Weekly E-News 5783
March 18 - March 24, 2023
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Are you looking to send your children to Jewish sleepaway camp this summer? AA has three separate funds available to support you and your children's Jewish education: the Ramah Camp Scholarship Fund, the Melaver Fund, and the Sylvia & Morris Cohen Israel Travel Fund.
If you have any questions , please call Motti at 912-352-4737 or email him at mottilocker@gmail.com.
The application is available by going to the link below and must be received by Sunday, April 9th.
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Know someone who may still need financial aid for their higher education? JELF's 0% interest, last dollar loans help cover costs for any form of higher education, including undergraduate, graduate or vocational school. Get help paying for tuition, room and board, books, healthcare costs, commuting costs and more.
Unsure if a student qualifies? Interested applicants can visit JELF to learn more and start their application today.
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Save the Date!
Rabbi Gelman's installation ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 22nd. Stay tuned for more information!
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Lunch this week will be prepared by Libby Waldman-Strugatch and Paula Fisher. The menu is spinach quiche, tuna salad, tossed salad, and dessert.
Please consider sponsoring a shabbat, in whole or in part, to celebrate an achievement or celebration of your own. You may also donate to the Kiddush fund in any amount at any time. Please contact the office for more details.
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Rabbi's Message
This week’s parsha, Vayakhel-Pekudei, is a double-header. We read two sections from the Torah instead of just one, in order to make the number of Torah portions fit the number of Shabbats we have to read the Torah. The pair of parshas, just like many of the weeks previously, focus on the construction of the Tabernacle, or Mishkan. Here, instead of God telling Moshe how to build the Tabernacle, Moshe instructs the Israelites. But before he begins, he has something important to tell them. “שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן לַיהֹוָ֑ה כׇּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה ב֛וֹ מְלָאכָ֖ה יוּמָֽת” “On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.” Why does Moshe remind the Israelites of the laws of Shabbat? We have heard them a couple of times now: in the Ten Commandments and in last week’s parsha. Why repeat them again here? And what do they have to do with what immediately follows: the building of the Tabernacle?
Rashi provides us with an answer. He states that Moshe leads off with a reminder of the laws of Shabbat in order to impress upon the Israelites that they should not violate Shabbat even to build the Tabernacle. As excited as they were to complete their work, they had to rest on Shabbat.
Perhaps to us that might read as obvious. Why should the Israelites be allowed to violate the commandments to build the Tabernacle? But put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites. Every god in the ancient world is worshipped in a Temple. They are so close to completing the act of building their own Temple, their first Temple, where they will get to interact with God on a much more personal basis. Where they can offer sacrifices and feel God’s presence in their lives. Imagine that tangibility of really being able to feel God in your life. It is so close they can taste it! And yet. They have to slow down and rest on Shabbat.
This is the beauty of Shabbat. The entirety of the book of Exodus has been heading toward this climax of building the Tabernacle, but still Shabbat comes first. In our busy lives, it is so easy to say “I want to rest, but.” It is so easy to say “Just one more thing.” We learn from the prominence of Shabbat in this parsha that we need to give ourselves permission to rest. To take a break. Shabbat is a commandment partially because if God did not command us to rest, we might not be able to force ourselves too. But if we take our Shabbat to rest, if we give ourselves that break, we can come back into the week refreshed and ready to take on the challenges in our lives.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Gelman
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Service Leader Sign Up
Are you interested in leading services? Reading Torah? You can sign up on our service leader sign up sheet! We now have 2 sheets-one through the end of October, and the other from November to February. If you are interested in learning how to read Torah or lead services, contact Rabbi Gelman at rabbishgelman@gmail.com
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The upcoming themes:
3/17 - Nosh 'n' Knowledge Learner's Shabbat - Come whet your appetite for Shabbat with a pre-dinner snack sponsored by the Sisterhood, and learn something new. What will you learn? You'll have to come to find out!
3/24 - Musical Shabbat - Join us as we sing together old classics, learn new tunes, and explore the varieties of Jewish music at our musical Shabbats! If you are the kind of person who loves to sing along, this service is for you!
3/31 - Classic Kabbalat Shabbat - Join us for our classic Kabbalat Shabbat service! Featuring timeless melodies, ageless prayers, and a little bit of learning. Come be a part of our heimish community as we welcome in Shabbat together.
Please add these to your calendars!
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Tuesday: 7:30 AM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM
Friday: 8:00 AM (followed by breakfast) & 6:00 PM
Shabbat: 9:45 AM
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This Shabbat:
2023 | 5783
Parashat Vayakhel/Pekudei/Shabbat HaHodesh
Candle Lighting: 7:15 pm
Havdalah: 8:11 pm
(all times are for Savannah)
Annual Torah reading: Exodus 35: 1-40:38, 12:1-20 (Etz Hayim pp 552-572, 380-5)
Triennial Torah reading: Exodus 35:1-37:16, 12:1-20 (Etz Hayim pp 552-560, 380-5)
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16-46:18 (Etz Hayim pp 1291-1294)
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Classes Offered at the Synagogue |
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New Class Offering: Learn How to Lead!
Have you ever wanted to read Torah? Chant Haftarah? Sing Shacharit? Serenade Musaf? Now is your chance to learn! Join Rabbi Gelman as he will teach you all the basics of Nusach (service melodies), Torah Trop, and Haftarah Trop. Class will meet Thursdays at 1 PM. Hebrew reading knowledge is required.
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Daf Shevui/Talmud Page of the Week: |
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Always wanted a chance to learn a bit of Talmud? In this class we will be going through the first tractate of the Talmud, Berachot (Blessings). We will get a good variety of rabbinic legends, Jewish law, wit, and arguments. Lots and lots of arguments. Class will be held Wednesdays at 7 PM on Zoom. The ZOOM link can be found below... |
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Rabbis of the Mishnah: This class will take a deep look into the Rabbis of the Mishnah; who they were and what they were thinking. Please contact Motti for class link or email mottilocker@gmail.com
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Birthdays and Anniversaries |
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March 19
Sheldon Tenenbaum
March 23
Jerry Konter
March 24
Ronnie Rosen
Mike Strear
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March 19
Maribeth Hedgpeth & Howard Gayunor
March 23
Wendy & Jonnathan Cohen
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If we have missed your birthday or anniversary, please email the office with the information so we can update your account. We apologize for the omission. |
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Yahrzeits For:
March 18 - March 24
Friday night/ Saturday, March 18 - 25 Adar
Edith Karpf - mother of Sally Krissman
Saturday night/ Sunday, March 19 - 26 Adar
William Haysman - grandfather of Melvin Haysman
Jack Rosen - father of Tom Rosen
Sam Shusterman - father of Karen Cranman
Sunday night/ Monday, March 20 - 27 Adar
Harry Dunn - grandfather of Joan Moore
Harold Schwartz - grandfather of Mark Schwartz
Monday night/ Tuesday, March 21 - 28 Adar
Mordechai Locker - grandfather of Motti Locker
Rae Rosenthal - grandmother of David Rosenthal
Robert Sutner - brother-in-law of Buddy Metzger
Arnold Tenenbaum - cousin of Bert Tenenbaum
Tuesday night/ Wednesday, March 22 - 29 Adar
Hannah Baker - aunt of Ellin Joselove
Paul Jolles - father of Marilyn Farley
Morris Konter - grandfather of Sally Greenberg & Jerry Konter,
uncle of Michael Konter
Nathan Mann - father of Linda Sacks
Wednesday night/ Thursday, March 23 - 1 Nissan
Alvin Galin - cousin of Melvyn Galin & brother of Murray Galin
Dolores Narducci - mother of Annette Friedman
Thursday night/ Friday, March 24 - 2 Nissan
Susan Chesnoff - sister of Debra Rubin
Clara Galin - mother of Murray Galin & aunt of Melvyn Galin
Commemoration of the Yahrzeit begins the evening of the first noted date.
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From the Tzedek Committee
Legislation Defining Hate Crimes Against Jews
AA member Simone Wilker has asked that the AA Congregation act to support passage of HB30, which defines anti-semitism for the purpose of clarifying which acts of anti-semitism would fall under the scope of the Georgia hate crimes law. The definition is that developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. HB30 has passed the House and is now being considered by the Georgia Senate. This legislation is being supported by Hadassah and other Jewish organizations.
If you wish to support HB30, please click the link below to send a message to your state senator:
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The link will arrange for a message developed by Hadassah to be sent to your state senator.
JUST Rally at Congregation AA
Please mark your calendars for the JUST Rally at Congregation AA on March 27 at 7:00 PM. JUST is an association of 22 Savannah religious communities, including AA, working together to advance social justice in Savannah.
A JUST team leaders meeting was held on Monday, March 13. The JUST Housing Committee has asked that City Manager Joseph "Jay" Melder and the City Council dedicate a continuing stream of revenue from tourism taxation to the housing issue, so that the allocation is no longer an annual struggle.
The Education Committee has reviewed data on educational attainment in the SCCPS schools. The Education Committee is recommending a revision of the approach to literacy education to address this problem.
On March 27 at 7:00 PM, AA will host the JUST Rally, at which the Affordable Housing and Education Committees will present their findings and recommendations in more detail. All members of the AA community are strongly encouraged to attend the JUST Rally in order to represent AA.
Are you interested in other charitable organizations? Contact Maurice Middleberg to find out more about what the Tzedek Committee can do to help you!
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If you have a story to share, please call the office or email it to agudatha@aol.com. We'd love to share your story! |
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