Dear friends,
Happy New Year!
Chris and I are returning from our Hanukkah season travel odyssey and will be back in time to share this very special Shabbat weekend for us with you!
We have a very large calendar of events for this first month of 2020 and will begin with services tonight (Friday) at 7:30 pm and tomorrow (Saturday) at 9:30 am.
Our weekly Torah portion is one of the most dramatic in our scriptures. In Vayigash, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and secure's the Egyptian Pharaoh's permission to allow his father and entire family to escape the famine raging throughout the region and settle in Goshen. I will speak about the importance of making the best of situations and not allowing grudges and prejudices to blind us as we enter this new secular year.
As Chris and I are celebrating our 46th wedding anniversary, we would like to share our joy with the entire congregation at lunch following services on Saturday. Then on Sunday at 11 am, we will continue our study of the 613 mitzvot at which all are invited to attend our stimulating and informative discussions. Afterward at 12 noon, Eileen will be conducting the adult Hebrew reading class.
Looking beyond this weekend to the rest of the month, we will be enjoying our monthly community Shabbat dinner, celebrating a Bar Mitzvah anniversary, enjoying our recently revived dine-out event, participating in the annual Martin Luther King Day march and program and many other activities in addition to our regular schedule of religious services and adult education classes.
Stay tuned for details and I'll look forward to greeting you at them all! Again, best wishes for a happy and healthy 2020 and a year of peace for our community and the world.
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader