Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Noah Arnow 11/13/2020
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
I wish that we were now having meaningful conversations about how to continue to reopen Kol Rinah in safe, meaningful, in-person ways. That will have to wait.
As I write this, new Covid-related restrictions are being announced for St. Louis County. I do not yet know how they will affect Kol Rinah's operations and programs. Some changes or cancellations may be necessary.
Jewish law places the highest value on pikuach nefesh, saving a life. Wearing masks and abiding by health ordinances is required by Jewish law. Please do your part to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. And just as important, please do your part to keep safe those people with whom you interact and come into contact.
It's easy for us to let our guard down over time and stop being vigilant about wearing masks and keeping distance. But rather, we need to redouble our efforts.
My sermon from last week is at the very end of this email and also available on our website here.
And a couple of things from last week, in case you missed them...
Here's the d'var Torah I wrote for last week in the Jewish Light about hospitality
And last week, representing the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, I spoke at an interfaith prayer gathering at the Cathedral Basilica, organized by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. My remarks and a video of the entire event (worth watching!) are here.
And now, for this Shabbat and weekend...
Today at noon I'll be leading Torah Talk on Zoom, where we'll look at the mysterious Milcah, Rebecca's grandmother.
At 3:30pm on Zoom, we'll have mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat. Next week and through December, Friday afternoons we'll begin at 3pm.
Candle lighting is at 4:31pm.
Tomorrow, we'll be streaming services starting at 9:30am.
Shabbat ends at 5:30pm.
Sunday morning at 11:30am on Zoom, Wendy Love Anderson will teach on "The Secret History of the B-Mitzvah."
Shabbat shalom, and see you on Zoom,
Rabbi Noah Arnow
ZOOM AND STREAMING LINKS
To join our Zoom Minyanim or classes, click on the desired meeting link, or call into either of the following numbers:
+1 312 626 6799
+1 646 558 8656
Then, when prompted, enter the Meeting ID of the desired minyan/class then press #. Then, when prompted, enter the password then press #.
Services (all times Central)
Evening Minyan on Zoom
Sunday-Thursday evenings at 6pm, Friday evening at 4:30pm
Morning Minyan on Zoom
Monday-Friday mornings at 7am; Sunday mornings and national holidays at 8am (not including Jewish holidays)
Learning Opportunities
Torah Talk with Rabbi Arnow or Rabbi Shafrin
Every Friday at 12pm
Join us for study and discussion of the week's Torah portion.
The Torah of Resilience
7:30pm on:
Tuesday November 17
Zoom & Learn Series
Sundays at 11:30am, this week Wendy Love Anderson on "The Secret History fo the B-Mitzvah"
Shabbat morning
Saturdays, 9:30am
Click the link below, then click the triangular "play" buttom:
https://player2.streamspot.com/?playerId=3506a4c8
Until shortly before 9:30am, there will a filler screen, but livestreamed video and sound will both start around 9:30am.
You can also set your computer or device in advance so that this link will continue streaming continuously and you will not have to press any buttons on Shabbat. To make sure that your device will not shut itself down or do into sleep mode, follow the directions below to disable sleep mode:
For PC:
To disable automatic Sleep:
1. Open up Power Options in the Control Panel. In Windows 10 you can get there from right clicking on the start menu and going to Power Options
2. Click "change plan settings" next to your current power plan
3. Change "Put the computer to sleep" to never
4. Click "Save Changes"
For Apple Products:
1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click "Energy Saver."
2. Do either of the following:
a. Set the amount of time your computer or display should wait before going to sleep: Drag the “Computer sleep” and “Display sleep” sliders, or the “Turn display off after” slider.
b. Keep your Mac from going to sleep automatically: Select “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off.”
Rabbi Noah Arnow
Kol Rinah
Parashat Vayera
20 Cheshvan 5781 / November 7, 2020
Let me start with some good news about the election. Approximately 160 million Americans will have voted, by the time the ballots are all counted, more than two-thirds of eligible voters, the highest voter turnout by percentage in one hundred and twenty years.[1]
Americans have come together to participate in our democracy peacefully, to share their voices and their hopes for our country. The Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 58a, records the blessing to recite when seeing a multitude of people (in the original context, a huge gathering of Jews). In looking at this incredible level of voting participation, I would like to recite that blessing now, because the immense participation in this election is indeed a blessing.
Baruch ata A-do-nai, Elo-heinu Melech HaOlam, Chacham HaRazim.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, Master of the Universe, knower of secrets.
After stating the blessing, the Talmud explains it: “For their minds differ one from the other, and their faces differ one from the other.”[2]
America has never been more diverse—our faces have never differed more from one another.
“And our minds differ from one another?” That, I think, was the hard news for everyone—that our nation is still deeply divided.
In biblical times, things were so much simpler. The whole world was guilty, so God destroys the world and everyone in it except for Noah and his family.
In this week’s parashah, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are wicked. Abraham doesn’t comprehend that it could be all bad, and challenges God, until God agrees that if there are ten good people, God will not destroy.
We eventually learn that the people of Sodom are indeed wicked, beyond comprehension, beyond redemption.
Unlike God, Abraham cannot see into the hearts of the inhabitants of Sodom. But he hopes, that maybe good will overcome wickedness, that God’s mercy will conquer God’s judgement. The Torah tells us, “Next morning, Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood before the Lord, and looking down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the Plain, he saw the smoke of the land rising like the smoke of a kiln” (Genesis 19:27-28).
This is to say, Abraham woke up in the morning and discovered that the righteous people in whom he had hoped did not exist.
I imagine this is how some of us are feeling still. We too were hoping to find more people who agreed with us than we did.
We can give up, stop trusting, stop hoping, and stop working.
Or we can take a page from Abraham’s original playbook, of “making souls.” Our tradition teaches that Abraham and Sarah brought hundreds of people under the wings of the Shekhina, to be part of the covenant.[3] We too can spend time listening to those whose minds differ from ours, sharing our hearts, and making our minds a little less different from each other.
This is hard, vulnerable work. Abraham is not always up to it, and neither are we. After the episode with Sodom, Abraham and Sarah live in Gerar, with Sarah posing as Abraham’s sister, because he does not trust the people there to keep him safe it it’s known that Sarah is his wife.
Later, when pushed by Sarah to cast out Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham doesn’t protest, but complies, albeit with God’s assurances.
When faced with people whose thoughts are not like yours, what will you do?
May we each build the strength, the resilience, and the faith, we need to not withdraw, or fight, but to listen and slowly to let words that come from the heart enter the heart.
Shabbat shalom.
[1] https://time.com/5907062/record-turnout-history/
[2] Thanks to Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, the CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly and USCJ, for this reference.
[3] See Rashi on Genesis 12:5.
I wish that we were now having meaningful conversations about how to continue to reopen Kol Rinah in safe, meaningful, in-person ways. That will have to wait.
As I write this, new Covid-related restrictions are being announced for St. Louis County. I do not yet know how they will affect Kol Rinah's operations and programs. Some changes or cancellations may be necessary.
Jewish law places the highest value on pikuach nefesh, saving a life. Wearing masks and abiding by health ordinances is required by Jewish law. Please do your part to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. And just as important, please do your part to keep safe those people with whom you interact and come into contact.
It's easy for us to let our guard down over time and stop being vigilant about wearing masks and keeping distance. But rather, we need to redouble our efforts.
My sermon from last week is at the very end of this email and also available on our website here.
And a couple of things from last week, in case you missed them...
Here's the d'var Torah I wrote for last week in the Jewish Light about hospitality
And last week, representing the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association, I spoke at an interfaith prayer gathering at the Cathedral Basilica, organized by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. My remarks and a video of the entire event (worth watching!) are here.
And now, for this Shabbat and weekend...
Today at noon I'll be leading Torah Talk on Zoom, where we'll look at the mysterious Milcah, Rebecca's grandmother.
At 3:30pm on Zoom, we'll have mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat. Next week and through December, Friday afternoons we'll begin at 3pm.
Candle lighting is at 4:31pm.
Tomorrow, we'll be streaming services starting at 9:30am.
Shabbat ends at 5:30pm.
Sunday morning at 11:30am on Zoom, Wendy Love Anderson will teach on "The Secret History of the B-Mitzvah."
Shabbat shalom, and see you on Zoom,
Rabbi Noah Arnow
ZOOM AND STREAMING LINKS
To join our Zoom Minyanim or classes, click on the desired meeting link, or call into either of the following numbers:
+1 312 626 6799
+1 646 558 8656
Then, when prompted, enter the Meeting ID of the desired minyan/class then press #. Then, when prompted, enter the password then press #.
Services (all times Central)
Evening Minyan on Zoom
Sunday-Thursday evenings at 6pm, Friday evening at 4:30pm
Morning Minyan on Zoom
Monday-Friday mornings at 7am; Sunday mornings and national holidays at 8am (not including Jewish holidays)
Learning Opportunities
Torah Talk with Rabbi Arnow or Rabbi Shafrin
Every Friday at 12pm
Join us for study and discussion of the week's Torah portion.
The Torah of Resilience
7:30pm on:
Tuesday November 17
Zoom & Learn Series
Sundays at 11:30am, this week Wendy Love Anderson on "The Secret History fo the B-Mitzvah"
Shabbat morning
Saturdays, 9:30am
Click the link below, then click the triangular "play" buttom:
https://player2.streamspot.
Until shortly before 9:30am, there will a filler screen, but livestreamed video and sound will both start around 9:30am.
You can also set your computer or device in advance so that this link will continue streaming continuously and you will not have to press any buttons on Shabbat. To make sure that your device will not shut itself down or do into sleep mode, follow the directions below to disable sleep mode:
For PC:
To disable automatic Sleep:
1. Open up Power Options in the Control Panel. In Windows 10 you can get there from right clicking on the start menu and going to Power Options
2. Click "change plan settings" next to your current power plan
3. Change "Put the computer to sleep" to never
4. Click "Save Changes"
For Apple Products:
1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click "Energy Saver."
2. Do either of the following:
a. Set the amount of time your computer or display should wait before going to sleep: Drag the “Computer sleep” and “Display sleep” sliders, or the “Turn display off after” slider.
b. Keep your Mac from going to sleep automatically: Select “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off.”
Rabbi Noah Arnow
Kol Rinah
Parashat Vayera
20 Cheshvan 5781 / November 7, 2020
Let me start with some good news about the election. Approximately 160 million Americans will have voted, by the time the ballots are all counted, more than two-thirds of eligible voters, the highest voter turnout by percentage in one hundred and twenty years.[1]
Americans have come together to participate in our democracy peacefully, to share their voices and their hopes for our country. The Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 58a, records the blessing to recite when seeing a multitude of people (in the original context, a huge gathering of Jews). In looking at this incredible level of voting participation, I would like to recite that blessing now, because the immense participation in this election is indeed a blessing.
Baruch ata A-do-nai, Elo-heinu Melech HaOlam, Chacham HaRazim.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, Master of the Universe, knower of secrets.
After stating the blessing, the Talmud explains it: “For their minds differ one from the other, and their faces differ one from the other.”[2]
America has never been more diverse—our faces have never differed more from one another.
“And our minds differ from one another?” That, I think, was the hard news for everyone—that our nation is still deeply divided.
In biblical times, things were so much simpler. The whole world was guilty, so God destroys the world and everyone in it except for Noah and his family.
In this week’s parashah, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are wicked. Abraham doesn’t comprehend that it could be all bad, and challenges God, until God agrees that if there are ten good people, God will not destroy.
We eventually learn that the people of Sodom are indeed wicked, beyond comprehension, beyond redemption.
Unlike God, Abraham cannot see into the hearts of the inhabitants of Sodom. But he hopes, that maybe good will overcome wickedness, that God’s mercy will conquer God’s judgement. The Torah tells us, “Next morning, Abraham hurried to the place where he had stood before the Lord, and looking down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the Plain, he saw the smoke of the land rising like the smoke of a kiln” (Genesis 19:27-28).
This is to say, Abraham woke up in the morning and discovered that the righteous people in whom he had hoped did not exist.
I imagine this is how some of us are feeling still. We too were hoping to find more people who agreed with us than we did.
We can give up, stop trusting, stop hoping, and stop working.
Or we can take a page from Abraham’s original playbook, of “making souls.” Our tradition teaches that Abraham and Sarah brought hundreds of people under the wings of the Shekhina, to be part of the covenant.[3] We too can spend time listening to those whose minds differ from ours, sharing our hearts, and making our minds a little less different from each other.
This is hard, vulnerable work. Abraham is not always up to it, and neither are we. After the episode with Sodom, Abraham and Sarah live in Gerar, with Sarah posing as Abraham’s sister, because he does not trust the people there to keep him safe it it’s known that Sarah is his wife.
Later, when pushed by Sarah to cast out Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham doesn’t protest, but complies, albeit with God’s assurances.
When faced with people whose thoughts are not like yours, what will you do?
May we each build the strength, the resilience, and the faith, we need to not withdraw, or fight, but to listen and slowly to let words that come from the heart enter the heart.
Shabbat shalom.
[1] https://time.com/5907062/
[2] Thanks to Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, the CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly and USCJ, for this reference.
[3] See Rashi on Genesis 12:5.
Tue, April 23 2024
15 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.
Calendar & Services
Weekday minyans on Zoom:
Mornings- M, T, W, F 7am & Sun 8am.
Evenings- Sun-Th 6pm.
Log in to view the Zoom Links page.
Thursday mornings 7am are in-person only.
Shabbat services in-person, streaming.
To stream kolrinahstl.org/kr-streaming
Office Hours
Monday – Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am – 3pm
Phone: 314-727-1747
Friday 9am – 3pm
Phone: 314-727-1747
Find it at Kol Rinah
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