Our current policies regarding our Bridge Phase practices, Building and Site Occupancy Limits, and Wellness Criteria can be found on the Shir Hadash website. Masks are to be worn at all services, meetings and programs. If you need assistance, please call the office at 847-498-8218. You may additionally reach the Rabbi on his cell 847-525-7746 at any time, and our President Stuart Aizenberg at 847-840-7895.
Respond by Monday! Hanukkah Survey Extended to November 15 -- Hanukkah is right around the corner, and we need your response by this Monday as we plan our Hanukkah celebration on December 3. It takes less than a minute to fill out this survey to help us know how many people are interested in attending in person. When you open the survey, click the "Next" button to continue. Thanks for helping us plan this very special event for everyone!
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT A GLANCE
Creative Worship and Ritual .. - Friday: Kabbalat Shabbat via Zoom, Friday, November 12, 7:30 p.m.
- Next Week: Hybrid Shabbat In Person and Zoom, Friday, November 19, 7:30 p.m.
- Shabbat Dinner Blessings via Zoom, Friday November 26, 6:15 p.m
- Save The Date! Hybrid Kabbalat Shabbat and Hanukkah Singalong In-Person and Zoom, Friday December 3, 7:00 p.m
The Rabbi's Corner -- "Finding God's Blessing Along the Way"
Membership News and Events- Respond by Monday! Hanukkah Survey Extended to November 15
- Honoring 2021-22 Members of the Haverim Society
- Fred Andes Honored by J Street; Award Luncheon on December 15
- Now Through November 19: Help Those in Need with Winter Warmth and Holiday Gift Donations
- Tonight: Mussar Discussion Group, November 11, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday: Hanukkah House Party via Zoom, November 14, 1:00 p.m.
- Sunday: Shir HaNosh TV: Pitas with Rabbi Eitan, November 14, 2:00 p.m.
- Sign Up Now- Spots Are Limited: Interfaith Council Volunteer Event at Feed My Starving Children, November 26
Religious School
- Sunday School in Session, November 14, 9:45 a.m.
Adult Education - Thursday Zoom Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Eitan, November 11, 1:00 p.m
- Sunday Morning Virtual Adult Ed Classes, November 14
- Hebrew Reading-- No Class on November 14
- Torah and Jewish Philosophy, 10:00 a.m.
Ongoing Fundraisers
- Restaurants, ShopWithScrip, iGive, and Amazon Smile
CREATIVE WORSHIP AND RITUAL
Friday: Kabbalat Shabbat via Zoom, Friday, November 12, 7:30 p.m. -- Welcome the Sabbath with a Zoom service including meditations, prayer, readings, story, and song.This week's theme: "What Do We Know About the Patriarchs and Matriarchs?" Join Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow on an archaeological journey back to the time of Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebecca, and Jacob, Leah, and Rachel.
Next Week: Hybrid Shabbat Service In-Person and Zoom, Friday November 19, 7:30 p.m. "Service Pillars Series: Exploring Shema Y'Israel" Join Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow on an exploration of Shema Yisrael, its structure, and history. What did it mean in Moses’ day and how can we embrace it as a spiritual guide in contemporary times? To participate in person, click here to reserve your spot. (Capacity is limited to 40.)
Shabbat Dinner Blessings via Zoom, Friday November 26, 6:15 p.m. -- "Golden Oldies Series" 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. We'll also enjoy hearing some great 79 rpm records played on the Rabbi's Sonora gramophone, including Kate Smith singing Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" in honor of Thanksgiving..
 Save The Date! Hybrid Kabbalat Shabbat and Hanukkah Singalong In-Person and Zoom, Friday December 3, 7:00 p.m. - Light the Lights and join your Shir Hadash family for a Shabbat Eve Hybrid Hanukkah Celebration and Consecration of our newest Religious School students! Our Lahaka choir will sing a beautiful version of Ma’oz Tzur and the New Traditions choir will share a special Hanukkah song. We will hear a great Hanukkah story. Rabbi Eitan will share lessons of our tradition and lead us in song. Then, we will wave glow lights in the dark as we celebrate our Hanukkah holiday. Don’t miss it! RSVP Here to participate in person (capacity is limited to 40.) T THE RABBI’S CORNER
November 12-13, 2021 / 9 Kislev 5782 / Shabbat Vayetze
Torah - Genesis 28:10-32:3 / Haftarah - Hosea 12:13-14:10
“Finding God’s Blessing Along the Way”
Dear Friends,
When darkness comes to our lives, how do we keep moving forward? Jacob had stolen both Esau’s birthright and first-born blessing and Esau was not pleased. In this week’s portion we find Jacob running for his life, fleeing the wrath of his brother. Jacob knew that he had done wrong and thus, in his haste, he was reduced to nothing. As he made camp for the night, his pillow was a stone. Yet, it was in that place called Bet El – House of God – that Jacob received God’s blessing and reassurance that his life would be significant and consequential.
We are still in the grips of a worldwide pandemic that causes daily worry and concern. The economy is hurt. Our healthcare workers are exhausted. First responders are burning out. Many people still refuse vaccination in our country while so many throughout the developing world can’t get the vaccines they so desperately want. How do we hold on?
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan taught that God is the power that makes for salvation - the ability to make our lives meaningful. He taught that the way to find God is to start behaving godly – to conduct our lives in the fulfillment of Jewish values and ethics, to live in partnership with God. When living in difficult times, we must become our best selves and serve others to the best of our ability. Like Jacob, may we find God’s blessing along the way.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
Click here to read The Rabbi's Corner on the Shir Hadash website.
MEMBERSHIP NEWS AND EVENTS
 
Fred Andes Honored by J Street; Award Luncheon on December 15 -- Congratulations to Shir Hadash's own CWR Committee Chair Fred Andes, recipient of J Street's Tzedek V'Shalom (Justice and Peace) Award! Fred will be honored at a luncheon at Chicago's Union League Club on Wednesday, December 15, with guest speakers former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes and J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami. Tickets (both in-person and virtual) and sponsorships are available. For more information, click here. Please consider helping to honor Fred, by attending or Zooming in to this special event!
New: Honoring 2021-22 Members of the Haverim Society--The Haverim (Friends) Society is comprised of those Shir Hadash members whose 2021-2022 Voluntary Commitment was at least 10% greater than the dues those members paid the year before. It is with great pleasure that we honor these members who were so generous in their financial support of Shir Hadash. We hope that they, and other members, will increase their Voluntary Commitment next year by at least 10% and join the Haverim Society for the 2022-2023 year. Again, thank you to all! Please use this link to the members only portion of our website to learn the names of this year's members and to honor their generosity.
Tonight: Mussar Discussion Group, Thursday, November 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 questions about life. For those who are new to Mussar, please contact Lynn Liebling or Kayla Shonberg to learn more about this spiritual practice and our Shir Hadash group.
Now Through November 19: Help Those in Need with Winter Warmth and Holiday Gift Donations -- The Social Action Committee encourages you to take part in two opportunities to help people in need: help them stay warm this winter, and ensure that children receive a present this holiday season. You can participate in both projects from home.
- For information about JUF's Winter Warmth Drive, click here.
- For JCFS's Holiday Gift Drive, click here. There are two options, to make a monetary donation or to receive a wish list and then purchase an e-gift card. The e-gift card will be given to the parents, who will then have the pleasure of buying presents for their child. E-gift cards must be received by November 19. Click here to make a monetary donation or to sign up to receive a child's wish list.
If you have any questions, email Lisa Burton Radzely.
Sunday: Hanukkah House Party for Grades K-8 via Zoom, November 14, 1:00 p.m. -- Get ready for the holidays and join the fun Family Activity Committee in making festive Hanukkah crafts to eat, decorate your house, or give as a gift. Our projects include: an edible menorah, a paper dreidel and a surprising pop-up card. Each of these crafts can be made with simple kitchen and school supplies. Please register to receive the Zoom Link. Questions— email Elliott Simon.
Sunday: Shir HaNosh TV Presents Pitas with Rabbi Eitan, November 14, 2:00 p.m. -- Shir HaNosh TV returns for our second season, kicked off by Rabbi Eitan, who will teach us to make pitas! We'll get started at 2:00, then have a break while the dough rises, and return at 4:00 to bake our pitas. You can sit back and relax while watching, or cook along! Click Here to register to receive the Zoom link and the full recipe. Questions? Contact Melanie Andes.
Space is Limited: Interfaith Council Volunteer Event at Feed My Starving Children, November 26 -- The Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council is requesting volunteers for food packing sessions at Feed My Starving Children in Libertyville. Bring your family and join other church and synagogue members in the fight against hunger on Friday, November 26, the day after Thanksgiving. Details here.
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
Sunday School in Session, November 14, 9:45 a.m. -- We look forward to seeing all our students at 9:45 a.m.
ADULT EDUCATION
Today: Lunch and Learn with the Rabbi via Zoom, November 11, 1:00 p.m. -- Join Rabbi Eitan and Shir Hadash members and friends for a refreshing, contemporary exploration of the weekly Torah portion.
Virtual Adult Ed Sunday Morning Programs: Adults are welcome to join in the following adult education programs on most Sundays:
- No Class This Week: Hebrew Reading resumes November 21, 10:00 a.m. For more information, contact Steve Lewin.
- Torah and Jewish Philosophy, November 14, 10:00 a.m: If you would like to participate, contact Fred Andes.
ONGOING FUNDRAISERS
No-Cost Ways to Support Shir Hadash -- There are several fundraising opportunities to support Shir Hadash without spending anything extra! Click here to learn about restaurant dine-and-donate programs, SHOP Shir Hadash gift cards, and iGive and Amazon Smile rebate donations.
To view past editions of the Newsletter, please visit our website. |
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