INSIDE THIS ISSUE What’s Happening @ CBS ..................... 2 President’s Message .................................. 3 Cantor’s Notes.......................................... 4 Fundraising .................................................. 5 Youth ........................................................... 6 Milestones ................................................... 7 Adult Learning& Programming .......................................... 8-9 Keruv ......................................................... 10 Library........................................................ 11 Calendar .............................................. 12-13 Sisterhood........................................... 14-15 Men’s Club .......................................... 16-17 Anniversaries/Birthdays ................... 18-19 Donations ........................................... 20-22 Yahrzeits ............................................. 23-24 Candlelighting and Services .................. 25 Advertisements ................................. 26-27 Judaica Shop ............................................. 28
Rabbi ................................................... Aaron Melman Cantor .................................................. Steven Stoehr Assistant Rabbi ..................................... Ari Averbach Executive Director ............................ Michael Garlin Director of Jewish Life & Learning ................................................. Leann Blue Director of Education ......................... David Barany Ritual Director ................................ Raquel Gershon Director of Youth Activities................ Matt Rissien Controller ......................................... Susan Karlinsky President .......................................... Larry Grossman Sisterhood President................................. Beth Sher Men’s Club President ............................Scott Rogoff USY President ................................... Brandon Gitles
Rabbi Emeritus .......................................Carl Wolkin Executive Director Emeritus .................................... Harvey Gold, FSA z’l Director of Education Emeritus ................... Rabbi Sander J. Mussman, RJE
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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2016/2017 • VOLUME 49, ISSUE 17 Rabbi Averbach
RABBI AVERBACH’S REVELATIONS These are dark days. They are bitter and cold and often feel interminable. As the minutes of daylight shorten and the bleakness of night lengthens, we often turn inwards. It is a time to rethink, to sit inside in the quiet, nursing a cup of cocoa or cider, and look outwards into the world. As the first blanket of snow falls, there is a part of our brains that forgets the frigidity and physical pain that can come with its arrival, and it just looks strikingly picturesque, like a Thomas Kinkaid painting. Cultures around the world have ceremonies to deal with the changing mood that accompanies winter’s appearance. We often think of the American/Christian culture to be loud with nonstop seasonal songs coming out of every speaker, but the soul of the holiday is found in the words of “Silent Night,” equating silence with holiness. Similarly, in the Buddhist culture, where the winter holiday of Bodhi (with variations around East and Southeast Asia) focuses on the importance of silent meditation, followers aim to reach a level of divine enlightenment. The first day of the five-day Hindu winter festival of Pancha Ganapati has a tradition of making yourself into a silent example for all to witness.
With this short class in comparative world religions, it seems at first glance that Hanukkah does not fit with this theme. There is the sound of children cheering as the dreidel spins; the sizzle of the oil as pounds of potatoes, egg, and matzah meal fry; the shouting and screeching that accompany the gift exchange; singing the blessings of the miracle of Hanukkah as the candles dance. In my childhood, Hanukkah was not often met with quiescence. But, deep in the tradition, it is. In the haftarah we read on the Shabbat of Hanukkah (this year December 31), the prophet Zechariah preaches, “Hush, all flesh, before the Lord.” As in other winter celebrations, there is a correlation between silence and holiness. The prophet continues with a popular line, “Not by might, and not by power, but with My spirit alone.” As much as we may want to scream and shout when the world is so dark, we have to remember that Judaism (and many other cultures) teaches the beauty in silence when the world is frozen. That true power comes not by force but by finding godliness within ourselves to warm up the world, making it more inviting for each other and for the next generation.