In the beginning there was nothing.

God said: 'Let there be light!'

And there was light.

There was still nothing,

but you could see it a whole lot better.

Ellen DeGeneres

A Note from Reb Barbara

Elul and our Time for Renewal

Elul begins as you receive this month’s Shmoozeletter. If, by chance, you should hear a loud and wild sound during the early hours one morning, it just might be Ralf Thiede sounding Temple Or Olam’s 56"-long shofar. As tradition demands, the shofar will be blown every day during the month of Elul – the last month of the Jewish year – to remind Jewish residents near and far to begin preparing themselves for the spiritual and personal journeys we take during High Holy Days – the Days of Awe.

During the month of Elul, we begin a process of deep self-reflection – this process does not wait for the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but anticipates and prepares us for that time. Called by the shofar to awaken, to open our eyes to ourselves and one another, we consider the teshuva we surely owe to loved ones, friends, and colleagues. We ask for compassion and redemption from the Source of Life because we know the truth of the past year: There have been promises forgotten, hurtful words exchanged, failures of understanding.

We have completed a year and look forward to the next. We reflect on our hopes and dreams of the last year while looking ahead. We have inspiring and exciting work ahead: Continuing our work at establishing Jewish life and community where there once was none, offering each other the support and the care that helps us all grow our understanding and our commitment to Torah and mitzvot, exploring our commitments to deepened prayer and practice, and most importantly, planning our future around our children.

I look forward to seeing you all this month – wide awake, imagining (maybe even hearing) the call of the shofar.

L’shalom,

Reb Barbara

We’re thrilled about the first day of religious school this Sunday, September 7. If you’re a parent of a student in religious school, you’ll be receiving a more detailed email about the Torah/mitzvot lesson plan for each week. If you aren’t a parent of one of our amazingly bright and beautiful children, you can still participate.

This year, our school has extended its reach; we are holding a weekly Torah discussion designed for teens and adults. If you’re interested in learning more about this class, please let Parent Liaison Jody Mace know or write Reb Barbara.

This week (as an example) we’ll be talking about the story of Cain and Abel (Beresheet 1:1-6:8.) in all our classes. The text says the two brothers spoke with one another – and then, no more information is forthcoming. The next thing we hear, Cain has slain his brother, and no one explains why. What happened? What could have happened? What are the lessons this story tells us about our relationships with one another, and with God?

Then there’s Hebrew: This year, Hebrew will be taught with more hands-on activities and games than ever – from memory games to build-a-word fun to tossing our own aleph bet dice in a game of alphabet chance, and more. Our students will also be learning conversational Hebrew each Sunday, as well as hearing and telling stories, and learning plenty of new songs and prayers.

Let us know if you would like more information about our school.

Jody Mace - Reb Barbara

Event:

Second Friday Family Service

Date:

Time:

7:00 p.m.

Location:

McGill Baptist Church

5300 Poplar Tent Rd.

Concord NC 28027 -9757 map directions

Temple Or Olam's Fourth High Holy Day Services

Erev Rosh Hashanah

September 29, 2008, 7:00 p.m.

Rosh Hashanah

September 30, 2007, 9:30 a.m. - noon
followed by brunch and tashlich

Kol Nidre

October 8, 2008, 7:30 p.m.

Yom Kippur

October 9, 2008, 9:30 a.m. - noon

Neilah and Break Fast

October 9, 2008, 6:00 p.m. (Break-Fast: 7:00 p.m.)

Temple Or Olam's 5769 Calendar

We are standing on that little bridge, tossing edibles into the creek for tashlich (and with them, our sins and mistakes). Turn the page and you’ll find some of us dancing at our annual Simchat Torah celebration. Then there’s the page with so many faces of our children -- some merrily stuffing down matzah balls during our Shavuot matza ball eating contest…

This year’s Temple Or Olam calendar is ready and available. It includes all our services, festival celebrations, birthdays and yahrzeits. We will need a donation to at least cover our costs, but ask that those who oder consider offering something more than the $20 it will take to print all those very lovely color pictures….

Please mail checks to Julie Gardner and do let her know how many calendars you would like to reserve.

Yahrzeits for September / Elul

First, we would like to acknowledge donations made in the memory of Irving Sternbach, Robbin Smith’s father from Robbin and her mother, Janet.  If you would like to make donations in the memory or in honor of someone you love, you know by now who they go to (Julie Gardner, address above).

Harriett Toba Baker (Jody Mace’s mother)

Eileen Zelig (sister of Tom Jensen)

Yahrzeits for October / Tishre

Lena Shapiro (Harriet Commike’s mother)

Esther Handelman (grandmother of Julie Gardner)

Jeanette Lillian Jacob Horowitz (mother of Alexander Horowitz)