Articles written by Glen Pickus
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Hanukkah confusion | Worship
Despite being one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays, understanding why we celebrate Hanukkah can be confusing. First, there is the common misperception that Hanukkah is... — Updated 12/10/2020
Virtual worship during a real pandemic | Worship
In pre-COVID-19 pandemic times right about now, with the Jewish High Holy Days approaching, I would be psyching myself up to spend a lot of time in worship services at Temple Beth... — Updated 9/23/2020
We have a duty to do what we can to save lives | Worship
The novel coronavirus doesn't care who you are. It just wants to invade your body and make you sick with COVID-19. In the past I didn't really worry much about epidemic diseases.... — Updated 4/23/2020
Seeking the Unaffiliated
It doesn't take a demographer to know that Jews are only a small percentage of the total population of Snohomish County. Though small in number, there are more than enough Jews in... — Updated 2/12/2020
Weekly Worship | The Temple Beth Or community
The reasons for joining a religious institution such as Temple Beth Or are as various as the number of its members. Temple Beth Or offers a place for Jews to worship together in... — Updated 12/18/2019
Choosing to fast on Yom Kippur l Worship
"Is this not the fast I have chosen?” (Isaiah 58:6). Jews hear these words every year at services on Yom Kippur which starts at sunset on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Jews fast on Yom Kippur... — Updated 9/25/2019
Larger than the lunar landing
Fifty years ago this month, humankind set foot on the moon for the first time. It was one of the few times when calling an event historic was an understatement. Yet the Apollo 11 flight wasn’t the most important event in my life... — Updated 7/10/2019
Fighting hate l Worship
The world learned an important lesson from the rise of Nazism in the 1930s that hate must be resisted with vigor and vigilance because appeasing hate is doomed to fail. One widespread form of hate today, in the United States... — Updated 4/24/2019
Continuing the vision l Worship
Temple Beth Or’s creation story starts in a hot tub in Victoria, British Columbia, in the early 1980s when two of our founders attended a medical conference. The two young physicians, just starting their own families, agreed... — Updated 2/6/2019
Torah teachings about climate change l Worship
The Torah’s continued relevancy in the modern world amazes me. While I’m not claiming the Torah’s compilation of wisdom from 3,000 years ago anticipates global warming, I am saying it does offer ethical rules and values... — Updated 12/5/2018
Judaism is a process l Worship
As the sun sets on Yom Kippur (Sept. 19 this year), the process of seeking atonement for the past year’s transgressions ends for Jews around the world. The beginning of that process formally started on Rosh Hashanah, 10 days... — Updated 9/12/2018
Earning a Good Name
Like many religions, Judaism attempts to explain the unexplainable. What really resonates with me is how Jewish ethics and teachings can make the seemingly incomprehensible not only knowable but simply so. Most, if not all,... — Updated 7/18/2018
Timing can be everything l Worship
It doesn’t hurt to be a little lucky. Temple Beth Or’s search for our next rabbi took a lot of energy and coordination and was carefully planned. As we executed our plans we... — Updated 5/2/2018 Full story
Who is Temple Beth Or? l Worship
Searching for a rabbi is not your typical business world job recruitment effort. As mentioned in a previous column, after nine rewarding years at Temple Beth Or (TBO), Rabbi Jessica Marshall left TBO last July to pursue other... — Updated 3/21/2018
What if? l Worship
Tonight we celebrate the second of eight nights of Hanukkah. Each night of Hanukkah I proudly place my lit menorah in my front window sill so passersby can see that a proud Jew celebrating Hanukkah lives in my house. Because I... — Updated 12/13/2017
Saying sorry: 3 steps to seeking forgiveness on Rosh Hashanah | Worship
“I’m sorry” are two words that are sometimes impossible to say out loud. With the start of Rosh Hashanah tonight Wednesday, Sept. 20 Jews in Mukilteo and around the world will start a 10-day period of saying “I’m... — Updated 9/20/2017
What is a rabbi, and who can be one? | Worship
My mother’s maiden name is Robinson. The name was created by an immigration official when my grandfather came to America in the early 1900s from what was then called Palestine. I say created because there’s no doubt that is... — Updated 7/12/2017
Interpret Torah not literally but as living text | Worship
The Torah, also known as the Old Testament and the Five Books of Moses, is a very personal text shared by millions. On the holiday of Shavuot starting at sunset on May 30 Jews will mark the receiving of the Torah at Mount... — Updated 4/26/2017 Full story
Come, celebrate the New Year of the Trees with a seder | Worship
Each year we celebrate New Year’s Day to commemorate the advancement of the calendar year. Logically, that means one New Year’s Day celebration per year. Then why does the Hebre... — Updated 2/8/2017
What Jews do on Christmas
Let’s play Jeopardy. Alex Trebek: “Holidays for $100. Watch a new release movie and then go out to eat at a Chinese restaurant.” Contestant’s correct response: “What do... — Updated 12/14/2016
A special message on a special Shabbat | Worship
If you want to understand what being Jewish entails, start with observing Shabbat (the Sabbath). That’s what rabbis frequently tell people considering conversion. Despite its... — Updated 10/5/2016
Treat others as you wish to be treated | Worship
There are no exceptions to the Golden Rule. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” These five words leave no room for interpretation. The Golden Rule provides the ethical basis for... — Updated 7/6/2016
An optimist’s (silly) thought | Worship
I am a senseless optimist. Right up until the moment things go wrong, I am predicting a positive outcome. You’d think, as I near my 60th birthday, life experiences would have comp... — Updated 4/20/2016
Jewish immigrants among our city’s builders | Worship
Temple Beth Or celebrates 30 years as a congregation this year, yet this milestone pales in comparison to the number of years the Jewish community has existed in the Puget Sound region. The first Jewish immigrants began arriving in... — Updated 2/3/2016 Full story
A 16th morning blessing for county's sole synagogue | Worship
Some Jews start each day by reciting 15 blessings thanking God for fulfilling their basic needs, which includes everything from waking up to the ability to put on clothes. One of those gives thanks to God for creating us Jewish.... — Updated 12/16/2015
