Dear Kol Rinah Family,
First, an important minyan reminder: during summertime, people are away sometimes, and it can be harder to make minyan. If you can join us on Zoom (schedule and links at the bottom of this email) for minyan, your presence will be appreciated by everyone, especially those saying Kaddish.
Also, Thursday, July 4, as usual, we'll have minyan in person in the Guller Chapel. But not at 7am, but rather at 8am, as it's a national holiday!
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What do we do when we're angry and despondent, about something in our own lives, or about the state of the union, the situation in Israel and Gaza, the world?
God has one of those moments in this week's Torah portion, Shelach Lecha (Numbers 13-15), which has the story of the spies. Basically, the Israelites send scouts to check out the Promised Land, and two (Joshua and Caleb) come back with a good report, and the other ten say it's great, but we'll never be able to conquer it. The people go into crisis, railing against Moses, Aaron and God.
God says to Moses that God will destroy this people and make of Moses a bigger (and presumably more faithful) nation.
Instead of going along with this, Moses reminds God of the consequences (other peoples will think God is powerless, doesn't keep promises, and is violent toward God's own people), and then Moses repeats God's own words back at God: "The Lord! slow to anger and abounding in kindness; forgiving inquity and transgression; yet not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of parents upon children, upon the third and fourth generations." (You might know this in Hebrew--Adon-ai, Adon-ai, el rachum v'chanun...) Moses then says, "Pardon, I pray, the inquity of this people, according to Your great kindnesss, as You have forgiven this people ever since Egypt." God pardons them, but also swears that none of those who saw the miracles and then disobeyed will enter the Promised Land.
We all--even God--sometimes need reminders about who we are, to reconnect to what really matters to us, to our core identity, at moments of great frustration.
The result is a recommitment to core values (remaining faithful to the Israelites), but also, sometimes, a change in course (not going straight to the Promised Land, but rather, forty years of wandering first).
This takes someone else, oftentimes. God needs Moses. Sometimes a partner, a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend, a colleague, or a therapist, can help. Who talks you down from your hardest moments? Who do you do that for? Eventually, we can sometimes even learn to do it for ourselves too.
And what's got you so frustrated right now that you need to be reminded who you are?
This Shabbat at Kol Rinah, we'll celebrate Pride Shabbat. As a Jewish community, we're not marching together at the Pridefest Parade downtown on Sunday. We've been advised that there are some safety concerns.
As you probably know, queer spaces have often not felt welcoming or safe since October 7 to Jews. This makes it all the more important to celebrate Pride Shabbat here at Kol Rinah. I hope you'll join us tonight and tomorrow.
Tonight at 6pm, I'll be leading mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv. We'll use a couple of melodies from A Queer Nigun Project that you can listen to here. Please come sing with us!
Candle lighting is at 8:12pm.
Tomorrow morning, we'll start at 9am.
Will Soll will be leading Torah Talk starting about 10:10am. Here's the teaser: "FAILURE TO LAUNCH This week's parsha (and the complementary account in Deuteronomy 1) tells the story of the disastrous expedition where scouts are sent ahead to reconnoiter the land of Canaan. The episode constitutes, the low point of Israel's time in the wilderness. What exactly has gone wrong here, and who's to blame?"
Our member Zoya Neidricher will be giving the sermon for Pride Shabbat (about 11:15am).
A Pride-themed kiddush will follow.
Shabbat ends at 9:18pm.
For more and collected Israel information, see this page on our website, as well as the Jewish Federation of St. Louis's Israel Resources page.
Every Shabbat and festival morning, we are still reciting a prayer for the State of Israel, a prayer for Israel Defense Forces soldiers, and a prayer for hostages.
May the one who makes peace in the heavens make peace over us, and over all Israel, and over all who dwell in the world.
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)
Morning Minyan on Zoom
Monday-Wednesday and Friday mornings at 7am; Sunday mornings and national holidays at 8am (not including Jewish holidays)
(Please note that Thursday morning minyan is now being held in-person at 7am (8am on national holidays) and is not on Zoom)
Friday nights and Shabbat mornings
Fridays, 6pm in the chapel (no streaming)
Saturdays, 9:00am (9:30am when we are doing our musical Kol Chadash service)
Click the link below, for the stream, as well as for additional instructions:
https://www.kolrinahstl.org/kr-streaming
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Phone: 314-727-1747