As we look back on the week we end today, it has been especially challenging. The heart-breaking crisis in Afghanistan, ongoing and growing concern about COVID at home, and fires on the outskirts of Jerusalem darkening the skies. Shabbat gives a moment to put things in perspective, evaluate our emotional responses and think together about how we can make a difference.
This Shabbat Nancy Swartz will be our teacher in memory of her mother’s yahrzeit.
Join us for candle lighting, blessing one another, kiddush, motzei and invoking an angel to bless us during the week ahead.
Our Summer Friday night services are on Zoom and begin at 6:00 PM. Zoom Link Meeting Id: 978 470 037 Passcode: 183618
Shabbat Morning: A Legal Miscellanny
Our Torah portion, Parshat Ki Tetzei, contains a review of the main institutions of Biblical law from family relations to laws for the conduct of warfare. The reading begins with rules for the handling of captive women in time of battle. In light of the current chaos and anxiety in Kabul, it is striking to read about the extra care the Torah requires for women captives, because they are so especially vulnerable in war and in the aftermath of war. We read rules requiring women to be given time to mourn their losses and the steps captors must take to prevent their exploitation.
Services this Shabbat morning will held in the Sanctuary and be on ZOOM, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Marvin Wolfert will be out teacher for the Dvar Torah.
Going forward, we ask that all those attending in person wear masks into the building, including those for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
We will not be screen sharing so if you want to follow the service from home, please arrange with the office to borrow a prayer book and humash, purchase a set on line, or download the siddur PDFs, availabe by clicking here.
Zoom Link Meeting Id: 865 3190 1552 Passcode: 183618
This year, we will be joining with Conservative Jews from around the country for a night of study and prayer on Saturday, August 28th starting at 8:30 p.m.. At 8:40 p.m., the new Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Shuly Rubin Schwartz, will speak about, “What’s Love Got to Do With It?: Reflections on the High Holidays.” At 9:30 p.m., we will join congregation Agudas Achim in Austin, Texas for their Selichot service. Zoom links to follow.
Adult Ed Course with Reb Nikki Thursday, May 8th 8:00p to 9:00p What are we talking about when we talk about "Israel"?
The name "Israel" in Jewish texts can have many meanings: the person, the nation, the land, and the modern state. In this six-session class, we will be examining different uses of the name "Israel" by looking at sources ranging from the Torah to modern thinkers. Together, we will gain deeper understanding into its meaning by looking at the connections between and teasing apart the differences among the range of meanings of the word, and be able to discern what we are talking about when we talk about Israel.
