Our Rabbi Marci Jacobs - Chevrei Tzedek Congregation

Rabbi Marci Jacobs

Rabbi Jacobs, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she received her M.A. in Talmud and Rabbinics. Since her ordination, Rabbi Jacobs has served communities in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. After returning home to put down roots closer to her family, she taught at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville and is currently the Middle School Jewish Life Chair at Krieger Schechter Day School. Rabbi Jacobs is passionate about helping people find meaningful connections with one another, develop their skills and abilities, and find their own unique way to engage with the Jewish community.

Throughout Rabbi Jacobs' career, she has been known as an insightful teacher and relationship builder. She is excited to be part of the dynamic Chevrei Tzedek community and to help build upon its strengths as a vibrant and inclusive Jewish community. “We are thrilled to have Rabbi Jacobs at Chevrei Tzedek,” said Amit Golding, former Chair of Chevrei Tzedek Congregation. “She is a talented and experienced rabbi who is passionate about our mission. She is a wonderful spiritual leader for our congregation.”

Weekly Message from Rabbi Jacobs

June 19, 2025 – Anxious Times

19 Jun, 25 |

It’s been quite a roller coaster of a couple of weeks. Coming off the busy-ness and happy excitement of graduations, end of school celebrations, and the start of summer, we’re now in an anxious space of keeping our eyes on Israel and Iran. So many of us have friends and family in Israel who are running back and forth from shelters, multiple times a day. So many of us are skeptical of the Israeli government’s motivations, even if we acknowledge that a nuclear Iran would be a disaster. So many of us are concerned about the potential role our own

May 29, 2025

29 May, 25 |

During this part of the school year, I, along with my colleagues who teach Judaics, spend time with our classes exploring the themes and practices of Shavuot. A number of the popular resources we use - videos and such - refer to Shavuot as “the forgotten holiday,” or some variation thereof. While not entirely untrue, I feel like this gives Shavuot a bum rap. Calling it the forgotten holiday seems to give us permission to keep on forgetting it. As a younger person, I usually went to shul on Shavuot - my parents would go to say Yizkor on the second

May 8, 2025

8 May, 25 |

This week, we read perhaps the most quoted passage from the Torah: ואהבת לרעך כמוך - You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Leviticus 19:18) It’s not only referenced in connection with its place in Vayikra, it also shows up in other places, as a rule to live by. It’s the basis for the Golden Rule. It’s clearly underlying what Hillel famously says to the person who asks him to teach the entire Torah while standing on one foot: “What is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole Torah; the rest is interpretation. Go and

May 5, 2025 – The Yoms

5 May, 25 |

Yesterday morning, as we were getting ready for school, Shmuel and I were talking about how it was Yom HaZikaron. He said, “That’s Memorial Day, right?” After I confirmed that it was, he said, “But Memorial Day is when we barbecue!” What ensued was a conversation about the differences between American and Israeli societies, about how holidays and their meanings evolve and shift over time, and about how special days often hold multiple layers of meaning. But at the core of his surprise is the undeniable truth that Yom HaZikaron is not a day for festive gatherings and barbecues (that’s

April 24, 2025

24 Apr, 25 |

One of my favorite professors from rabbinical school, Rabbi Israel Francus z”l, was beloved at the Seminary for his quick, sharp wit and self-deprecating modesty. He once told my Talmud class a story about his own days as a student at JTS. Relatively new to critical text study and to America, he was sitting in a Bible class taught by the great Bible scholar H.L. Ginsberg. Ginsberg - who would later be one of the primary editors of the JPS translation that we use today - was well-known for emending the text to get at its truest meaning. By switching

April 11, 2025 – A Pesah Message from Rabbi Jacobs

11 Apr, 25 |

As I write this, the brisket is cooling on the counter, my fridge is overflowing, and I’m beginning to wonder how I’m going to get it all done. For those of us who host Seder for our family and friends, a significant part of the preparation for Pesaḥ lies not in ruminating on the deeper spiritual essence of the holiday, but in the hard work of reorganizing our kitchens and dining rooms and cooking a seemingly endless array of symbolic and nostalgic foods. This past week at school, we held our annual Learning Festival, a three day event during which teachers