Please join us tonight for Pride Shabbat taking place during Afternoon/Evening Services at 6:00 pm.
We are proud to have a diverse and inclusive congregation that includes members of the LGBTQ community and allies of the LGBTQ community.
Special D'var Torah From Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham
- Parshat Sh'lach-
We are told in Pirkei Avot (4:17) that there are three crowns, and “the crown of a good name surpasses them all.” This cliché, of course, has been used endlessly; yet, it is still relevant. In our Parshah, Sh'lach L'kha, we have the renowned story of the 12 spies dispatched to what was then Canaan to reconnoiter. All goes awry when 10 out of the 12 spies return with a negative report that the people in Canaan were like giants and we, therefore, have no chance to defeat them. Joshua and Caleb are the only ones who have the faith we can defeat the Canaanites.
Each of the spies are named. Essentially, the ten who had no confidence or conviction after witnessing everything that had gone on post-Egypt had their reputations shot down right then and there. On the other hand, Joshua and Caleb are rewarded with leadership roles in the Promised Land for their trust in God.
According to the Talmud (Sotah 34b), names have the power to tell us about the nature of an individual. The Sages applied this maxim to the ten spies who spoke negatively about the Land, explaining that the names of the spies were not their given names at birth. Rather, they explain that the Torah ascribes to them names that reflect their destructive behavior. The names of the spies that appear in the text describe their attempt to deceive and entice the nation to all but abandon the Holy Land.
This idea applies not only to our children or our companies but also to our institutions. Respected contemporary Rabbi Mordechai Gross notes in his Shema Garim, “When giving a name to a community, synagogue, study hall, neighborhood, city, or any similar body, this requires careful deliberation, for the essential life of the matter and its root in holiness is based on the name it was given.”
When each of my three boys were born, there were always “deliberations” as to what the name should be. This was not only between my wife Lauren and me but between us and a myriad of other relatives, as well. You can obviously give as much (or as little) credence to “names” as you like. I have had friends who changed their names or had families whose names were changed upon entering America. My take is that the “crown of a good name” is derived from what you actually do in life, not from what others think it should be. May we all perform admirable deeds in our lives to merit having a “good name.”
Sydney is the daughter of Scot and Laura Fowler and sister to Catherine, Joshua and Lucy (Z”L). Sydney’s grandparents are Fran Milsk, David and Barbara Milsk, Andrew and Donna Fowler, and Marilyn Fowler.
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, June 4 - Pride Shabbat
Friday Evening Services with Cantor Sharon Nathanson in the Guller Chapel: 6:00 pm
Torah For Today with Rabbi Neal Rose: Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion: 11:00 am via Zoom (only)
In-Person Teens Talk about Israel: 11:15 am
Students in Middle School are invited to join Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham to learn and share their thoughts about Israel in a safe space. CLICK HERE to RSVP.
In-Person
Shabbat Play @ BA: 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Children of all ages are invited to join us on the playground, basketball court and fields for a fun afternoon and popsicles.
Shabbat Afternoon/Evening Services: Torah study with Rabbi Neal Rose, Minchah and Ma'ariv led by Dr. David Kantor in the Guller Chapel: 7:30 pm
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
Virtual Evening Services and Minyanim
Sunday - Thursday Evening Minyan will take place virtually at 6:15 pm
via Zoom,Livestream and FB Live
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 up to 125 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 75 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. 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!
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.
Beverly Blitz on her son Jonathan Blitz, winning, with his business partner, gold in the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for their Broken Oak Bourbon Whiskey entry.
Mazel Tov to Abby Kelman and Peter Barg on the engagement of their daughter, Hannah Barg to Peter Fogel. Peter is the son of Dr. David Allan Fogel (Z"L) and Kristine Ann Edwards (Z"L). Hannah is the sister of Alexander, Emma and Adina Barg and Peter is the brother of Jessica and Jeremy Fogel.
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.
