From the Rabbi's Desk
| February 2023
Friends, Al sh’losha d’varim ha’olam omeid – the world is supported by three things – al ha’Torah, v’al ha’avodah, v’al g’milut chasadim – the collective wis-dom of our people (Torah), being in service, and upon chesed, acts of loving-kindness. This maxim was ex-pressed by the rabbis who were engaged in transform-ing Judaism from the sacrificial cult of the second Tem-ple to the rabbinic Judaism which is the basis for all Jewish life today. It was recorded in Mishnah Pirkei Avot 1:2. Even if you don’t actively study Mishnah, you likely encounter this text in song. We sing it routinely during the hakafah, Torah procession, on Shabbat. However, here is how we can do more than sing the words. Al ha’Torah – starting in February, we will be adding another learning opportunity each week. Each Wednesday at 12:30 PM will be a Torah study group. Sometimes we will focus directly on parashat ha’shavua, the weekly Torah portion. Other times To-rah will be a jumping-off point to focus on other Jewish texts and thought, ancient to modern. Yet other times, Torah will be in the background while we discuss things that affect our lives as Jews. I’ll trust the group’s curiosity to guide us on our weekly journeys. Al ha’avodah – a great testament to rabbinic creativity was the transformation from sacrifice-centered reli-gion of the second Temple period to the prayer cen-tered religion of rabbinic Judaism. Our most frequent opportunity to engage in communal prayer is our Fri-day evening Shabbat services. Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote in The Sabbath, “The Sabbath is not for the sake of the weekdays; the weekdays are for the sake of the Sabbath. It is not an interlude but the cli-max of living.” It can only be the Palace in Time that Heschel describes if we embrace this weekly oppor-tunity. The most influential thing my mother did for me was to bring me with her to Shabbat services most Fri- day nights. This was not easy for her. We are all tired Friday evening, but if we can embrace Heschel’s think-ing, work ahead if we can, schedule ahead if we can, and get our loved ones organized if we can – we can make room for Shabbat. I am dedicated to making our Shabbat worship meaningful, relevant, accessible, and engaging for everyone in our congregational commu-nity. Please remember that we have changed our ser-vice time to 6:30 PM. Al g’milut chasidim – upon ‘loving deeds’ or ‘acts of loving-kindness.’ The acts or actions of g’milut chasadim indicate a deep connection of faithfulness, loyalty, fidelity, allegiance, and devotion. To do g’milut chasadim is to express an elevated depth of commit-ment to the thing acted upon or toward. You probably engage in such acts, but I want to suggest another op-portunity. In the coming weeks, there will be several opportunities to join in small conversations with your fellow congregants (see later in this bulletin). These conversations are forums to express how you feel about what Temple Emanu-El is now and what we should be striving for together. Giving your voice will be an act of g’milut chasadim. Being in conversation, even just listening, expresses a deep commitment to our mission of being a vibrant Reform community cen-tered on learning, spirituality, and community gather-ing. I will be at as many of these gatherings as possi-ble. I hope to see you there. In the meantime, let’s sing (and do) together, Al sh’losha d’varim… L’shalom, |
Cantorial Notes
| February 2023
I’ve probably told you before that music has been a part of my life since I was little. My parents loved all kinds of music and there was always music playing in the house and in the car. I remember when the Jewish Holidays would come around, my mother would put on the records that contained some beautiful Jewish music. The one that sticks in my head the most is Shabbat Hamalkah, it is on page 10 in our siddur. The all-male choir made the song sound so mystical, even tranquil to me as a kid and an adult. When I accepted the position as Cantorial Soloist, I was thrilled to sing this song to the melody I had heard as a kid. Listening to that song now, always brings back memories of those days. Though I love the comfort of the melodies I have sung for over 30 years, there are always beautiful pieces being composed for prayers all the time. I found Debbie Friedman’s music early on. Her music touched me in a different way. For me, a deeper, more Notes from Sherry Barnes spiritual way. Debbie was born on February 23, 1951 and sadly passed on January 9, 2011. Definitely a loss to our Jewish Community. Over the years, we’ve incorpo-rated much of her music into our service. I think her Mi Shebeirach and Havdalah blessings are universal. Her Mi Chamocha and Oseh Shalom are upbeat and catchy. We’ve also brought in music by newer composers, such as Noah Aronson. I love his Bar’chu, Adonai S’fati, and Let There be Love, which are woven into our Kab-balat Shabbat Services. Elana Arian’s Hinei Mah Tov, opens our Kabbalat Shabbat service. I love it because it speaks to me. “How good it is, How sweet it is, to be together on this day.” The same sentiment is stated in Shabbat Hamalkah! “Come gather to welcome the Sabbath, our queen.” We use many different melodies for L’cha Dodi which also welcomes the Sabbath bride into our midst. We have traditional melodies and con-temporary melodies for this. The contemporary melo-dies include Craig Taubman, Elana Arian, and Or and Feliza Zohar. Old or new, I love them all. I joined this synagogue in 1987. I’ve been singing on the bimah since 2000 when I split time with our then student cantor, Jeff Stock. Each of our student cantors and even our Rabbi’s, have brought new music to our services. Some of the pieces have stayed and others have gone. I feel music opens our hearts to prayer. If there is music that you miss or something new that you have heard, please share it with me or Rabbi Marc. Let us know when you are going to be at Shabbat services and we’ll fit it in. I’m leaving you with links to an artist I have been listening to. His name is Rabbi Josh Warshawsky. You can check him out at his website: http://joshwarsky.com These are a few of my favorites starting with his version of Shabbat Hamalka. Hachamah (Bo’ee Kallah) – YouTube Yedid Nefesh | Josh Warshawsky Wonder (Asher Yatzar) – Rabbi Josh Warshawsky – YouTube Hame’irah ( המאירה ) – Coleen Dieker and Josh Warshawsky – YouTube B’shir, |
Presidential Message
| February 2023
As we head into the middle of winter, it’s easy to be-come disconnected with the world around us. There are less activities going on, less to do outside, less chance to bump into people – and when you do the interaction is likely brief and cold. That’s part of why the Board is bringing back a “Coffee House” series of meetings; to allow people to get together at a time of year when it’s hard to get together, and let us get some feedback about what is going on around the Temple and to get ideas on how we can do better. How to better reach people. How to get people more engaged. So be on the lookout for this line-up on page 11 in this Bulletin. While we are talking about coffee as a way to unite people, let’s talk about another important way to bring people together: bagels! Brotherhood Bagels rebrand-ed as the Sunday Morning Café is off and running. I think they have made some smart decisions with their relaunch. The biggest and most obvious of which is the intermittent lox reward system. For those of you who aren’t aware of what’s been going on, I’ll break down my observations. While traditionally (i.e. pre-COVID) lox could be had almost religiously the first Sunday of each month and throngs of people would show up for that Sunday, now it’s like the Wild West. And I think that’s a good thing. As soon as people catch on that lox may be available, I think we will see an uptick in people checking it out. We could learn a thing or two about intermittent rewards and how the brain works from our local gambling institutions, and I think the Brotherhood has leveraged this well. I’m usually there anyway, but anyone who wants to chance their lox (terrible pun), come on down and join us at the Sun-day Morning Café. It’s a great place to herring* around. Andy Note: herring available seasonally at major events on-ly, no purchase necessary to enter. Small donations appreciated. |
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