"The Wood River Jewish Community is a gathering place that strives to perpetuate
Jewish tradition through worship, fellowship and learning. Founded in 1976, we seek to provide a welcoming and caring community in the Wood River Valley
March 13, 2018
Courtesy picture: Claudie Goldstein
PARSHA OF THE WEEK
Parasha Vayikrah ("and He called")
Leviticus 1:1-5:26
(Note from Rabbi Robbi: Last week's Torah portion was a double, Vayakhel-Pekudei - and I and as I was traveling, I had written, but failed to send, this week's portion to Claudie - I apologize for the error.)
One of my colleagues, a cantor in Des Moines, loves Leviticus, which is 24 chapters filled with laws and rules and few deaths due to people sinning. As someone who loves rule and order, my friend, Patrick, loves the detail and minutiae that creates the society that becomes the Jewish people. With its many, many rules - from sacrifices to judgments of character, clothing and sexual partners, to expressions of holiness,
Vayikrah can be a tough book to unpack. It begins with five different kinds of sacrifices to be offered in the newly-minted Tabernacle, including:
olah, or burnt offering;
minchah or meal offering;
zevach shelamin, or sacrifice of well-being; the
chatta, or sin offering; and the
asham, or build offering. These
korbanot, sacrifices, were the way we expressed our faith in G-d. The word "
korban" means "to draw closer" and reveals the purpose of the offerings by uniting the person sacrificing with his or her faith in G-d. But, G-d couldn't come down a grab that choice grain or that perfect ram. The smoke from the pleasing odor (one of my favorite Hebrew phrases: "
ray'ach ni'cho'ach") was proof of a person's love and reverence for the Holy One.
Jews were only allowed to make their sacrifices in the Tabernacle (and later, the Temple). In this way, they were taught that we were responsible for the acts of all the others - and that no one could live and act for himself alone without the consideration of others.
A notable commandment in
Vayikrah includes the requirement to give testimony, as justice is the foundation of society. In this world of "if you see something, say something," failing to give information that could impede justice was considered a sin. "If anyone sins, if he hears a curse he becomes witness, if he has seen or known, if he does not testify, he must bear his guilt." (Leviticus 5:1). In Jewish law, courts of justice require the testimony of two witnesses to establish a fact, so holding back information can lead to grave consequences.
This Shabbat is also
Shabbat HaChodesh ("Sabbath [of the] month") which precedes the first of the Hebrew month of Nisan during which Passover is celebrated. On the first day of Nisan, G-d presented the first commandment of how to "sanctify the new moon"
(kiddush hachodesh) for the onset of
Rosh Chodesh, the "head" of the month. Nisan is the first month of the Jewish year.
Rabbi Cantor Robbi Sherwin
rabbirobbi@wrjc.org
1-512-947-7270
ASK THE RABBI
As we begin to get to know each other, each week I will happily answer questions you may have about me or about a topic that piques your interest. Feel free to email me: rabbirobbi@wrjc.org or drop a note in "Ask the Robbi" blue teapot at the office.
Q: What tradition or holiday would you like to bring to WRJC that you feel particularly connected to?
A: I love Sukkot, our holiday celebrating the harvest and the bounty we have been given by G-d. Sukkot (booths) are hut-like structures that the Israelites lived in during the 40 years of travel through the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. As a temporary dwelling, the sukkah also represents the fact that all existence is fragile, and therefore Sukkot is a time to appreciate the shelter of our homes and our bodies.
We are commanded to sit/dwell within the sukkah for 7 days. Sukkot is one of the three mandated "shalosh regalim" - pilgrimage festivals - where Israelites were commanded to bring sacrifices to the Temple. These days, we decorate our sukkot with drawings, posters, lights, fresh fruits and vegetables (or plastic ones, so the bears don't also dwell with us!) We eat our meals in the sukkah, invite in special guests (known as "ushpizin"), conduct services there and many even sleep in the sukkah. We wave the lulav and etrog, special symbols for this holiday, to all four corners of the earth. We give tzedakah - donations to food banks are especially welcomed at this time of year. It is a holiday of gratefulness. As I will be in the valley for an extended period of time in the fall right after the High Holidays, I hope that we can build a community sukkah for all to enjoy!
Jami Delgado and her team
for chairing Souper Supper last night
CARING COMMITTEE
MARGERY FRIEDLANDER is our March caring leader.
mgfriedlander@gmail.com
208-788-0837
YARZHEITS OF THE WEEK
A Yahrzeit donation allows you to honor the memory of the special people in your life. Your gift will memorialize
your loved one during the anniversary of his or her passing.
Sanford Clement, Father-in-Law of Sanford Bernbaum
Eugene Gettelman, Father of Michael Gettelman
Bruce Leavitt, Brother of Robin Leavitt
Sylvia Lichtschein, Mother of Ellen Schochet
Barry Morris, Father of Jodi Diamond
Reed L Peterson, Father of Barry Peterson
Estelle Teller, Mother of Judith Teller Kaye
BOOK CLUB
BOOK FOR March: Angels in the Sky by Robert Gandt
Please call Dora at 726-7441 or
doralevin@cox.net for more information.
LEAVING A LEGACY
To discuss leaving a legacy and providing support to our Wood River Jewish Community in perpetuity, please feel free to call 208-726-1183 or email claudie@wrjc.org to arrange a private and confidential meeting.
If you want to read more about our organization, please go to our website wrjc.org.
Sincerely,
Claudie Goldstein
Executive Director/Director of Development
