Posts by Cyril

PARASHAT VAYEIRA – GAINESVILLE The Torah likes to talk in coded language, or at least we read Torah as if it’s speaking in a coded language.  That’s what’s happening this week.  Take a listen to opening verse: וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה ‘God appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre.’ The ‘him’ in this case is…

Rabbi Cy Stanway – Gainesville The parasha this week is something of a pivot point, if you think about it.  But it’s a pivot point that has been somewhat misunderstood.  Let me explain.  You see, up to this point the Torah has been concerned with really big things. Creation of the universe. Adam and Eve,…

Bereshit – Gainesville Welcome back to the beginning of the Torah and probably the most misunderstood portion in Western religious history.  This is because, more than any other section of the bible, so many people take this portion completely literally.  The earth was created in 6 days.  Man and woman created on the seventh.  There was a talking serpert…

SUKKOT GAINESVILLE Americans have a deep desire to either be happy, pretend we are happy, or make everyone else happy! In Teen Academy class, during a very spirited discussion of suicide and the Jewish texts around that difficult subject, one of the students suggested that it is our job to talk someone into happiness and…

Yom Kippur Morning Rabbi Cy Stanway American society loves to assign names to significant and, oftentimes, not-so-significant events. Every month brings with it a whole set of “Whatever Appreciation of the Month.” There is everything from Cheese Appreciation Month to Hug Your Podiatrist Month. I am not sure who pays attention to all or any…

Shir Shalom – Gainesville Temple Shir Shalom: Gainesville
 Rabbi Cy Stanway When I became an American many years ago, someone told me that it is now my duty to pay attention to baseball.  Taking their admonition to heart, I did what I always do when I need to expose myself to something: I bought a…

Rosh Hashanna Morning 2025 – GainesvilleRabbi Cy Stanway  Several years ago, the tabloids had a field day when the beautiful, young, troubled Christina Onassis committed suicide, leaving behind her five-year-old daughter. In a phrase that probably encapsulated much of her tragic depression, the papers defined her as the “heiress to the Onassis fortune.” In other…

Gainesville, 2025 Even though I pretty in the dark about baseball, even I know the iconic picture of Babe Ruth from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. In the fifth inning, Ruth stepped up to the plate, gestured toward the outfield, and hit the next pitch over the wall. This…

Nitzavim – Gainesville I am not sure why, but this week’s portion is my all-time favorite. I have tried to understand why I like it so much. The only thing I can think of is its striking imagery.  Atem nitzavim hayom – You are standing here together today, all of you…” With these words, Moses…

Ki Tavo – Gainesville I sometimes wonder how many love songs have ever been written.  Hard to know.  So I asked ChatGPT and here is what I found:  On Spotify alone, there are millions of songs tagged with themes of love, heartbreak, romance, or relationships. From ancient times to the present, poetry set to music,…