CONGREGATION DORSHEI EMET FALL 2018 • ELUL 5778 - KISLEV 5779 HA’KEHILAH קול הקהילה KOLTHE COMMUNITY VOICE THE REST OF THE PRESIDENT’S YEAR MESSAGE by Rabbi Boris Dolin by Roger Antebi I have always been fascinated by the I have always found Unetaneh Tokef cycle of the Jewish year. There is the to be one of the most powerful way that the meaning and values of the prayers of the High Holiday liturgy. holidays have so purposely been fi tted “On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and into the calendar to connect with the on Yom Kippur it is sealed…who will seasons and the emotional “blueprint” live and who will die…. but teshuvah of certain times of year. Chanukah lights (repentance), tefi llah (prayer) and in the darkness of winter. Pesach Seders tzedakah (righteous deeds) transform during the “rebirth” of spring. And the harshness of the decree.” the Yamim Noraim, the High Holidays, during the gathering and introspection In his book, This is Real and You Are brought on by the cooling weather of Completely Unprepared—The Days of autumn. Awe as a Jewish Transformation, Alan Lew suggests another interpretation Another important facet of our calendar for this prayer. Over the years it was is that all holidays begin in the evening. noticed that some Jews may have The usual explanation for this tradition repented prodigiously, prayed fi ercely stems from the order of how the days and performed righteous deeds until were created in the story of Genesis: they collapsed in exhaustion, and “There was evening and there was nonetheless died in the following year. morning…”. Yet there is also something Lew argues that the liturgy claims that signifi cant on an emotional and spiritual “prayer, righteousness, and Teshuvah will level about this quirk of our calendar. not change what happens to us; rather For us, darkness is always followed they will change us.” A spiritual practice by light and by hope. Each and every doesn’t change what happens, but rather evening that arrives, we know that our perspective changes and we align no matter what, we awake the next with the natural occurrence of events, morning to a sunrise and new potential. even death, as all fl owing from God. CONTINUES ON PAGE 2 CONTINUES ON PAGE 3 CONGREGATION DORSHEI EMET / 1 KOL HA’KEHILAH | FALL 2018 • ELUL 5778 - KISLEV 5779 THE REST OF THE YEAR, CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Opening up the entire Torah around the As we enter the Yamim Noraim this sanctuary for Simchat Torah, hearing year, this positive outlook signalled congregants do stand up comedy on by our calendar has yet another Purim, celebrating Israel with a laid- message for us. It is not necessarily back song circle on Yom Ha’atzmaut, or the light of day that will give us hope simply sitting with new friends and being and inspiration to move forward in our reminded of the calm comfort of the journeys, but it is the light, the power Jewish family. of being together as a community, of sharing in the familiar prayers and There is a full calendar of inspiration, fun and learning, and I hope that you will not melodies, of sitting down at our tables Cynthia let any day pass you by. for meals and taking the time to learn, Weinstein to refl ect and to grow. This familiar experience is always there, no matter Let us all gather together during these what has happened in our lives or in our holidays with a desire to grow as individuals and as a community, and EXECUTIVE world, and it is up to us receive this gift clutch the comfort that comes with the with open arms. DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE familiar in these days. Yet, let us also not forget all that is left in our year. When you come to join us for Rosh The autumn High Holidays are a busy Let us all be open to new experiences, Hashanah or Yom Kippur, please and wonderful time of the year - fall to moments of easy acceptance, and don’t think that this is necessarily the clothes and school supplies, big family also to moments of challenge and Rosh Hashanah dinners and catching only highlight of the Jewish calendar. questioning. The fullness of Judaism It is in some ways the very real core up with friends you haven’t seen all is more than any one holiday, and summer. At the shul offi ce we are of the Jewish year, but it exists only we always have opportunities to try busy reconnecting with members, when we remember that all of these something new. days are inherently connected and helping them with their High Holiday arrangements, and talking to new ripe with potential. The Jewish year And for us, if we truly grasp the light people who have heard about Dorshei is meant to be a true cycle, each of this season, what we think we know Emet and would like to check us out. holiday leading into another, times of about ourselves when we begin this News of what our shul has been up memory and refl ection, leading slowly journey, may not be the truth that we into the highest moments of joy and leave with. Grow, learn, question, and to has made quite a buzz in the city. celebration. Rosh Hashanah and Yom inspire. Let us all work to turn into the The new digital ads in Cote St Luc Kippur are important, but experiencing people we are meant to become, and to have been an effective addition to our them without the rest of the year is like, create a community of meaning, ready to marketing. well, eating just the cream cheese on guide us forward. a bagel. You need the rest to hold it all We have a great team in the offi ce, and it’s together. L’Shanah Tova and blessings for a sweet refl ected in your weekly announcements, New Year! full of great programming, in our Kol When we sat in the candle-lit Sanctuary Ha’Kehilah newsletter, mailed to you just a few weeks ago, chanting the quarterly, and in the friendly voices ancient words of Eicha, Lamentations, that answer the phone. I encourage and discussing the problems of holding you to try something new in 5779 - we on to pain and memory and the idea are offering a wide variety of programs, that “only a people who can cry can something for everyone. Why not invite learn how to laugh”. your friends and family to see what is happening at Dorshei Emet! Or our weekly Torah study where we make our way through the stories of the Torah, looking at the text as a the powerful yet imperfect story of our people, delving into issues of gender, theology, Jewish culture, current events, and sometimes, politics. 2 / CONGREGATION DORSHEI EMET KOL HA’KEHILAH | FALL 2018 • ELUL 5778 - KISLEV 5779 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE, CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 Without a certain level of self-awareness, our environment. We toggle between it is easy for us to stumble through our choosing and making decisions, and lives “in character”, that is, behaving in “letting go” and accepting the unfolding ways that are expected of us. So, when of reality. can a fundamental change happen? Our Rosh Hashanah liturgy is challenging us At this time of the year, our Jewish to grow and transform! A good starting tradition is calling on us to change, to point for transformation is when the status transform, to do “teshuvah” and to fi nally quo is no longer an option because it is come “home”. May we all strive to take too painful. responsibility and become the best that we can be in this New Year. Seeing a better way is also an opportunity for transformation. After Rabbi Ron z’’l Wishing you all a happy, sweet and asked Rabbi Julia, Mark Berner and me transformative New Year to join him in NYC for a Prayer Workshop sponsored by the Institute of Jewish Spirituality, he asked me what I thought about what Rabbis did for a good time. You can now access your Shul Cloud The event was so musical, intimate, joyful account and check that the information and soul-enriching, that I replied that from is correct and complete, you can whatever well they were drinking, I also make donations and pay for your wanted to drink! membership on line. After the High Holidays, members will have access I believe that real transformation is possible when we take responsibility to an online membership directory, for our own diffi culties; when we stop making it easier to keep in touch with blaming our parents, other family one another. We are working on a free members, our co-workers, our Dorshei Emet app for Androids and peers, even the weather, for iPhones featuring schedules and push what is happening to us; notifi cations so you will always know when we free up all this what’s happening at your shul. We energy to creatively and have many exciting plans for 5779, it’s wisely engage with going to be another great year! Wishing you and your family a Shana Tova. CONGREGATION DORSHEI EMET / 3 KOL HA’KEHILAH | FALL 2018 • ELUL 5778 - KISLEV 5779 YOUTH AS THE SUMMER WINDS DOWN by by Sarah Dolin Shainy Haim My name is Shainy Haim - I am the Admi- As summer winds down, I feel full of served to children immediately following nistrative Assistant at Congregation gratitude once again for the slower pace the Yom Kippur program.