September 6, 2021

L’Shanah Tovah Umetukah!

As we usher in the New Year of 5782 tonight, we want to take this time to pray over you.

We pray that Adonai will cover you with His presence in this New Year. May this be a year where you fall deeper in love with the Creator of your soul. May you be filled with His shalom that will drive all fear and anxiety from you. May you know the vastness of His love and the strength of His compassion in new ways. We pray that you will receive His love that He desires to lavish on you.

We pray that out of the abundance of His goodness, blessings will flow into your life. May great joy overflow into every area of your life; may it ooze out of your innermost being like those rivers of living water. May the year 5782 be a year of freedom for you. May the truth of G-d’s Word break every chain of darkness holding you in bondage. We pray that shouts of joy and victory would be heard in your home.

May your homes be a place of refuge not only for your family but for the hurting in our communities. May they be a place where the presence of G-d abides. May you walk in divine health, and may sickness and disease be removed from you and your family.

We bless you with Adonai’s favor in 5782. We believe the best is yet to come.

Love,

Rabbi Michael and Rabbi Carol Calise

June 18, 2021

Shalom mishpochah,

Tomorrow we return to one service (11 am) where we will be able to worship together as a congregational family. I am excited and as I thought about our service tomorrow, this verse came to mind. “I was overjoyed when they said, ‘Let’s go up to the house of the Lord’.” Tehillim (Psalms) 122.1. I love to be in the house of G-d. Many of you have heard my testimony. I came to faith at six years old, and we lived around the corner from the congregation my family started to attend. I often walked to service. As a teenager, I somehow had a key to the congregation. I remember going during the week and letting myself in. I just loved to be there in His presence. I loved going to services with my family, and we always went whenever the doors were open, which included twice on Sunday, every Wednesday night, and on quite a few occasions every night of the week.

I know this past year was challenging for us. Regulations imposed on us made it difficult at first for us to meet in person at all. Once we did meet, we had to face the challenge of social distancing, etc. Habits developed and one of those was watching and participating in the services and ministries of Beth Emanuel online. Trust me, Rabbi Michael and I are grateful for this technology. But let me say, they are never a substitute for gathering together to worship and encourage each other. We will continue to stream online and are asking Adonai to help us use this technology for his glory. We know there are times when people cannot make it and having the ability to join online is a blessing.

At the same time, we pray that your hearts would be stirred to gather together with one another and to continue to build a strong community that would impact this island and beyond with the Good News of Messiah. We need you and you need us! Together we are stronger. Adonai is still on the throne and He wants us to go forward advancing His kingdom among our Jewish people. We do hope to see you in person tomorrow, and on Wednesday nights, and at holiday services, and at other special ministry events that Adonai leads us to hold.

Beth Emanuel, we love you and our hearts are filled with great expectation of all that G-d has for us.

Brachot,

Rabbi Carol