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THE SHOFAR Temple Beth Shalom Florida, New York October 2020 Tishrei/Cheshvan 5781 From the Desk of Rabbi Rebecca P. Shinder P - R HS D 1 S I recently received this update from an old friend: I had my patience tested-I’m negative! Though I have no official test results like this for myself, I think that we all can relate! So many of you have had to reinvent yourselves these past 6 months in order to adapt to this new normal. You’ve written new protocols for your office, you figured out things from getting groceries to giving lectures through a device that, once upon a time, you mainly used just to play candy crush! And for rabbis like me, this is one of those years that previously written sermons must be put on ice, and scramble to find some kernel of wisdom and inspiration to share. In fact, after I rewrote the entire structure of these services, I finally had time to rewrite my sermons, and on one particular afternoon, I experienced a new sermon. You see, after months and months of me cleaning the house myself and spending a couple of weeks with fingers flying over my computer without a mop in my hands, we made the decision to bring in a masked and marvelous cleaner. Only moments after she left, I went to see how the appliances now sparkled and the baseboards were once again white, I felt this to be a metaphor for a clean slate for a new year...and then my dog vomited on the floor. Patience tested? Once again, I’m negative. Yet, perhaps this was the lesson that I, and perhaps we all, need. We can aim for and appreciate perfection, we want wholeness and yearn to just catch a break, but sometimes the dog is going to throw up on the floor and you will need to clean it up. No one needs to take too much time to think of more metaphors for difficulties during this pandemic. In fact, of all things, I’ve actually been thinking a lot about how this terrible time can be likened to our people’s experience in Egyptian bondage and once we were freed, to our time meandering in the desert. No, we in 2020 are not forced to build structures for our cruel and unhinged leader, but the Hebrew word for Egypt, Mitzrayim, fits the bill, for it means the narrow places. You remember those first narrow days of not knowing if there would be: enough hand sanitizer, enough meat, enough toilet paper!! Do you remember how your first days were scheduled tightly around Press Conferences from Governor Cuomo, then Governor Murphy, then Mayor De Blasio, and then the pièce de ré·sis·tance, the daily White House Coronavirus Briefings? Our mitzrayim, our daily constricted reality, was not ameliorated by this information-sharing, yet we clung to it all the same. Now that we, at least in the Tri-State area, have flattened the curve and the initial trauma of our constriction has, to some small extent, lessened. In so many ways, we have been redeemed by those early restraints. As we dip our toe in the waters of life outside our homes, we responsibly wear our masks, we stay physically distant and we wash our yadayim b’mayim. Yet, as evidenced by how we are worshipping this year, we are still far away from returning to back to normal, thus the achievement of 100% normalcy now is our sought after Promised Land. We, like that rag tag group of newly freed slaves, are meandering through an unknown reality. Friends, although we may not be living in the confinement of Mitzrayim, that seeking and yearning to a life that is back to normal is our metaphoric wilderness. continued on next page If you feel uncertain or anxious that there is no end date of this in sight, if you are overloaded by a barrage of email that intends to help, but just overwhelms, you are not alone! Our sages taught that: Kol Y israel aravim zeh b’zeh, that all of our community is responsible for one another. Our task is to find ways to lean on and help each other. There is so much that is broken in our world right now and we will acknowledge and process those realities together as we move through these Days of Awe together. But for now, I’d like to turn our focus to a gift from our sacred text. At the beginning of Bamidbar, the Book of Torah that exclusively tells of our existence in the Desert, Aaron blesses our people with the Priestly Benediction. Yes, although the Israelites’ difficulties are by no means over, as they despair that there is not enough food and water, when doubt and fear are as palpable and numerous as the grains of the desert sand, Aaron offers to them the blessing that we say to this day when a child enters into the covenant of Abraham and Sarah, when B’nei Mitzvah students stand in front of the open ark and when couples wed under the chuppah. As this blessing will soon be offered for a second time in the Rosh HaShana service, I invite you to be honest and generous with each other. At this point. Rabbi asked that everyone go to the chat to check in with and communicate with each other. As we hear the translation of the Priestly blessing, I ask you to either share something that you are struggling with, or to offer a coping mechanism that has helped you. If you are a retired teacher that could assist overwhelmed parents - put that in the chat, too! You can either write to the entire group, or if you prefer, you can send me a private message. Yesterday, we ended 5780, but is there something you are not yet able to leave behind? Today is the first day of 5781, do you have mindful intentions for this year? We haven’t yet reached our Promised Land, but, just as the Israelites needed at the beginning of the Book of Bamidbar, we are ever deserving of blessing: Yevarechecha Adonai veyishmerecha V’air Adonai panav elecha v’chunecha Yisa Adonai panav elecha v’yasem l’cha shalom As we leave our incommodious Mitrayim behind, we listen to singer-songwriter of Jewish liturgical music, Peri Smilow. Let these words of blessing calm you, quiet you, and inspire you as we share a bit of our journeys together. As you prepare to share some of your own path, watch on youtube now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=93O5JAYGH4s And together let us say: Amen Wednesday, October 7th 5:30PM via Zoom Jeffrey Rosen, author of "Conversations with RBG" will be in conversation with Dahlia Lithwick the senior editor of Slate and host of Amicus, Slate's awarding-winning podcast about the law and the Supreme Court. In "Conversations with RBG," Rosen presents a unique portrait of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, drawing on twenty years of conversations starting in the 1990s and continuing through the Trump Era. REGISTER HERE: https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/events/a-unique- portrait-jeffrey-rosen-and-dahlia-lithwick-on-ruth -bader-ginsburg Two films for the price of one! Join us for a double feature featuring two incredible Jewish films. Purchase one cket for $25 per carload and you and your passengers get admission to both films in our back‐to‐back double feature. Doors open at 5:45PM. First film begins 6:30PM. Half hour break between films to pick up pre‐paid dinner orders. Second film begins 8:30PM. WE THANK THESE GENEROUS SPONSORS: ALLAN'S FALAFEL LINDA & MARTIN DLUGATZ EYE PHYSICIANS OF ORANGE COUNTY HEATHER & ELLIOT FRIEDMAN SHARON & JERRY GOLDBERG MID‐HUDSON RETINA CONSULTANTS OSTRER & ASSOCIATES, PC SETH PULVER / RUSHMORE ESTATE ROSMARINS COTTAGES DR. ELLEN J. SOLOMON / SMILES ARE GREAT STRAUSS & KALLUS, PLLC CARING COMMUNITY ~ Todah Rabah to: Flo Hannes for creang a beauful Holiday pamphlet to guide us through the High Holy Days. Temple Beth Shalom Sisterhood for making sure we all had a white san Kippah Sharon Ball for creang the virtual Memorial Book of Life Journal with the help of Gail Conklin’s photographs. Sco Dunn who year aer year serves as our High Holiday Chazzan We thank the following individuals for their kind and generous donaons: Howard A. Cohen for his generous donaon of stock to our account. Ileene and Steven Cahn in loving memory of Ileene’s father, Donald Rosenfeld. Flo and Andy Hannes for underwring our holiday gi bags. Michael Haas in loving memory of Iris Lucash Haas. Wesown Fare Restaurant for their donaon of luscious pomegranates for our gi bags. Our Tree of Life is growing! Roberta Frischman just added a leaf to honor the marriage of Madi & Dave. Howard Rothenberg and Sarah Couper to Rabbi’s Discreonary Fund. Kathryn Bram and Bey Korn in honor of Ken Korn High Holiday Donaons were generously made by the following: Jill, Randolph and Larissa Lisa Hendler Robert Rich and Judy Girod Cohen Stanislaw Landau Naomi Sagiv Melvyn and Arlynne Cohen Eleonroa Lvov Sabina Shapiro Joshua Fein Susan Marion Flo and Andrew Hannes Mark Fox and The Koff Family Rita and Phil Laskin Jean Amatucci Fox Jennifer and Robert Levin Roger Dubin Ann Goldstein Stacy Ocko and Stuart Jaime Kriss Emily Hayflick Lulkin Deena King Donaons to our Yizkor Memorial Book: Rebecca Acker and Felicia and Paul Gell Caryl and Michael Melasky Van Krzywicki Gail Green Roberta Morrow and Iris and Peter Barlet Eva‐Lynne Greene and Greg Grusko Robin and Marvin Barsky Michael Kaufman Lisa and Mario Perez Robin and Sco Bordman Catherine Greenbla Shannon and Kevin Pollock Ileene and Steven Cahn Jeff and Lore Hannes Bethanie and Howard A.

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