Parashat - Bechukotai (My Statutes) Leviticus 26:3 - 27:34
HafTorah Jeremiah 16:19 - 17:14

Dear friends,
As we approach this Shabbat, we near the end of the month of Iyar and anticipate the new month of Sivan (Rosh Chodesh takes place next Thursday night and Friday) and we also read and study the end of the Book of Leviticus as we read the last sedrah of Bechukotai and anticipate the Book of Bamidbar which marks the resumption of the journey through the wilderness towards the Promised Land of Israel. We also anticipate our newest holiday of Yom Yerushalayim (Tuesday night and Wednesday) which celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. And finally, we anticipate the wonderful festival of Shavuot which takes place the following week. We have several services and activities planned for this wonderful time of year.

As we complete the Book of Leviticus (Vayikra), we read a description of the blessings that follow obedience to Hashem's laws and curses that come with desecration of them. The Book ends with laws of vows and consecration of people and property. There has been little "action" in this 3rd Book of Moses, but a moral code and a compendium of many of the mitzvot (commandments) regarding nearly every aspect of human life is presented to us throughout our experiencing of it. Our Haftorah of the week from the Prophet of Jeremiah lived through the destruction of the Temple and the banishment of the Hebrew nation away from the Promised Land as a result of not following Hashem's laws. The Book of Lamentations read on Tisha B'Av is attributed to Jeremiah as well. However, Jeremiah ends this Haftorah (Chapter 17, Verse 14) with hope and optimism and the often-repeated verse: "Heal me oh Lord and I shall be healed; Save me and I shall be saved; for Thou art my praise". This verse is repeated daily in our weekday morning Amidah.
רְפָאֵנִי יְהוָה וְאֵרָפֵא, הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי וְאִוָּשֵׁעָה: כִּי תְהִלָּתִי, אָתָּה
Please join me in-person or virtually on Zoom this evening at 7:30 pm and tomorrow

(Saturday) morning at 9:30 am as we gather to pray and study ending an old month and anticipating a new and ending a Book of the Torah and anticipating a new together as a holy community.
And please mark your calendars for the Festival of Shavuot! This year, we are fortunate to join together with our friends at Temple Beth David for the Tikkun Leal Shavuot, the annual study of Torah on the eve of Shavuot on Tuesday, June 11th at 7 pm as we prepare for reliving the Revelation at Sinai which we will read at services the following morning at 9:30 am. The Tikkun Leal Shavuot will be held virtually only. Rabbi Jen Goldberg will be presenting an interpretation of the Book of Ruth, and I will be presenting on the beautiful liturgical poem of Akdamut that we read on Shavuot morning as well. Others are welcome to present on any topic of religious study, so please plan to log on to this very important introduction to Shavuot. Stay tuned for further details and for the link to the event.
See you in the shul and/or on my computer.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ron
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FRIDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Shabbat Service, Friday 05/31/2024 7:30 pm
Time: May 31, 2024 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
_______________________________________________________
SATURDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Saturday Service, 06/01/2024 9:30 am
Time: Jun 1, 2024 09:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
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