Posted on March 26, 2021
Shabbat Shalom!
Shabbat Greetings:
Torah Question of the Week: How do you express gratitude for well-being? How do you express remorse when you have sinned or are guilty of something? The ancient Israelites did this by bringing sacrifices – or offerings – to the Temple. We no longer have a Temple in Jerusalem and so we no longer offer animal and meal sacrifices there. Some people instead offer prayers (sometimes called “offerings of the heart”), give charity, or engage in study. What can substitute for Temple sacrifice in your life?
Kabbalat Shabbat will be on Friday at 8:00 p.m. This will be a special service of healing and remembrance to mark the anniversary of the first COVID cases reaching the East Coast and the ensuing lockdowns in Mid-March 2020. We will come together as a sacred community to reflect on this sad milestone and express our hope for the future. We would like to extend a special invitation to anyone who would like to participate in the service by leading a prayer or reading. Please invite your friends and family to attend. They may register in advance or join the service in progress at http://bit.ly/TBAY-COVID-HEALING-SERVICE. (Note that the link is case-sensitive.)
In preparation for this service, eighty (80!) TBAY members participated in reciting the complete Book of Psalms (150 Psalms) to commemorate the devastating loss of life of the past year and pray for the healing of all those affected by COVID, whether through the illness itself or the loss of loved ones. My deepest thanks to all the people who have participated in this effort. We will recite the final three Psalms at the service Friday night.
Shabbat morning services will be tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. I hope we will see you at one or the other or both!
Shabbat Shalom!
— Rabbi Rubin : )
