Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Shafrin! 3/12/2021
Dear Kol Rinah Families,
Shabbat HaChodesh, the special Shabbat proceeding the start of the month of Nisan, sets for us the expectation of big things ahead. The Torah portion details more of the building of sacred items for Jewish worship. The maftir reminds us of the Exodus from Egypt and the 1st Passover we commemorated as slaves on the cusp of reaching freedom. All of the texts we read this week fill our heads with preparation, history, ritual, and connection with our past, present, and future.
And yet, we know that keeping all of that mental, emotional, spiritual, and, yes, physical preparation coordinated can be a daunting task. All the more so in times like this, where for so many of us, our second Pesach spent amidst this COVID-19 pandemic can feel disheartening.
But at the same time, Pesach is the holiday we most need right now. The story of Pesach reminds us not only to remember the hardships we have endured, but to appreciate how far we have come. Once we were slaves, now we are free. Being free does not mean that life is perfect or even that all of our needs are met, but it's a start. Once, we were in the grips of a worsening pandemic, suffering at the hands of a disease that had no treatment, no cure, and that we knew so very little about. Now, we have multiple vaccines, the numbers of people getting sick and having to be in a hospital are decreasing daily, though too many are sadly still falling ill and dying. Right now, exactly a year from when this pandemic started in earnest for many of us, we can see the hope for a brighter future, and while we are not there yet, it is easy to imagine a day when we will emerge from this crisis.
I hope that as we enter this Shabbat and begin the new month of Nisan on Saturday night, we can move into a space where we can dream together of a world revitalized with hope, one in which we work together for a brighter future.
--
ALL ZOOM LINKS FOR THE EVENTS BELOW CAN BE FOUND AT THE END OF THIS EMAIL.
This Shabbat's Parashah is Vayakhel-P'kudei
Torah Reading: Exodus 37:17-39:21
Maftir: Exodus 12:1-20
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18
Please make sure to tune in this Shabbat morning for a special guest sermon.
Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, will be sharing her experience of having testified earlier this week at Missouri Statehouse on two bills that target trans children, and teaching some Torah connected to these issues. We're so grateful to her for advocacy, and for coming to speak this Shabbat to Kol Rinah.
Pesach (Passover) is fast appraching and everyone will soon be receiving a packet full of information about the holiday, including forms for selling chametz, guides for the holiday celebrations, and the schedule with timing for the various days of Pesach. All of th information for Pesach is also available on the Kol Rinah website and you can find it by clicking the link below:
https://www.kolrinahstl.org/passover-information.html
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our first Kol Chadash service. The feedback you have provided has been both encouraging and incredibly helpful. Rabbi Arnow, Karen Kern, and I, as well as the entire Kol Rinah leadership, have been so heartened by all of you who took the time to engage in this new experience and to share with us some of your thoughts, feelings, impressions, and suggestions. .
If you were not able to join us, but still would like to view the service and provide us feedback, you can find it on Kol Rinah's YouTube page or by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd8uWxKH5W0
This afternoon at 4:30 pm we'll have mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat using the link below. Please make sure to check the start time for Kabbalat Shabbat services each week; as Shabbat continues to start later, we will be moving the time back by half an hour every few weeks.
Candle lighting is at 5:47 pm, and Shabbat ends at 6:51 pm on Saturday night.
Saturday morning we'll be streaming services from the Sanctuary beginning at 9:30 am. Please see the link below for the streaming information: https://player2.streamspot.com/?playerId=3506a4c8
REMINDER
Daylight Saving Time Begins on Sunday morning at 2 am.
Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour.
Today, at noon I'll be leading a Torah Talk session looking at a few ways in which the building of the sacred items for ritual use actually speak to the nature of Jewish ritual itself. Please tune in using the Torah Talk Zoom link below.
This Sunday at 11:30 am, we have a critically important program led by Tikkun STL, a coalition of organizations working to create a more just and equitable way for our city to hold elections and for leaders to carry out the business of St. Louis. Leaders in this movement will be talking about action steps we can all take TODAY that will make real and lasting change for the better in our region. See the Zoom and Learn link below to log in for the program Sunday morning.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Scott Shafrin
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 3:00pm
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.
Zoom & Learn Series:
Tikkun St. Louis: Our Effort to Reform Gerrymandering & Create Fair Elections
Sundays at 11:30am,
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.”
Shabbat HaChodesh, the special Shabbat proceeding the start of the month of Nisan, sets for us the expectation of big things ahead. The Torah portion details more of the building of sacred items for Jewish worship. The maftir reminds us of the Exodus from Egypt and the 1st Passover we commemorated as slaves on the cusp of reaching freedom. All of the texts we read this week fill our heads with preparation, history, ritual, and connection with our past, present, and future.
And yet, we know that keeping all of that mental, emotional, spiritual, and, yes, physical preparation coordinated can be a daunting task. All the more so in times like this, where for so many of us, our second Pesach spent amidst this COVID-19 pandemic can feel disheartening.
But at the same time, Pesach is the holiday we most need right now. The story of Pesach reminds us not only to remember the hardships we have endured, but to appreciate how far we have come. Once we were slaves, now we are free. Being free does not mean that life is perfect or even that all of our needs are met, but it's a start. Once, we were in the grips of a worsening pandemic, suffering at the hands of a disease that had no treatment, no cure, and that we knew so very little about. Now, we have multiple vaccines, the numbers of people getting sick and having to be in a hospital are decreasing daily, though too many are sadly still falling ill and dying. Right now, exactly a year from when this pandemic started in earnest for many of us, we can see the hope for a brighter future, and while we are not there yet, it is easy to imagine a day when we will emerge from this crisis.
I hope that as we enter this Shabbat and begin the new month of Nisan on Saturday night, we can move into a space where we can dream together of a world revitalized with hope, one in which we work together for a brighter future.
--
ALL ZOOM LINKS FOR THE EVENTS BELOW CAN BE FOUND AT THE END OF THIS EMAIL.
This Shabbat's Parashah is Vayakhel-P'kudei
Torah Reading: Exodus 37:17-39:21
Maftir: Exodus 12:1-20
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18
Please make sure to tune in this Shabbat morning for a special guest sermon.
Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, will be sharing her experience of having testified earlier this week at Missouri Statehouse on two bills that target trans children, and teaching some Torah connected to these issues. We're so grateful to her for advocacy, and for coming to speak this Shabbat to Kol Rinah.
Pesach (Passover) is fast appraching and everyone will soon be receiving a packet full of information about the holiday, including forms for selling chametz, guides for the holiday celebrations, and the schedule with timing for the various days of Pesach. All of th information for Pesach is also available on the Kol Rinah website and you can find it by clicking the link below:
https://www.kolrinahstl.org/
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our first Kol Chadash service. The feedback you have provided has been both encouraging and incredibly helpful. Rabbi Arnow, Karen Kern, and I, as well as the entire Kol Rinah leadership, have been so heartened by all of you who took the time to engage in this new experience and to share with us some of your thoughts, feelings, impressions, and suggestions. .
If you were not able to join us, but still would like to view the service and provide us feedback, you can find it on Kol Rinah's YouTube page or by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
This afternoon at 4:30 pm we'll have mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat using the link below. Please make sure to check the start time for Kabbalat Shabbat services each week; as Shabbat continues to start later, we will be moving the time back by half an hour every few weeks.
Candle lighting is at 5:47 pm, and Shabbat ends at 6:51 pm on Saturday night.
Saturday morning we'll be streaming services from the Sanctuary beginning at 9:30 am. Please see the link below for the streaming information: https://player2.
REMINDER
Daylight Saving Time Begins on Sunday morning at 2 am.
Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour.
Today, at noon I'll be leading a Torah Talk session looking at a few ways in which the building of the sacred items for ritual use actually speak to the nature of Jewish ritual itself. Please tune in using the Torah Talk Zoom link below.
This Sunday at 11:30 am, we have a critically important program led by Tikkun STL, a coalition of organizations working to create a more just and equitable way for our city to hold elections and for leaders to carry out the business of St. Louis. Leaders in this movement will be talking about action steps we can all take TODAY that will make real and lasting change for the better in our region. See the Zoom and Learn link below to log in for the program Sunday morning.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Scott Shafrin
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 3:00pm
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.
Zoom & Learn Series:
Tikkun St. Louis: Our Effort to Reform Gerrymandering & Create Fair Elections
Sundays at 11:30am,
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.”
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
Shavua Tov
Contribute to a Shabbat Kiddush
Celebrate life-cycle events or honor a loved one. A Shabbat Kiddush is a beautiful way of sharing a moment with the community!
Want to sponsor a specific Kiddush? Contact Barbara Shamir,
Event Request
FAQ's
Tue, April 23 2024 15 Nisan 5784