We light our Shabbat candles this week at 7:45 pm. Friday evening
services will begin at 8 pm. Saturday morning services will begin
at 9 am.
This Shabbat is known as “Shabbat Chazon”, the “Shabbat of the
Vision”. The vision in question is the message that the prophet
Isaiah delivers in the Haftarah for this week, from the first
chapter of the Book of Isaiah. The themes and ideas in the
Haftarah help prepare us for Tisha be’Av, the 9th of Av, which
will begin Saturday evening and last through Sunday evening at
sundown. Isaiah delivers a scolding to the people of Israel for
not creating a more just and more caring society for all people.
It is as a result of this lack of justice and kindness that Isaiah
predicts the destruction of Jerusalem. (Jerusalem was not
destroyed during the period when Isaiah shared his prophecy, but
the Temple was in fact destroyed first in 587 BCE, and then again
in 70 CE. Therefore, Isaiah’s prophecy applies to the 9th of Av
even though it came in a different context in history.)
The destruction of the two holy Temples is the main reason for our
mourning on the 9th of Av, although this day has come to include
mourning for all the tragedies of Jewish history. Isaiah, and the
Rabbis of the Talmud much later, argued that the destruction of
the Temples, the second Temple in particular, was due to causeless
hatred among people. Society was filled with hatred, suspicion,
and these factors, along with a lack of justice and kindness,
destroyed the Temple. Clearly, from a historical point of view,
the Romans destroyed the Second Temple building. What Isaiah and
the Rabbis argue is that the Temple represented more than a place
to bring sacrifices and pray. It represented the hopes and dreams
of the Jewish people. It represented our aspirations to create a
community on Earth that would live by the teachings of the
Heavens. The Rabbis are teaching that, due to all the negative
forces operating in the society, the Temple was, in effect,
deteriorating from the inside well before the Romans came to
destroy it from the outside.
Our task, then, on the 9th of Av is to remember what happened in
history, and to strengthen ourselves to confront the challenges in
society that we faced back then and that we still face today.
During the 9th of Av evening service this Saturday at 8, we will
begin to think about how we can contribute to creating the world
that God, the prophets, and the Rabbis hoped to create in their
time and continue to inspire us to create in our time.
Before the 9th of Av starts, we still have Shabbat before us, and
so let’s take our Shabbat time to rest, to reconnect with family
and friends, to read, to think, or to simply listen to the sounds
of the end of the summer as the sun goes down.
With blessings,
Rabbi Tow
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Last Day of GRJC Camp
Friday, August 8
Tisha B’Av Service and Observance
Saturday evening, August 9, 8:00 pm
GRJC Social Hall
Join us for a special service and program. We will sit on the
floor as a way of recognizing the day of mourning for the
tragedies in Jewish history. Please bring a flashlight. (Chairs
provided for those who need them).
*The Tisha Be’Av fast begins Saturday night and continues through
sundown on Sunday.
Pizza and Packing
Monday, August 11, 7:30 pm
GRJC Social Hall
We‘ve heard from about a dozen of you who’ll be packing our
donated school supplies into backpacks provided by UJANNJ and
Supplies 4 Success for students who need them. We can use a few
more volunteers…the more we have, the sooner we’ll finish the task
at hand and enjoy some pizza together! Email
socialaction@grjc.org, no later than Monday morning.
Widow and Widowers Chavura
Thursday, August 14, 11:45 am
GRJC Social Hall
Speaker Bernie Santana will talk about special discounts, rates
and programs available to seniors / singles.
The GRJC Summer Bulletin arrives in your mailboxes tomorrow!
GRJC ANNUAL SUMMER BARBEQUE! - Food, friends, singing,
celebration, meet our new Cantor, and more!
This month’s cover is a last reminder to sign up for our 7th
annual BBQ and outdoor Shabbat services …just a week away! Join us
for a wonderful night of good food, meeting people, and WELCOME
OUR NEW CANTOR Michelle Freedman! (who writes a column on page 4)
She will help lead services with Rabbi Tow. Jersey 2
Jerusalem reps from UJANNJ will be there to provide information
about our trip to Israel in Feb. 2009. Please RSVP no later than
next Monday, August 10, so we can be sure we have enough tables
and chairs….and burgers and dogs!
The Summer Bulletin also contains the annual order form for the
5769 Book of Remembrance used at Yizkor services throughout the
coming year (page 5). Be sure to return it to the office by
August 25.
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