Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Arnow 8/19/2022 8/19/2022
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
In a conversation yesterday with someone preparing for a b'nai mitzvah, I was asked, "If the Torah didn't really happen, then why do we pray to it?"
We talked about that how we don't exactly pray "to" the Torah (although the respect we give the Torah whenever we take it out certainly does lend that impression).
But the question remains, if the stories of creation and the flood and Joseph and his brothers and the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and Bilaam and the talking donkey, and so much else, are not historical, then why do we take the Torah so seriously?
It's the right question. And there are a lot of answers.
Some of us believe that these things did happen, that the Torah is true.
Or, maybe the Torah is rooted in things that really happened, but that were expanded and mythologized and exaggerated.
And there are many other possible responses.
Here's one way I've been thinking about it recently: The Torah toggles back and forth between reality (the world as it is) and the ideal (the world as it should be).
So much of Genesis (and the stories or narrative portions of the Torah) show how people live and act, in reality, while still perhaps aspiring to the ideal.
The legal sections envision an ideal society from the perspective of the people and world at the time of the Torah. Much of that is still inspiring for us today. And some needs adjustment based on how what we understand as ideal has evolved.
Studying Torah, thus, is an act of analyzing the gaps between reality, an ancient ideal and new ideals.
What do you think about this way of understanding Torah and Torah study? What did I get right and what did I miss?
Today at noon on Zoom, we'll be looking Deuteronomy 10:17, in a class I'm calling, "The Great, Might, and Awesome God Who Does Not Take Bribes." Join us!
At 6pm, we'll have mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat and maariv in the chapel. Join us to sing and welcome Shabbat.
Candle lighting is at 7:32pm.
Tomorrow morning shul will be at 9:30am in the sanctuary. Tot Shabbat will be at 10:30am.
Mincha will be at 7:20pm, and Shabbat ends at 8:31pm.
A couple of notes for September:
Beginning September 10, we'll be moving the start of Saturday morning services back to 9:00am, as it used to be, in order to add back into the service a complete Pesukei D'Zimra (the verses of praise and psalms that begin the morning prayers) as well as repetition of the Shacharit Amida, and Ashrei and Ein Keloheinu.
The goal will be to still finish around or before noon.
Also starting in September (September 1!), we'll be moving Thursday morning minyan from Zoom to in-person. Our other weekday minyanim will stay on Zoom. But Thursday mornings, we'll have the full service with Torah reading in the chapel starting at 7am, followed by a little breakfast and some learning. That service will not be Zoomed or livestreamed.
Shabbat shalom and see you in shul,
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 (no streaming if services are at Shaw Park or our courtyard)
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.”
In a conversation yesterday with someone preparing for a b'nai mitzvah, I was asked, "If the Torah didn't really happen, then why do we pray to it?"
We talked about that how we don't exactly pray "to" the Torah (although the respect we give the Torah whenever we take it out certainly does lend that impression).
But the question remains, if the stories of creation and the flood and Joseph and his brothers and the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and Bilaam and the talking donkey, and so much else, are not historical, then why do we take the Torah so seriously?
It's the right question. And there are a lot of answers.
Some of us believe that these things did happen, that the Torah is true.
Or, maybe the Torah is rooted in things that really happened, but that were expanded and mythologized and exaggerated.
And there are many other possible responses.
Here's one way I've been thinking about it recently: The Torah toggles back and forth between reality (the world as it is) and the ideal (the world as it should be).
So much of Genesis (and the stories or narrative portions of the Torah) show how people live and act, in reality, while still perhaps aspiring to the ideal.
The legal sections envision an ideal society from the perspective of the people and world at the time of the Torah. Much of that is still inspiring for us today. And some needs adjustment based on how what we understand as ideal has evolved.
Studying Torah, thus, is an act of analyzing the gaps between reality, an ancient ideal and new ideals.
What do you think about this way of understanding Torah and Torah study? What did I get right and what did I miss?
Today at noon on Zoom, we'll be looking Deuteronomy 10:17, in a class I'm calling, "The Great, Might, and Awesome God Who Does Not Take Bribes." Join us!
At 6pm, we'll have mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat and maariv in the chapel. Join us to sing and welcome Shabbat.
Candle lighting is at 7:32pm.
Tomorrow morning shul will be at 9:30am in the sanctuary. Tot Shabbat will be at 10:30am.
Mincha will be at 7:20pm, and Shabbat ends at 8:31pm.
A couple of notes for September:
Beginning September 10, we'll be moving the start of Saturday morning services back to 9:00am, as it used to be, in order to add back into the service a complete Pesukei D'Zimra (the verses of praise and psalms that begin the morning prayers) as well as repetition of the Shacharit Amida, and Ashrei and Ein Keloheinu.
The goal will be to still finish around or before noon.
Also starting in September (September 1!), we'll be moving Thursday morning minyan from Zoom to in-person. Our other weekday minyanim will stay on Zoom. But Thursday mornings, we'll have the full service with Torah reading in the chapel starting at 7am, followed by a little breakfast and some learning. That service will not be Zoomed or livestreamed.
Shabbat shalom and see you in shul,
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 (no streaming if services are at Shaw Park or our courtyard)
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.”
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.
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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
Sun, May 4 2025 6 Iyyar 5785