Today is February 2, 2026 /
Today is February 2, 2026 /
Shabbat Candlelighting This Week: 4:52pm | Shabbat Ends: 5:54pm
Shalom WJC Family,
Each week, as the Torah is lifted and unrolled, I’m reminded how much care, preparation, and love go into a few minutes of public reading. I spend a great deal of time working on, preparing for, and thinking about Torah reading—not only as a technical skill, but as a sacred act that binds us to generations past and future.
We maintain the ancient practice of publicly reading the entire Torah over the course of a year, guided by the intricate system of cantillation, or trope. These musical markings are more than punctuation; they ensure a faithful and meaningful declamation of the text and serve as an expression of our love for, and loyalty to, the Torah itself. The communal responsibility to sustain this perpetual reading has long been associated with becoming B’nei Mitzvah: those old enough to take on these obligations on behalf of the community. That responsibility, of course, does not belong only to our teenagers.
Over the past year, a number of adults have expressed interest in celebrating B’nei Mitzvah later in life and have been learning weekly with Rabbi Arnowitz. We are proud to celebrate them on Shabbat morning, March 14.
Several of these students have chosen to chant from the Torah—some for the first time, and others for the first time in many years. Sitting with them over the last few months, I’ve watched confidence grow session by session. They arrive motivated, curious, and often a bit unsure of themselves, and leave surprised by what they are capable of doing. Torah reading is a demanding and somewhat obscure skill, but they have embraced it with reverence, humility, and determination.
People come to adult B’nei Mitzvah for many reasons. Some sought to do this as teenagers but did not have the opportunity. Others became Jewish as adults and seek to mark a Jewish coming-of-age. Beneath these different paths, I hear a shared desire: the wish to (re)authenticate oneself as a Jew, to step forward publicly and say: this tradition is mine, and I am responsible for carrying it.
There is deep meaning and significance in approaching the Torah scroll (an object handmade using the obsolete technology of feather quills and leather parchment) and being able to decipher it to any extent. The source of all Jewish meaning stems from this text and accessing it in the original is quite powerful and feels deeply real.
Rabbi and ethnomusicologist Jeffrey Summit captures this experience beautifully in his 2016 book Singing God’s Words: The Performance of Biblical Chant in Contemporary Judaism:
“This performance holds the possibility of transcendence… The individual sees him- or herself as part of a larger whole, performing a narrative that has been performed for thousands of years… If the experience with the divine is an experience of otherness, this act provides women and men the opportunity to do something quite unlike any other performance of identity in their religious and cultural lives.” (pp. 123–124)
We look forward to celebrating the learning, courage, and dedication of these students on Shabbat morning, March 14, and I hope you’ll join us.
Meanwhile, it’s a full and joyful Shabbat here at WJC.
Friday Evening
4:45pm – Traditional Kabbalat Shabbat
5:30pm – Preschool Pajama Shabbat Service
6:00pm – Community Dinner
7:00pm – Rhythm and Ruach
8:00pm – Author Talk with Dr. Tovah Klein of Barnard College, author of Raising Resilience: How to Help Our Children Thrive in Times of Uncertainty
Parents, grandparents, and anyone interested in helping children flourish in uncertain times will find inspiration and practical insight in Dr. Klein’s work. It is my honor to interview her this evening. She appears courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and the Hendel Library at WJC.
Shabbat Morning & Afternoon
8:30am – Torah Talk with Rabbi Arnowitz
9:15am – Shabbat Morning Services, including the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15)
10:00am – Shabbat Yoga
12:00–3:00pm – “Shabbat Is Awesome” indoor play for children and adults
4:45pm – Mincha, shiur, and Maariv
So brave the cold, come warm yourself with community, and join us for any or all of these.
Shabbat Shalom,
Cantor Goldberg
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