Shabbat Shalom GRJC

Weekly Emails to the Congregation

Parshat Shemini 2007

Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,

This evening we light candles at 7:15 PM.  At 6:30 we have our Tot Shabbat and Shabbat Sheli services.  At 7:15 PM this evening we will gather as a community for a Holocaust Remembrance service at the synagogue.  Following this service, we will have our regular Friday night service at 8 PM.  Saturday morning services begin at 9 AM.

We celebrate with the Sperling family Jacob’s Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat.  We wish an early Mazel Tov to Howard, Nancy, Sam, and Jacob!

This Shabbat we read from parshat Shemini in the Book of Leviticus.  We read from the last third of the Torah portion that describes the living things that God teaches us are pure and the living things that are impure.  This chapter is the origin of some laws of kashrut or how to keep kosher.  Take a closer look at this section to see what might be some of the qualities of these different animals that makes them kosher or not kosher.  Anthropologist Mary Douglas developed a fascinating scientific-religious theory that seeks to explain these distinctions.  She argues that the Torah is concerned with “boundary maintenance”, an so, for example, amphibians are not considered kosher because they cross the boundaries from being land animals to being water animals.  Try an Internet search on Mary Douglas to read more about her interpretation of Leviticus.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Monday, April 16, at 7:15 PM – The second Women’s Rosh Chodesh (New Month Celebration) Group will be meeting at the synagogue.

2. Bogrim will meet Monday night at 6:30 PM. 

3. We want to thank Sherri Reeves for facilitating the donation of 20 computer systems to the synagogue.  These systems will be set up in the library as the new computer lab for the religious school students.  Next year, computer time will be integrated into the religious school curriculum.

4. Survey says…Join us for Family Feud night on Saturday at 8:30 PM!

5. To all CPAs in the congregation, congratulations on making it through Tax Season.  This would be an appropriate time to say She’he’cheyanu.J

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Tow

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