The Sinai Messenger July 2021 Temple Sinai August 2021 713 Hodges St. Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tamuz/AV 5781 http://templesinai.info / T: 337-439-2866 Av/Elul 5781 Worship Service Schedule July 2021 Tammuz/Av 5781 August 2021 Av/Elul 5781 Friday, July 2, 2021 23 Tammuz 5781 Friday, August 6, 2021* 29 Av 5781 6 PM 6 PM Torah: Pinchas: Numbers 25:10−30:1 Torah: R'eih: Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17 Haftarah: Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 Haftarah: Isaiah 54:11-55:5 Friday, July 9, 2021* 1 Av 5781 Friday, August 13, 2021 6 Elul 5781 6 PM 6 PM Torah: Matot - Mas-ei: Numbers 30:2–36:13 Torah: Shof'tim: Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9 Haftarah: Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4; 4:1-2 Haftarah: Isaiah 51:12-52:12 or Isaiah 66:1-13, 23 Rosh Chodesh Friday, July 16, 2021 8 Av 5781 Friday, August 20, 2021* 13 Elul 5781 6 PM 6 PM Torah: D'varim: Deuteronomy 1:1−3:22 Torah: Ki Teitzei: Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19 Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-27 Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10 Shabbat Chazon Friday, July 23, 2021*_ 15 Av 5781 Friday, August 27, 2021 20 Elul 5781 6 PM 6 PM Torah: Va-et'chanan: Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11 Leil Selichot (Selichot is observed) Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26 Torah: Ki Tavo: Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8 Shabbat Nachamu Tu B’Av Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22 Friday, July 30, 2021 22 Av 5781 *Congregational worship returns in-person 6 PM on these dates, thanks to the Episcopal Torah: Eikev: Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25 Church of the Good Shepherd! Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14-51:3 The Sinai Messenger July/August 2021 Page 1 of 15 July & August Service Schedule July 2: YouTube Live Stream July 9: Shabbes Eve at Good Shepherd July 10: Shabbes Morning Minyan at Good Shepherd Temple Directory: July 16: No Services We are aware that our directory is in dire need of updating. Due July 23: Shabbes Eve at Good Shepherd to many of our congregants still July 24: Shabbes Morning Minyan at Good Shepherd being out of their homes, we will wait a little longer to do a formal July 30: YouTube Live Stream update. Aug. 6: Shabbes Eve at Good Shepherd A sheet of updates will be mailed Aug. 7: Shabbes Morning Minyan at Good Shepherd to you with the annual Memorial Booklet letter, going out on Aug. Aug. 13: YouTube Live Stream 1st. It is also included at the end of this bulletin for your reference. Aug. 20: Shabbes Eve at Good Shepherd Aug. 21: Shabbes Morning Minyan at Good Shepherd If you need an “old” directory to correct with these updates, there Aug. 27: YouTube Live Stream are a few left. Please let Sandy know, and she will mail or deliver You may watch past services and events on our YouTube one to you. Channel at temple-sinai.tv -OR- [email protected] or 337-540-9993 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPujlK_V4hMql5s5GXxqOTQ Kroger Reward Program If you have not already renewed your Kroger rewards Mi’she’bei’rach card, please go to www.kroger.com/account/update Wishing a refuah shleimah, a complete and speedy log in, and renew your card recovery, to: with: Diane McCarthy Tony DiBartolo Organization Name: Barbara DiBartolo Brenda Bachrack Temple Sinai Anita Fields-Gold Organization Number: IE298 as the recipient of your rewards. The Sinai Messenger July/August 2021 Page 2 of 15 Message from the Rabbi: A True Shabbat Shuvah! As I write these words before our first in-person gathering since March 2020, I believe this evening will in many ways be our Shabbat Shuvah, our Sabbath of Return! The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd has graciously opened its doors to our congregation so that we can resume worship together. This truly blesses our temple and illustrates most precious interfaith love and compassion. Over one hundred years ago, after the 1918 Hurricane, temple hosted the church in our building. The circle of mutual helpfulness continues! Elsewhere in this newsletter is the cover of the special guest book that Gail Johnson and Cathy Gold have completed. I “volunteered" Cathy and Gail for this project because our evening together with members of Good Shepherd will surely be an evening to remember for a long time. I also want to express my appreciation to Pat Seamons and Barbara Maxey for organizing the “Pre Oneg”, Susan and Bill Battestin for greeting guests, and Sandy Desadier for the challah. We are in the process of completing a biweekly schedule of services at the church and will let you know the calendar very soon. In Malachi 2:10 we are taught, “Have we not all one Father? Has not one G-d created us?” In these words we find the loving nature of our community and a reminder of Judaism’s view of spiritual Brotherhood and Sisterhood. May our special Shabbes of Return and Restoration be an evening we shall cherish for months and years to come. Rabbi Barry The Sinai Messenger July/August 2021 Page 3 of 15 Rabbi Barry’s Word of the Month: Temple Birthdays: SIDDUR July Birthdays This is the prayerbook! 2 Judy Davidson Katz Its Hebrew consonants are Samech - Dalet - Resh. In English 2 Jody Davidson these are S-D-R. These three consonants remind us of the 4 Scott Michel Hebrew word SEDER. 6 Marissa Liebman 9 Barry Holtzman Seder in English is to “set in order, arrange.”* 13 Brenda Goldman 13 Lisa Garcia The Siddur IS an arrangement, an order, a certain order of 14 Maurice Gold the prayers and blessings that are in the worship service. Thus 16 Tony Kushner 17 Debbie Gold we have the special “arrangement” for prayers for Shabbes, 18 Elizabeth Battestin Holy Days, and Weekdays. 21 Rachel Fuerst 22 Kathy Steirman On Passover our Seder Meal has its special “order” of the 25 Joseph Garcia events of the Passover narrative from Torah, the book of 26 Todd Riff Sh’mot, or Exodus. 26 Lisa Green 27 Mindy Desadier Barkat On Shabbes when we read a special section of Torah, the 29 Chris Blevins Parasha, this portion is called the “Sidrah”. Here again we have the special consonants S - D - R. August Birthdays A favorite Hebrew expression is “Ha-Kol Be-Seder!“ Everything 2 Leah Holtzman Eisen 2 Rhoda Gorin is “in order,” i.e. “Everything is OK!“ 3 Joseph Davidson 4 Terry Hodnett And a wonderful Hebrew expression is “Be-seder gamur!” This 6 Patrick Steirman tells us that “All is in complete, absolute, perfect order!” 7 Kim Davidson Ruby 11 Deborah Darbonne As Edith Samuel teaches in Your Jewish Lexicon, “We’ve 15 Jill Greenberg come a long way from siddur, seder, and sidrah, but it is 17 Stanley Levy III fascinating to see how an ancient language can 19 Scott Levy 19 Stephen Michel accommodate modern idioms.” 19 David Katz 23 Jacob Ecker *Your Jewish Lexicon, pg. 6, Union of American Hebrew 24 Joseph Gall Congregations, New York, 1982. 27 Brenda Bachrack 27 Benjamin Holtzman 29 Daniel Wygoda Rabbi Barry 29 Skylar Lacomb The Sinai Messenger July/August 2021 Page 4 of 15 A Message from the President June 2021 To all Congregants and Friends of Temple Sinai of Lake Charles: As Summer Solstice occurred yesterday, June 21, we had our June Board Meeting. As I shared with the Board, the day and the coming months seem so positive and refreshing. We are planning to have our historic 1904 Sanctuary open in time for Rosh Hashanah evening service on September 6. Our High Holiday schedule will be coming out soon and we look forward to seeing each other and catching up from an incredibly hard time in our lives. We will persevere. The kitchen and social hall will not be available, yet the bathrooms will be accessible. Our Board is looking at options for a special Oneg after Rosh Hashanah evening service and a Break the Fast event after our concluding service for Yom Kippur. As everything, this is a fluid situation, and we will communicate what we are able to put together. Our legal counsel continues to work hard in our behalf. Even though it has been a long haul, I know they are working hard in our behalf. As we hear more news we will communicate. The Board voted to prioritize the rebuild work based on our needs and available funds. Phase 1 is the Sanctuary with Phase 2 being the Social Hall / Kitchen and Phase 3 being the religious wing. These phases could join together at times, yet timing and monies come into play. As you all know, Rabbi, Linda and Amy are staying in Baton Rouge for the foreseeable time. The events of 2020, along with 2021, just made it very hard to pull off this effort as planned. We will have the Rabbi join us in Lake Charles every other Shabbat. He will continue to You- Tube the services from his home on the alternating Shabbat’s. In addition, we plan to You- Tube the services from Lake Charles so that our out-of-town members and friends can continue to join us and support Temple Sinai. Please wish our Rabbi and his family the best in their decisions as this has been very time consuming, costly and emotional for all. I continue to remind you of the creation of our “dedicated fund” for Tzedakah, thereby making a tikkun olam difference! We continue to have donations coming in, thank all who are so generous.