OUR SPIRITUAL LEADER: MICHAEL FELDMAN

Man wearing a tallit praying in a synagogue or study room.

Meet Michael

An Invitation to Connect

Michael J. Feldman became the Spiritual Leader of Temple B’nai Emet in early 2025 and performs both rabbinical and cantorial functions during services. His dedication to connecting prayer with a sense of community has led him to deeper study of liturgy for many years, while also teaching and giving drashot/sermons.

Mosaic artwork depicting Moses, the Ten Commandments, and animals with Hebrew text.

An Invitation to Connect

“I invite everyone interested in learning and growing in the Jewish tradition through warmth of community at Temple B’nai Emet,” said Feldman. “I understand that many among our communities may feel disillusioned with religious life, and that prayer and other ritual can feel hollow or disconnected from our daily lives. That’s why, rather than just recite the historic words, it is important that we connect beyond words so that the depth and benefits of the Jewish liturgies are personally meaningful, impacting with strength of faith and the confidence to question what can make us the best version of ourselves.”

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Open Hebrew prayer book with a traditional tallit draped over it.

Talmudic Tradition

An Invitation to Connect

Talmudic Tradition

Spiritual Leader Feldman is currently on the ordination track at Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies, with a passion for finding common ground and emotional validation between diverse, even conflicting views. He is always looking for opportunities to help people reconcile their own practical and spiritual needs. Spiritual Leader Feldman i

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a message from our SPIRITUAL LEADER

AV / ELUL 5786

Dear Temple B’nai Emet Community,

By the time you get this, the time of sorrow that reached its depths on Tisha B’Av gives way to a time of repentance and renewal that reaches its heights at the High Holidays. Because of the intensity and importance of the coming holidays—Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the joyous festival of Sukkot and Simchat Torah—the entire month before they arrive, the month of Elul, is seen as a time of spiritual preparation.

The big holiday at the other end of the calendar, Passover, is marked by very physical preparation—housecleaning, dish-sorting, gathering everything for the Seder. In ancient times, there would also be physical purity rituals in anticipation of the pascal sacrifice. And these physical preparations, to whatever degree we are capable of them, are a big part of our commitment, a sign of devotion not to be underestimated.

So, what about “spiritual preparation”? Instead of looking through the recesses of our homes, we look through our own minds, our own souls, our societies. If that sounds challenging and difficult to put into practice, that’s because it is. But our tradition has its ways. The shofar is given a short sampling of blasts at weekday minyans, and the Selichot liturgy that we often say the Saturday night or Sunday morning before Rosh Hashanah—and that Sephardim have traditionally said throughout the month of Elul, contain the most essential words regarding God’s mercy and humanity’s sins that we say on Yom Kippur.

We do not wait for the great wakeup call of the dramatic shofar blasts on Rosh Hashanah. Every day—if we listen—we can allow ourselves to hear the cry of danger, the cry of those in need, the cry of a call to righteous action. We do not wait for our fasting bodies to tremble at the thought of our need to change on Yom Kippur. Every day—if we allow ourselves—we can open our eyes to our patterns of hurting others, of self-destruction, of going down the wrong path. Change for the better is always possible. And our calendar cycle helps us focus on that, not just for a few days, but for the season, and really for the rest of the year as well.

When Yom Kippur is over, Sukkot starts a mere five days later. It is the joyous light at the end of the tunnel, a time when we allow celebration to fully surround and saturate our prayers for salvation. Not because the world is necessarily already saved, but because, for all the sorrow of Tisha B’Av, for all the angst of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we must remind ourselves that our spirituality, our morality, our love, is all a part of a gift worth celebrating. Being a person of conscience is hard. It is so difficult to live for more than ourselves, for the moment. But a Godly path is what truly lasts.

With that, I want to put out quick reminders of the High Holiday dates for which I implore you to carve out some time for your families and your community. This too is spiritual (and practical) preparation!

We will discuss some of the logistics as a community and have more details by the next newsletter. Please join that discussion! Meanwhile, the times below should at least give you a general idea of what to expect:

September 6, 2026 (Sunday): Selichot Services 8:00 am

September 11, 2026 (Friday): Rosh Hashanah Night 5:45 pm

September 12, 2026 (Saturday): Rosh Hashanah Day 1 9:15 am

September 13, 2026 (Sunday): Rosh Hashanah Day 2 9:15 am

September 20, 2026 (Sunday): Kol Nidre, pre-fast meal 4:45pm (meal), 6:45pm

September 21, 2026 (Monday): Yom Kippur Morning, End of Fast 9:15 am, 4:15pm

September 26, 2026 (Saturday): Sukkot Day 1 9:30 am

September 27, 2026 (Sunday): Sukkot Day 2 9:30 am

October 2-4 (Friday–Sunday) Hoshanah Rabah, Sh’mini Atzeret, Simchat Torah See below

Please note: because this year so many Holiday dates fall on the weekend, we have extra opportunities to gather. We will discuss how we best do this according to the traditions of TBE, according to Conservative Jewish thought broadly, and according to the practical ways we can balance our focus and personal observances.

In particular, how we handle Hoshanah Rabah (the last day of Sukkot) and Sh’mini Atzeret (including Simchat Torah) will be discussed as a community before times are given. They occur between October 2, 2026 (Friday) and October 4, 2026 (Sunday). There are potentially unique, fulfilling, and fun morning (and perhaps night) services on each day but we will decide as a community which of them meet the best combination of tradition, practicality, and benefit.

For now, please do try to leave your schedules for these days open. And please join our discussions for how to make the most of them! Whatever our prayers do or do not do to the world around us, they always have the potential to change ourselves. And we, in turn, can do our part to make the world a better place.

With great hopes,

Michael J. Feldman

Donate in Honor of The Annual Rededication to Community

OUR SPIRITUAL LEADER: MICHAEL FELDMAN

Meet Michael

An Invitation to Connect

An Invitation to Connect

An Invitation to Connect

An Invitation to Connect

An Invitation to Connect

Talmudic Tradition

An Invitation to Connect

Talmudic Tradition

a message from our SPIRITUAL LEADER

AV / ELUL 5786

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