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

Opening Kavanah –Rosh Hashanah 5787

9 Sep, 26 |

The rituals and practices of Rosh Hashanah aren’t well-described in the Torah. They come into being in the time of the Rabbis. But we do have an example of a Tishrei celebration from the Tanakh. Although the practices described are slightly different, it captures the wide emotional spectrum of how we observe the New Year. The passage I’m about to share comes from the book of Neḥemiah, chapter 8. It describes a segment of the Jewish community that had been living in exile since the destruction of the First Temple. Now returned to the Land of Israel, they are…

Finding our way – Ki Teitzei 5786

20 Aug, 26 |

Finding our way - Ki Teitzei 5786 I’m going to start by taking us back about 5 weeks, to Tisha b’Av. The public recitation of the book of Eikhah (Lamentations) concludes with the congregation singing together the penultimate verse of the book: הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יְ׳הֹ׳וָ׳ה׳ אֵלֶיךָ וְנָשׁוּבָה חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם׃ Take us back, O ETERNAL One, to Yourself, And let us come back; Renew our days as of old! (Lamentations 5:21) We read Eikhah on Tisha b’Av, our lowest day of the year. And immediately following that day of mourning and fasting, we begin a process of coming up out of…

Message from Rabbi Jacobs – Tisha B’Av

23 Jul, 26 |

As I write this, I’m sitting in my cabin at Camp Ramah in the Poconos, having just walked back down the hill from our camp-wide reading of Eikhah, the book of Lamentations. Tonight is Tisha b’Av, the lowest point in our Jewish year, when we commemorate and grieve the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish community. It’s a challenge to grieve something we’ve never experienced. Feeling an emotional connection to something that happened nearly 2000 years ago is a big ask. And so we find ways to drive home the senses of loss and hopelessness that…

Devarim 5786 – Making Good Trouble, in memory of John Lewis

16 Jul, 26 |

Making Good Trouble, in memory of John Lewis Coming out of the book of B’midbar right into the book of Devarim, we cannot help but feel that we are in the darkest part of the Torah. This week, Moshe takes the proverbial podium and stands before the people, to speak to them at the end of their journey. It should be a time of relief, of celebrating that they’ve come this far, of taking a deep breath and preparing for what’s to come. Where Moshe starts his speech, however, is not with words of encouragement and purpose, but with words…

B’haalot’kha – Not by Might

4 Jun, 26 |

A few months ago, I was cleaning out some of my old things from my dad’s house and I came across the dot-matrix-printed copy of the d’var Torah I delivered at my bat mitzvah – Parashat B’haalot’kha 1991. In the shul where I grew up, it was the custom for the celebrating child to speak about the Haftarah rather than the Torah portion. Although I was a day school student who was engaged in her Jewish learning, I was still 12 years old while working on this and had only a very basic understanding of Jewish history and how the…

Shavuot 5786 – Yizkor (Closer to Fine)

24 May, 26 |

I was first introduced to the Indigo Girls in high school. I had been raised on a steady diet of Motown, the Beatles, and ‘70s rock (with some Peter, Paul, and Mary thrown in on the side) and their music was entirely new to me. I enjoyed listening to it with the friend who first played me some of their songs, but it didn’t really stick. Fast forward to my first year in college. My second semester roommate, who remains my closest friend nearly 30 years later, was really into the Indigo Girls. Like, really into them – so much…