If you need assistance, please email the office at admin@shir-hadash.org or call 847-498-8218. You may additionally reach the Rabbi on his cell 847-525-7746 at any time, and our President, Marc Fargotstein at 847-612-6579. For more information about our COVID-19 response plan, click here .
 Remember to turn your clocks ahead on Saturday night!
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual - Tomorrow::: Shabbat Service with SHED Talk, Friday, March 12, 7:30 p.m.
- Next Week: Shabbat Dinner Blessings, Friday, March 19, 6:15 p.m.
- Upcoming: Pausing in the Wilderness Service, Friday, March 26, 7:30 p.m.
The Rabbi's Corner -- "The Direction of Prayer"
Religious School
- Religious School, March 14
Adult Education- Sunday Morning Adult Ed Classes, March 14
--Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m.
-- New Time: Hebrew Reading, 10:00 a.m. - No Thursday Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan on March 11
Membership News and Events
- Board Nominations Due by March 31; Annual Meeting June 6
- Tonight: Mussar Discussion Group, Thursday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday: New Member Meet-and-Greet Havdalah, Saturday, March 13, 5:30 p.m
- Sunday: FAC Presents Comedy Class for Grades 3-8, Sunday, March 14, 2:00 p.m.
- Tuesday: Shir Hadash Board Meeting, Tuesday, March 16, 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday: Virtual Travels to Sites of Jewish History: Jerusalem, Wednesday, March 17, 7:30 p.m.
- New: Shir HaNosh TV: Passover Recipes, Sunday, March 21, 3:00 p.m.
- Signs of Spring!
Ongoing Fundraisers - iGive, Amazon Smile, and ShopWithScrip
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
Friday: Shabbat Service with SHED Talk via Zoom, Friday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. -- We begin with a brief Kabbalah Shabbat to welcome the Shabbat with song and story. Then, Shir Hadash members offer personal reflections on life, living, and Judaism. This month, Chana Sulpar speaks on, “The Depression Connection: My Ties to Depression – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”
Next Week: Shabbat Dinner Blessings via Zoom, Friday, March 19, 6:15 p.m. -- Shabbat Dinner Blessings with Rabbi Eitan Join us on Zoom as we light candles, bless our families, sanctify the wine, and bless the challah before Shabbat dinner. Rabbi Eitan will lead a 20-minute ceremony to welcome our Shabbat dinners at home.
Upcoming: Pausing in the Wilderness Service via Zoom, Friday March 26, 7:30 p.m. -- Join us on Zoom for our community’s special way of welcoming our celebration of Passover! Through story, song, and even dance, we will celebrate our ancestors’ deliverance from Egyptian slavery.
THE RABBI’S CORNER
March 12-13, 2021 / 29 Adar 5781
Shabbat Vayak’hel-Pikudei/HaHodesh
Torah: Exodus 35:1 - 40:38
Maftir: Exodus 12:1 - 12:20 | Shabbat HaHodesh
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18 | Shabbat HaHodesh
“The Direction of Prayer”
Dear Friends,
In what direction should we face when engaging in prayer? In this week’s Torah portion, God instructed Moses and the Children of Israel to build the Mishkan. It would be the portable worship sanctuary that would accompany them on their way to the Promised Land. The Mishkan was to be set up in the center of the camp and all were to face it when praying. Thus, an easy answer is to pray towards the holy sanctuary, regardless of the direction.
Maimonides offer this explanation:
Facing the sanctuary – how so? If standing outside the Land of Israel one turns one’s face in the direction of Israel and prays. If one is in the Land, one focuses one’s face towards Jerusalem; if one stands in Jerusalem one focuses one’s face towards the Mikdash [the Temple]; if one is in the Mikdash one focuses one’s face to the Holy of Holies.
Maimonides continues:
A blind person and someone who is not able to establish North, South, East, and West, or someone on a ship, they should focus their heart towards the Shechina [God’s holy presence] and pray.
Thus, more important than getting the correct direction, one must direct one’s prayer towards the Holy One, whose presence is everywhere.
Zay a mentsch – Be a Good Person. Zay gezunt – Be Healthy!
.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Read past editions of The Rabbi's Corner on the Shir Hadash website .
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
Religious School, March 14-- We look forward to seeing all our student in their virtual classes at 10:15 a.m. Questions? Contact Rachel Goldberg or Alan Bernover.
ADULT EDUCATION
Adult Ed Sunday Morning Programs, March 14: Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs:
- Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m, via Zoom. If you would like to participate, contact Fred Andes.
- New Time: Hebrew Reading, 10:00 a.m. via WebEx. Contact Steve Lewin.
No Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Eitan on March 11 -- The Rabbi's usual Thursday discussion will not meet today, March 11. Join in next Thursday at 1:00 p.m.for an engaging examination of the week's Torah portion via Zoom.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS
 Board Nominations Due by March 31; Annual Meeting June 6 -- As in 2020, the Shir Hadash Annual Meeting will be held via Zoom. Please plan to participate on June 6 at 10:00 a.m. for an informative session as well as elections for new Board members and approval of the annual budget. Your input is needed and greatly appreciated! If you will need an absentee ballot, please contact the office.
At this time, we are seeking members who are interested in serving in the open Board positions, including: - President
- Executive Vice President
- Vice-President for Programming
- Four At-Large Board Members for two-year terms
In order to hold any of these offices, the individual must be a member in good standing as described in Article III, Section 4 of the bylaws. If you would like a nomination form or more information about the positions, please contact Fred Andes. Completed nomination forms must be received at the office by March 31, 2021.
Tonight: Mussar Study Group, Thursday, March 11, 7:30 p.m. -- Mussar is a centuries old Jewish body of teachings, a perspective, and a disciplined practice that provides distinctively Jewish answers to the sorts of questions any thinking person asks about life. To participate in our monthly Zoom discussion group, contact Lynn Liebling or Kayla Shonberg.
Saturday: New Member Meet-and-Greet Havdalah, Saturday March 13, 5:30 p.m. -- The Membership Committee will be hosting a virtual Havdalah service as we celebrate our New Members for the 2020-2021 year. We will get to know each other over Zoom before and after the Havdalah service, which will be led by Rabbi Eitan. Members from Shir Hadash's many committees will also join us to share their goals and upcoming events. We encourage all Board Members and Committee leaders to join in the celebration. RSVP here.
Sunday: FAC Presents Comedy Class for Grades 3-8, Sunday March 14, 2:00 p.m. -- Come and join the Family Activities Committee as David Edler (of Shir Hadash Catskills Night Family) leads us through improv games and joke telling. We will have fun telling jokes, writing jokes, and learning about the element of surprise. Registration for this event is required for Zoom link. Feel free to send questions to Elliott Simon.
Tuesday: Shir Hadash Board Meeting, Tuesday, March 16, 7:30 p.m. -- The Board of Directors will hold their monthly remote meeting. Members are welcome to participate; contact President Marc Fargotstein for access.
Wednesday: Virtual Travel to Jewish History Sites: Jerusalem, Wednesday, March 17, 7:30 p.m. - Our Virtual Travel series continues! This time, we're visiting Jerusalem in the time of King Herod. David Liebling will guide us on a tour of the ancient city and teach about its history. RSVP here.
New: Shir HaNosh TV: Passover Recipes, Sunday, March 21, 3:00 p.m. - Mark your calendars for Shir HaNosh TV -- we're getting ready for Passover! Come cook along and chat with us as Reba Meshulam teaches us a recipe for Pastel (Sephardic Passover meat pie), and Mehran Farahmanpour teaches us a Persian haroset! Click here to RSVP.
Thanks for Supporting Trivia Night Fundraiser -- Thank you to all who attended and supported the 5th Annual Trivia Night on Saturday, March 6th. The evening was filled with trivia, music, games, and laughs, but most importantly was another fantastic success in raising money for the Samuel Andes Scholarship Fund and our school. A special shout out to Karen Burnham and our entire Communications Committee for helping to get the word out and organizing the event pages and donations. Speaking of donations…If you missed the event, but would still like to contribute, then click here and select the Samuel I. Andes Scholarship Fund to help support our education fund.
Another Sign of Spring -- Temperatures are climbing, Daylight Savings Time is starting, and Shir Hadash has seen the return of its visiting geese! Yet another positive sign that winter is on its way out. Nesting updates in future newsletters.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
Gift Card Purchases Help Shir Hadash - SHOP Shir Hadash allows members to order physical and electronic gift cards from thousands of stores and Shir Hadash receives a portion of every purchase. Thousands of dollars can be generated for Shir Hadash at no cost to you. Click here for more information. Once registered, electronic and physical cards can be ordered instantly ordered using the RaiseRight app on your phone or through our vendor shopwithscrip.com. Contact Glenn Graff for more information.
When you’re shopping online, be sure to consider these donation programs that support Shir Hadash at no extra cost to you!
iGive -- There are 2500 online retailers helping to make donations happen through iGive. Click here to learn more or contact Sandi Schleicher.
Amazon Smile -- Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of your purchase to when you sign up at smile.amazon.com. Be sure to select "Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue-Congregation Shir Hadash" in Wheeling as your charity of choice.
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