Shabbat Shalom GRJC

Weekly Emails to the Congregation

Parshat Deverim 2007

Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,

This Shabbat we light candles at 8:05 PM.  Friday evening services will begin at 8 PM.

Saturday morning services will begin at 9 AM.  The adult Torah reading class will be reading almost the entire Torah reading.  This will be their first time reading from the scroll after many months of hard work.  Please join us for services and this simcha.

MONDAY EVENING JULY 23rd at 8 PM we will be observing the beginning of Tisha Be’Av, the Ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av.  Tisha Be’Av is a day that marks the tragedies of the Jewish people over the centuries.  In our evening service and program, we will sing songs of the day, and we will read and chant from the Book of Eicha, The Book of Lamentations.  We will also read stories related to the day and have a discussion.  The service takes place by candlelight with the congregation seated on the floor.

This Shabbat we read from the first parasha in Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy.  The name of the book, “Devarim”, means “the words” referring to the opening phrase of the book that sets the stage for the rest of the fifth book of the Torah.  The book opens by telling us that Moses will be sharing “the words” that he spoke to the Israelites while they were preparing to enter the Holy Land.

The words that Moses shares both look back in time and also project forward in time, and it makes me think about how George Washington felt as he was writing his farewell address to the people in 1796.  Washington was also looking back and into the future.  The parallels between our parasha and Washington’s address are striking.  Both leaders are proud to welcome new leadership.  In both cases, it is clear that the leader must step down in order for the people, and the process of nation building, to go forward.

However, God instructed Moses that he would not enter the Promised Land, whereas George Washington decided to retire.  At the same time, Washington, like Moses, wished to experience some of the future.  Moses was able to look out into the Land that he would not enter.  Washington was clear that he was “influenced by no diminution of zeal for your [the American people’s] future interest.”

The unity of the people is a prime concern for both leaders.  In Chapter 4 of Deuteronomy, Moses emphasizes the importance of unity among the people.  Washington also focuses on unity, “The unity of government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you.  It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

August 10th – GRJC Barbeque – Join us for food, fun, and fellowship at our annual Barbeque.  After we eat, we will have a lively service under the tent in our backyard.  Saturday morning August 11th we will again have our services under the tent.  You can sign up using the form on the website www.grjc.org.



Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Tow
 

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