Shabbat Shalom GRJC

Weekly Emails to the Congregation

Parshat Vayelech 2007

Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,

We light candles this week at 7:01 PM.  Friday night services will begin at 8 PM and Saturday morning services will begin at 9 AM.  As part of our Shabbat experience this week, Ilan Mach will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah.

Also on Friday night, we will be celebrating September birthdays and anniversaries.  If you have a September birthday or anniversary, please join us for special blessings and songs.

Saturday evening at 10 PM we will have our Selichot program followed by a Selichot service.  The program will be a Tisch.  We’ll sit together, with noshes included, and we will sing, read stories, and prepare our spirits for the High Holidays.  “Selichot” means “forgiveness”.

This Shabbat we read one of the last parashiyot of the Torah as we near the end of Devarim (The Book of Deuteronomy).  We read from the bittersweet final section of parashat Vayelech.  Our reading this Shabbat begins with a confirmation that Joshua, son of Nun, will lead the people on their journey into the Holy Land.  This reading is especially appropriate this Shabbat since the Jewish Theological Seminary just inaugurated its new chancellor, Professor Arnold Eisen.  Though we do not know how Joshua felt when he was preparing to lead the people, we do know what Professor Eisen’s views are about the future of the Seminary and the Conservative movement.  You can find his inaugural address at:
http://www.jtsa.edu/Documents/pagedocs/Communications/inauguraladdress2007.pdf

The Torah reading also contains a passage in which we read that the people will read from the Torah every seventh year at Sukkot.  This practice does not seem to follow our current practice of reading the Torah every Shabbat and every Monday and Thursday.  The reality was that Sukkot, during the period of the Temple in Jerusalem, was a very large gathering and a significant festival marking the end of the agricultural year.  It is likely that this large public reading was done in addition to reading the Torah on a more regular basis.

In the final passages of this week’s parasha, God tells Moses that he is about to die.  The last few chapters of Devarim will include poems and blessings, the last words of Moses who has led the people since they left Egypt.  If you were Moses, what might be the messages that you would share with the people at this point?

MAZEL TOV:
We wish a mazel tov to Mark and Peppie Schlesinger on the engagement of their daughter Jill.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. Sunday, September 9th, at 11 AM, CEMETERY SERVICE – Join us for a memorial service at the Cedar Park cemetery.

2. Sunday, September 9th, 1 PM registration – THE GREAT SHOFAR EVENT – Overpeck Park, in Leonia.  UJA of North Jersey is organizing an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the number of shofar blowers joining in one place.  For more info., go to www.ujannj.org.

3. Pre-High Holiday Classes with Rabbi Tow at the GRJC  – Thursday evening, September 6th at 7 PM and Monday September 10th at 7 PM.

4.  Erev Rosh Hashanah – Wednesday evening, September 12th, 7:30 – 9 PM.  Afternoon and evening services for the start of Rosh Hashanah.

With wishes for a happy and peaceful Shabbat,

Rabbi Tow

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