Shabbat Shalom GRJC

Weekly Emails to the Congregation

Parshat Shemini 2008

Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,

We light our Shabbat candles at 6:59 pm this Friday night.  Our Shabbat evening service will begin at 8 pm.  Saturday morning services will begin at 9 am.  Kate Casey will become a Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat.

We read this week from parshat Shemini.  The word “Shemini” means  “eighth”, standing for the eighth day of the priestly ordination rite.    God required that both Aaron and his sons, the first priests, be ordained with purification rituals, new garments, anointing with oil, and offerings.  Then, the ordination candidates must remain in the sanctuary for seven days.

This week, we read about the final ordination offerings, and the newly ordained priests exit the sanctuary and bless the people in God’s presence.

With all the careful preparations for ordination, it seems ironic, then, that in chapter ten we read about the untimely death of Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu.  They offer esh zarah, an alien fire, to God and then God, in a measure for measure fashion, consumes their lives with fire.

For centuries, Jewish thinkers have struggled with identifying what exactly is this “alien fire” and why does this incident lead to the punishment from God.  As Bible scholar Everett Fox suggests, there are two major schools of thought about the nature of the “crime”:  (1) It was an accident.  (2) It was intentional.  Either way, Fox argues that the priests were duty-bound to “get it right” in the precise rituals that God commanded.

The sanctuary, with God’s presence there, is a place of holiness and also fear.  We recall that the High Priest on Yom Kippur had to perform the ritual of atonement in the Holy of Holies exactly or else he might not have lived to tell the story over bagels and lox at the Break-Fast.

How often in life do we face situations in which we must complete a task exactly right, each step in order?  Do we feel stressed out or energized by the challenge?  How might you understand what occurred between God and Nadav and Avihu in the story we read this week?

With blessings,

Rabbi Tow

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Sunday, March 30, 7:00 pm, Northern NJ premiere of “The Devil Came on Horseback,” an award-winning documentary on the genocide that continues in the Darfur region of the Sudan.  Please join the local Jewish community in attending this screening at the Kaplen JCC in Tenafly.  Admission is $10.00.  If you need a ride, please contact Roann Rubin at the Center office by 2 pm tomorrow (Friday).

Wednesday, April 2, 7:00-9:00 pm, performance of Freedom Song, an original musical that follows the inspiring real-life stories of 18 addicts sharing a Passover night different than all others.  Open to all 9th-12th graders and their parents at the YJCC in Washington Township.

April 3, 7:30 pm, Adult Choir Rehearsals with Cantor Ayelet, leading up to our Zimriya / Israeli Festival of Songs on April 10.

Friday, April 4, 6:30-8:00 pm, Congregational Shabbat Dinner.  Join us for a traditional Friday night meal as we welcome our newest temple members.  $18.00 per adult; $5.00 per child under 13.  RSVP to office@grjc.org or 201-652-6624 and send your check to the temple office.

Friday, April 4, 8:00 pm, Erev Shabbat service recognizing GRJC congregants for temple or community service as we mark Volunteer Shabbat.  Please send your “nominations” to the GRJC office by March 31.  (Forms are in the past three bulletins or in the office).  Everyone nominated will have his or her name printed on a recognition sheet distributed during the service.

Saturday, April 5, 8:30-10:30 pm, Annual Kosher Wine Tasting and Sale.  Call Eric Hutner to reserve your wine tasting glass.  Order forms and more details available in the GRJC bulletin and on our website.

Sunday, April 6, noon-5 pm, Ben Yehudah Street Fair, in Teaneck, NJ; part of Israel @ 60 celebration.

Sunday, April 6, 5:00 pm, Women’s Seder at the GRJC, sponsored by Sisterhood and arranged by our Women’s Rosh Chodesh Group

  Back to Home