We light our Shabbat candles this week at 7:54 pm. Our Friday
night service will begin at 8 pm. We will be celebrating all
August birthdays and anniversaries. Please join us for a
special blessing and songs in honor of these August simchas.
Saturday morning we will be reading from the last portion in
Sefer Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers. At the end of the
reading we will say, “Chazak, chazak, venit’chazek!”
“Strength, Strength, and may we be strengthened!” We
pray for the inspiration to continue to read and teach from
the Torah as we begin Sefer Devarim, Deuteronomy, and the
fifth book next Shabbat.
Friday night through Saturday is also Rosh Chodesh Av, the
beginning of the new month of Av. To celebrate the beginning
of the new month, we will sing the Hallel together. Hallel is
a series of psalms in song. We will also read a special
section for the new month from a second Torah scroll.
Saturday is the first day of the nine days preceding Tisha
Be’Av, the Ninth of Av. Tisha Be’Av is a day of fasting that
begins Saturday evening August 9 and ends at sundown on
Sunday, August 10. The fast commemorates all the tragedies
that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history, many
of which happened on this date in the Hebrew calendar: The
destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem, King Edward
I signed the edict that expelled Jews from England in 1290,
Expulsion from Spain in 1492, and more. During the nine days,
Jewish tradition teaches that we avoid eating meat and getting
haircuts. These activities represent things that bring us
pleasure, and to get into the right mindset of a mourning
period, we avoid them.
What might be something else we could give up in recognition
of this mourning period for the Jewish people, something that
the Rabbis did not have: Television? Internet Surfing?
Perhaps in an effort to remind ourselves about human impact on
the environment we could try to, instead of giving it up
completely, reduce our driving during the nine days and/or
make an extra effort to use reusable shopping bags.
With wishes for a Shabbat of peace and reflection,
Rabbi Tow
MAZEL TOV to Jonathan Baum and his parents Mitchell and
Debbie. Jonathan will have an aliyah this Saturday. He
celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in Israel on July 19.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
GRJC Board Meeting, Monday, August 4, 8pm, Social Hall
Food As Medicine: The Healing Kitchen
Wednesday, August 6, 7pm, Social Hall
PLEASE RSVP TO THE GRJC OFFICE ASAP (office@grjc.org
or 201-652-6624)
Are we what we eat? How can we make a difference by adding,
changing or eliminating certain foods from our daily fare?
What about heredity and environmental factors? How does our
food impact our health? See which foods can benefit our heart
and circulation, our bones and muscles, our skin and
digestion, our immune system, our moods. Dale Bellisfield,
RN, AHG, Clinical Herbalist, will do a presentation with Q and
A. Cost is $5 per person. Sponsored by Sisterhood.
Non-members (men and women) are welcome. Open to the public.
Tisha B’Av / Ninth of Av Observance, Saturday, August 9,
8pm
GRJC Social Hall
Join us for this special observance, which will consist of a
service and program in the GRJC social hall. We will sit on
the floor during the program and the room will be lit by
candlelight as a way of recognizing the day of mourning for
the tragedies of Jewish history.
Pizza and Packing for Supplies for Success
Monday, August 11, 7:30 pm, GRJC Social Hall
Join us a week from Monday as we pack backpacks (supplied by
UJANNJ) with school supplies donated by our congregants. If
we get a dozen youths, teens and adults to volunteer, we can
sort and stuff in no time and reward our efforts with pizza
and beverages. (Make it a family evening!) RSVP to
socialaction@grjc.org by Friday, August 8.
Widow/Widowers Chavurah, Thursday, August 14, 11:45am
August's gathering includes a presentation by Bernie Santana
from Senior Action in Hackensack who will speak about special
discounts, rates and programs available to the group. $5 for
light lunch offering.
7th Annual BBQ and Erev Shabbat Service
Friday, August 15, 6pm, in the Rabbi’s backyard Two
weeks from tonight! If you haven’t already returned your RSVP
form, please do so ASAP. If you misplaced it or have any
questions, contact the Center office (office@grjc.org
or 201-652-6624)
Please remember to return your GRJC Membership Registration
form for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Deadline has been extended
to August 8.
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