Glen Rock Jewish Center 682 Harristown Road, Glen Rock, NJ 07452 Phone:  201-652-6624   Email: office@grjc.org

Tonight we light candles at 7:38 PM. At our 8 PM service we will be celebrating the Bet class Shabbaton.

At tonight’s service we also will be celebrating all the birthdays (Age 1-120) and anniversaries for the month of May. Please join us for a blessing and singing in honor of your upcoming birthday or anniversary. 

Saturday morning services will begin at 9 AM. We will be celebrating with the Berenson and Kronenberg families when Emily Hannah receives her Hebrew name. We wish a Mazel Tov to Emily’s grandparents Ros and Burt Berenson.

This week we read from parshat Emor in the Book of Leviticus. As we come toward the end of Leviticus we read about the qualifications, and disqualifications, for kohanim/priests who wish to serve God in the Mishkan/The Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Torah portion reads somewhat like a Classified ad for priests:

WANTED-KOHEN, PRIEST FOR THE MISHKAN. MUST BE WILLING TO BE ‘HOLY UNTO GOD’ AND AVAILABLE SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. SABBATH OVERTIME INCLUDED. RESTRICTIONS ON MARRIAGE AND HAIRCUTTING INCLUDED. MUST MEET ALL OTHER REQUIREMENTS AS STATED IN LEVITICUS, CHAPTERS 21 AND 22. SALARY: THE PURE SATISFACTION OF SERVING OUR GOD. PLEASE CONTACT: MOSES@WANDERINGISRAELITES.COM.

Take a closer look at Leviticus 21 and 22 for the specifics of what allows, or prevents, a kohen from serving in the Temple. Notice that none of these items has to do with the kohen’s character. How might you add to the ‘Classified ad’ above if you could include character traits as well? What character traits might you include in the Classified ad for other types of jobs in our society today?

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Lag Ba’Omer, Sunday May 6 @ 10:00 AM, All are welcome to join us for a wonderful day of outside activities to celebrate the 33rd day of the Omer, a day of reconnecting with nature after a long winter. Food and fun for everyone. [Religious school classes will not be held on Sunday.]

2. Adult Education, Sunday May 6 at 7 PM. Join us for a continuing discussion of Jewish end-of-life issues, focusing on traditions of Jewish funerals and burial. We will investigate the sources and development of these rituals.

3. Mazel Tov to Howard and Susan Peskoe on the birth of their new grandchild named Hadar. We extend our best wishes to the whole family!