WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- Mac & Cheese Drive for Food Pantry Ends March 20
- WISH Baking Party, March 17
- Book Club, March 24
- Shir Hadash Gift Shop
- MOSH Poker Night a Success
Creative Worship and Ritual
- Shabbat Evening Service with Guest Speaker, March 11, 7:30pm
- Shabbat Morning Service with Bar Mitzvah, March 12, 9:30am
The Rabbi’s Corner
Education Announcements- "Mikdash Me'at -- The Small Shrine"
- Sunday School March 13
- Parent Town Hall Meeting, March 13
- Purim Carnival, March 20
- Upcoming Service Dates -- Grades 5, and 6
- Lunch and Learn with the Rabbis, Thursdays
Teen News
- Purim Carnival, March 20
- Fundraiser at Panera, April 4
Jewish Community News
SHOP Shir Hadash- Reconstructionism Today Newsletter
MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Mac & Cheese Drive for Food Pantry
When you come to Shir Hadash for a service, school, or a meeting, bring boxes of mac & cheese to donate to a food pantry. Shake them as a grogger, or just drop them in the donation box. We will collect through March 20.
WISH Baking Party, March 17
Purim is just around the corner and you know what that
means....Hamenstashen! Join WISH on
Thursday, Match 17 either from 11-3pm or 6-9pm for our baking party in the
Shir Hadash kitchen! Bring a cookie
sheet, your favorite dough and fillings. We recommend making the dough in
advance because most recipes call for refrigeration before baking the
cookies. Then, come to Purim on March 20. We plan on selling our wonderful creations at the Carnival Bake Sale
for the school. For more information, contact Julie Wellisch, juliewellisch@gmail.com.
Book Club, March 24
Purim is just around the corner and you know what that
means....Hamenstashen! Join WISH on
Thursday, Match 17 either from 11-3pm or 6-9pm for our baking party in the
Shir Hadash kitchen! Bring a cookie
sheet, your favorite dough and fillings. We recommend making the dough in
advance because most recipes call for refrigeration before baking the
cookies. Then, come to Purim on March 20. We plan on selling our wonderful creations at the Carnival Bake Sale
for the school. For more information, contact Julie Wellisch, juliewellisch@gmail.com.
Mark your calendar for our next meeting: March 24, 7:30pm, at the home of Melanie Andes, 945 Creek Bend Drive in Vernon Hills. We will discuss The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman, a historical fiction about the mother of the painter Camille Pissarro, set on the tropic island of St. Thomas. For more information, contact Meryl at abenkras@aol.com.
Shir Hadash Gift Shop
Shir Hadash Gift Shop
Everyone is welcome to stop by
any Sunday we have school and shop. Check out our Passover and Bar/Bat Mitzvah
items! Need or want to see something specific sold at the Shir Hadash gift
shop? Let us know at
giftshop@Shir-Hadash.org. This includes special order talit, kepot, menorahs
and more! We are also looking for
volunteers to sign up for a short time slots to help sell our wonderful
items. It's easy and a great way to
schmooze! Click here to see time slots that need to be filled.
MOSH Poker Night a Success
We had a great time playing poker Saturday night. Thanks to Glenn Graff for hosting. We plan to make this a quarterly activity. Watch the newsletter for announcments about new upcoming events.
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
- Shabbat Evening Service, Friday, March 11, 7:30pm: This Friday night, we continue our Second Friday Speakers' Series. We do a brief service to welcome the Shabbat,
and then we hear from an interesting speaker, talking about their experience
living through a major world event. This week, we are honored to hear from
Jonathan Markowitz, a Chicagoan and JRC member, who was in the World Trade
Center on 9/11. Jonathan will talk about
that experience, and relate it to world affairs going on now, particularly
focusing on how we deal with ISIS and other groups in the Middle East. Come and hear this fascinating presentation -
and, as we always do, ask questions.
- Shabbat Morning Service and Bar Mitzvah, Saturday, March 12, 9:30am: All are welcome to participate in the service.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
March 11-12, 2016 / 2 Adar II 5776
Shabbat Pikudei
Torah: Exodus 38:21 - 40:38
Haftarah: I Kings 7:51 - 8:21
“Mikdash Me’at - The Small Shrine”
Dear Friends,
The Torah puts tremendous effort into describing the construction of
the Tabernacle, the Mishkan. This was
the desert shrine where God’s presence was worshipped amongst the Children of
Israel as they made their way from Egypt to the Promised Land. Its tapestries were made of the finest
cloths. Its holy implements made of the gold, silver, copper, and acacia
wood. The priestly garments and
vestments were crafted from the best linen and precious stones. Yet, with all this effort and expense, what
ever became of the Tabernacle when our ancestors eventually arrived in the
Promised Land?
There are various accounts of the Tablets of the Ten Commandments, the
Ark of the Covenant, and the Menorah candelabrum being brought to
Jerusalem. The Bible makes mention of
this as do some texts in the Talmud.
However, it appears that these items were lost to history during the
various conquests of Jerusalem during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. No one seems to know where any of the
Tabernacle or Temple items are.
Yet, if these items were so holy and necessary for the worship of God
in the desert Tabernacle and Jerusalem Temple, what are we to do now that they
are lost? The rabbinic sages taught that
in a time such as ours, when the Temple is destroyed and no longer available
for our worship, then we must find another holy place around which to gather
and strengthen our Jewish identity. That
holy place woud be in each of our homes and it will in fact be our dining room
tables. Yes, the rabbis called our
dining room tables a “mikdash me’at” – a small shrine – that would serve the
same purpose as the large shrine that once stood in the desert and
Jerusalem. Yes, our dining room tables,
to which we come for Shabbat and festival meals, would be the place of holy
gathering. So the next time you have a Shabbat or festival meal with family and
friends, recognize the powerful presence of Jewish continuity that you are
fostering. Recognize that the Tabernacle
and Temple traditions live on in our hearts, in our homes, and especially
around our dining room tables.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sunday School, March 13
We're looking forward to seeing all our families ready to go at 9:00am. Remember that Daylight Savings Time starts Sunday, so set those clocks ahead Saturday night!
Parent Town Hall Meeting, March 13
Rabbi Seeg will be hosting a town hall meeting during Sunday School hours on March 13 at 11:30am. Come a sk questions and get excited about the future of youth education at Shir Hadash. The meeting will take place at Shir Hadash and will not affect the students’ programming for that day.
Purim Carnival, March 20
The Purim Carnival is coming on March 20! We will begin with a shpiel at 11:00am. The carnival itself will open at 11:30 and run until 1:00. There will be games, prizes and food; it’s going to be awesome! We will still have school programming before the shpiel begins, so come for the learning and stay for the fun!
We also will need volunteers to help with set up, running games and food, and take down. Click here to view our Sign Up Genius, and help us make the carnival great!
- Kitah Heh (5th grade): Friday, April 1 -- Regular Service at 7:30pm.
- Kitah Vav (6th grade): Friday, May 6 -- Regular Service at 7:30pm
Lunch & Learn with the Rabbis
All are welcome to join our rabbis for a contemporary exploration of the weekly Torah portion. We meet on Thursdays from noon to 1:00pm at Shir Hadash. Pack a lunch and come in!
TEEN NEWS
Purim Carnival, March 20
Ra'am BBYO is holding a cake walk at Shir Hadash’s Purim carnival.
Bring some money for your chance to win a whole cake! We will also be selling
pizza by the slice - so come hungry.
Ra’am Fundraiser at Panera,
April 4
Coming soon: our Ra’am BBYO fundraiser at Panera, 190 Waukegan Road in
Deerfield on Monday, April 4. Watch for the flyer and bring it with you when
you buy your breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Panera.
JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
Reconstructionist Movement Newsletter for March
As a member of the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities, we are happy to be able to share the Reconstructionism Today newsletter. Expect interesting articles, heartwarming stories, and important announcements about the Reconstructionist Movement. Click here to enjoy this month’s newsletter.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
Fundraiser Information Now Available on Shul Cloud
You can help Shir Hadash at no extra cost to you by taking advantage of a variety of ongoing
fundraisers, including iGive, Amazon Smile, and more. For complete details, click here.
SHOP SHIR HADASH
SHOP While the Snow Melts
SHOP is our congregation’s ongoing fundraiser – and the easiest way to support the shul without spending an extra dime! Purchase gift cards through SHOP and the vendors pay a percentage back to Shir Hadash.
Click here for information about this week's special bonus offers!
Thanks to the following families for participating in SHOP this week:
- Zinbarg
- Schleicher
- Herbin
- G. Graff
- Estes-Goldman
- Idelman
- Rothblatt
- F. Farahmanpour
- Sultan
- Fisher-Rohde
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