Dear Kol Rinah Family,
Lots of info in this email--read to the end!
There are few holidays as weather-dependent as Sukkot. In that regard, we here in St. Louis have indeed been blessed. Sukkot has felt autumnal, but even for being late in the season, it has been mercifully temperate and other than a few sprinkles midday yesterday, entirely dry.
I've enjoyed sitting, eating and drinking outside in our sukkah at home. Being outside has felt calming and healing.
Joyce Olshan mentioned in shul the first day of Sukkot this beautiful article by our former member Joanie Terrizzi, who lives now in Asheville, NC. After Hurricane Helene pummeled Asheville, Joanie wrote about why she was not building a sukkah this year.
Her article, and so much more, makes me think about how much actually must go right for us build and then "dwell" in our sukkot.
Here's an incomplete list:
The building materials have to be available and we have to be able to afford them.
We have to have the physical, emotional and and mental capability to construct the sukkah, or we must have some very helpful helpers.
We need the space to build a sukkah.
We need the mobility to get out to the sukkah, the strength and balance to bring out our food and drink (or again, much help).
The weather must be cooperative, so as not to make being the sukkah painful and overly unpleasant. If it's raining or very wet, for example, we're exempt from sitting in the sukkah.
We have to be home, or near enough to an available sukkah that's not ours, and not traveling or at work during mealtimes.
We need to be healthy enough to be eating meals, healthy enough to not be confined to bed; we need to not be in the hospital.
We need to not be people in aninut--the first stage of mourning, that goes from when we hear about the death of someone close to us until the burial. People in aninut are exempt from all the positive mitzvot, including dwelling in the sukkah.
The sukkah is a reminder of fragility; as Joanie notes, there are times we need that reminder. There are other times we decidely do not need that reminder.
But it's also a sign of joy and an expression of gratitude--being outside when you can be, when the stars (and clouds) and our bodies and schedules and everything all align can be deeply joyous, connecting, and lovely. It can be a thanksgiving.
I am feeling that fragility as well as that gratitude this year, both very strongly.
A reminder (third of three times this season) about Eruv Tavshilin!
Usually, one is permitted to cook on a festival day only for that day, and not for the next day. However, since Shabbat comes right on the heels of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, we are permitted to cook on Simchat Torah (Friday) to prepare food for Shabbat, as long as we begin our preparations before the festival begins, by making what is called an eruv tavshilin. Click here for instructions.
We will not have minyan on Zoom again until Sunday morning.
Wednesday night and Thursday is the first yahrzeit October 7. That means it's the anniversary on the Jewish calendar of the attack on Israel. It can be confusing as to why some people are saying the yahrzeit is on Simchat Torah and others are saying it's on Shemini Atzeret.
In Israel, because they only observe one day of a holiday, Wednesday night and Thursday is both Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah--it all happens on one day. That's also the way communities in diaspora who only observe one day of holiday do it, including most Reform synagogues, and they all tend to default to calling it Simchat Torah.
Most Conservative and Orthodox synagogues in the diaspora (including Kol Rinah) observe two days of (most) holidays, and so we have Shemini Atzeret Wednesday night and Thursday, and then Simchat Torah Thursday night and Friday. So, for us, the yahrzeit will be on Shemini Atzeret, not Simchat Torah.
In recognition of that, I'll be speaking before Yizkor tonight and tomorrow morning about the yahrzeit, and about Geshem, the prayer for rain which we say on Shemini Atzeret. We'll add an extra stanza of Geshem written in commemoration of October 7 by Cantor Hinda Eisen Labovitz.
In Yizkor, we'll recite, as we did on Yom Kippur, an El Maleh Rachamim (memorial prayer) for those who were killed on October 7.
On Simchat Torah, our first hakafah (our first circling with the Torah), both in the evening and the morning, will be silent, perhaps with some quieter singing towards the end. After that first hakafah, we will sing and dance with joy, because as a community, we sometimes need to be happy too. I'm grateful that the band Shakshuka will be with us Thursday evening.
Here's the full end of holidays schedule:
Hoshana Rabba/Erev Shemini Atzeret – Wednesay, October 23
5:45 pm Mincha, Festival Maariv/Yizkor
5:53pm - candle lighting
Shemini Atzeret (Erev Simchat Torah) – Thursday, October 24
9:00 am Festival Shacharit
10:45 am approx. Yizkor, followed by Geshem (prayer for rain)
5:30 pm Simchat Torah Dinner
6:15 pm Maariv, Simchat Torah Hakafot and Dancing, with music from Shakshuka!
(6:52pm - candle lighting)
Simchat Torah – Friday, October 25
9:00 am Shacharit with Hakafot and Dancing
(5:51pm - candle lighting)
Shabbat Breisheet--Saturday, October 26 at 9:00 am
(6:52pm - Shabbat ends)
I'm excited that my friend Pastor Carlos Smith of Refresh Community Church (formerly known as The Journey Hanley Road) will be giving the sermon this morning (about 11:15am). Come hear from him and welcome him! He'll be speaking about "Am I My Brother's Keeper?"
And very specially, on Saturday, kiddush will be sponsored by Marian Katz in honor of her birthday, which was a couple of weeks ago!
As we know, elections are coming soon. Our Tzedek Committee has put together some fantastic non-partisan election resources on voting, finding about what's on your ballot (including all the various amendments and propositions), and ways to volunteer to serve as an election judge, and more.
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, who have now been in captivity 383 days.
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.
Chag Sameach, 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