A Pesach/Shabbat thought--Office closed, Yizkor & reminders

Reminders—

1)Tonight, Thursday is Yomtov ,as is Friday night. 

On both nights we light candles to illumine our hearts and our homes. I encourage you to light candles and to recite the following sacred words. You might pause in the glow and consider how Jewish Time is different than ordinary time.
Ba-ruch a-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olom a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tov ve-tzi-vo-nu le-had-lik ner shel (Shabbat) v’Yom Tov.

Translation: Blessed are you, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with the commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the light of the(Shabbat and) Festival Day.

2)On Friday night we add the words Shabbat and sabbath in our blessings.

The Shehecheyonu blessing:

Ba-ruch a-tah Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olom she-he-che-ya-nu vi-kee-yi-ma-nu vi-hi-gee-an-u liz-man ha-zeh.
Translation: Blessed are you, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who has kept us alive and sustained us and let us reach this time.

3)Kiddush may be recited both nights as well. Here are the words . A link to the kiddish is available as well. 
Ba-ruch a-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam borei pri hagafen.

(http://sidduraudio.com/pesach.html)

4. The Shul office is closed tomorrow. I will be available on my cell phone for emergencies only.

  5.   Friday services are from 6:00-7:00p.m.

Saturday morning services are from 10:00 a.m. to Noon AND INCLUDE YIZKOR (approximately 11:30).

****Chametz may be eaten on Saturday night starting about 8:00p.m.

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      Yesterday our world marked the anniversary of a great diminution of light and hope. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered and his extraordinary presence was ripped away. Too many times we have all wondered how our world would be if only he had continued on with his life’s mission;  a mission which we all came to realize we all equally share. Dignity for one only exists in a world where dignity for all is demanded and preserved. This precept is reminiscent of the teaching found in Ethics of the Fathers (Make the honor of another person as precious as your own honor -Pirke Avot 2:15). Dr. King changed our world and his exceptional prophetic power concerning the needs of ensuring liberty for all people persists in our world long after the hatred and fear of James Earl Ray stole him from us. Yet, still in our own day, as pernicious as the raw hatred of Ray, is the victimization of people who may look, appear or behave differently from a norm painted by those who think too small and care too little. 

     This day as we prepare for Shabbat’s conclusion of Pesach, we are challenged to remember the glory of the Exodus; the demand of being freed from slavery is the essential and sole element for everyone to live and breathe free. Only the Absolute Creator can be served and worshiped. No human, fallible and imperfect, can possibly be viewed as better than any other. It is no wonder that Dr. King built his life’s mission upon our ancestors’ departure from Mitzrayim and summoned all in America and the world to journey along with him to the Promised Land. 

      As we prepare to conclude the Yomtov of our freedom we embrace the humanity and compassion of this quintessential Jewish holiday and pledge to share its message until Saturday night and into the next week - a week bearing Yom HaShoah on Wednesday April 11. The community-wide service, held at the Temple will be held at 7:00p.m.and will feature artwork and poetry and prose from the hands and hearts of Mobile County Middle School and High School students. To see and hear students learning the lessons of compassion and justice reassures us all in these time during which often we hear strident cruelty and offensive incitement. Please join us all and bring two Shul friends along with you to Yom HaShoah. It is necessary.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Steve Silberman

Shabbat Thoughts- Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei -5778

“In the beginning there was complete darkness. And God said let there be light.”

     Have you ever wondered about the intensity or the magnitude of the light? One might think the entire field of darkness was completely disrupted by the initial act. Or one could say that even a small light source would have altered the universe. A candle’s worth of power changes an entire room. A weak flashlight reassures a lost camper. Even a spark renders the void less intimidating. Just as the act of creation of light is instructive, so, too is the method of its being created. God creates light by using words. Speech is the greatest of all capacities for speech conveys will and intent to interact with the world.

      In this current political and social climate we experience multiple forms of darkness; darkness of the spirit brought about by the refusal to appreciate those who are different than we; darkness of the imagination by closing ourselves off to creativity, darkness of the mind by refusing to consider different options and darkness of the heart by succumbing to fear of people who are viewed as ‘other’.

      When we offer words which are constructive such as “let there be light” we join God as partners in creation. Only a few words of uplift transform a life and brighten a spirit just as only a few words of cruelty are sufficient to darken the world and to destroy a spirit. 

      This week’s Parshah of Vayakhel-Pekude concludes Exodus. We read the detailed description of the sacred furnishings which adorn the Tabernacle including the Ark, two altars and a table displaying challah.

     The Ark is of a specific size (1.5 cubits x 2.5 x 1.5).  The small altar is 1 x 1 x 2, the large altar is 5 x 5 x 3 and the challah table is 1 x 2 x 1.5.  All of the dimensions are painstakingly enumerated in the Torah. Surprisingly, though, the Menorah bears no dimensions. No furnishing of the Tent of Meeting is more present in our mind than the Menorah and no element of Jewish symbolism is more familiar. It could be a few inches or 7 feet high; large or small. Its only characteristic is the well-known detail of 7 branches. The light which came forth could be grand or subtle. Strikingly, what truly matters is not size of the light source or the intensity of the flame but the fact of its existence. Light, no matter the size, matters.

     May this Shabbat be a time of our bringing our own light into the world, emulating God by constructive speech. When each of us, followed by one neighbor and then another, initiates light through constructive words imagine how much our darkened world will be illuminated.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Steve Silberman

Shabbat Thoughts- Parshat Ki Tissa- 5778

  The Golden Calf is one of the most famous episodes in (religious) history. We carry mental images of the players; Aaron as idol maker-in-chief, absent Moses still up on the mountain, the statue itself, the rabble clamoring for a tangible god. It is a fascinating episode and every year it takes hold of us once again. Time and again we replay the captivating story with the same actors. The drama never ends- fire, smoke, betrayal, accusations, denial of responsibility- all the  makings of a good soap opera. But, every year, we fail to include one essential player as we mentally recast the scene.

      This year we need to add one more player to the mix. This year we will include the mountain itself. Bring to your mind Mt. Sinai. It’s a familiar term but we rarely consider it. The Hebrew term is HAR SINAI. Unfortunately, we English speakers are at a disadvantage when we hear HAR SINAI. HAR can literally mean ‘mountain’ or ‘mountain of’. The Hebrew term HAR SINAI can mean a mountain named Sinai or mountain of the Sinai region. If it is a specific name then we may  feel that we can specifically identify it and the mountain comes close to us, at least in our imagination. If, on the other hand, we follow the grammatical lead of the Hebrew, we are left with an unknown mountain located somewhere in a desert. Har Sinai easily yields a vague sense of anonymity. It’s just a mountain somewhere and we are left wondering where it is and what it looks like.

       Intriguingly, a train of thought within Jewish commentary focuses on this anonymity. A number of Midrashim describe the mountain as small; even trivial. More importantly, is the well-developed attitude within Jewish lore that the location of the mountain is either intentionally withheld from us or just irrelevant. Much more important are the experiences at the mountain. At the outset was to be the sharing of God’s greatest knowledge with humanity. Because our ancestors were impatient and they trivialized religion by calling for a statue to replace the L-RD they lost out on the grandest experience of all time. 

      Historians struggle to fill in the missing pieces of life. There are two well-known mountains which are suggested as being Sinai along with other possible candidates. It is noteworthy that the best-known Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa) is identified by Christian tradition 1,500 years after Moses’s descent described in this week’s Parshah. Jewish tradition, on the other hand, has not emphasized an exact location of Mt. Sinai. The focus best lies on the heavenly opportunity to interact with the Owner of the universe and the consequences of that interaction. Har Sinai bears greater impact by its being a locus of connection between people and God than it does by being identified with specific map coordinates.

      May we each find our own spiritual connection to God and may we leave behind the need for having a tangible god or representation of 'that' place.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Steve Silberman

Parshat Emor-Naso

Torah Tidbits and Haftarah Highlights
By Rabbi Steven Silberman
( All page numbers refer to Etz Hayim)

May 5 - Parshat Emor - pp. 722 - 727
Five pages of Torah reading describe in great detail
rituals of offerings, both of animals and grains. Food
is made holy by dedicating it to God and to Kohanim.
What does the last paragraph on p. 727 (verse 22)
teach? Is there a connection between the first 5 pages
and the last verse?
Haftarat Emor - pp. 735 - 737
Ezekiel witnesses the destruction of the Temple by
Babylon. His intense hope is that the Judeans will be
free in the future and able to reestablish Temple
ritual. Restored ritual indicates political liberty and
social autonomy. The Kohanim will direct specific
details of worship. Which other duties will Kohanim
have (verse 24)? What does that convey about how
ancient Judeans viewed their religious leaders?

May 12 - Parshat Behar-Bechukotai - pp. 744 - 752
This reading bears 3 different tones. Pp. 744 - 745:
One function of the calendar is to ensure that
Israelites who are down on their luck and sell their
services to pay off debts are not abused by fellow
Israelites. Passover is a time to not take advantage of
fellow Israelites. Pp. 747 - 748: This section
describes grand divine blessings of Israelites who are
loyal to God. Pp. 749 – 752: Why does the last
section detail so many punishments and misfortunes?
Why can’t the description of punishment be as brief
as the blessings?
Haftarat Behar-Bechukotai - pp. 763 - 765
Rewards and punishments are described in the
parshah. This may be the link to the description of
guilt and sin of Israel. Note the last sentence of the
haftarah. Does it have anything to do with guilt and
sin? How?

May 19 - Parshat Bamidbar - pp. 774 - 778
The opening section details a census of the 12 tribes
encamped in a pattern. Page 778 talks about the tribe
of Levi. Why are there differences between the 12
tribes and the Levi tribe?
Haftarat Bamidbar - pp. 787 - 790
Hosea uses marital imagery to paint a picture of
Israel and its link with God. What is the tone of pp.
787 - 788 vis-a-vis the woman (Israel)? What is the
tone of the last 3 verses on p. 790? What is Hosea
trying to teach?

May 26 - Parshat Naso - pp. 796 – 805
You will see some of the most famous blessings in all
of Judaism on p. 804. What is the original context of
these words? How might you use these words? How
have these words changed over the course of
millennia? Or have they remained unchanged?
Haftarat Naso - pp. 813 - 815
In this Haftarah Samson is introduced to us because
he is a Nazir (dedicated in a special way) and the
Torah reading of the week also contains laws of
Nazir. What is the chief element of being Nazir?
Does this make sense to you? Does this fit with
ordinary Jewish life? (Hint - Think of Shabbat.)

Torah Tidbits and Haftarah Highlights By Rabbi Steven Silberman

 Torah Tidbits and Haftarah Highlights By Rabbi Steven Silberman (All page numbers refer to Etz Hayim) 

March 31 - Special Torah reading, First day of Pesach - pp. 385 - 390 
Why do we read this passage on the first day of Pesach? Do we observe any elements of this Torah reading in our own lives today?
Haftarat Pesach - March 31 – pp. 1300 - 1302
Which ritual do the People of Israel perform under Joshua’s leadership? Why? Does this surprise you?

April 7 - Special Torah Reading, Last day of Pesach - pp. 399 - 403
What is familiar to you? What have you never noticed before? (Check out p. 401, verse 5.)
Haftarat Pesach - pp. 1316 - 1319 
Why is this Haftarah, which describes David, read on Pesach? Hint: which theme is represented by the holiday of Passover? (Think about Elijah.)

April 14 - Parshat Shemini – pp. 636 - 640
Perhaps no greater symbolic element of Jewish identity exists than eating kosher food. Consider the power of voluntarily refraining from eating certain foods and pledging to remove blood from one’s diet. Kashrut is a spiritual selfdiscipline which emerges from the mindset of a people which demanded purity of the mind and focus of the heart. The many aspects of Kashrut boil (ha ha) down to three specifics - specific animals are edible, specific slaughter is required and specifics in preparation are carried out - all to establish a specific awareness of our place in the world as partners with God and animals.
Haftarat Shemini - pp. 645 – 647 
The main element of the Haftarah touches on King David’s desire to build a Temple for the Ark. Does David do so? Do you know why?

April 21 – Tazria–Metzora - pp. 658- 663 
This passage presents the strange rituals associated with perceived ‘contagions’ known as leprosy which affected woven fabrics and human skin. A ceremony was conducted by the Cohen over a person or garments. If you were afflicted with an unknown rash and a ritual leader came to your home to pray with you and to offer you support, how would you respond? Perhaps we should not look askance at every element of this ritual.
Haftarat Tazria-Metzora – pp. 676 - 678 
These lepers, seen as threatening, were kicked out of the city. How did they react to their banishment? How would you have reacted if you had been in their situation?

April 28 - Parshat Acharei Mot- Kedoshim - pp. 687 - 695
What is the link between not cursing the deaf, not taking advantage of the blind, not consuming blood, refraining from sexual contact with relatives and paying your employees on time?
Haftarat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim - pp. 707 – 708 
This is the shortest Haftarah in our cycle! Skim page 707 and ask yourself what the message is. How does it link to the Torah reading?