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In the opening of this week's Torah portion, the patriarch Jacob departs from his homeland. But it is his return journey many years later that presents the more dramatic moment.
Jacob wrestling with the angel is among the best-known of biblical images. After a lifetime of deceit and evasion, Jacob finally stands in place and accepts the long-delayed obligation to wrestle with, rather than to avoid, the most difficult things in life - here personified by the anonymous nocturnal adversary. (Join Rabbi Frenkel for Torah study on December 2 to learn more!)
Writing about this encounter in his book "The Artist's Torah," David Ebenbach teaches: This is how we all must work. We must be open to whatever comes - we must also be prepared to grapple with it...We can't turn away or deny the truth of what we see in the world, and can't allow it to run over or destroy us. We must hold our ground...Sometimes, we face things about ourselves or the world that are disturbing or frightening, and there's some chance that we'll be wounded by the encounter, as Jacob was - but the main lesson of his experience is that one emerges from this kind of engagement wiser, stronger, and more fulfilled.
Please consider this commentary as an invitation: next Wednesday November 29 at 7:00 pm, the M'kor Shalom Social Justice Initiative Forum on Intolerance will offer the panel presentation "Outrage Fatigue 101: Strategies for Dealing with Intolerance in 2017." (The program will also be webcast.)
When we reflect on the year between last Thanksgiving and now, a year of polarization and acrimony and daily assaults on decency, "fatigue" is surely a common, and understandable, reaction. We gain strength and perspective when we gather as a community to share in the cultivation of coping strategies, and share the solidarity of knowing that we cannot turn away from what we see in the world. As the well-known rabbinic quotation teaches, "it is not up to you to complete the work, but you must not allow yourself to be turned away from it." As we sit with others this Thanksgiving, may our path to engagement with the challenges ahead begin with gratitude - including, among so many other blessings, gratitude for the capacity to be outraged.
Cantor Hochman and I will be leading our Kabbalat Shabbat service at 6:30 pm this Friday, which will include the blessing for November birthdays. Shabbat morning Torah study and "Spice Up Your Judaism" will not meet this weekend, but will resume on December 2.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Richard Hirsh
If you wish to have a Mi Shebeirach said during our Shabbat services, please let us know by noon each Friday so we can give the names to the rabbis.
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WE CELEBRATE
The Birth of
Sophie Dina Bonder
granddaughter of Max Taytelbaum & Shonnie Lebovitz
The Marriage of
Ryan Pearlstine & Lindsey Pearl
daughter of Sandy & Sheryl Pearl
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THE WEEK AHEAD
Friday, November 24
Offices & Schools Closed - Thanksgiving
6:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service (Chapel)
Please join us for pre-service refreshments starting at 6:00 pm.
We celebrate November birthdays.
No Religious School, Torah Study, or Spice Up Your Judaism
Sunday, November 26
No Religious School
Tuesday, November 28
6:30 pm Music Committee Meeting (Boardroom)
7:30 pm Adult Education Committee Meeting (Oneg Room)
Friday, December 1
8:00 pm Erev Shabbat Service (Sanctuary)
Our Chavurah Ensemble joins us.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Please click on each event name for more information or to register for that event.
Wednesdays, November 29 & December 6, 10:30 am
(New date added.)
Sunday Sessions with Rabbi Hirsh - Israel: The Baseline Facts
Sunday, December 3, 9:30 am
Tuesdays, December 5, 12 & 19, 10:30 am
Wednesday, December 6, 7:00 pm
Thursday, December 7, 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 9, 8:00 pm
Sunday, December 10, 3:00 pm
Friday, December 15, 6:15 pm
Friday, December 15, 8:00 pm - BYO Chanukiah & Candles (4th night)
Sunday, December 17 through Friday, December 29
As 2017 nears its end, help us make M'kor Shalom the best that it can be - for today, and the future - by including M'kor Shalom in your year-end tax planning and charitable giving.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the
synagogue office. Click here to
make your High Holy Day Appeal contribute online
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For late-breaking news, please visit our website at
www.mkorshalom.org.
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Michelle Bross
Executive Director
Congregation M'kor Shalom
850 Evesham Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
(856) 424-4220
(856) 424-2890 (fax)
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