Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Shafrin! - 11/6/2020
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
The journeys we take are often winding and long, the future often clouded. In reflecting on the Torah portion this week, Parashat Vayera, I cannot help but find my own emotions reflected in the history of our people. In this section of Torah, Lot is confronted by angry neighbors who are intent on defying justice to wreak harm on others. Avraham bends the truth to serve the powerful out of fear of retribution by lying to King Avimelech about his relationshp with his wife Sarah. Isaac is born in a home filled with joy, only to face his near-sacrifice at the hands of his father, one of the most traumatic and troubling episodes recounted in the Torah.
Throughout all of these trials and complicated stories, one thread holds constant: the consequences of human choices and the uncertainties of our world. This past week, we, as citizens, made a number of hugely impactful choices when we stood up and cast our votes in the local, state, and federal elections. We made our voices known for dozens of elected offices, ballot measures, and ideas about what we want our world to look like.
Much like our ancestors in the Parashat Vayera, we don't know how our choices will work out in the future. At the time I write this email, we still do not know for certain who will be the 46th President of the United States. On one hand, that uncertainty and anxiety can feel painful and hard to handle. And I am sure each of us had candidates and measures we supported that did not pass, while other contests went our way. Having talked with so many of you this week, I know that feeling unsettled or disappointed in various parts of this election process, as well as feeling happy about others, can be a difficult thing to wrap our heads around.
But the point of using your voice is not only to gain the power of winning, rather it is an act of declaring who you are in this world. These choices define for us the scope of our engagement in our community and our nation. They are a way of putting our values and goals into stark relief and then creating the means by which those values help us shape our lives.
Because whoever wins these political contests, including the Presidency, there is still work to be done. No single person can feed all the hungry, can cure all diseases, can remake our systems to be just and equitable in the way all human beings deserve. There are people who will need your help, causes that will need your energy, and problems that will need your attention in order to move forward toward a better world.
The Torah does not end here. Lot, Abraham, Isaac, they all move forward and help to bring the world with them. They were not perfect heroes, but they endeavored to persevere against challenges from all sides. Today, we can look back at our ancestors with fondness and care because they ensured a legacy for us not because of their greatness or perfect lives, but because of their work to forge ahead in search of a world that would be worthy of the Holy Blessed One and of each of us.
Our stories do not end here either. So as we move into Shabbat, remember all the chapters you still have left to write, the battles still yet to be waged, and the values we still hold and fight for this day and every day.
Today we reflect on how we reached this point.
Tomorrow, we rest, as the Shabbat revitalizes our bodies, hearts, and souls.
And then we awake to a new week, to do the work to create a world renewed.
--
This afternoon, I will be leading our Friday Torah Talk session looking at what Parashat Vayera teaches about how the story of Lot can illuminate our modern world and our connections with one another! 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 3:30 pm. Please note the time change; since the end of Daylight Savings Time we . To join us for Kabbalat Shabbat over Zoom, please use the evening minyan Zoom link below:
Candle Lighting is at 4:37 pm tonight; Havdallah Saturday evening will be at 5:39 pm.
Tomorrow morning, we will be livestreaming our services from the Sanctuary starting at 9:30 AM. We will be reading Parashat Vayera, 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 accomodate everyone who wants to participate on a Shabbat as soon as we are able to find you a spot.
On Sunday we are inviting community members to join in and help us create an art piece to feature in our new building! Designed by our own Gary Kodner, participants will get to paint a piece of a mural, which will be arranged together to form an incredible mosaic picture. We have time slots open this Sunday, Nov. 8, as well as next Sunday, Nov. 15. Please follow the link below to sign up for a time to create your piece of this wonderful mosaic:
https://www.kolrinahstl.org/event/a-community-art-project.html
Next week, Rabbi Arnow and I will be continuing our 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, 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
The journeys we take are often winding and long, the future often clouded. In reflecting on the Torah portion this week, Parashat Vayera, I cannot help but find my own emotions reflected in the history of our people. In this section of Torah, Lot is confronted by angry neighbors who are intent on defying justice to wreak harm on others. Avraham bends the truth to serve the powerful out of fear of retribution by lying to King Avimelech about his relationshp with his wife Sarah. Isaac is born in a home filled with joy, only to face his near-sacrifice at the hands of his father, one of the most traumatic and troubling episodes recounted in the Torah.
Throughout all of these trials and complicated stories, one thread holds constant: the consequences of human choices and the uncertainties of our world. This past week, we, as citizens, made a number of hugely impactful choices when we stood up and cast our votes in the local, state, and federal elections. We made our voices known for dozens of elected offices, ballot measures, and ideas about what we want our world to look like.
Much like our ancestors in the Parashat Vayera, we don't know how our choices will work out in the future. At the time I write this email, we still do not know for certain who will be the 46th President of the United States. On one hand, that uncertainty and anxiety can feel painful and hard to handle. And I am sure each of us had candidates and measures we supported that did not pass, while other contests went our way. Having talked with so many of you this week, I know that feeling unsettled or disappointed in various parts of this election process, as well as feeling happy about others, can be a difficult thing to wrap our heads around.
But the point of using your voice is not only to gain the power of winning, rather it is an act of declaring who you are in this world. These choices define for us the scope of our engagement in our community and our nation. They are a way of putting our values and goals into stark relief and then creating the means by which those values help us shape our lives.
Because whoever wins these political contests, including the Presidency, there is still work to be done. No single person can feed all the hungry, can cure all diseases, can remake our systems to be just and equitable in the way all human beings deserve. There are people who will need your help, causes that will need your energy, and problems that will need your attention in order to move forward toward a better world.
The Torah does not end here. Lot, Abraham, Isaac, they all move forward and help to bring the world with them. They were not perfect heroes, but they endeavored to persevere against challenges from all sides. Today, we can look back at our ancestors with fondness and care because they ensured a legacy for us not because of their greatness or perfect lives, but because of their work to forge ahead in search of a world that would be worthy of the Holy Blessed One and of each of us.
Our stories do not end here either. So as we move into Shabbat, remember all the chapters you still have left to write, the battles still yet to be waged, and the values we still hold and fight for this day and every day.
Today we reflect on how we reached this point.
Tomorrow, we rest, as the Shabbat revitalizes our bodies, hearts, and souls.
And then we awake to a new week, to do the work to create a world renewed.
--
This afternoon, I will be leading our Friday Torah Talk session looking at what Parashat Vayera teaches about how the story of Lot can illuminate our modern world and our connections with one another! 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 3:30 pm. Please note the time change; since the end of Daylight Savings Time we . To join us for Kabbalat Shabbat over Zoom, please use the evening minyan Zoom link below:
Candle Lighting is at 4:37 pm tonight; Havdallah Saturday evening will be at 5:39 pm.
Tomorrow morning, we will be livestreaming our services from the Sanctuary starting at 9:30 AM. We will be reading Parashat Vayera, and hearing some words of Torah from Rabbi Arnow. You can stream them on the link below:
https://player2.streamspot.
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 accomodate everyone who wants to participate on a Shabbat as soon as we are able to find you a spot.
On Sunday we are inviting community members to join in and help us create an art piece to feature in our new building! Designed by our own Gary Kodner, participants will get to paint a piece of a mural, which will be arranged together to form an incredible mosaic picture. We have time slots open this Sunday, Nov. 8, as well as next Sunday, Nov. 15. Please follow the link below to sign up for a time to create your piece of this wonderful mosaic:
https://www.kolrinahstl.org/
Next week, Rabbi Arnow and I will be continuing our 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, 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
Fri, April 26 2024
18 Nisan 5784
MISSION: Create a welcoming community that embraces Torah, meaningful worship, lifelong learning, music, Israel, and tikkun olam, guided by the tenets of Conservative Judaism.
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Fri, April 26 2024 18 Nisan 5784