Category: Featured

Counting the Omer…

shavuot aThere is no doubt that the Jewish calendar is designed in a way that can easily confuse just about anyone! I was always absolutely certain of that! J What, with the new year in September (or thereabout – only proving the original statement!) and Chanukah and Passover that fall all over the place… no one can ever figure it out!

I recently asked my Christian colleagues at our local interfaith clergy gathering why the Western and the Orthodox churches sometimes celebrate Easter together and sometimes weeks apart. The answer totally blew me away – because of the Jewish calendar! As it turns out, all churches use the same formula for calculating Easter, but the Eastern (Orthodox) Church also waits for the Passover to take place. Since Passover moves around so much, so does Easter.

If you found yourself agreeing with anything that I said in the first paragraph of this article, you should seriously consider signing up for the Basic Judaism class next time I advertise it! For the Jewish calendar is a very logical and beautifully symmetrical creation, linked to the moon cycle – as well as to the sun – in a very thoughtful and sophisticated way. Much of it is based on the Biblical commandments as well as on the natural cycles of the year and the seasons.  And once you get to know it a little, it’s not THAT complicated J!

One of the calendar cycles connects the Festivals of Passover and Shavuot through the ritual of Counting the Omer. In fact, the very name of the Festival of Shavuot hints at the cycle – it is best translated as ‘The Festival of Weeks.’ From the second night of Passover, we begin to count the seven weeks, or 7×7 – forty nine days in all, so that on the fiftieth day we can celebrate Shavuot, the festival of first fruits, as well as z’man matan Torateinu, the time of the giving of Torah on Mount Sinai.

So what is the Omer? An ‘omer’ is in fact a sheaf of wheat, a nod to the wheat harvest that would begin around that time of year. And how does one count it? A few years ago I came across a very clever website that referred to it as ‘counting the Homer’ – making the age-old ritual connected to the Simpsons! It gives the basic information about counting, as well as providing the blessings to be recited on each day in the run-up to Shavuot. You can try it for yourself! Just go to www.homercalendar.net and enjoy.

This year Shavuot begins in the evening on Tuesday, May 30th. As we celebrate the giving of Torah, we come together to pray and to study – please make sure you check the calendar and Shofar Blast for more details nearer the time. We also follow the Reform tradition of holding the Confirmation service on Shavuot, celebrating our wonderful teenagers who have completed their two-year long course of study with me by helping to lead the Shavuot service and read the 10 commandments from the Torah. I know that when festivals fall mid-week it makes it harder for many people to attend, but I want to encourage you all to do so and come celebrate this very special Festival together with your TE family. See you there!

Rabbi Farbman

Parts of this article previously appeared in the Shofar in 2011.

Change, Commitment & Continuity—A Tale in 3 parts. Part 3: L’dor v’dor

 

Melissa at BiennialChange:  Amazingly, this is my last column as I finish my term as President at Temple Emanuel.  It has been a privilege to serve, and moreover, to have one’s service accepted. I am humbly grateful to Temple Emanuel for the sacred opportunity to have helped lead TE over the last three years. In addition, it has been three years of change and growth. From completion of the Jonas and Barbara Miller education wing, to the replacement of the old HVACs, and placement of the solar panels, we have done lots of work on the physical plant of our TE home. We have strengthened our school with a part time director, improved our bookkeeping system, and started our Federation Endowment and Legacy funds. Even more importantly, we have added families, staff, and programs that make our TE home a place where people want to come, learn, share, and experience Judaism.

Commitment: Without the commitment of our many TE members over these last several years nothing would have gotten done. I would like to acknowledge with deep appreciation the truly generous support I have gotten from my fantastic fellow members as we have journeyed together. A very smart editor of the Shofar once counseled me that if I list names, I will undoubtedly leave off one or two of the most important. I have tried to heed her warning. But, I can say that I have been blessed by the amazing help of the TE Board and officers, the Rabbi, the director of the school, the bookkeeper, the office administrator, and the caretaker. But it is all the other members who teach, head events, champion causes, raise funds, do publicity and communications, create beauty (outside and in), cook, schlepp, and otherwise provide the real hands on work that I am most grateful to. We are a community of “do-ers”.

Continuity:  I am optimistic that we are a growing community on the move. Come help be part of that energy that moves us.  The Annual meeting is on June 11; besides the bagels, you will have the opportunity to voice your opinion and vote for the budget, the slate of officers, and the new Board members for the coming year. It is a group of individuals that are ready and able to continue our success. L’dor v’dor

TE Men’s Club presents: Caring for the Aging Parent and Caring for the Caregiver. Sunday, April 2 at 3 pm.

Terri FriedThis session will address the issues that adult children commonly face when helping to care for an aging parent: memory loss and dementia, trade-offs between safety and independence, planning for difficult medical decisions. The session will also address the need for caregivers to take care of themselves. There will be lots of time for questions and discussion.

The session will be led by Terri Fried, MD. Terri is a Professor at the Yale School of Medicine and co-director of the Yale Pepper Center, an interdisciplinary research program devoted to improving the health and quality of life for older adults. She is an attending physician in geriatrics at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and has grants from the NIH and the VA to conduct research on advance care planning and on the care of the older adults with multiple medical conditions.

Sunday, April 2nd at 3pm.

Tot Shabbat service, Friday March 24 at 5:30 pm

Tots Shabbat is always fun!
Tots Shabbat is always fun!

Come celebrate Shabbat with Rabbi Michael in the beautiful TE sanctuary with songs and stories! Perfect for children under 5 and their families. Members and non-members welcome!

The Tot Shabbat service on Friday, March 24 at 5:30 pm will be followed by Shabbat dinner (to welcome our Scholar in Residence Dr. Alan Morinis of the Mussar Institute), allowing congregants of all ages to interact and enjoy the meal! We will have some teens to help out during dinner, allowing parents a chance to get to know more adults at TE.
To register for dinner, please follow this link.

Spring is in the air…

Rabbi Farbman-photoSpring is in the air; the month of Adar is here – and it can only mean one thing: Purim is coming! Got your costumes? Ready to party? We got big plans on Sunday morning (March 12), so bring your family and friends! However, Purim is not just for children at TE – the Saturday night (March 11) adult Purim party should be great fun too! And once we are done with Purim, Pesach is just around the corner – with all the excitement of spring cleaning and cooking and, of course, the Seders and family time. Our annual 2nd Night Passover Seder is on April 11th this year – an opportunity to celebrate this special holiday with your extended TE family and friends. Please make sure you sign up in advance!

The TE calendar is filled with exciting opportunities this spring, as in-between the festivals and programs we get to welcome Dr. Alan Morinis to Temple Emanuel as our Scholar in Residence – a true master teacher and an incredible opportunity for all of us to learn more about the Mussar tradition that he teaches so well.

Time flies quickly, and while the High Holy Days are still a long way away (no rush!:), our ritual committee is hard at work, looking for ways to explore Mishkan HaNefesh, the High Holy Day Machzor, published by the Reform movement last year. Two focus group discussions are scheduled in March (Sunday March 5th at 10 am and Tuesday, March 21 at 6:30pm). I strongly encourage you to attend one of them and get involved in this important conversation.

It is fun to plan ahead and look forward to whatever is the next big event or occasion. But as we plan for the future, let’s all find some time to appreciate the wonderful present. See you soon, I hope – at a regular shabbat service, Hebrew school, or committee meeting!

TE Scholar in Residence, March 24-25, 2017 with Dr. Alan Morinis

Alan Morinis speakingDr. Alan Morinis, the founder and dean of The Mussar Institute and an active interpreter of the teachings and practices of the Mussar tradition will be our Scholar-in-Residence. The Mussar Institute advances the study and practice of Mussar, a Jewish path of contemplative practices leading to awareness, wisdom and transformation for the journey of our lives.
Friday, March 24
5:30:  Tot shabbat
6:00:  Shabbat dinner – Please RSVP here for dinner and lunch.
7:30   Shabbat Service. Dr. Morinis will speak on “What is Mussar and Why Should I Care?”
Saturday, March 25
10:00 am  Discussion of the week’s Torah portion entitled “Torah Through a Mussar Lens.”
12:00 noon  Dairy lunch
5:30  Introduction of classical Mussar texts for study and discussion.
7:30  Havdalah

Temple Emanuel Ark Doors

The beautiful doors to the Temple Emanuel ark were created in 1988.  The artist, Candy Knapp, collaborated with Rabbi Jerry Brieger to create the meaningful and interesting design.  The project was brought together by Rise Siegel.

On the upper left corner of the doors is the tablet of the 10 Commandments.  In the lower right corner is the Burning Bush.  According to the artist the waves and swirls are meant to represent the “dynamic power of the moment.”

Looking at the 10 Commandments one may see rays.  This was used by the sculptor to symbolize the light of G-d.  Across the middle of the doors is a blue band.  The sculptor suggests that it may be the parting of the Red Sea or a generalized barrier that must be crossed.  As this barrier is between the tablets and the burning bush, it suggests that the presence of G-d is everywhere and that barriers are just something that we must overcome in life.  All the wavy lines are the dynamic energy swirling around this interaction with the earthly and the divine.

The doors are not carved out of one piece of wood but rather are built up by adding strips to create depth and texture.

The letters on the door were suggested by Rabbi Brieger.  There are ten letters signifying the ten commandments.  The Alef and Bet on the tablet represents the 10 commandments.  Starting with the Bet and reading left we have bet, resh, alef, shin and tav or Bereshit, the first word of the Torah (in the beginning.)  If we stop at bet, resh, alef we have G-d created.

Starting with the Alef and moving to the right we have alef, nun, kof and yud, Anochi, the first word of the 10 Commandments (I am).  If you pair the yud with the next letter, yud you have Adonai or G-d, hence I am G-d.

Look at the tablet, the highest letter is alef.  The lowest letter on the door is tav.  The two letters paired together are A to Z, symbolizing the whole alphabet, the entire Torah – everything.

There has been some speculation as to the meaning and placement of the letters on the door.  As mentioned above the letters probably represent individual commandments.  The top five would be the commands that deal with G-d (I am the Lord, you shall have no other G-ds, do not take the Lord’s name in vain, remember the Sabbath and honor father and mother.)  The bottom five would be directed at man and how to live in a community (do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness and do not covet.)

It has been suggested that perhaps there is fish or a whale on the door.  Another suggestion is the arm of G-d.  While I don’t see the areas in that light it adds another interesting dimension to the symbolism and the message of our doors.

Interpretation of the message of the doors can take on deeper meanings “the colors on the doors – blue on the upper half, red on the lower may tell a story.  On the 2nd day of creation G-d made an expanse of water, separating the expanse into an upper level and a lower level.  He called the expanse ‘shamayim’ – sky or heavens.  On the 3rd day G-d created land – the waters beneath the sky were collected so that dry ground could be revealed.  The blue on the ark doors are sharply defined (divisions of the heavens and the waters beneath) with streaks of red running through the lower part of the doors.  The Hebrew word for earth is Adamah.  The Hebrew word for clay (which man was constructed from) is Adahm.  The Hebrew word for blood is Dahm.  The first man was Adam and the word for red is Adom.”  Thus the words man, Adam, clay, earth, blood and red all are related through the same root.  This could mean that the top of the ark is representative of the heavens and the source of the divine.  The red of the lower portion can be representative of our earthly origin as man was essentially created when he was formed from the clay of the earth and then had life breathed into his being by G-d.

Rabbi Brieger once said that the doors called to him, that they moved and changed meanings at different times.  There is so much in them that each of us can find meaning for ourselves.