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Update 4/18/12 kps

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Updated 4/17/12 kps

TUESDAY – CLOSED

WEDNESDAY 10 AM – 1 PM

THURSDAY 10 AM – 2 PM

FRIDAY 9 AM – 1 PM

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Answer:    According to a legend, dairy foods were eaten on Shavuot, the day that the Torah was revealed on Mount Sinai.  When the Israelites returned to their homes after the Torah was revealed, they had little time required to prepare a neat meal.  So hurriedly that put together a dairy meal, and that’s when the tradition began.  A major food dairy food item that is served on Shavuot are blintzes.  Two blintzes are served because they symbolize the two tablets of the Ten Commandments.  The blintzes are made with cheese filling fulfilling the words in the Song of Songs “honey and milk under your lips” (Song of Songs 4:11).  Milk is used to make the cheese filling and honey is sweet and pleasant to the taste.  So too the cheese and the honey are the sweet and pleasant words of the Torah.

Updated 3/13/12 kps

On Friday, February 24, the office staff and some great helpers moved the office from our temporary site at the offices of the late Julius Robinson to the new building.  Many thanks to Cliff Farin, Harold Farin, Richard Morgan and Mark Cohen for their help. There will of course be some kinks to iron out but things are already falling into place.

The front door of the building (on the Boulevard) will be open during office hours.  If you need to use the handicapped ramp, call the office number 609-492-4090 and someone will open the door for you.

OFFICE HOURS:

MONDAY – 1:30 – 4:30 PM

TUESDAY – CLOSED

WEDNESDAY: 10:30 AM 1:30 PM

THURSDAY 1:30 – 4:30 PM

FRIDAY – 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

GREAT JOB BY OUR OFFICE TEAM – LESLIE, JERI AND MARCIE.

RGV 3/3/12

EREV SHABBAT                                          FEBRUARY 24, 2012

HOW MANY OF YOU SAW THE OSCAR WINNING FILM OF LAST YEAR, “THE KING’S SPEECH”?  DO YOU RECALL THE POWERFUL SCENE, WHEN KING GEORGE PREPARES TO GIVE A STIRRING SPPECH TO THE PEOPLOE OF ENGLAND ABOUT THE FORTHCOMING WAR WITH THE NAZIS?   IN THAT SCENE HE WALKS PAST A MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE TO ENTER THE BROADCAST ROOM AS THE STIRRING MUSIC OF BEETHOVEN’S 7^TH SYMPHONY IS PLAYED.  HE IS NERVOUS.  FINALLY HE ENTERS A ROOM THAT IS CURTAINED OFF ALONG WITH ONE OTHER PERSON, HIS SPEECH TEACHER WHO WILL HELP HIM OVERCOME HIS STUTTERING.  THE CURTAINED ROOM GIVES THE KING PRIVACY AND CONFIDENCE TO ASSERT HIS POWER AT THIS KEY MOMENT.

HOW MANY OF YOU REMEMBER THE ORIGINAL MOVIE  “THE WIZARD OF OZ”?  THIS ALSO FEATURED A MAN SITTING BEHINF A CURTAIN SEEKING TO ASSERT HIS POWER.  WHEN THE CURTAIN COMES DOWN, WE SEE THAT HE IS NOT THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, BUT A MERE HUMAN BEING WHO BECAME LOST IN A BALLOON  FLIGHT.  WITHOUT THE CURTAINS, WHAT SEEMED EXTRAORDINARY BECAME ORDINARY.

LAST FRIDAY AFTERNOON, I WAS IN THE SANCTUARY WHEN SHERRY (FRUCHTERMAN) AND ROSE (VALENTINE) WERE DISCUSSING THE KIND OF CURTAIN THAT WOULD BE HUNG  BEHIND THE ARK DOORS AND IN FRONT OF THE TORAHS.  IN STUDYING THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION, I FOUND AN INTERESTING RELEVANCY.
IN THIS WEEKS TORAH PORTION WE ARE TOLD IN GREAT DETAIL OF THE PLANS TO BUILD THE SANCTUARY FOR THE ISRAELITES AS THEY WANDER IN THE DESERT.  WE ARE STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS FOR OUR NEW SYNAGOGUE.  SO THERE IS CONNECTION.  THE TORAH TELLS US ABOUT THE MAKING OF CURTAINS TO SEPARATE THE OUTER AREA FFROM THE INNER AREA AND FROM THE INNER AREA FROM THE HOLIEST PLACE IN THE  CENTER.  CURTAINS WERE ALSO PLACED AROUND THE ENTIRE SANCTUARY CLOSING IT OFF FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD.  THE NOTION WAS THAT THROUGH THE SEPARATION THE ISRAELITES WERE ABLE TO FIND A SENSE OF AWE AND HOLINESS.

THE CURTAIN THAT WILL BE IN OUR HOLY ARK WILL BE SHEER, SO THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE TORAHS.  YET, THERE WILL BE A SENSE OF SEPARATION, A FEELING OF HOLINESS.

THE MOOD WE WANT TO CREATE IS A SENSE OF PRIVACY WHEN PRAYING AND YET A FEELING OF HOLINESS.

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER THOUGHT ABOUT CURTAINS.  IT IS THE NEED WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE TIME FOR OURSELVES,  TO SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM THE OUTSIDE INFLUENCES. THERE IS SO MUCH NOISE AROUND US THAT THERE IS A NEED TO FIND QUIET TIME FOR SELF REFLECTION AND SELF RENEWAL.

WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THERE ARE NO CURTAINS.  THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO APPEAR ON TV REALITY SHOWS AND REVEAL EVERYTHING TO THE WORLD.  THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KNOW EVERY DETAIL ABOUT OUR LIVES.

THE CURTAIN REMINDS US THAT SOME THINGS REQUIRE PRIVACY AND DISCRETION, VALUES THAT ARE OFTEN LOST IN OUR WORLD.

THE LESSON FOR THIS SHABBAT IS THAT WE NEED TO REDISCOVER PLACES AND TIMES OF PRIVACY.  THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE NEED TO DRAW CURTAINS AROUND OUR LIVES, JUST AS THE CURTAINS THAT WERE IN THE ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE AND THAT WILL BE IN OUR SYNAGOGUE.  WE NEED TO SIT IN OUR SANCTUARY, VIEW THE TORAHS, BE INSPIRED AND FIND OUR SENSE OF HOLINESS AND MEANING IN LIFE.

SO, LET’S KEEP COMING TO THIS SANCTUARY AND FIND THE PEACE AND HOLINESS WE SEEK AND NEED.

RGV 2/25/12

Congregants will participate with special readings. The traditional Shabbat eve service will be held once the Torahs have been placed into the Ark. Rabbi Jack, who returns from his vacation will conduct the services and deliver the sermon “Looking To The Future.” Other members will participate. All members who are in the area from Abredeen to Atlantic City, from the shore to the far boundary of Philadelphia are urged to attend this special and meaningful service.

CONGREGATION MEMBERS & FRIENDS  IN THE COMMUNITY ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND

revised 1/27/12 rgv

If you ride by 24th Street in Spray Beach, you will see our beautiful new synagogue. 

Thanks to the generosity of members and friends, we have raised $1.6 million towards the rebuilding of our Center.  It will be a a house of worship as well as a center of Jewish life and we look forward to welcoming members, residents and vistors to our new home.

Our campaign to raise money is far from over.  Please consider being a part of the rebuild by making a donation to the campaign.  We are also selling pavers to be engraved and placed in the front of our main entrance.  This is a wonderful way to become a permanent part of the building.

Please download the Contribution Form and List of Dedication Opportunities by clicking here Dedication Levels & Contribution Form .  You can also retrieve a form to order pavers as well: PaverformscongOct2011

Rose Valentine, Capital Campaign Chair rvalen1963@aol.com or 973-632-0913