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Passover, Day 1 – The Song of the Future

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on April 3, 2015   |   Comments Off on Passover, Day 1 – The Song of the Future

The song of the future shall be like this night of Pesach. Why? Because on Pesach we talk of the mighty deeds of God and speak in praise of the Holy One for all that God did. The very walls of the houses and all that they contain, the vault of the heavens and the depths of the earth, the sea and all its waves, all combine in song and praise on this night of the holy festival. Alas, this song in which all creation joins is not always heard by the human ear. But in the days to come when all creation knows God then the song humanity will sing will be not more glorious than the song sung on this holy festival, but the heart of humankind will be open to receive it and the ears of humankind will be alert to accept it.

Eliyahui Kitov, The Book of Our Heritage

It is the first night, a night in which we celebrate the very birth of our people.  Now, we are  a nation, not an extended family.  Now, as Israelites, we walk towards Sinai and revelation; we have committed to becoming a people.

What are the songs of our future? Songs of peace, not war.  Songs of hope, not violence.  Songs of collaboration, not conflict.

Our Jewish Renewal community relies on covenants, rather than contracts to define who we are.  A covenant is a commitment of the heart and soul, an expression of hopes and dreams.

May we renew all our covenants — among  our families and communities, with the Holy One and with all humanity.  May we so be free to do, and thus, to understand.

Hag Pesakh Sameakh!

Rabbi Barbara

 

Partaking at Pesach: What About that Quinoa?

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on April 2, 2015   |   Comments Off on Partaking at Pesach: What About that Quinoa?

Miriam Dancing MedievalMaybe the pathways of Passover are easier to walk than we have been taught.

What does Torah tell us?  Not as much as you might think, actually.  In Exodus 13:3, we learn that the Israelites  may not eat chamatz during Pesach (Passover).

Chametz is leaven made from five grains known at the time: chitim (wheat), seorim (barley), kusmin (rice wheat), shibolet shual (millet, oats, or two-rowed barley), and shifon (spelt wheat or oat).

So then: Jews should not be eating chametz. That’s wheat, barley, rye, oats and spelt — if they have been sitting in water for more than 18 minutes. Water exposure for longer than 18 minutes creates the chemical reaction we know in common parlance as leavening. Some grains are processed using water. If you want to eat oatmeal for breakfast, look for the designation “kosher for Pesach” or “kasher l’pesach” and warm up your porridge (quickly…).

But what about kasha or quinoa or rice? What about corn, peas, lentils, and beans?  These items are classed as kitniyot which all Jews can have in the house during the hag (festival) but which Ashkenazi Jews typically won’t eat.

Why? European rabbis may have ruled against eating kitniyot because they are often made into edible items that look like chametz (e.g. cornbread). Another explanation: These items were stored in the same sacks as five grains and rabbis were afraid the one would be contaminated by chametz from the other. And finally, the rabbis worried that if farmers alternated kityinot crops with forbidden chametz grains the two could get mixed together.

But way back in 1988, Rabbi David Golinkin noted that the many additional prohibitions observed by Ashkenazim were not that old in the grand scheme of Jewish history. Before the 13th century the Jews of Europe appear to have had no compunction whatsoever about eating kityinot during Pesach. Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews never joined their Ashkenazi brethren in expanding the list of prohibited foods.

Rabbi Golinken felt that the prohibitions detracted from the joy of the holiday by limiting the number of permitted foods. He added that prohibitions against eating kityinot caused exorbitant price rises, that they emphasized the insignificant at the expense of paying attention to the significant (chametz), and that they caused unnecessary divisions between Israel’s different ethnic groups.

Does it make sense to prohibit food items that were entirely unknown in Torah times? Can we imagine the Ancient Israelites worrying about whether they could eat soybeans and sweetcorn? These items were unknown to the medieval authorities some Ashkenazi rabbis claim to be following when they proscribe them from our Pesach diet.

Rabbis have asked: Why insist on adding restrictions when Torah itself permits us to eat kityinot?

We don’t.

So if you see soy or rice at Temple Or Olam’s Passover seder, please be aware that our congregation cares about observing the festival as Torah asks us to. Joyfully!

What you won’t see is chametz, because that is what Torah prohibits. No more. No less.

Chag sameach!

Rabbi Barbara

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on April 1, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopMaking it Real, Not Rote: Temple Or Olam Community Seder

We’ll be engaging in plenty of new interactive exercises that will help us tell our story, understand it in our own terms, and learn how and why it can tell us how to be the kind of community and the kinds of menschy people we long to be.

Join us for a family-friendly seder that promises to be thought-provoking, fun, and a true learning experience.

All members were issued an evite and a link to the SignUpGenius for Seder preparation and buffet offerings. We are also thrilled to have quite a few guests joining us.

Seder plate
Several members have RSVP’ed to attend but did not note what food they want to bring. Please check the link below and tell us what delicious Passover dish you want to share. We are preparing to feed 45 people, 8 of which are children.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b48aba928a1f49-orolam

Sunday, April 5, 5:00 pm
Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church
9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte

Yom Hashoah 2015  Yom Hashoah candle

In recent years, European newspapers have reported a significant rise in acts of violence against Jews. In January and February of 2015 alone, Jews have been beaten, graves have been defaced and overturned in Jewish cemeteries, and Jews attending synagogue or going shopping have been murdered. Polls across the continent demonstrate a rise in antisemitism.

Some suggest that this phenomenon is linked to tensions in the Middle East, Israel’s settlement policies, treatment of Arab citizens, and control over Palestinian territories.

Is frustration over Israel’s position and politics actually linked to the rise in antisemitism elsewhere in the world? Is Anti-Zionism simply antisemitism in disguise?

This year, Temple Or Olam will mark Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, with a program that seeks to explore these difficult questions. Participants will be learning and studying together in small groups and sharing their conclusions in and with community.

Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 pm
Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church
9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte

Thanks to All for Helping us Do the Crowd-Sourcing…Thanks

Our ability to confidently pay our obligations, including the rabbi’s contract, rental agreements at Advent Lutheran and PUUC, and the like, comes from all of you who are paying your dues as you pledged to do. Thank you so much! The last email invoice for the year will be coming your way next week if you still owe dues for 2014-15.

Figures in a circleAnnual Meeting – Food, Fun (Really!) and a Request: Please Put it on Your Calendar!

What will we raffle off this year?  What will we feed you?

And most important, how will be ensure that we have fun while…electing officers, approve the budget and rabbi’s contract?  Stay tuned, we’ll let you know…

Sunday, June 7
5:00 pm
Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church
9704 Mallard Creek Rd, Charlotte

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Posted by webmaster on March 17, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopKabbalat Shabbat this Friday…. and Learning to Find Love (in Leviticus!)

We begin Leviticus this week, the book so many discard as a tome filled with rules and regulations. But this is a text worth a closer and gentler look. This Friday, Rabbi Barbara will help us find the love in Leviticus. Guests of several kinds will be visiting this Shabbat, from once well-known members to the new and curious; please join us in welcoming them.  Oneg following!  Leviticus 2

Date: March 20
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte

Community Seder Around The Corner (on April 5)

Or Olam is bringing a new seder your way: Our theme is “Be the mensch you want to be, be the Jew you want to be!” We’ll be exploring and discussing this very question with humor, with care, and with aplomb (or a plum. To go with the orange. Come and see.)
Please join us for your congregation’s community Seder.
Adults $20, children 6-12 $10, nuclear family limit $60.

Date: April 5
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte

Guest Request: Do You Have a Place At Your First Night Seder Table?

One of our Or Olam families has been given the opportunity host a former visitor at High Holy Days who remembers us with great fondness and will be in town for Pesach. She would like to have a place at someone’s table for First Seder, then will join us on Sunday for our community Seder.

Does anyone have a space for her at your table on Friday, April 3?  Please email the temple administrator at templeadministrator@or-olam.org

 

Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church Latino Immigration Forum  Latinos

You are invited to attend a forum on the most critical issues impacting the Latino community on Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at 7 p.m. at Piedmont UU Church.
Welcome: Reverend Robin Tanner, Lead Minister, Piedmont UU Church
Presenters: Benjamin A. Snyder, Associate Immigration Attorney, and Hector Vaca, Director of ACTION NC in Charlotte

Issues:

Current status of President Obama’s Executive Action on Childhood Arrivals and Parental Accountability
In-state tuition for Latino children
Municipal ID for undocumented immigrants

Tuesday, March 24, 2014
7 to 8:30 p.m.
9704 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte

Chag-O-Gram – Please Bring Food to the Poor on Purim

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on March 4, 2015   |   Comments Off on Chag-O-Gram – Please Bring Food to the Poor on Purim

canned goodsThey are to observe these as days of feasting and gladness, and for sending delicacies to one another, and giving gifts to the poor (Esther 9:22).

How do we observe Purim? With hilarity, of course. With dressing up (or dressing down). With games and skits and shpiels.

But among the most easily forgotten obligations of the chag (festival) are mishloach manot, sending portions to one another, and matanot l’evyonim, giving to the poor.

Both practices come, of course, from the Book of Esther (see above verse!). The rabbis say that the first, mishloach manot, proves that a community whose individuals give to one another is connected; its members clearly care for each other. They also point out that no one should go hungry on Purim. Sending baskets of food to other families assures that everyone will enjoy a festive meal.

The second obligation, mishloach manot, is meant for each and every Jew, the rabbis insist. The halakha (Jewish law) is specific and clear: This is not understood as one mitzvah per family, but one each individual fulfills. Nor may this particular act of tzedakah be included as part of the money we set aside to offer for charity otherwise during the year . Matanot le’evyonim is a special mitzvah, and deserves particular attention.  Purim

Temple Or Olam has made it a tradition to ask its members to bring canned or boxed food items to our Purim celebration each year so that we may fulfill this important mitzvah. And each and every year, what we collect is brought to a local food bank.

Spring may be around the corner, but it is still cold and often dreary. Let us celebrate Purim with the knowledge that we ourselves are responsible for bringing light and joy into the world. Please join us for our Purim celebrations and please, bring matanot le’evyonim with you.

Chag sameach!

Rabbi Barbara

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Posted by webmaster on March 3, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopPurim Weekend Extravaganza!

From a pot-luck-and-megillah reading to Israeli dancing to a costume contest to the ought-to-be-famous Temple Or Olam Players offering us all the off-broadway Erev Shabbos Fever — we have a weekend of thoughtful stuff, fun stuff, crazy stuff, and creative stuff for everyone!

What to bring? Family, friends, neighbors in costume, a potluck supper dish, and your willingness to have fun. There is no cost for the dancing or Purim festivities.

Purim costume apple

Purim Weekend Schedule Below:

Friday, March 6

6-9 pm Religious School families share Shabbat dinner and bake hamentachen for the Purim party at the Filkoff house. Details coming directly to RS families. Hamentaschen
6-9 pm  Potluck Shabbat dinner and Megillah reading (the WHOLE Megillah!) at the Jensen house for everyone else. Rabbi Barbara will lead us in our exploration of the Tanakh’s quintessential story of unexpected outcomes and turbulent turnabout.

Saturday, March 7

Prim costume 210-11 am   Regular Torah study via conference call with Lex, Rabbi Barbara, and Ginger
11:15-1:00   Lunch and planning session for religious school teachers with Lex
1:30-3:30   Shpiel practice for all actors at Advent Lutheran
3:30-5:00   Israeli dancing at Advent Lutheran
5:00-9:00 Purim Party! Wear your craziest costume, bring a potluck supper item, and be ready to shout, laugh, boo, and hiss. WE WANT YOU IN A COSTUME! Purim is a time for fun and craziness. Let us see your inner child!

 

Exploring All Things Jewish… in Davidson!

Davidson College is in the midst of hosting two months of lectures and performances celebrating Jewish traditions.

Dad’s Jewish, Mom’s Catholic… What am I?: Interfaith families in the 21st Century
March 9, 7 p.m., 900 Room, Alvarez College Union
Tradition: Celebrating Jewish Community and Culture
A community festival
March 15, 12-3:45 p.m., Alvarez College Union
From Sholem-Aleichem to Fiddler: The Tevye Tradition
A lecture by Karl Plank, Ph.D., J.W. Cannon Professor of Religion at Davidson College
March 19, 11:05 a.m.-12:05 p.m., 900 Room, Alvarez College Union
Fiddler on the Roof FiddlerGender and Jewishness in Fiddler on the Roof from the 1960s to the Present
A public lecture featuring Jill Dolan, Ph.D., and Stacy Wolf, Ph.D., both of Princeton University.
March 22, 12-1:30 p.m., The Lilly Gallery, Chambers Building
Fiddler on the Roof performance
Sunday, March 22, 2:00 pm, Duke Performance Hall in the Union

Link for full info on tickets:

http://www.davidson.edu/the-arts/theatre/fiddler-symposium

 

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Posted by webmaster on February 24, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopPurim Weekend Extravaganza!

From a pot-luck-and-megillah reading to Israeli dancing to a costume contest to the ought-to-be-famous Temple Or Olam Players offering us all the off-broadway Erev Shabbos Fever — we have a weekend of thoughtful stuff, fun stuff, crazy stuff, and creative stuff for everyone!

Only costumed congregants will be admitted to Saturday’s Purim Party, so break out that bolero hat or the bright boa scarf.  Find those Groucho Marx glasses and or the Einstein wig.

Dress with aplomb (or a plum). And join us for a really, really good time…

Purim costume apple

Purim Weekend Schedule Below:

 

Friday, March 6

6-9 pm Religious School families share Shabbat dinner and bake hamentachen for the Purim party at the Filkoff house. Details coming directly to RS families. Hamentaschen
6-9 pm  Potluck Shabbat dinner and Megillah reading (the WHOLE Megillah!) at the Jensen house for everyone else. Rabbi Barbara will lead us in our exploration of the Tanakh’s quintessential story of unexpected outcomes and turbulent turnabout.

Saturday, March 7

Prim costume 210-11 am   Regular Torah study via conference call with Lex, Rabbi Barbara, and Ginger
11:15-1:00   Lunch and planning session for religious school teachers with Lex
1:30-3:30   Shpiel practice for all actors at Advent Lutheran
3:30-5:00   Israeli dancing at Advent Lutheran
5:00-9:00 Purim Party! Wear your craziest costume, bring a potluck supper item, and be ready to shout, laugh, boo, and hiss. WE WANT YOU IN A COSTUME! Purim is a time for fun and craziness. Let us see your inner child!

Shabbat-O-Gram: On Giving Gifts (and Thanks)

Posted by Rabbi Thiede on February 21, 2015   |   Comments Off on Shabbat-O-Gram: On Giving Gifts (and Thanks)

presentsThis week’s Parsha Terumah is a parsha about gifts. Terumah is biblical Hebrew for “gift.”

Technically, terumah is singular, but it is read as a collective noun. This parsha is about the collective.

Moses tells the people: Bring the Holy One gifts, everyone whose heart is moved to generosity, to thankfulness. And the people respond, with gifts of gold and silver and copper, with gifts of blue, purple, and crimson yards, with tanned ram skins and acacia wood, with oil for lighting, spices for anointing and burning for incense, with lapus lazuli for the ephod and the breast piece, with the means to build a beautiful sanctuary.

It is a parsha of abundance. Chassidic tradition tells us that Parsha Terumah contains the heart and substance of the Torah in its second verse, a verse that asks the people to give of themselves. Tzedakah and good deeds are the core of Torah, we are told. The point of all Tanakh is reduced to this commandment: Give of yourself. Do good things.

Only the collaboration and cooperation of a congregation can create an event to gather gifts for children who have been abused and violated, as we did at Temple Or Olam this past February.

Many, many thanks to all those who helped make this year’s Dinner, Dancing, and Desserts possible. Their hard work deserves appreciation. Please take the time to thank the members of the fundraising committee who particularly sacrificed so much time and energy to make that collective effort! They include (in alphabetical order…):

Michael Berkowitz
Arlene, Rachel, and Michael Filkoff
Ginger Jensen
Bill Jetton
Brenda Marshall
Charlotte Miller
Mark Prince
Robbin and Steve Smith
Bill Spivock

May you be blessed with a week of abundance,

Rabbi Barbara

 

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Posted by webmaster on February 17, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopLet Them Make Me a Sanctuary: Shabbat Services This Friday

Parsha T’rumah is replete with sensations and colors — all in the service of creating sacred space.  This Friday we’ll  consider the question: What does it mean, in our day and age, to build a sanctuary?  What gifts do we bring and how do we sustain safe havens?  We’ll also celebrate as Charlotte Miller receives her first aliyah as the newest (local) member of the tribe.  Charlotte will be sponsoring the oneg, so no one need bring anything; just come and enjoy! Altar

Date: Friday, Feb. 23
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Piedmont Unitarian Universalist Church, 9704 Mallard Creek Rd

Purim: From Serious Study of the Book of Esther to Costume Contest and the Performance of Erev Shabbos Fever, A Purim Shpiel!

MegillahWe’ll be holding a megillah reading and discussion either Friday night, March 6, or Saturday morning, March 7. Most likely a potluck/bring your own dinner bag will accompany the reading. Time and place TBA.

PurimOur family Purim extravaganza will be Saturday, March 7, at Advent Lutheran Church. Israeli dancing will start the afternoon at 3:30 and the craft table will be open, followed by short and interesting Megillah synopsis, potluck dinner, a costume contest, and a Purim shpiel of hilarious proportions.  We promise.  🙂

Many Thanks to Our January Donors to TOO!

Arlene and Michael Filkoff
Marilyn Atlas

Donations appreciatedAnd Our Thanks for Cash Donations to Dinner Dancing & Dessert 2015:

Party Reflections
Atlas Counseling
Anderson Chiropractic
Chris Pardue Massage Therapy

A complete list of all 3D donors will be out next week.

Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

Posted by webmaster on February 10, 2015   |   Comments Off on Or Olam in the Loop – Our Weekly Bulletin on All Things TOO

LoopTot Time with Rabbi Barbara this Sunday!

Join Rabbi Barbara for songs, dancing and stories with your preschooler – a thoroughly joyful and positive way to ease into Jewish learning.  soft-torah-150x150

Please email Keri if you plan to attend, school@or-olam.org

Sunday, February 15, 11:30-12:30
Advent Lutheran Church in the religious school classrooms
University City Blvd., Charlotte

blastWe had a blast!

Everyone attending Saturday’s Dinner Dancing & Dessert 2015 enjoyed a riot of conversing, eating, dancing, and buying. You missed a great time if you were not able to be there, but there may be similar opportunities in the future. The Board is taking suggestions for fundraising events, big and small. Let us know your thoughts.