Rosh Hashanah Morning Service

everybody a happy and healthy new year though i could begin this service by saying there is much different about this year indeed this has been a difficult year one in which gathering together physically would be just the bomb we need and though our safety and our commitment to the probable protection of life may well prevent us from physically gathering within our beloved sanctuary we can still find sanctuary in our homes and within our souls this medium permits us to be able to enter into each other's homes it's a modern miracle that has reached a maturity just when it is needed the most so i invite you to find a comfortable place open up your moxor become lost in it as you might have within the sanctuary read along with us meditate on the wisdom of our ancestors and seek internally to reach beyond though we are apart we can feel the presence of our community and i pray the presence of the divine it is always a great joy and privilege to share in this solemn and joyous occasion with all of you let us stand together as adat israel the community of israel ready to begin the cycle anew to greet the new year and to celebrate with song and with [Music] prayer [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] everything [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] on page 115 there's a meaningful reading that comes from the talmud we are always cognizant of the fact that judaism cares deeply but what you do in life we are a religion that has an ethical code based on meets vote commandments much more than emunah faith it's important to have faith and it's also important to live a life dedicated to enacting that faith even if we are challenged by the concept of faith engaging in these obligations lend a degree of sanctity and dignity to our lives and before we study them together let us discuss several ways we can bring that dignity to the world our social action committee and our voices for justice committee have a number of programs that make the world truly better we work with a number of meal sites throughout the year and as soon as we are able we will renew the call to you to help assist all those that are hungry and in need particularly saint ben's by baking chickens our young people through our religious school will be helping acts housing by providing welcome baskets for people moving into their homes and axe is a wonderful organization that is and truly a need for those baskets the social action committee is going to be paying for meals at guest house and would certainly appreciate whatever you can do to pay for a meal for those who are in need and who and we have many other opportunities we will share information about these projects and many more by email and by facebook and in the comments section of these videos and our website my childhood rabbi of blessed memory always said to be a jew means to do may we commit ourselves to acts of righteousness acts of sadaka for they feed our soul and lend our day's abiding worth eilu diveren vote sustain us not only in this world but also in the world to come they are honoring our parents acting with kindness and loyalty eagerly pursuing jewish learning at all times welcoming guests visiting the sikh rejoicing with couples under the khupah caring for the dead and mourners delving deeply into prayer making peace among beings and the study of torah this is the cornerstone because it leads to them all we continue now with psalm 150 and the refrain is the last two lines of hebrew kol with every breath let everything that breathes praise god [Music] hallelujah [Music] hallelujah [Music] hallelujah [Music] drama [Music] our choir works extraordinarily hard to bring us such uplifting music in carrying our prayers even higher especially amidst this unprecedented crisis we want to thank paul caston our organist wendy trager our conductor we want to thank cantor faith stein snyder who has moved here with cantor david perper with his voice and heart his infectious enthusiasm has hit the ground running here at shalom and has touched the spirits of so many of our community thank you to our cantor and our choir our musicians all who helped to make this such an uplifting moment and just as our cantor and our choir elevates our spirit we turn to page 136 in anticipation of the sounding of the shofar tradition instructs us to utter our most important prayers in the context of a minion a group of ten people gather together for worship it's good to have people surround us to affirm our words of praise and to witness our supplications as we express aloud or perhaps silently plead the yearnings of our hearts tradition suggests we should study our sacred texts in pairs it's good for us to push each other towards deeper understanding of the holy words and their meanings tradition implores us to be present for one another rejoicing with the wedding couple and comforting the mourner it's good to be there to support each other through our highest highs and lowest lows our tradition affirms that we are better as individuals when we are part of something greater and yet right now we remain physically apart physically apart but spiritually connected through our prayers through our songs through our traditions and yes even through our technology physically apart and emotionally connected connected through our calls and video chats connecting with each other just to check in through dropping food or flowers at one another's homes or taking part in a birthday car parade all to show our love physically apart yet connected by our values reaching outside of ourselves by donating all kinds of items to those who need them most reaching outside of ourselves by protecting one another with our masks reaching outside of ourselves in protest and in prayer we remain one community as one community we stand now ready to listen to the sacred sound of the shofar shema israel al faye revolve hear o israel the divine abounds everywhere and dwells in everything its faces are infinite its source suffuses all the many are one please rise as we listen now to the sound of the shofar [Music] us [Music] blessed is the soul-reaching sound of the shofar it proclaims the purpose of this day blessed is community source of joy solace and strength to every living soul we continue now chanting kadesh [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] it [Music] [Music] [Music] m we continue now with the call to prayer [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] our praise to you adonai creator of the cosmic lights love abundant love unstinting our god you have enfolded us in love tender compassion beyond all bounds your precious gift our fathers and mothers gave you their trust and you gave them torah laws by which to live for their sake teach us as well grace us with your guidance loving father merciful mother of us all grant us clear understanding that we may listen learn and teach preserve practice and fulfill with love every lesson of your torah may learning your torah light up our eyes may our hearts embrace your meets vote unite us in love and reverence for you that we may never feel ashamed of our deeds we join together now singing the watchword of our faith shama israel [Music] is [Music] [Music] oh we continue now with the hafta on page 152 [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the israelites walked into the reed sea one foot at a time what were they thinking about as the water rose up their legs chilling their hearts advancing toward their open mouths we continue to walk here now one foot at a time on our better days forward alone i cannot reach the far shore without drowning somehow i don't go under the person to my right holds me up something i cannot see holds him up blessed is the source of help so often unexpected i step forward the sea is vast we sing together [Music] she [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign is [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] is we rise now as we pray together the words of the amidah [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] um again [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] um [Music] [Music] um [Music] um [Music] [Music] wrong [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you may be seated the written prayer can be a letter through time from one generation to future generations containing words of wisdom caution or advice the unatana tokef prayer the one of the more theologically loaded and challenging among them contains within it a message important for us to hear today it is the question what if what if we were to pass on tomorrow or the next day or the next week what if these moments in time are our last these are very real questions for us to ask in a world that can often seem frightening and fragile but a deeper and more pressing question is not how we will come to our end rather the question is how we will fill the moments we have left the yunatana talk of prayer highlights the message but through returning to the right path through prayer and righteous giving through living our remaining days as the people we wish to be we can leave a lasting legacy in the world hunatan and together may ask the question who shall live and who shall die but in a very real sense only we can answer that question in the moments we have left who shall live who shall truly live [Laughter] [Music] oh are you [Music] [Music] first [Music] [Music] let us proclaim the power of this day a day whose holiness awakens deepest awe and inspires highest praise for your dominion for your throne is a throne of love your reign is a reign of truth in truth you are judge and plaintiff counselor and witness you inscribe and seal you record and recount you remember all that we have forgotten and when you open the book of memories it speaks for itself for every human hand leaves its mark and imprints like no other and so a great shofar will cry to kia a still small voice will be heard angels in a world of fear and trembling will say behold the day of judgment for they too are judged in your eyes even they are not blameless and all who come into this world will pass before you like sheep before their shepherd as a shepherd considers the flock when it passes beneath the staff you count and consider every life you set bounds you decide destiny you inscribe judgments on rosh hashanah we plunge like swimmers into a sea of words on yom kippur the sea rises then crests and we emerge sealed by the wax warmed by the fire of braided candle the new year is like a trail head opening wide before us the day of fasting narrow breathless so quick to close we contemplate a new year and this we know some of us will live and some of us will die some will die young and some very old some by water some by fire some by sword and some by beast some by hunger and some by thirst some by plague and some by earthquake some by stoning and some by strangling some of us will feel at ease some will be restless some will have peace of mind some will have strife some will be tranquil some will be tormented some will be raised high and some will be brought low some will have riches some will be impoverished even so the way we act the way we speak the way we meet god's image in ourselves and in others these things have great power to make our lives matter therefore let us make whole the broken shards green and thick the withering grass let the wind fill us with urgency for life let dreams give birth to justice and goodness god of holiness god of hope let us glimpse your truth as we attach our hope to yours but through return to the right path through prayer and righteous giving we can transcend the harshness of the decree you are everything that we praise you for slow to anger quick to forgive you do not wish the death of sinners but urge them to return from their ways and live until the day of death you wait for them you accept them at once if they return since you created us you know our impulses we are but flesh and blood we who are mortal our origin is dust and so is our end we wear out our lives to get our bread like broken vessels like withered grass like a flower that must fade a shadow moving on a cloud passing by mere dust on the wind a dream that flies away but for you ever living sovereign time has no limits your presence unbounded by days and years is everywhere a glorious mystery none can decipher your name is worthy of you and you are worthy of your name and our name you have linked with yours please rise now if you are able for the [Music] kedusha god [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] me i am [Music] oh [Music] so we imagined ourselves vineyard of god a thriving olive tree fair and verdant laden with fruit while the world despised or ignored us our sages gave us a dream as a vineyard is guarded and lovingly tended so through our wanderings god has cared for our people as olives yields their oil only when pressed so the people of israel show its greatness when oppressed others liquids mix with one another olive oil does not so israel stands apart a people dwelling alone the nations demeaned us and cast us away we took shelter and stories of honor and love they called us the vanquished rejected by god but we knew ourselves blessed and cherished by you we carry our own truth through all of our journeys our dream of kavod a place of respect among the nations life and strength for our people light and peace for our holy land page 196 eloheinu ya aleveyavo viagiara our god and god of the generations before us may a memory of us ascend and come before you may it be heard and seen by you winning your favor and reaching your awareness together with the memory of our ancestors the memory of your sacred city jerusalem and the memory of your people the family of israel may we be remembered for safety well-being and favor for love and compassion for life and for peace on this day of remembrance [Music] amen [Music] eternal our god remember us be mindful of us and redeem us for a life of goodness and blessing amen we now prepare for our shofar service awaken you sleepers from your slumber we must wake up we must wake up and hear the divine call the call that inspires us to do our part to create a world built on love kindness and compassion we must wake up and hear the divine call the call to live our days with intention as we bring light into this world may the shofar call stir us into action as we stand up against injustice and strive for holiness may the shofar call remind us to live every day as a blessing to live every day as an opportunity to repair this world may each of us hear the call and be inspired to respond he named me i am here i am ready to make a difference blessed are hearts that respond to the majestic music of the shofar blessed is the gift of life the power of renewal that brings us to this day please rise as we pray the blessings on page 200 and 6. source of blessing eternal our god you fill the universe with majestic mites summoning us to hear the sound of the shofar baruch hafiz source of blessing eternal our god you fill the universe with majestic might giving us life upholding the life within us and bringing us to this time [Music] [Music] uh [Music] [Laughter] [Music] please be seated today the world is born anew this day the whole of creation stands before you to be judged as we are your children love us in the way of mothers and fathers as we are yours in service guide us by the light of your justice grace and holiness our praise to you eternal one whose power pervades all the earth you bring holiness to the people israel and to this day of remembrance [Music] [Music] eternal our god your people israel yearns for your favor receive their prayer with loving acceptance and may you always desire your people's worship divine one close to all who call upon you bring your grace and presence near to those who serve you pour forth your spirit on us and may our eyes see your merciful return to zion blessed are you whose divine presence is felt again in zion we now take time to express gratitude for all of the goodness all of the blessings in our lives and we know that the world is far from perfect and at the same time we pray for the ability to see the light even amidst the darkness page 210 god who is ours god of all generations to you we are grateful forever rock and protector of our lives your saving power endures from age to age we thank you and tell the tale of your praise your power in our lives your caring for our souls the constant miracle of your kindness morning noon and night we call you goodness for your compassion never ends we call you mercy for your love has no limit we call you hope now and for all time and for all these gifts god of majesty may your name come to be blessed and praised our gratitude a daily offering until the end of time inscribe your covenant partners for a life of goodness and may all life resound with gratitude and faith in praise of your name god you free us and strengthen us blessed are you adonai whose goodness deserves thanks and praise we now turn to our prayer for peace on page 216. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] upon [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] i [Music] this [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh we now continue with silent prayer and meditation [Music] the is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] we turn now to the sacred words of avinu malcano please rise if you are able loving father infinite power gentle forgiving lofty inscrutable avinu malcano compassionate mother omnipotent lord comforting presence fathomless mystery avinu malkenu a rock and redeemer life of the universe close to us always impossibly far avenue embracing confounding accepting our frailty decreeing our end avinu malcanu none of these are true none of them are you yet we stand as those before us have stood summoned to judgment longing for love avinu malcanu may these words be a bridge they come from our hearts may they lead us to you avinu avinu malcanu almighty and merciful hear our voice halt the onslaught of sickness violence and hunger aveenu malkenu kaleigh called sarumastin meialenu avinu malkin who halt the reign of those who cause pain and terror avinu makenu venus avinu malcano enter our names in the book of lives well lived aveenu malcano hades [Music] renew for us a year of goodness avinu makenu honeynu ki invaluma hasemanu tsudaka vachenu almighty and merciful answer us with grace for our deeds our wanting save us through acts of justice and love [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] m [Music] um we turn now to seder kriya torah return to our torah service [Music] m [Music] [Music] i [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] no [Music] [Laughter] oh adonai adonai god compassionate gracious endlessly patient loving and true showing mercy to the thousandth generation forgiving evil defiance and wrongdoing granting pardon israel [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] o [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] we turn to the binding of isaac there are many reasons we read this torah portion on the high holidays tradition teaches us that we read it to remind god of the terrible trial that abraham passed in his willingness to obey god's call to sacrifice his son it was a terrible trial of faith that abraham passed contemporary scholars have viewed this story differently as the field of archaeology uncovered similar documents containing tests of faith tests in which fathers sacrificed their most dear children and archaeological remains identified ancient canaanite sacrificial sites with remains our story takes a different turn when the voice of the eternal cries out and says abraham abraham do not lay a hand on the boy in other stories the gods of the canaanites never stayed the hand of their abraham characters but we were taught that god does not desire us to sacrifice that which is most precious to us think about what is most precious to you at this new year god does not demand that you sacrifice that which is precious let us affirm what is most meaningful and beautiful in our lives let us not make it an hola a sacrifice let us let us lift it up and see it as a blessing we are grateful to call upon susie rosengarten to be our tour reader this morning [Music] [Music] [Music] he [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] um [Music] [Music] oh [Music] yo [Music] [Music] [Music] hey is [Music] we want to thank susie for beautifully chanting the torah she's a beloved teacher of children here at our sunday school in hebrew school and an educator for our whole jewish community we appreciate all you bring to the community susie and we now rise as we call upon david and ann rosenberg to lift and bind our torah you both bring tremendous thoughtfulness to our community and we thank you for your leadership please rise now for hagba this old [Music] is [Music] [Music] live [Music] i [Music] is thank you to david and anne and we now turn to our huf torah for rosh hashanah as we contemplate hana and the birth of her son samuel a story of the importance of heartfelt prayer and spiritual integrity and so it is most appropriate and a delight to call upon rick paler who will be our huf torah chanter this [Music] morning a [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] or [Music] is i is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] me [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] thank you rick for always chanting the words of our huff torah so beautifully not just this week but every week and for being an incredible symbolic exemplar to our young people both here at shalom and at milwaukee jewish day school we turn now to the zikr note section of the service as we engage in the acts of remembrance it is important to know where we have been for when you know where you have been then perhaps we can imagine where we are going to let us remember together as we rise the prophet said cry aloud lift up your voice like a shofar this is the meaning of the verse see yourself as a shofar an instrument of the divine do not take pride in your virtue or the power of your deeds with every mitzvah you do every act of intellect goodness and love god's spirit breathes through you yeah hallelujah all praise god's name for god's name alone is truly sublime [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] is [Music] we turn now to the shofar section of our service as we focus on the shofar itself symbol of awakening and a symbol of unity the shofar transcends the vastness of space and time calling us together calling us to return to the lives and the path we know we must walk let us focus on the shofar as we listen with ears and hearts that are open [Music] uh [Music] you may be seated we want to thank bob pentler and harvey paddock for sounding the notes of the shofar with great skill and goodness for so many years this year especially it is meaningful to hear the sounds of the shofar calling us thank you now let us turn to aresha cephatenu [Music] [Music] [Music] there is a very popular restaurant in manhattan's east village called prune the tables are jammed so closely together in this restaurant that if you put down your glass of wine even for just one second you may realize that you actually placed it on your neighbor's table prune was started back in 1999 by chef gabrielle hamilton she started as a caterer with a vision she writes i could see vividly what it would become the intimate dinner party i would throw every night in this charming quirky space she continues in the beginning i was closed on mondays ran only six dinner shifts and paid myself 425 dollars a week i got a very positive review in the new york times and thereafter we were packed when i added a seventh dinner in 2000 i was able to hire a full-time sous chef when i added weekend brunch it wound up being popular enough to let me buy out all six of the original investors suddenly there we were 14 services 7 days a week 30 employees it was a thrilling and exhausting first 10 years with great momentum hamilton had realized her vision when we realized a vision it might not look or wit or feel the way that we had first imagined the circumstances change or we change and then of course the vision itself changes after 20 years hamilton took a good look at how her dream had manifested itself she had won four james beard awards and emmy for a pbs program and was the author of a best-selling book she had arrived yet one night she found herself in her restaurant's kitchen flat on her stomach on the floor covered in a painter's paper coverall suit maneuvering a garden hose rigged up to a faucet she'd poured bleach and palm olive and degreaser behind the range trying to blast out the deep dark unreachable corners of the saute station where lost eggshells green scrubbies hollow marrow bones tasting spoons and cake testers tongs and the occasional sizzle plate all get trapped and forgotten during service in the restaurant's earlier years she had hired professional cleaners to do this deep clean but now even at the height of her restaurant's popularity she couldn't afford that luxury so she found her hair matted goggles speckled and her whole body covered with egg yolk she asked herself it's always been hard but when did it get this hard and then when the pandemic hit manhattan in march just five hours before the orders came to shut down all of new york city hamilton had announced to her staff the painful decision she'd made to close down her beloved restaurant the restaurant which was not only her realized vision but also her livelihood and the livelihood for her beloved employees hamilton can't know what the future looks like for her restaurant or for any restaurant so she wonders aloud when we are sorting through the restaurant obituaries will we know for sure that it was not because the weary veteran chef decided as i have often been tempted myself in these weeks to quietly walk out the open back door of a building that has been burning for quite some time today we declare [Music] let us proclaim the sacred power of this day it is awesome and full of dread who shall live and who shall die this question this metaphor really carries more weight this year than perhaps ever before in our lifetimes it's not just restaurant owners who are asking this about restaurants we are all more acutely aware that our very lives are fragile the high holy days serve to remind us of our own mortality so that we might live with greater intentionality this year we almost don't even need the harsh reminder as the pandemic constantly reminds us of our vulnerability this morning we heard the unsettling story about abraham testing god or god testing abraham there is so much to unpack in the story of the binding of isaac and yet this year i find myself wondering why was abraham chosen in the first place earlier in his life god said to abraham go forth from your native land and from your father's house to the land that i will show you why was abraham chosen to journey towards the promised land what qualified him to start a quiet revolution that would change the very course of human history the ancient rabbis ask these questions too and they offer a parable abraham is like a traveler who would trek from one destination to another one day the traveler looked up and saw in the distance a birah delecate a glowing palace but when he looked closer he realized that the palace was in flames it was burning he asked could it be that this palace doesn't have an owner just then the owner of the palace appeared saying i am the owner of the palace what a strange story the ancient rabbis used this parable to explain abraham's outlook on the world abraham saw that the entire world was a beautiful palace and yet the palace was glowing it was lit ablaze and it was burning abraham appreciated the beauty and the order of the world the sun rising each morning the seasons coming in their time the sounds of birds chirping and the sea flowing and the whistling of the wind through the trees babies who are born and children who come of age people who unite their lives together through friendship fellowship and marriage the knowledge and even wisdom that comes with study and experience the sun that lights the earth by day and the moon and the stars by night and at the same time abraham also noticed the destructive danger that threatened to take away the beautiful order of the world he saw the giant flames of injustice the flames of immorality the flames of godlessness tyranny cruelty and brutality he also noticed the smaller sparks the sparks of indifference the sparks of numbness that left people feeling powerless to act against the evil that surrounded them just like the traveler abraham noticed the beautiful world burning and asked aloud could it really be that this world exists without a ruler this time god answered saying i am the ruler the sovereign of the universe abraham noticed the beauty of the palace and he noticed that it was on fire he held both truths at once and so he asked how could there be a world so filled with beauty if there wasn't an architect behind its brilliant design and also he cried if there is a holy architect an all-powerful god how could that god just let it all burn the rabbis believe that god chose abraham because he appreciated the paradox rabbi jonathan sachs teaches it is in that cry that sacred discontent that abraham's journey begins in that cry abraham has a vision a vision of what the world could be he spends the rest of his life as god's partner working to extinguish the flames and to realize a vision for a better more complete world this has been a difficult year we have suffered from extreme loneliness we worry because we have lost our income we are exhausted from giving so much of ourselves while we work from home and care for our children small everyday decisions such as can i go to work to the store can i see my grandchildren can the children have a playdate now weigh heavily on our minds as nobody knows for certain how to keep each other and ourselves safe living in the midst of so much uncertainty takes a serious toll on all of us and we are suffering people in our families in our communities in our nation and all over the world are sick and dying and in the midst of this deep suffering we suffer even more because we cannot reach out and hold each other's hands or embrace each other with a hug or come together in prayer on this the birthday of the world our world has been on fire for some time now and like the traveler we cannot look away we are now aware of the injustice the immorality the godlessness the tyranny cruelty and brutality that exists in our world and we are aware of the strong temptation to yield to feelings of indifference of numbness or to believing that we are powerless the kovid 19 pandemic has forced us to lift up our heads and to see that the palace has been on fire for quite some time now it's not the virus itself that discriminates causing disproportionately more deaths among people of color rather our society functions in a way that perpetuates systemic racism in health care in the way we police ourselves in education in immigration and really in almost every sector we can imagine we now cannot look away from the people who do the most essential work the medical professionals and the janitors the teachers and the postal workers the grocery clerks and public transit workers and so many others who are not only undervalued but deemed by our society to be disposable we cannot look away from the knowledge that many children go hungry and many children live in abusive homes and we cannot look away from the disparity between the haves and the have nots between the ones who are seen and the ones who are made to feel invisible and we cannot look away from the fires and the floods that come as a result of our earth's changing climate there is so much more from which we cannot look away and that's just on a national scale there are local fires too in our community in our homes and yes even within ourselves we've seen this before avraham avinu our father abraham saw this before he didn't just notice the flames he became god's partner in extinguishing them abraham responded to god's challenge before he noticed the de leckett the burning palace nobody before him had ever considered the beauty and the destruction together at once nobody bothered to ask who was behind it all the good and the bad could it be the same one abraham noticed and once he noticed he conceived of a new vision for his life for his community for the whole world and then he set out to realize that vision he changed the course of his life and in turn he changed the course of much of human history gabrielle hamilton the chef and owner of prune is in some ways like abraham she realized her beautiful restaurant was burning it had been burning for years before the pandemic ever hit and so she spent these months imagining a new vision for her restaurant she says i want round tables big tables six people tables eight tops early supper home before midnight long lingering civilized sunday lunches with sun streaming in through the front french doors i want old regulars to wander back into the kitchen while i lift the lids off the pots and show them what there is to eat so i'm going to let the restaurant sleep like the beauty she is shallow breathing dormant bills unpaid and see what she looks like when she wakes up so well rested young all over again hamilton realizes that actually the restaurant as it existed before the pandemic was ultimately unsustainable coronavirus shed a light on that and so now it's time for her to pause to be still to re-evaluate to engage in a process of re-envisioning for her restaurant and for her life so that she can emerge from this time stronger and healthier how can we see this time as one of reflection and renewal what was broken before any of us had ever even heard of covid 19. deep down what aspects of our lives weren't quite right but we tolerated them anyway because we were caught up in the inertia and we couldn't imagine anything different what things were burning under our noses barely detected now that we have been forced to pause and to be still what are we seeing differently than we did before what changes do we need to make as we move forward how can we ensure that when we emerge from the crisis that we won't go back to the way things were before like abraham we see a beautiful palace burning and we also ask where is god in this mess rabbi baruch tells a story of his grandson yahil who was playing hide and seek with another child jachiel hid himself well and waited for his playmate to find him after waiting a long time jachiel came out from his hiding place but the other child was nowhere in sight now jachiel realized that his playmate had not even looked for him weeping yahil came to his grandfather to complain of his faithless friend rabbi yahil rabbi baruch's eyes too brimmed with tears and he said god says the same thing i hide but no one wants to seek me in abraham's time to and for generations before abraham god hid waiting for people to begin seeking abraham did just that he sought the divine the truth is abraham didn't have all the answers but he knew two things first that the world even with all of its flaws was in fact beautiful and secondly at the same time abraham knew that the whole world was burning what made abraham remarkable was that he held not only these paradoxical truths but that he also sought the divine though he didn't know exactly what the promised land would look like he set out on his journey to become god's partner nonetheless we too must be like abraham none of us have all the answers either and yet we have to start somewhere we must appreciate the beauty and take note of the destructive forces and we must search our own souls asking where is god in the midst of it all the book of proverbs teaches the human spirit is god's light god's light exists within our own souls our own spirits we must seek god within ourselves because that's where we'll find god's spiritual light that very light is what will guide us out of even the deepest darkness we now have an opportunity a sacred obligation to engage in a process of re-envisioning our own lives globally this terrible virus had shed light on so many injustices and yet this crisis can serve as a reminder that god is our inner light let's kindle those inner lights so that they burn brightly and let's use those lights to guide us as we extinguish the destructive flames of the burning palace and then we can emerge from this wreckage to work towards realizing our own renewed vision for our world our community and for [Music] bring ourselves closer to our godliness may our left hand give us strength to face each day and before us may our visions light our paths ahead and behind us all around us is may our right hand bring us closer to our godliness may our left hand give us strength to face each day and before us may our visions light our paths ahead and behind us all around us [Music] all around us [Music] the words of the elenio prayer remind us that it is incumbent on us to praise god's names through the work that we do to mend our world let's rise now singing together these words and let's be inspired to make them a reality [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] um [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] m [Music] [Applause] [Music] yo [Music] [Applause] there are stars up above so far away we only see their light long long after the star itself is gone so it is with people that we loved their memories keep shining ever brightly though their time with us is done but the stars that light up the darkest night these are the lights that guide us as we live our days these are the ways we remember during the holiday season during shabbat we often think of our loved ones in the ways that they shaped and moved our lives they are a light that seeks us in the darkness as we look up into the shadowed sky we know that our loved ones are still looking down upon us that same love and affection that they did in life in our community we are mourning the loss in recent days of jerry bodner of melba howenstein michael lennon included among those names are those for whom we mark the shloshim the 30-day morning period we think of marilyn ovney betty brandis david greger sally kaplan and betty riley we also commemorate on this shabbat and holiday those who have passed and seasons gone by of whom we feel as though we are walking in their footsteps if remember ezekiel afram beverly ashton sai benseman esther berman eunice biller william cash gene siegel irv cohen benjamin davis ann descher nina druck theodore ellison jack feller sarah gill phyllis gilson larry glick jack ranoff paul gratch sydney greenfield irene habish donald hack beth gail hurst lucille hirsch merwin hurwitz diane khan claire katz dale colstad david quas laurie lebotsky morris mazur betty mendelblatt neil minkin david pasch allen phillip pearson esther shapiro robert shuster gertrude sharp ronnie sherman debbie silverman phyllis philip sklar selma stein sidney lauren tobaccon katie wakeford janice weiss michael winston francis shapiro wise saul wilson louise zimmerman minette zimmerman there are names that should be pronounced differently or names that were left off this list i invite you to hold those names in your heart and as we think of those names of our loved ones so too do we add all those who die due to war end or terrorism or racism all those who have died in defense of this nation and allied nations ideals as well as all those who perish during the holocaust our griefs and sympathies are mingled as we turn to word sanctified by memory words glorified by hope the kadisha tome can be found on page 292 and if you are unable i invite you to rise yit kadal viet kadash may rabbah is may the source of peace and peace to all who mourn in comfort to all who are believed and let us say amen at this time now it is my pleasure to turn the service over to brent arnold our congregational president who has some announcements to make on behalf of our congregation shabbat shalom and shanato vapran thanks rabbi leshana congregation shalom as you all know having virtual services is not what any one of us planned or what any of us really wanted this year i need to thank again our staff and clergy for transforming our entire congregation into a virtual platform almost overnight most congregants may not know this but it is way more work doing it this way than when we used to do it in person it is much appreciated i also want to thank all of our congregants your patience with us and dedication to our congregation is exceptional you are what makes this place special and i can't wait to safely bring all of you back together again safely tomorrow please consider joining us at 10 30 for our second day rosh hashanah services on zoom then tosh leak will be on facebook live at 3 30 pm i encourage you all to take the next 10 days reflecting on yourself and who you want to be in the days and years ahead we then will all come together virtually on sunday september 27th at seven o'clock for cole nije services on vimeo and then yom kippur services i also want to highlight a very important discussion on yom kippur with mara b gad titled the color of love a conversation about race in the jewish community this is a very important topic to our congregation and i hope you will all take part lastly i understand that this space this beautiful sanctuary has a lot of personal meaning to each and every one of you if any of you need some special personal time here i encourage you to reach out to us and schedule that necessary time for reflection shabbat shalom everyone and lashana tovah hi yom to amen strengthen us on this day amen bless us today amen amen lift up our lives on this day amen yom inscribe us for a good life on this day amen amen hear our heartfelt words today amen on this day receive our prayers with love amen fortify our best intentions may we go forth today to do your righteous work [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] and now at the beginning of a new year we pray for blessing to um amen strengthen us on this day amen bless us today amen amen lift up our lives on this day amen amen grant us goodness today amen and scribe us for a good life on this day amen here are heartfelt words today amen amen on this day receive our prayers with love amen fortify our best intentions may we go forth today to do your righteous work amen um our god and god of our ancestors eternal god of all generations may our presence in our lives this new year renew our spirits and renew our strength may it be a good year may it be a suicide [Music] [Music] a happy healthy and peaceful here happy new year have a wonderful new year shalom shalom and shana tovah lashanatova [Music] foreign you

Channel: Congregation Shalom

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Length: 129min 46sec (7786 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 19 2020