Kol Kiruv May 2019
Nissan - Iyyar
Happenings
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A Note From Cantor Goldberg
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A Message From Rabbi Mintz, Rabbi Emerita 3-4
My Thoughts, Cindy Fox
5-6
Upcoming Events
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Jewlicious Learning
9-10
Free Money Yahrzeit, Nid’vei Lev and Celebrations Calendar at a Glance
Vol. 28—No. 9
Congregation P’nai Tikvah will worship on May 3rd and 17th. Tot Shabbat, Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv services will begin at 6:30 PM on May 3rd. On May 17th, Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv Services will begin at 7:30PM at Adelson Educational Campus Chapel. Torah Study will be at 10:00am on May 4th and 18th. Call for locations.
If you are interested in sponsoring an Oneg to 11 celebrate an event, memorialize a loved one, or just because, please call 702.436.4900 for 12-13 sponsorship opportunities. 14
A Note From Cantor Marla Goldberg It is the “Lusty Month of May” and so many things seem to be happening this month. On our Jewish side we have Yom HaShoah, (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom HaZicharon (Israel Remembrance Day), Yom Ha-atz-ma-ut (Israeli Independence Day), and Lag Ba-omer (the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer). Each day has a lot of music that can be associated with it. At Yom HaShoah there are many mournful tunes we use when we remember the Holocaust. Many of them are in Yiddish. Some of the songs we sing for this are songs of mourning, others are songs of hope wishing for the time of the Messiah’s coming. In the song Dem Tog Tsu Gedenken we say kaddish for the six million. There are songs that come from the poems written by the children of the concentration camps such as I Never Saw Another Butterfly. And there are songs of hope, some coming from the poems of Hanah Szenesh and the ultimate song of hope, Hatikvah, a song sung in the camps, that eventually became the National Anthem of Israel. This leads us to Remembrance Day, when we remember the soldiers who helped to bring about the State of Israel, and who are still working to protect it. This is immediately followed by Independence Day when there is much singing and dancing. We sing and dance to songs from the days of the Pioneers who built our modern state. There are songs like Mayim (Water) and other Horas which are sung and danced with great joy. On Lag Ba-omer we have huge bonfires, where there are more songs to be sung. One of my favorites is Finjan a song about coffee that is sung around the fires. Of course, we also celebrate our mothers this month. So, Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers. On a personal note, this month is the 10th anniversary of my being ordained as a Cantor. I cannot believe it has been 10 years. One last note, now that Passover is….well, over. I am now beginning to think about our next High Holy Days. Soon our choir will begin rehearsing once more. So, if you love to sing, and want to help us make our HHD services meaningful, please contact me about joining our great choir. Everyone is welcome. L’Shalom,
Cantor Marla Goldberg 2
Message from Rabbi Emerita Yocheved Mintz Dear Chevreh: MiKol melam’dai hiskalti From all my teachers have I gained wisdom --Psalms 119:99 Lag BaOmer, the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, falls on the 18th of Iyar, which is the 23rd of May this year. Lag BaOmer is traditionally observed as a joyous day, frequently celebrated with bonfires, picnics, archery, and honoring teachers. Lag BaOmer marked the end of the plague that so tragically felled many of the students of Rabbi Akiva, the great 2nd century teacher who so famously gleaned the essence of the Torah to be “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Lev. 19:18). Lag BaOmer is also remembered as the day of the passing of one of the greatest disciples of Rabbi Akiva, the sage of Kabbalah, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The fact that this holiday of students and teachers falls just a few days after the final day of Jewlicious Learning this year is a synchronicity that is not lost on me. I think a lot about our students…both the young ones and the more mature. I think a lot about our teachers, those who have been trained to share their knowledge and those who may not even know that just by their exemplary behavior, they are transmitting knowledge. And, at this time of year, I think about what we have taught our students…and what our students have taught us. The memories our young students will carry through the years will include the experiences of learning by doing. Making Shabbat and holiday-inspired foods, reimagining Pesach plates, determining appropriate brachot, putting on plays and skits (including one written by one of the students), sharing musical talents, observing and tending the garden, and discovering how the language skills go from decoding to reading and chanting with understanding. The friendships they are making may be life-long. Cantor Marla Goldberg, Iris Katz, and I have the pleasure of facilitating the Jewlicious Learning program, and we, too, come away with life lessons. Observing the interplay between the students, we take pride in their acts of chessed towards one-another; we see self-esteem blossoming through giving them opportunities to shine. We look for opportunities to go beyond facts and rote skills and enjoy seeing the children rise to integrate knowledge, problem solve through a Jewish lens, and even ask tough questions.
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Our adult learners have delved deeper into Mussar studies this year, exploring their middot (soul traits) in depth, through text study, discussion, and chavruta learning. For some, it has been profoundly moving. There is a growing self-awareness that comes as one practices the kabbalot (exercises to help strengthen the concepts received). As we unpacked the targeted middot, it sometimes became murky, even to me, and we had to work to discover facets that had not seemed obvious let alone transparent at first. As the Mussar facilitator, it is often challenging, but always rewarding. So I am grateful to both our students and our teachers. “MiKol melam’dai hiskalti” /from all my teachers have I gained wisdom; “U-mi-talmidai, yoter mi-kulam”: / although from my students, I may have learned the most. May your Omer count be meaningful and may your Shavuot experience reach the peak!
Rabbi Yocheved Mintz Rabbi Emerita/Senior Educator
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Erev Shavuot By Cindy Fox Psalm 8:4 Infant tongues testify to Your strength, In spite of Your adversaries Even thus do You silence Your enemies. Midrash on Psalm 8:4 • derived from "The Greatest Jewish Stories Ever Told" The mixed multitude of the people of Israel, having been liberated from that narrow place-Mitzrayim--were gathered bamidbar (in the wilderness) at the bottom of Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. The Holy One wanted nothing more than to entrust these beloved people with the perfect gift, a treasure for all time-- the Torah. So precious was this gift, The Holy One, wanted to make sure that the Israelites would understand how important a gift this was... and use it and cherish it and live by it for all time. So G-d asks for a surety. Their guarantee. The people of Israel can't imagine what they could possible give to G-d for this most precious gift... After staying up all night long, they finally find the answer. Their only surety must be their most precious gift in this world... their children.
And at that very moment in time. G-d pours out the Torah into their little ones. "Out of your mouths, my little ones, have I given the Torah to all the people Israel and to all the world! As they live by it, so shall you live, And as you live, so shall the world remain alive!" And a wise friend of mine replied: "Maybe what this all means is that our children have more faith in the future than we have." We're commiserating about the back-breaking burdens of our children's transition to adulthood. It's the week before Shavuot. My husband is deployed across the other side of the world. My 21 year old, decides NOW is the time to move into his own apartment. We're battling every day. I hear myself saying things like... "Right now all you have to worry about is saving money and getting yourself into a car." "You have a roof over your head, food to eat, and transportation." "How are you going to be able to afford the apartment, the security deposit, the utilities, the food, the car, the insurance." "Do you know what a risk this is." "What happens if you don't find a full-time job or income to support this." (continued) 5
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And he's looking at me like I'm his enslaver. I'm his Mitzrayim...narrow place. I call my parents in hysterics...like 3,000 miles away they can do something!? Actually they do.... my Dad calms me down... and says, "Look at this as a good thing. If he's pushing for independence this hard... then he must be ready... pack him a sandwich!" My friend calls it launching a child. As a grown-up... I like to see all the "ducks" in order before making choices‌ My order: Get a full-time job Save money Get a car Get a better year-round job Save more money Have the security deposit for rent Have a 'cushion' for furniture Move! My Son’s order: Move! Figure it all out later. Invite friends to share the apartment with me... no they don't have jobs...yet. Hope it works out. Continue to borrow my mother's car. Take the old furniture in our house. Why is my mom screaming at me? And I was thinking... How profound... especially counting down to Shavuot... they say G-d sends us children to teach us the lessons that we refuse to learn as adults. A shecheyanu moment in time. We wouldn't have made it to this day... if it hadn't been for that hopeful optimistic view that it will work out no matter what. We appreciate it and we celebrate these moments. Miriam takes her tambourine. Nachson ben Amnidav takes that first jump. Made me think that the folks who were up front journeying from Mizrayim through Bamidbar must have been in their 20s!!!! Because as my wise friend said: "Maybe what this all means is that our children have more faith in the future than we have." A truth this Erev Shavuot, I have had to relearn. 6
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Jewlicious Learning When we get to May, time seems to go by super-quickly. There’s so much to do, as the year winds down. In April we prepared for Passover, learning the steps for the Seder, discovering how the “4’s” can be with us, and actually making delicious charoset (yum). Our oldest youngsters have finished the Friday evening service and are going through the Shabbat morning service. Our youngest students have completed the alephbet consonants and vowels and are ready for their first book for reading with understanding.
Aaron Brown, Mason DeLee, Meyer DeLee and MayLee DeLee thinking about charoset.
We are preparing for our Siyum, May 17, where we will acknowledge that we have graduated to the next level. We hope to present something special at that service, so be sure to come. Thank you to Rabbi Mintz, Cantor Goldberg, and Morah Iris Katz for a great year!
Peeling the apples.
Aaron Brown preparing Charoset. 9
Jewlicious Learning Our wonderful Jewlicious Learners preparing the Charoset.
Meyer 10
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AMAZON SMILE 5% comes back whenever you shop through the smile.amazon.com portal. Sign Up and select Congregation P'nai Tikvah by typing it in Please note: do not use the apostrophe when searching use: Congregation Pnai Tikvah
It’s easy to find Box Tops. In fact, you may have some in your home right now. Clip Box Tops from your favorite products and turn them in to your child’s school today! Box Tops are each worth 10¢ and they add up fast! * Annie’s * Betty Crocker * Bugles * Cascadian Farms * * Fiber One * Finish * Gardetto’s * General Mills * Go-Gurt * * Green Giant * Hefty * Kleenex * Land O’Lakes * Larabar * Lysol * * Old El Paso * Pillsbury * Nature Valley * Reynold’s * Scott * * Totino’s * Yoplait * Ziploc * 11
MAY BIRTHDAYS Marti Jenkins Ken Clark MayLee DeLee Sami Holland Debbie Wilreker
May 6 May 13 May 20 May 23 May 26
If you would like a copy of Kol Kiruv sent to your home, please send $72.00, along with your address to: Administrative Office 1697 Black Fox Canyon Rd Henderson, NV 89052
Clergy and Staff
P’nai Tikvah is a warm and welcoming,
Cantor: Cantor Marla Goldberg Student Rabbi: Jamie Hyams Rabbi Emerita: Rabbi Yocheved Mintz Educators: Rabbi Mintz and Cantor Goldberg Bookkeeper/Treasurer: Lynn Pisetzner Administrative Assistant: Faith Silverman Marketing Director: Cindy Fox
progressive, egalitarian, and pluralistic congregation focusing on the spiritual, educational, and social well-being of those who wish to live a fulfilling and meaningful Jewish life.
702.436.4900 www.pnaitikvahlv.org info@pnaitikvahlv.org 12
FOR THE MONTH OF MAY Jerry Bernstein -Remembered by Harriet Bernstein Rochelle Bialac -Remembered by Stella Bialac
Memorial plaques are available; to honor the departed, to inspire the living,
Andrew Consiglio -Remembered by Ann Castro Norma Feldman -Remembered by Barbara Holland Barbara Grossman -Remembered by Dale Gardner Gertrude Rose -Remembered by Sondra Rose
Stanley Rose -Remembered by Sondra Rose Paula Schulman -Remembered by Hedda Abbott Jeanette Sokolovsky -Remembered by Dale Gardner Kent Stork -Remembered by Rick & Susan Bindhamer Glenda Taylor -Remembered by Cantor Marla Goldberg
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CALENDAR AT A GLANCE: May 3 4 6 13 16 17 18
6:30pm 7:30pm 10:00am 4:15pm 4:15pm 4:00pm 7:30pm 10:00am
Family (Tot) Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv Service Torah Study Jewlicious Learning Jewlicious Learning Jewlicious Learning - Siyum Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv Service Torah Study & Picnic
Adelson Adelson TBA Rabbi Mintz Rabbi Mintz Rabbi Mintz Adelson Spring Mtn Ranch
6:30pm 7:30pm 6:00pm 7:30pm 10:00am
Congregational Meeting The Sun, The Moon & All Our Stars Family (Tot) Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv Service Torah Study - Shavuot Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv Service Torah Study
Nevada PEP Nevada PEP Adelson Adelson TBA Adelson TBA
Shabbat Across the Valley Shabbat Across the Valley Shabbat Across the Valley Shabbat Across the Valley
TBA TBA TBA TBA
June 2 7 8 21 22 July 5 12 19 26
Blessing for the Month of Iyar: Iyar is the time to let go of that which does not support our well-being that which is toxic or simply detrimental; conversely, it is time to open up to that which truly supports our well-being---that which is enriching or simply positive. Amen. 14