sages created a movement called Mussar. It began in the 12th century with Bahya ibn Pakuda’s treatise entitled Hovot Halevavot. Over the centuries, several texts were written that expanded the Mussar library. In the 19th century, Rabbi Israel Salanter modernized the movement, and in the 20th century, Alan Morinis helped spread it to the masses through several books.
The idea behind Mussar is that we are all born with characteristics in our soul, and throughout our lives we grow by bringing them into balance. Mussar is a practice, much like yoga is a practice. To truly immerse in Mussar, one must put in effort on a character trait for at least a week at a time. In Hebrew, the word for character trait is midah, which means measure. We can think of a character trait as being on a scale. For example, with the trait of humility, too much humility and we could be construed as weak or passive. Too little humility means we have too much pride and might behave in a haughty manner. The purpose of Mussar, then, is to find balance.
I would like to begin by looking at the midah of patience—in Hebrew, savlanut. One of the biggest challenges some of us face is a test of our patience. It is often too easy to become frustrated when we try and fail at something. If we fail repeatedly, frustration mounts. It is as if we have a fuse, and the match lights it, leading to anger.
The Talmud (Eruvin 54b) offers a story about Rabbi Preida, who had a student he would teach the same lesson 400 times before the student learned it. One day, the student was distracted and did not learn. Rabbi Preida said to him, “Pay attention, and I will teach you.” Rabbi Preida taught the lesson another 400 times, and the student learned it. Rabbi Preida is a model of patience because after three or four repetitions, he might have become frustrated, yet he demonstrated patience.
Alan Morinis teaches that the word savlanut shares a Hebrew root with words meaning suffering or burden. It also shares a root with the Hebrew word for porter. The burdens we carry test our capacity for patience. If we are able to hold what tests us on our shoulders, then we expand our potential for patience. In her memoir, Heart of a Stranger, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl explains that the Torah’s word for patience is erech apayim—literally, a long nose. Or perhaps, put another way, patience requires us to take a deep breath. I know that when my patience is tested, I need to take a deep breath. I need to pause so that I can carry the burden. If I fail to breathe, I am lost and have gone down the road of losing my patience.
One way to practice Mussar is to repeat a phrase and engage in a spiritual practice. Alan Morinis, in his book Every Day, Holy Day, advises us to say, “Every person has their hour; everything its place.” For a practice, we might try the following:
- Identify the most likely situation to try your patience and commit to “bearing the burden of your emotions” for at least five minutes in that situation.
- Whenever you are forced to wait, fill the space with a positive activity, such as resting, singing, or reviewing something you learned.
As we focus on these words and practices for the next week, we will begin to see how we grow in our patience.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rick Kellner
Recommendations for Mussar Practice:
1. The Mussar Torah Commentary edited by Rabbi Barry Block, CCAR Press
2. Every Day, Holy Day by Alan Morinis
3. Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis
The Heiser’s Vision for Justice
February 4, 2026
Members since 1978, Karen and Steve Heiser have watched their children grow up at Beth Tikvah, participating in youth programs and developing strong Jewish identities rooted in compassion and civic responsibility.
Now, with the creation of their Teen Allies for Justice Endowment through the Beth Tikvah Legacy Program, the Heiser’s are supporting the next generation of Jewish leaders.
“For both of us, social justice has been a passion since adolescence,” Karen explained. For Steve, the connection between Jewish values and this work is deeply personal. “One of the things I love about Judaism is how it looks at the world,” he said. “Tikkun Olam [repairing the world] has always been one of my guideposts.”
From witnessing racial injustice as a high school senior in Columbus to mentoring medical professionals on equity and advocacy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Karen has spent decades helping others use their voices to create change. “Everyone knows the value of advocacy, but not everyone knows how to be a strong advocate,” she said. “Whatever your passion is, you need to learn about that issue and have the skillset to enable your voice to be heard.”
The Teen Allies for Justice Endowment is meant to support programming that provides Beth Tikvah teens with both educational grounding and real-life practice in advocacy through mentorship, community engagement, and skill-building opportunities.
“Think about how powerful it is for an 18-year-old to start advocating for older adults in their community,” Karen shared. “I have faith in the teens and youth who want to be involved. If we give them the tools, they will exceed our wildest expectations.”
The Heiser’s hope the initiative fosters a culture of leadership that is both diverse and authentic. “We would be most proud if it looks different year to year,” Karen said, reflecting on the lasting impact they envision. “That means we’re finding people who are passionate and understand that there isn’t one cookie-cutter way.”
The fund also allows Beth Tikvah to dream bigger, offering seed money for innovative ideas that might otherwise be financially out of reach. “We hope to encourage innovation and risk-taking,” Karen shared. “Here’s a little bit of money that’s not part of the regular budget, and you can try something. If it works, terrific. If it doesn’t work, we’ll still learn from it.”
As humble as they are visionary, Steve and Karen are excited to watch the impact unfold. Their hope is that the Teen Allies for Justice Endowment not only equips teens with skills to advocate for justice but also inspires them to take initiative, try new things, and lead in ways that are authentic to them. The Heisers are helping Beth Tikvah build a future shaped by empowered young voices and compassionate action.
Written by Hannah Karr
Director of Marketing & Community Engagement at Congregation Beth Tikvah
Join Us!
We offer more than just a place to worship; we provide a spiritual home for individuals and families of all backgrounds and lifestyles.
Discover opportunities to connect, learn, celebrate, and grow together.
6121 Olentangy River Rd. Worthington, OH 43085
(614) 885-6286
Tax Identification Number:
#31 106 9161