Shofar Elul 5770/Tishri 5771
Jewish Family Congregation www.jewishfamilycongregation.org
September 2010
From the Rabbi’s Desk Some years, we worry that we will be cold in the tent want them to develop an interest in being part of the adult over the High Holy Days; other years, we worry that we’ll community when they are older. be soaked by rain, or baked by the heat. We rent heaters We provide prayer books, kippot and tallitot, and we to offset the cold, we shift chairs when it rains, we lift the encourage those who have their own tallitot to use them. flaps of the tents to let in a breeze when it is hot. Against the white kippot, torah mantles, flowers, etc, (see And under every circumstance, we encourage our High Kids Ask the Rabbi in this issue) the array of colourful talliHoly Days congregation to dress appropriately for the tot adds some richness and diversity, which is much appreweather. Layers for cold, short sleeves and light-weight ciated. clothes for heat. Our cantor and choir provide spectacular and uplifting Since the tent sits on what is otherwise our parking lot, music, no matter the weather, no matter the hour. They we encourage sensible shoes for walking on the gravel. work hard to do this, and every year we marvel at their And those same shoes make it easier to get to cars parked success. It is all the more inspiring since the choir is comon our front lawn. posed of volunteers, temple members who gladly do what We advise congregants to bring a flashlight to help them they can to make our services memorable. find their cars after the evening services, and in recent And I work hard to add some food for thought to the years, we had some lighting services, via the sermons I We as a congregation do everything we can to put up to make the parking write. It is an interesting make the High Holy Days a series of significant area safer (thank you, Alex challenge, to write meaningoccasions to all who share them with us. Wattles!). ful sermons year after year, We provide Youth services for kids between the ages of when the liturgy, the themes of the festivals and the Torah 6 and 11, written and led by members of JFTY, our Youth readings are always the same; thank goodness for current Group. These have become more polished every year, and events (and maybe not!). though I never get to attend them, I hear great things So: we as a congregation do everything we can to make about the services themselves and the participation of the the High Holy Days a series of significant occasions to all congregation, too. who share them with us. Cantor Ben-David and I offer a Children’s service on the The variable over which we have no control, and no first day of Rosh HaShanah and on Yom Kippur, for premeans of response, is how each congregant responds to schoolers, where we try to convey some of the feel of the what we offer. That ball is in your court. occasion, and we use songs to teach some of the traditions We know that each person brings the day’s worries, the as well. These services come after the morning services, family concerns, the job issues ,along into the tent. We and we are both energized by the kids, who respond enknow that memories meet us there, reminding us of holy thusiastically, at a point in the day when our own redays past, family and friends no longer among us to celesources are somewhat depleted. brate with. We are aware that each person needs some JFC provides child care in the building, so that our adult specific things from these services, but of course, we don’t congregants can worship in the tent and know that their know what they are. children are well looked after. We delight in the kids’ driftSo we do our best to provide the environment, the acing in and out of the tent during our services, and we espe- coutrements, the prayers, and most especially the music, cially invite them in for the shofar service, because we (Continued on page 18) From the Rabbi’s Desk Service Schedule The President’s Message Early Childhood Center The Religious School Social Action Committee Boy, Are We Lucky!
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