Rabbi Michael Barclay
It’s time to put aside politics and unite as Jews
In a recent two-week period, I received more than a dozen calls from people who “had to speak with the rabbi.” Each caller was shul ....
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Rabbi Michael Barclay
Aug 8, 20174 min read
Parashat Eikev: God as the loving parent
Why don’t we always get what we want from God, and why does God even allow people to be in pain? Last week, we observed Tisha b’Av, ....
Rabbi Michael Barclay
Jul 29, 20174 min read
Is It Too Expensive to Be Jewish, and an Alternative Temple Business Model
Temple Ner Simcha, in Westlake Village, took an even bolder step last year, going to a no-dues model, “because it’s the righteous and ...
Rabbi Michael Barclay
Feb 9, 20173 min read
The sun shines on us all equally
“In that hour the ministering angels wished to utter the song [of praise] before the Holy One, blessed be He, but He rebuked them, saying: .
Rabbi Michael Barclay
Dec 7, 20163 min read
Angels and Dreams
“A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read” (Bavli, Berachot 55a).
Rabbi Michael Barclay
Nov 16, 20164 min read
The irony of hate
Typically, I try to keep politics off of the pulpit. I believe the job of clergy is to help people deepen their relationship with God, ....
Rabbi Michael Barclay
Sep 13, 20165 min read
Will synagogue’s move to a no-dues model work?
Temple Ner Simcha, a 3-year-old congregation in Westlake Village with about 100 member families as of May, announced this summer that it ...
Rabbi Michael Barclay
Jun 30, 20093 min read
A Fourth of Jew-ly Celebration
As a young child, I always loved the Fourth of July — the fireworks, the meat on the grill, the picnics and everyone seeming so grateful....
Rabbi Michael Barclay
Oct 8, 20034 min read
The Lulav, the Etrog, the Medicine Pipe
For many years, I used to have long talks with Anselmo Valencia, the Chief of the Yaqui Indian Nation, about the similarities and ....
Rabbi Michael Barclay
Oct 8, 19973 min read
‘If She Couldn’t Pay, She Couldn’t Pray’
As a Jew in his early 30s,I have had many different experiences of beauty and pain during the Ten Days of Awe, ranging from the first time..
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