WHAT’S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Membership News and Upcoming Events
- Tonight! Book Club, March 24
- WISH Girls Night Out, April 10
- Community Seder, April 23
- New! Mitzvah Project Donation Request
Creative Worship and Ritual
- No Services This Week
- Upcoming: Family Service and Shabbat Evening Service with 5th Grade, April 1
The Rabbi’s Corner
Education Announcements- "The Secret to Our Survival"
- Sunday School on Spring Break, March 27 and April 3
- Youth Group Event at Color Me Mine, April 24
- Upcoming Service Dates -- Grades 5 and 6
- Lunch and Learn with the Rabbis, Thursdays
Teen News
- Fundraiser at Panera, April 4
- Register Now for GMR Spring Convention
Donations
Jewish Community News
SHOP Shir HadashJewish Community News
- New! JUF Dessert, April 17
- Reconstructionism Today Newsletter
MEMBERSHIP AND UPCOMING EVENTS
Tonight! Book Club, March 24
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. RSVP to Meryl at abenkras@aol.com. As always, please bring a nosh to share.
New! Bar Mitzvah Project Donation Request
Mikey Grills, one of our students, is performing a mitzvah project to help the family of a young relative who is battling serious illness. He is collecting used DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games, and CDs for re-sale, with proceeds going to help the family. Please support his efforts by leaving items in the labeled box near the coatroom. Thank you!
WISH Girls Night Out, April 10
Opa! It's time for a Girls Night Out! Please join Women In Shir Hadash (WISH) for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 at the AMC Theater in Northbrook Court on Sunday, April 10. All the adult women of Shir Hadash are invited. The evening begins at 5:30pm with dinner at Stir Crazy. Then we head over to the movie theater for the 7:45 pm showing of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2." Participants will be responsible for the cost of their own meals and tickets.
Please RSVP to Andrea Idelman at Andrea0822@yahoo.com or Marilyn Idelman Soglin at soglinm@gmail.com by Friday, April 8, so we can let the restaurant know how many to expect. Feel free to join us for the movie even if you can't join us for dinner; let us know that as well. WISH you will join us!
Save the Date! Community Seder, April 23
Mark your calendar for the annual Shir Hadash Community Seder on April 23 at 6:00pm. Watch for details coming soon in the newsletter and on the website. Questions? Contact Melanie at fmandes@comcast.net.
Save the Date! Community Seder, April 23
Mark your calendar for the annual Shir Hadash Community Seder on April 23 at 6:00pm. Watch for details coming soon in the newsletter and on the website. Questions? Contact Melanie at fmandes@comcast.net.
New! Bar Mitzvah Project Donation Request
Mikey Grills, one of our students, is performing a mitzvah project to help the family of a young relative who is battling serious illness. He is collecting used DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games, and CDs for re-sale, with proceeds going to help the family. Please support his efforts by leaving items in the labeled box near the coatroom. Thank you!
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
We hope you enjoy celebrating Shabbat with your family.
Next Week: April 1
- Family Service: Join us for an engaging evening with young families in preparation for Passover. We'll start our event with homemade matzoh ball soup at 5:30pm, followed at 6:00pm by a family-friendly service and a Passover-themed craft project. RSVP to Alan Bernover (bernover@litchfieldcavo.com), and please bring a treat to share at the oneg. Click here to learn more.
- Shabbat Evening Service: Our regular Shabbat Evening service begins at 7:30pm, and our 5th grade Sunday School class will help lead the service. Watch for more service details in next week's newsletter.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
March 25-26, 2016 / 16 Adar II 5776
Shabbat Tzav
Torah: Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36
Haftarah: Jeremiah 7:21 - 8:3; 9:22 - 9:23
“The Secret of Our Survival”
Dear Friends,
Judaism once had a caste
system. Israelites were born into one of
the three castes and that’s where they stayed for the rest of their lives. The smallest and most exclusive caste was for
the Kohanim, the priests, who were descendants of Aaron. They led the worship of God through animal
sacrifice and Temple service. Next were
the Levites, all men born of the tribe of Levi.
They assisted the Kohanim in the worship service. Finally, came the rest of the people called
Israel. We still have echoes of the
system in our day. Many Jewish men can
tell you whether they are Kohen, Levi, or Yisrael - status that has been passed
down from father to son for thousands of years.
Since the destruction of the
Temple by the Romans in 70 CE, the Kohanim and Levites have had little to do
officially. Occasionally, they will be
called for special Torah blessings.
Sometimes, Kohanim will bless the congregation through a special
ceremony called duchanin.
This week’s Torah portion is
devoted to the ordination ceremonies for the Kohanim. It was an elaborate 7-day observance filled
with lots of sacrificing, animal slaughtering, roasting, bread baking and blood
sprinkling. As I read the text, I am
impressed by how far we have come in the dynamic development of Judaism. We no longer have Kohen priests offering up
animals on a fiery altar. With the end of sacrifice, a new approach to serving
God was developed which included prayer and synagogue worship led by rabbis.
God no longer needs animal sacrifice.
Instead study, prayer, and performing mitzvot are sufficient.
From the ancient caste system and
its sacrificial offerings, to rabbinic leadership and prayer, we are constantly
reconstructing our Jewish civilization. We Jews adapt. We change.
We innovate. We are dynamic. Our day is not the end of the process. It is merely a new link in the unending chain
of tradition. Dynamic change is the true secret of the survival of the Jewish
people over so many centuries and millennia.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Sunday School on Spring Break
Our Religous School will be on break March 27 and April 3. Have a great break, and we'll see you all on April 10.
Youth Group Event at Color-Me-Mine,
April 17
On April 17 from 3:00-4:30pm, we will have an expanded youth group
excursion at Color-Me-Mine in Glenview. The event is open to 2nd-7th graders,
and is a great opportunity to make a lovely, personalized Mother’s Day present
or simply create something awesome. Space is limited, so RSVPs will be taken at
learning@shir-hadash.org on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost for this event is $20 for Shir
Hadash members or $25 for non-members; this will enable your son or daughter to
pick and design one piece that will be ready to take home the following Sunday
(April 24).
Reminder of Upcoming Friday Evening Services
- 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
Here's a delicious way to help Ra'am BBYO -- stop by the Deerfield Panera restaurant anytime on Monday, April 4 and Ra'am will receive a portion of the proceeds! You must print and bring in this flyer to participate. Panera is located at 190 N. Waukegan Road in Deerfield.
The BBYO Great Midwest Region Spring Convention will be April 15-17 at the Renaissance Hotel in Northbrook. Open to all BBYO members in grades 8-12. Registration is open now -- sign up by March 24 to qualify for the early registration discount. Click here for complete details.
DONATIONS
To the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
- Tammy and Bruce Pomper, in honor of Jayme's Bat Mitzvah
JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS
Shir Hadash is proud to join with Temple Chai and Congregations Beth Am, Beth Judea, and Or Shalom to present the 2016 Dessert Reception, a benefit for the Jewish United Fund's Annual Campaign. The event will feature a presentation by Dr. Steven Nasatir, President of JUF/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. Join committee members Richard and Rachel Schick Siegel at Congregation Beth Judea in Long Grove, beginning at 7:00pm on April 17. For more information and registration, click here.
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. Click here to enjoy this month’s edition.
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 for Spring Break!
SHOP is 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
- Sulpar
- Rothblatt
- Idelman
- Singer
- Farahmandpour
- Fargotstein
- G. Graff
- M. Graff
- Fields
No comments:
Post a Comment