D'var Torah From Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham
- Parshat Bamidbar -
When we enter the world of the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, In the Wilderness, I harken back to the discomfort of my own camping experiences; there was always grumbling from me or my brother. Yet, the wilderness is the place of revelation. True, its discomforts and exertions bring the people's character flaws to the surface, but it is there that they discern the voice of God and their national mission. Numbers begins in the wilderness but concludes on the banks of the River Jordan, across from Jericho. The people who arrive are battle-hardened, but what has become of their spirit?
Later books of the Bible present conflicting reports of Israel in the wilderness. Jeremiah (2:2) speaks fondly of the young love of Israel for God, like a bride following her groom. But the Book of Psalms (95:10) recalls the desert trek as 40 years of incessant whining. Both accounts have verisimilitude. The desert was a place of terror and grievances but also a place of inspiration and love. Perhaps the challenges of the wilderness are a necessary discomfort for a revelation of the spirit. In Second Isaiah, the prophet who seeks to reboot the covenant after the catastrophic destruction and exile, begins his words, “A voice cries out in the wilderness: ‘Make a path for the Lord!’” (40:3) The wilderness speaks, hamidbar medaber, and generations of Jews have returned to its rugged isolation to discover the divine presence.
Of course, the wilderness goes from daunting to frightening. It is a place of extremes—of dangerous animals, of searing heat and punishing frost, of scarce food and water. A minor mishap can become a life-threatening emergency. And so, when we venture into the wilderness, we go well-equipped, just as our ancestors tried to be. Bamidbar opens the desert trek with a precisely described sense of order. Moses is like a scoutmaster, preparing his charges. There is a census and then a detailed description of the arrangement of the camp, replete with visual imagery of colorful banners under which our ancestors marched. They were well-organized in the beginning—as befits the start of an expedition — but, in this book, the people of Israel will repeatedly break ranks, betray one another, and turn on their leaders. The farther Israel gets from Sinai, the fainter grows its inspiring message, and the louder grow its voices of doubt and fear.
Once a year, on Shavuot, the people of Israel figuratively reorient themselves toward the mountain of God.[i] This Sunday night, Monday, and Tuesday we will celebrate Shavuot, the holiday of revelation. On Shavuot eve, during our Tikkun Leil Shavuot, let us try to wake up and listen closely, opening ourselves once more to hear the voice of our God.
[i] Just as we do not know where Moses is buried, we do not know where the mountain of God, Mount Sinai is. Our rabbis tell us that we do not want to turn them into unintended shrines.
Shabbat Spotlight
Shabbat Candlelighting:
Friday, May 14 at 7:47 pm
Havdallah, Saturday, May 15 at 8:30 pm
Please click the links below for this week's Torah and Haftarah commentary
This Shabbat, we are proud to celebrate the B'nai Mitzvah of both Sohaila Rafael and Dorian. Sohaila will make her way to the Bimah for her Bat Mitzvah during our Shabbat Morning Service at 9:00 am and Dorian will have his Bar Mitzvah at our Shabbat Afternoon/Evening Service at 7:00 pm. Please see below to meet Sohaila and Dorian.
Sohaila is the daughter of Tina and Tobias Rafael and the sister of Jacob. Her grandparents are Robert & Lisa Rafael, Vita Geraldi, Anita Rafael and Steve Copilevitz.
When we have Congregants participating in Services from their homes via Zoom on Friday and Saturday Evenings, we recognize that the audio may be difficult to hear on our Livestream or Facebook Live. To insure you hear all of our wonderful participants, we highly encourage you to join our services via Zoom. The links to join in on Zoom are provided in the schedule below.
If you need help connecting to our services or classes via Zoom, please contact Liessa Alperin atliessa@bnaiamoona.com. Todah Rabbah!
Friday, May 14
Friday Evening Services & Confirmation Ceremony with Cantor Sharon Nathanson in the Guller Chapel: 6:00 pm
Pre-B'nai Mitzvah participation of Sohaila Rafael and Dorian.
Family Shabbat and Shavuot Experience in the Guller Chapel: 10:30 am
Families are invited to join Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham, Lauren Abraham and Morah Brandi Roach in the Guller Chapel for a celebration of Shabbat and Shavuot. This program is recommended for families with children in third grade and younger.
Online registration is required. Please click HERE to register.
Torah For Today with Rabbi Neal Rose: Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion: What is the Ritual "Pidyon Haben": 11:00 am
Shabbat Afternoon/Evening Services: Minchah and Ma'ariv led by Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose, Cantor Sharon Nathanson and Rabbi Neal Rose in the Main Sanctuary: 7:00 pm
Following our Kumzitz & Tikkun Leyl Shavuot program, we invite you to join the Conservative Movement Wide Tikkun Leil Shavuot. B'nai Amoona is proud to sponsor this event that will connect Jews worldwide in the celebration of Shavuot. Please see the box below for more information.
Conservative/Masorti Tikkun Leil Shavuot:
May 16th at 11:00 am – May 17th at 11:00 am
B'nai Amoona is a proud sponsor of the Conservative Movement Wide Tikkun Leil Shavuot happening virtually for 24 hours across the world! The Conservative/Masorti Tikkun Leil Shavuot is on May 16th from 11:00 am – May 17th at 11:00 am CST. Join in the Tikkun anytime during the 24 hours on May 16 or 17, particularly before or after our BA Tikkun and Kumzitz.
This Tikkun is in partnership with the Rabbinical Assembly, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), the Cantors Assembly (CA), the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs (FJMC), Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano, and the Women's League for Conservative Judaism. ClickHEREto view the full list of supporting organizations.
Access to the experience is FREE for all. ClickHEREfor the full schedule of the learning
Monday, May 17 - Shavuot Day 1
Shavuot Day 1 Services with a special honor for our Minyanaires in the Main Sanctuary: 9:00 am In-Person (online registration required),Livestreamand FB Live
A Message Regarding Minyanaire Shavuot:
We want to honor all of you! You have all been so flexible and loyal in helping support our Minyanaire Community this past year during the pandemic. We could not have done it without you. Minyanaires will be honored on the first day of Shavuot which is Monday, May 17, 2021. We would like everyone to register and come in person Monday morning.
You can register by clickingHERE, if you need assistance is signing up, please just ask.
Our B’nai Amoona’s Minyan Program consists of our amazing, dedicated Minyannaires who assure warm and welcoming ongoing daily Minyanim, morning and evening. These services support those in our community who have lost loved ones and may be feeling lonely and isolated. Our BA virtual Minyanim are a constant source of strength and comfort for those who wish to recite the Kaddish. Moreover, our Minyanim are a wonderful opportunity for spiritual uplift, social connection, community building, and the ability to fulfill one's daily Chiyuv, duty, to thank God for all that we have. This combination of Kehillah and Kibbitzing allows up to remain spiritually connected despite being socially distant. All are warmly welcomed! Please join us!
Virtual Morning Services and Minyanim
Sunday - Morning Minyan will take place virtually at 9:00 am
Monday - Friday Morning Minyan will take place virtually at 7:00 am
via Zoom, Livestream and FB Live
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/97189645201
Meeting ID: 971 8964 5201 This Zoom link is for all morning Minyan Services
Please mark your calendars: We will honor our Minyanaires during Shavuot Day 1 Services taking place on Monday, May 17, 2021 at 9:00 am. Please see below for more information.
As we honor our Minyanaires during our Shavuot Day One Services, we also want to take time to remember our Minyanaires of Blessed Memory:
Morris Alex
Maurine Axelbaum
Rita Balk
Richard Baron
Carlos Berger
Harry Berger
Herb Bilinsky
Marge Bilinsky
Bob Blatt
Florence Brodkin
Leonard Chod
Edward Copilevitz
Jack Fivel
Harlan Floom
Ron Gersten
Roz Glazer
Judy Goldman
Maury Gordon
Harvey Hieken
Rick Hitt
Rabbi Meyer Kahan
Harry Kauffman
Sol Klarfeld
Dolly Krawll
Adrian Levin
Samuel Liberman
Rabbi Benard Lipnick
Joseph Lott
Mary Jo Maroney
Marilyn Mishkin
Albert (Obbie) Price
Fred Radman
Melvin Rayma
Ben Sachs
Richard Sher
Jay Shucart
Bernard Susman
Harold Shapiro
Yana Shapiro
Bob Simon
Meyer Steinberg
Nathan Stoliar
Barbara Stone
Harold Tenenbaum
William & Elaine Wolff
Celeste Weiselman
Leonard Zellinger
Leon Zvibleman
In-Person Shabbat Service Registration
Shalom! Registration for in-person Shabbat Morning Services is now open to the congregation when there is NO Bar or Bat Mitzvah taking place. We are, at the recommendation of our physicians, currently permitting to 100 people in our Sanctuary and those spots are reserved initially for the family and friends of the Bar or Bat Mitzvah. If we should have space available on a particular Shabbat morning and after confirming with the Bat/Bar family, we will post that information via our website and registration will be available for members of the B’nai Amoona family.
In addition, we are now permitting up to 50 participants in-person for our Friday Night and Saturday afternoon services in the Guller Chapel. Because of Bar and Pre Bar and Bat Mitzvah Participations, we will be following the same process as Shabbat Morning Services; the family will be given the option of inviting 50 guests to attend and then will let us know how many openings they have. We will then post that information for registration on our website.
Currently, we have B’nai Mitzvah scheduled each Shabbat morning through June, but we are taking reservations for upcoming Friday Night and Saturday Afternoon/Evening Services as well as Shavuot Services (please see below for dates). We anticipate more services being open and available for registration. Please watch for your emails as various Services open up. As always, we encourage everyone to join our Services virtually, on Facebook Live and Livestream, if you are not able to join us live in Shul!
Todah Rabbah for your understanding and support as we inch ever closer to our new normal!
You may now register for in-person Services on the following dates:
Friday Night, May 14, 2021 at 6:00 pm
Saturday Afternoon/Evening, May 15, 2021 at 7:30 pm
Congregation B'nai Amoona's
"Lehrhaus" - Adult Education Institute
Please click the button below for a list of our Adult Education Opportunities including class schedules, descriptions, registration information, and Zoom links. Please note our newest classes.
Noa Rose for being accepted into the Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel. Noa will be part of the class of 2025. She is the daughter of Rabbi Carnie Shalom and Paulie Rose and sister of Zakai, Levi and Ellior Rose.
This Shavuot, our Minyan Leaders and Minyan "Zoom Angels" (moderators) will be honored as B'nai Amoona's Minyanaires of the Year. Todah Rabbah to each of these facilitators.
The following are all of our amazing Minyan Leaders: Rabbi Jeffery Abraham
Judy Abrams
Beverly Chervitz
Andy & BelleAnne Curry
Zamir Eidelman
Ken Eiger
Jay Englander
Harvey Greenstein
David Kantor
Jackie Lueg
Rick Mazur
Hazzan Sharon Nathanson
Craig Neuman
Joel Perlmutter
Rabbi Carnie Rose
Rabbi Neal Rose
Elior Rose
Levi Rose
Zakai Rose
Joel & Debra Spigel
Warren Schultz
Here are our marvelous Minyan Zoom Angels (moderators): Liessa Alperin
Rachel Bray Spezia
Laurie & Stuart Cohen
Beverly Fogelman
Mark Gersten
Sheryl Kalman
Sue Rich
Shiloh Roash
Vickie Shuchart
Jewish tradition teaches “Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh,” meaning that we are all
responsible for each other (B.Talmud Shevuot 39a).
Our B'nai Amoona Klei Kodesh is proud to join other local Jewish spiritual leaders in issuingTHIS STATEMENTin favor of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, continuing to wear a mask and practice social distancing as recommended by the CDC and other medical and other public health authorities.
As more people receive the Covid-19 vaccine, we encourage you to download and print the prayers below. We recommend you say them when you receive your vaccination.
