Shacharit Shabbat - 11th September

[Music] do [Music] oh [Music] israel [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] is foreign [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] a lovely are your tents so jacob you're dwelling places oh israel mata vu is our prayer of sanctuary our prayer of community it is the words we say as we enter into our into our sanctuary and enter into our prayer this shabbat morning and it is the words that i affirm with all of my heart and with all of my soul as i recognize how incredibly fortunate we are to be able to connect all of these sanctuaries together this shabbat morning as we come together to to celebrate the new year and to look forward to the opportunity contained within yom kippur that lies beyond us to celebrate uh birthdays and anniversaries within our congregation but also join with uh those families in our community who are in a a time of mourning remembering a loved one either taken recently or or taken at this season in years past whatever it is that brings you into our virtual sanctuary whatever brings you into this sacred space that we have created know that you are most welcome and we hope that this hour of prayer brings you peace and and perspective contemplation as well as renewed commitment to our tradition to our faith and to our community we are on page 190 in our prayer books hopefully you have a copy of mishkan at filler at home if you don't whether you're watching us on facebook on youtube or joining in the live stream through our website you'll find that in the description just below the stream there is a link to a virtual flip pocket vlog book it makes the service uh so much more meaningful so much more engaging when you can participate follow along lend your voice to ours as we create these moments of of meaning on page 194 we see before us uh prayers which speak to us and to our times they are our prayers for for healing and for wholeness prayers for physical well-beingness as well as well as uh spiritual fulfillment these are prayers which we need now as much as as much as ever and i invite you to join me in the hebrew if you're comfortable doing so elohim via bless the eternal one who heals all flesh wondrously page 196 i'll spare a prayer for spiritual wholeness [Music] m [Music] [Laughter] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] as we turn to page 198 and ready ourselves to offer the words of the nisimba yom i offer of the cover now on the facing page i can stay the tears of others if i can see myself as diminished in their sorrows i can hasten time when when everyone will be able to rejoice in freedom and if i can see myself as the companion of those fighting against oppression i can honor the struggle of people everywhere to gain dignity and deliverance from bondage when i look at myself in the mirror who will i see foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] is foreign [Music] [Music] blessed to you eternal one you teach torah to your people israel and through us and with us to all humanity on page 206 the words of elu devarim [Music] hey [Music] little mood [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] my [Music] so from that beautiful rendition of these words of the of the talmud we turn forward to page 209 as we remember the lessons that we've been taught from those that have come before us and we offer this alternative reading of kadish the rabbanaan for our teachers and their students and the students of their students we ask for peace and loving kindness and let us say amen and for those who study tori here and everywhere may they be blessed with all they need and let us say amen we ask for peace and loving kindness and let us say amen we move forward in our prayer book to page 212 and continue now with our verses of song and psalm sukidis imra beginning with the words of baruch [Music] m [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] m [Music] foreign foreign [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] me [Music] on page 215 [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] page 218 psalm 150 hallelujah [Music] um [Music] uh [Music] we turn forward to page 223 as we bring our song-filled suke to zimmer to a close with the words of of yeshtaba ishtabak hallelujah oh [Music] god [Music] me we turn our focus back to the iran in the sanctuary as we offer the words of the khasi qaddish on page 224 in advance of the call to prayer on page 200 and 26. [Music] amen [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] do [Music] oh man [Music] oh [Music] [Music] following page blessed you eternal one who gives this the heavenly lights and the ability to share beautiful days such as this on page 231 once or twice in a lifetime a person may choose a radical leaving having heard go forth god disturbs us towards our destiny by hard events and by freedom's now urgent voice which explode and confirm who we are we don't like leaving but god loves becoming blessed to you eternal one who chooses your people israel in love [Music] is [Music] i [Music] o [Music] israel [Music] honey [Music] there is no place where you are not even in the wilderness there is your word emmet that pen strokes of lightning white fire black flame stir the soul's passion guide our sacred way true and enduring is is torah your truth for us is certain and established now and forevermore like moses miriam and all israel we sing out and rejoice [Music] is [Music] is [Music] and so as we move from the words of of michael mojo we turn forward to page 246 and ready ourselves to offer the words of the the amidah as you saw through that beautiful camera angle that tammy shared for us through the michamocha our sanctuary is different our sanctuary is different trains transformed not just because of the realities of of the distance that this time requires of us but it's changed and transformed because we are we are in the midst of the um in the days of or we see the uh the blue mantles sitting over devorah's shoulder uh on the chairs our torahs are donned in and adorned in white we see uh ronda and michelle standing on the bimmer david behind the keyboard all bringing the beautiful sounds and sights of our holidays to us through the incredible work that they do but they are not the only additions to our services indeed as we move through the the amidah this morning you will find multiple insertions and additions for these uh these days of or they are listed as the readings for shabbat shava and i call them to your attention just as they intend to call us to attention this time of year our amidah on page 242. [Music] to [Music] hello [Music] hello [Laughter] [Music] is [Music] hello [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] they are [Music] i [Music] again [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] i [Music] robbie [Music] oh [Music] yes [Music] me [Music] amen [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Laughter] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] r [Music] m [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] page [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] [Music] a [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] so [Music] of this day of shabbat on page 253 we offer thanks our god for the shabbat which unites us in in faith and hope for shabbat holiness which inspires sacred living for shabbat memories glowing even in darkness for shabbat peace born of friendship and love we offer thanks and blessings of god baruch hashabat on page 254 our prayer of service the ratsay [Music] oh [Music] i [Music] is [Music] is [Music] no [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] on page 257 for the expanding grandeur of creation worlds known and unknown galaxies beyond galaxies filling us with ore and challenging our imagination we say for this fragile planet earth its times and tides its sunsets and seasons for the joy of human life its wonders and surprises its hopes and achievements for human community our common past and our future hope our oneness transcending all separation our capacity to work for peace and justice in the midst of hostility and depression for high hopes and noble causes for faith without fanaticism for understanding of views not shared mordim for all who have labored and have have suffered for a fairer world who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom mordem anna for human liberties and sacred rights for opportunities to change and grow to affirm and choose we pray that we may not live by our fears but by our hopes not by our words but by our deeds to your eternal one your name is goodness and you are worthy of thanksgiving and we give those thanks now with the words of sim shalom on page 200 and 62. [Music] is [Music] said [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] um [Music] is [Music] we pause for a few moments of silent personal prayer [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] sorry [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] [Music] amen amen and i'm in my friends we turn forward to uh to page 362 foreign about the the order of reading torah on this shabbat and as we discussed in parashat this morning uh the the tradition of telling our people's story is actually given to us from within the torah itself in this week's uh torah portion in parashat vailak and in fact the words on the facing page on page 363 come to us from our sidra verses 12 and 13 of our sidra this morning and i offer them as a as an introduction into both this ritual and this reading assemble the people men women and children and the strangers in your city to hear to learn to revere your eternal god to observe faithfully the words of this torah and let their children who do not yet know it here that they too may learn to revere your eternal god [Music] foreign [Music] see [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] dated [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] m [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] and so we uh uh turn to our continued telling of our people's story to seduce reading of of torah and as you'll see in a moment uh we are going to be uh laning and inviting people to share in this aliyah from from all over all over the city all over the state um but we're also going to be taking a moment to look into one of our uh less used less frequently used taurus scrolls and on rosh hashanah morning i i spoke of of two of our uh our most um distinctive scrolls uh the third perhaps amongst them is the scroll that we've come to refer to as the the jonas scroll uh uh a scroll donated to our community in memory of the the late walter and owen jonah it is a glorious scroll that brings together both safari and uh an ashkenazi tradition it has a tight script it is uh difficult to learn from but uh i encourage those of you who are watching on a larger screen to try your best to follow along in our in our torah camp we have three aliyah this morning uh and uh they all take us through uh uh parashat uh uh on this shabbat shava viala begins on our on page and sixty 1562 but the hazard will give the specific page uh readings uh for uh for the aliyah as we arrive at them and for our uh our first aliyah i'd like to invite on to our virtual women first as alaina caroline puzz and alongside of her uh it is my pleasure to invite to torah in celebration of uh all the significant birthdays in our congregation uh our friend andrew jacobovitz who himself has celebrated her birthday this week and so for our first aliyah we are in deuteronomy chapter 31 verses 1 and onwards which you'll find on page 1 547 one five four seven right hand column at the beginning of that that column um for this alia caroline will lane and andrew welcome to your 21st birthday celebration and along with andrew we also celebrate frank anaheim max bartus pam dura edan grossman felicity guthrie dylan hershen daniel rubin judith valamos all of whom have got birthdays this shabbat andrew would you join us with the blessing before the torah are who it nowhere [Music] thank you andrew you do look splendid for 21 i must say caroline would you lean for us [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] in honor of community in honor of family in honor of friends in honor of this new year but most particularly in honor of us your community being able to wish you a happy birthday uh uh this week where we celebrate not only a new year for uh our accounting but a new year uh for you too and we hope that uh that this year brings uh you and all those dear to you uh blessing and health and and most of all fulfillment we are a stronger community because of the dedicated works of of your hands we thank you for those we we have thank you for those in the past and we will do that again in the future but today we simply join together to wish you happy birthday and we say together amen thank you thank you and so we move uh from one celebration uh to another as uh andrew steps off our virtual bimmer uh caroline is going to stay there and uh you might notice the uh uh the the sil the gold balloons uh just over ruth's shoulder as uh as uh ruth and george uh uh when when when you join us up on the bimmer in celebration and recognition of the fact that this week uh the two of you celebrated your 50th wedding anniversary and so i'll uh i'll pass it over to the hazan to call you to torah as we recognize that celebrating alongside of you this week we also have in our community uh jack and evelyn rossman and frank and sarah steen okay for our secondary caroline will continue leaning from verse four which is on page one five four seven left hand column top line second word in and we call to torah [Music] and the blessing before the torah uruqua baruch baruch [Music] she [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign the holy one who blessed our forefathers and four mothers bless you ruth and you george in honor of torah shabbat in honor of community in honor of family in honor of those giant gold balloons sitting just over your shoulder but most particularly this shabbat surrounded by family and community yes at a distance and virtually but nevertheless surrounded by all of us the opportunity to celebrate what those balloons represent uh the large five the large zero celebrating the the 50 years that the two of you have spent together the life you have created that which you are continuing to create the blessings you've brought to each other and the blessings that together you have shared with so many others these are the things we are recognizing this shabbat there couldn't be any more a better thing to celebrate as we begin a new year that which we as individuals in partnership and relationship with one another can do in this world may god bless you may god bless all those that are dear to you may god be this year and all those that lie ahead be as as as meaningful and as fulfilled as as possible and we say together amen as we wish you muslim and so as we move uh from celebration uh to remembrance the the yad moves now uh uh from caroline to our khazan as we uh continue with the uh the reading of our sidra but bring back to uh to torah uh andrew once more this time alongside uh alongside his his sister julie uh we also bring in uh sylvie jonas uh david ben tata and his sister monique and michael best as we recognize uh that through you there are many families in our community uh who are mourning at this time all of you uh represent those who have uh recalled and remember the passing of a loved one this past year but alongside of you even though you cannot see them recognize the balance and the burner families the dura the farber and the goldman families the goldsmiths the lebranskis and the lees the lows the lustigs the marlabs and the maisoners the marins the the pfeffers the pulvers and the rubber venuses the rothfields the salzmans the schweitzers and the sloanins the sonnenbergs the stars the steens and the turins the valentines and the wechslers far too many houses in our congregation have been lit by the candle the light of remembrance this week and you honor all of them as well as those that you love as by taking these uh these steps up onto our virtual bummer for the saliyah michelle if i could invite you to please call them to torah and let us know where we're reading from we are on page one five four seven left hand column second line from the bottom fourth word in there's a summary which is the paragraph break symbol pardon me and for this aliyah we invite yamdoo abraham [Music] [Music] you'll join with the blessing before the torah for us uh so the portion from verse 7 and onwards speaks of moses the charge that moses gives to joshua and to the people to inherit the torah and to read the torah and so you'll find that the cantillation alternates a little bit between shabbat and high holidays verse seven and one onwards leo is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] hey [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] no [Music] after the torah may the holy one who blessed our our forefathers and and foremothers bless each of you in honor of torah in honor of shabbat in in honor of the celebrations we've recognized before in in honor of this new year but most particularly at this moment in honor of those who you literally stand at the torah or stand before torah i should say in recognition of and in remembrance of david and monique it is the first anniversary of your father's passing taken far too soon on on father's day last year and while we can't be together and shul being together in this way is a wonderful way to remember him and and his legacy and how much he valued community and tradition and you honor him greatly by being here today andrew and julie you two gather as siblings remembering your mother uh taken seven years ago uh she lived a long and a full life she knew how much uh how much you meant to her and how much she meant to to each of you and the legacy you continue to to nurture through your children and your grandchildren is a great honor to her and to you michael too you also stand on the spinner remembering your your beautiful mother been known so well to so many in our congregation she brightened up the room when she walked in she was a petite a small person but a a pillar of strength uh for all who who knew her and her her loss and the memory of it must still be something that you felt so keenly by you and sylvie you uh you stand on this bimmer in in recognition of the fact that we are a people of remembrance you stand yeah remembering uh your grandparents uh claire and ludwig and uh by being here you're also bringing honor to them as well as reaffirming the shelter kabbalah the chain of tradition which is uh so significant in our people's practice the act of getting onto a zoom in the world in which we live is not a complicated one we're all getting very proficient at it but by choosing to do it this morning on this shabbat the shabbat which marks a week of remembrance for all of you and your families is a significant act an act that recognizes that you have lost so much but you have also loved so very very much and we give thanks for that and ask that god bless you that god bless all those that are dear to you and particularly that god bless the memory of those who you represent and we say together for no matter so as we uh allow each of those mourners to step off our virtual vemma we turn our attention back to the uh to the sanctuary where we are going to offer now uh a prayer of of healing for those who are unwell in our community the prayer of healing the mishap can be found on page 371 371 in the prayer book [Music] may the source of strength who blessed the ones before us help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing and let us say [Music] [Music] david arthur helen strangus wufadia [Music] ilana frey anna jacoby patrick buckley raymond rich morris sloanim john matas david friedman dr robert stanley ilana ester batrachel gabriel ben ilana ester you may wish to add additional names in the chat or perhaps hold them dear in your heart as you think of them for a blessing for healing join with me on page 371. [Music] with [Music] say [Music] for those who wish we rise as we give honor to the torah [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] and so as the torah is dressed in the sanctuary we uh move now to our after our reading for this shabbat shava the after hour for shabbat is rather unique in our tradition in that it brings together a number of different voices from our prophetic tradition uh josiah michael and and also joel and can be found on page 1634 in the the plot homash it is my my privilege and pleasure to invite on to our virtual bimmer um patrick prunster to offer the haftarah for us on this shabbat it is a way of us recognizing patrick both a birthday this week for you as well as the anniversary of of your bar mitzvah as well as an opportunity to to thank you once more for the many things that you do in our community uh uh the roles you play in hinenu and gesher are singular and significant but also the support that you continue to give all of us through our family services and the like as we work towards yom kippur is also been magnificent so so we thank you and we invite you to honor us with the huff torah thank you so as gosh outlined the haftarah today is taken from three prophets jose michael and joel and it begins with hosea's call on israel to return to god hence the name of today shabbat shalom then uh three verses come from michael that assure us of god's readiness to forgive our sins and finally the selection from joel pictures the fullness of god's forgiving grace all three of these prophets point to the same spiritual condition of israel the nation the people are in dread danger of destruction because of having forsaken god but repentance will remove him to grant forgiveness to his people how long has [Music] [Music] is for you have stumbled in your iniquity take words with you and return to the eternal and say forgive all iniquity and accept the good and we shall offer the fruit of our lips assyria cannot save us we shall ride on horses no more and never again shall we say eloheinu our god to the works of our hands for when you alone the orphan finds compassion i will heal their disloyalty i will love them freely for my wrath has turned away from them i will be like due to israel they shall blossom like a lily and strike roots like the trees of lebanon their shoots shall spread out wide their splendor like an olive trees their fragrance like that of lebanon those who sit in their shade shall return to me and they shall grow their corn and blossom like a vine renowned as the wine of lebanon ephraim shall say what are idols to me now i will respond and look to him for i am a luxuriant cyprus from which your fruit is found the wise shall understand these things the discerning shall know them that straight are the ways of the eternal while the righteous walk in them transgressors stumble on them me el jamon assembly gather the people sanctify the congregation assemble the elders gather the children and babes at the breast let the bridegroom come out of his chamber the bride from her canopy between the vestibule and the altar let the priests the ministers of the eternal weep and say have pity on your people eternal one let not your heritage be mocked be a byword among the nations why should they say among the peoples where is their god then the eternal showed zeal for this land and compassion for god's people the eternal answered god's people saying behold i will send you grain wine and oil and it will satisfy you and i will no longer let you be put to shame among the nations i will remove the northerner far from you and drive it to a land parched and desolate facing the eastern sea with the western sea at its rear its stent shall rise up its foul smell shall ascend for god is doing great things fear not o soil rejoice and be glad for the eternal is doing great things fear not obese at the field for the pastures of the wilderness are green every tree bears its fruit the fig tree and the vine give their yield o children of zion rejoice and be glad in the eternal your god who in kindness is giving you the early rain pouring rain down for you the early rain and the later rain of the first month the threshing floors shall be heaped with grain the vats shall overflow with wine and oil vegeta [Music] hello 10 then you shall know that i am in the midst of israel that i the eternal am your god and there is no other my people shall never again [Music] patrick thank you for that uh beautiful uh reading of our haftarah uh the color and texture you bring to it really makes this uh shabbat rava so beautiful and i thank you for all that you do in in our community with torah out uh before us we uh take the moment to recognize that there is a there is much happening in our world in our country and in our congregation that is worthy of our reflection as well as a additional blessings of hope and and aspiration we do that first by inviting on to our virtual bimmer uh peter cohen who's going to offer the prayer for our the prayer for our country peter we haven't seen you outside of shul in recent weeks or months so i thought it would be nice and reassuring for the congregation to to see you inside the inside the congregation thank you very much prayer for our country let us bless our country of australia and all its people let us have dreams in this historic land of dreamers let the hot winds from the desert fire our imagination let the red soil of the plains keep us rooted to the things that matter that the waters of our rivers lakes and oceans flow into our hearts giving us depth and understanding keep our eyes open to the beauty of this land may we strive to keep its beauty present and strong help us remember those who have lived in this land before us and those who have made it their home in more recent times may we never be lazy in the work for peace may we honor those who have died in defense of our ideals grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance they they lead with justice and compassion let our compassion be like the encompassing coastlines of our continent may acceptance goodness and peace lives deadly within this enduring sorry within this ancient and enduring land amen amen and thank you for offering that blessing for us and thank you for all that you do for for our community i'm going to be continuing now with an alternative blessing for the people and and state of israel as some of you are aware i have the privilege of sitting on the advisory board of the the israel movement for progressive judaism and i was present just before rosh hashanah uh when the decision was made and the announcement was uh made that uh that uh anna kalansky will will be appointed as the new uh director general of the impj and that uh all the areas likovsky known to many of us uh for her visits out to australia in the past has been appointed as the new director of iraq these two incredibly important organizations that uh that have transformed our values and our vision for the state of israel they replace of course gilad kareem who has been elected to nestet and noah satash who has moved from the iraq to take on the leadership of israel's leading social justice organization and we are so proud of of both of their representations uh in the broader uh uh community they bring our voice uh to israeli society just before shabbos i was able to uh to to to meet with anna and ollie and uh they recorded a a blessing for the the state of israel unfortunately uh the technology didn't quite work and so in their place in their stead but in celebration of their incredible work and the fact that our movement is is led by these uh incredible women i want to offer a a blessing for israel penned by a another extraordinary female leader of our people anna hoffman in this sacred moment give us hope for israel and her future renew our wonder at the miracle of the jewish state in the name of the pioneers who made the desert bloom give us the tools to cultivate a diversity of jewish expression in israel in the name of our fallen soldiers give us the courage to stand up to the words and ways of zealots those in our own midst and those amongst our neighbours in the name of israeli innovators who have amazed the world with their innovations help us apply the same ingenuity to finding a path to peace in the name of those individuals all of those individuals grant us the strength to to conquer doubt and despair in israel replacing doubt with action replacing despair with hope and let us say amen in welcoming you to uh sure this morning i also uh recognized that today is the 20th anniversary of the horrific attacks on the uh the twin towers in new york i know that this uh these attacks affected so many in in our community um through their professional and their personal lives but uh perhaps none more so than our friend and member jonathan barnett who was part of the investigation team uh that uh sought to understand the nature of this tragedy the nature of this attack and to try to see how we could learn from it uh that that events like this could please god never happen again and if they were to happen by uh by act of terror or by accident that uh the loss of life could be could be minimalized in recognizing that this time is a challenging one for you jonathan we wanted you to be comforted in the presence of community and we asked you to offer a blessing in in recognition and remembrance of these events and a prayer for peace in our time and in the times ahead thank you creator of all source and shelter grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace to those who died in the 9 11 attacks on the united states remember the works of their hands and the message of their hearts grant their families peace and comfort for your name's sake and for the sake of those who perished bring an end to violence and terror throughout the world speedily in our days may their memories be sanctified with joy and love may their souls be bound up in the bond of life a living blessing in our midst amen to that blessing and a man to all of the blessings we turn our focus now back into the sanctuary as we return the scroll to the ark we are on page 374. [Music] m [Music] is [Music] [Music] the [Music] [Applause] [Music] no [Music] foreign [Music] and so my friends on this uh on this shabbat shava i've been thinking what it is that i could add to the remarks that we have made and shared on rosh hashanah that would help us individually and collectively get to get closer to where it is that uh we we want to be uh for yom kippur for we are reminded that uh is a a time where we can atone for uh for sins between ourselves and the holy one but it doesn't atone for uh for actions uh inadvertent or otherwise that we have made between our fellow humans our fellow people until we have made amends for that but i recognize as as much as each of you do that uh the process of chavar of repentance of schwa of return is is much often easier spoken about them than actually done and i recognize that it's it's even harder this year as a remoteness our distance from one another is is is as great as it is which is why i was so personally grateful to have been able to join with so many members of our community um including one of our laners today caroline puzz who assisted me in in leading our a little book club uh as we made our way through this uh this remarkable book mikhail ashman's uh what would you do if you weren't afraid the book has uh has ten chapters in all it's a remarkably easy read and if you're thinking right now what can i do to uh to settle my mind and my spirit as we head towards yom kippur then i would be strongly recommending uh either hitting a dimmix or a local bookstore or going on to to amazon or orderville or whichever way in which you consume your your literature and getting a copy it is a remarkably easy read something that could keep it comfortably be done in a in the in in a day as we head towards the um but it is uh the lessons we learned in reading this as a community that i really wanted to share and i wanted to share them with you in the as community in a way that uh that i haven't done before i hope i hope you don't mind but throughout our our study of uh this book we uh we shared readings and texts from within it trying to find verses that spoke to us through through each of its its ten chapters including the apt words of of albert einstein who mikhail introduces us to us as she introduces herself to us she's not a great scholar of jewish tradition grew up as a secular israeli uh worked in advertising and marketing uh took on incredible roles at uh at facebook and now serves as the head of culture at tiktok she works in the millennial industry as a millennial but does give us incredible wisdom of our tradition that she learnt along the way the title of the book what would you do if you weren't afraid it was uh it was what she read as a sign that hung upon the entry into her first day of work at facebook and it's a question which carried her her forward on into so much of her work and so much of her thinking as i said there are 10 chapters in all and on this shabbat i'd like to share with you one lesson i learned from from each of these 10 chapters the first of the chapters is mitzrayim it's a chapter that reminds us that we're all on a pathway to discovery and that discovery begins in a a narrow place each of us has a personal it's rhyme our own narrow space traits that restrict us that stifle us that that trap us mitzrayim is of course the the word used to describe the land of of egypt the place where we were enslaved admits rhyme is also that narrowness that we find in in each of our lives and it's something we need to recognize before we can move forward next mikhail goes on to to talk to us about the importance of neshama our founding our flame our our spirit the takeaway from this chapter which uh challenged us to hear our own breath to hear our inner voice was to uh to nurture our precious souls you must look past the the first superficial aspects of of daily life she teaches so that we can find our purpose and the summer our spirit we begin a road to return by recognizing that we are all in a narrow place and then in that narrow place we listen to ourselves and in listening to ourselves we arrive at this concept of of bittel bitter is in and of itself an incredible jewish concept it's one about nullification and emptiness and it reminds us that if we want to engage in the process of as she writes we need to empty our empty our hearts and our minds of all the unhelpful uh thoughts that try to fill ourselves and and we need to replace them with the right things with the with meaningful things with purposeful with purposeful things it's all is about nothingness the pursuit of nothingness so that we're able to find individually and communally all of the things that we want to fill our lives with the next lesson that mikhail teaches in this book that i want to share with you on this shabbat shavar comes from a song and a teaching that many of us know well geshed sam the whole world is a narrow bridge i grew up singing the song like many of you around the campfire at camp but she recognizes that all of us have bridges we need to pass paths we need to uh to travel and sometimes the narrowness of that uh that bridge can be uh terrifying her reminder her lesson we must always move forward if we want to conquer our fears just the action of taking a single step may be enough to to change things to change things for you or to change things for those that are are dear to you the bridge is a reality traveling through it is a uh is a necessity but as we do that we shouldn't aspire for a perfection of any of any real form in fact the next chapter of her work goes on to to talk about the fact that we're all broken is this jewish value of brokenness but brokenness is not a problem broken people should not be discarded as she writes in fact it is in the space between the shards of our broken hearts and our fragmented selves that we're able to learn and grow we need to make mistakes so that we can learn from them without being broken there would be no reason to be seeking a sense of improvement a better sense of of self but how we go about that search that's the next chapter that she takes us to as she introduces us to the notion of simpson simpson's a wonderful rabbinic term it literally means contraction making that which is large small and it is her advice that the value and practice of simpson is what will allow us to to be closer to our true selves and more prepared to to engage in the opportunities and challenge of the year ahead she writes that the space we create around ourselves when we retract should be a space that is free of judgment and ego by taking up less space we allow ourselves to to help others grow to literally give them space and in that process grow ourselves as well learning humility and compassion simsum is a valuable tool an important lesson and it leads us down the path towards towards repair repair is the next theme that she introduces us to us in in this incredible work repair the notion of of tikkun the idea of of tikkun shows shows us that we are all in need of repairing in one form or one shape or one way and when we acknowledge that when we acknowledge our brokenness as well as our our struggles we show others that they can be themselves without fear of of judgment or rejection flawed quirky emotional quiet passionate by showing our brokenness and our commitment to a repair we should help others remove their masks mistakes are okay failure is fine we need to be kind to ourselves we need to reflect our best selves in in how we act and and what we do and so in this process of preparing for the new year challenges us to take on the jewish value of sadaka not just the giving of charity not the exchange of of items of value but by doing the right thing justice justice you should pursue she writes so beautifully being a mensch isn't optional it should be part of our everyday thinking we should be living and leading like a mensch seeking fairness and justice for for those who rely on us as well as those who who we don't even know that is our calling that is what it means to be aware and and present the ninth and ultimate theme that mikhail challenges us to consider to consider as we look to be our very best self is the value of of education by learning about ourselves and by learning about the other to understand how we want to receive information but to also be aware of how it is that others best hear it she challenges us to create a place where others feel accepted and listened to and most of all uh a place where you can help them discover their individual passions ambitions and and dreams and help guide them on their their own journeys we are our best selves when we are educating and inculcating values of self-realization and self-exploration in those we love those we work with those we care about all of these journeys all of these chapters all of these values the values of mithraim the importance of our souls and spirit on the of bitter of of geshe or shivra timsum tikkun of tsadaka and of all lead us towards the task of the season and the theme of the shabbat and that is the idea the principle of of chava trivar is is about returning the idea of returning is a incredibly powerful thing in and of itself the new year is not about telling us to go somewhere we've never been before the challenge of the season is not to become something which is not anything other than who we are we are challenged to return to our very best selves through the process of and if we really think about how to to return to to our essence and to our unique paths we'll be able to to move forward with with purpose with meaning and without fear what more could we want for the new year than the ability to move forward with purpose with meaning and without fear i am not a avid reader i consume most of my content digitally and a disproportional amount of it auditorily i have to say i love this book and i read it multiple times not because it introduced me to new concepts not because it was the height of rabbinic lessons or literature but because in a beautiful way in a quintessentially the jewish way it reminded us it reminded me and reminded those who i worked with in our little book club the wisdom of einstein it reminded me that if we change nothing nothing will change and if there is any lesson that could be appropriate for this it should be that if you change nothing nothing will change i hope i hope as we move towards yom kippur you're able to make the change that is necessary in your life so that we individually and communally can be sealed for blessing in the year to come may we all be inscribed for good as i hand back to the sanctuary and invite you to turn to page 586 as we offer the alino prayer and before we get to elena will blow shofar i'll do the calls if gesh is going to blow thank you very much michelle for the reminder we're just going to bring you up on screen with me to do that and adjust our sound the shofar is the the physical act that uh that matches this spiritual journey that we're working on uh the sound of the shofar are not referred to as as notes or blasts but rather cries they encourage us to hear the cries of uh humanity around us and then to respond to it in every way that we can as our very best selves [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] ah foreign [Music] is on page 586 586. [Music] um [Music] hey [Music] if [Music] foreign [Music] remain standing as we turn our uh thoughts to those who are no longer with us and ready ourselves to offer the words of kadisha tom the the mourner's kaddish kadisha tom can be found on page 598.5 this time we think about those who have most recently be taken from us those who we've lost here and fair world in the days since the new year we think of renee crane of harry redner and of lillian terry we think of the shim the first 30 days of the passing of louise abrams glenda bernstein raymond gandol kent abraham drakovi zelik kaminsky stanley klinger len levine ron liner and octobrina oshman len leon strauss and alan michael wolf and on this shabbat shava we think of those as yacht sites we're observing amelia aarons joe bentata being a best gertrude bach esther chachron jackie goldsmith fritz hurling leslie honig magda jacobovitz claire jonas ludwig jonas baron labransky ann lee les levy ron lowe pinchas meisner anne maron marla pfeffer philip opus james rock jaisal rothfield harold sackville hunker salsman baruch shustic david simon dolphy spitz jeffree star lothasteen greta tobias richard valentine and abraham wechsler we think of all of those who we have loved and who we've lost as we offer the words of kadisha tom the mourner's kaddish shame leila may the one who causes peace to reign in the heavens above bring peace to all of us to all humanity and to that we say amen i welcome our president up on to our virtual bimmer to offer some greetings now from our board of governors thank you rabbi lazaro i wish long life to those who are in mourning and joining us in time of memory shabbat shalom and now we find ourselves between ashish and yom kippur it is eerily silent in my street in my house internally for a person that is more action than reflection these 10 days allow an introspection of sorts perhaps the closest this coffee drinker will be to being still i was asked by a tbi member about the coal israel magazine why the words repair and return renew reconnect reset re-engage i responded they're the words of this season aren't they but they're more than mere words for hope after our personal reflection surely we seek to be moved to action moved to improve moved to being our best selves there is no one size fits all to what is being repaired to how we renew ourselves it is personal and the words speak differently to each of us so this shabbat shava with special insertions indulge the president we are all broken we ask are you okay we hear an answer do we listen to the answer or are we so caught up in our own brokenness that we neither hear nor listen or do we twist the words to suit our purpose do we agitate thinking we know best is this our best selves we are all broken we want to return and to return is different for each of us we want to be whole we are broken and that's okay and that is okay what is not okay is to add to someone's brokenness to dismiss someone's brokenness to challenge someone's brokenness to put our own experience in someone else's story it's their story so during these 10 days of repentance i've been thinking of words and actions and both are damaging and both are repairing we've been given a gift of language how do we use that gift are our words breaking others or are our words healing others this shabbat shava we want to return we want to be whole and just in case i start receiving words remember the carly simon song however if my words resonate perhaps it is time to stop doing what you are doing and to be part of the healing it's not okay to add to the brokenness thank you to our service leaders to caroline patrick peter and jonathan you inspire us to be our best selves connie dre family service is wednesday the 15th of september at 5 30 and colney dre at 7 30. the service times for yom kippur are in the claudia swayam magazine or use the qr code to scan for the information services run throughout the day beginning with the tot service at 8 30. escort is at 4 30 and neila at 5 45 the fast on wednesday begins at 5 52 pm and ends on thursday at 6 50 p.m i wish you all well over the fast gama hati ma tova [Music] [Music] the rest of us will have to make our way to to kiddish in our kitchens in our family rooms in our homes or perhaps on a walk this shabbos afternoon we'll leave each other with the traditional words of the the season [Music] [Applause] [Music] go [Music] you

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Length: 136min 56sec (8216 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 10 2021