One of the most visible and meaningful ritual garments in Jewish life is the tallit, the prayer shawl that many of us wrap around our shoulders during worship. At first glance, it is a simple object – fabric, fringes, sometimes stripes of blue or silver – but in truth, the tallit carries centuries of memory, identity, and intention.
The Torah instructs us in the Book of Numbers: “You shall make for yourselves fringes (tzitzit) on the corners of your garments… and you shall look upon them and remember all the mitzvot of Adonai and do them.” The tallit, with its four-cornered shape and fringed edges, is our way of literally clothing ourselves in mitzvot. When we wrap in a tallit, we symbolically surround ourselves with sacred purpose before we begin to pray.
Traditionally, the tallit is worn during morning services (Shacharit), and service leader always wears a tallit as a sign of communal responsibility. Out of reverence, a tallit is never taken into the bathroom (our tradition is spiritually grounded, but also very practical!). At TE, there is also the custom to inviteanyone who comes up to the bimah for the Torah service – whether for an aliyah, lifting or dressing the Torah, or another honor – to wear a tallit, marking that moment as especially sacred. And while both tallit and kippah are always welcome at TE as meaningful ritual expressions, they are never demanded.
B’nai mitzvah students often receive their own tallit as a visible sign of entering Jewish adulthood. Wrapped in a tallit for the first time as they are called to the Torah, they step into the privileges and responsibilities of a Jewish adult – including being counted in the minyan and standing as full participants in communal prayer. It is a powerful moment when tradition, community, and personal growth are woven together in a single garment.
Over generations, the tallit has evolved in both design and meaning. Traditionally worn by men, today in many Reform communities – including our own – people of all genders choose to wear a tallit as an expression of spiritual readiness and personal connection. Some tallitot are family heirlooms passed down through generations; others are chosen at moments of transition – b’nai mitzvah, confirmation, conversion, or weddings. Each tallit tells a story. The multi-colored tallit that I wear throughout the year was an Ordination gift from Rabbi Winer, a garment filled with so much meaning and personal connection…
The tallit also reflects our communal values of inclusion, intention, and shared sacred space. Some prefer a classic white wool shawl with dark stripes; others wear vibrant silks, handwoven fabric, or garments created in Israeli or local artisan studios. Together, this tapestry of tallitot mirrors the diversity of our congregation itself – many paths, one community. Some of us wear a tallit every time we pray; others bring it out only on special Shabbatot or holidays. Some have one tallit for life; others mark different chapters with different shawls. There is no single “right” way – only the invitation to let the tallit become a personal gateway into prayer.
As we gather each month, wrapped in these sacred garments, we are reminded that prayer is not only something we say, but something we step into. The tallit becomes our bridge between the ordinary and the holy, between the weekday self and the soul that reaches upward. May the tallit continue to wrap each of us – and our entire Temple Emanuel community – in warmth, memory, and blessing.
The Festivals of the month of Tishrei are over, we got to dance with the Torah scrolls on Simchat Torah, and breathed a little easier as we watched the remaining 20 living hostages return home and ceasefire take effect.
Removing the sign dedicated to the return of hostages from our bimah felt powerful and overwhelming. As we begin a new Torah cycle, we are reminded that every ending is also a beginning — a chance to revisit familiar stories with new eyes and deeper understanding. Each year, the Torah invites us back into conversation with our tradition, with one another, and with the questions that guide our lives.
You can join TE’s ongoing Torah Study most Shabbat mornings. We move through the Torah text together at our own pace, exploring its stories, challenges, and wisdom in an open and engaging way. No prior knowledge is expected—just curiosity and a willingness to learn in community. In our informal setting, every voice adds to the conversation as we bring the Torah into dialogue with our lives today.
In addition, we are thrilled to launch our reinvigorated Adult Education series, bringing together guest scholars, and community voices to explore Jewish texts, ideas, and contemporary questions in a spirit of openness and curiosity. Whether you are returning to study or stepping in for the first time, this is an opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together.
On Tuesday, November 4, Professor Maurice Samuels will discuss his recent, highly acclaimed book Dreyfus: The Man at the Center of the Affair and will offer his thoughts on the relevance of the Dreyfus trial in our own time. “The life of Dreyfus forces us to consider what it means when the institutions of liberal democracy come under assault and when half a nation commits to believing a lie. The life of Dreyfus also allows us to understand what it takes for truth to triumph, and how a nation can emerge from a political crisis with its faith in its institutions intact. As anti-Semitism …. stage(s) a comeback around the world today, the affair has much to tell us not only about the causes of hatred, but also about the ways it can be resisted.”
On Saturday, November 22, we are honored to welcome back Rabbis Michael Shire and Marcia Plumb whose visit will bring inspiring voices and new insights to our shared spiritual journey. On Saturday morning, Rabbi Plumb will offer us an opportunity to explore Torah through the lens of Mussar, Jewish spiritual practice, and later that day Rabbi Shire will host a special Family Havdalah program and experience (and there will be dinner too, I’m told – watch out for more details in the Shofar Blast!)
As the Torah begins anew, so too do we — learning, growing, and deepening our connections within this remarkable community. May this season of study and gathering bring meaning, joy, and renewal to us all.
byLindsey Sussman, Rabbi Michael Farbman, Olga Markus, Jeffrey Levick and Melissa Perkal
Lindsey: l’dor va’dor
My first core memory at TE was the Rosh Hashana service I attended shortly after we joined, over a decade ago. I had never been to a high holiday service and I went with a friend and her parents. My friend grew up at a conservative temple in Massachusetts and was also a new member and young mom at TE. I was sitting in a row with them and felt uncomfortable at such a big service and knowing so little. There was clearly a known orchestration to the day. As I sat there, I was in awe of how everyone knew the words, knew the order and joined in at the right times. What struck me at that moment was that generations of family members attended services just like this one, over decades and centuries, and recited the same words. Parents taught their children, who taught their children. I was jealous and impressed. I knew I wanted to be part of this tradition, to have the comfort and connection of this history and know it will live on beyond me. As my oldest daughter has shared with us, her favorite hebrew phrase is l’dor va’dor, from generation to generation and I understand why.
A decade or so later, I was struck with another powerful moment when a few of us had the honor, on behalf of the TE community, to deliver the gift of a Torah scroll to a new community in Valencia, Spain. Seven of us attended a Friday night service with members of Shir Jadash Comunidad. We entered an unmarked building on an industrial street. No signs or markings on the door. Inside was a large, modest space with a handful of folding chairs. Within an hour, there were at least 50 of us. Families from throughout the region, some who drove nearly an hour to attend, seniors, children, and even two families from Washington, D.C. who were in the area and heard about the congregation. While most of us didn’t speak the same language, we quickly fell into a shared experience. The service was done in a mix of Spanish, English and Hebrew. While our melodies were a little different, we were all having the same experience and knew the same words, the same flow. When Rabbi Farbman led us in Lecha Dodi on a borrowed guitar, the energy in the room expanded so quickly. You could feel it. Children were clapping along, voices were getting louder. It was amazing. The service continued with beautiful energy. Children were noisy on the floor in the corner, engaged but playing. Then after the service concluded, the congregants set up a dinner for us. Everyone helped bring out food, take care of one another. After dinner, without discussion, clean up happened, again as a group activity. Jim is sweeping the floor with one of the local congregants, Scott is folding tables, Melissa is clearing food. Our TE group was seamlessly meshed with their community, not just for the service but for the small details that make a community work.
From that unmarked building, I could close my eyes and would think I was at TE. The songs, the words, the children, the energy. This congregation is like TE at its start, and in many ways still how we operate. We function only because of the community, those who donate their time and resources to make TE run. We have a lovely building and a strong and diverse community but at its heart we are still the same. It’s the person who picks up the broom, bakes the challah, has an aliyah, speaks up, shows up, that makes our community so strong. Valencia reminded me of that, but with the added joy and curiosity of a child, still feeling things out.
Rabbi Farbman: Torah as a living document…
In the midst of the celebration, a few of us were pulled aside by a member of the community who is a local journalist, for a few moments of reflection. The language barrier made it a little difficult to communicate, but we managed nonetheless!
They asked me to talk about this moment, about bringing the Torah. I shared briefly the journey, and the challenges – making it through security at JFK with the Torah required three levels of authorization, but we succeeded. Being allowed to bring the scroll onto the plane was not an easy feat, but with a little perseverance, the willingness of Iberia staff to listen to my explanations, the letters we prepared in advance and, perhaps most importantly, the articles in Spanish press published ahead of time, I was ushered onto the plane and shown to the overhead compartment in first class, where the Torah safely traveled (while we were at the back of the plane in our seats:).
I also acknowledged that of course, the most economical way of delivering the Torah to Valencia would have been to pack it carefully and to ship it with a courier. But the most economical is not always the most appropriate or the most meaningful! Navigating all the challenges along the way, and bringing the Torah by hand was not easy – but I cannot think of a more fitting way to bring the Torah from one community to another.
As I sat in the small, hot room, I proceeded to tell them that a community needs people – without people wanting to be together and spend time together, you don’t have a community. The community can exist without the building – even though having a place to call home is very, very helpful. The community can exist without the rabbi – even though having the rabbi teach and lead the community can help transform it in great many ways.
Rabbi Alona Lisitsa is helping Shir Jadash from afar, as she is only able to travel to Valencia a few times a year, but her knowledge, her teaching, and her support enable this nascent community to flourish and continue to grow. The community can exist without the formal prayerbook – TE had famously compiled many a loose-leaf prayerbook in its early days, leading to publication of our beloved ‘blue’ Seder T’filot Emanuel, long before we adopted Mishkan T’filah prayerbook of our movement. These days, one can even project the words of the prayers onto a screen or a wall, with visual t’filah! The presence of the well-laid-out prayerbook that contains transliteration for those who are only learning their way around the service is super helpful, even if it is just a printout, but a beautiful prayerbook does not make a community.
All of these elements are important, and as I said – none of them are enough if you don’t have people who want to come together, spend time together, pray and eat together and make a living community.
You can even make do without a Torah scroll – you can study from the book, and in the absence of a Torah scroll you can even read the weekly portion from a book – although customarily people are not called up for an aliya in those circumstances. But when you enter the Torah scroll into a small rented room, and place it into the hands of a community who are thirsting for its presence, you see the instant transformation, and it is beautiful.
I was honored to stand there, to witness the tears, to add my own tears to those of others in the room, as we celebrated this powerful moment in time. It was a true blessing to get to experience this moment of joy and community.
Jeffrey Lelvick: Community
In the beginning of this year, I noticed a short blurb in this publication that mentioned that TE was donating one of our Torah scrolls to a new Reform community in Valencia, Spain, and that a small delegation of congregants were planning on taking the journey to Spain to hand off the scroll in person. As a filmmaker, I recognized a compelling story and knew immediately I wanted to document it. It had all the makings of a great narrative: a nearly 100-year-old Torah from Poland, that had already lived a long life here in the U.S., was being donated to a community in a country where Jews were expelled over 500 years ago.
As I began filming and editing some initial footage, I was surprised to find myself welling up and crying at various points of the process. I was overwhelmed with emotion watching the scribe restore the scroll. As I recorded the Shavuot service where Rabbi Farbman read the Ten Commandments from the outbound Torah, I couldn’t take my eyes and camera off the flickering candles and the smiling faces of our fellow congregants who warmly followed along, nodding and singing during this intimate service. A few months later we did it all again, but this time in the company of our new friends and fellow Jewish travellers–the members of Shir Jadash in Valencia.
A sun-scorched Valencia was awaiting us when we arrived with the Torah in early July. And while the sparkling Mediterranean Sea and waving palm trees indicated that our humble home in Orange was far away, the community and warmth of the members of Shir Jadash felt incredibly familiar. Its members welcomed us into their small space with smiles and open arms, as if we had known each other for years. It was as if somebody started playing a vinyl record in Connecticut, lifted the stylus, and it put it back down in Spain. The language barrier was real, however, when Rabbi Farbman began strumming and singing Lecha Dodi, if there was any space between our communities, it quickly evaporated, and in that moment, we were one community, sharing our customs and hymns as they have been passed on through generations. As the president of Shir Jadash tightly held the donated Torah under the chuppah the group had created with a tallit, tears streamed down his cheek. From behind the camera, I too, choked up witnessing such beauty derived from such a natural act of providing this community an essential part of our tradition.
At various moments, I found myself wandering away from my camera to sing along and pray with the group, as if I were being pulled in by an unseen force. I’ve come to understand that force as the need for any of us–all of us–to be part of a community. I instinctively felt like I was part of the small community there and part of a much larger Jewish community during my few days in Valencia. As I spoke with the local members, who came from diverse backgrounds–from Catholics who became Jews by choice to others who had been unknowingly practicing Jewish rituals as children, I realized that they had found a community that spoke to them, that fulfilled the need to be together, to share meals, and to sustain themselves. The neshama of their community is deeply Jewish, and I’m not sure if that’s because of its diversity or in spite of it.
As I dig deeper into my footage to revisit and log what I captured, I’m struck by how much I shot of the Torah itself. From the scroll being placed in the overhead bin on the plane to being gently placed into the arc of Shir Jadash for the first time, it is clear to me that this sacred object is not one to be placed on a shelf and admired, and that perhaps the sacredness is not necessarily only from the words scribed on its parchment, but stems from the community it creates when it is unrolled and read in together in a shared space.
Olga: Pride and Joy
Pride and Joy—these are the two most powerful emotions that continue to resonate with me following our recent journey to Valencia, Spain, where we had the profound honor of accompanying a Torah scroll to its new spiritual home, on behalf of the Temple Emanuel community. As I stood before the congregation of Shir Jadash Comunidad, presenting the gifts from our Religious School—talitot and a Torah yad purchased with Tzedakah contributions from our students, families, and faculty—I was filled with an indescribable sense of pride and deep, abiding joy. What a blessing it was to take part in such a sacred mitzvah.
The weekend was marked not only by ceremony, but by a heartfelt human connection. There were tears of gratitude, hugs of friendship, and bursts of laughter that echoed across language barriers. We embraced one another not as strangers, but as a long-lost family. The shared joy, the emotional resonance of the Torah’s arrival, and the warmth of genuine hospitality created moments I will never forget.
Following Shabbat lunch, a member of Shir Jadash asked me, “How does it feel to leave your Torah scroll behind?” I paused for only a moment before responding without hesitation. I replied, “It doesn’t feel like leaving it behind at all. On the contrary—I am filled with deep gratitude and immense pride, knowing we have delivered the Torah into the welcoming arms of its new, loving, and gracious home.”
Shir Jadash Comunidad, in so many ways, mirrors our own beloved Temple Emanuel. It is a warm, sincere, DIY-spirited congregation, full of individuals who open their hearts to newcomers. Despite our different native tongues, we felt entirely at home. The bonds we formed over just a few days were real and moving.
I believe this journey marks not an ending, but a beautiful beginning—a first step toward a long-lasting relationship between our two communities. There is something indescribably powerful about standing together with fellow Jews across the world, realizing that regardless of distance, language, or tradition, we are all united as part of K’lal Israel—the sacred and enduring global Jewish family.
As for me, I will carry this unforgettable experience in my heart, and do my best to share its spirit and meaning with all of you. Am Yisrael Chai—the People of Israel live!
Melissa Perkal: Joy
For me, my love of being Jewish is the joy. The joy of community, the joy of song, the joy of meals shared, the joy of prayer, the joy of being able to give back to those who need it, the joy of learning, the joy of shared experiences. Sometimes, that joy seems to go underground and become dulled by unthinking repetition. The trip to Valencia and Shir Jadash Comunidad was a return to joy. It was a profoundly joyful and rejuvenating experience. So many of the trip’s details have been shared by my fellow travelers, so I won’t repeat them here. I think my newest task is to help re-ignite the joy here at home. It’s made even more exciting by finding a community in Spain that reflects that joy back to us and is ready for us to return to them at any moment.
A few weeks ago, at the TE Annual Meeting, I talked about Phil Pivawer z’l and his legacy. Phil served as President of Temple Emanuel twice, over 50 years ago – in fact, it was during his first presidency that our current location was purchased in 1971, establishing a permanent home for TE. Over the years I have heard the stories about the efforts to make it happen from Phil, as well as from Rabbi Winer. But it was only last year, when preparing eulogy for Phil, that I realized just how young they both were – Phil was 31, and Rabbi Winer was 29! The pioneering spirit of those early TE days has impacted our community culture and continues to resonate still. The desire to fashion the community which is our shared Jewish home remains at the heart of everything we do.
Over the years, Phil has quietly (and mostly anonymously) supported every important endeavor at TE. Whether it was an emergency loan for a new roof, or a Second Half Century efforts campaign, the expansion of our building or a matching grant to encourage increased Fair Share giving, Phil has never ceased to support TE, keeping it afloat and gently nudging it towards greater sustainability. Most of these efforts were anonymous, because Phil took the Jewish teachings on tzedakah seriously. He wasn’t looking for recognition, but he wanted to make sure important needs were addressed. It was only in the last few months of his life that he began to accept that people should know at least some of his imprint, and be inspired to consider what legacy and what impact they may have on TE.
About a year before his death Phil invited Olga and me to lunch and shared with us some of his plans: he was leaving funds to TE, some in the name of his late wife Barbara, and some from his estate. The money will of course be overseen by TE treasurers, but I was to become a steward of some of it, while Olga, in her capacity as school director, will be the steward of funds directed at education and school needs. We were of course stunned and promised to think about the possible projects. When Phil was rushed to the emergency room in December, he was calm and collected – but he also made sure he reminded me of his clear instructions for a few things, including these gifts, before he allowed me to ask about his wellbeing! I assured him that I will honor his wishes, of course – even if, in that moment, I didn’t fully appreciate the significance of it all.
Phil was a passionate supporter of TE. He wanted it vibrant. He wanted it relevant. He wanted it sustainable. He knew that TE as we know it was the result of pioneering spirit, creative energy and communal commitment. He also knew very well that sheer enthusiasm is not always enough, you need resources and support. So his legacy, and the not-so-subtle ‘nudge’ that he has given me is this: figure out what TE needs NOW, in this moment, and make it happen. Any such vision requires financial support – and Phil wanted to make sure he gave us the seed funds to do the important work. He wasn’t trying to tell us what to do – even though Phil had plenty of ideas about TE, just ask any member of Finance Committee, where he continued to serve until the end. He wanted the next generation of TE leaders to figure it out, and he wanted us to know that we have his support, his blessing, and yes, a nudge to go for it.
As we embark on this journey, we acknowledge with gratitude this support and encouragement, and we invite you to join us, and the TE Board and Officers, in figuring out what TE’s future truly needs in this moment.
Back in 2019, when we began the process of restoring our Holocaust Memorial scroll, we discussed the possibility of using the ‘extra’ Torah scroll that will come out of our Ark to help support a community that could really use one of their own. A few months ago we received a request on behalf of a newly formed Reform community in Valencia, Spain who would really love to be able to celebrate Shabbat and Festivals by reading from a Torah scroll! As you may have heard, the TE Board has unanimously supported this donation! The scroll required some restoration, and we were excited to welcome Torah Scribe, Rabbi Kevin Hale, to TE at the end of April.
Now that the Torah is ready to be used again, we will honor its impact on TE history as we say our communal ‘goodbye’ by reading the 10 Commandments from it at our Erev Shavuot service on Sunday, June 1 at 7:30 pm. Shavuot is the celebration of the receiving of Torah on Mount Sinai, and we will use this opportunity to read from this scroll at TE for the final time, before it begins the journey to its new home in Valencia, Spain. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the past and look to the future than helping a Jewish community obtain a Torah. What an honor and a blessing it is for TE to be in the position to do so!
Olga and I just returned from accompanying nine (!) TE teens at the L’taken seminar of the Religious Action Center in Washington, DC . The Bernard and Audre Rapoport L’Taken Social Justice Seminar is designed to both expose teens to a variety of public policy issues and explore the Jewish values that inform the Reform Movement’s advocacy around these issues.
We are grateful to TE’s Rabbi Brieger Youth Fund, Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, and Barbara Rosenthal Memorial Fund for making this trip possible for our teens. Abby, Izzy, Avery, Ava, Nessah, Nadav, Max, Aitan and Sam had an incredible time. Below are a few brief excerpts from their reflections on their experience.
… It was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience… I did not realize how powerful all of the activities I participated in would be, and how deeply they would all affect me.
… If I were to talk to the next group of people to go on the DC trip I would tell them to go into it with an open mind. I went into the trip not knowing what to expect and I went with the flow I feel that I really grew as a person and also grew closer with all of my friends from TE and even made new friends. At the Holocaust museum I learned a lot of new information and even though it was at times sad, I feel that it gave me a much deeper understanding of the Holocaust. I felt like I grew so much in this experience and now have a clearer understanding on what I can do to help those in my community, my town and Jewish community…
… If I had to pick one word to describe the L’taken experience I would pick empowering. We did things from lobbying our elected officials, to eating out and skating downtown, to visiting the Holocaust museum. The activity that stuck with me the most was the Holocaust museum, the thing that left me speechless was the pure sadness and curiosity it gave me. I leave this trip with more knowledge and memories that I will take with me and use in my daily life. I would highly encourage future students to go on this trip…
…This trip had an impact on me in three ways. First it made me feel more connected to my Judaism by being able to go to services and learning about our history when going to the holocaust museum. I also got to learn about civic issues, from mental health to abortion, I got to get deeper understanding and care about the issue more. I also got to make new friends from different congregations and having a good time. This was a great trip…
…Now, on the train ride back to New Haven, I cannot overemphasize how thankful I am for the experience I had. I’ve been in classes like 21st Century Democracy, Constitutional Law, gone on trips to DC, and had other educational experiences relating to our legislative process. However, L’Taken this winter was the most hands-on, real, experience I’ve had. I was definitely a bit nervous before going to capitol hill today (Monday), but the feeling of being able to walk into the building and offices of my representatives, and tell them about how I feel and what I want them to do was incredibly empowering….
…L’ taken has been an overall great, educational experience and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to go on this trip… As I shared with my peers, rabbi and Morah Olga, the Holocaust museum made me start thinking about how one person that can make such a huge impact on everything someone has ever known… For the rest of the weekend I kept this in the back of my mind, during my activities and writing my speech I remembered that I can be the person that changes something that I believe in but for a positive change…
“It’s been a tough few weeks, and a tough couple of months, and a really tough year…” The world is on fire, the Jewish world is still reeling from the events of October 7th and the aftermath, and our TE community has recently suffered a few major losses of our loved ones. Even in the midst of the joyous season of Festivals and celebrations, it’s that much harder to find excitement and joy this year. And yet, Jews are eternal optimists —and so we work extra hard and continue to look for ways to make the world just a little better than we found it …
By the time this article reaches you, I will be in Krakow, Poland—returning after nearly 3 years of war to support the Ukrainian refugees, this time accompanied by Robert Farbman—our two-person volunteer team. The need is still there and so is the anxiety over the war and the future. We cannot change the realities on the ground, but we can help support volunteers at the JCC Krakow, who have been serving the most vulnerable refugees for so long. I am truly grateful to TE leadership and membership for all your support and encouragement. While Robert’s and my language skills make us a bit more useful, we are doing this on behalf of all of us at TE. As in the past, we will try and post brief reports on our TE Facebook page, so please check it out!
Back in 2019, when we began the process of restoring our Holocaust Memorial scroll, we discussed the possibility of using the ‘extra’ Torah scroll that will come out of our Ark to help support a community that could really use one of their own. A few weeks ago, I received a request on behalf of a newly formed Reform community in Valencia, Spain who would really love to be able to celebrate Shabbat and Festivals by reading from a Torah scroll! I am excited to report that the TE Board has unanimously supported this donation! The scroll will require some restoration and there will be an opportunity for TE members to learn with the scribe and to observe the process. While the exact dates are still only at the planning stage, there is much excitement among TE members who are looking forward to journeying to Spain to bring the Torah scroll to its new home. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the past and look to the future than helping a Jewish community obtain a Torah. What an honor and a blessing it is for TE to be in the position to do so!
Here’s to a New Year 2025 filled with many more inspiring and exciting opportunities to make our world just a little better.
“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” — Billy Joel
Music has always been an integral part of TE, one of its defining features. Every time I ask our members about the most inspiring aspects of our communal life, music gets mentioned the most. Rabbi Jerry z’’l and his guitar have helped nurture multiple generations of TE members, elevating their experience in ways that only music knows how: by directly touching our souls.
For the last 15 years, I have been privileged to carry it forward, blessed with so much support and encouragement from our TE community, and partnering with our amazing band under the leadership of the incredible Laurel Shader. Being together and singing together makes my soul soar on any given Shabbat or Festival, as I am lifted by the beautiful harmonies that we create, filling our sanctuary with sound.
In 2016, when we said our final goodbyes to our teacher and our friend, we immediately began thinking of ways to institutionalize Rabbi Jerry’s legacy at TE. What better way to remember the man whose Hebrew name was Shir than with music? Generations of adults and children at TE have been entertained by Rabbi Jerry’s magic tricks and thus the name of our annual celebration was born: Shir Magic.
Every year we get to sing with one of the leading voices in contemporary Jewish music, celebrating Rabbi Jerry’s legacy. What a blessing it is! Every artist is different, but every single one of them has been blown away by what they find at TE — a community that gathers to sing (and knows so many of their songs and melodies already!)
This year’s Shir Magic artist is Eliana Light, an incredibly talented musician, educator and performer. Eliana envisions a joyful, vibrant, heart–centered Judaism that speaks to the soul and moves the spirit, reminding us that we all are One. She holds sacred space, writes music, trains educators, and consults with communities to bring this vision to life. Eliana’s music has enriched the Temple Emanuel services and celebrations over the years, and some of her songs have become a staple in our High Holy Day and Festival services for children and adults alike.
Last year, as we were still reeling from the events of October 7th, our Shir Magic concert with Elana Arian had given us a lifeline, helping us to breathe a little deeper breaths. Some of the music she shared with us that evening continues to sustain me over this difficult year. I know that Eliana Light will help us sing and heal together this year, and I cannot wait to share the experience of her music and her teaching with all at TE this year. And of course, the TE band will make a special appearance that evening.
Eliana will spend the entire weekend December 6-8 with our community as our musician–in–residence. Join us on Friday December 6 at 6pm for an everybody–friendly musical, meaningful service! We’ll sing, connect, and delight in Shabbat together with Eliana.
On Saturday, December 7 at 10am we’ll enjoy a Shabbat morning experience of songs, stories, and snuggles: Shabbat morning for kiddos 0-5 and their grown-ups are invited to build community. We’ll snack, schmooze, sing, and connect with each other. No Shabbat experience required!
Elul (אלול) is the name of the month in our Jewish calendar that immediately precedes the Jewish New Year and High Holy Days. The month of Elul is one that fulfills the promise of drawing closer, awakening our inner lives through the call of the shofar, and preparing ourselves for the joy and renewal of the holiday season.
A recently published companion to Mishkan T’filah provides us with additional liturgical and poetic sources, allowing us to deepen our sense of approaching High Holy Days. We also begin to blow the shofar in the month of Elul, the sound piercing our souls and reminding us to engage in the process of introspection and preparation.
In an average year, the month of Elul tends to fall on August, with only a tail of it landing in September — and so it often gets ‘lost’ in the end of the summer routines, the beginning of the new school year and all that goes with it. This year, the High Holy Days fall in October, so we get a chance to experience the month of Elul in its fullest.
Before we arrive at Rosh Hashanah, we get to pause and consider our lives, engage in the practice of cheshbon hanefesh, accounting of the soul. Before we come together for the full liturgical experience of the holiest days of our year, we get to slowly prepare. The culmination of the month of Elul is the Selichot service on the last Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah, when we begin to recite the penitence prayers and chant the haunting melodies that are so familiar to us from the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy.
Four New Haven area Reform synagogues come together for Selichot services, taking turns in hosting the gatherings. This year, on Saturday September 28th at 7pm we will gather at Temple Beth David in Cheshire. We will say goodbye to Shabbat with a brief Havdalah ceremony, and we will get a chance to hear from Judge Douglas Lavine, the co-chair of the Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council (of which I am a member), who will speak about Restorative Justice and Forgiveness, an incredibly fitting topic for the night of Selichot. The evening will conclude with a special service, led by all of the rabbis and cantors and choirs from all of our synagogues, a very special annual gathering that will allow us to prepare for the holy days ahead.
This year the ‘late’ start for the High Holy Days offers us a gift: experiencing the month of Elul in its fullness. Come and enjoy Friday night Shabbat service, join Saturday morning Torah study and get ready for the Days of Awe together!
When members of our community and our loved ones fall ill, we add their names to the Misheberach list that we read before reciting the prayer for healing, inviting us all to hold the community members in our prayers, alongside our own loved ones and friends. We often use the traditional formula of using someone’s Hebrew name to preserve the anonymity of the person, and at other times we use the full name, thus sharing the news of illness with wider TE community, reminding people to reach out and call/visit a friend. (Please note, according to our tradition you should ALWAYS check with the person you want to pray for whether they are comfortable with their name recited in public or added to the list read out in the synagogue)!
The prayer for healing is traditionally recited during the Torah service. In addition, a slightly different version of the prayer for healing is part of a weekday Amidah, which is not recited on Shabbat as part of our liturgy, when the 13 ‘middle’ blessings/petitions are replaced with one special blessing for Shabbat.
The words of Debbie Friedman’s Misheberach have become a staple of our Shabbat services, as it did in numerous communities all around the world – the powerful music, the inspiring words, combined with an opportunity to offer a communal prayer for healing have become an essential part of our Shabbat services. TE’s spiral-bound prayerbook Seder T’filot Emanuel has included the text of this prayer at the end of a Friday night Amidah, and it continues to be one of the most powerful elements of the service for so many of us. New words and new melodies continue to be written, and we often add the new prayers for healing to our services – but the presence of the prayer for healing in all our Shabbat and Festival services remains a constant.
Over the years our Misheberach list became surprisingly long. And while there is definitely a long accepted tradition of appointing an emissary to pray for one’s health if you can’t make it to the synagogue, our current minhag, or custom, that evolved at TE has led to the breakdown of the original intent of the prayer for healing: to be offered in person with intentionality.
Rabbi Dr. Daniel Landes, in My People’s Prayerbook, remarks:
“The Mi Sheberakh is not a magical incantation. It obligates the [pray-er] to give tzedakah and to pray personally on behalf of the person for whom the prayer is given. It summons us all to recognize our own utter powerlessness in the face of illness.”
The TE Ritual Committee discussed this at length at a recent meeting and agreed to modify our current practice. If you are thinking of a loved one, a family member or a friend, and would like to pray for their health – please come to Shabbat service, in person or online, and please think of them as you add their name – publicly or privately, to our communal prayer for healing. If you hear of someone’s acute illness and want to add their name (and you can’t get there yourself), please call/email the office, and the name will be added to our list, which will continue to be read every Shabbat. When the person gets better, please remember to let us know so we can remove their name from the list – we love hearing good news! After the name has been on the list for about a month, the list will ‘reset.’ Please note, the names of all TE members struggling with illness will remain on the list without any time limit.
I invite you to use the opportunity of the Misheberach prayer in our services to think of and to pray for healing for your loved ones. May all who are in need of healing be blessed with the love, care and support they need.
