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October 4, 2019 - Rabbi Shafrin

Dear Kol Rinah Family,
 
This e-mail contains much Important Shabbat and Yom Kippur Information!  Please read to the end.

I want to first thank everyone who joined us this year for Rosh Hashanah, especially those of you who volunteered, who set up the rooms, who were greeters, ushers, davenners, kids' progam leaders, or just extra kind and helpful individuals. A special thank you to Stanley and Judy Allen for providing the apples and plums during the holidays. We could not have starting our year on such a high note without all of you.

Here are the sermons that Rabbi Arnow and I gave on the 1st and 2nd days of Rosh Hashanah, respecively:

Rabbi Arnow's Rosh Hashanah Sermon 
Rabbi Shafrin's Rosh Hashanah Sermon   

This Sunday, we will be holding our annual Tashlich program at 9:30 am at Tilles Park (please note the change in location from last year). We will meet by the small lake in the park to do some singing, shofar sounding, and a casting away of all our sins! Afterward, our KoREH students and parents will continue with a special learning program in the park, and our younger members are invited to stay and play at the many fantastic playgrounds and play areas in Tilles Park.



Yom Kippur is often look at as one of the most solemn, holy days on the Jewish calendar, but I have often thought of it as a holiday of great inner joy. It is Shabbat Shabbaton, a day of complete rest, in which we not only stop our work and activities, but we stop everything that takes up our time as people, even meeting basic physical needs, in order to focus solely on our spiritual needs.

During the 25 hours of Yom Kippur, from Tuesday evening until Wednesday evening this year, we observe certain restrictions in order to focus on the inner work of resolving to be the best versions of ourselves in the year to come. We typically refrain from eating and drinking, bathing, annointing ourselves in pleasant smells (perfume, cologne, etc.), sexual activity, and wearing leather products. Many people will also wear white clothing or a white kitel (a long, linen robe) as a symbol of both humility and their intension to start the year as pure, clean, and error-free as possible.

While fasting and observing the restrictions of Yom Kippur is a mitzvah for those over the age of b'nai mitzvah, everyone needs to be sure that they take care of their health during the holiday. If you are feeling unwell or have medical conditions that make fasting unsafe or unhealthy, please make sure you take whatever actions are necessary to stay healthy.
 
And now for the details! -
 
Tonight, Kabbalat Shabbat services will be in the chapel at 6:00 pm.  It’s First Fridays for Families tonight, so we hope you will all join us for some upbeat Shabbat excitement.  Candle lighting is at 6:21 pm.  We hope you'll spend this first Shabbat of the year with us! 
 
Saturday morning, we’ll have services in the social hall upstairs.  Torah Talk with Rabbi Arnow at 10:10am will be in the Sara Myers Community Room.  Mincha will be at 5:15 pm, and Shabbat ends at 7:17 pm. 
 
All the High Holiday information you might need is on our website here .  
 
Please bring the nametags you received in the mail with your High Holiday information packets to services and wear them throughout the holiday. As a community, we value both our ability to help people get to know one another and to keep everyone safe in the building, and these nametags help immensely with both.

Yom Kippur begins this coming Tuesday evening, October 8, with our Kol Nidrei service.  Mincha before the festival will start at 6:00 pm, followed by Kol Nidrei and Ma'ariv. The fast begins at 6:15 pm.  We ask that anyone who is able to bring non-perisable food items to donate to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry before the beginning of Kol Nidrei. There will be a collection bin near the front doors of the shul.
 
Wednesday morning, October 9, services begin at 9:00 am, and will continue throughout the day, with a break from about 2:30-4:15 pm.  As we did last year, we’ll have a service in the lower auditorium with musical instruments that will not do the full liturgy for shacharit during Yom Kippur, as well as a shacharit service upstairs that will more closely follow each page.  We’ll be all together for the Torah (with a family musical experience at 10:45 am simultaneous to the Torah service) in the sanctuary.  We will also be together for the Yizkor service, which will begin at about 11:40 am. We will then move downstairs for musaf together, followed by an amazing niggun session led by our friends at Ashreinu. Mincha will begin at 4:15 pm, followed by Ne'ilah and ma'ariv, also downstairs in the Mirowitz auditorium. If you would like to participate in the final sounding of the shofar at the end of Ne'ilah, please bring a shofar with you to Ne'ilah services.

The fast will end at 7:12 pm, followed by our break fast upstairs in the social hall. If you have not signed up for the break fast and would like to be there, please sign up by clicking the link here or calling Nancy in the office (314-727-1747).
 
A full schedule of services is available here .  
 
We also have exciting classes on Rosh Hashanah themes being offered the mornings of the holiday.  Descriptions are available here .  Thank you so much to all of our teachers!   
 
Information for kids’ programming is here .  
 
Most important, please be kind, warm, friendly and patient throughout your time here during the Days of Awe.  We will have many guests and others here for the first time, checking us out.  The most important thing you can do is smile, say “hello” and “g'mar chatima tova,” and offer help to anyone who looks like they may need it—help finding a seat, a book, a page; it may be someone older who needs a hand, or child who needs a little help, or parents of small kids.
 
Feel free to bring an appropriate book to shul to read—nothing wrong with that! 
Kids are always welcome in services!  But they should either be in adult services, youth programming or with a parent or guardian.  Please do not have your children roaming free without your supervision. 

Please refrain from wearing strong perfume or cologne, as some people have allergies. 

Please keep all cellphones and other portable electronic devices off or on silent and put away within the building on Shabbat and holidays. 

I wish you again a wonderful start to what I hope will be a fantastic year —Shabbat Shalom and G'mar Chatima Tova
 
See you in shul!
Rabbi Scott Shafrin
Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784