Bim-Bam to Telepathy to Jewish Women in America

Dear Haverim:

*Tomorrow, Friday, December 5^th

-5:30 p.m., Veggie-Dairy, Child-friendly Shabbat POTLUCK, CBS Lower Level.  We will be welcoming new friends from the JCC Early Childhood Center who have yet to affiliate with a synagogue, plus AEA friends, and our CBS Hebrew School lower grades.

-6:30 p.m., Tot-Shabbat Pre-Chanukah Themed Shabbat Services.  Bring your Bimmers and Bammers, be prepared for a Dinosaur Knockin’ At Your Door, and a lot of guitar strumming.  Cantor Elisa and I will prepare our dramatic rendering of PJ Library’s The Chanukah Bear.  If you are a Shabbat “regular,” we will want you on hand to greet our new-comers and help them feel welcome.

*Saturday, December 6^th

-8:45 a.m., Lay-Led Torah Study w/Michele Weiner, Atrium.

-9:30 a.m., Shabbat services.  We will celebrate the aufruf  of Hillary Jacobs and Eric Rosen.  (This is a very meaningful life cycle event as I officiated at Eric’s Confirmation).  Guest darshanit: Tal Eyal, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Psychology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev.  Her topic: How to Seem Telepathic: Maximizing Your Intuition in All Aspects of Your Life.  In this very challenging time in the Middle East, attending this lecture (which will begin during services and continue over an Israeli-themed lunch), is a concrete way of showing support for the State of Israel.

*Sunday, December 7^th

-9:00 a.m., Morning Minyan

-10:00 a.m., Hebrew School Meets at JCC.  Community-wide Chanukah-themed Jewish education and social action program, and great food!

-12 noon, Kraft Education Foundation Bagels, Nosh & Lecture. Featuring Professor Hasia Diner, of New York University.  Her topic: A History of their Own: Jewish Women in America.  Dr. Diner will take us on a journey of the Jewish women who helped build our communities and our country.

Please join us for the music, celebrations, and learning this weekend at Congregation Beth Shalom

Rabbi Michael

Is Thanksgiving Kosher? to Giving Thanks-A Jewish Pasttime

Dear Haverim:

*Tomorrow, Thursday, November 27,

9 am, Thanksgiving Day Morning Minyan.  Note late start time.  If you suspect any difficulties with the roads tomorrow making it necessary to cancel services, please call the “chai” line, 302-654-4462 EXT. 18, or consult radio station WDEL, for clarification.  Assume we WILL need a minyan, so all being safe, please attend.  We will conclude with a special Thanksgiving Day prayer.

*Friday, November 28

-7:30 a.m., Community Morning Minyan @ AKSE. Please help them achieve a minyan.

-6:30 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat @ Congregation Beth Shalom (no Happy Hour).  Sermon topic: A Historical Look at Thanksgiving from Washington to Lincoln to the Practices of “Ha Rav” – Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik – or, “IS Thanksgiving Kosher?”

*Saturday, November 29

-8:45 a.m., Torah study in the atrium

-9:30 a.m., Shabbat services.  We celebrate President Ralph Downard and Lori Barbanel’s birthdays with a festive Kiddush lunch.  Sermon topic: Parshat VaYeitzei-A Thanksgiving Connection or GRATITUDE is our Middle Name.

Wishing you a happy and kosher Thanksgiving!

Rabbi Michael

From New Member Celebrations to Thanksgiving Celebrations

Dear Haverim:

*Tomorrow, Friday, November 21

-6:30 p.m. New Members Shabbat (following 5:30 pm for those who reserved for dinner). D’var Torah: Parshat Toldot: Lessons from a Jewish Mother: Learning to Ask the Right Questions. Dessert oneg following services, OPEN TO ALL, so you can begin asking fellow congregants those “right questions.”

*Saturday, November 22

-8:45 a.m. Torah Study led by Nelly Forwood.  This is Nelly’s first time leading so come join her in the CBS Conference Room. Coffee cake, tea and coffee will be on hand.

-9 a.m. Shabbat Buddy Meet-and-Greet in Atrium.

-9:45 a.m. Shabbat Buddy Shabbat.  In an effort to implement a third part of our Strategic Plan, we are launching a new program to create stronger bridges between our Hebrew School and Shabbat Worship communities.  Today’s service will feature our Hebrew School students sitting side-by-side with Shabbat regulars, in a prayer and learning atmosphere, with brief divrei tefillah accompanying the key prayers students are learning this semester.  Cantor Elisa will be our darshanit.  Her topic: The Purpose of Prayer.

*Sunday, November 23

-9 a.m. – Morning Minyan (No Hebrew School this Sunday or next, so please make a point of attending Morning Minyan so we achieve a quorum of ten).

*Tuesday, November 25 – Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration

@ Hanover Church (across the street from Congregation Beth Shalom)

-5:30 p.m. – Veggie/Dairy Potluck (to accommodate Jewish and Muslim participants)

-6:30 p.m. – Interfaith Musical Service

*Thursday, November 27, 9 a.m. – Thanksgiving Morning Minyan (note later start time for Federal Holiday)

Come for the learning, singing and fellowship this Shabbat at Congregation Beth Shalom!

Rabbi Michael

From Jazz Concert to Cantor's Concert:Making Jewish Music Cool

Dear Haverim:

*Tomorrow, Friday, November 7,

-6:30 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat, (6 p.m. Happy Hour).  We begin the celebration of Samantha Lipson’s bat mitzvah.  Sermon topic: OPEN YOUR EYES TO HAPPINESS.

-8:00 p.m., JazzPhest2014/Shabbat services, a cooperative venture between the Kraft Education Foundation, the Consulate of Israel, and Congregation Beth Emeth AT Congregation Beth Emeth, 300 W. Lea Blvd. We have designed CBS’ Shabbat service so you can celebrate with Samantha and still make this Israeli Jazz musical Shabbat experience.

*Saturday, November 8

-8:45 a.m., Lay-Led Torah study with Jerry Simonowitz, atrium.

-9:30 a.m., Shabbat services. Samantha  Lipson’s bat mitzvah celebration continues.  Her drash: Vayera: Say Little Do Much-WHY Don’t We Live By This Rule? The Lipson’s will host Shabbat Lunch following services – all are invited.

*Sunday, November 9

-9 a.m., Morning Minyan & Hebrew School

-10 a.m., Men’s Club brunch featuring published couples specialist Debra Laino.

Looking ahead . . .

*Sunday, November 16, 3:30 p.m., CANTOR’S CONCERT featuring our own beloved cantor in concert with her beloved sister, Cantor Shoshana Abrams Kaikov of Congregation Ahava Shalom of Ft. Worth, Texas., with guest appearance by Cantor Mark Stanton of Congregation Beth Emeth.

Enjoy the sweet sounds of Shabbat this weekend and beyond – both at Congregation Beth Shalom, at Congregation Beth Emeth, and back at Congregation Beth Shalom once again.

Shabbat shalom !

Rabbi Michael

From Scary to Dramatic

Dear Haverim,

*Tomorrow, Friday, October 31, 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat (6 pm happy hour). COME TRICK-OR-TREATING @ CBS (Costumes optional).  I have brought delicious snacks – all hegshered, some healthy, others Hershey, for all guests who come to services tonight. Sermon topic: Reconciling Halloween with Judaism: Scary Jewish texts provided. Also come celebrate the beginning of Kayla Saliman’s bat mitzvah.

*Saturday, November 1

-8:45 a.m. Rabbi-led Torah study in the chapel, as I introduce you to Midrashic texts and Rashi commentaries on Parshat Lech L’cha.

-9:30 a.m.  Shabbat services in the Sanctuary. We will continue Kayla Saliman’s bat mitzvah celebration.  Her topic: EMBRACING THE DRAMA: A Thespian’s Take on Lech L’cha.

*Sunday, November 2

-9 a.m. Morning Minyan & Family Ed Day @ Hebrew School

-10 a.m. Book club discusses A Jewish Feminine Mystique, by Dina Hasia, CBS Library.

Come join us for all the scares, thrills, drama, davening and intellectual stimulation this weekend at Congregation Beth Shalom!

--Rabbi Michael

Noah and Baseball

Dear Haverim:

     *Tomorrow, Friday, October 23:

         -7:30 a.m. - Please note that Rosh Hodesh Morning Minyan services will be held at Congregation Beth Shalom this week, NOT ASKE.

         -6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat services (6 p.m. Happy Hour).  We will celebrate the beginning of Scott Lehrfeld's bar mitzvah.  My dvar Torah will link our recent Halina Preston Holocaust Education Committee's INTERFAITH VISIT to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum with Parshat Noah.  It was a remarkable visit and there was a real sense of alliance-building across religion and race which is filled with great promise.

     *Saturday, October 24:

       -8:45 a.m., Lay-led Torah study in the atrium with Michele Weiner.

       -9:30 a.m., Shabbat services as Scott Lehrfeld's bar mitzvah study continues! Scott's drash will be "A Baseball Fanatic's Guide to Parshat Noah."  Watch Scott hit a real home run (I couldn't resist).

         Shabbat shalom,

         Rabbi Michael

Yom Kippur 5775

Dear Haverim,

     It is with a full heart that I wish you all a meaningful, introspective fast.  I hope that the time we spend together over this Friday night and all day Saturday will elevate you and inspire you.  Cantor Elisa, the choir and I will provide the setting, but alas, only you can do the real soul-work.  I hope you will look back on your 25-hour fast with a sense of satisfaction and purpose, with real hope for self-improvement, and world-improvement in the year ahead.

*Tonight, Friday night, October 3, services start at 6:22 p.m.

*Tomorrow, Saturday, October 4, services start at 9:00 a.m.  The final tekiah gedolah will be sounded at 7:22 p.m.  BYOS – Bring Your Own Shofar, so you can echo my shofar blast with your own!

--Remember to bring your High Holy Day tickets with you for both services to your entrance into the building.

Please remember that you are all cordially invited to our Beals Family Sukkah for desserts, schmoozing and  guitar-led Israeli folk singing (and some 60’s folk songs too) on Sunday, October 12^th at 5 p.m. You will find our address in your beautiful new  Membership Directory.

`May God inscribe us all in the Book of Life for a Healthy, Happy, Peaceful New Year!

Gemar chatima tovah!

Rabbi Michael

From Summer Time to Gratitude

Dear Haverim:

      It is good to be back with you again.  Things are much better for my parents back in California and now I can return my attention to you.

*Tomorrow, Friday, September 12, 8 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat services.  Special time, special theme: “What We did This Summer.”  Join us Frank Levy, Bonnie and Nate Zahn share their experiences on the recent Wilmington Jewish Community congregational trip to Israel.  Bring a food donation with you for the Hanover Food Pantry.

*Saturday, September 13,

-8:45 a.m. Lay-Led Torah Study.

-9:30 a.m. Shabbat services.  D’var Torah subject: Parashat Ki Tavo—What are YOU Grateful For?  We will focus on the subject of gratitude as a fundamental building block of the Jewish faith, and I will ask you to bring a brief GRATITUDE story of your own, designed to inspire others.

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Michael   

From Shabbat Under the Stars to The Jazz Singer

Dear Haverim:

*TOMORROW NIGHT, Friday, August 29, 6:30 pm SHABBAT UNDER THE STARS, JCC Picnic Grounds (Garden of Eden Way, Talleyville),preceded by 5:30 pm candle-lighting, Kiddush, Motzi (we provide candles, grape juice and challah, YOU provide your own veggie/dairy Shabbat dinner).  Debbie Nachlis will join us on her 12-string guitar, and we will have a kid-powered sedra scene  skit in place of the drash.  This is our last outside Shabbat of the summer so please join us, and bring new friends.

*Saturday, August 30, back at Congregation Beth Shalom

8:45 a.m., Lay-led Torah study

9:30 a.m. Shabbat services.  Sermon topic: Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Labor Day Sermon.

*Sunday, August 31, 9 a.m. Morning Minyan – eagerly seeking a minyan!

*Monday, September 1^st, 9 a.m. NOTE special Labor Day late-morning start time.  Please come as Julia Frank dons tefillin for the first time and co-leads the service and chants Torah as part of her bat mitzvah preparation and celebration.

*Tuesday, September 2^nd, 8 p.m., TCM’s The Projected Image: The Jewish Experience on Film.  Tonight: The Jazz Singer (1927), The Jazz Singer (1953) @ 9:45 pm, Hester Street @11:45 pm, and Avalon @ 1:30 a.m..

ABOUT THE FILM SERIES:

TCM proudly presents The Projected Image: The Jewish Experience on Film, a weekly TUESDAY NIGHT showcase of movies focusing on Jewish history and heritage as portrayed on screen. An extension of TCM's popular Race and Hollywood franchise, this showcase features introductions by Dr. Eric Goldman, an expert on Yiddish, Israeli and Jewish film; and founder and president of Ergo Media, a video publishing company specializing in Jewish and Israeli video. Goldman is also the author of The American Jewish Story Through Cinema (2013) and Visions, Images and Dreams: Yiddish Film Past and Present (2011).

:

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Michael

From Shabbat in London to Loads of Lifecycle Events or THIS SHABBAT IS SPONSORED BY THE LETTER "L"

Dear Haverim:

*TONIGHT, Friday, August 22, 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat (6 pm Happy Hour). We round out our Summer Travel Series with Shabbat in London. Kosher scones provided as we explore Jewish history of England, and make friends with Benjamin Disraeli, Gwenneth Paltrow, and speculate if the Kate and William’s boy might be the First Jewish King of England … or not.

*TOMORROW, Saturday, August 23

-8:45 am – Lay-Led Torah Study (NOTE NEW TIME!)* Last week's parshah taught us that "man does not live by bread alone." This week's parshah tells us what we can and cannot put on that bread. Let's compare that to Adam and Eve's permissible diet, and explore how conscious eating is a spiritual endeavor. *We've added 15 minutes to the session, so come at 8:45 a.m. if you can.

-9:30 am – SHABBAT SERVICES. Come celebrate Avery Steffan’s bar mitzvah. Sermon topic: FREE WILL! (I didn’t know Will was captured). Also celebrate Anna Scholl’s Adult Naming Ceremony, Anna and Joey Zahn’s aufruf, and Joey’s birthday – talking about loading up on your simchas!

Please join our community this Shabbat for multiple life cycle celebrations!

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Michael

PS Next Friday night, SHABBAT UNDER THE STARS, JCC Picnic Grounds!!

From Drinking Ouzo to Obeying God

Dear Haverim:

*TOMORROW, August 15, 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat (6 p.m. Happy Hour).  SHABBAT IN GREECE.  Over kosher stuffed grape leaves and Ouzo 12, I will explore the Jewish history of Greece, with some amazing facts about Santorini, as we continue to explore where I went this summer, with a Jewish twist.

*SATURDAY, August 16, 9:30 a.m. Shabbat services.  D’var Torah topic: How Do Post-Modern Jews Cope with Divine Obedience?

Please consider attending our earlier 9 a.m. Lay Led Torah Study.  Questions: What is the nature of the relationship between us and God? Is there something more to offer in this week’s Haftarah? Is there a relationship between faith and unconditional love?

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Michael

From Shabbat in Paris 2 to Shema & Listening Better

Dear Haverim:

*TODAY, Friday, August 8, 8 p.m., SHABBAT IN PARIS 2.

 Come join us as we continue our soiree celebrating French Jewish history, beginning in 1806, with Napoleon’s establishment of the Second Sanhedrin, through Alfred Dreyfus, and France’s first Jewish Prime Minister, Leon Blum, who served both before and after WW2, and was interned in a Concentration Camp between terms. Meet Chagall, Soutine, and Modigliani, all were important Jewish artists in France in the early 20^th century, plus the famous French Jewish actress Sarah Bernhardt. I will share photos from our most recent family trip, including a lovely afternoon in Le Marais, Paris’ Jewish neighborhood. Enjoy kosher French cuisine and wine during the oneg.  Also meet our two Noa’s, serving as shelichot for the JCC over the summer, and learn how YOU can become a host family for JCC’s Israeli shelichim next year.

*TOMORROW, Saturday, August 9, 9:30 a.m. SHABBAT SERVICES. Parshat V’etchanan, features TWO giants in Jewish liturgy: The Ten Commandments  and The Shema.  This week’s sermon is titled, Shema! What Does it Take to REALLY Listen?

Please plan on spending this Shabbat with us at Congregation Beth Shalom.

Merci !

Rabbi Michael

TISHA B'AV 9:30 pm TONIGHT & 9 AM TOMORROW @ CBS

*******************************************************************

9:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Monday, August 4^th, please join us in the Congregation Beth Shalom Chapel for TISHA B’AV.

You will be greeted by candlelight, an empty ark, as we set the tone with the hauntingly beautiful elegiac trope from The Book of Lamentations, Eicha, – the Prophet Jeremiah’s eye-witness account of the Destruction of Jerusalem, in 586 BCE.

In keeping with the tradition of other tragedies which have befallen the Jewish people throughout history on the Ninth of Av, I will share my most recent visit to Clifford’s Tower – The Masada of the North – in York, which was the prelude to the Jews’ Expulsion from England on Tisha B’Av 1290.

9:00 a.m., TOMORROW, Tuesday, August 5^th, TISHA B’AV services continue during Morning Minyan, scheduled for this special later time.

IF YOU ARE IN TOWN, PLEASE JOIN FOR THESE TWO SERVICES

and have a tsom kal – an easy fast

*******************************************************************

Shabbat in Paris, Shiva and Tisha B'Av

Dear Haverim:

*TOMORROW, Friday, August 1, 7:30 a.m. Community Minyan @ AKSE or 9 a.m. Shiva for Michal, 1220 Cheyney Rd., West Chester.

*TOMORROW, Friday, August 1, 6:30 p.m., Shabbat in Paris (6 p.m. Happy Hour).  We will be serving kosher French Camembert cheese and a kosher French Bordeaux wine, set Adon Olam to Le Marseille,  as we explore French Jewish History, all in a salute to places our family visited over the past few weeks.  Wear your favorite beret and prepare to speak in your best French accent. We will also be celebrating August birthdays, so come for the blessing and a chance to lead a reading.

*Saturday, August 2, 9:30 a.m., Shabbat services. Parashat Ha Shevuah: Devarim – The Stories That Guide Us.  Please bring a long a formative  story that helped shaped your family’s values.

*Saturday night, 9 p.m., Shiva for Michal, 1220 Cheyney Rd., West Chester.

*Sunday, August 3, 9 a.m. CBS Morning Minyan or Shiva for Michal, 1220 Cheyney Rd. and Orthodox minyan at 8 p.m.

*Monday, August 4, 7:30 a.m. Morning Minyan @ CBS or 7 a.m.concluding Shiva minyan for Michal @ Chabad.

**9 PM MONDAY NIGHT AUGUST 4 – TISHA B’AV SERVICES @ CBS

Let us join together as we strengthen ourselves as a community, as we lovingly remember Michal Cherrin, Head of School, Albert Einstein Academy, as we remember our national loss of the Temple in Jerusalem, and as we remember the terrible losses of both Israelis and Palestinians in this current conflict.  May ALL their memories be for a blessing, and may peace soon reign supreme.

 

With love,

Rabbi Michael

Michal Cherrin, of blessed memory

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Congregation Beth Shalom is very sad to announce the death of our congregant, Michal Cherrin, 66, our beloved former Head of School of the Albert Einstein Academy, who passed away earlier this morning in New York City.  She is survived by her husband, Tom, two sons, Gili and Daniel, and a very large extended family.  Funeral services will be held this Tuesday, July 29, at 11 a.m., at Congregation Beth Shalom, followed by interment at the Jewish Community Cemetery on Foulk Road.  Shiva will be held July 29-31,Tuesday - Thursday evenings, 8 p.m., August 2, Saturday night at 9:30 p.m., and an Orthodox minyan on August 3, Sunday, at 8 p.m., at the home of Michal Cherrin and Tom Tolin, 1220 Cheyney Road, West Chester, PA 19382, and every weekday morning at the CBS Minyan, at 7:30 a.m. (please made a point of attending CBS Morning Minyan next week to ensure the family has a minyan every day to recite Kaddish.  Note our AKSE-CBS Community Minyan will be meeting at AKSE on Friday, August 1, and our CBS Morning Minyan meets at 9 a.m. on Sunday, August 3.  May God comfort Michal's family along with all the other mourners in Zion and Jerusalem.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Scottish Shabbat and Come Traveling w/Me

Dear Haverim:

     *TONIGHT, July 25^th, 6:30 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat (6 p.m. Happy Hour).  SCOTTISH SHABBAT. Having just got back from our family vacation, I will be dedicating the next three or four Friday night services to the Jewish history of each country we visited, serve food, set the music appropriately, and when appropriate, wear the native dress. So tonight, I will be sporting, and invite you to sport, your best Royal Stuart Tartan – I’ve got a matching kippah and tie.  I will serving kosher Scottish shortbread, and I will have a wee bonnie surprise to serve up here and there.  Prepare to vicariously visit France, Greece, England, and or course, Israel in the weeks ahead.  TONIGHT IS ALSO ANNIVERSARY SHABBAT! I would like to bless our July couples, and give them reading parts in the service.

     *TOMORROW, July 26^th, 9:30 a.m., SHABBAT SERVICES.  This week’s portion is called Mas’ei, and deals with the wanderings of the Jewish people.  I will talk about our recently completed Beth Shalom-ASKE-Beth Emeth trip to Israel, and with a little show and tell, go over some of the highlights of our visit, as well as the political situation, on the ground, as we experienced in “real-time.”  I hope, in the Torah portion’s spirit to recount key moments along our desert wandering, and do the same with this trip.  I am still processing our experiences, so this will be but a glimpse, which I hope to expand upon during Rosh Hashana.

      I am glad to be home.  I missed you all very much and when some of you contacted me during my time away, I hope I dealt lovingly and effectively with the concerns that you brought to my attention.

       Shabbat shalom !

        Rabbi Michael

Shavuot and Faith Journeys

Dear Haverim,

*TONIGHT, Tuesday, June 3, 8 p.m., SHAVUOT Services and Program.  Featured speakers:

        -Ross Cooper

      -Kim Ginsberg

      -Anna Scholl & Joey Zahn

TOPIC: My Faith Journey: A Modern Riff on the Book of Ruth.

These presentations will move you, fill your tank with much-needed spirituality, make you laugh, and maybe even cry (in a good way). We will be featuring imported David’s Cheese Cake (thank you Sarah Andrus). Please attend and show your support for our speakers. After our program we will journey to AKSE to help them make it to midnight in enlightening Talmudic study, led by Rabbi Steven Saks.

*Wednesday, June 4, 9 a.m., Shavuot Services Day I

*Thursday, June 5, 9 a.m., Shavuot Services Day II (incl. Yizkor).

*Friday, June 6 – 7:30 a.m. – Community Minyan at AKSE.

                     6:30 p.m. – Kabbalat Shabbat = June birthday celebrations (preceded by 6 pm. Happy Hour).

*Saturday, June 7 – 9:30 a.m. – Shabbat Services.

Come join us to Celebrate the Receiving of the Torah @ Mt. Sinai.

Rabbi Michael

From Maya Angelou to Shavuot

Dear Haverim,

*TOMORROW MORNING, FRIDAY, May 30, 7:30 am, CELEBRATE!

Our life-long congregant, Frank Levy, has used his recent retirement to strengthen his Torah-reading skills under Cantor Elisa (you can too!).  He will chant Rosh Hodesh Torah for the New Month of Sivan, at CBS!! (Note: we will NOT be holding our community minyan at AKSE that day).  Frank is sponsoring a bagel ‘n lox celebratory breakfast following minyan.

11 a.m., Funeral services for our beloved congregant, Henry Topel, followed by interment and meal of condolence back at CBS.

4 p.m., Shivah Mincha services in memory of Henry Topel, CBS.

6 p.m., Pre-Shabbat Happy Hour.

6:30 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat.  Drash: Maya Angelou, z”l and her Jewish Connections.

*SATUDAY, May 31, 9:30 a.m., Shabbat services (10:15 a.m. Torah service).  Drash: Phenomenal Woman! And the OTHER Women in Parshat Naso – A Salute to Maya Angelou.

*SUNDAY, June 1, 9 a.m. Morning Minyan (we need help making a minyan when Hebrew School is on break).

10 a.m., Graveside funeral services for Bruce Baker (father of congregant Amie Baker), Jewish Community Cemetary, followed by meal of condolence at Siegel JCC.

8 p.m. Shiva services for Bruce Baker¸2300 Riddle Ave., #308 (off Augustine Cutoff).

*MONDAY, June 2, 7:30 a.m., Morning Minyan

8 p.m., Shiva services for Bruce Baker¸2300 Riddle Ave., #308 (off Augustine Cutoff).

*TUESDAY, June 3, 7:30 a.m., Morning Minyan

8 p.m. Shavuot Services. Program: FAITH JOURNEYS.  Old and New Congregants Share their Attraction to Judaism.  If you wish to be inspired and rekindle your Jewish faith, this program is for you!  We will punctuate each speaker with delicious dairy desserts and culminate our study with a visit to AKSE to help them get to midnight.

*WEDNESDAY, June 4, 9 a.m. SHAVUOT SERVICES Day I.

*THURSDAY, June 5, 9 a.m., SHAVUOT SERVICES Day II (including Yizkor).

Please join us as we celebrate Shabbat, Shavuot and the lives of some incredible human beings and the lives they led.

Shabbat shalom and Chag Sameach!

Rabbi Michael

WEEK 7 ― MALCHUT ― SOVEREIGNTY, LEADERSHIP

During the seventh and final week of counting the Omer, we examine and refine the attribute of Malchut ― nobility, sovereignty and leadership. Sovereignty is a state of being rather than an activity. Nobility is a passive expression of human dignity that has nothing of its own except that which it receives from the other six emotions. True leadership is the art of selflessness; it is only a reflection of a Higher will. On the other hand, Malchut manifests and actualizes the character and majesty of the human spirit. It is the very fiber of what makes us human.

Malchut is a sense of belonging. Knowing that you matter and that you make a difference. That you have the ability to be a proficient leader in your own right. It gives you independence and confidence. A feeling of certainty and authority. When a mother lovingly cradles her child in her arms and the child's eyes meet the mother's affectionate eyes, the child receives the message: "I am wanted and needed in this world. I have a comfortable place where I will always be loved. I have nothing to fear. I feel like royalty in my heart." This is Malchut, kingship.

Wednesday, May 28, Day 43 ― Chesed of Malchut: Loving-kindness in Nobility

Healthy sovereignty is always kind and loving. An effective leader needs to be warm and considerate. Does my sovereignty make me more loving? Do I exercise my authority and leadership in a caring manner? Do I impose my authority on others?

Exercise for the day: Do something kind for your subordinates

Thursday, May 29, Day 44 ― Gevurah of Malchut: Discipline in Nobility

Although sovereignty is loving, it needs to be balanced with discipline. Effective leadership is built on authority and discipline. There is another factor in the discipline of sovereignty: determining the area in which you have jurisdiction and authority.

Do I recognize when I am not an authority? Do I exercise authority in unwarranted situations? Am I aware of my limitations as well as my strengths? Do I respect the authority of others?

Exercise for the day: Before taking an authoritative position on any given issue, pause and reflect if you have the right and the ability to exercise authority in this situation.

Friday, May 30, Day 45 ― Tiferet of Malchut: Compassion in Nobility

A good leader is a compassionate one. Is my compassion compromised because of my authority? Do I realize that an integral part of dignity is compassion? Tiferet ― harmony ― is critical for successful leadership. Do I manage a smooth-running operation? Am I organized? Do I give clear instructions to my subordinates? Do I have difficulty delegating power? Do we have frequent staff meetings to coordinate our goals and efforts?

Exercise for the day: Review an area where you wield authority and see if you can polish it up and increase its effectiveness by curtailing excesses and consolidating forces.

Shabbat, May 31, Day 46 ― Netzach of Malchut: Endurance in Nobility

A person's dignity and a leader's success are tested by his endurance level. Will and determination reflect the power and majesty of the human spirit. How determined am I in reaching my goals? How strong is my conviction to fight for a dignified cause? How confident am I in myself? Is my lack of endurance a result of my low self-esteem? Do I mask my insecurities by finding other excuses for my low endurance level?

Exercise for the day: Act on something that you believe in but have until now been tentative about. Take the leap and just do it!

Sunday, June 1, Day 47 ― Hod of Malchut: Humility in Nobility

Sovereignty is God's gift to each individual. Hod of Malchut is the humble appreciation of this exceptional gift. Does my sovereignty and independence humble me? Am I an arrogant leader? Do I appreciate the special qualities I was blessed with?

Exercise for the day: Acknowledge God for creating you with personal dignity

Monday, June 2, Day 48 ― Yesod of Malchut: Bonding in Nobility

Examine the bonding aspect of your sovereignty. Healthy independence should not prevent you from bonding with another person. On the contrary: self-confidence allows you to respect and trust another's sovereignty and ultimately bond with him. That bond will strengthen your own sovereignty, rather than sacrifice it.

Does my sovereignty prevent me from bonding? Could that be because of deeper insecurities of which I am unaware? Do I recognize the fact that a fear of bonding reflects a lack of self-confidence in my own sovereignty?

Exercise for the day: Actualize your sovereignty by intensifying your bond with a close one.

Tuesday, June 3 Day 49 ― Malchut of Malchut: Nobility in Nobility

Examine the sovereignty of your sovereignty. Does it come from deep-rooted inner confidence in myself? Or is it just a put-on to mask my insecurities? Does that cause my sovereignty to be excessive? Am I aware of my uniqueness as a person? Of my personal contribution?

Exercise for the day: Take a moment and concentrate on yourself, on your true inner self, not on your performance and how you project to others; and be at peace with yourself knowing that God created a very special person which is you.

After the 49 days of Counting the Omer, after having fully achieved inner renewal by merit of having assessed and developed each of our 49 attributes, we arrive at the fiftieth day. On this day we celebrate the Festival of Shavuot, the giving of the Torah (Matan Torah). After we have accomplished all we can through our own initiative, then we are worthy to receive a gift (matan) from Above which we could not have achieved with our own limited faculties. We receive the ability to reach and touch the Divine; not only to be cultivated human beings who have refined all of our personal characteristics, but divine human beings who are capable of expressing ourselves above and beyond the definitions and limitations of our beings.

Excerpted from "A Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer"

Cantorial Insights to Census Counts

Dear Haverim:

*TOMORROW, Friday, May 23, 6:30 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat (6 p.m. Happy Hour). Cantor Elisa will be our darshanit, fresh back from the Cantors’ Assembly, with great insights and perhaps a few new tunes.

*Saturday, May 24, 9:30 a.m., Shabbat services (10:15 a.m. Torah service). Lew Bennett will be our guest darshan. Topic: Parshat B’Midbar – Taking the Census (with a Talmudic digression).

*Sunday, May 25, 9 a.m., Morning Minyan. (Note: with Hebrew School on break, it is more difficult to achieve a minyan so please help us).

*Monday, May 26, 9:00 a.m. MEMORIAL DAY – Please note later start-time for this National Holiday, to accommodate more congregants, including students, attending this weekday service.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Michael