september 2013 Elul/Tishrei 5773
ChaiLites
Worship Schedule Friday, August 30 – Nitzavim/Vayelech 5:45 p.m. Oneg Shabbat 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat Worship Saturday, August 31 8:30 a.m. Torah Study 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Minyan with Kaddish in the Musick Family Library B’nei Mitzvah of Ben Chestler and Jordyn Rubin 7:30 p.m. S’lichot Dinner and Worship Program Friday, September 6 – Ha’azinu 5:45 p.m. Oneg Shabbat 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat Worship Saturday, September 7 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Shuvah – Personal Blessing and Renewal 12:00 p.m. Tashlich Friday, September 13 – Kol Nidre Saturday, September 14 – Yom Kippur Friday, September 20 – Chol HaMo’ed Sukkot 5:45 p.m. Oneg Shabbat 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat Worship with Birthday Blessings Saturday, September 21 8:30 a.m. Torah Study 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Minyan with Kaddish in the Musick Family Library B’nei Mitzvah of Lauryn Smith and Max Smith 5:00 p.m. Bat Mitzvah of Haley Strusiner Friday, September 27 – B’reishit 5:45 p.m. Oneg Shabbat 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat Worship with Birthday Blessings Saturday, September 28 8:30 a.m. Torah Study 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Minyan with Kaddish in the Musick Family Library B’nei Mitzvah of Alex Marchok and Dillon Sobel 5:00 p.m. Bat Mitzvah of Danielle Pereira Friday, October 4 – Noach 5:45 p.m. Oneg Shabbat 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shbbat Worship
Kol Sason - A Voice of Joy
Shalom u’vachah and Shanah Tovah - Peace and blessings to you and Happy New Year. A cantorial colleague of mine turned me on to an interesting Midrash. It explains that ‘Yisrael’, the name that our forefather Jacob was given after a long night spent wresting with an angel, and which means, One Who Struggles with God, can be understood differently. Using different vowels placed beneath the letters Yud, Shin, Resh, Aleph and Lamed it can be pronounced ‘Yashir Eil’ – “God will sing.” Isn’t that an eye and ear opener! Obviously cantors find any teaching that alludes to God singing wonderful, but who wouldn’t find this one, derived from the very moniker the Jewish people have owned for millennia tantalizing. But it stirs the obvious questions, what is ‘God’s song’ and how and when will God sing it? We’ve tried to attune ourselves to ‘God’s whisper’, God‘s ‘still small voice’. Did anyone tell us we might actually be the people who await God’s song? What if God has already sung God’s song? Three millennia is a long time, maybe we missed it? Did we hear it as a people or as individuals? It’s a lot to think about! The psalmist words ‘Shiru La’Adonai Shir Chadash’ – Sing unto God a New Song, are an inspiration for all living things, encouraging us toward renewal, change and reconnection with holiness. Through this new interpretation, might we understand that God is following the same advice and has been singing a new song to us and each generation daily?” Perhaps God is singing to us not through our own egocentric mind and voices which can get stuck in the same story or mantras for years, straining to hear the whisper, but loudly singing to us his Mitzvot, hopes and dreams for the world? We sing out in prayer every day and affirm with our children every night at bed time, ‘Sh’ma Yisrael’ Hear, Oh Israel! If instead, we sang out ‘Sh’ma Yasheir Eil!’ – LISTEN! GOD WILL continued on page 3
Refer to page 11 for the High Holy Days Schedule
1670 Checker Road • Long Grove, IL 60047-5289 • 847-537-1771 • www.templechai.org • [email protected]