United Hebrew Congregation

Mazal tov to UH’s own Felicia Malter!

In January 2027, Felicia Malter will become the fourth woman to chair the board of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, following Todd Siwak. Her leadership represents the continued strength and momentum of women guiding our community forward.

Tomorrow, May 29, is the last day to nominate a woman who inspires you. These inspirational ladies will be honored at this year’s L’Chaim! A Night in Monte Carlo. To nominate someone today visit, jfedstl.org/lchaim/women-who-inspire/.

In this week's Torah portion, Beha'alotecha, a group approaches Moses with genuine heartbreak. Because they had become ritually impure through contact with death, they missed the Passover offering at its appointed time. Their question stopped me: "Why should we have missed out?"

God's answer was compassionate and creative — Pesach Sheni, a Second Passover, one month later. A second chance, built directly into Torah.

But here's what moves me most: it wasn't automatic. They had to step forward and ask. Second chances require us to name what we've missed and say plainly that it matters.

We all carry moments we wish we'd handled differently. Conversations postponed. Apologies unmade. The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that the message of Pesach Sheni is that "nothing is ever lost." There is always a path toward repair.

As we enter Shabbat, I find myself sitting with three questions:

Where do I need another chance?

Where might someone else need one from me?

And what becomes possible if I'm brave enough to begin again?

Shabbat Shalom.

Reminder: starting this week and continuing through the summer, our Shabbat evening service begins at 6 pm.

As this message reaches you, we are still wrapped in the holiness of Shavuot, our minds lingering at Sinai, hearing the echo of revelation. As the sun sets tonight, our community will move from the holiness of Shavuot into the holiness of Shabbat and begin Parashat Naso.

One of the remarkable features of Parashat Naso is its repetition — this is what makes it the longest parashah in Torah. Over and over again, the Torah recounts the gifts brought by each tribal leader at the dedication of the Mishkan. The offerings are identical and the wording is nearly identical. Seventy-two verses repeat themselves with only the names and days changing. To a modern reader, it can feel excessive. Why not simply tell us once and move on?

But as our tradition teaches, nothing in Torah is superfluous.

In Bamidbar Rabbah, the Midrash teaches that although each leader brought the same external offering, each one carried entirely different intentions in their heart. One connected the offering to creation. Another to the patriarchs and matriarchs. Another to Torah, covenant, kingship, humility, or the hope for peace. The gifts may have looked the same to the outside world, but spiritually they were unique — each person infused the act of giving with their own memory, experience, and soul.

Throughout these past seven weeks of counting the Omer, our congregation reflected on one hundred Jewish Americans whose lives helped shape this nation over the past 250 years (check out our Facebook and Instagram for the full count). Scientists, artists, athletes, activists, teachers, rabbis, musicians, writers, judges, visionaries, and dreamers. What strikes me most is not simply what they accomplished, but how differently each person carried their Jewish identity into the world.

Some carried Jewish values through public service and the pursuit of justice. Others through creativity, scholarship, healing, protest, storytelling, humor, and acts of communal responsibility. Some expressed their Jewish identity loudly and proudly. Others carried it more quietly, woven into the texture of their work and the choices they made. Yet taken together, they formed something larger than themselves — a collective offering brought by generations of Jews who found in America the freedom to imagine, build, contribute, and belong.
Like the leaders in Naso, they remind us that no two souls bring exactly the same gift.

We stand together, but we do not do so identically. We pray from the same prayerbook, sing the same melodies, and read the same Torah, yet each of us stands in the moment carrying different memories, questions, griefs, hopes, and longings. Revelation becomes meaningful precisely because we bring ourselves into it.

Perhaps this is why Naso follows Shavuot every year. Revelation is not meant to flatten us into sameness. Torah is not meant to erase individuality. Rather it sanctifies it — holiness emerges not despite our differences, but through them.

As Shavuot gives way to Shabbat, Torah reminds us that there is no such thing as a meaningless offering when it carries authentic intention and an open heart.
May this Shabbat bring rest after revelation, gratitude for those who came before us, and the courage to bring our own unique gifts to the sacred work of Jewish life and to the unfolding story we are still writing together.

Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom.

A Shavuot Reflection at the Conclusion of Our Omer Journey

As we celebrate the giving of the Torah, we also celebrate the giving of ourselves.

The one hundred men and women we have lifted up, and the many more who walk beside them, remind us that the American story is still unfolding. From the earliest days of this nation to the present moment, Jewish identity, shaped by questioning, creativity, and the freedom to imagine new possibilities, has helped shape the fabric of this country.

From courtrooms to classrooms, from laboratories to stages, this is more than a list of achievements. It is a shared inheritance, a steady commitment to building, creating, healing, and striving toward something better, even when the path is uncertain.

They did not simply leave a legacy behind. They extended a chain forward, linking past to present, Sinai to this moment, memory to possibility.

As we move toward the 250th anniversary of this nation, may we carry forward the spirit of those who came before us and recognize our own place in the unfolding story.

Freedom was the gift of Passover.
What we do with that freedom is the revelation of Shavuot.

Thank you for counting with us.

Day 50 – Malchut shebe’Malchut (Leadership within Leadership)

Rebecca Gratz & Isaac Mayer Wise

Gratz: A pioneering educator who founded the first Hebrew Sunday school in America, ensuring that Jewish learning would be passed from one generation to the next.

Wise: A rabbi and organizer who helped shape American Judaism, building institutions that allowed Jewish life to flourish in a democratic society.

Malchut of Malchut: Leadership at its fullest builds what will outlast us, creating structures that carry values, learning, and community into the future.

Both offices will be closed on Friday and Monday. Shabbat service is moving to our summer schedule, with a start at 6 pm.

Day 49 – Malchut of Malchut (Leadership within Leadership)

Ruth Westheimer & Bob Dylan
Westheimer: A Holocaust survivor who became a pioneering educator, bringing openness, dignity, and humanity to conversations about relationships.
Dylan: A singer-songwriter whose work reshaped American music, weaving together identity, tradition, and reinvention.
Malchut of Malchut: Leadership at its fullest inspires others, shaping culture, identity, and the stories we tell about ourselves.

There's still time to register for tomorrow's Shavuot event!

On erev Shavuot, as we mark 250 years of the American story, we gather at UH with Congregation Shaare Emeth Congregation Temple Israel and Temple Emanuel St Louis
for an evening of learning, reflection, and community. Together, we’ll explore the connections between Torah, freedom, responsibility, and the ongoing work of building a more just and hopeful world. Come for the cheesecake, stay for the conversation, and leave inspired by the power of both revelation and revolution.
Choose your learning session when you register online. https://unitedhebrewcongregation.shulcloud.com/event/Shavuot2026