Shabbat Shalom ~ Vayera 2020

Dear WJC Family,

As we discussed at the special “Prayers for our Country” service Wednesday night, despite the stress and anxiety, the strain on the very fabric of this country and its democracy, and the very real consequences of the results of the election (which at the time of this writing are still unknown), we are blessed to live in this country. Still, there is no question that this moment in history places special demands and responsibilities upon us, not only as citizens but also as Jews. As we commemorate Kristallnacht next week and celebrate Veteran’s Day, we can’t help but be reminded of the importance of the United States as a force for good in the world.

One thing we can do at this moment is to stop hitting refresh on our browsers to check the vote count and instead look out our window at all the important work there is to do out there. Now is a time to support our neighbors who are already in need, like our friends at the CRC, and those whose rights are at stake depending on how the results come in—vulnerable populations need the support of their allies in this incredibly stressful moment. For more of my thoughts on Jewish wisdom for this moment based on this week’s Torah portion Vayera, please click the video link below.

In the meantime, part of our responsibility is to keep learning and growing as Jews and as citizens so that we can maximize our positive impact in the future. That’s part of why we offer such a diverse portfolio of learning opportunities, services, and projects. We are excited to add a new learning opportunity starting next week brought to you by the Rabbinical Assembly, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and The American Jewish University – Scholar Stream. Scholar Stream is a series of classes offered by the master teachers of the Seminary and AJU. An AJU class will run every Tuesday night and a JTS class will run every Wednesday night for a month starting next week. These are great classes by masterful professors and as a sponsoring synagogue, we can offer them to all of you free of cost. I hope you will register and participate. To register for the Tuesday night AJU series click here and to register for the Wednesday night JTS series click here. To bypass the fee, use our congregational code WjcFall20 when you register. You can participate in either series or both or any single class that interests you, but you need to register separately for each. I hope you’ll join Rabbi Dalton and I for these great learning opportunities! (For those of you who attend my Thursday evening class, we will pause for the month of Scholar Stream so we can participate on Tuesday or Wednesday nights. I look forward to discussing the classes with you.)

On another note, I want to let you know that I will be taking off next week Sunday through Thursday. Therefore, I will not have a chance to prepare a video or message before next Shabbat, but please check the email for Shabbat service times and other information.

Speaking of Shabbat service times, due to the time change, starting this week we will be switching our Friday night service to the sanctuary around candle lighting time. You can join us on the Live Stream, or in-person in the sanctuary with preregistration. For this week the minyan is set, but if you would like to attend starting next week, please register by contacting rosie@wjcenter.org. Services will start at 4:15pm this week through January 1, after which sunset and service time gradually happens later.

Then join us again on the Live Stream starting at 8:30am when I will teach on the Torah portion Vayera, “Being God’s Accusers.” Following that at 9:00am Cantor Goldberg will daven the early services solo in the sanctuary and we will continue at 10:00am with the Torah service with a full minyan present.

We will conclude Shabbat together with havdalah back on Zoom at 5:30pm. Check below for all the service times and links.

See you in shul or online,