Dear Kol Rinah Family,
For those of you who I saw on Zoom on Monday, you might have noticed that I was wearing my "Rabbis Love Cheshvan" t-shirt. It's not a shirt that has a whole lot of power the rest of the year, but I wear it every year when the new month of Cheshvan begins.
The joke always is that rabbis love Cheshvan because when the month begins, it means we've made it through the High Holidays that proceed it in the month of Tishrei. Cheshvan is also significant in that it is the only month in the entire Jewish calendar without a single holiday in it; no chagim (festive holidays), no days with additional prayers, not even a minor (12 hour) fast day.
Some might think that is an odd month to love. Sure, the High Holidays are hard for rabbis and for all the many people involved in making sure they happen, but they are also times of extreme joy and gladness and, yes, a time for coming together, even if only remotely. There is so much to love about our holidays.
But the reason I love Cheshvan is not because the work load is lighter; quite the opposite. The month of Tishrei, with all of its wonderful and varied holidays, is exciting, but when Cheshvan begins, I am so excited for the opportunity to come back into the flow of life reborn to the world of a new year. To put it another way, if the High Holidays are how we usher in a year of gladness and hope with song, prayers, food, and love, then Cheshvan is the month when we take those hopes and put them into practice. Tishrei is a time for dreaming what the new year will be; Cheshvan is when we make good on those hopes. Cheshvan is when we do the work.
What did you dream of this past month? What were your hopes for the year ahead? What will you do, starting in Cheshvah, to make them into a reality, to make the year 5781 a better year than the one before?
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This afternoon, I will be leading our Friday Torah Talk session looking at what Parashat Noach and many of our commentators have to say about human nature and our place in the universe! It should be a fascinating discussion, and I'd love to see you all there. We will begin at 12:00 PM today using our Zoom learning link:
Tonight, I will be joining Rabbi Arnow and Karen Kern in leading Kabbalat Shabbat starting at 4:30 pm. Please note the time change. Shabbat will get earlier as we approach daylight savings time. To join us for Kabbalat Shabbat over Zoom,
Candle Lighting is at 5:53 pm tonight; Havdallah Saturday evening will be at 6:55 pm.
Tomorrow morning, we will be livestreaming our services from the Sanctuary starting at 9:30 AM. We will be reading Parashat Noach, and hearing some words of Torah from Rabbi Arnow. You can stream them on the link below:
https://player2.streamspot.com/?playerId=3506a4c8
As we move into the year more and more, we would love to be able to share Shabbat morning services with you. If you would like to be a part of the small group that makes up our in-person Shabbat morning minyan in our new sanctuary on Maryland Ave, please sign up using the link below:
Sign up here for a future Shabbat
Since we only have a few spots open each week to ensure the health and safety of our entire community, we will try to accommodate everyone who wants to participate on a Shabbat as soon as we are able to find you a spot.
On Sunday at 11:30 am, we are inviting everyone to join together in learning how we can work in new ways to create the most welcoming and connected community possible. This event, entitled We All Belong, will be an incredible opportunity to learn from experts on hearing others voices and creating space to include everyone who wants to be a part of our community.
Next week, Rabbi Arnow and I will be starting a four-part series of learning experiences all about The Torah of Resiliency. We will look at sources from throughout our tradition to examine the many ways our Jewish texts, values, sages, history, and values help us move forward in a world that is not always easy and sometimes can feel overwhelming. The class will meet virtually at 7:30 pm on:
Tuesday, October 27
Wednesday, November 4
Tuesday, November 10
Tuesday, November 17
We look forward to seeing you all and to learning and singing together again this week.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Scott Shafrin
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