Laurie Franklin, Rabbinic Intern and Spiritual Leader
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May 3, 2018
18 Iyyar 5778
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Torah Byte: Parshat Emor
What does it mean to be "Tamei"?
With thanks to R. Howard Cohen
The first verse of Parashat Emor is typically translated, "
God said to Moses: Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: None shall defile himself for any person among his kin."
The word "defile" is a translation of the Hebrew word "tamei", unclean, impure, unholy. A few verses later the Torah explicitly mentions encounters with dead bodies. Thus, the classic rabbinic interpretation is that this verse warns the priests about having contact with the dead.
I am reminded of the commentary by Rabbi Phyllis Berman about "tamei" in connection with birth. She describes it as narrowing of focus to needs of the self and being unable to relate to the greater community. The needs of you, the mother, and the baby are ALL.
I also observe that we narrow focus when we are mourners, too, and sometimes when we are ill, depending on the acuteness of the illness.
So, if a community leader's focus becomes so narrow that they are unable to include community in their considerations, this limited state would correspond well to "unholiness" for the purpose of leadership.
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See you at the Torah
Please note our newish, earlier First Saturday Shabbat Shacharit Service time, 9:30 am, followed by a communal oneg brunch. Torah study begins at noon, after the oneg. If you would like to sponsor or co-sponsor an oneg for either a simcha (a celebration like a birthday, anniversary, graduation) or just "because", please contact
holly@har-shalom.org
to get on the schedule!
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Another Evening of Mishpochah Megillah
(Family Storytelling)
When:
Saturday, May 5th a
t 7:00 pm
What: Mona Bachmann: "My Jewish Family History: Surviving Nazis and Assimilation". Desserts, coffee, and tea provided.
To come:
Saturday, July 7th (Open)
Saturday, September 1st (Open)
Where: Har Shalom
How: Sign up with Lida Running Crane:
lidarunningcrane@yahoo.com
to host a future evening to share your family stories, to select a film to show and discuss, to offer a subject on which to build a discussion relating to your connection to Jewish story, read a short story or poem and discuss, show family film footage of interviews or family history, bring in a family album to share and tell the stories that accompany it, tell the stories that defined your childhood, your family's history, of your journey of Jewish identity through food. All stories are welcome!
Who: E
veryone! Please come, bring your family, your children and your favorite storyteller. Please bring a friend or someone from Har Shalom whose stories you would like to hear. If the discussion is not appropriate for children, we will be showing Jewish-themed children's films in the other room!
Why:
To build a sense of community through telling the stories that define a diverse and yet shared history and to explore what makes up our contemporary Jewish identity by building space in our lives to share these important stories with each other and our children.
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Beit Midrash Gets Ready for Shavuot
Join us at 6 pm or soup and salad, and stay for learning at 6:45 pm. We'll be learning about the Torah and rabbinic basis for Shavuot. Everyone is welcome to participate!
Please call or email
Laurie
if you have never participated before and wonder if beit midrash is for you.
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Atidaynu News
Last session, we enjoyed a beautiful baby naming and took the opportunity to reflect on rituals that are a part of the Jewish lifecycle. Our bar and bat mitzvah students have been hard at work, talking through what prayers mean to them. B-mitz homework is
here
.
All of our students are well versed in "modeh/modah ani" and may be heard early in the morning greeting our spring sunshine with those words. See you
May 6th
!
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Youth Klezmer Band Is On The Move!
We have the rhythm, we have the music, we have the BAND! Our new Youth Klezmer Band will be meeting on the following Sundays from 12 to 1
after Atidaynu:
5/6;
5/20;
6/3.
We will also be holding a summer Youth Klezmer Camp:
July 9th-13th
(times to be determined). If your child is interested in joining, please contact Lida at
lida@har-shalom.org
for more information.
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Crossroads III
As a follow-up to Har-Shalom's two "Crossroads" congregational meetings, our congregational president, David Cox, is
personally
inviting you to participate in the next step: winnowing out projects to increase our fundraising and community building.
We'll start at 12:30 pm on Sunday, May 6 at the shul and go through an exciting process to determine the feasibility of several projects suggested by some of you: a Jewish cultural center, a "Jubilee" Jewish cultural celebration, foundation grants, and building rental fees, among others.
Kris Bayer, who facilitates groups using a process called Open Space Technology, will begin our meeting by giving a brief overview of this process, and she has generously offered her guidance to help us share our energy, connect, self-organize, and generate action plans. The agenda will be formed around topics of real interest & value to everyone who attends.
Why attend? To have conversations about building community & fundraising. To identify ways we can work together to improve Har Shalom. To participate in self-organizing solutions. The outcome we envision will be the formation of self-organized, self-energized groups which make a commitment to specific actions, & create a timeline of the first concrete steps toward achieving their goals.
For more information on Open Source, click here.
See you Sunday at 12:30!
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What Does Har Shalom
Stand For?
What does Har Shalom stand for? Here's a
list
we have carefully composed to express our commonly held, core community values. The working committee that crafted the six statements comprise leadership and congregation members at-large. We have been publishing the value statements one-by-one in the weekly and on the opening page of our web site. We continue to ask for your thoughts and suggestions. Please send them to
laurief@har-shalom.org
. Thank you!
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Paper Clip Project:
shiny or dull, they will be loved
Jennifer Wakeman is an 8th grade Language Arts teacher at McLoughlin Middle School in Pasco, WA. They started their unit on the Holocaust. As in previous years, her kids are in complete shock and have so many questions. Just as it is hard for adults to grasp, the kids have such a hard time realizing just how big of an impact the Holocaust was. To help them understand, and to physically see just how many lives were impacted, Jennifer's two ELA classes are partaking in the Paper Clip Project. They are looking to collect 6 million paper clips to represent the 6 million Jewish lives that were lost during the Holocaust.
Each year the school holds a "Museum of Hope". Students create unique projects on the Holocaust and it is always an emotional event for the school. This year, Jennifer's classes will be showcasing their paper clip project.
Here's how we can help: Donate paper clips or a small monetary value for Jennifer's classroom project. Any amount is helpful.
Place your contribution in the mailbox beside Har Shalom's Office door with a note to let us know it's for this project. Thank you!
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Missoula Urban Indian Health Center Presents Its 2nd Annual Indigenous Film Festival!
Friday, May 18 - 5:00 to 9:30 pm
Saturday, May 19 - 5:00 to 9:30 pm
See
flyer for more information!
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Congratulations to Jason and Lauren Kingsford on their new baby daughter Autumn, born April 15!
If you would like to contribute a meal to Jason and Lauren, you can sign up
here.
Jason and Lauren can be contacted by texting 406-218-1502.
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Family Promise Opportunity!
Har Shalom has another opportunity to cook dinner for Family Promise
May 27-June 2
. Two cooks are needed for each night. Only
Monday the 28th
is already full. If you would like to help cook for one of the meals and/or serve and eat with the families at UCC, please contact Lida at
lidarunningcrane@yahoo.com
. This always turns out to be a nice evening and families are welcome! Please reach out with questions and I am happy to explain the process.
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Jewish Meditation Group Invitation: Tuesdays 8:30 to 9:15 am
Please join with us to share a time of mindfulness, a time to let go of the "to do" list of our busy lives. We begin each meditation by focusing and centering on the breath to ground us and become present. We are currently using simple chants from Rabbi Shefa Gold to join together and come more deeply into sacred presence. As we chant we listen with the ears of our heart to these words and see how they both bless and challenge us. As we take these words as our intention (kavannah), we settle into the silence, to simply be in the presence of Source. Everyone is welcome!
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Hebrew Club News
There are now 2 groups in Hebrew Club. They both meet at the same time;
Friday
at
5:30 pm
in the Har Shalom Dining Room and Library.
One group is for Extreme Beginners. We will be learning to write and recognize letters
and read sounds.
The other group is for Medium to Advanced Beginners who want to learn more Grammar
and passages out of the Prayer Book.
All are welcome!
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Oneg Providers Needed!
It is our tradition to sponsor an oneg (the festive offering of food after a service) for a special occasion, such as a birth, birthday, wedding anniversary, graduation, or new job. It's a mitzvah to share your joy with the community!
Please call Holly Kingsford at 207-2078
if you would like to bring Oneg.
Thank you!
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Do you shop on-line at Amazon.com?
If you do, you can join their AmazonSmile.com program and direct 0.5% of your order to Har Shalom at no cost to you.
Select "Congregation Har Shalom", location: Missoula, MT, as your supported charity.
Then, when you go to A
mazon.com
to make a purchase, you will be directed to a different site,
smile.amazon.com
for 0.5% of your purchase to be added to the Har Shalom contribution.
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Laurie's Office Hours:
This week, Tues 5/8, 2 to 6 pm, and Wed 5/9, 1 to 6 pm, and by appointment.
Please call or email Laurie to make an appointment
at
laurief@har-shalom.org
or
406-546-9368
.
Office Hours with our Administrator Ari Margo are currently by appointment. You can reach him at
admin@har-shalom.org to set up a time to meet.
Har Shalom is supported by its members and donors. Thank you.
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