Dear friends, I hope you are enjoying the wonderful Sukkot holiday, the season of our joy. Here is our lineup of activities and services for the coming weekend:
Friday, October 18th Shabbat Sukkot services at 7:30 pm featuring the reading of the first part of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) attributed to King Solomon and stressing life's journey in search of wisdom. It is always read on the Shabbat of Sukkot and is sure to give us important things to consider and goals to strive for in this new year of 5780.
Saturday, October 19th Shabbat Sukkot services at 9:30 am featuring the reading of the second part of Kohelet and a special Torah reading from the book of Exodus which delineates the three festivals of Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot and includes God's 13 attributes of mercy which we have just completed chanting on Yom Kippur.
Sunday, October 20th Hoshana Rabbah services at 9:30 am, our last opportunity to hold the beautiful lulav and etrog and participate in the ceremony to shake off the willow leaves to symbolize the removal of all of our misdeeds over the past year, much as we did during Tashlich on the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah when we symbolically cast our sins into the sea while reading from the Prophet Micah. Afterward, we can truly say that we have completed all of the rituals of the High Holy Days!
Monday, October 21st Shemini Atzeret services at 9:30 am including the re-introduction of the traditional prayer for rain (Mashiv Haruach u Morid HaGeshem) and the Yizkor Memorial service. This will be the last opportunity to recite the Yizkor service in memory of all the relatives and friends who came before us and helped shape our lives until the last day of Passover.
Monday, October 21st Simchat Torah activities celebrating perhaps the most joyous day of the year beginning with our much anticipated "ice cream social hour" at 5:30 pm and followed by our dancing and singing with the Torahs at 6:30 pm as we finish the very last part of the Torah and begin anew with Bereshit (Genesis). This is an especially good event in which to bring children!
So please come out to the JCC to participate in any or all of these wonderful events for which we have spent considerable time planning and preparing, and we know will be meaningful as well as fun. Chag Sukkot Sameach!
Ron Becker
Spiritual Leader
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