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42 Make sure to always look miserable, because G-d forbid,' people might think that you are taking some form of pleasure in this world!
46. You are frumm when the only pop albums you own are Billy Joel!
From "60 Ways to Appear Frumm" |
January 03, 2008 - 25 Tevet 5767
Volume V, Issue 4
[What We Like] [How We Grow] [What We Do] [14 Jan Service] [25 Jan. Service] [Upcoming]
Well, chocolate, obviously. At a recent congregational simcha, three long tables were filled with chocolate delicacies of all kinds. (There was also fruit, fortunately…)
A
mysterious object was placed on the middle of the tables. The object bubbled
and gushed, attracting a sense of wonder and amazement. And then, hands were to
be seen and voices heard. Folks were selecting, dipping, and, we noticed,
nearly swooning. Kids and adults had gathered around the chocolate fountain,
from which a rich, rather dark chocolate flowed -- quite freely, in fact.
Someone (or some ones) actually donated a chocolate fountain to Congregation Havurat Olam for all of our festivities. To those who created this magic for us, our heartfelt thanks!
So what else do we like? Our music. We like it so much that a certain religious leader jokes that when most of the congregation is playing an instrument at services and celebrations, she will have achieved one of her most important aims: Engaged and active prayer has to be the result!
What’s the music like? We chant using Sephardic and
Ashkenazik melodies. Sometimes, we play a contemporary song that tells the
story of the prayer. Aleinu is all about hoping for a better world. Doesn’t
John Lennon’s Imagine do the same?
Recently, we were blessed with the addition of two accomplished musicians. We would like to welcome Stan Mace, guitar and banjo player, and his daughter Kyla, who plays the bass guitar, to the congregation. They have enriched our prayer experience; we are taking the words of Psalm 150 seriously:
Praise God with the sound of the Shofar, Praise God with lute and lyre.
Praise God with drum and dance, Praise God with strings and flute.
Praise God with resounding cymbals, Praise God with clanging cymbals.
Praise God everything that breathes. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
We’ve mentioned the Mace family, which also includes mom Jody (watch out for that quirky sense of humor, folks), and son Charlie (who likes playing a rhythmic egg). We’d also like to welcome the Partridge family of four: Jill and John, daughter Pamela, and son Alex. Alice and Marty Rouff also joined this past quarter, lending their strong and confident voices to us in many more respects than one.
One of our aims is to grow with, let’s face it, like-minded people. We hope to attract people who are ready to drop, say, responsive reading and droning liturgy at the door, who will enjoy engaging in a Torah discussion or, perhaps, contributing a story to a get-together. That’s our purpose: building a comfortable Jewish community that welcomes interfaith couples and all-Jewish families alike, that creates opportunities for relaxing together or studying together.
Over the next months, we will be planning a set of three classes on the Shabbat service. Why do we stand for the Barchu? Why might we consider the Barchu communal, the Shema philosophical, the Amidah personal? Why are there “stages” in a Shabbat service, and what do they mean?
We’ll be scheduling these classes soon, so please let us know if you are interested in attending by hitting the reply button. We’ll collect names and emails and try to set times that are convenient for all players.
Important -- please note: Our adult-oriented service with Torah reading will be taking place on January 11 and the children’s service on January 25. We will revert to our normal schedule (Second Fridays = children’s service, Fourth Fridays = adult-oriented service) in February.
So the Israelites finally make it out of Egypt after four hundred and thirty years. The drama of the departure is intense; the Israelites take friends and supporters with them, and everyone moves – quickly – into the desert and the challenges ahead.
“Remember this day,” Moses says to the people.
Whole books have been written explaining why Jewish services consistently invoke the importance of memory. Over the centuries, a number of rites and rituals have been created in order to assure we do not forget. Why is remembering so critical to Judaism? Our Torah discussion will focus on the issue of remembrance and memory. Feel free to think about the topic, and bring your thoughts to our Second Friday Erev Shabbat Service.
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Event: |
Second Friday Family Service |
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Date: |
January 11, 2008 | |
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Time: |
7:00 p.m. |
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Location: |
5300 Poplar Tent Rd. Concord NC 28027 -9757 map directions |
Moses, it appears, is doing too much. His father-in-law worries that he’s going to burn out, and the consequences will be terrible – for him and for the people he’s leading.
We’ll take a highly usual and wholly interactive look at the way Torah teaches us about task lists and responsibilities, doing too much and doing too little. How we do that? Sorry, it’s a surprise. What we learn from it? Possibly, things that will not surprise us.
Please join us for a service that will allow adults and children to engage deeply in an important Torah study. And after the service and at the oneg: a skit celebrating the arrival of Tu B’shevat, featuring, among others, Herschel, the shrubber.
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Event: |
Fourth Friday Service |
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Date: |
January 25, 2008 | |
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Time: |
7:00 p.m. |
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Location: |
5300 Poplar Tent Rd. Concord NC 28027 -9757 map directions |
Let us know if you want to be added to our Rosh Hodesh list (monthly
women’s meeting). And expect announcements soon for our next congregational
meeting, our upcoming Purim Party featuring outrageous funny moments in skits
and songs, costumes of original and amazing variety, and, of course, the
chocolate fountain. We’ll also send ever
yone
an update on The New School for All Things Jewish, which is thriving (and
bursting at the seams….). You should see our kids (we do not overstate) dancing
from our Hebrew classroom to our Torah/Mitzvot room, to our Arts, Crafts, and
Cooking Kitchen. There they are, doing their mitzvot and their studies with
enthusiasm and earning Kitah Credits with aplomb.
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A Happy Secular New Year to everyone! |