What's the Spiel? - Shmini Atzeret

What's the Spiel?

22 Tishrei 5784 - October 7, 2023

Shmini Atzeret - Simchat Torah

Rabbi's Reflections

-Bridging the Gap: Shemini Atzeret and the Rest of the Year -

Shemini Atzeret is a bridge between the intense spirituality we've experienced during the month of Tishrei and the rest of the year, in which sensing spiritual meaning and inspiration can feel difficult. That being said, the reason why Shemini Atzeret serves as that bridge can be understood by learning the significance and meaning of its ambiguous name and function.

Rav Hirsch explains the name and meaning of this abstruse chag as follows: "The word Atzeret comes from the root, Atzar, which means to stop, to detain a person or an object by force, and to guard that person, or that object, so that they will not be lost or withdrawn from us. And so we see…the purpose of this eighth day is not to communicate new truths for us to assimilate. Rather, its purpose is to keep us before God in order to strengthen our grasp of the perceptions we have already gained, so that they remain with us for a long time" (Commentary on Vayikra 23:36). The point of Shemini Atzeret is "to gather up all the insights and resolutions we've reached during the festivals of the seventh month...and resolve to abide in God's Presence and to hold fast to our new spiritual gains. Thus, this wealth will not slip away from us in the course of everyday life, to which we are about to return. No. We will retain this wealth no matter what the coming year may hold in store for us, and in this way, we will remain deeply attached to God" (Ibid.).

Based on the words of Rav Hirsch, Shemini Atzeret is a day which spiritually prepares us for life in the real world. Therefore, on Shemini Atzeret we demonstrate our capacity to live in this world while still grasping onto the other – spanning the divide between the hardships of daily living and the joyful bliss of divine service. For instance, we sit in the sukkah, but we will not make the blessing “to sit in the sukkah.” We remove some of the vessels of the sukkah back into our homes, but we do not order them in their regular places. The sukkah no longer emulates the Clouds of Glory, but it is also not a mere hut. The Arbah Minim, which now become forbidden to us to handle, are still more than just branches and leaves bound together with a citron on the side. By performing these acts of transition – moving from the spiritual back to the physical – we enable ourselves to understand that we don't need to live exclusively in the world of the spirit in order to access the Divine. Yet, once this transition period is over, the question remains, how can we make sure that we hold onto the spiritual truths we've learned during Tishrei, and not lose them amidst the tumult of our every day?

I think the answer to that question is Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is the first day after we make the transition from a spiritual life back to a physical existence. And so, on Simchat Torah, we praise God through strictly physical means: We sing with our voices, we dance with our feet, we clap with our hands, we eat and drink with our mouths. All of these are physical expressions, but we use our physicality to connect more closely to the Divine. Simchat Torah serves as a model for how the rest of our year should be. Yes, our feet our sore, but sore from dancing with the Torah. Yes, our throats are hoarse, but hoarse from singing praises to God. Yes, our stomachs are full, but full from meals eaten in honor of a day which celebrates the unique relationship between God and the Jewish people.

We should always try to find ways to infuse the physical world we live in with spiritual meaning, we should always look at the world through a spiritual lens, and the one day we have to help prepare us for a physical life lived with great spiritual meaning is this day of transition: Shemini Atzeret.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!

-Rabbi Dan

Schedule of Services at B'nai Abraham

Friday Night

Candle Lighting

6:52PM

Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv

6:50PM

Shabbat/Shemini Atzeret

Shacharit

9:00AM

Kohelet (Reading of Ecclesiastes)

9:45AM (Approximately)

Youth Services

10:30AM

Yizkor

10:50 (Approximately)

Mincha

6:30PM

Torah Trivia

7:00PM

Candle Lighting

After 7:45PM

Maariv followed by Hakafot

7:45PM

Sunday

Simchat Torah

Shacharit

9:00AM

Kiddush followed by Hakafot

9:45AM

Mincha

6:40PM

Maariv/Havdalah

7:43PM

Monday - Friday

Shacharit

7:05AM

Condolences

The CTI family wishes to extend its deepest condolences to our member, Myles Shaftel, on the loss of his wife, Martha Shaftel (Matil bat Shimshon). May her memory serve as a blessing, and may her soul be bound up in the bonds of eternal life.

CTI Announcements

Please join CTI on Simchat Torah as we honor our members Jay Rubin, with Chatan

Torah, and David Chapin, with Chatan Bereshit. These honors celebrate both the

ending and the beginning of the Torah, and CTI is delighted to bestow them upon Jay

and David for all of their hard work, dedication and generosity to the CTI family.

Jay and Carol Rubin have demonstrated their love for CTI through their many years of

selfless service. From serving on the board and helping spur the strategic plan, to

volunteering to help lead Tot Shabbat and being a vital force in bringing the B’nai

Abraham synagogue to the DJCC, Jay and Carol have been inspirational leaders in the

community. We are so grateful for all of the love, time and generosity Jay and Carol

have given to help CTI grow!

David and Rita Chapin have been such an inspiring couple at CTI. From serving on the

board and managing and running the High Holiday tickets, to generously donating new

High Holiday Machzorim and volunteering their time and energy at shul functions, Rita

and David have been there for CTI in every way, and have enriched us all through their

care, kindness, generosity and commitment to ensuring the continued growth of CTI.

We are so blessed to have Rita and David as pillars of our community!

Thank you to the following members and friends of CTI who have donated and/or pledged to this year's High Holiday Appeal. If you have not already pledged or paid, we are including the link to the High Holiday Appeal page for your convenience.

Altman, Arthur & Barb

Carroll, Reese & Sherry Fishman Carroll

Chapin, David & Rita

Clifford, Sean & Meredith

Davis, Mitch & Patti

Dollinger, Adam & Elena Tsanko

Gerstenhaber, Gary & Karin

Glassman, Sampson & Steinberg, Beth

Goldberg, Rick & Paz

Goldstein, Leo

Gordon, Elan & Karine

Gould, Vicky

Groveman, Bernard

Guariguata, Andres

Humble, Marshall

Iken, Daniel

Lonsdale, Joe & Tayler

Kamen, Mark & Rhonda

Klein, Efraim

Kron, Jennifer

Magill, Loretta

Marciano, Lionel

Millner, Rabbi Dan & Yael

Newberg, Stuart & Suzanne

Pompa, Alana

Price, Marty & Katie

Rahimi, Erik & Lindsay

Raschkovsky, Isaac & Angela

Refaeli, Jehoda & Hana

Robbins, Reuven & Rosemary Klein Robbins

Rosenthal, Davida

Roth, Ester Malkah

Rubin, Jay & Carol

Schumer, Karina

Shapiro, Eric & Beth

Shavit, Offer & Ilana

Shavit, Yuval

Stone, Louis

Sultan, Solomon & Devorah

Tatham, Henna

Van Keer, Julie

Welter, Samantha

Wolfson, Jake

Woloszko, Jean & Eveline

Thank you Raz & Noya Ezra for sponsoring Kiddush on Shabbat/Shemini Atzeret to celebrate their happiness being a part of the beautiful CTI Community!

Thank you to Jay & Carol Rubin and David & Rita Chapin for sponsoring Kiddush on Simchat Torah (Sunday)

A BIG THANK YOU to the CTI Community for stepping up to sponsor a Kiddush! It is a special way to help our Chevrah while honoring a loved one for a special event or to commemorate a Yahrtzeit. Your sponsorships have been filling up our kiddush calendar nicely, and we are booked many weeks out at this point.

If you would like to sponsor a kiddush in November or December, please take a look at our calendar and reserve your spot as the calendar continues to fill up quickly! And THANK YOU for supporting CTI and our community with your sponsorship!

Sponsor A Kiddush

Mazel Tov!

Lorne Greenberg on October 9th (Birthday)
Cari Couch on October 10th (Birthday)
David Chapin on October 13th (Birthday)

Yahrtzeit Remembrances

Alexander AJ Hoffman, Father of Julie Van Keer, on Saturday 22 Tishrei
Rosalie Goldberg, Mother of Rick Goldberg, on Sunday 23 Tishrei
Paulo Raschkovsky, Father of Isaac Raschkovsky, on Tuesday 25 Tishrei
Belle Rubin, Mother of Jay Rubin, on Thursday 27 Tishrei
Sandra Jeanne Hoffman, Mother of Julie Hoffman, on Thursday 27 Tishrei

May their souls be bound up in the bond of life.

Volunteer Opportunity

CTI is looking for a man or woman to serve as a backup shmira coordinator, to help manage shifts and communicate with the shomrim. Please contact Larry at 512-923-3964 or by email if you are interested or would like more information.

Torah Classes at CTI

Take Your Tanakh Series

Tuesday Night | 7:00pm - The Book of Isaiah

Wednesday Morning | 8:15am - The Book of Job

Click Here for more information on how to join these exciting classes.

Donations

Thank you to Erik Rahimi, Solomon Sultan, Jay Rubin,

David Chapin, and Harel Rush for their aliyah donations.

Thank you to Eric & Beth Shapiro, and Sherry and Reese Carrol,

for their donations In Memory Of Marta Shaftel z"l.

Thank you to Sandy & Camille Kress for their donations

to the Youth Educator Fund and Rabbi Incentive Fund.