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Shabbat Shalom with Tisha B'Av Information from Rabbi Shafrin 7/16/2021

 
Dear Kol Rinah Family,

This weekend will be an exercise in extremes. Starting Friday evening, we will enter into Shabbat much as we do most weeks. We will sing together, pray together, and (hopefully) have a chance to take a break from the week and maybe even relax. We are commanded, in a variety of different ways and Biblical passages to rejoice, honor, and beautify Shabbat, to engage in the day of rest as a day of joy and gladness. 

And then, as the last hours and moments of Shabbat wane, we will be stepping into a very different space as Tisha B'Av begins on Saturday night. This holiday has, throughout the last two thousand years, been associated with some of the worst tragedies in Jewish history: the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish People from Jerusalem and Israel, the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290, from Spain in 1492, and dozens of progroms and massacres in countries throughout the world.

Because of this history, the 9th of Av has come to be a holding space for the memory and experience all of the worst travesties, destructions, hatreds, and hurts visited upon the Jewish People throughout the long millenia of our community. It is a day where we are actually instructed to engage wholeheartedly with the sadness and horror of our past and present, to actively feel the pain of our ancestors as well as those who suffer today. We fast, we mourn, and we let those wounds air out in the relative safety of our spiritual home with our soul family.

The sadness and spirit of mourning that permeate the day are seen in several customs for Tisha B'Av. It is a full day fast, starting at sundown Saturday and continuing until sundown on Sunday evening. Many people will not wear leather shoes or other leather items of clothing. During the reading of Eicha on the eve of Tisha B'Av, many people will sit on the floor or low to the ground, much like a mourner would during shiva. Similarly, it is a custom not to greet people joyfully or to speak overmuch to one another in recognition of the solemn nature of the day, so if Rabbi Arnow or I do not greet you on this day as we normally would, we humbly beg you not to take offense. Tallit and Tefillin are typically not worn during Shacharit on Tisha B'Av, but can be worn during Mincha in the afternoon.

In this year's juxtaposing Shabbat and Tisha B'Av, we are called to remember the wise teaching that everything is moving and changing all the time. Take comfort and treasure those times of joy, even though they may be fleeting, because that happiness can return in our memory always. And take heart in times of grief and pain, because those times will not endure forever; they will change just as night becomes day and back again.

Wishing you strength and comfort on this holiday weekend.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Scott Shafrin

--
This afternoon, I will be leading Torah Talk at noon (12:00pm).Together, we will take a look at this week's haftarah (the additional Biblical reading for Shabbat), which comes from the Book of Isaiah. It is the third and final of the Haftorot of Rebuke and bridge the weeks between the minor fast of the 17th of Tammuz and full fast on Tisha B'Av. There is a lot we can learn and uncover from these sources, and many reasons why this first chapter of Isaiah was selected for this pivotal moment in the cycle of the Jewish year (see link below).

Tonight, we will be meeting for Kabbalat Shabbat on  Zoom for Kabbalat Shabbat at 6:00pm. Please see the Evening Minyan link below.


Candle lighting tonight is at 8:07 pm.  

Tomorrow morning, we will be in the sanctuary for our Shabbat morning service and will of course also be streaming from the sanctuary starting at 9:30am. 

This week we will read Parashat Devarim
Torah Reading: Deuteronomy 2:2-30
Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-27


There will NOT be Shabbat mincha/ma'ariv (afternoon and evening services) at their usual time this week.

Instead, we will be having ma'ariv services to begin the fast day of Tisha B'Av at 9:30 pm in the main sanctuary of our Maryland building. We will be including the reading of Eicha, the Book of Lamentations, in this service. The service will be livestreamed using the same link as the Shabbat morning services (see link below).

On Sunday morning, shacharit services for Tisha B'Av will begin at 8:00 am on ZoomMincha and Ma'ariv services for Tisha B'Av will be at 6:00 pm, also on Zoom. Please use the normal minyan Zoom links for both of these services.

The fast for Tisha B'Av ends at 9:09 pm.

We have another incredible learning session coming up in about a week and lead by our own Verein learning group. On Sunday, July 25, Larry Fredman will be presenting Justice Ruth Beder Ginsberg, the trailblazing Supreme Court Justice and visionary leader in creating legal pathways for gender equality. Both sessions will be at 4:00 pm. To register and get the zoom link, click 
here .




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.”
Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784