Dear Sinai Community, This week I read an amazing book I would like to share with you: My Promised Land: The Triumph and The Tragedy by Ari Shavit, a leading Israeli columnist and writer and member of the editorial board of Haaretz. In it, Shavit traces the history of Israel through focused narratives that overflow […]
About Rabbi Ethan Bair
Posts by Rabbi Ethan Bair:
Reflections on Sukkot
This morning as the rain is coming down, our Sukkot prayers are being answered. We do hope, of course, there won’t be rain Saturday night so we can hold the Biggest Little Sukkah event in our sukkah! The local bluegrass band Hick’ry Switch will be playing live music during our annual Sukkot celebration this year. […]
L’Shanah Tova!
Thank you to everyone who prayed with us on Rosh HaShanah, and we hope to see all of you on our upcoming Yom Kippur services. At the head of the new year, 5776, we wish to express our gratitude to each of you for your active and ongoing involvement and investment in your Jewish spiritual […]
Pesach VII 4/10/2015
Standing Up for Gun Sense Our politics in our State have turned recently from one of civil discourse to one of divisive exploitation of power. I believe very strongly in the promise and effectiveness of democracy. And nowadays it seems that our parties have become so oppositional, collaboration and true bipartisanship seem like a pipe […]
Parashat Sh’mot 1/9/2015
Knowledge is Love: The Importance of Advanced Directives for End of Life This past summer, my grandmother, the beloved matriarch of my family, died. She was able to communicate and make known to my mother and uncles when she wanted to stop eating and drinking. Her children then had the chance to show her the […]
The Fourth Commandment, Shmitah and Sage-ing
Kol Nidre 5775 Temple Sinai, Reno, Nevada As you may have already noticed, this year Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat. YK is actually called the Shabbat of all Shabbats, and tonight is the perfect opportunity to explore the fourth commandment: to remember and keep Shabbat. This is a special Yom Kippur. It heralds in the […]
Tefillah
Rosh HaShanah 5775 Temple Sinai, Reno, Nevada This morning’s sermon is about tefillah. I am giving it now instead of after the Torah reading because we are about to pray the Amidah. I want the sermon to inspire our prayer. It’s like eating dessert first. I also want to remind everyone, that this is the […]
Teshuva
Erev Rosh HaShanah 5775 Temple Sinai, Reno, Nevada Two brothers, seated side by side. Their black suits and black ties reminiscent, perhaps, of earlier days, of matching outfits at grandparents’ funerals. Now they hold their breath and rise as the casket containing their late mother is lowered into the ground, and the rabbi chants a […]
Parashat Chukat 6/27/2014
Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize: A Two-State Solution In this week’s portion, Moses and Aaron are called upon to bring forth water from the rock of Meribah so that God can provide water for the people and their animals. The people have been complaining about the lack of water in the Wilderness of Zin, […]
Parshat Terumah 1/31/14
When I was growing up, I could not take Jewish community for granted. My family did not take an active part in synagogue life. From the age of 10, I attended boarding school where I was one of two Jewish kids in my school. In preparation for my Bar Mitzvah, I did not attend Hebrew […]