Author: Melissa

After Shabbat services tomorrow morning, I will be joining our Confirmation class in Washington, DC at the annual L’Taken Social Justice weekend.  Run by the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, this trip is always a highlight of the 10^th grade year.  Our students will be learning about important social justice legislation pending before Congress.  They will choose one area about which they feel passionately and, with the guidance of the RAC staff, write a lobbying presentation expressing their views.  On Monday, our 17 students, along with 280 other Reform Jewish teens, will go to Capitol Hill where they have appointments in the offices of our Senators and Representatives.  There they will present their case, lobbying our elected officials to cast votes which will help make real our vision of a truly just society.  Throughout their years at TBA our students have done many mitzvah projects, almost all of which involve direct service to individuals or groups:  feeding, teaching, clothing, etc.  On Monday they will have an opportunity to forcefully advocate for making our society one that is righteous enough so that we no longer have to collect food or clothing, no longer have to fight for equality for all Americans.  In short, our TBA youth will be speaking truth to power, and working to mold the America in which we all dream of living.

“What’s a cubit?” 

I see you smiling because so many of you, like me, remember the Bill Cosby comedy routine with God instructing Noah to build an ark. Once again in Vayak’heil God instructs the Israelites in a major building project and this week’s parsha has lots of cubits. As in the Flood story, the building instructions are very specific and detailed but the finished product is something very different. Our ancestors, recently freed slaves, were not quite ready for the concept of an incorporeal God and needed something tangible to help them relate to God. After 400 years of Egyptian iconography it was unrealistic to think that a God one could not see would be easy to relate to. So the Israelites are instructed to build the Mishkan, a portable sanctuary. This served as a model for the Temple which stood in Jerusalem; the relationship between the Mishkan and the Temple could be the subject for a different blog post. 

But what happened when the Temple was destroyed? The Rabbis of that time could have “folded their tent” but the power of close to 2,000 years of past history-even then-would not allow them to do so. Their reactions were brilliant and have served us for the nearly 2,000 years from the Temple’s destruction to the present day. Prayer substituted for animal sacrifice, portability replaced a cultic center, and Judaism more than ever became a faith tied to time rather than place. In Heschel’s remarkably beautiful turn of phrase, Shabbat (also heavily mentioned this week as in the past few) became a “cathedral in time”.  Although we can have beautiful worship spaces, they are not essential for Jewish prayer. When we pray is more important than where we pray. I hope that each of us can follow the direct line from Mishkan to Temple to cathedral that leads us to sundown this evening and the onset of our Shabbat. When you take a break from your worldly and weekly activities I hope that you’ll feel the meaning in the hours of Shabbat regardless of where you are physically located. May that sacred time help you find the Shalom of Shabbat!

It. Won’t. Stop. Snowing.

At least that’s how it feels right now after this latest blast of snow and ice and sleet. And yes it is annoying, (especially the shoveling) and yes it is frustrating, (all the canceled plans) and yes it is maddening (will my children EVER have a full week of school?), but it is also, in some very strange way, a forced break. You know just what I mean. Would you ever have spent an entire day in your pajamas if not for the snow day? Would you have ever considered baking cookies all day long if you were not trying to entertain your children? There is something very special about these days of togetherness with our families and the sense of community we feel because we are all going through this together.

Yes, a snow day is very much like a mini-Shabbat. You don’t work, you don’t go to school, you spend time with family, and you come up with creative things to do together. I know many of us think of Shabbat as this day with lots of rules about what you “should” or “shouldn’t” do. But in actuality, it was God’s way of saying “Hey, take a break! Relax!”  Turns out that is just what a foot of snow tells us too. But somehow the snow is way more convincing because we don’t really have a choice.

So whatever enjoyable thing you did on your snow day, take a minute and think “How could I do this more, even when the sun is shining?” Chances are you could work a piece of it into your week, maybe even in the 24 hours that begin tonight at sunset. The choice is yours!

Wishing you all a safe, warm and relaxing Shabbat!

Do clothes make the man, or woman?  Why are the Torahs dressed the way they are?  Why are there bells on the crowns of the Torah?  Come explore these questions and so many more this Shabbat!  There are more opportunities than ever to explore Torah here at TBA and this Shabbat is jam packed.  In our cycle of Torah reading we are in the midst of reading blueprints for the Mishkan (Tabernacle in the wilderness) which will become The Temple in Jerusalem and dress patterns for the priestly garments that Aaron and his sons will wear.  We know from experience that building a temple is not an easy job but when completed can transform how we worship, study and feel in a sacred space.  We know from experience that first impressions make a difference. When we are comfortable in our clothes we present ourselves to the world with a certain air of confidence.  Join us this Shabbat as we continue to explore how the Torah is relevant in our daily lives.  This evening,  during our Family Shabbat Service at 7:00pm the 6^th grade will lead us in prayer, song, and Torah study.  In our efforts to make learning more fun and relevant our 6^th graders are spending time each week studying the Torah portion and putting their spin on what they are reading and learning.  We are also hoping that by having them participate as a class they and their family will build relationships and community that will last a lifetime. Tonight some of them will share with us their interpretations of this week’s portion, T’tzaveh.  If you can’t join us tonight in our Sanctuary in person, feel free to go to our website at tba-ny.org and watch the live webcast of the service.  Then tomorrow morning join us at 9:00am for our weekly Conservative Shabbat morning service where we interpret/discuss/argue about the Torah portion each week or at 11:00am when we will celebrate with the Fine/Freiman family as Jackson is called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah.   May your Shabbat be filled with peace, rest, family, community and study!

Remember all the hoopla about the Jewish holidays being so incredibly early this past September?  So early that Thanksgiving and Chanukah overlapped?  Have you noticed that Passover this year is fairly late?  Ever wonder how that’s possible?  The answer begins tonight, with the arrival of the month of Adar I. This is the extra or leap month inserted periodically in the Hebrew calendar to keep the holidays in the seasons in which they belong.  The regular month of Adar gets bumped to being Adar II. (Why we don’t make the leap month Adar II is a story for another time).  Tonight we will get to hear the special prayers that are only recited on Rosh Chodesh, and tomorrow morning we will sing Hallel, the psalms of praise.  And, even though Purim won’t be celebrated until Adar II, tonight we still get to observe the ancient rabbinic command, “Be happy, it’s Adar!”  I encourage you all to worship – and be happy – with us this Shabbat!

In the ancient world there were seven “wonders” among them the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Based on voting from around the world, there is a list of the “new” seven wonders including Machu Picchu in Peru, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal in India, Petra in Jordan, and others. Tomorrow, we’ll all re-enact something very ancient – standing at Mount Sinai to receive the Aseret ha-Dibrot, the Ten Sayings. But I’ve often wondered what we would hear if we were standing there today. Would God introduce himself as the one who took us out of Egypt? Would that resonate with us in the same why that it did with the people who actually experienced the Exodus? Or would He refer to Himself as the One who created heaven and earth and all that is there? Would that serve to remind us that we only have one Earth and that we are the only ones who can take care of it? Perhaps that would spur humanity to be more environmentally conscious. Would He be more explicit about graven images and would that remind us that we all might worship “things,” none of which are God? “Honor your father and your mother” would probably still be one of the Ten. But how about thinking that it’s a two way street and that parents must also be sensitive to the needs and humanity of their children? We are far from a perfect world when each day’s news brings us stories of abuse, neglect, and even the death of children, too often at the hands of the very people who created that life.

Shabbat, the institution which immediately differentiated Israelites from their neighbors and free people from slaves, would certainly be part of any Ten. But would we be told to “observe” or “remember” the Sabbath Day- or something else entirely? Tomorrow seems like a very good day to contemplate how we feel about the Ten Sayings that we received at Sinai and to find contemporary meaning in them. I wish you the peace of Shabbat to do exactly that.

Shabbat Shalom!

I have always loved to sing.

As far back as I can remember, I was in the school chorus, playing records on the stereo, and listening to the radio in my room. Not to mention singing in the shower. Loudly. No really, just ask my brother! Whether it is the perfect song when breaking up with a boyfriend or the best feel-good song for a sunny day, music has always had the ability to reach me and somehow, enchant me.

So it should come as no surprise that music was also my access point to Judaism. I sat in services and did not care much for the text, but perked up when I heard the melodies.  There was, and is, something oddly comforting to me about the “la-lal-la” of a good niggun in the midst of services. It brings me in and opens me up. This Shabbat, we are celebrating the aptly named Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of Song. This is the week we read in the Torah of the miraculous crossing of the Reed Sea. We are told that once the Israelites were safely across, Moses’ sister, Miriam, took a group of women and began singing the now-famous Mi Camocha prayer to celebrate God’s power.  This jubilant celebration  – complete with dancing women and tambourines – is why this Shabbat is named the Sabbath of Song.   Tonight’s service will of course, commemorate this celebration. There will be – you guessed it – lots and lots of music. We will also be observing the yahrzeit of Debbie Freidman, our very own 21st century Miriam, who composed hundreds of tunes and transformed the way almost all Reform Jews pray today.

Come join us and sing. You don’t need to know all the words. You don’t even need to be able to carry a tune. You just need to feel that music is somehow magical and be willing to open your heart and mouth in joy!

Wishing you all a peaceful and melodic Shabbat!

Pam Barkley, Director of Education

Shabbat shalom!  This Shabbat evening at 7:30pm two of our college/grad students, Ariel Milan-Polisar and Laura Kirschner, will join Rabbi Holtz and me on the bimah to help lead our community in prayer.  It is so special to have these young women join us on the bimah to share their love of music and Judaism with us and to transform our worship.  We hope that you will join us!  Click here for a taste of our rehearsal with Ariel.

I love when our college kids are home!  There is something about their return to Westchester and TBA that it is miraculous.  Maybe it is that they return to the area and include TBA in their itinerary.  Maybe it is because they are so happy and enthusiastic about life in general.  Maybe it is because it is so special to see the people that they are becoming and to hear about their journeys!  Through our Away@School program we keep in touch with many of our college and grad school students throughout the year.  We want to make sure that they know that even though they are far away they are still a part of the TBA family and we want to keep them connected to Judaism.  If you are interested, it is not too late to sign up your college/grad student-click here.

This Shabbat morning at 9:00am we hope that you will join us for services in the Conservative tradition.  It is a wonderful service with an incredible sense of community.  Join us to support those who are saying Kaddish, for a lively Torah discussion, and to meet with friends in prayer and community. A special Kiddush luncheon follows this week’s service.

Whatever your plans are this Shabbat I hope that it includes meeting with friends that you haven’t seen in a while and sharing stories of their lives and journeys.

L’shalom,

Cantor Margot

“Since Shabbat happens every week, doesn’t that make it less special than if it only happened once a year?”  That’s a question a student asked me right after Rosh Hashanah (one of the High Holidays, and by implication one the most important ones).  Certainly, if we judge by frequency, once-a-year holidays do seem more special.  They interrupt the daily flow of our lives, we rearrange things to participate in them, we celebrate with family we might not see all that often.  These moments do seem special.  But, special does not necessarily mean more important.  Our tradition is clear that the most important Jewish holiday is Shabbat. One piece of evidence for this is the number of aliyahs to the Torah; the more aliyahs, the more important the holiday.  There are four on festivals, five on Rosh Hashanah, six on Yom Kippur, and seven on Shabbat.

One reason Shabbat is so important is because of the many times it’s referenced and commanded in the Torah, much more than any of the other holidays.  But I think there is a much more profound reason.  Think of your childhood.  Now think of a relative you liked but you rarely saw.  The times you got to see that relative were very special.  But the people that you saw every day, week in and week out – parents, siblings, etc. – they were much, much more important.  It might not have seemed “special” seeing them each day (and sometimes quite the opposite!), but there is no doubt of their importance in your life.

I think the same is true for the Jewish people and Shabbat.  It comes every week and it may seem so familiar, even mundane, that we take its presence for granted.  It may not have the pizzazz of the once-a-year holidays.  But it offers us a regular opportunity to stop, think, give thanks, and reset ourselves for the week to come.  If we pay attention, its influence can be much greater than that of any other day in the calendar.  It can be, each week, the most important day of the year.

Shabbat Shalom!

“The end is near”. That catch phrase was a staple of protest signs and editorial cartoons in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It probably was used in the 60’s and 70’s of past centuries as well. It’s appropriate to quote it again this Shabbat.  In our case, the end is not only near but here. As we begin to read Parashat Va-y’chi, we know that we are reading the last chapters of Genesis.

 There are other ends that occur in this week’s reading. We learn of the final days of Jacob and with his passing, the era of the Patriarchs is over. As he blesses Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh he invokes the names of Abraham and Isaac. We add Jacob’s name when referring to the Avot so we use all three of them to represent the forefathers of our people. And it is in this Torah reading that we have the first mention of the three Patriarchs together. We also read of the end of Joseph’s life and as he is about to die, he calls his brothers together. He is the first one to group Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob together as he promises his brothers that God will redeem them from Egypt and return them to the land that was promised to those forefathers.

Jacob asks Joseph to swear that his remains will return to the Cave of Machpelah for burial. He cannot imagine the thought of being buried in Egypt especially knowing that his father, grandfather, their wives and one of his wives are all buried together in the Cave. Similarly, Joseph makes his brothers swear that they will take his remains out of Egypt and back to the Promised Land. So Va-y’chi gives us many endings to consider. But one of these is not the end of the Torah or the end of learning. As we all know from Simchat Torah, our cycle is endless. So this end is just the lead-in to the beginning of the next chapter is our people’s story. Come back next week to learn what happens!

Shabbat Shalom!