Please forgive me. It appears my absence from social media left some of you wondering where I am. I’m in New Jersey, serving as the rabbi of Congregation Beth Tikvah (CBT) in Marlton. I’ve just started my fifth month of what I hope will be five years of dedicated service in the House of Hope. … Read more
Despite being a GenXer and spending plenty of time teaching teenagers, I’ve never been an early adopter of new technology. I’m especially wary of the computerized bells and whistles in my vehicle—more things that can break and require costly repairs. However, I’ve come to appreciate one safety feature in my new car: Adaptive Cruise Control. … Read more
I’m pleased to share two of my sermons from the High Holidays: The sermon I delivered on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, “Happy Families Forgive,” was posted on The Wisdom Daily website in their High Holiday sermon series, featuring sermons by alumni of Clal’s clergy training programs. My Yom Kippur morning sermon, “Don’t Detach … Read more
On this Juneteenth, I share with you a d’var torah that I shared with Congregation Beth Tikvah in Marlton, NJ three months ago. I was interviewing for the position of rabbi there on Shabbat Zakhor, the sabbath when we read a portion from the Torah instructing us to remember how the Amalekites attacked the Israelites … Read more
To learn more about the sculpture Exode and the artist Sandrine Plante, check out this video on YouTube (select CC subtitles & select French to English).
As we prepared for Shabbat at Temple Kol Emeth on Friday morning, our Director of Member Engagement, Cindy Livingston, polished up my monthly reflection with a beautiful banner and a new-and-improved title: Reflections from Rabbi Gottfried: The Power of Rereading I never used to reread books. And I didn’t understand why some people advocated for … Read more
Well, a lot has happened in the past 45 days. I remain grateful to be able to serve my community at Temple Kol Emeth (TKE) in Marietta, GA, together with the strong and supportive professional team, caring and committed lay leadership, and two of the best rabbis I know: Rabbi-Educator Daniel Alter and Rabbi Emeritus … Read more
Visiting friends in Philadelphia last month, I had occasion to drive across the Delaware River and was reminded of a relaxing afternoon I spent in an inner tube in this river nearly two years ago. I wrote about the experience in my 5782 Rosh Hashanah Message in the Atlanta Jewish Times: “Riding the gentle rapids … Read more
“It is forbidden to live in a town that has no garden or greenery.” —Talmud Yerushalmi, Kiddushin 4:12 Preparing our final culture unit in Spanish 3 led me to a book on the bottom shelf, one I hadn’t used in a while: Torah and Trails: A Photographic Trail Guide Connecting Judaism with Nature by Margery … Read more
I was in a terrible rush yesterday morning when I was emptying the dishwasher. I had my reasons. I needed to reload it with dirty dishes before taking the dog out, before rushing to school, before…well, you get the idea. I’d spent all week catching up from having been out of town last weekend, and … Read more