Dear Friends,

Friday is Shavuot, and in the coming days, we have many opportunities to celebrate our Summer Harvest Festival (more on this in a moment). First, a little history.

Shavuot celebrates the receiving of Torah at Sinai. According to our tradition, it took precisely 49 days, or seven weeks, for the ancient Israelites to travel from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai. Our celebration each year follows the Torah’s commandment: “And you shall proclaim that day (the 50th day) to be a holy convocation!” (Leviticus 23:21). The name Shavuot, “Weeks,” emphasizes the completion of this seven-week journey.

Among the many observances associated with this holiday, Jews make time to study Torah and other Jewish content. This year, we will be joining forces with congregations around the city of Houston for a community-wide program called, Tikkun Leil Shavuot. This program will be led by rabbis, cantors, and educators throughout the city. Each presenter will teach for 18 minutes. Please note that I will be teaching at 10:37 pm.

Thursday, May 25  Tikkun Leil Shavuot (Details here)
Friday, May 26       Shavuot Services and Confirmation at HCRJ

In the spirit of Shavuot, I encourage everyone to set aside some sacred time for Torah. Even if you are not able to engage in any of the community events above, consider taking time to explore a Jewish concept on the internet, read a passage from the Bible or even take a walk outside and find inspiration through God’s works of creation.

Whatever path you might choose to take, spend some time this week considering the glorious truths that are reveled to us every day.  Spend time with family; spend time in nature; and most of all, spend time considering your place in the ever-unfolding story of our faith and heritage.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

Please join us this Sunday, May 21 at 5:00 as we celebrate Melissa Wolfson and her 15 years of devotion and service to HCRJ.

Throughout these wonderful years, Melissa helped define the role of Executive Director and shape the identity of our congregation. Melissa’s kind, gentle personality has engaged all who entered our doors, and her attention to detail has served to run everything from security to services from behind the scenes.

Our celebration of Melissa’s service will take place during our Annual Meeting. Elegant appetizers, wine, and a video tribute will shape this special event in her honor. Please let us know if you will be in attendance.

We wish Melissa Mazel Tov as she ventures off to new horizons!

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, we are reminded of value and importance of taking a break. Our weekly Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, reflect early understandings of the need for rest and renewal in all aspects of God’s world of creation.

Just as we are commanded to work six days and rest on the seventh, the Torah calls on us to work the land six years and let it rest in the seventh. Thus, through these sacred spans of time linked to the number seven, the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year remind us that from time to time everyone and everything needs to take a break.

“Taking a break” is at the heart of Mother’s Day. Through it we recognize that our mothers work tirelessly to keep our worlds running smoothly. Like the Sabbath and the Sabbatical, we designate holy time to elevate the sacred nature of motherhood by giving our mothers a break.

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms. May this be a day filled with the blessings of love, joy and gratitude.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

It has been said that a good teacher is like a candle. Like a candle, a teacher consumes itself to light the way for others.  ~ Anonymous

At HCRJ, we have some of the most dedicated teachers in the city.  Through their love for and devotion to our children, they illuminate a pathway into Jewish life. They inspire our children to embrace Jewish practices, and they model Jewish values so the youngest members of our community may be a light unto the nations for generations to come.

Each week, our teachers bring a passion for teaching, a commitment to Jewish continuity, and a desire to make learning fun. As a result, our children really enjoy coming to Sunday school!

This Friday night, May 5^th, Shabbat dinner and services will be in honor of our amazing teachers.  Join us at 6:15 for a Chicken Fajita Fiesta followed by a very special Shabbat service as we express our gratitude for our teachers and all that they do.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

This Friday, we will be celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day), and in solidarity with Jews all over the world, we recognize and honor the centrality of the Jewish State in the life-blood of Jewish history, heritage, culture and spiritual sustenance.  As a modern political entity, Israel is only 75 years old, but in this short period of time Israel has become one of the most successful centers for technology, industry, medicine, agriculture and science in the entire world.

Indeed, we can take great pride in the fact that Israel has established herself as one of the most democratic, forward-thinking nations in the world, and we will do so this week at Shabbat services.

Joining forces with Congregation Shma Koleinu, we are planning a grand celebration to celebrate Israel at 75. Join us at 6:30pm for a very special Shabbat service featuring a full band, three vocalists, two rabbis, and an oneg with Israeli dancing and Israeli foods. This fabulous celebration will launch a year-long commitment to learning more about Israel and its importance to our people and our faith.

Happy Yom Ha’atzmaut!

Steve

Dear Friends,

Yesterday was Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. With music, ritual, prayer and memorial readings congregations and communities around the world spent time remembering the 11 million people who were murdered in the Holocaust.  This global observance devoted to recalling the horrors of the past is made with the hope that we can eradicate such atrocities in the present and the future.

Sadly, antisemitism is on the rise around the world; genocides continue to erupt across the globe; and daily acts of hate and violence continue to plague our streets. It is for this reason that the observance of Yom HaShoah remains so important as we seek to open the eyes, hearts, and minds of the consequences of perpetuating fear, intolerance, and hate.

This Friday night we will set aside sacred time at HCRJ to remember and reflect during our Sabbath worship services. With musical selections performed by our High Holy Day cellist, Kathy Audas, and liturgical meditations read by our 6^th grade students,  we will take time to remember the Shoah. Our hope is to inspire each generation of our community to refrain from being bystanders to injustice, intolerance and hate in our world today.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

Many Jews around the world are currently observing a sacred period of the Jewish calendar year called, “the Counting of the Omer.” This observance is based on the biblical mandate to count bundles of grain (the omer) every day for 7 weeks from the second day of Passover through the festival of Shavuot.

Today, this ritual counting has more to do with cultivating the human spirit than it does with cultivating the land, and a modern interpretation of this ritual period of counting suggests that this ancient ritual encourages us to count our blessings.

In the spirit of counting our blessings, Shabbat services this week will focus on expressing gratitude for our members. We hope you will be able to join us for Appreciation Shabbat as we thank you for your ongoing support.

Our services will be shaped by a special musical program as Dr. Jane Becker returns to the bimah to join Mike Kahn. Jane blessed HCRJ with her voice for over 25 years, and Mike has been a blessing ever since. Together, their voices will bless us as we celebrate the membership of our beloved congregation.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

Tonight will mark the first night of Passover, and as we gather for Seder meals, Jews across the globe will engage in recounting our story of our ancestral Exodus from Egypt. For countless generations, the tradition has served as an eternal reminder that it is our responsibility to work for freedom and justice in the world. By retelling the story of the Israelite journey from slavery to freedom, we have continued to teach and inspire a collective desire to pave a path for the redemption of all people in every generation.

May the Seders we share with family and friends inspire us to build bridges of hope in a broken world and may the matzah we eat help us gain a sense of empathy for the needs of those around us every day.

Happy Passover,
Steve

Dear Friends,

Passover begins with the first seder on Wednesday, April 5th, but Jews around the world begin preparing for Passover many weeks ahead of time.  One way to prepare involves the custom of removing all leavened products from the home. This custom is based on the passage from Exodus which reads:

For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes … you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree.
– Exodus 12:15-17

This commandment regarding leavened products applies not only to the consumption of bread, but to owning or deriving any benefit from any kind of leavened product in any way, shape or form. Therefore, as we begin our preparations for Passover (in whatever form it may take in our lives), consider donating your leavened products to the HCRJ Food Drive.

Donate to the HCRJ Passover Food Drive: Rid your pantry of chametz or any other foods that you feel may help to feed the hungry. Bring your non-perishable foods to the collections bins outside of the Sanctuary.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, we find the smallest letter in the entire Torah.  Commentators suggest that this small letter, which is referred to as the “shrunken ALEF,” is the Torah’s way of suggesting that we should posture ourselves with humility.

This is a powerful idea, as a humble disposition is an important quality to embrace. A little humility can go a long way to promote good communications and expand the human capacity to learn and grow.

Every so often, however, a little ego can be a good thing too, and this Friday night may be such a time.

Join us for Karaoke Shabbat! This Friday night at 6:30pm. Show off your voice or simply join us for an amazing Shabbat oneg of joyful entertainment. Cocktails, beer, and wine will whet our whistles as we watch and sing with HCRJ members over lite bites and heavy snacks.

Don’t be shy! Don’t be humble! Just join in the fun and spread Shabbat joy with song!

L’Shalom,
Steve