September 26, 2026
Most of our Beth Tikvah family does not enter the building when no one else is there. Occasionally, when the building is closed, I have to come by to pick something up. The lights are dark; the building is quiet. But there’s one light that’s always on: the Ner Tamid. When the sanctuary lights are off, the Ner Tamid still shines, casting a glow on the wall. The Torah commands us to light the lights perpetually, and in the Book of Numbers, we are reminded once again about the command to light the fire that would burn perpetually on the altar in the ancient Temple. Rashi tells us that it had to be tended until it burned on its own.
Our connection to Jewish tradition, Jewish life, and the Jewish people is like that fire. It needs to burn perpetually, and we need to tend to it to ensure that it does. How we do that can come in different ways. We have just concluded the Yamim Noraim, and the High Holy Days are the times when the spark ignites within us and lights the flames of our connection to Jewish life. What are the avenues that allow us to nurture the flame of that Jewish light that lives within our souls?
We can learn. At Congregation Beth Tikvah, we offer numerous opportunities for learning. Each week on Shabbat morning, you can join us on Zoom for Torah study at 9 a.m. There is a wonderful group of people who gather each week to learn Torah. I am always concerned that people don’t attend because they feel they don’t know enough. If that’s you, I want to invite you to let it go. We come and learn together. Some people listen, and some people talk regularly. This month, there will be several other learning opportunities pertaining to the Israel elections, Jewish views of demons and ghosts, as well as a dive into the origin of politics and power as we study the Book of Samuel.
We can connect through Jewish culture. Whether you attend the Joe Buchanan concert or join us in November for the night we sponsor the JCC Film Festival, the stories we tell about our Jewish lives and how we encounter them through music and song invite us to think more deeply about how we connect to our Jewish lives.
We can pray. There is an old story told about Mr. Schwartz, who attends services to pray. His friend Mr. Goldberg would attend services so he could talk to Mr. Schwartz. Shabbat is a time when the community gathers. We gather to pray, learn, and be with one another. Ahad Ha’am famously taught, “More than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel.” I have always taken these words to mean that Shabbat has provided the opportunity for us to come together. It’s a weekly gathering that helps us tend to the flame.
While I have mentioned several opportunities for us to come together as a community, you can also tend to the flame individually. There are countless Jewish podcasts you can listen to and, of course, scores of Jewish books. If you are looking for a place to start, here are two suggestions of newer books that might give you meaning. If you have not yet read Angela Buchdahl’s Heart of a Stranger, start there. If you have, then go to Nicholas Lemann’s Returning: A Search for Home Across Three Centuries.
In these months following the High Holy Days, the choice is up to each of us how we will keep the flame burning perpetually. The Ner Tamid that burns within each of us has the potential to shine brightly; we just need to tend to it!
L’Shalom
Rabbi Rick Kellner