September 3, 2010
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 day of joy. “God’s hand is open,” the rabbi said; “let the tears we shed on this day be tears of joy, for we have merited the approach and the attachment unto the Lord, we who are ‘alive everyone one of us this day.’”
At Temple Or Olam we will approach that task with joy. Please join us!
• September 8: Erev Rosh Hashanah Service, 7 p.m. Central United Methodist Church; Fellowship Hall
• September 9: Rosh Hashanah Morning Services, 10 a.m. – 12 a.m. followed by brunch and Tashlich: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, NC
• September 17: Kol Nidre Service, 7 p.m.: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, NC
• September 18: Yom Kippur Morning Service, 10 a.m. – 12 a.m.: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, NC
• September 18: Neilah Service: 6:30 p.m., Havdalah, and break fast: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, NC
Babysitting provided.
Suggested donations for non-members:
• Families: $180
• Individuals: $90
• Students: gratis
High Holy Day donations can be applied to membership dues if guests join within three months
Please visit www.or-olam.org for more information or call 704-720-7577.
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August 24, 2010
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 to give tzedakkah is not a simple act of charity, but an act of social justice, of tikkun olam, of healing?
Join us for our Fourth Friday service when we will explore these questions as a community, one which strives to care.
Event: Kabbalat Shabbat Fourth Friday Service
Date: August 27
Time: 7 pm
Location: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord.
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August 10, 2010
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 we want to grow. Judaism asks us to think – all year around, of course – about how to become the mensches we want to be.
According to tradition, Rosh Hodesh Elul marks the beginning of a special forty-day period. Those forty days began with Moses returning to Mount Sinai after the Golden Calf incident to pray for forgiveness for his people. It ended on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. God answered Moses’ prayers by giving him the task of creating the second set of tablets to bring back to the Israelites, commandments which are the foundation of the mitzvot listed below.
Our liturgical year sets aside the month of Elul for concentrated spiritual and emotional housecleaning. With that task in mind, I invite you all to consider what it means to “do the mitzvot” during this month. Which mitzvah you be interested in taking on? Which have you successfully integrated into your daily, weekly, or monthly practices?
This very morning, one of our congregants (I am not overstating) saved a person’s life. Pikuach nefesh (doing what it takes to save someone’s life) is one of the mitzvot listed below.
Opportunities to become better persons present themselves daily for each and every one of us. Let’s keep that in mind as we take our first steps towards a wonderful new year.
B’shalom,
Reb Barbara
Bal Tash-hit Living with environmental consciousness.
Shalom Bayit Adopting ways that yield greater peace at home.
Shmirat Haguf Treating your body as sacred space; good food and care.
V’hadarta P’nei zaken Honoring the experience and needs of senior citizens.
Shmira Lashon Speaking ethically, guarding against gossip and slander.
Tza’ar Baalei Chayyim Preventing cruelty to living things.
Ma-ah-chil R’evim Feeding the hungry.
Yizkor Remembering those who have died whom you knew.
Ezrat Cholim Helping those who are ill.
Kashrut Being conscious of eating, food production, and preparation.
Heshbon HaNefesh Reflecting on one’s deeds errors, seeking insight.
Kibbud av v’em Giving honor to living parents.
G’nivat data Promoting truth in advertising.
Mezuzah Marking your home and work place as sacred place.
Pikuach nefesh Doing what it takes to save someone’s life.
Hachnassat orchim Treating all those around you as your guests.
Shabbat Connecting with loved ones, community, and God one day each week without
work and with sweet rituals.
Minyan Showing up to create Jewish community.
Tefillah Keeping a rhythm of expressing the prayer of your heart.
Limud Torah Using Torah as a prism for growth and awareness.
Teshuvah Working honestly with hurts to heal a relationship.
Hadlakat Ney-rote Welcoming Shabbat with candle-light and blessings.
Al tifrosh Min haTzibor Not separating yourself from the community.
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August 5, 2010
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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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August 2, 2010
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 people be sure he will not act haughtily towards others or behave inappropriately.
At this Friday night service we will hear a tale of a certain king and ask ourselves: What, if anything, has this particular ruler been reading?
Join us for our family service on August 13. Come prepared for sweet song, joyful community and, as always, something to take home and think about!
Event: Kabbalat Shabbat Family Service
Date: August 13
Time: 7 pm
Location: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord.
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July 27, 2010
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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July 21, 2010
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 a difficult task to hold on to our experiences of undiminished joy, our memories of transcendent moments. How can we balance our world of obligations and tasks with our need to know the peace prayer can grant us, the joy community can offer, the knowledge that our lives matter beyond their span in time?
In this Shabbat service we will ask these questions and more. Perhaps a fresh encounter with the ancient miracles of Torah can help us recall the memory of so many small miracles we ourselves have seen with our own eyes.
When: Sat, Jul 24, 2010 10:30 AM - Sat, Jul 24, 2010 12:00 PM
Where: McGill Baptist Church, Concord NC
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July 13, 2010
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June 15, 2010
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 the opportunity for an up-close-and-personal look at Temple Or Olam’s own Sefer Torah. Dr. Barbara Thiede, will be demonstrating features of the congregation’s century-old Torah scroll – one which features the work of master scribes from German, Russia, Moravia, and Macedonia.
Temple Or Olam’s Torah was pieced together after WWII from remnants from several European scrolls, leading New York sofer Neil Yerman to suggest it may have been created from sections of Torah scrolls that survived the Holocaust. Yerman has dated the Torah’s creation to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
Join us for an evening of music and dance and learn how scribes have preserved bible texts that date back over two centuries!
Our program will also include light snacks.
7 – 8:30 p.m. Salsa and Swing
8:30 – 9 p.m. Learning about Temple Or Olam’s Sefer Torah
9 p.m. Refreshments, Israeli dances, and yet more dancing to great tunes from the forties on!
Time: Program begins at 7 p.m.
Date: July 31st
Location: McGill Baptist Church, 5300 Poplar Tent, Concord, NC
Tickets available at the door and in advance; please call 704.720.7577 for more information:
$5 students
$10 individuals
$6 senior individuals
$12 senior couples
$25 families
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June 14, 2010
The June 2010 schmoozeletter is available now.
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