Parashat Eikev - If (you follow) Deuteronomy - 7:12-11:25
HafTorah - Isaiah 49:14 51:3
Dear friends,
We are now fully engaged in the "seven weeks" following Tisha B'Av and leading directly into Rosh Hashanah. We begin our Torah reading (the 3rd triennial reading of Parashat Eikev in the Book of Deuteronomy) with the stirring lines from Moses's second discourse in Chapter 10, verse 12:
"And now Israel, what does the Lord your G-d require of you? But to fear the Lord your G-d, to walk in all G-ds ways, and to serve the Lord your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul."
We are commanded to let the experiences of our ancestors and our own personal experiences lead us to a life of love, service, and obedience to the mitzvot.
In our Haftorah (the second of the seven Haftorot of Consolation), we hear the words of the Prophet Isaiah, chapters 50 and 51 concluding with:
"The Lord has comforted Zion. G-d has comforted all her waste places, and has made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein with days of Thanksgiving and the voice of melody".
As we prepare for the High Holy Days, our task is to preserve our "Eden", look back on our deeds in the previous year and strive to make this a better place for us all as individuals and a community. One of the ways to accomplish this is to visit the sick and home bound. A phone call can make a huge difference in the lives of those who are lonely and going through difficult times. In our own congregation our beloved Rabbi emeritus and his Rebbetzin (Al and Sandy Goldberg) are facing particular challenges. Sandy is ill and residing at Madison Point Care Center while Rabbi Al unable to see well and unable to drive, is confined to his residence at Embassy Boulevard and facing loneliness and isolation. He remembers his congregants fondly and a phone call or visit will make an extraordinary difference in their outlook. Sandy can be reached at Madison Pointe 727-843-0600 Room 20B. Rabbi Al can be reached at 727-372-6422. Please reach out to them!
Our services will be held in-person and on Zoom as usual tonight at 7:30 pm and tomorrow morning at 9:30 am. I'm looking forward to joining you and wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
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FRIDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Shabbat Service
Time: Aug 19, 2022 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4979030958?pwd=YXJPT2FGVTdzVVV2bVQ3c1ZnS1lMZz09
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
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SATURDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Saturday Service
Time: Aug 20, 2022 09:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4979030958?pwd=YXJPT2FGVTdzVVV2bVQ3c1ZnS1lMZz09
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
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