Shalom from TBD Religious School

Shabbat newsletter compiled by Gal Kessler Rohs, Education Director
Nathan had done a foolish thing, as do we all. Then, Baruch told Golda about it, who told Fruma, who told Yankale, who told the world, and just as feathers from a torn pillow are dispersed all over, so did Nathan’s foolishness spread all around the town. 

We begin our TBD family Yom Kippur service with this analogical story, as a preface to Kol Nidre- a prayer of promise and meaningful words. We promise to watch our words. As our machzor tells us “words are even more powerful than a sword. A sword can only hurt someone who is standing near you, while words can hurt someone who is far away.” 

That is also why we listen to the sound of the Shofar. The call is a shock and reminder for us to look inward and repent for the sins of the past year. We hear the wails of the shofar, we stop our mundane life, and reflect on those words we said or heard, and formulate follow up words of apology? Or kindness? Or cries? 

Yes, cries! It is said that the four sounds of the shofar —  tekiah, shevarim, teruah,  and  tekiah gedolah  — remind us of a crying voice. Could this voice be the cry of young Isaac as his father Abraham is about to sacrifice him in the Torah portion of the Akeda ? Or could it be the crying sound of the angel calling upon Abram as he was about to slaughter his son? Could the sound of the shofar be the cry of Abraham as he brings his son up to the alter? Or the sound of the ram, who is instead sacrificed. 

The ram shofar is an upside down question mark. It reminds us of questions we have towards Abraham and his endeavor to sacrifice his son, but also questions we have for ourselves as we become better Jews, and as we introspect, on the questions we have for each other. The direction our questions can go, the choices we make, and the words we use, can go in a myriad of directions as are the flying feathers in a torn pillow. 

Avinu Malkeinu Kat'veinu besefer chayim tovim, Avinu malkeinu chadesh aleynu shanah tovah

Our father our king,Inscribe us in the book of (good) life, Our father our king, renew upon us a good year.


G'mar Chatima Tova, may you be inscribed in the book of life,
Gal Kessler Rohs, Education Director
Blowing the Shofar during adult and family Rosh HaShana services
Ulpan (and) Shabbat on October 11
with children's entertainer Cindy Paley
Cindy Paley will be joining us on October 11th to enrich our school’s Ulpan Shabbat program and Shabbat spiritual experience. 

“From her website: For over 20 years, Cindy Paley, musical educator and performer, has brought the joys of Jewish music to teachers, students and families throughout North America. She has combined education and entertainment to teach Jewish values, holidays and traditions. With eight recordings to her credit, Cindy has provided musical tools for teachers, families and children that enrich lives and insure that the best of our heritage will continue.

Cindy has served as the Music Educator at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California since 1977. After receiving her teaching credential at UCLA, she chose to devote her career to songleading and music as a Jewish educator. In addition to her recordings and family concerts, Cindy often serves as a cantorial soloist, and is currently involved in creative prayer services for women.”
High Holy Days
at Temple Beth David
TBD’s mission is to cater to both animals and children, amongst other areas of Tikkun Olam. We ask for non perishable food items, for stuffed toys, canned food for animals, and a coin for our charity box. 

Towards the HHDs and introspection of how to do good, please consider outstretching your generosity towards TBD’s endeavors. 

For more infirmation of how to help, please check out our website, or call us: 626-287-9994
A message from Mickey Adelman, TBD President

High Holidays are right around the corner and we look forward to  seeing you at services ! We are excited for the coming Hebrew year of 5780 - with our new Cantor, our beloved Rabbi, our energetic School Director, and our many involved members, we offer an incredible array of programs for people to worship, learn, connect, and volunteer. Whatever it is that inspires you, we hope you find welcoming and connection at TBD. 

As our High Holidays giving season begins, we are facing urgent financial needs. Cash flow is always challenging for a small non-profit, and it is particularly challenging right now. As with many houses of worship, our dues and fees come nowhere close to the cost of our programs and fundraising campaigns are a critical lifeline. It is no exaggeration to say that without a strong fundraising campaign for this year's High Holidays, TBD will have a hard time meeting basic needs.

Please consider using our convenient ShulCloud online system to make a donation to our Kol Nidre Appeal!  See below for more instructions on how to use this system and set up your personal account.

Mickey Adelman
Temple President
A message from Cantor Orly about ShalomLearning
TBD's Hebrew learning online program for upper grades
Shalom Parents,

 We are so excited and have been working hard on getting "Shalom Learning" into the classrooms. I am happy to tell you, the contract is being signed as we speak. Shalom Learning truly looks like such a wonderful program that is accessible in and out of the classroom for all of our students.

The cost as discussed will be $120 per student, this applies to anyone in Steve and Rabbi-in-training MinsterCheng's class. We have 2 ways available for you to pay this:
  1. Send a check or drop it off in my box in the TBD office
  2. You can now log into shulcloud and make a one -time payment. Anthony Serio, finance chair is able to help with that. 
Whatever way works best for you works for us . After speaking with Rabbi, Gal, and Mickey, we have come to the decision that you will not be given a log in until you have paid by check or via shulcloud.

Truly looking forward to all of your kids expanding their knowledge and thirst for the Hebrew language. By the time he or she has their Bar/Bat Mitzvah, I feel confident that they will be better off prepared by using the Shalom Learning program .

Wishing you all the best and see you at service on Friday where we will be honoring our room moms, changing the mantel on the Torah and praying together as one. 

Cantor Orly
Seminar with Rabbi Lachtman
on October 7th at 7pm
A message from Rabbi Alan Lachtman about his upcoming adult education class:

“I believe we should search deeper into our faith and begin to understand our Jewish journey on a deeper level. Please consider joining me on October 7th at 7:00 pm for a seminar based upon Rabbi Simeon Maslin’s book, “Navigating the Journey”. 

This comprehensive volume takes us to a deeper level of understanding about the jewish journey that all inevitably travel during life.”
Seeking volunteers for
#ProjectSandbox
We are seeking volunteers to help empty out the bags of sand we purchased for the sandbox. We are thankful to Colin Bidinian for stepping up to do it. Are there any other community members who can assist Colin?

Thanks in advance!
Religious School Sign in and Out
on Sunday morning
Please remember to sign both in and out as you come through out leave the lobby doors on Sunday mornings. The sign in sheets will be on the front table by the security table. Thank you for following these safety procedures.
Coming up at Temple Beth David
featured dates to note:
October 7 at 7pm Seminar with Rabbi Lachtman focusing on the book Navigating the Journey
October 13 Men's club and Haskala setting up the sukkah. Food sorting for Foothill Unity.
October 11 Ulpan Shabbat and Shabbat Services with Cindy Paley
October 18 Shabbat services focusing on Sukkot and Consecration
October 19 Men's club cookout
Nov 3 Adult Bagel Breakfast with Jason Moss about the Rise of Anti-semitism
Nov 4 Sisterhood meeting
Nov 10 Sisterhood Game night
November 13 Jewish Food Festival's The Food Explorer with Daniel Stone
December 1 Adult Bagel Breakfast with Scott Davis about Jewish Yiddish Writer Scott Dinezon
December 8 Hanukkah Boutique
Shout outs
Today, thanks, Rav Todot, grateful, our appreciation go out to
  • Shout out to our favorite Rabbi,  and Steve Bermann for a most meaningful RH service. Shout out to the Sweet Singers of David choir and Steve for engaging us musically!
  • Shout out to Lindy Bornstein and Ellen Kay Gecht for making homemade applesauce from home-grown apples for the School!
  • Shout out to classroom moms (pictured) who will be teaming together this year, and marked the beginning of their school involvement as a team by changing the mantles of the Torah!
  • Shout out to Amy Korn, Jan Robertson and Crystal Drysdale for beautifying the landscaping in front of the building just in time for the holidays
  • Shout out to Ming and Nathaniel Berger for helping out in the kitchen last Friday night with Ulpan's dinner, and to Crystal Drysdale for helping clean up and set up the Shabbat Oneg.
  • Shout out to Sisterhood for a marvelous Yom Tov oneg and apple center pieces for the sanctuary pulpits.
  • Shout out to Colin Bidinian for volunteering to fill up our sandbox.
Torah Portion this week
Parashat Vayeilech / פרשת וילך, Deuteronomy 31:1–30
Parashat Vayeilech / פרשת וילך is found in Deuteronomy 31:1–30 and is the 52nd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. 

In the High Holiday machzor Mishkan HaNefesh: Rosh HaShanah: Machzor for the Days of Awe [NY:CCAR Press, 2015], p. 86) is a poem entitled, “The Sacred Pilgrimage,” by Rabbi Alvin Fine: 

Birth is a beginning
and death a destination.
But life is a journey:
from childhood to maturity
and youth to age;
from innocence to awareness
and ignorance to knowing;
from foolishness to discretion
and then, perhaps to wisdom;
from weakness to strength
or strength to weakness—
and often, back again…
from defeat to defeat to defeat—
until, looking backward or ahead
we see that victory lies
not at some high place along the way,
but in having made the journey, stage by stage,
a sacred pilgrimage.

The verses of this poem could be the underlying emotional narrative of Parashat Vayeilech as they conjure a reckoning of a life’s purpose. In this week’s portion, Moses is in the midst of this process as he officially retires and begins to prepare for his death. He begins the portion with a strong statement of transition:

“I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer be active. Moreover, the Eternal has said to me, ‘You shall not go across yonder Jordan.’ ” (Deut. 31:2) Moses speaks then of his retirement and the transition of his leadership from one generation, to another generation, L'Dor Va'Dor.

(pictured are TBD's HHD leaders, Rabbi Lachtman and Cantor for the HHDs Steve Bermann passing on the leadership of holding and reading from the Torah at our Rosh HaShana service to Susan Ivory, Jullie Solberg, Rachel Dubin and Elle Rohs ).
A message from Jason Moss at the Federation
about school attendance and observing High Holidays
We wanted to let you know that our Executive Director,  Jason Moss , recently sent a letter to all of our community's school district Superintendents. The letter asks them to make sure their district's principals know the dates of the High Holy Days this year and to remind them that according to California's Education Code no child (or faculty member) can be "penalized" for missing school for religious observance. It is one of the ways the Jewish Federation works to build community by strengthening and enhancing Jewish life. If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please contact the Jewish Federation.

To read the letter, click here .
Flyers, flyers, flyers
flyers, flyers, flyers
Useful Shabbat Reading
to keep you informed/interested/engaged?
  • Last week's religious school eblast about recent transitions and changes in the Jewish calendar.
  • Sept/Oct David's Word, TBD's Newsletter
  • Dear Torah about Vayeilech, this week's Torah portion by Cantor Elizabeth Sacks: Going Out and Coming In: Transitions of Leadership 
  • OK Dennis Prager, and Rabbi Wolpe, we encourage Jewish education but if religious school is our best option, we'll opt for Supplemental Religious School
  • Class Mom, A novel by Laurie Gelman, the novel we presented our class moms last Friday at services.
  • The traditional Jewish Sabbath bread, challah, is typically oblong and braided but on Rosh Hashanah, we serve a round challah (pictured right is Sarah Arrelanes holding Challahs our students made) to symbolize eternal life.
  • What does a Sanctuary look like? (pictured below are three versions of the sanctuary in the eyes of three TBD transitional kindergarteners)
  • How do we blow a Shofar?
Shabbat Shalom
hey!