Thank you for taking the time to visit Temple Beth Shalom’s website, and for stopping by my “virtual study”.  This congregation is unique in my experience. 

We are:

• Welcoming enough to find a way for every person who desires to find a valued role in our community’s spiritual, educational, and social life;
• Established enough to have multigenerational families;
• Small enough to value and welcome every newcomer;
• Strong enough to support an excellent Shalom School for our children, and an active Torah Study group for adults;
• Cohesive enough to have solid participation in our Sisterhood; and
• Fortunate enough to have a building in which to operate without becoming overwhelmed by an “edifice complex” (but not so fortunate as to have a building without need of updating and repair!)

Since 1998, I’ve been serving as Rabbi of this congregation on a part-time basis.  In this capacity, I’ve been honored to play a role not only in the life of the congregation as a whole, but to be included at important junctures in the lives of its members.

This website offers me the opportunity to share with you some of the writings I’ve penned over the years.  I’m happy to provide the prepared texts for some of my “favorite” High Holiday sermons, and Bulletin messages. With regard to my sermons, however, I ask that you keep in mind that the text is really only a “jumping off point” for me.  The words provided here are prepared text, not a recording of the spoken word. Those who worship at our congregation know full well my love of interacting directly with the congregation, and for better or worse, these digressions and interchanges are virtually impossible to preserve and share with those who aren’t present. 

From time to time, I’ll post here other items that I hope will be worth your consideration, including some links to some of my favorite Jewish websites.

Please don’t hesitate to drop me an email with your reactions to any of the sermons or articles posted here, or at any other time when I can be of assistance. While I’m glad, of course, that you are visiting this website, I’d be even happier to greet you in person at our Services and at other congregational events.

Shalom!


Rabbi Arnold M. Fertig, MPA, DD