Shabbat Shalom GRJC
Weekly Emails to the Congregation
Parshat Tzav 2008
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Purim to the GRJC family,
Tonight we celebrate Purim at the GRJC
with a children's program from 6:30 to 7:30 and a full Megillah
reading and service from 7:30-8:30. We'll have a costume
parade and prizes at both events.
Friday at 6:30 pm we have Tot Shabbat (Nursery through
Kindergarten) and Shabbat Sheli (1st through 3rd grade).
Shabbat evening services will begin at 8 pm. Saturday
morning services will begin at 9 am. Benjamin and Breanna
Vizlakh will become Bar/Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat. We also
have Junior Congregation in the Youth Lounge from 10-11 am.
This week we read from parshat Tzav in Sefer Vayikra, the Book of
Leviticus. We read about several offerings that the priests
gave in the days of the holy sanctuary in the wilderness and in
the later Jerusalem Temples: the olah, whole burnt offering,
the minchah, the meal offering, the anointment offering for the
ordination of the priests, the chatat, the sin or purification
offering, the asham. The parasha continues with additional
sacrifices that we brought to the sanctuary.
Each sacrifice mentioned in our reading this week reflects a
different aspect of the human condition, our religious devotion,
or both these categories. All the public offerings day to
day, as well as for Shabbat and festivals, are olah offerings.
Minchah offerings accompany the olah or stand alone as offerings
for agricultural holidays. The chatat is a sacrifice that
individuals or officials brought when they committed serious, but
unintentional, sins. The asham was offered to repair our
relationship with God when we sinned against sacred, or dedicated,
items, when frauds were committed among the people, and for
additional reasons as well.
The olah and minchah offerings connect us to our holy occasions.
They teach us about how we make holy time special by dedicating
something valuable on these occasions. The chatat and asham
offerings help us to repair our relationship with God when our
behavior deviates from God's expectations. As much as our
sins create conflict between others and ourselves, our sins also
distance us from God, as we are not following God's teachings.
On our holidays today we have many rituals that take the place of
offering sacrifices. However, what can we bring as
"sacrifices" today for those situations in which we have wronged
another person? Do our sincere apologies and efforts
at reconciliation fulfill the expectations of the sacrifices?
If we were to, hypothetically, bring something as a sacrifice
today in a case in which we did something wrong, what might we
choose to give away?
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Sunday, March 23, 11 am- 1 pm, Purim Carnival! Games,
entertainment, food and prizes. Men's Club members are asked to
help, beginning with set-up at 9 am. (There will be no
Rabbi's Adult Ed class this Sunday, due to the Purim festivities.
The last class of the series on Jewish Business Ethics will be
held on March 30.)
Thursday March 27 and 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 two bulletins or in the
office). Everyone nominated will have his or her name
printed on a recognition sheet and announced during the service.
Saturday, April 5, 8:30-10:30 pm, Annual Kosher Wine Tasting and
Sale. Call Eric Hutner 201-652-6680 ehutner@hutnerklarish.com
to reserve your wine tasting glass. Order forms and more
details available in the GRJC bulletin and on our website.
Sunday, April 6, 5:00 pm, Women's Seder at the GRJC, sponsored by
Sisterhood and arranged by our Women's Rosh Chodesh Group.
It's not too late to RSVP or offer to help; contact Ornit Michael
at 201-445-3292 ornitmichael@yahoo.com
With wishes for a restful Shabbat,
Rabbi Tow
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