Parashat - KeTietzei (when you go) Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19
HafTorah - Isaiah 54:1 - 55:5
Dear friends,
With just a little over two weeks until Rosh Hashanah, we continue our preparations for the High Holy Days.
If the weather clears up, you'll notice that we are approaching a full moon. When the moon wanes and then disappears, it will be Rosh Hashanah! Our Torah reading (Ki Tetze) in the Book of Deuteronomy (reiterates the previously learned laws relating to domestic life and human kindness. in the third triennial portion Chapter 24, verse 14 through Chapter 25, verse 19) which we read and study this Shabbat, we concentrate on the treatment of employees ("thou shall not oppress a hired servent"), the prohibition against excessive punishment, the requirement to be kind to animals, and other mitzvot, many of which have formed the basis of legal codes throughout the world. The portion ends with the commandment to "remember Amalek", whose people attacked the Israelites immediately after they escaped from Egypt and crossed the Sea of Reeds. By initiating an unprovoked and cowardly act in attacking the most feeble, Amalek set a precedent for evil which unfortunately, continued throughout history and must be blotted out. We read this passage again during Purim and our Holocaust Torah on display on the front left side of the Sanctuary is rolled to that exact spot so as to remind us never to forget that there is evil in this world and must be eradicated in all the hearts of humanity.
We continue to chant the Haftorahs of Consolation. This is a special Shabbat in that we chant Prophet Isaiah's 5th Haftorah of Consolation followed by the 3rd one which we missed two weeks ago when we chanted the Haftorah for Rosh Chodesh (Isaiah Chapters 54 and 55). In these chapters, Isaiah prophesied that as long as we choose blessings over curses, we will remain safe and the earth will thrive. It concludes with the famous passage "For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but Adonai's kindness shall not depart from you; neither shall Adonai's covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord that has compassion on you".
Please join me tonight at 7:30 pm and tomorrow morning at 9:30 am for our Shabbat services and Torah study, and please mark next Saturday night, September 17th for our social hour at 6:30 pm followed by the Selichot service at 7:30 pm. All services take place in-person and virtually on Zoom. On Sunday, September 18th we will be remembering those who came before us and helped shape our lives through cemetery visitations beginning at 10:30 am at Beit Olam in Trinity, continuing at 12 noon at Grace Memorial in Hudson, and then moving on to the National Cemetery in Bushnell at 2 pm. These visits will be in-person only and all are invited to attend one or more regardless of whether a loved one is buried there. We will conduct memorial prayers for descendants of all who are in attendance.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
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FRIDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting
FRIDAY 09/09/2022 7:30 PM
Topic: Shabbat Service
Time: Sep 9, 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:
Topic: Saturday Service
Time: Sep 10, 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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