Shabbat Shalom GRJC

Weekly Emails to the Congregation

Parshat Chayei Sarah 2008

Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,

We light our Shabbat candles this week at 4:15 pm.  Tot Shabbat and Shabbat Sheli will begin at 6:30 in the Social Hall and Main Sanctuary.  Friday evening services will begin at 8 pm, and Saturday morning services will begin at 9 am.  Cantor Michelle Freedman will join us and lead us this Shabbat.

On Saturday morning we will announce the soon to be new Hebrew month of….?  Hint:  It’s the month in which we celebrate Chanukah.(Find the answer below)

As we approach Shabbat again, I find myself thinking about how Shabbat is a day of “rest”.  Rest is here in quotes since there is so much preparation required to observe Shabbat in the home and in the synagogue.  Then, on Shabbat there are a number of activities we do (pray, recreation, family meals, studying, reading…) in addition to the activities that we try to avoid.  It appears, then, that although Shabbat is a day to rest, lots of different “work” goes into preparing for and making Shabbat a special day.

When we think about the type of preparation that is required for Shabbat (and other holidays as well), we should compare the rest and renewal of these days with the (hopefully) renewing sleep we have at night.  In order to get ready for sleep, we have lots of work to do:  brushing, flossing, face-washing, changing into pajamas, making sure the house is locked, setting things out for the next day, charging cell-phones, cleaning up…In order to rest, we have to put in a concerted effort every evening to put our minds at ease and prepare us for the next day.  The same is true for Shabbat.  Another similarity is that the more we prepare for the next day when we go to sleep, the more at peace we feel and the better rest we get.  For Shabbat, if we have food ready ahead of time and we get the house prepared and the candles lit, we can take a deep breath and more easily allow the past week to fall away from our thoughts, at least for the next 24 hours.  Preparing for Shabbat is also an emotional and spiritual activity.  We try to get ourselves into the right frame of mind, and it takes an effort equal to cooking and cleaning.

In this week’s Torah reading, we meet Rebecca, Isaac’s future wife, for the first time, and she is working hard to provide water for Abraham’s servant Eliezer and his camels.  Her hard work is rewarded when she realizes that it set an example, which to Eliezer indicated she was the right one for Isaac.  We find here that Rebecca’s effort parallels our own efforts to get ready for Shabat and holidays.  When we put in that extra measure of effort beforehand, we can enjoy the holy-day that much more.

As for those Shabbatot when we have less time and energy to prepare, we can try for simpler meals, for example, to make life easier.  The goal is not for us to have a fabulous 3-course meal each Shabbat; rather, the goal is for us to feel happy, comfortable, and ready to experience the holiness of the 7th day.  The preparation for Shabbat is spiritual as well, and if we feel right inside then a simple meal and the joy of the day will outweigh even the best kugel! (well, maybe not my Grandmother’s luckshen…)

With blessings,
Rabbi Tow

*Chanukah comes in the Hebrew month of Kislev.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Saturday, November 22
5:30 pm: The GRJC Nursery School is holding a special Havdalah service and program to end Shabbat and welcome the new week. All Nursery School students and their families are invited.

7:30-10:00 pm Daled Class Kehilah program at the YJCC in Washington Township.

Sunday, November 23
9:00 am Men’s Club Breakfast with Alfred “You Know the Voice” Fredel performing, accompanied by Neil Fishman on piano. Men's Club members AND their spouses are invited! (Morning minyan promptly at 9 am)

9:00am – 1:00pm GRJC Religious School

10:00 - 11:00 am  Adult Ed Haftarah chanting class with Rabbi Tow
11:00 - noon Adult Bar/Bat Mtizvah class with Rabbi Tow. Open to all and will culminate in students leading a Shabbat service in June.

Monday, November 24
7:30 pm Book Discussion with Rabbi Tow in the GRJC Library.  In recognition of November as Jewish Book Month, the Rabbi will lead a discussion of the first in David Small’s classic series of books, “Friday, the Rabbi Slept Late”

7:30pm – 9:45pm Melton II Class in the Youth Lounge

Tuesday, November 25
10:00am – 3:00 pm Lifeline Screenings in the GRJC Social Hall

There is no Single Parents Support Group meeting on 11/25.

7:30pm Ladies Night Out:  A Jewelry Sale Party featuring sterling silver jewelry by Silpada. Refreshments and light nosh. Open to the GRJC Community, this event is  a fundraiser for our Nursery School. Get your Chanukah gifts before Thanksgiving! In the GRJC  Social Hall. RSVP to Shira Hochman at shoch33@gmail.com.

8:00pm Ritual Committee Meeting in the GRJC Library



Wednesday, November 26
10:00-11:30am Nursery School Thanksgiving Feast in the Social Hall, followed by early dismissal.

8:00 pm  INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE (this year at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 233 South Highwood Avenue (corner of Ackerman and Rock, GR).  Join the GRJC community attending this annual event. ALL GRJC members (not just Glen Rock residents), extended families and friends welcome.

Thursday, November 27:  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

PLEASE NOTE: With the exception of Shabbat Services Friday evening at 8 and Saturday morning at 9….and Women’s Rosh Chodesh Discussion Sunday, Nov. 30, 7:00-8:30pm…the GRJC will be closed for Thanksgiving Weekend from Wednesday afternoon through Monday morning.  No Religious/Nursery School or office hours.


LOOKING AHEAD: SATURDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 6, 8:00 PM
SPORTS, MUSIC, POP CULTURE, ART AUCTION
Major fundraiser for the GRJC.  $10 per person; $18 per couple for GRJC members.  Reserve your seats and paddles now!  Contact Rob Weiss at 201-612-0674 or rweiss@mclaughlinstern.com.

ATTENTION ALL FAMILIES WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS!
The GRJC is seeking campus ("snail mail") and email addresses for your youths. We want to keep in touch by sending them the GRJC Bulletin, Chanukah and Purim "care packages" and other appropriate news and items throughout the year. Please email this information to admin@grjc.org.  Congregant Robin Rubinstein has stepped forward to chair our College Outreach committee.  If you would like to help her, please mention so in your email.

GRJC PRAYERS NOW ONLINE FOR BAR/BAT MITZVAH STUDENTS AND THE CONGREGATION -
The prayers (tefillot) are now recorded as MP3s on the GRJC website www.grjc.org.  On the main page, click on "Hear Rabbi Tow's Tefillot Recordings."




 

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