From the desk of Rabbi Phil
August 2025
Dear friends,
First, I want to thank you for the terrific, warm welcome you gave me and Betsy. We are looking forward to our time with you all. We are moved in and nearly unpacked. We have found
the grocery stores, purchased a Sam’s Club membership, discovered Brandon, and we walk
(Betsy) and swim (Phil) regularly. Now if you folks can only do something about the humidity
and, apparently, the alligators. We have not seen one yet.
Let me tell you a bit about what I hope to do with you in the coming weeks and months. My
rabbinate is primarily a teaching rabbinate. My sense of the Beth Israel membership is that you
will make good use of what I have to offer. Scheduling is still being worked out, but here is
what I have in mind:
• Biweekly Shabbat morning Torah study. We will begin at 10 and go for about ninety minutes. If we can arrange bagels and coffee, all the better.
• An adult bar or bat mitzvah class. Beginning sometime after Yom Kippur, I will offer a class that meets weekly or close to it, culminating in a ceremony in June 2026. We will explore topics at the heart of Jewish tradition: liturgy, theology, history, music, and Bible, with plenty of room for questions and conversations.
• A biweekly lunch and learn. Bring your lunch and I will bring something to study.
• Seminarion. This is just the Hebrew word for seminar, but I like how it sounds. A series of
mini courses, beginning with a six session course called, “Writing your spiritual autobiography”. I provide prompts; you provide reflections, and together we explore the elements in your life that brought you to this moment.
• Lecture series. About once a month, a Zoom lecture from scholars across the country and
Israel. Topics might include: The history of the Jewish deli, Shabbat in Reform Judaism,
and update on Israel, Jews in unusual places (like Africa), and more.
Stay tuned for details on all of the above.
I cannot write a bulletin message without something a little homiletic.
The Ten Commandments begins with a preamble. The Israelites have been liberated for
close to three months and arrive at Mount Sinai. Moses ascents, and God speaks to the people:
“I am the Eternal your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage”.
God says, in effect: You arrived here on eagles’ wings. I had a little help from Moses, but I entered history and shattered the walls of your enslavement. You are now free men and
women. But that freedom carries a responsibility. You owe Me your loyalty. And from that loyalty, you will receive something in return: my loyalty. Across the generations, we will be loyal to one another and build a world shaped by spiritual morality, not only for you but for all people.
You lived in bondage for centuries. That means your liberation carries an extra charge. You and
your descendants must always remember what it felt like to live under the whip, to be denied your own life. I redeemed you from that, and so you must feel, deep in your bones, the moral
obligation to bring justice and mercy into the world. You must despise slavery in all its forms
and fight against it wherever you live.
We are not simply called to do justice. We are commanded to do justice from that deep place of knowing what injustice feels like.
So friends, our work in the months ahead is to celebrate our Jewishness and use it to help heal
and repair the world. That is our oldest promise and our most sacred obligation.
Shalom,
Rabbi Phil Cohen, PhD
PS: Never hesitate to call. My phone number is
(716) 481-7929.
Also, I’ve created a new email address for Beth Israel correspondence:
ravbethisraelFL@gmail.com
Never hesitate to use it. I’m very email friendly