Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Noah Arnow 12/24/2020
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
Tomorrow (Friday, December 25) is, in addition to being Christmas, the 10th of Tevet, a (minor) fast day on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem, leading up to the desruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BCE, on the 9th of Av.
The 10th of Tevet is a minor fast day, which means that one only fasts from sunup until it is dark, this year, from about 5:47am until, well read on!
It has one unique feature which it's worth mentioning for a moment. This is the only fast day that can fall on a Friday. Usually, we don't fast on Fridays because we don't want our fast to impinge on the joy of Shabbat, and we're not supposed to enter Shabbat so ravenous from fasting.
So, we're faced with a conundrum - should we fast until it's dark, which is about 42 minutes into Shabbat, or should we end the fast early, let's say when candles are lit at about 4:28pm? If the fast fell on any other day of the week (it can't fall on Saturday), then we'd wait until it were fully dark.
There are, naturally, a variety of opinions. Some say you fast until it's dark. Others say you can end the fast early if you have it in mind on Thursday evening to end the fast early. Others say you should eat a little bit on Friday before Shabbat begins so as not to enter Shabbat ravenous.
I'll be fasting the full fast, until 5:16pm, when it will be dark. And I know many people who cannot fast for health reasons. And there are others who do not find fasting for these minor fast days a meaningful spiritual practice.
I know also that some Jews find everything related to Christmas hard. If you're looking for a way to express your Jewishness on Christmas Day this year, fasting and then having Shabbat dinner could be a powerful thing.
Minyan Friday mornings 12/25 and 1/1 will be at 8am.
Please note there is no Torah Talk this week or next week.
Friday afternoon at 3pm we'll have mincha (with Torah and Haftarah for the fast day) and Kabbalat Shabbat.
Candle lighting is at 4:28pm--the days are getting longer!
Saturday morning we'll be streaming services from the Sanctuary.
The readings are:
Genesis 45:28-46:27 (triennial section of Parashat Vayigash)
Ezekiel 37:15-28 (Haftarah for Parashat Vayigash)
Shabbat ends at 5:32pm.
Shabbat shalom, and see you on Zoom,
Rabbi Noah Arnow
Tomorrow (Friday, December 25) is, in addition to being Christmas, the 10th of Tevet, a (minor) fast day on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem, leading up to the desruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BCE, on the 9th of Av.
The 10th of Tevet is a minor fast day, which means that one only fasts from sunup until it is dark, this year, from about 5:47am until, well read on!
It has one unique feature which it's worth mentioning for a moment. This is the only fast day that can fall on a Friday. Usually, we don't fast on Fridays because we don't want our fast to impinge on the joy of Shabbat, and we're not supposed to enter Shabbat so ravenous from fasting.
So, we're faced with a conundrum - should we fast until it's dark, which is about 42 minutes into Shabbat, or should we end the fast early, let's say when candles are lit at about 4:28pm? If the fast fell on any other day of the week (it can't fall on Saturday), then we'd wait until it were fully dark.
There are, naturally, a variety of opinions. Some say you fast until it's dark. Others say you can end the fast early if you have it in mind on Thursday evening to end the fast early. Others say you should eat a little bit on Friday before Shabbat begins so as not to enter Shabbat ravenous.
I'll be fasting the full fast, until 5:16pm, when it will be dark. And I know many people who cannot fast for health reasons. And there are others who do not find fasting for these minor fast days a meaningful spiritual practice.
I know also that some Jews find everything related to Christmas hard. If you're looking for a way to express your Jewishness on Christmas Day this year, fasting and then having Shabbat dinner could be a powerful thing.
Minyan Friday mornings 12/25 and 1/1 will be at 8am.
Please note there is no Torah Talk this week or next week.
Friday afternoon at 3pm we'll have mincha (with Torah and Haftarah for the fast day) and Kabbalat Shabbat.
Candle lighting is at 4:28pm--the days are getting longer!
Saturday morning we'll be streaming services from the Sanctuary.
The readings are:
Genesis 45:28-46:27 (triennial section of Parashat Vayigash)
Ezekiel 37:15-28 (Haftarah for Parashat Vayigash)
Shabbat ends at 5:32pm.
Shabbat shalom, and see you on Zoom,
Rabbi Noah Arnow
Tue, May 6 2025
8 Iyyar 5785
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Tue, May 6 2025 8 Iyyar 5785