Gmar Hatima Tova

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Dear Congregants and Friends:

Tonight, we usher in Yom Kippur at 7 pm with Kol Nidrei.   Services start at 9am, with the Torah service at 10am. Mincha will be at 5pm and Neilah at 6pm.  We will be having a children’s story time at 11 am with Morah Anat! We wish you all a meaningful Yom Kippur and a Gmar Hatima Tova: may you all be inscribed for a good year.
Sunday morning we will not be having Sunday school as per our schedule.  Intro to Judaism class this Sunday afternoon will be at 3:30 pm. This is a great class given by our very own Cantor Ben-Moshe and all are welcome to join.
Wednesday evenings at 7pm, we have mid-week evening services which we invite you to participate in. They are short and sweet and a meaningful way to break up the week.
A huge thank you for all those that helped with the Break the Fast and getting the shul ready for Yom Kippur. Many have helped out and it’s part of what makes Beth El so special.
Wednesday October 8th we will have a sukkot service and pot luck dinner in the sukkah!
Please note that Rabbi Tarlow will not be able to make the class Saturday October 1 and this popular Crypto Judaism will be rescheduled.
Thursday, October 16, 7:30pm Simchat Torah Evening Services and deserts.
October 22 at 7:30pm, we start for the first time ever at Beth El a national program called Read Hebrew across America. This crash course in Hebrew reading will be offered free of charge and we welcome you all to attend this amazing five week program.
Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message:
This Shabbat is of course Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the only Shabbat of the year on which we fast.  Fasting is normally forbidden on Shabbat, since the Day of Rest is supposed to be a day of joy as well, and normally fasting is a sign of mourning or grief.  Yom Kippur though is itself called a “Shabbat Shabbaton”-a “Sabbath of Sabbaths”-and it is not a sad day.  Actually, Yom Kippur is a joyous day in its own way.  Since we know that God is “compassionate and gracious, patient and abounding in lovingkindness and truth”, we can be confident of forgiveness if we truly repent of our misdeeds.  Indeed, the Sages said that there was no more joyous time than Yom Kippur.  So let us remember that while Yom Kippur can be challenging, physically and spiritually, the challenge is like running a marathon-and we can smile as we cross the finish line on Saturday evening.  Shabbat Shalom and G’mar Hatimah Tovah-may we all be sealed for good in the coming year.

Rabbi Peter Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha: 

Friday evening Oct 3 is a special day. Not only does it mark the beginning of the Sabbath but as the sun sets, we gather for Judaism’s holiest of days.  Yom Kippur is in many ways the essence of Judaism.  Perhaps no holy day better than Yom Kippur symbolizes Judaism’s belief that there can be no intermediary between G’d and each of us. Perhaps no other day forces us to examine our individual and collective errors, admit them and seek to repair the damage that each of us has done advertently or inadvertently to others.  It is for this reason that Judaism lacks a professional class of people who intercede to G’d on our behalf. The job of facing G’d is ours alone.

Judaism emphasizes that life is a tablet for us to write on as we wish.  We can use our life to be people of character by performing mitzvoth throughout our lives, or give in to moments of rage, anger, selfishness and egocentricity.  From Yom Kippur’s perspective the choice is ours and ours alone. What makes Yom Kippur special is that it teaches us to stop blaming others, to examine our own weaknesses, and to ask ourselves: Where did I go wrong?  What errors did I make? How am I responsible for both the good and the bad in my life?   Do I understand that I cannot escape the events of my life, and that the quality of my life is determined by how I face these events and learn to deal with them? For this reason, Yom Kippur demands of us that we face G’d directly and be adult enough to account to the “Judge of Judges” for our actions, be they of an individual or of a collective nature. Yom Kippur teaches us that only we can correct our faults.
These tasks are not easy, nor is the day easy.  Yom Kippur’s fast pushes us to the physical, psychological and spiritual limit. It is hard to go from sundown to sundown without food or
water. How quickly even the strongest person realizes how frail s/he is in the eyes of G’d.

Perhaps even harder than fasting is the realization that although G’d gives us the gift of life,  it is up to us to determine what we do with that gift.  It is not easy to fast and it is even harder to examine both our individual and collective failings.  To examine the totality of one’s life, to realize that all of us are fallible, means that we must not only demand that we improve but be willing to demand that we forgive others who seek to improve.  Forgiveness (teshuvah) in Judaism, however, comes with a price.  Repentance is only granted to those who sincerely desire to recognize their errors, to repent, to change their ways, and to begin again. No easy task, but then Yom Kippur is not meant to be an easy day.

On this Yom Kippur, may your fast be helpful and your thoughts be deep.