Shabbat Shalom with some extra SIMCHA! 10/9/2020
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Dear Kol Rinah Family,
As we continue moving rapidly through this month of Tishrei and the start of our Jewish year, it is worth taking a moment to pause and take stock of where we are and how we are doing. The holiday of Sukkot, which today begins its culmination with Hoshana Rabba, followed this weekend by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, has always been known as Z'man Simchateinu, "the season of our rejoicing." I know that our joys this year are tempered by the many new burdens and difficulties we face as individuals, as families, and as a community, but they are still there to be appreciated.
The brilliant 18th Century sage, Rabbi Moshe Lieb of Sassover, once described the impact that joy, as a spiritual practice, has on a person and the world saying, "a prayer filled with joy is greater than a prayer filled with tears. The Talmud teaches that 'The gates of tears are never locked.' It is true that for our tears, the supernal gates are simply unlocked, but a prayer sung in joy has the ability to destroy the gates of heaven completely." (Likutei Ramal, Parashat Vayeitzei)
For many of us, there are things that used to be easy or routine that are now difficult or stressful. We have pushed through these months of quarantine and restrictions to keep ourselves and our neighbors healthy. Through all of this, it may be tempting to despair, to give in to our tears, and to believe that we are living in a time devoid of joy and blessings.
But the blessings are still here, with us everyday.
It is a blessing to gether together, even virtually, throughout our holidays and sacred occassions, and to feel in our heart the love and care of our community even when we cannot feel their presence with our hands.
It is a blessing to realize we can still work and learn and connect, even if it is in new, unfamiliar, and often stressful ways. The joy of being productive still nourshes our minds and souls.
It is a blessing to be able to reimagine what it means to connect to others, to a spiritual community, to God, and to our innermost selves, and to find sustainable ways to nurture our own inner needs now and long after this pandemic ends.
It is a blessing to state, without equivocation, that your voice matters in the world and to go out, in every way you can, to make that voice heard and to create a world that is worthy of the Divine presence that is imbued within it.
It is a blessing just to know each of you and to be able to communicate about anything, and everything, that is important to you.
I hope that you can look honestly and find at least one thing this week that has brought you joy, that you carry it with you when times are a struggle, and that you allow yourselves the space to fill up the well of gratitude and peace with all of the happiness you can find.
--
This weekend, as I said, is also full of joy. Tonight, we will move into Shemini Atzeret, a spiritual resting point of joy for the community that has journeyed through a season of holidays, followed by Simchat Torah beginning as Shabbat & Shemini Atzeret end.
This afternoon, I will be leading our Friday Torah Talk session looking at some of the Torah readings connected to Shemini Atzeret and what they can teach us about the inner work we need to be doing in order to connect more fully to the world around us. We will begin at 12:00 PM today using our Zoom learning link:
Tonight, we will start with a spiritual transition from the last of the chol hamoed (intermediate) days of Sukkot and into Shemini Atzeret with a brief service and spiritual community gathering over Zoom beginning at 5:30 PM:
Candle Lighting to begin Shabbat and Shemini Atzeret is at 6:13 pm tonight.
Tomorrow morning, we will be livestreaming our services from the Sanctuary starting at 9:30 AM. Our services will include Yizkor on Saturday morning. You can stream them on the link below:
https://player2.streamspot.com/?playerId=3506a4c8
On Saturday evening, we transition from Shabbat and Shemini Atzeret into Simchat Torah with candle lighting starting at 7:11 PM. We will NOT be holding or streaming any services for Erev Simchat Torah (Saturday evening) or for the day of Simchat Toray (Sunday morning). We will, however, be gathering SUNDAY EVENING at 7:30 pm for a communal celebration of Simchat Torah with joy and a giant helping of silliness and fun. (Simchat Torah ends at 7:08 pm). Please use the regular evening minyan Zoom link below to join us and celebrate in this incredible virtual community space!
We look forward to seeing you all and to joining our voices of joy and song together again this week.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Scott Shafrin
As we continue moving rapidly through this month of Tishrei and the start of our Jewish year, it is worth taking a moment to pause and take stock of where we are and how we are doing. The holiday of Sukkot, which today begins its culmination with Hoshana Rabba, followed this weekend by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, has always been known as Z'man Simchateinu, "the season of our rejoicing." I know that our joys this year are tempered by the many new burdens and difficulties we face as individuals, as families, and as a community, but they are still there to be appreciated.
The brilliant 18th Century sage, Rabbi Moshe Lieb of Sassover, once described the impact that joy, as a spiritual practice, has on a person and the world saying, "a prayer filled with joy is greater than a prayer filled with tears. The Talmud teaches that 'The gates of tears are never locked.' It is true that for our tears, the supernal gates are simply unlocked, but a prayer sung in joy has the ability to destroy the gates of heaven completely." (Likutei Ramal, Parashat Vayeitzei)
For many of us, there are things that used to be easy or routine that are now difficult or stressful. We have pushed through these months of quarantine and restrictions to keep ourselves and our neighbors healthy. Through all of this, it may be tempting to despair, to give in to our tears, and to believe that we are living in a time devoid of joy and blessings.
But the blessings are still here, with us everyday.
It is a blessing to gether together, even virtually, throughout our holidays and sacred occassions, and to feel in our heart the love and care of our community even when we cannot feel their presence with our hands.
It is a blessing to realize we can still work and learn and connect, even if it is in new, unfamiliar, and often stressful ways. The joy of being productive still nourshes our minds and souls.
It is a blessing to be able to reimagine what it means to connect to others, to a spiritual community, to God, and to our innermost selves, and to find sustainable ways to nurture our own inner needs now and long after this pandemic ends.
It is a blessing to state, without equivocation, that your voice matters in the world and to go out, in every way you can, to make that voice heard and to create a world that is worthy of the Divine presence that is imbued within it.
It is a blessing just to know each of you and to be able to communicate about anything, and everything, that is important to you.
I hope that you can look honestly and find at least one thing this week that has brought you joy, that you carry it with you when times are a struggle, and that you allow yourselves the space to fill up the well of gratitude and peace with all of the happiness you can find.
--
This weekend, as I said, is also full of joy. Tonight, we will move into Shemini Atzeret, a spiritual resting point of joy for the community that has journeyed through a season of holidays, followed by Simchat Torah beginning as Shabbat & Shemini Atzeret end.
This afternoon, I will be leading our Friday Torah Talk session looking at some of the Torah readings connected to Shemini Atzeret and what they can teach us about the inner work we need to be doing in order to connect more fully to the world around us. We will begin at 12:00 PM today using our Zoom learning link:
Tonight, we will start with a spiritual transition from the last of the chol hamoed (intermediate) days of Sukkot and into Shemini Atzeret with a brief service and spiritual community gathering over Zoom beginning at 5:30 PM:
Candle Lighting to begin Shabbat and Shemini Atzeret is at 6:13 pm tonight.
Tomorrow morning, we will be livestreaming our services from the Sanctuary starting at 9:30 AM. Our services will include Yizkor on Saturday morning. You can stream them on the link below:
https://player2.streamspot.com/?playerId=3506a4c8
On Saturday evening, we transition from Shabbat and Shemini Atzeret into Simchat Torah with candle lighting starting at 7:11 PM. We will NOT be holding or streaming any services for Erev Simchat Torah (Saturday evening) or for the day of Simchat Toray (Sunday morning). We will, however, be gathering SUNDAY EVENING at 7:30 pm for a communal celebration of Simchat Torah with joy and a giant helping of silliness and fun. (Simchat Torah ends at 7:08 pm). Please use the regular evening minyan Zoom link below to join us and celebrate in this incredible virtual community space!
We look forward to seeing you all and to joining our voices of joy and song together again this week.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Scott Shafrin
Thu, April 25 2024
17 Nisan 5784
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Thu, April 25 2024 17 Nisan 5784