Rabbi Bauman’s OpEd in the Advocate. 3.14.2020
The novel coronavirus is here in metro New Orleans. The number of people testing positive is growing exponentially. Without widespread testing, it is impossible to know the exact numbers of people who are infected.
With a lengthy incubation period and varying symptoms among those infected, people who have no intention of spreading the virus do so anyway. This reality demands a response from all of us, especially those who gather people, and chief among them are religious leaders.
That is why, on March 11, Touro Synagogue, the oldest Jewish congregation in ...
Podcast Episode 1: Judaism in a time of Pandemic
https://soundcloud.com/anna-federline-347112250/rabbi-katie-bauman-march-28-2020
A Time of Revelation
A message from Rabbi Bauman:
It is always important to handle the Torah with care because it is fragile. But when it's open, when each beautiful, hand-printed letter on the page is exposed, that's when we must be the most careful. But at the same time, when it's open, when each beautiful, hand-printed letter on the page is exposed, that's when we have the chance to marvel at it and learn from it. That's when revelation occurs.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks teaches that each of us is a letter in the scroll. And right now, each letter in the scroll, each one of us, is ...
A Meditation for Hand Washing
We are constantly being reminded to wash our hands these days. Jewish tradition teaches that hand washing can be a practical matter of hygiene, but it can also be a spiritual moment. Before making motzi over challah, it is traditional to wash our hands and recite a special blessing. This helps us transform something ordinary — eating food — into a moment of sanctity, a moment of recognition of our partnership with nature to grow plants and create nourishment from them.
We need not have a challah in front of us, though, to recognize the spiritual ...
Shabbat Rocks!
In case you missed it, here are highlights from the service for young families on March 21.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f0hqQ--YDE&feature=youtu.be
