High Holy Days offer Jews a special time for reflection. Most associate High Holy Days with heartfelt prayer, deep reflection, even mournful melodies. But how can we atone with joy and gratitude, not with anguish and pain? Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg once reminded his congregation that the Day of Atonement is a [...]

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Parsha Ki Tavo begins with the law of tithing, a law that is intended to help ensure a just society, a society that takes care of “the stranger, the orphan, the widow” so that they may be nourished and sustained.
How do we learn to give without regret? How can we make sure to understand that [...]

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It is Rosh Hodesh Elul, the first day of the month of reflection that ends each year. In olden days, the shofar blower would wake everyone up with a loud blast each morning, reminding them that the Days of Awe were approaching.
Thinking through and evaluating where we have been is critical to understanding how [...]

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august-2010
The August 2010 Shmoozeletter is available.  Special points of interest:

Shabbat services: August 13 and August 27
Torah Restorer Hora Galore-a raises nearly $1,000
You have until August 15 to pick oneg days — dates will be assigned thereafter.
We need a media representative: Please volunteer.

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Parsha Shoftim includes explicit instructions for rulers. A king, the text says, may not have too many horses or amass gold and silver in excess. A worthy ruler must read and reread the Torah so that he can observe the laws in the Torah. Then – and only then – can the [...]

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Post your comments, spread the word about our events, and join in all things congregational at our Temple’s new Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Temple-Or-Olam/135017053202476
See you there!

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In D’varim, the last book of the Torah, Moses recalls the scene at Sinai. He reminds the people – do not forget your experience of the wondrous, of the miraculous, of the gift of experiencing the Divine. These memories call us to our highest selves, our highest hopes.
Indeed, millennia later, we still find it [...]

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july-20101

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Join Temple Or Olam for a summer dance fundraiser for the congregation’s Sefer Torah – the handwritten scroll containing the Five Books of Moses in handwritten script.
On the docket for the evening? Dancing the traditional Jewish hora, learning a sweet bit of swing and salsa, dancing to tunes from the forties on, and taking [...]

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The June 2010 schmoozeletter is available now.

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