Shabbat Shalom GRJC

Weekly Emails to the Congregation

Shabbat Zachor 2008

Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,

This week, we light our Shabbat candles at 6:44 pm.  Friday night services will begin at 8 pm.  Our Bet classes will lead us as they celebrate their 2008 Shabbaton.

Saturday morning services will begin at 9 AM.  This Saturday morning we observe Shabbat Zachor (Shabbat of Memory) as we read a special Maftir and Haftarah.  The Maftir reminds us of how the Amalekite people attacked the Israelites in the desert "when [they] were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in [the] rear." (Deuteronomy 25:17-19)  The Torah there commands us to wipe out the memory of Amalek forever, but at the same time the Torah commands us to remember what happened to us.

Shabbat Zachor precedes the Purim holiday.  In the Megillah that we read on Purim, we learn that Haman is in fact a descendant of the Amalekites.  We sound our graggers in order to "wipe out" the name of Haman who stands in as a representative of the Amalekites.  At the same time, we do not want to forget how Amalek and Haman persecuted our ancestors.  For this reason, we read Haman?s name first and then we sound our graggers.

In life we often find that we want to forget things and also remember them.  We would rather forget how other kids teased us in school way back when, but we also want to preserve that memory so that we can teach the next generation how to cope or how to act in a different way.  Regarding the more serious case of the Holocaust, or of any genocide, some would like to move on and to erase, or forget about, these terrible events from our memory.  It is up to us to ensure that humanity does not forget about these events so that they will never happen again.

Can you think of something in your life that you would like to forget or move past but  also hold on to as a memory?  Why do you want to "forget" it?  What can you learn from that experience going forward?

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1.  SATURDAY NIGHT - HUNAN HAVDALAH! Join us for a musical and lively Havdalah ceremony as we say goodbye to Shabbat, and then we?ll share a tasty Chinese dinner.(See March bulletin ad for more details.)

2.  SUNDAY, 1:30  - Insurance/Charitable Trust giving lunch and information session.

3.  TUESDAY, 7:30, AT THE GRJC ? INTERFAITH BIBLE STUDY - Join us for the next in the series on Genesis.  We'll be starting with the story of Cain and Abel and its aftermath.

4.  WEDNESDAY, 8 PM - CONVERSATIONAL HEBREW

5.  THURSDAY - PURIM!! 6:30 PM CHILDREN'S SERVICE/7:30 FULL MEGILLAH READING SERVICE - COSTUME PARADE AND PRIZES AT BOTH SERVICES.  This year's theme is Space and Science Fiction.  It will be out of this world!

6.  FRIDAY NIGHT MARCH 21ST - TOT SHABBAT AND SHABBAT SHELI

7.  NEXT SHABBAT MORNING - Bar Mitzvah of Ben Vizlakh and Bat Mitzvah of Breanna Vizlakh, and JUNIOR CONGREGATION

8.  SUNDAY, MARCH 23RD, 9 AM - PURIM CARNIVAL


With blessings,

Rabbi Tow

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