Parashat Va'era (and I appeared) Exodus 6:2-9:35
HafTorah Ezekiel 28:25-29:21
Dear friends,
I hope you are having a pleasant end-of-the-year week. Let's celebrate the end of this year and the beginning of next year this Shabbat which straddles both years!
Tonight, we say goodbye to 2021 at our 7:30 pm service and tomorrow morning, we welcome 2022 (and the new Hebrew month of Shevat beginning Sunday night and Monday) at our 9:30 am service at which time we read the Torah portion of Va-eira in the Book of Exodus (Shemot). It seems only fitting that we look back on 2021 and recall the "plagues" which confronted us throughout the year---horrific storms, the continuation of a deadly pandemic, the breakdown of civility and harmonious political discourse leading to an insurrection at the nation's capital, and of course, the normal trials and tribulations that face us daily.
In our Torah reading, we see how the plagues inserted into Egypt were not enough to soften Pharaoh's heart and indeed, were not enough to encourage the Hebrew nation, bogged down in slavery and lack of initiative to appreciate what Moses and Aaron were struggling for on their behalf. It took the most extreme of all plagues and then over 40 years of wandering to finally bring about true freedom.
Clearly, there is much to learn from our reading of Exodus to continue the healing process in 2022. Let this be a year of good health, happiness, peace, and healing for us and the entire world.
See you in shul in-person and/or virtually on Zoom!
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
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FRIDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Shabbat Service
Time: Dec 31, 2021 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
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SATURDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Saturday Morning Service
Time: Jan 1, 2022 09:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
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