Temple B'nai Israel

05/07/2026

TEMPLE B'NAI ISRAEL INVITES YOU TO AN Adult Education Program ON Wednesday May 20 at 7:00pm
via zoom

Sarah Van Loon of the American Jewish Committee will discuss the AJC's latest survey of antisemitism. The title of her talk will be:

AJC’s 2025 State of Antisemitism in America Report: Latest Trends and Key Findings

Sarah van Loon is the Evelyn R. Greene AJC Chicago Regional Director, where she leads the Midwest region's advocacy efforts to combat antisemitism, enhance the Jewish community and Israel, and promote human rights and democratic values for all. Whether it’s advocating with local diplomats on the dangers of Hezbollah, or helping to raise awareness with civic leaders and elected officials as to what all people can do to combat antisemitism, Sarah brings AJC’s centrist, nonpartisan perspective and collaborative approach to all that she does. In 2017, Sarah was named one of Chicago’s “Jewish 36 Under 36” emerging leaders by JUF and Oy!Chicago. Sarah holds a master’s degree in Jewish Professional Studies from the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership and a bachelor’s degree from North Park University.

IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND: Contact [email protected] - for the zoom link.

03/30/2026

We had a great crew who did a most thorough job cleaning and kashering our Temple kitchen for Pesach today. Todah Rabbah, many thanks to DJ, Alex, Mike, and Boaz for a terrific job and, of course many thanks to Marvin for doing all the shopping and, of course to Ed S. for getting the exhaust fan and the ovens working properly. Looking forward to celebrating our Seder this week when the contents of all those shopping bags becomes a delicious holiday dinner.
Chag Sameach! Rabbi Edward Friedman

03/13/2026

Thoughts for Parashat Zachor: Genocide and Amalek
Originally Posted February 27, 2026 - 10 Adar, 5786

This Shabbat, prior to Purim, is designated as Parashat Zachor. This is the second of the four special maftir readings and haftarahs preceding Purim and Passover at this season. “Zachor” means “remember,” the opening word of the maftir reading from Deuteronomy 25:17 – 19. “Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt…You shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” This Torah reading is paired with a haftarah from the book of I Samuel in which the prophet conveys this message to King Saul, “Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I am exacting the penalty for what Amalek did to Israel, for the assault he made upon them on the road, on their way up from Egypt. Now go, attack Amalek, and proscribe all that belongs to him. Spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen and sheep, camels and asses!”

Later, after Saul does this, but fails to complete the task, sparing the king, Agag, and the best of the animals to be offered on the altar, Samuel condemns him for failing to obey the divine decree and announces that the kingdom will be taken from Saul and his family and given to someone else. Tradition takes the name of King Agag and links it with Haman in the Megillah who is described as an “Agagite” who is ultimately defeated by descendants of King Saul’s family, Mordecai and Esther. Whether Haman is genetically an Amalekite is of little importance, for the term comes to be a designation for people who act with brutality toward others in every generation.

Since the brutal attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens on October 7, the word “genocide” has been used repeatedly by critics of Israel. This term was invented in the 1940s to describe “the deliberate and systematic extermination of an ethnic or national group.” The Oxford English Dictionary documents its earliest use in 1944 with reference to the war crimes committed by N**i Germany. Considering the battle of Saul with the Amalekites (one of countless examples in the ancient world) in a modern moral and legal sense, it can be described as a genocide even if decreed, according to the prophet Samuel, by no less an authority than God Almighty. It is no warrant for destroying nations, oppressing minorities, or brutalizing violators of civil law.

Accusations of genocide in Gaza and the invocation of “Amalek” in Jewish discourse have collided in the public square with explosive force. These words carry centuries of trauma and moral weight. When they are used without context, they can inflame rather than illuminate. It has been suggested that when we take them seriously – historically, legally, and ethically – they can help us speak more responsibly about the present.

From an historical perspective, we must recognize that the commandment to “blot out Amalek” belongs to a world with very different assumptions about war than in our modern times. War at that time was tribal, intergenerational, and often had an element of the sacred. For ancient warriors, destroying an enemy’s women and children was seen not as murder but as eliminating the next generation of warriors who would inevitably arise to seek revenge. This worldview is morally unacceptable today, but it explains how ancient societies viewed total warfare. We no longer live in the pages of the Bible.

Often non-Jews may read Scripture as if it were the latest breaking news. Years ago, I used to get regular calls from Bible readers who wanted to know when the next jubilee year would be celebrated by the Jewish community. I think they knew that we had stopped offering animal sacrifices, but I’m not sure of that. In the case of the commandment to blot out Amalek, the rabbis have long since transformed it in ways that resonate strongly with contemporary ethics. They ruled that Amalek cannot be identified today because ancient nations became intermixed. They insisted that even Amalek must be offered peace terms and spared if they accept basic moral norms. Amalek, according to the rabbis, becomes a symbol of predatory cruelty, no longer a specific ethnic group. Beyond that, even when one does go to war, they placed strict limits on combat, including the protection of noncombatants. As viewed through the eyes of our sages, there is no blank check for violence against any nation. The commandment to blot out Amalek today is seen as a warning against cruelty, not as a license to commit it.

The term “genocide” has a specific meaning. It is not a synonym for tragedy, devastation, or even mass civilian deaths. Under international law, it refers to the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group as such. That intent – not the scale of suffering alone – is the legal threshold. Anyone familiar with Israeli society knows that in spite of imperfections, Jews and people of other faiths and ethnicities work and often socialize side by side and all are subject to the same laws and their application.

The suffering of civilians in Gaza we must concede is immense and demands moral seriousness. On the other hand, the trauma of Israelis after the mass atrocities of October 7 is real and should not be dismissed. The tragedy of the ongoing war is not helped by applying inappropriate terms to inflame passions, particularly when used by people who have no understanding of the past history of the area and who glibly echo slogans and apply inappropriate terminology to a very complex and troubling situation.

People can and do argue over the conduct of the war, the policies of the current Israeli coalition government, and other such matters both in Israel and without. However, we know very well that war is not neat and precise even with modern weapons and technology. Civilians are too often unintentional victims of battles to defeat an intractable enemy no matter how many precautions and warnings may be given, particularly when the enemy chooses to imbed its fighters in civilian institutions, hospitals, school, mosques, and apartment complexes, to provide human shields for their operations.

We must point out that even though Hamas has continually fired missiles into Israeli civilian centers for two decades, on October 6, there was no actual war going on. People in Israel were going about their business, celebrating a holiday, enjoying a music festival, spending time with their families. War did not break out until the barbaric attacks, murders, rapes, destruction unleashed by Hamas began on October 7.

If the term “genocide” is to be applied to anyone, I suggest reviewing the 1988 Hamas charter which is widely cited as “genocidal/antisemitic.” It calls for the obliteration of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state in all of Mandatory Palestine and repeatedly speaks of “the Jews” in conspiratorial, antisemitic terms. Though a somewhat moderated document of “general principles and policies” was issued in 2017, Hamas never formally revoked the 1988 charter. The new document still rejects recognizing Israel and speaks of a struggle against “Zionists,” using that term instead of ”Jews,” though the terms are practically inseparable, except for a small minority of Jews.

Jews and others should recognize the suffering of civilians in Gaza, just as we should recognize even more brutal suffering inflicted by Russia in Ukraine, or China upon the Uighurs, or the massacres of civilians in countless other places in the Arab world and around the globe. Singling out Israel among all the nations of the world for condemnation and claiming it has no legitimacy and should not exist as a nation is simply antisemitism Watching otherwise bright students on our college campuses and elsewhere, fall for the Hamas propaganda and echo its slogans cannot be construed otherwise than as blatant antisemitism either. It is inaccurate in its characterization of Israeli policy and dangerous in its impact upon our Jewish communities here and around the world, particularly for our children in on college campuses. It is frightening and devastating to their well-being.

Calling the tragic results of a war forced upon Israel “genocide” or, for that matter, labeling any group or individuals as “Amalek” and claiming an obligation to apply the crude and ancient proscriptions found in scripture upon them does nothing to advance the cause of peace and harmony in our society and around the world today. On Shabbat Zachor, we remember past atrocities and traumas and reframe our understanding of the commandment to blot out Amalek as a reminder of the obligation of all people to fight prejudice, hatred, and bigotry against all groups in all nations singled out as “the other.” We are commanded to blot out evil and hatred from the world.

As we recall Haman’s decrees, historically accurate or fictional, in the Book of Esther on Purim this week, we are called upon not to attack the Persian Empire (Iran) of our day or any other perceived enemy, but to stand up to bigotry and oppression wherever it exists around the world and work to bring greater understanding and compassion into this world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Edward Friedman

03/13/2026

Thoughts on Our Current War in Iran
Originally Posted: March 6, 2026 - 17 Adar, 5786

Nearly a week has gone by since the attack on Iran by Israel and the United States began. I suspect that many of us have mixed emotions about this operation. Not too many tears have been shed for the death of the Supreme Leader and some 40 other figures in the Iranian leadership in the initial bombing raid by Israel. Khamenei and his leadership have been responsible for thousands of deaths in his own country, for the suppression of the rights and freedoms of his people for nearly 40 years. In addition, Iran has been the primary sponsor of the various terrorist groups surrounding Israel including Hamas, Hizbullah, the Houthis, and others all with the stated goal of eliminating the State of Israel. While it is hard to know exactly how close the Iranians have been toward their goal of developing nuclear weapons, any effort to stop that process is to be applauded.
At this stage, it is very hard to see whether all of this bombing will lead to a change in the regime in Iran and its policies towards its own people and its neighbors. The Ayatollah is dead, but his followers and supporters in the regime maintain power and still control the country, its people, and its resources. Khamenei is not the only world leader with blood on his hands who might deserve to be eliminated. Among many others, Vladimir Putin comes to mind and unsurprisingly, reports have come out that he is supporting the continuation of the regime in Iran and supplying intelligence to them about U.S. and Israeli bombing targets and such. Bombs are more effective than graggers in blotting out the memory of Amalek, but too many other candidates for that role are standing in line to replace them. When one falls another arises to take his place. There is a limit to what one can achieve through lethal attacks.
If we are not mourning the obliteration of the Iranian leaders, most of us do feel for the tragic loss of life among the innocents, most notably the victims of the bombing of the Shajare Tayyib Elementary School in Minaj where reportedly 186 students and teachers were killed and 114 injured. Over 1000 Iranians have died in this war including both members of the Revolutionary Guard and innocent civilians. Iran’s retaliation for the assassination of its leaders has led to attacks on many sites in the Persian Gulf area and beyond, a number of casualties in at least four different countries, including the deaths of six American service men serving in the area, and the blocking of the Straits of Hormuz preventing oil tankers’ passage with the consequent raising of worldwide oil prices. The rain of bombs upon Israel was expected and despite the Iron Dome defenses, this too has led to about 10 deaths in Israel and to property damage. Even with their own economic issues, there has been an influx of funds once again from Iran to Hizbullah who have awakened once more to join in the continuing attacks against Israel. This in turn has led to reprisals by Israel in Lebanon leaving 77 dead there. The reports that I have heard are that over 80% of Israelis support this latest war.
While Iran is seen by many in Israel as an existential threat, here in the United States and elsewhere around the world, there is a mixed reaction to this new war. That was reflected by a partisan divide in Congress this week which failed once again to assert its constitutional authority and to limit the administration in its current military operations. After our previous endeavors in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is little stomach by most Americans for getting deeply embroiled in yet another Middle Eastern quagmire. There is some cynicism that this current war may be just another opportunity to mask the many other troubles the administration is facing. There also has been a new conspiracy theory promoted by Tucker Carlson targeting Chabad whom he claims are urging the destruction of Islamic holy places in Israel, a lie that could endanger many of our Jewish friends associated with the Chabad centers around the country and beyond.
So far, we have not seen a popular uprising in Iran to overthrow the regime as the ayatollahs regroup and choose new leadership. The official position of both Israel and the U.S. seems to be that while we would welcome a free, democratic Iran, other than offering our encouragement, that effort has been left to the people of Iran themselves who understandably are cautious to act too quickly following the brutal response to previous demonstrations in their country.
We continue to offer our prayers for a swift resolution of this war, for the safety of Israel and of its neighbors, and for the oppressed people of Iran including the vibrant Jewish community of some 9,000 individuals who trace their history back centuries. The Masorti Israel Foundation issued a prayer last week which we read in the synagogue. To summarize it, we prayed that the Holy One might strengthen the hearts of the citizens of Israel living under the threat of missiles and death and grant them fortitude “until the wrath passes.” We prayed that the Almighty might guide the leaders of the country and grant them sound judgment, understanding and wisdom. Also, our prayers went out to the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces that they may be protected from “all injury to body or soul.” Finally, the prayer concluded with a plea for peace and for the oppressed citizens of Iran. Citing Scripture, we prayed that God might “break the yoke from off your neck and…rip off your bonds.” Reflecting on Megillat Esther that we just read this past week on Purim, we prayed that as in the days of Esther and Mordecai, seasons of grief and mourning may be transformed into a season of festive joy. As we concluded, we asked that we might soon witness the fulfillment of the divine promise, “And they shall dwell each one beneath his fig tree, with none to make him tremble, for the Lord God has spoken.”

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Edward Friedman

03/13/2026

Thoughts on the Search for Chametz in Our Lives
Posted March 13, 2026 - 24 Adar, 5786

One of the first encounters I had with the study of Talmud was a Hillel class in college with a local rabbi teaching the tractate of Pesachim which deals with the laws of Passover. That text begins with the Mishnaic teaching: “Or la-arbaah asar bodkim et ha-chametz la-or ha-ner,” “On the eve of the 14th day (of Nisan) we search for chametz (leavened products) by lamp light.” With all the detailed laws of Passover and their deep significance, it seemed sort of strange to begin not with the story of the Exodus from Egypt, nor with the importance of eating Matzah and other symbolic foods, or even with the requirements of the Passover Seder meal, but rather focusing on housecleaning in preparation for the holiday. As with most areas of Jewish tradition, this practice comes with numerous details which many traditional Jews try to follow to the nth degree. However, if one reflects on the significance of the ritual act, one begins to recognize a much deeper symbolism behind the quest for breadcrumbs in the home.
Let’s consider a few of those details and then see what significance lies behind them. This ritual is supposed to follow a thorough cleansing of the house removing all traces of products containing wheat, barley, oats, rye or spelt that have not been prepared “kosher for Passover,” that is not allowed to rise and become chametz. On the night prior to the holiday, the 14th of Nisan, it is customary to set out 10 pieces of bread, take a candle, a wooden spoon, and a feather and search throughout the house, anywhere we might have left a crumb, aside from these ten, particularly in cracks and holes, sweep them up with the feather into the spoon, and drop them into a bag to set aside overnight. Prior to the search one is to recite a blessing for the mitzvah of bi-ur chametz, destroying chametz. In the morning, one is to take the bag outside and burn its contents along with the spoon and the feather and recite an appropriate statement nullifying any leavened products that one may have missed. One needs to at least account for the ten crumbs hidden prior to the search. (The Talmud considers the possibility of weasels helping themselves to this “treat” and spoiling the process.)
When we reflect on it, we realize that chronologically this search had to precede our preparation either for the ancient Paschal lamb sacrifice or for our modern-day seder meal. It sets the stage for all that is to come. So logically, it is the first topic of discussion in the tractate. Beyond that, the sages saw it as a much deeper kind of preparation. For the rabbis chametz is not just breadcrumbs. They see it as a symbol of the yetzer hara, the evil inclination within us, our inner life. Chametz is inflated, puffed-up dough compared in rabbinic teaching to arrogance, ego, and self-inflation. If leavening is a slow, creeping process, chametz becomes the symbol of habits, old patterns, unexamined assumptions, and moral decay which accumulates unnoticed. For Nachmanides, the 13th century Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, chametz symbolizes pride, intrusive, wandering thoughts, desire beyond its proper bounds.
In emphasizing the search into chorim us’dakim, holes and crevices, the rabbis make it a metaphor for examining the hidden corners of the self. The Rashba, Rabbi Shlomo ibn Adret, 13th century Barcelona, writes that negative traits hide in the psyche, forgotten resentments reside in the memory, and unexamined habits accumulate in the corners of consciousness, chorim us’dakim. On Shabbat Parah, last week, the scriptural readings spoke not only of the ritual cleansing provided by the ashes of the Parah Adumah, the Red Heifer, but also of the internal, spiritual cleansing, removing the “heart of stone” and replacing it with “a heart of flesh.” Our personal stocktaking, inner reflection and purification should precede the redemption celebrated on Pesach. The rabbis say that you cannot be free if you are full of chametz – spiritually or psychologically. There is inner work that must precede redemption.
What then is the inner meaning of the “tools” we take up for the search? The candle represents the soul as we read in Proverbs, “Ner Hashem nishmat adam, the candle of God is the human soul.” Thus, the search for chametz becomes a search of the soul’s recesses. Why a candle? A candle illuminates gently, not like a torch. This self-examination should be honest but compassionate, not harsh or scorching. A candle reveals what is hidden, for the rabbis claim that the yetzer hara hides in the cracks and corners. This search symbolizes a slow, careful uncovering of what we prefer not to see.
Though the feather is a later custom, it became a powerful symbol removing crumbs without crushing them, the model for dealing with our flaws, delicately, without self-violence. The feather symbolizes humility. It is light, soft, flexible, the opposite of chametz-like arrogance. Aside from that, the feather is associated with wings, symbolizing a spiritual ascent. Removing chametz becomes a metaphor for lifting oneself upward.
Lastly, the wooden spoon – the uninflated, uncorrupted vessel which collects the chametz and is later burned with it. It is simple, uninflated, unprocessed representing the pure, uncorrupted part of the self that can hold the chametz without absorbing it. Wood symbolizes the tree of life, etz chayim, the Torah, the vessel that can contain and ultimately destroy the chametz. Even the tools we use for self-improvement must be surrendered. A Chasidic saying has it that “even your humility can become chametz if you cling to it.”
The final act, the burning of the chametz, becomes a symbol of purification, letting go of ego, transforming negative traits into energy for good, the death of old patterns before rebirth. For the mystics, in the Zohar, the search for chametz becomes a cosmic drama. They call chametz the embodiment of the “Sitra Achra,” the Other Side, and thus the search becomes a tikkun, a repair involving sifting, separating, and purifying. The act of looking for crumbs becomes in this drama a symbolic cleansing of the soul’s chambers. The custom of the ten crumbs also comes from the mystical tradition found in the Tikkunei Zohar which associates the ten pieces with the ten sefirot, the divine emanations which correspond to ten aspects of impurity that must be rectified through this process.
Rabbis in our own time have picked up on this theme of purification as preparation for Pesach. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks calls it a “Jewish version of a spiritual audit before liberation. Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik interprets chametz as the human tendency toward self-aggrandizement and hubris. The removal of chametz thus becomes a symbolic stripping away of the ego in preparation for covenantal freedom. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel sees Jewish ritual as designed to awaken the soul from “spiritual slumber.” The search for chametz then is a ritual which forces us to look into the “hidden corners” of our lives. Rabbi Shlomo Riskin writes that chametz symbolizes old resentments, grudges, and emotional baggage, the “residue of past hurts” found in the corners of the psyche. My colleague on the West Coast, Rabbi Sharon Brous interprets chametz as the “moral complacency that allows injustice to persist. We need to take up the candle as a reminder of the need for moral clarity in confronting social issues.
Reflecting on all of this, we realize that rituals are not simply a matter of going through the motions, rather they need to enter into our inner lives and as we prepare our homes for Pesach, we are called upon to prepare our souls for true freedom. In all of this we see the truth in the paradoxical suggestion that Passover should be a time for teshuvah, repentance, return, and Yom Kippur a season for removal of chametz. As we enter the month of Nisan this week and begin our preparations for Passover, may we all take the time to do a thorough search for chametz and make an effort to remove it from our souls and our world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Edward Friedman

03/13/2026

ISRAEL UPDATE!!!!

--SPECIAL PROGRAM FROM TBI'S ADULT EDUCATION--

Tuesday March 17 at 7pm via zoom

Get an update with the Israeli Consul General to Chicago: Elad Strohmayer

We will be joined by other congregations in the Western Suburbs.

We expect that the Consul General will update us on the situation in Israel currently and the ongoing war with Iran.

Join Zoom Meeting: get the link from: [email protected]

03/06/2026

Guide for Passover Preparations – The Rabbinical Assembly has a revised Passover Guide which you can download athttps://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/pesah-guide-5786.pdf

Passover Seder Melodies – Rabbi Friedman has recorded most of the Seder melodies – You can find them on the TBI Website - https://www.temple-bnai-israel.org/passover-haggadah

Passover Services –

Eve of Passover – Fast of the Firstborn – Siyyum of the tractate of Chullin. April 1 - 7:00 am

Customarily the firstborn fast on the eve of Passover. One may substitute for the fast attendance at a Siyyum, the completion of a portion of study. Rabbi Friedman plans to complete the Talmudic tractate of Chullin following a morning service. All are welcome to participate. Chullin deals with the laws of Kashruth.

No more chametz eaten after 10:50 am – should be destroyed no later than 11:54 am

Candlelighting for Yom Tov at 7:00 pm - followed by first seder

First Day of Passover – Yom Tov Services – including prayers for Tal (Dew) – April 2 - 9:00am

Second Seder offered by Temple B’nai Israel – details on the information sheet – April 2 – 7:00 pm Traditional seder - Kosher for Passover

Second Day of Passover – Yom Tov Services – April 3 – 9:00 am

Shabbat Chol HaMoed – Services at 7:00 pm in person or Zoom – April 3

Morning Services – April 4 – 9:00 am including chanting of Song of Songs

Seventh Day of Passover – Yom Tov Services – April 8 – 9:00 am

Eighth Day of Passover – Yom Tov Services and Yizkor Memorial Prayers – 9:00 am

Passover Ends at 8:10 pm

The Passover seder (the word “seder” means order) follows 15 steps (ma’alot) equal to the 15 Psalms designated as Shirei HaMa’alot (Songs of Ascent) and the 15 steps which one ascended to enter the Temple in Jerusalem. Let us sing the 15 steps together:

03/06/2026

Sale of Chametz 2026/5786

It is customary to arrange for the sale to a non-Jewish person a of any Chametz, i.e. products made from the five grains (Wheat, Barley, Oats, Rye, Spelt) that are not certified kosher for Passover, products made of a mixture of chametz and other ingredients, dishes and utensils that may have been used with chametz, animals and pets who live on chametz, they and their food, and any other products that are in your possession that are forbidden for use during the Passover holiday. Because chametz is generally permitted the rest of year, during the period of its prohibition it is completely forbidden to own it or to use it for any purpose. Since it is difficult for many people to divest themselves of all chametz during this period, we arrange for the rabbi to transfer ownership to a non-Jew throughout the holiday from the morning prior to the 15th of Nisan until after the holiday on the 23rd of Nisan. The owner is expected to put away, out of sight, any chametz that he has and technically, he permits the rabbis to rent those spaces along with the chametz to his buyer, accepting a deposit, with the balance due after the holiday. Failure to pay the balance ends the agreement and the properties and food revert to their original owners. Though we divest ourselves of chametz through this legal fiction, we also should recite the formulas printed at the beginning of most haggadahs, nullifying any chametz that may be in our possession.

I/we ___________________________________________________ hereby appoint Rabbi Edward M. Friedman to be my agent to sell any chametz, leavened products, to a non-Jewish purchaser from the morning of Nisan 14 until Nisan 23, April 1 - 9. He may arrange to rent the places where the chametz is currently sitting for that period. He will receive a deposit for this sale and at the end of Passover he will demand the balance due based on the estimated value of this property. Failure to provide the balance will result in the cancellation of the sale.

Location of Chametz (home)
(business/other)________________________________

Signed ______________________________________________

Date _________________________

Customarily, donations are made at this time for “Maot Chittin” (literally wheat money). Whatever funds are collected, we customarily donate to Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, or to local food banks to feed the hungry.