Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Shafrin; the Eruv Remains Down! 10/29/2021
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
Sometimes, it feels like life comes at us all at once, in a rush of highs and lows and in-betweens. As the great sage, Ferris Bueller, once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
In this week's parashah, Chayei Sarah (literally, "the life of Sarah"), we have a slice of some of the greatest highs and lows in the life of a person, a family, and a community. The parashah is bracketed by the deaths of first Sarah and then Avraham. It talks about the grief and mourning that follow Sarah's passing, but also the joys that come as life continues on. Isaac meets, falls in love with, and marries Rebecca, ensuring that his mother's legacy will continue. Avraham purchases the piece of land where so many of our ancestors would, including Sarah and himself, would be burried, giving him the first formal claim to the land. He also remarries and has the joy of bringing several more children into the world.
It's fitting, then, that this portion is not focused on "the death of Sarah (מות שרה) but rather "the life of Sarah." When someone dies, one of the things we traditionally say to mourners is, "May their memory be for a blessing (זכרונם ליברכה), as a way to say that people are so much more than simply a span of days, but are a force that impacts the lives of those around them in profound and lasting ways. Sarah impacted her son, her husband, her household, and generations of our people through her actions, her errors, her teachings, and her example.
And so it is with each of us. Just as we are shaped and molded by the people who mean the most to us, so too do our actions in this world impact others. They outlive us by generations and have a profound impact on the world in which we live as well as the world we leave behind. One message of this parashah, therefore, is to live in such a way that those who would seek to learn a lesson from the story of your life can be inspired to greater things, and can continue your world of improving the world.
--
Mazal tov to Tony Westbrook, Jr. on receiving the Covenant Foundation's prestigious Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish educators! Tony's incredible work through Washington University's Hillel, as well as here at the Kol Rinah Education Hub (KoREH) and beyond, make this a well-deserved honor.
This afternoon, Rabbi Arnow will be leading Torah Talk at noon (12:00pm) delving into some fascinating pieces from Parashat Chayei Sarah. We look forward to a wonderful discussion with a great group of learners of all ages and backgrounds. (see link below)
Tonight, we will be coming together for Kabbalat Shabbat services will be on Zoom beginning at 4:45 pm. Please note the time change as the start of Shabbat continues to move earlier (see link below).
Candle lighting tonight is at 5:47 pm.
Tomorrow morning, we will be gathering together in the sanctuary starting at 9:30am for our Kol Chadash service, our musical spiritual journey through the Shabbat morning prayer experience. We look forward to joining together with song, prayer, and a bit of learning, and will of course also be streaming live from the sanctuary as well (see link below).
Parashat Chayei Sarah
Shabbat Mevarchim & Kol Chadash
Torah Reading: Genesis 23:1-25:18
Haftarah: I Kings 1:1-31
Shabbat Mincha (the afternoon service) will begin at 5:35 pm, followed by a little learning, Ma'ariv (evening services), and Havdallah.
Havdallah on Saturday evening will be at 6:49 pm.
COVID Protocols
Masks are required for everyone ages 3 and up, and are required to be worn properly (over nose, mouth and chin) whenever inside, and whenever outside in proximity of other people. If you see someone wearing their mask improperly, please ask them (kindly, gently) to wear their mask properly. If there are any problems, please alert an usher or greeter.
If you are feeling at all ill, or if you are at increased health risk, please stay home to keep yourself and everyone safe and healthy.
Our full COVID protocols are available here: https://www.kolrinahstl.org/covid-safety
Please refrain wearing perfume or other strong scents to synagogue, as we have people with significant allergies.
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 ( tinyurl.com/KR-EveningMinyan )
Sunday-Friday evenings at 6pm
Morning Minyan on Zoom ( tinyurl.com/KR-MorningMinyan )
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 ( tinyurl.com/KR-TorahTalk )
Every Friday at 12pm
Join us for study and discussion of the week's Torah portion.
Shabbat morning ( tinyurl.com/KR-Streaming )
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.”
Sometimes, it feels like life comes at us all at once, in a rush of highs and lows and in-betweens. As the great sage, Ferris Bueller, once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
In this week's parashah, Chayei Sarah (literally, "the life of Sarah"), we have a slice of some of the greatest highs and lows in the life of a person, a family, and a community. The parashah is bracketed by the deaths of first Sarah and then Avraham. It talks about the grief and mourning that follow Sarah's passing, but also the joys that come as life continues on. Isaac meets, falls in love with, and marries Rebecca, ensuring that his mother's legacy will continue. Avraham purchases the piece of land where so many of our ancestors would, including Sarah and himself, would be burried, giving him the first formal claim to the land. He also remarries and has the joy of bringing several more children into the world.
It's fitting, then, that this portion is not focused on "the death of Sarah (מות שרה) but rather "the life of Sarah." When someone dies, one of the things we traditionally say to mourners is, "May their memory be for a blessing (זכרונם ליברכה), as a way to say that people are so much more than simply a span of days, but are a force that impacts the lives of those around them in profound and lasting ways. Sarah impacted her son, her husband, her household, and generations of our people through her actions, her errors, her teachings, and her example.
And so it is with each of us. Just as we are shaped and molded by the people who mean the most to us, so too do our actions in this world impact others. They outlive us by generations and have a profound impact on the world in which we live as well as the world we leave behind. One message of this parashah, therefore, is to live in such a way that those who would seek to learn a lesson from the story of your life can be inspired to greater things, and can continue your world of improving the world.
--
Mazal tov to Tony Westbrook, Jr. on receiving the Covenant Foundation's prestigious Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish educators! Tony's incredible work through Washington University's Hillel, as well as here at the Kol Rinah Education Hub (KoREH) and beyond, make this a well-deserved honor.
This afternoon, Rabbi Arnow will be leading Torah Talk at noon (12:00pm) delving into some fascinating pieces from Parashat Chayei Sarah. We look forward to a wonderful discussion with a great group of learners of all ages and backgrounds. (see link below)
Tonight, we will be coming together for Kabbalat Shabbat services will be on Zoom beginning at 4:45 pm. Please note the time change as the start of Shabbat continues to move earlier (see link below).
Candle lighting tonight is at 5:47 pm.
Tomorrow morning, we will be gathering together in the sanctuary starting at 9:30am for our Kol Chadash service, our musical spiritual journey through the Shabbat morning prayer experience. We look forward to joining together with song, prayer, and a bit of learning, and will of course also be streaming live from the sanctuary as well (see link below).
Parashat Chayei Sarah
Shabbat Mevarchim & Kol Chadash
Torah Reading: Genesis 23:1-25:18
Haftarah: I Kings 1:1-31
Shabbat Mincha (the afternoon service) will begin at 5:35 pm, followed by a little learning, Ma'ariv (evening services), and Havdallah.
Havdallah on Saturday evening will be at 6:49 pm.
COVID Protocols
Masks are required for everyone ages 3 and up, and are required to be worn properly (over nose, mouth and chin) whenever inside, and whenever outside in proximity of other people. If you see someone wearing their mask improperly, please ask them (kindly, gently) to wear their mask properly. If there are any problems, please alert an usher or greeter.
If you are feeling at all ill, or if you are at increased health risk, please stay home to keep yourself and everyone safe and healthy.
Our full COVID protocols are available here: https://www.kolrinahstl.org/
Please refrain wearing perfume or other strong scents to synagogue, as we have people with significant allergies.
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 ( tinyurl.com/KR-EveningMinyan )
Sunday-Friday evenings at 6pm
Morning Minyan on Zoom ( tinyurl.com/KR-MorningMinyan )
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 ( tinyurl.com/KR-TorahTalk )
Every Friday at 12pm
Join us for study and discussion of the week's Torah portion.
Shabbat morning ( tinyurl.com/KR-Streaming )
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.”
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