Shana Tova and Shabbat Message from Rabbi Tachman
09/03/2021 10:00:43 AM
September 3, 2021
Today we stand before the shofar to hear its voice-resilient and strong, proclaiming freedom, promising Read more...
Shana Tova and Shabbat Message from Rabbi Tachman, September 18, 2020
09/18/2020 02:01:57 PM
September 18, 2020
Today we stand before the shofar to hear its voice-resilient and strong, proclaiming freedom, promisingRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman, July 17, 2020
07/17/2020 03:00:57 PM
July 17, 2020
?אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי? וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman, July 3, 2020
07/03/2020 03:01:21 PM
July 3, 2020
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their CreatorRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman, June 26, 2020
06/26/2020 03:52:00 PM
June 26, 2020
…the staff of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, had sprouted: it brought forth buds, it produced blossoms and borneRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman, June 19, 2020
06/19/2020 03:58:19 PM
June 19, 2020
Some say: A father is obligated to teach his son how to swim. -Talmud, Kiddushin, 29a
This Sunday we celeRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman, June 12, 2020
06/12/2020 03:01:00 PM
June 12, 2020
A teaching from Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883)
The Founder of the Modern Musar, the Jewish Ethical MindfulneRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman, June 5, 2020
06/05/2020 03:54:45 PM
June 5, 2020
Pray as if everything depends on God, act as if everything depends on you.
This week with heavy hearts we as a nRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman May 29, 2020
05/29/2020 03:00:14 PM
May 29, 2020
Our House of Hope in our 60 plus year history has produced a mighty line of knowledgeable and values-driven JeRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman May 22, 2020
05/22/2020 03:01:41 PM
May 22, 2020
On the first day of the second month, in the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt, the EternaRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman May15, 2020
05/15/2020 03:18:15 PM
May 15, 2020
In this week’s double Torah portion, B’har-B’chukotai, we read of the law of shemitah a sabbatical yearRead more...
Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman May 8, 2020
05/08/2020 03:01:15 PM
May 8, 2020
God could not be everywhere, so God created mothers.
-Leopold Kompert, Bohemian Jewish writer (1822–1886)Read more...
A Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman May 1 ,2020
05/01/2020 04:01:31 PM
May 1,2020
Those who sow in tears will reap in joy - Psalm 126
Yesterday, campers, parents, staff and faculty were informRead more...
A Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman April 24,2020
04/24/2020 03:07:14 PM
April 24,2020
Rebbe Yochanan himself would stand before Aramean elders.and marvel: “How many experiences- hardships and miraRead more...
A Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman April 17,2020
04/17/2020 05:37:16 PM
April 17,2020
Our praise to You, Adonai, who hallows us with the mitzvot, commanding us to count the Omer. Friday, April 17 Read more...
A Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman April 10,2020
04/10/2020 04:36:14 PM
April 10,2020
Behold, it is the springtide of the year!
Over and past is winters gloomy reign,
The happy time of singing birdRead more...
A Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman April 3,2020
04/03/2020 02:11:53 PM
April 3,2020
Standing on the parted shores of history
We still believe what we were taught
before ever we stood at Sinai’s fRead more...
A Shabbat Message From Rabbi Tachman Mar 27,2020
03/27/2020 02:31:47 PM
March 27,2020
“Chazak! Chazak! Ve’Nitchazek!”
“Be strong! Be strong! And we will be encouraged!”
“Be Strong! Be stRead more...
Dancing with the Stars (of David)!
02/02/2020 11:28:31 AM
The Book of Esther begins and ends with dance. It begins when Vashti, the wife of King Achashverosh refuses to dance before his intoxicated male friends at the King’s lavish party. The story ends as the Jews who were bowed with sorrow and fear over Haman’s evil plot to annihilate them, witness Haman’s demise and they celebrate their good fortune with feasting and gladness, and (I would guess) dancing....Read more...
Antisemitism: Still Here and Now
12/01/2019 11:25:05 AM
Noted Historian Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt often begins her lectures lamenting that while most scholars hope their subject matter is considered current and relevant, her subject of antisemitism is a topic that none of us want to be contemporary, and yet it always is.
On Monday, December 2, the BTC Book Club will hold a dinner and discussion of Dr. Lipstadt’s recent book, Antisemitism: Here and Now. Please see our website for details....Read more...
Rabbi Taron Tachman’s “Our House” Dedication Prayer
10/01/2019 06:41:04 PM
We gather here, community leaders, public officials, friends and family, to dedicate this space that has been beautifully updated and refreshed.
Today we thank God and all those who have donated generously and worked diligently to transform a bold vision into reality.
This afternoon the visionary words of Israel’s Founding Father, Theodore Herzl, apply to Beth Tikvah Congregation as well:
Im Tir su, ainzo...Read more...
Learning About the High Holy Days and Mishkan HaNefesh
08/01/2019 08:25:31 PM
As I write this article in the middle of July, I am in the process of working along with Cantorial Leader Ilana Axel to transition Beth Tikvah Congregation from the 1978 Gates of Repentance prayerbook to the new Mishkan HaNefesh: Machzor for the Days of Awe. We are grateful to the many congregants who have donated sets of Mishkan HaNefesh to Beth Tikvah and as mentioned in my previous article, with appreciation...Read more...
A New Machzor
05/01/2019 12:00:00 AM
I realize that some congregants may be wondering why we need a new machzor—the prayerbook used for the High Holy Days. Many of us, like myself, have grown very fond of our current Gates of Repentance (GOR) machzor. For me, it is the siddur that I grew up with, and the first Machzor from which I led High Holy Day Services. I know many of the passages by heart. I bet you do as well. There are also those who have fond memories of the...Read more...
Greeting from the Big Island!
03/01/2019 12:00:55 AM
Aloha and Shalom!! Greetings from the “Big Island” of Hoffman Estates where this year for Purim, WE ARE GOING TO HAWAII!!!!! YAY!!! Well, not really, but kind of, please keep reading…..
This year for Purim we are changing things up at bit. On the actual day of...Read more...
January is Justice Month!
01/01/2019 10:44:33 AM
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King, April 16, 1963
In this month of January where we read the story of the Israelites redemption from slavery in Egypt and we learn of our...Read more...
Voting is a Sacred Task
11/01/2018 10:51:43 AM
On both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we, as a congregation, recited a prayer for our nation which included the words: “Cause us to see clearly that the well-being of our nation is in the hands of all of our citizens.”
What these words remind us is that it is not enough to simply ask God to protect and bless our country. Each of us has a role and responsibility as citizens to see to the welfare of the United States. We...Read more...
Shavuot Double Hitter!
05/01/2018 10:52:53 AM
Shavuot, one of the most important Jewish holidays of the year, will be celebrated at BTC in two special ways on Saturday evening, May 19th. (See below)
Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The word “Shavuot” means “weeks” and this holiday takes place seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot is also known as a harvest festival and it marks the end of the barley harvest and summer wheat harvest. In ancient...Read more...