Parashat - Re'eh (See) Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17
HafTorah Isaiah 66:1-24, Samuel I 20:18 - 20:42
Dear friends,
It is with a heavy heart that I begin this week's message with the sad news of the death of our Rebbetzin Sandra (Sandy) Goldberg--Sarah Gitel Bat Avraham. She was the beloved wife of Rabbi Emeritus Alan Goldberg and a dear friend to our entire congregational family and beyond. Her funeral will be on Monday, August 29th at 12 noon at Beit Olam Cemetery, 12609 Memorial Drive, Trinity, FL 34655. There will be services at 6:30 pm next Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday (August 29th-September 3rd) in the Spigelman Room of the synagogue, both in-person and virtually on Zoom. Please make every effort to attend those services (and let me know which day(s) you will be attending) which will last less than an hour as we need a minyan in order for Rabbi Al to say Kaddish. Sandy touched many of our lives over these many years and we are blessed with our memories.
This Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh Elul, the last month of the year 5782 and the month in which we make our final preparations for the High Holy Days. We begin by chanting Psalm 27 every morning and evening throughout the month and then continuing throughout the Yom Tovim. It can be summarized:
"Adonai is my light and my help. Whom shall I fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life. Whom shall I dread?....
One thing I ask of Adonai, this I seek,
to dwell in the House of Adonai all the days of my life,
to behold Adonai's beauty and visit in Adonai's Sanctuary....
Place your hope in Adonai.
Be strong, take courage, and place your hope in Adonai."
:קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהֹ֫וָ֥ה חֲ֖זַק וְיַֽאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֜קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה
During the month of Elul, we blow the shofar every morning except on Shabbat. It represents a spiritual reawakening and of course, the the days of awe and judgement are upon us.
As we continue through the days of Elul, we concentrate heavily on all four themes of Rosh Hashanah, namely Zichronot (remembrance), Shofarot (reawakening), Malchuot (Adonai's Sovereignty), and Selichot (repentance). It is fitting that we begin the momth remembering Sandy Goldberg as we practice Zichronot. She had an impact on so many of our lives at the JCC as well as beyond. Soon (September 18th) we will be visiting the cemeteries in our region (Beit Olam, Grace Memorial, and the National Cemetery in Bushnell) to pay homage to and remember those friends and family that came before us and helped shape our own and the community's lives. Also, as we near the end of the month of Elul, we will conduct our Selichot service on the evening of September 17th. This period is a time for soul searching and reflections on our actions over the previous year, when we remember our transgressions and challenge ourselves to find ways to live better lives and serve ourselves, our families and friends, and our communities to the best of our abilities. Each section of the Selichot service ends on a note of Adonai's compassion:
הוָה, יְהוָה, אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּ
"Adonai, Adonai, gracious and compassionate, patient, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, assuring love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and granting pardon. May the words of my mouth and the medications of my heart be acceptable to Adonai, my rock and my redeemer."
Finally, as we conclude the month of Elul, we will change our Torah covers from the colorful ones that adorn them throughout the year to the white ones specifically designed for the High Holy Days and subsequent Yom Tovim of Sukkot, Hoshanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. These covers represent our wish that through repentence and subsequent good deeds, our sins will be made as white as wool or snow--Isaiah 1:18.
Please join me in-person or virtually on Zoom this Shabbat (Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday 9:30 am) as we usher in the month of Elul. We will be reading the portion of Re'eh in the Book of Deuteronomy and from the second Torah, the portion delineating the
practices for Rosh Chodesh in the portion of Pinchas in the Book of Bamidar. We will also chant the special Haftorah for Rosh Chodesh from the words of the Prophet Isaiah.
Again, please let me know which evenings that you will be able to attend the shiva minyanim at the synagogue next week. I wish you a Shabbat Shalom and a Chodesh Tov as we begin the last month of 5782.
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
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FRIDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Friday, 08/26/2022 7:30 pm
Time: Aug 26, 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, 08/27/2022 9:30 am
Time: Aug 27, 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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