Shabbat Shalom and an early Chag Sameach from Rabbi Shafrin! 5/14/2021
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
There are only three holidays within the Jewish calendar so important that the Torah called on the entire people to gather together in one place from wherever they were, unless it was physically impossible to do so: Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot. These Pilgrimage Festivals, known as the Shalosh Regalim (regel being the Hebrew word for leg) were signposts set up throughout our year to remind us of our past, instill in us our communal values, and help us gather our collective wisdom together in joy in order to see a brighter future together.
And of these holidays, none was more anticipated than Shavuot. In a very literal sense, we count the days until we reach this momentous festival, enumerating the days of the Omer, which connects the second day of Pesach (Passover) to Shavuot, this festival of the culmination of weeks. We set aside a moment each evening for 49 straight days, to pause, say a brief blessing, and add a small amount to our anticipation of this day.
Why then is this holiday of Shavuot so crucial? There are many answers, but the most obvious is that Shavuot is also Zman Matan Torateinu, "The Time of the Giving of Our Torah." More than just a recollection of the transmission of Jewish knowledge throughout the ages, it is an ingathering of our people, a soul connection of each of us to the other and to all the generations who tie us back to that moment in time, the instant we became, once and forever, the Jewish People.
It should be a day of joy and gladness, of celebration throughout all of our communities. It should be a day when we reaffirm not only our ideals, but our love and connection to our Jewish community and to our human community around the world.
But today, I am not joyful; my heart is empty of gladness. Instead I am incredibly heartbroken by the violence currently erupting in Israel. I am not going to enter into a detailed political polemic on the wrongs committed by Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as the violence perpetrated by individuals on each other throughout this week. I humbly direct you toward the thoughtful and heartfelt statements put out by our own Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and the Rabbinical Assembly this past week.
What I will say is that it breaks my heart to see people injured and lives lost anywhere, but especially in such close proximity to these sacred times. To have violence and aggression taint both the festivals of Ramadan and Shavuot, each of them sacred times to the Muslim and Jewish communities respectively, living in a land that is also a sacred space, is inconceivably tragic. I am finding it incredibly difficult to reackon with the sheer weight of desolation I have been carrying as these events have turned angrier, more violent, and more deadly hour after hour.
I mourn for all of those whose lives have been lost, and who have lost people they love.
I pray for all of those who are hurt or who are in pain, and I yearn for their healing.
I send love to all of those who feel anger in their hearts.
Most of all, I seek and hope for the world we are promised in this week's Haftarah from the Prophet Hosea (2:20):
וְקֶ֨שֶׁת וְחֶ֚רֶב וּמִלְחָמָה֙ אֶשְׁבּ֣וֹר מִן־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְהִשְׁכַּבְתִּ֖ים לָבֶֽטַח
"And I will break off the bow and sword and all war from the earth, and I will let them all lie down in safety."
- -
This afternoon, I will be leading Torah talk at noon (12:00pm). We will be looking at an interesting connection between our Torah reading in Parashat Bamidbar and the haftara from Hosea, and what the reveal to us about building a spiritual life.
Tonight, we will be meeting for our first Kol Bachootz services outside in the courtyard of our new building! Our family-oriented services will begin at 5:30 pm, and our Kol Bachootz for adults will begin Kabbalat Shabbat at 7:00pm. Pre-registration, as well as masks for everyone and social distancing, are required for all people attending these services. There will be NO ZOOM Kabbalat Shabbat this week.
Candle lighting is at 7:47 pm.
Tomorrow morning, we will be returining to the sanctuary for our Shabbat morning service and will of course also be streaming from the sanctuary starting at 9:30am. Rabbi Arnow will be sharing some Torah that can speak to us all in this moment of heightened tension, unrest, and violence in the Land of Israel. (See Streaming Link Below)
This week we will read Parashat Bamidbar
Torah Reading: Numbers 2:1-3:13
Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22
Shabbat ends at 8:51 pm.
Sunday evening begins the holiday of Shavuot! We will start together at 6:00 PM with a "Kabbalat Shavuot" to welcome in the holiday as well as a Yizkor service for those of you who cannot join us or tune in for Yizkor on Tuesday morning. We will have services for Shavuot on Monday and Tuesday starting at 9:30 am. All of the information and links for our Shavuot services can be found below.
May 16, 2021 6:00 pm
Mincha and Kabbalat Shavuot with Yizkor on zoom
Monday May 17, 2021 9:30 am
Tuesday May 18, 2021 (With Yizkor) 9:30 am
In person and Live Streaming
https://player2.streamspot.com/?playerId=3506a4c8
Click here to attend 5/17/2021 Shavuot Morning Services
Click here to attend 5/18/2021 Shavuot Morning Services
Candle Lighting for Shavuot
May 16, 2021 7:49 pm
May 17, 2021 8:50 pm
Havdalah for Shavuot
May 17, 2021 8:54 pm
And much more is on the website!
Shabbat shalom, and have a wonderful day!
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-Friday evenings at 6pm
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.
Shabbat morning
Saturdays, 9:30am, as well as the first day, seventh and eighth days of Passover
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.”
There are only three holidays within the Jewish calendar so important that the Torah called on the entire people to gather together in one place from wherever they were, unless it was physically impossible to do so: Sukkot, Pesach, and Shavuot. These Pilgrimage Festivals, known as the Shalosh Regalim (regel being the Hebrew word for leg) were signposts set up throughout our year to remind us of our past, instill in us our communal values, and help us gather our collective wisdom together in joy in order to see a brighter future together.
And of these holidays, none was more anticipated than Shavuot. In a very literal sense, we count the days until we reach this momentous festival, enumerating the days of the Omer, which connects the second day of Pesach (Passover) to Shavuot, this festival of the culmination of weeks. We set aside a moment each evening for 49 straight days, to pause, say a brief blessing, and add a small amount to our anticipation of this day.
Why then is this holiday of Shavuot so crucial? There are many answers, but the most obvious is that Shavuot is also Zman Matan Torateinu, "The Time of the Giving of Our Torah." More than just a recollection of the transmission of Jewish knowledge throughout the ages, it is an ingathering of our people, a soul connection of each of us to the other and to all the generations who tie us back to that moment in time, the instant we became, once and forever, the Jewish People.
It should be a day of joy and gladness, of celebration throughout all of our communities. It should be a day when we reaffirm not only our ideals, but our love and connection to our Jewish community and to our human community around the world.
But today, I am not joyful; my heart is empty of gladness. Instead I am incredibly heartbroken by the violence currently erupting in Israel. I am not going to enter into a detailed political polemic on the wrongs committed by Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as the violence perpetrated by individuals on each other throughout this week. I humbly direct you toward the thoughtful and heartfelt statements put out by our own Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and the Rabbinical Assembly this past week.
What I will say is that it breaks my heart to see people injured and lives lost anywhere, but especially in such close proximity to these sacred times. To have violence and aggression taint both the festivals of Ramadan and Shavuot, each of them sacred times to the Muslim and Jewish communities respectively, living in a land that is also a sacred space, is inconceivably tragic. I am finding it incredibly difficult to reackon with the sheer weight of desolation I have been carrying as these events have turned angrier, more violent, and more deadly hour after hour.
I mourn for all of those whose lives have been lost, and who have lost people they love.
I pray for all of those who are hurt or who are in pain, and I yearn for their healing.
I send love to all of those who feel anger in their hearts.
Most of all, I seek and hope for the world we are promised in this week's Haftarah from the Prophet Hosea (2:20):
וְקֶ֨שֶׁת וְחֶ֚רֶב וּמִלְחָמָה֙ אֶשְׁבּ֣וֹר מִן־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְהִשְׁכַּבְתִּ֖ים לָבֶֽטַח
"And I will break off the bow and sword and all war from the earth, and I will let them all lie down in safety."
- -
This afternoon, I will be leading Torah talk at noon (12:00pm). We will be looking at an interesting connection between our Torah reading in Parashat Bamidbar and the haftara from Hosea, and what the reveal to us about building a spiritual life.
Tonight, we will be meeting for our first Kol Bachootz services outside in the courtyard of our new building! Our family-oriented services will begin at 5:30 pm, and our Kol Bachootz for adults will begin Kabbalat Shabbat at 7:00pm. Pre-registration, as well as masks for everyone and social distancing, are required for all people attending these services. There will be NO ZOOM Kabbalat Shabbat this week.
Candle lighting is at 7:47 pm.
Tomorrow morning, we will be returining to the sanctuary for our Shabbat morning service and will of course also be streaming from the sanctuary starting at 9:30am. Rabbi Arnow will be sharing some Torah that can speak to us all in this moment of heightened tension, unrest, and violence in the Land of Israel. (See Streaming Link Below)
This week we will read Parashat Bamidbar
Torah Reading: Numbers 2:1-3:13
Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22
Shabbat ends at 8:51 pm.
Sunday evening begins the holiday of Shavuot! We will start together at 6:00 PM with a "Kabbalat Shavuot" to welcome in the holiday as well as a Yizkor service for those of you who cannot join us or tune in for Yizkor on Tuesday morning. We will have services for Shavuot on Monday and Tuesday starting at 9:30 am. All of the information and links for our Shavuot services can be found below.
May 16, 2021 6:00 pm
Mincha and Kabbalat Shavuot with Yizkor on zoom
Monday May 17, 2021 9:30 am
Tuesday May 18, 2021 (With Yizkor) 9:30 am
In person and Live Streaming
https://player2.streamspot.
Click here to attend 5/17/2021 Shavuot Morning Services
Click here to attend 5/18/2021 Shavuot Morning Services
Candle Lighting for Shavuot
May 16, 2021 7:49 pm
May 17, 2021 8:50 pm
Havdalah for Shavuot
May 17, 2021 8:54 pm
And much more is on the website!
Shabbat shalom, and have a wonderful day!
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-Friday evenings at 6pm
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.
Shabbat morning
Saturdays, 9:30am, as well as the first day, seventh and eighth days of Passover
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.”
Mon, May 5 2025
7 Iyyar 5785
MISSION: Create a welcoming community that embraces Torah, meaningful worship, lifelong learning, music, Israel, and tikkun olam, guided by the tenets of Conservative Judaism.
Find it at Kol Rinah
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Weekday Services
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.
Office Hours
Monday – Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am – 3pm
Phone: 314-727-1747
Friday 9am – 3pm
Phone: 314-727-1747
Mon, May 5 2025 7 Iyyar 5785