Category: Announcements

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!

The end of the secular year is fast approaching and so, once again, we have the opportunity to take stock of what has happened in the past  12 months and think about what 2014 might look like….      What new idea or attitude do you want to embrace in the new year? What do you want to make happen for someone you love? What do you want to contribute to your family? Your community? Our planet?  I know that it is easy to get caught up the whirlwind of the holiday season, but don’t forget to take a few minutes over Shabbat to think about these important questions. 2014 will be here before you know it and with it, you have the opportunity to begin again. What will you do with this fresh start?

Wishing you all a Shabbat filled with peace, joy and the opportunity for self-reflection!

Pamela Joy Barkley, Director of Education

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Samaeach!  I hope that your Thanksgivikah was wonderful, that you are enjoying a well-deserved day off, that your team (both real and fantasy) is winning, that you were on line early enough to get that Black Friday deal you have been planning for all month, and that you will join us at TBA tonight for Shabbat/Chanukah services.  When the Maccabees reclaimed The Temple from Syrian Greek occupation they needed to clean up, light the ner tamid, and rededicate The Temple in order to begin sacrificing again.  Their sacrifices sent a pleasing odor to God in thanks for all that they had.  This week as we exchanged recipes, shopped, cleaned our houses, set tables, and prepared for the family to arrive I hope that you spent some time thanking God for all that you have.  Thanksgiving weekend has always been an opportunity to reclaim our lives with some rest and relaxation surrounded by family and friends.  Tonight as we join together we will light candles for the 3^rd night of Chanukah and Shabbat and spend some time reclaiming ourselves, enjoying community, prayer, music and have an opportunity to be thankful for all that we have.  I hope that you will join us in the Sanctuary but if you can’t make it you will log in at 7:30pm and be a part of services through our live stream. Just go to
www.tba-ny.org and join us.

L’shalom,

Margot

Many years ago, the 10th graders asked me if they could use John Lennon’s song “Imagine” as the prayer for peace in their Confirmation service.  I told them that I didn’t think that the lyric, “and no religion too” was a good text for a prayer service.  After some discussion, we changed the line to “and one religion too,” and used it at Confirmation.  Immediately after the service was over two congregants came up to complain, not about using the Beatles in a service, but about having dared to change John Lennon’s classic lyrics!

I guess that times have changed; tonight we will be changing all the lyrics.  We are going to set much of the traditional Hebrew liturgy to Beatles melodies.  I imagine that there will be some who will be unhappy with this choice.  Perhaps you consider it inappropriate to set sacred lyrics to pop music.  For those of you who feel this way, I offer this historical tidbit:

Adon Olam was a poem written as praise of God in the 15^th century.  Through the years it has been set to many different melodies.  But the one that you most likely grew up with (the “traditional” melody) was composed in the 17^th century.  However, it was not composed for the synagogue.  It was a German drinking song, whose original lyrics seem to have been lost, but whose melody is enshrined in synagogue services throughout the world as a closing song.  Today we think of it as perfectly appropriate, but I can only wonder what the synagogue Board Meeting sounded like following the first time it was used!

Jewish musicians have always used the contemporary idiom in creating their liturgical music.  That’s why Sephardic music sounds Middle Eastern, German Jewish music sounds Lutheran and late 20^th century American Jewish music sounds like folk songs.  What we are doing tonight is very much in keeping with Jewish tradition.  I doubt that singing Shalom Aleichem to the tune of “With a Little Help from My Friends” will become a classic, but it is definitely not sacrilegious.  And I’m certain that it will be a lot of fun!

Shabbat Shalom!

Jacob and Esau, Darwin’s Finches, Deena and Shechem, Machu Picchu, wrestling with an angel, Ollantaytambo – what could all of these items have in common? If we think about this week’s Torah reading and I can add in a few comments from my recent vacation, perhaps we’ll find some connections.

In another of Genesis’ fully packed parashas we find the stories of Jacob’s reunion with his brother after twenty years of separation, his nighttime encounter and wrestling match with an ish, a man who is usually interpreted as an angel, Deena’s encounter with Shechem and its aftermath followed by the stories of Rachel’s death giving birth to Benjamin, and the death of Isaac. Two overarching themes that we find here are transformations and interpersonal relationships. Jacob is forced to confront his past as he prepares to meet Esau, is transformed after he wrestles with what? His conscience? An Angel? God?  Deena is forever changed after her encounter with Shechem and relations between Jacob and his sons and his neighbors are also altered by this episode. Benjamin’s birth at the cost of Rachel’s life and Isaac’s death drive our narrative toward the next chapters of our history.

My wife Anita and I were fortunate to travel recently to the Galapagos Islands where the sight of Darwin’s Finches along with sea lions, iguanas, and of course, tortoises reminded us of the beauty, frailty, and nature of change in the animal kingdom. The transformations of these species allowed them to survive for us to see them in their natural environment. After that we saw man made wonders in Peru and heard the stories of how these came to be. Plenty of human drama, conflict, and change here as well.

At the end of the video of our Galapagos trip our Expedition Leader reminded us to look for opportunities to preserve wildlife in our own home environments. Similarly, while we can appreciate the stories in each week’s Torah reading, our real challenge is to apply the lessons we find there to our lives today. I hope that each of us can find beauty and meaning in our natural and our spiritual environment and that those can enrich our lives.

Shabbat Shalom!