SHABBAT
ACROSS THE GRJC COMMUNITY
MAY 29, 2009
6 PM
Join GRJC members in Fair
Lawn and Glen Rock in their homes for a
kosher dairy Shabbat meal.
It's an informal way to meet other
members of our community.
A kosher dairy meal will be provided.
FREE OF CHARGE
Email to
toothydave@juno.com to attend,
and for more information.
|
Shavuot
Events
May 27-30, 2009
MAY 27:
WOMEN'S ROSH CHODESH GROUP, 7-8:30 PM
MAY 28:
EREV
SHAVUOT SERVICES AND ALEPH
CONSECRATION, 7PM
SHABBAT UNIVERSITY AT 8:30 PM -
Rabbi Tow and GRJC members will teach on
Shabbat: How do we prepare for Shabbat?
/ Shabbat in Sefardi homes. / Shabbat: A
philosopher's view.
MAY 29:
7 AM MORNING SERVICE
6 PM - SHABBAT ACROSS THE GRJC COMMUNITY
MAY 30:
9 AM - MORNING SERVICE WITH
YIZKOR
|
|
Shabbat, May 22-23, 2009
29 Iyar 5769
Torah portion: Bamidbar
Bamidbar (Numbers) Chap.
2:1-3:13
(Etz Hayim Chumash pp. 774-778)
Haftarah - 1 Samuel 20:18-42
(Eve of Rosh Chodesh)
We light our Shabbat
candles at 7:56 pm
PLEASE NOTE:
Friday night services will begin
at
8 pm
Saturday morning services will begin
at 9 am
Shabbat ends at
9:04 pm on Saturday.
|
Note regarding
security:
In light of recent events in New York,
the Glen Rock Police will make
additional patrols in the area of the
synagogue during services on Friday
and Saturday this Shabbat.
|
|
COUNTING THE OMER
From
the 2nd night of Seder through the day
before Shavuot,
we
count each of the 49 days. Each
night, we count the next day in the
sequence. The Omer was a grain
offering brought on the second day of
the Passover holiday in ancient
times. The Rabbis turned the Omer
into a 7 week counting-up to the
celebration of receiving the Torah at
Sinai. Follow this link for a
printable Omer-counting calendar.
http://www.uscj.org/Koach/documents/omer.pdf
|
GRJC MARCHES IN THE NYC
ISRAEL DAY PARADE
(rain or shine...hopefully
shine!)
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2009
$18 per person / $56 family cap
Fee covers bus transportation
to/from Manhattan, t-shirts,
snacks and parade registration
Bus to leave GRJC around 10am
Return by approximately 3-4pm
RSVP NOW! Call the GRJC Office
201-652-6624
|
THE ISRAEL TRIP IS ON!
After a successful opening meeting,
we're moving forward with the Israel
trip that's scheduled for February
6-16, 2010. We have the proposed
itinerary available as well as the
costs. Please contact Rabbi Tow
(rabbi@grjc.org) to learn more about
this exciting Israel opportunity!
This trip offers a maximum Israel
experience at the most affordable
price available today--a unique
opportunity!.
*See
Tel Aviv, the Golan, the Galilee,
Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea and
more...
*Participate in an archaeological dig
in Jerusalem.
*Dinner with members of a Masorti/Conservative
congregation in Rehovot.
*Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial
*Wine tasting in the Golan Heights
Winery
*See where King David lived
*And so much more...
Join us on our Israel adventure!
|
WOMEN'S ROSH CHODESH GROUP
Welcomes the Month of Sivan
and
the Holiday of Shavuot
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 7:00-8:30pm
Join us for lively conversation
and an intellectual discussion in
a friendly atmosphere.
As Shavuot begins the next
evening, we will enjoy dairy
desserts and a study.
|
|
Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family
It is always exciting to begin a new
book of the Torah. There is always
something new that we can uncover
about the ancient words in the Torah
that is relevant to our lives today.
Ones lesson that we can take from this
week's reading is that, especially in
the Internet age, all the information
that we read is not necessarily
reliable. When we search the Internet
for facts, we often find various
sources suggesting different answers
or explanations. There is little
oversight as to the quality of
information available.
In our Torah portion, we see evidence
of discrepancies in the census data
from this week's portion. The total
number of males, counted for purposes
of military conscription, amounts to
603,550.(Numbers 2:32) There is no
mistake in the adding of the total
numbers from each tribe, but there are
problems that arise when we look more
carefully at this total number. We
see in the Encyclopedia Judaica (that
can be accessed through our website)
that if the Torah is correct and there
were only 22,273 firstborn males out
of the 603,550, then even with the
assumption that there are more female
firstborns, we would have a situation
in which only one out of 12 or 13
women above age 20 were mothers.
While the numbers themselves may
present problems, there is the sense
here that every tribe and individual
is included. That all are included
speaks to the unity of the Israelites
in this period of their spiritual
growth as a people. The census
symbolizes the growing unity among the
people as they travel in an orderly
fashion through the desert. Each
tribe has its place to camp around the
holy place that is always at the
center. The numbers, then, lead us to
the conclusion that the Israelites are
prepared for the task of becoming a
people and surviving the desert
wandering, and we also feel a sense of
strength and unity when we consider
their task of settling the holy land
that lies ahead.
When we read the parasha this week we
can take a few moments to think about
how we build unity of purpose into our
friendships, families, organizations,
and places of work. How do we make
sure everyone feels "counted"?
We share our blessings today on Yom
Yerushalayim/Jerusalem day that our
holy city, the capital of the State of
Israel, will remain strong amidst
ongoing events in the Middle East. We
pray that the leaders, soldiers, and
citizens of Israel will take
inspiration from the spirit of
Jerusalem that was reunited as a whole
city in 1967 and strive to continue to
build up the Jewish state.
With blessings for a peaceful Shabbat,
Rabbi Tow
|
Upcoming Week's Calendar
Sunday, May 24 Rosh Chodesh
Sivan
No Sunday School: Memorial Day
Weekend
RABBI'S CLASSES CANCELED FOR SUNDAY
Monday, May 25 Memorial
Day
No Hay Class; No Nursery
School; office closed
No Melton Adult Ed
MEMORIAL DAY PARADE, CONCORD
AVE. 9:30 AM, FOLLOWED BY
CEREMONY OF REMEMBRANCE.
Wednesday,
May 27
7:00 pm
Women's
Rosh
Chodesh Group
Thursday,
May 28
Erev
Shavuot
No
Religious
School
7:00pm
Aleph
Consecration
and
Shavuot
Service
8:30pm
"Shabbat
University"
Friday,
May 29
Shavuot
7am
Minyan
No
Nursery
School;
Office
closed
6:00pm
Shabbat
Dinners
across
the GRJC
8:00pm
Erev
Shabbat
/
Shavuot
Service
|
|
|
