Big Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Arnow 2/25/2022
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
There's much happening--read to the bottom of today's email!
On the one hand, the world seems upside down. A war in Europe?! And, simultaneously, the Covid numbers are down in St. Louis County, enabling us at Kol Rinah to anticipate opening much more and being together in person more.
The moment in the life of the Israelites we read about this week in the Torah in Parashat Vayakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20) is the first half or so of the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The Israelites donate to the project, but then it's Betzalel and Oholiav who do much of the work, along with various other expert craftspeople. For everyone else, there's this sense of waiting, of anticipation, perhaps with a sense of faith, or with some lingering doubt, about how this building will go, about what it will really be like when it's done. Will God really be in there when we finish? And what's it actually going to look like?
Today, I find myself understanding both the faith and the doubt of this moment, as well as the activity of Betzalel and the passivity of most of the Israelites during this time.
I and a few others here at Kol Rinah are working actively on the planning required to have people back in person here in greater numbers, safely, and with joy, thinking about what that will look like, making sure we're ready. But it's not done yet, and what it will feel like, will people come, I have faith and a bit of doubt about, if I'm honest. But lots of hope.
In a very different vein, with regard to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I feel pretty passive. I'll have more to say about what our roles can be in this in my sermon tomorrow. But I will do what the otherwise-passive Israelites did at the outset of this project, which is donate to support some of those who need my support.
One organization to which you can donate is the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), "the leading global Jewish humanitarian organization." Another is Masorti Olami, the international organization of Conservative (Masorti) Judaism, which supports Masorti communities in the Ukraine. To donate to Masorti Olami, click here and write in that you want your gift to go to Ukraine. The Jewish Federations of North America are also raising funds, and you can donate here. You can read a little more about the Jewish communities in Ukraine and how they are being affected here.
But despite everything in the world, our daily and weekly routines continue.
Rabbi Shafrin will be leading Torah Talk at noon today on Zoom, focusing on how the bringing of gifts and materials in Parashat Vayakhel sets a paradigm for building involved, inclusive community.
We won't be having services tonight.
Shabbat begins at 5:32pm.
But next week, Friday night services will be back, starting at 6pm!!!! Plan now on coming next week!!!
Tomorrow morning services will be in person and livestreamed at 9:30am.
We won't be having Shabbat afternoon services the next two weeks, but starting March 12, we'll back on Saturday afternoons!
Shabbat ends tomorrow night at 6:31pm.
Sunday morning at 8am both in person in the Sanctuary and on our regular morning minyan Zoom link (below), we'll have our second Sunday morning learner's service. I'll be focusing on the Shema and it's surrounding blessings. Join us in person or on Zoom!
Starting Monday evening is a class (in-person!) for people interested in learning how to read (chant) Torah, taught by Cantor Patty Kaplan. Details are here.
Purim is coming--check out all of the Purim stuff happening, and sign up to support our Mishloach Manot, and to help deliver-- all the info is here.
And finally, something very close to my heart--my father's new book has just been published by the Jewish Publication Society, and I just got my copy (ok, copies--I ordered ten) yesterday. The book is called Choosing Hope: The Heritage of Judaism, and is about Judaism as a resource for hope. I'll be emceeing a Zoom booklaunch for him in conversation with Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz Wednesday evening March 2 at 6:30pm central. Along with a 40% discount promo code, details to register are here.
May we all stay safe and healthy, and I hope to see you soon.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Noah Arnow
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 (but not on Jewish holidays)
Friday evenings when not in person one hour before candle lighting
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.
Friday nights when in person and Shabbat mornings
Fridays, 6pm
Saturdays, 9:30am
Click the link below, then click the triangular "play" buttom:
tinyurl.com/KR-Streaming
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's much happening--read to the bottom of today's email!
On the one hand, the world seems upside down. A war in Europe?! And, simultaneously, the Covid numbers are down in St. Louis County, enabling us at Kol Rinah to anticipate opening much more and being together in person more.
The moment in the life of the Israelites we read about this week in the Torah in Parashat Vayakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20) is the first half or so of the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The Israelites donate to the project, but then it's Betzalel and Oholiav who do much of the work, along with various other expert craftspeople. For everyone else, there's this sense of waiting, of anticipation, perhaps with a sense of faith, or with some lingering doubt, about how this building will go, about what it will really be like when it's done. Will God really be in there when we finish? And what's it actually going to look like?
Today, I find myself understanding both the faith and the doubt of this moment, as well as the activity of Betzalel and the passivity of most of the Israelites during this time.
I and a few others here at Kol Rinah are working actively on the planning required to have people back in person here in greater numbers, safely, and with joy, thinking about what that will look like, making sure we're ready. But it's not done yet, and what it will feel like, will people come, I have faith and a bit of doubt about, if I'm honest. But lots of hope.
In a very different vein, with regard to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I feel pretty passive. I'll have more to say about what our roles can be in this in my sermon tomorrow. But I will do what the otherwise-passive Israelites did at the outset of this project, which is donate to support some of those who need my support.
One organization to which you can donate is the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), "the leading global Jewish humanitarian organization." Another is Masorti Olami, the international organization of Conservative (Masorti) Judaism, which supports Masorti communities in the Ukraine. To donate to Masorti Olami, click here and write in that you want your gift to go to Ukraine. The Jewish Federations of North America are also raising funds, and you can donate here. You can read a little more about the Jewish communities in Ukraine and how they are being affected here.
But despite everything in the world, our daily and weekly routines continue.
Rabbi Shafrin will be leading Torah Talk at noon today on Zoom, focusing on how the bringing of gifts and materials in Parashat Vayakhel sets a paradigm for building involved, inclusive community.
We won't be having services tonight.
Shabbat begins at 5:32pm.
But next week, Friday night services will be back, starting at 6pm!!!! Plan now on coming next week!!!
Tomorrow morning services will be in person and livestreamed at 9:30am.
We won't be having Shabbat afternoon services the next two weeks, but starting March 12, we'll back on Saturday afternoons!
Shabbat ends tomorrow night at 6:31pm.
Sunday morning at 8am both in person in the Sanctuary and on our regular morning minyan Zoom link (below), we'll have our second Sunday morning learner's service. I'll be focusing on the Shema and it's surrounding blessings. Join us in person or on Zoom!
Starting Monday evening is a class (in-person!) for people interested in learning how to read (chant) Torah, taught by Cantor Patty Kaplan. Details are here.
Purim is coming--check out all of the Purim stuff happening, and sign up to support our Mishloach Manot, and to help deliver-- all the info is here.
And finally, something very close to my heart--my father's new book has just been published by the Jewish Publication Society, and I just got my copy (ok, copies--I ordered ten) yesterday. The book is called Choosing Hope: The Heritage of Judaism, and is about Judaism as a resource for hope. I'll be emceeing a Zoom booklaunch for him in conversation with Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz Wednesday evening March 2 at 6:30pm central. Along with a 40% discount promo code, details to register are here.
May we all stay safe and healthy, and I hope to see you soon.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Noah Arnow
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 (but not on Jewish holidays)
Friday evenings when not in person one hour before candle lighting
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.
Friday nights when in person and Shabbat mornings
Fridays, 6pm
Saturdays, 9:30am
Click the link below, then click the triangular "play" buttom:
tinyurl.com/KR-Streaming
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.”
Fri, April 26 2024
18 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
Fri, April 26 2024 18 Nisan 5784