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Shared by Marcie Belgard, Congregation Beth Sholom, Richland Washington, "One last thought – though we may not see each other for a while, we need to fight “social distancing” by remaining connected to one another. There is strength in community. Here is the poem. I hope you enjoy as much as I did."
Pandemic What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath-- the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down. And when your body has become still, reach out with your heart. Know that we are connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful. (You could hardly deny it now.) Know that our lives are in one another’s hands. (Surely, that has come clear.) Do not reach out your hands. Reach out your heart. Reach out your words. Reach out all the tendrils of compassion that move, invisibly, where we cannot touch. Promise this world your love– for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, so long as we all shall live. –Lynn Ungar 3/11/20
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Separation and Union: Holiness in the Time of the Corona Virus Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh holy and separate emulating angels, saving lives Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh set apart and sanctified emphasizing a great yet distant power Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh sanctified and distinct separating the mundane and the sacred Kiddushin a holy union between two separating us into a single unit away from the rest of the world Kiddushin a holy bond with each other to the exclusion of every other person on the planet Kiddushin without physical proximity we can fill the universe with our love connecting across the miles Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh like distinguished different or separate but also special Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh like the light and darkness each with a beautiful purpose Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh like one who doesn't go with the crowd holding strong with opposite inclinations Shalom, Shalom, Shalom peace, hello, goodbye separation and unity by Kimberly Burnham The Torah Poetry Project Kadosh means "holy" and "separate" in Hebrew. Kiddushin is part of the marriage ceremony joining the couple together to the exclusion of all others.   World Jewish Congress statement of concern regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
Dear friends, We have been monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus around the world with great concern over the last months and we are acutely aware that it is having a significant impact on many of our affiliated communities and organizations. [Read More} We realize that this is a very difficult time for community leadership, as many aspects of our lives are affected by the restrictions being put in place by local, regional or national authorities, or by uncertainty amongst community members about participating in communal events, attending synagogue services, or sending our children to schools. [Read More] For Prayers and Liturgy in Times of the Corona Virus [Click Here] from the Central Conference of American Rabbis.  Adult Education, Rabbi's Teachings from Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein and Sefaria.
שמות כ״ה:א׳-ח׳(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְיִקְחוּ־לִ֖י תְּרוּמָ֑ה מֵאֵ֤ת כָּל־אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִדְּבֶ֣נּוּ לִבּ֔וֹ תִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־תְּרוּמָתִֽי׃ (ג) וְזֹאת֙ הַתְּרוּמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּקְח֖וּ מֵאִתָּ֑ם זָהָ֥ב וָכֶ֖סֶף וּנְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ (ד) וּתְכֵ֧לֶת וְאַרְגָּמָ֛ן וְתוֹלַ֥עַת שָׁנִ֖י וְשֵׁ֥שׁ וְעִזִּֽים׃ (ה) וְעֹרֹ֨ת אֵילִ֧ם מְאָדָּמִ֛ים וְעֹרֹ֥ת תְּחָשִׁ֖ים וַעֲצֵ֥י שִׁטִּֽים׃ (ו) שֶׁ֖מֶן לַמָּאֹ֑ר בְּשָׂמִים֙ לְשֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֔ה וְלִקְטֹ֖רֶת הַסַּמִּֽים׃ (ז) אַבְנֵי־שֹׁ֕הַם וְאַבְנֵ֖י מִלֻּאִ֑ים לָאֵפֹ֖ד וְלַחֹֽשֶׁן׃ (ח) וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ Exodus 25:1-8 (1) And Adonai spoke unto Moses, saying: (2) Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him. (3) And these are the gifts that you shall accept from them: gold, and silver, and copper; (4) blue, and purple, and crimson yarns; fine linen, and goats’hair; (5) tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, and acacia-wood; (6) oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil, and for the aromatic incense; (7) lapis lazuli, and other stones for setting, for the ephod, and for the breastplate. (8) And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. [Read Entire Source Sheet]. by Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein on Sefaria שמות י״ב:א׳-ב׳ (א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יי אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) הַחֹ֧דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם רֹ֣אשׁ חֳדָשִׁ֑ים רִאשׁ֥וֹן הוּא֙ לָכֶ֔ם לְחָדְשֵׁ֖י הַשָּׁנָֽה׃ Exodus 12:1-2(1) And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: (2) ’This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Talmud Yerushalmi Ta'anit 1:6 Women who refrain from work on Rosh Chodesh [= the first day of a lunar month] are following an established custom. [Read Complete Source Sheet]  by Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein on Sefaria.
ברכות י״ט ב:ט׳ת"שגדול כבוד הבריות שדוחה [את] לא תעשה שבתורה Berakhot 19b:9 Come and hear : Great is the duty of honouring one's fellow-creatures, since it sets aside a prohibition enjoined by the Torah. בראשית א׳:כ״ז(כז) וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם׃ Genesis 1:27(27) And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. בראשית א׳:כ״ח(כח) וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹקִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹקִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ Genesis 1:28 (28) And God blessed them; and God said unto them: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ [Read Complete Source Sheet]
If All The Seas Were Ink by Ilana Kurshan - JCP Sisterhood Book Group Dec, 2017 Selection12/10/2017
Jewish Community of the Palouse Sisterhood Book Group
JCP Book Group Blog About The Dybbuks by Spokane, Washington author, Sue McClelland available for free download on December 17 & 18, 2017 for Hanukkah "Immigration has never been easy-moving to a new country, learning a new language, and adapting to new cultural norms can be the most difficult thing a person ever does. Immigrating is not easy today nor has it been easy in the past. About the Dybbuks, a collection of short stories by Sue Lindenberg McClelland, addresses these issues from a personal/family point of view. Sue's grandparents and extended family, those who survived the pogroms, immigrated to the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Riga, Latvia in the early 1900s . The Hill District was full of Jewish, Irish, and Italian immigrants. Most were poor, and all were attempting to keep their native language and culture while at the same time needing to learn English, understand the new culture, survive, and prosper. The book is sensitive and well written. The author, a retired therapist, understands human nature and the problems we create for ourselves. For the uninformed, including me, there is a helpful glossary of Yiddish terms in the back of the book. This was a peek into many of our ancestors' experiences. It is also a reminder of the challenges immigrants face today. -Pamela Pollack-Fremd, San Diego Jewish World Book Review www.SDJewishWorld.com/2017/05/09/about-the-dybbuks-tells-problems-of-immigrants/ Dr. Elizabeth Goldstein's Hebrew Bible Students, please post the link to your project, MP4, or Powerpoint in the comments section below or email the YouTube Link to PsalmsProjectsGU@gmail.com
This is a special Psalms project that reflects life today. |
Sefaria Source Sheets, Drashes, Devar Torah, and Adult Education programs by Rabbi Elizabeth Goldstein [Click Here]
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