Dear Haverim,
We Jews never stop celebrating! After the rejoicing of Rosh Hashanah and the self-scrutiny of Yom Kippur, we’re back at it!
Wave the lulav and etrog, share dinner al fresco, party in the Sukkah, and then watch the stars through a telescope! All this will happen at our outdoor Sukkot celebration this Friday evening. It will be a brief, breezy and informal service for children and adults of all ages.
Connect with nature, celebrate the Biblical harvest, and wave and smell the lulav and etrog, indigenous to Israel for the last 3000 years! (Click here to RSVP.)
Then one week later, on Friday, October 6, at 5:00 p.m. for dinner and at 5:30 p.m. for services, join us for one of the most “festive festivals” of the year, Simchat Torah. Always exciting for adults and children of all ages, we will march around our sanctuary 7 times, holding our Torah scrolls, under chuppahs.
Then, in the Social Hall, we’ll unroll the Torah in a 360-degree circle, with adults holding (and upholding) the Torah, while I give a “3-minute” summary of all of the stories in the Torah (shortest sermon ever!), as all of the children sit in a circle created by the Torah.
We’ll also honor all children, of any age, new to our Pre-School and Living Judaism Religious School. What’s not to like! Two incredible Friday nights, (sorry, no Livestream), with joy, song, and laughter for all ages. (Click here to RSVP.)
Finally, please sign up today for our Adult Education courses. My “Jewish Ethics In A Global World” class begins this Sunday, October 1, from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. on Zoom. By popular request, we’re changing it to a Zoom (not in-person) class, so please sign up now. The topic for this Sunday’s class is “The Polarization Within Israel Today.” Click here, so that we can send you the link and a short article to read in advance.
Then, next Tuesday, October 3, from noon to 1:00 p.m., I’ll be teaching “The Book of Deuteronomy” at my “Lunch & Learn” class, also on Zoom. Click here to RSVP and we’ll send you the link and a copy of the text that we’ll be studying. With each of these courses, there’s no need to commit to each class, just try it and see if you like it.
There’s so much joy to celebrate on Sukkot and Simchat Torah, and so much learning to discover through all of our Adult Education courses. RSVP today!
Shana Tova and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Arnie Rachlis
