Parashat Naso (Count) Numbers 4:21 - 7:89
HafTorah Judges 13:2 - 25
Dear friends,
What a wonderful festival of Shavuot we spent together this week. We were enlightened by our Tikkun Leil Shavuot study session on erev Shavuot (Tuesday evening) as we joined our friends at Temple Beth David for a joint Zoomed experience. We experienced presentations that were interesting and timely and greatly enriched the holiday of Shavuot as we celebrate the receiving of the Torah and the mitzvah of studying it and learning from it.
Included were the following sessions:
.Book of Ruth (which is traditionally read on Shavuot)
.Akdamut, the poem which introduces us to the reading of the Ten Commandments on .Shavuot
.Jewish heroines
.Masada
.Jewish connection to Jerusalem over the centuries
.Jewish views on why bad things happen to good people
.Storytelling in Jewish traditions
There were lively discussions on each topic from participants from both shuls and from as far away as Stockholm, Sweden! We look forward to many more of these memorable events together and thank all who made this a part of their observance of the festival.
Then on Wednesday morning, we gathered at the synagogue for the Shavuot festival service which included the chanting of Akdamut prior to the chanting of the Ten Commandments from the Torah and of course, the Yizkor memorial prayer when at each festival (Pesach, Shavuot. and Sukkot) as well as on Yom Kippur, we remember all of our family members and friends who came before us and helped shape our lives and our communities. All together, it was joyous, reflective, and meantinful holiday for all who participated. Now our goal is to get greater participation both for our in-person and/or virtual events. Let's be inspired by these events and encourage more to attend them!
On this Shabbat, we continue our reading begun last Shabbat from the Book of Bamidbar. Our weekly portion of Naso is the longest single portion of the Torah and features the introduction of one of our best known and most chanted prayers, the Birkat Kohanim or Priestly Blessing. Today, it is routinely recited in the Amidah of our weekday and Shabbat morning and evening services. And in some congregations during holiday services, it is common for the Kohanim who are present to deliver the blessing. In our congregation, Barry Cohen fills that role and chanted the blessing for us on Shavuot. It is also recited by observant families every Shabbat evening as they gather for the traditional Shabbat dinner and repeat this sacrred blessing to their children:
יְבָרֶכְךָ יְיָ וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ.
יָאֵר יְיָ פָּנָיו אֵלֶֽיךָ וִיחֻנֶּֽךָּ.
יִשָּׂא יְיָ פָּנָיו אֵלֶֽיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
May God bless you and keep you.
May God's light shine upon you, and may God be gracious to you.
May you feel God's Presence within you always, and may you find peace.
Please join me at our Shabbat services in-persron or virtually on Zoom this evening at 7:30 pm and tomorrow morning at 9:30 am as we pray and study together while exploring the themes of this week's Torah portion.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
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FRIDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Shabbat Service, Friday 06/14/2024
Time: Jun 14, 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, 06/15/2024 9:30 am
Time: Jun 15, 2024 09:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
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