Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Shafrin 7/8/2022
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
In this week's Torah portion, Parashat Chukkat, we encounter the laws concerning the cleansing and sanctification of holy spaces. I invite you to look at the details of the sections on the parah adumah (blemishless red heifer needed for these rituals) in more detail, as it is a fascinating window inside the spirtual universe of the ancient Jewish People, but one thing stands out: the majority of the ritual uses the blood of this animal as a way to purify the various ritual spaces and objects needed of the religious life of the people journeying through the wilderness.
While it may seem ghastly and upsetting to us, as we read these texts through our own experience of modern life, to use animal sacrifices as a means of spiritual connection, this ritual points to a deep understanding of our connection with the world, namely that the life force which animates all of us is precious and holy. Just as Jewish texts routinely refer to blood as a sacred thing, not to be spilt unnecessarily, not to be consumed when eating the meat of a once living creature, and elevated to the level of ritual necessity, so to does our tradition seek to teach us the utter preciousness of the lives of living, breathing creatures throughout our world.
Just as the blood of the red heifer could help to create the ritual life of ancient Israel, so too can we donate small amounts of our own spark of life give health, hope, and life to others.
Next Tuesday, July 12, from 4:00-7:00 pm, Kol Rinah will again be host to a blood drive which will benefit people throughout the region and save lives. A piece of your own sacred life force could be the thing that helps many others heal, recover, and survive what would be life-threatening injuries or illnesses.
We still have a few spots left, and I hope that you will be able to step up, take a slot, and make time to donate blood. It is one of the few things you can do that we know will have an immediate impact on the health and wellbeing of your friends, neighbors, and community members. To sign up for a slot, click the link shared below:
https://login.bloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/116995
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Scott Shafrin
--
We need YOUR help to do a mitzvah! We still have slots available so please register here for our blood drive.
We will be having Torah Talk today on Zoom at noon! I will be leading Torah Talk focusing on the death of Miriam, the disappearance of her well, the struggle for a Jewish future, and the linked consequences for Moses and Aaron. There's a whole lot to discuss, and I can't wait to learn with all of you!
This Friday night we will be having our 2nd Kabbalat Shabbat in the Park, weather permitting, at 6:00 pm in the gazebo in Shaw Park where we have gathered previously for Shabbat and near where we had our Lag Ba'Omer event. There will be no livestream for Friday night, but everyone is invited to join us as we bring in Shabbat together with some fantastic energy and wonderful singing n a slightly! We also invite folks to bring dinner and eat outside with us after services. If the weather is dangerous, we will send out an email tomorrow to relocate services back to Kol Rinah.
Tomorrow morning, our service for Shabbat morning will begin in our sanctuary at 9:30 am. They can be livestreamed using the special livestream link below for Shabbat morning services.
Mincha/Ma'ariv services will NOT be held this Shabbat afternoon
Candle Lighting Friday night is at 8:10 pm
Parshah: Chukat
Torah Reading: Numbers 19:1-22:1
Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33
Dessert Kiddush to follow services
Mincha/Maariv: CANCELLED
Havdalah: 9:13 pm
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-Thursday 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.
Kabbalat Shabbat/Shabbat morning ( tinyurl.com/KR-Streaming )
Fridays at 6:00pm, Saturdays at 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 the service officially begins, there will a filler screen, but livestreamed video and sound will both start before the start of the service.
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.”
In this week's Torah portion, Parashat Chukkat, we encounter the laws concerning the cleansing and sanctification of holy spaces. I invite you to look at the details of the sections on the parah adumah (blemishless red heifer needed for these rituals) in more detail, as it is a fascinating window inside the spirtual universe of the ancient Jewish People, but one thing stands out: the majority of the ritual uses the blood of this animal as a way to purify the various ritual spaces and objects needed of the religious life of the people journeying through the wilderness.
While it may seem ghastly and upsetting to us, as we read these texts through our own experience of modern life, to use animal sacrifices as a means of spiritual connection, this ritual points to a deep understanding of our connection with the world, namely that the life force which animates all of us is precious and holy. Just as Jewish texts routinely refer to blood as a sacred thing, not to be spilt unnecessarily, not to be consumed when eating the meat of a once living creature, and elevated to the level of ritual necessity, so to does our tradition seek to teach us the utter preciousness of the lives of living, breathing creatures throughout our world.
Just as the blood of the red heifer could help to create the ritual life of ancient Israel, so too can we donate small amounts of our own spark of life give health, hope, and life to others.
Next Tuesday, July 12, from 4:00-7:00 pm, Kol Rinah will again be host to a blood drive which will benefit people throughout the region and save lives. A piece of your own sacred life force could be the thing that helps many others heal, recover, and survive what would be life-threatening injuries or illnesses.
We still have a few spots left, and I hope that you will be able to step up, take a slot, and make time to donate blood. It is one of the few things you can do that we know will have an immediate impact on the health and wellbeing of your friends, neighbors, and community members. To sign up for a slot, click the link shared below:
https://login.bloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/116995
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Scott Shafrin
--
We need YOUR help to do a mitzvah! We still have slots available so please register here for our blood drive.
We will be having Torah Talk today on Zoom at noon! I will be leading Torah Talk focusing on the death of Miriam, the disappearance of her well, the struggle for a Jewish future, and the linked consequences for Moses and Aaron. There's a whole lot to discuss, and I can't wait to learn with all of you!
This Friday night we will be having our 2nd Kabbalat Shabbat in the Park, weather permitting, at 6:00 pm in the gazebo in Shaw Park where we have gathered previously for Shabbat and near where we had our Lag Ba'Omer event. There will be no livestream for Friday night, but everyone is invited to join us as we bring in Shabbat together with some fantastic energy and wonderful singing n a slightly! We also invite folks to bring dinner and eat outside with us after services. If the weather is dangerous, we will send out an email tomorrow to relocate services back to Kol Rinah.
Tomorrow morning, our service for Shabbat morning will begin in our sanctuary at 9:30 am. They can be livestreamed using the special livestream link below for Shabbat morning services.
Mincha/Ma'ariv services will NOT be held this Shabbat afternoon
Candle Lighting Friday night is at 8:10 pm
Parshah: Chukat
Torah Reading: Numbers 19:1-22:1
Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33
Dessert Kiddush to follow services
Mincha/Maariv: CANCELLED
Havdalah: 9:13 pm
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-Thursday 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.
Kabbalat Shabbat/Shabbat morning ( tinyurl.com/KR-Streaming )
Fridays at 6:00pm, Saturdays at 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 the service officially begins, there will a filler screen, but livestreamed video and sound will both start before the start of the service.
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.”
Sun, May 4 2025
6 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
Reserve/Purchase
Call the Office to Sponsor a Kiddush
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
Sun, May 4 2025 6 Iyyar 5785