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Friday, May 26, 2017 / 2 Sivan 5777
Light Shabbat candles at 7:12 p.m
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RABBI SHARFMAN'S
SHABBAT MESSAGE
and CANDLE LIGHTING REMINDER
Dear Congregation Kehillah and Friends,
Bamidbar, meaning 'in the desert', is the name of the fourth book of the Torah detailing the next 38 years of our ancestors' wanderings. It is also the name of its first parasha. The English name, Numbers, comes from the commandment in the opening verses to take a census prior to their entering the land of Israel. The Hebrew language of this command, se'u et rosh kol adat b'nai Yisra'el, literally means "Raise/lift up the heads of the entire community of Israel."
There are two ways to count people - individually and collectively. The interesting language of 'raising/lifting up the heads' seems to suggest to us a reminder that while census taking is concerned with reaching an aggregate number, we need to do so cognizant of the uniqueness of each individual and his/her special attributes, needs and concerns. This is what we seek to do in Congregation Kehillah, fulfilling the commandment to 'raise/lift up' the heads, hearts and souls of the kehillah (community), both individually and collectively, making us stronger, healthier and more whole.
A kavannah for candle lighting for Shabbat Bamidbar:
Dear God, please 'raise up my head' so that I may see the good in others and cherish them for the Divine spark they hold within (even as they differ from me in ways I may not fully understand), and help others to both see and acknowledge the special person I am, too. Please help me to celebrate my own uniqueness and special attributes, knowing that I, too, have been created in Your image!
Don't forget that Shavuot, the festival celebrating the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, begins Tuesday night at sundown. Light Yizkor candles before lighting Yom Tov candles. Kehillah will be gathering Wednesday at 5:30 PM in the sanctuary in celebration of Shavuot - an amazing and most important holy day - along with a brief Yizkor service, pending sufficient RSVPs. Please let Renee know by Friday afternoon if we can count you in.
Would you like to read more about Shavuot? Continue below.
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Shavuot starts Tuesday night - the festival celebrating our receiving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Shavuot is not about ritual, but about our core and essential relationship with The Holy One. Here's why:
Shavuot, which means 'weeks', marks the end of the period during which we count the weeks from Passover leading up to Shavuot. Yet, so many of us who would never dream of forgetting about Passover and the seder somehow forget about Shavuot; we remember having been freed from slavery, but we forget the reason for which we were liberated! The answer is found in Shavuot, the holiday celebrating the giving of the Torah, a spiritual event that touches the depths of our souls.
'Shavuot' also means oaths; on this day the Holy One swore eternal love to us, and we in turn pledged our love to God. That's why our Sages considered Shavuot to be the wedding of God and the Jewish people; the Torah is like the ketubah (the Jewish wedding contract). Torah can be understood in a narrow or a broad sense. In a narrow sense, Torah is the Five Books of Moses, the source of our laws, teachings and communal story; in a broader sense, it's an ongoing conversation we can choose to have with God as our Creator, Teacher, and loving Partner.
In case you're wondering about the status of this 'marriage', remember that, like any relationship, it's a work in progress and takes time to unfold. The quality of the relationship depends very much on what both partners invest in it! This essence of this covenant with God is not what many would call 'religious' but really is! It's about how we take care of others, and that is how we are asked to show love for God, the Creator of all.
A kavannah for Shavuot candle lighting:
Dear God, In my longing for connection, please help me to experience and share love, both human and Divine.
The blessing for Shavuot candle lighting:
Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Yom Tov.
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who makes us holy through the commandments and has directed us to kindle the light of the holiday.
Shavuot traditions include the reading of the Ten Commandments and the Book of Ruth, a beautiful young woman who experiences much hardship in order to follow her spiritual journey and her heart. This 'convert' to Judaism was the great-grandmother of King David and, according to tradition, the line from which the Messiah will come. Home traditions include eating cheese blintzes, cheesecake, etc., symbolic of biblical Israel as flowing with milk and honey....actually, the dairy foods in modern Israel are really good!!
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman
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