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September/October A Traditional, Egalitarian and Participatory Conservative Synagogue ELUL 5777/TISHREI/HESHVAN 5778 NEWSLETTER/VOLUME 30:1 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 Or Zarua Annual Tshuvah Lecture Selihot Study with Rabbi Bolton Rabbinic Irreverence: Repentance and Forgiveness Imagining a Repentant God at the Time of the Spanish Expulsion: Rabbi Dov Weiss, PhD Abarbanel’s Take on Tshuvah Department of Religion University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Saturday, September 16 8:00 pm: Dessert Reception Sunday evening, September 24, 6:00 pm 8:30 pm: Selihot Study s we approach transgressing Torah law. Dr. Weiss (son with Rabbi Bolton the High Holy of Rabbi Avi Weiss) recently published a 9:30: pm Selihot Service Days, the process book, Pious Irreverence: Confronting God of repentance in Rabbinic Judaism, that ach Shabbat of 5777 we have Amust become our focus. explores these daring Egleaned from Don Yitzhak Abarbanel's As the High Holy Day Rabbinic texts. erudite commentary on the weekly Torah liturgy makes clear, our In this Tshuvah Lecture, portion. At Selihot, as we turn towards fate for the coming year Dr. Weiss will address why the new year, we will study selections may hinge on the efficacy some Rabbis envisioned a from the masterwork that address and of our tshuvah, which must involve genuine perfect God as performing explore repentance. This past year, while introspection, a thoroughgoing refinement tshuvah and what religious we have seen some of those passages as of character, and a deep commitment to values and insight might they arose in the context of our reading improvement in our conduct. Each year at Or be expressed in these radical texts. As we of the weekly parashiot, for our Selihot Zarua we gather to contemplate the nature look ahead to Yom Kippur, we will consider study, we will study various comments of the daunting challenge that authentic how these Rabbinic depictions of God, sin, and commentaries that Abarbanel made tshuvah poses for us. and our relationship with the divine can on tshuvah. This year’s annual Tshuvah Lecture, reinvigorate our own process of tshuvah. during the Ten Days of Repentance between Finding guidance and inspiration in classical unique feature of Or Zarua’s Shabbat Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, will feature Jewish texts is a hallmark of learning Aand learning culture is the Rabbi Dr. Dov Weiss, Assistant Professor at Or Zarua. in-depth study we make of one darshan of Jewish Studies in the Department of Dr. Weiss received his PhD (with (commentator) per year. Studying Religion at the University of Illinois at distinction) in the History of Judaism at the Abarbanel's take on tshuvah for Selihot Urbana-Champaign, who will discuss certain University of Chicago Divinity School and will be a fine way to wrap up our study of innovative and even radical aspects of the was also a fellow at Harvard University’s Abarbanel, before we launch into another Rabbis’ conceptions of God and of tshuvah. Center for Jewish Studies. Specializing in wonderful commentator on the Torah. Dr. Weiss will highlight Rabbinic passages the history of Jewish biblical interpretation about God and repentance that are often and Rabbinic theology, Dr. Weiss’s scholarly Prepare for the High Holy Days overlooked but which may reveal for us new interests encompass various facets of pathways and opportunities of tshuvah. Jews’ conceptions of, challenges to, and with Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz Judaism is often described as a religion confrontations with God throughout the So Full a Voice from So Empty a Heart: that tolerates, even celebrates, arguing range of Jewish historical periods. The Significance of the Sounds with God. Unlike Christianity and Islam, Dr. Weiss will lecture and answer of the Shofar Judaism seems to endorse a tradition of questions, before we together mark the end protest, as first expressed in the biblical of the Fast of Gedaliah with Ma’ariv and a Thursday, September 14, 7:00 pm stories of Abraham, Job and Jeremiah. nosh. Please join us for what promises to See Page 3 Less well known are those Jewish texts that be a stimulating and inspiring lecture as we imagine God as conceding error. Strikingly, embark on our own journeys of tshuvah in New Hesed Program: TutorMate in several of these texts, God even admits this High Holy Day season. See Page 4 1 CONGREGATION OR ZARUA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 President’s Message by Sara Stone ummertime problems, more medicine but less wellness. “and the livin’ “We drink too much, smoke too much, A CONSERVATIVE SYNAGOGUE is easy.” But spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive FOUNDED 1989 not so much too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV 127 East 82nd Street Shere at Or Zarua where there has been a lot too much, and pray too seldom. We have New York, NY 10028 of activity happening multiplied our possessions, but reduced phone: 212-452-2310 fax: 212-452-2103 over the summer. I our values. We talk too much, love too www.orzarua.org hope as you return this seldom and hate too often. fall, you will notice our even more beautiful “We have learned how to make a living, SCOTT N. BOLTON, Rabbi sanctuary. The ark has new lighting, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not DR. HARLAN J. WECHSLER, Rabbi Emeritus the woodwork on the bimah has been life to years. We’ve been all the way to the SARA STONE, President refinished and so have all of the pews. moon and back, but have trouble crossing WILLIAM ZAIENTZ, Treasurer Many thanks to Aaron Shelden and the the street to meet a new neighbor. We KAREN KAPLAN, Secretary Aesthetics Committee for the work they did conquered outer space but not inner space. HELENE SANTO, Executive Director on this project. We’ve done larger things, but not SIGAL HIRSCH, Director of Youth Education Secondly, we have arranged to welcome better things. and Programming the Sephardic Academy of Manhattan to “We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted CHARLES SPIELHOLZ, Newsletter Editor our building. Approximately 10 kindergarten the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but children will be making Or Zarua their not our prejudice. We write more, but learn OZ Committee Chairs home beginning in September. We look less. We plan more, but accomplish less. forward to offering some joint after school We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more ADMINISTRATION Gerry Solomon programming with these students and our information, to produce more copies than AESTHETICS Aaron Shelden Or L’Atid students. And what would summer be without ever, but we communicate less and less. ART GALLERY Bobbi Coller programs on our roof. Many enjoyed These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, BOOK DISCUSSION Reed Schneider “Parents’ Night Out” in July. But our most steep profits and shallow relationships. Nora Yood successful summer “roof” program had “Remember, to spend some time with BUILDING Diane Okrent to be held in the social hall, not because your loved ones, because they are not going of rain but because of such overwhelming CEMETERY Aliza Kaplan to be around forever. Remember, say a kind response! Our roof simply could not Mort Schwartz word to someone who looks up to you in accommodate everyone who came to DEVELOPMENT Alan Ilberman awe, because that little person soon will see “The Women’s Balcony.” This was grow up and leave your side. HESED Susan Lorin one of the most amazing Or Zarua events “Remember, to say ‘I love you’ to your ever. Special thanks to Gerry and Phyllis HEVRA KADISHA Roberta Hufnagel partner and your loved ones, but most of all Solomon and Rabbi Bolton for making this Gerry Solomon mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend a ISRAEL Aliza Kaplan happen. If you missed our summer roof hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. programs, sign up for dinner in our rooftop LIBRARY Barry Feldman (From Words Aptly Spoken by sukkah later this fall. Bob Moorehead.) MARKETING Dana Gross And now it is Elul, time to turn our As we welcome the year 5778, please Dara Shapiro thoughts to reflection and renewal. As I take time to enjoy a sunset, share a hug read the passage below, I found it so clearly MEMBERSHIP Melissa Kashan Lader and hold a hand. expressed my thoughts about the state MINYAN Sheldon Adler of our lives and our world that I decided L’Shanah Tovah NOMINATING Jay Palmer to share it with you. What is especially AND LEADERSHIP distressing is that these words are truer ORAL HISTORY Mimi Alperin today than they were in 1990 when they were written. I hope they will inspire all of PROGRAMMING Marc D. Ashley us to live more meaningful lives in the PUBLIC RELATIONS Aaron Shelden year ahead. READERS Marc D. Ashley “The paradox of our time in history is AND LEADERS Jay Palmer that we have taller buildings but shorter STRATEGIC Arthur H. Rosenbloom tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower DEVELOPMENT viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have WEBMASTER Jay Palmer bigger houses and smaller families, more YOUTH EDUCATION Eric Schmutter conveniences, but less time. We have more If you are interested in serving on a synagogue degrees but less sense, more knowledge, committee, please contact the office for the but less judgment, more experts, yet more committee chair’s email address. 2 WWW.ORZARUA.ORG SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 So Full a Voice from So Empty a Heart: The Significance of the Sounds of the Shofar with Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz; Thursday, September 14, 7:00 pm here is uncover their corresponding meanings.
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