Worship
May 2018 Worship Schedule
May 4 & 5
Friday: Lag BaOmer
Dinner at 6:00 pm
Saturday: Cinco de Mayo Tisch with Rabbi & Carrie
9:30 am
May 11 & 12
Friday: Service at 7:30 pm
Saturday: There will be no Saturday Morning Service
May 18 & 19
Friday: Kabbalat
Shabbat 6:00 pm,
Refreshments at 5:30
Saturday: Morning Service 9:30 am
May 25 & 26
Friday: Kabbalat
Shabbat 6:00 pm,
Refreshments at 5:30
Saturday: Morning Service 9:30 am
FROM THE HEART WITH RABBI LIEBOWTIZ
Whoever looks at four things, ought not to have entered this world: what is above (heaven) what is below (the afterlife) what is in front (the future) and what is behind (the origins of the Universe). Talmud Hagigah
Dear Friends,
As the holiday of Shavuot beckons, we Jews turn our attention to spiritual questions. Indeed, the seven-week period that begins on the second night of Passover, our counting of the Omer, has been seen as a mystical period of contemplating what was called the Sefirotic Tree. This imagining from the Zohar, our mystical Midrash on the five books of Moses, dabbled in explorations regarding God’s nature as expressed in various emanations. Quite complex and at times most mind-boggling, the Sefirotic tree has amused, puzzled and elevated Jewish minds and hearts for nearly a thousand years. The mystics warned that we would be wise to postpone its study until one is well grounded in observance, which was typically seen as being forty years of age. One well-known passage from the Talmud speaks of four rabbis who entertained mystical practices in search of Paradise or the heavenly abodes. In that venture, one became mad, another heretical, a third died, and only Rabbi Akiba entered and returned whole.
Questioning and exploring is a main feature of the Jewish mentality. The Talmudic spirit encourages investigation, not only of observance but of the nature of the divine. Very few limits! Only on rare occasion does the Talmud say “When the Messiah arrives.” (Meaning he alone could answer such a question. Live with mystery!) I have noticed in my teaching young people, mostly of the Protestant Christian faith, mystery is often taken to extremes to the point that it is verboten to question. Sometimes, it is seen as quite sinful to delve into realms best let unexplored. Such a posture, in my judgement has given many persons of faith a permission slip to accept unquestioningly the tenets of their faith, with portentous consequences.
Judaism has sought to strike a healthy balance between being so questioning that we may tread our way into being nihilistic and being so accepting that we fail to have a deeper understanding of the divine. Shavuot is not only a time of cheese blintzes, but a time for earnest review of our connections to God, true spiritual nourishment. So many of us (as am I) are taken with the gifts of science that we avoid looking for God, favoring only material explanations. Shavuot then is a badly needed antidote to excessive rationality. The great scholar Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel put this simply in the title of one of his most moving books; “I asked for wonder!” Let us then through the gift of our holiday cycle also look for wonder as we delve into regions often left unexplored!
Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz D.D.
May Events at a Glance!
Last Day of Hebrew School: Wednesday, May 2
Lag Ba-Omer Cookout: Friday, May 4 at 6:00 pm
Saturday Service & Tisch with Rabbi & Carrie: 9:30 am May 5-Cinco de Mayo
Sunday School: May 6 beginning at 9:30 am with Hebrew,
Last Day of Sunday School
Kabbalat Shabbat: Friday May 11 at 6:00
Saturday Service: May 12 at 9:30 am
Mother’s Day: Sunday, May 13
Sisterhood Sabbath: Friday, May 18 at 7:30
Saturday Service: May 19 at 9:30 am, Erev Shavuot
Yizkor Service & Blintzes: Sunday May 20 at 6:00 pm,
Shavuot Day 1
Temple Board Meeting: Monday, May 21 at 6:00 pm
Kabbalat Shabbat: Friday, May 25 at 6:00
Enjoy Podcasts!
5 Jewish Stories for National Tell-a-Story Day
Friday is National Tell-a-Story Day in the United States, and you know who loves telling a good story? The Jewish people! So much of what our rabbis, cantors, and educators do can be described as storytelling, from sharing divrei Torah (literally, “words of Torah”) about the weekly Torah portions to teaching Midrash (story-based commentary about Torah and Jewish values).
A year ago, we celebrated National Tell-a-Story Day by announcing the launch of our new podcast, Stories We Tell. Rabbi Leora Kaye, our podcast producer, wrote of the new project, “This deep and rich tradition of storytelling – of passing down stories from one generation to the next – is a beautiful part of Judaism… Each [episode], we hope, will transport you to that place where you are a king or a queen, a merchant or a buyer – perhaps a young child or someone who is very, very old. And each one will offer you the chance to think about the choices you make and how you make them.”
And indeed, it has. We’ve been bowled over by the positive feedback to the podcast and are thrilled to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Stories We Tell by sharing with you our top five most popular episodes.
- The Wooden Bowl: When a wealthy older man decides to retire, he gives his business and home to his son. The son is so grateful, and it shows in his actions. But when he has a son of his own, and grows busier with work, his actions start to change. Does he ever make time for his father again? Cantor Ellen Dreskin tells the story that teaches an important lesson about expressing gratitude and caring for those who care for us.
- The Bird Trap: A happy little girl sits with her mother, but her mother is confused: why is the girl happy, even though she knows her brother did something that upset her? The girl’s answer teaches an important lesson about the difference between praying for something, and taking action. Rabbi Leora Kaye retells the story.
- How to Give a Blessing: A man wandering the desert grows thirsty, tired, and hungry, but for miles, all he sees around him is sand. Finally, he comes upon an oasis: a puddle right next to a big, lush tree. After relaxing for a bit, he gathers some branches for building fires and fruit to sustain him for the rest of his journey. Before he leaves, he wants to offer the tree a blessing in return for what the tree has given him. What kind of blessing can he leave for a tree that is already tall, grounded, and lush? Rabbi Marc Katz of Congregation Beth Elohim retells the classic story.
- The Shabbat Candlesticks: Rabbi Yechiel had a pair of candlesticks, and they were his most prized possessions. Every Shabbat, he would shine them until they sparkled and place them on his table. One Shabbat, the candlesticks weren’t there! Rabbi Yechiel looks all around town for them, but when he sees his candlesticks through the window of a poor family’s home, what does he do? Rabbi Leah Berkowitz tells the story.
- Banquet in Heaven: A righteous person was invited by God to see a preview of the world to come. He entered a celestial palace and saw a large banquet table filled with delicious food, but nobody around the table was eating. They were obviously hungry, so why weren’t they touching the food? In another room in the same palace he sees the same table piled high with food, but in this room the people around the table are joyous. What happened differently between the two rooms? Find out in this story, retold by Cantor Ellen Dreskin.
What has been your favorite episode of Stories We Tell? Is there a story you hope to hear us tell on the podcast in the future? Leave us a comment and let us know!
April Events Update!
Please RSVP to all events!
Falafel Friday: This Friday at 6:00 pm-Israel Independence Day
Spartanburg Earth Day: Celebration at Unitarian Universalist Church, Saturday, April 21
Sunday Speaker Series: Sunday, April 22 with David Alvis:
“Michelangelo’s David and the Politics of the Chosen People”
Sisterhood Board Meeting: Sunday, April 22 at 12:00
Hadassah Meeting: Wednesday, April 25 at 11:00
Rabbi’s Brown Bag Lunch: Wednesday, April 25 at 12:00
Kabbalat Shabbat: Friday, April 27 beginning at 5:30 with refreshments.
Saturday Service: April 28 at 9:30 am
Sunday School: Sunday, April 29 beginning at 9:20 with Hebrew
Update for Events on April 11th
For the Breakfast Schmooze, we will now meet at Panera Bread on East Main instead of Select, which no longer opens for breakfast.
This will begin with tomorrow’s Breakfast Schmooze from 7-9 am.
Also for tomorrow, be reminded that we will have the Holocaust Memorial & Movie beginning at 6:30. We hope to see you here at the temple.