This week, we are holding Kabbalat Shabbat services in person in the synagogue (and streaming via LiveControl and YouTube)! Reb Lisa and Reb Josh will lead services together with joyful music and interactive Torah discussion, followed by kiddush in the sukkah.
This Shabbat is unusual for several reasons: First, we have paused our reading of Deuteronomy (we will finish the last chapter on Simchas Torah, Monday night), and instead read Ki Tissa, the moment Moses sees God from the cleft of the rock and calls God by the 13 attributes. Why do we return to this story now? Is it a nod to the High Holiday liturgy? Or a way to honor Moses at the end of his life? Second, because we are in the midst of Sukkot, we do not recite a full Kabbalat Shabbat. For this reason, our first Friday Night Live will feature a mix of new songs and old favorites that highlight the joy of Sukkot. Our Friday night service begins at 6:00 p.m. and concludes around 6:50 p.m. You can also join us via LiveControl and YouTube.
Our service is designed to create a buffer between the work week and Shabbat rest. We aim to make the atmosphere like a family shabbat table complete with Candle Lighting, Blessing one another, Kiddush, Motzei and Angel Cards. Our service has been abridged for streaming but includes familiar and new melodies, readings from the margins of the siddur, and some learning.
Shabbat Morning: Ecclesiastes and a Special Soul Stroll
Our service begins at 10 a.m. in our sanctuary (and sitting in our new, comfortable, chairs). Reb Lisa will be leading the davening. On Sukkot we reflect on the biblical book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), a book with an unusually melancholy take on the world (“Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity”) and we will offer reflections on Chapter Three (“to everything there is a season”).
Services conclude around noon and are followed by kiddush luncheon in the communal Sukkah. You can also join us on live stream (links below).
Please consider joining a special the Chol Hamoed Sukkot Soul Stroll. We'll meet at the trailhead at 9:30 am at the Gavins Pond Soccer Field parking lot, 120 Gavins Pond Rd., Sharon - a lovely spot for about a 1.4 mile round trip trail - some woods, some water, some Torah. Then folks can drive to the Temple in time for kiddush! Please RSVP to rjhalpern@comcast.net so we know who we're waiting for. Hope to see you then.
SHMINI ATZERET AND SIMCHAT TORAH
Here is a link to our holiday service schedule. On Sunday night there will be a short Yizkor service as part of our erev Shmini Atzeret service at 6:00 p.m. for those who can not join us on Monday. Also, please note that on Tuesday, when we honor our Hatan Torah and Kallat Bereshit services will begin at 9:30 a.m. but the livestream will start at 10:00 a.m. Please join us to celebrate the culmination of the holiday season with song and dance on Simchat Torah.
Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach, Rabbi Leonard Gordon
A PDF of the Shabbat morning siddur is available by clicking the pic to your right, so you can follow from home if you do not have a siddur.
If you need a bible, please be in touch with our office or consider purchasing a copy of Siddur Lev Shalem and Humash Etz Hayyim for your home library.
Services are streamed and in person, as follows
(click the icon/logo for the link)
Friday, 6:00 PM, Kabbalat Shabbat Services Fri Night Live! streams LiveControl and YouTube
Saturday, 10:00AM, Shabbat Morning Services
Join us in person if fully vaccinated; masking is optional but recommended;
