October 23 2020 l 5 Cheshvan 5781
CONGREGATION BEIT T'SHUVAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Dear Congregants,
After having been away from Beit T’Shuvah for a couple of days, I am both humbled and honored to return to the holy work that I am privileged to do as a rabbi.
After Shabbat, we will, on Sunday afternoon, begin the week by celebrating the life of our friend and brother, Geoff T., with a Memorial Service on Sunday afternoon at 3PM. All of the details will be announced at Friday and Saturday Shabbat services and will also be available by calling the Beit T’Shuvah front desk.
Also, on Tuesday we will begin our BTS Fall Adult Education series entitled: My Indulgent and Decadent Learning. For 6 Tuesdays (not including Election Day), our BTS clergy will indulge the senses and the minds with our special brand of Torah. I, actually, lead off our series this Tuesday night, October 27th from 7-8PM with “Let’s Begin with the Letter ‘Bet’”. All of the necessary ZOOM information and the list of classes is available at either:
or
Let’s each make remembering, celebrating, and learning as part of our building community in this new year.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Micha'el
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THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION
By: Rabbi Kerry Chaplin
During my first year of rabbinical school, and the first year my then-girlfriend, now-wife and I lived together, I was taking steroids for a medical condition. I remember returning home from school around 5:30pm, homework looming before me, perfectionist high-alert alarm blaring, and becoming angry - so, so angry - about dirty dishes, or some such thing. I was standing in the kitchen and talking resentfully, then shouting into the open-concept living room. The anger rose in me, and then suddenly I was behind myself watching rage burst forth from my mouth, destroying whatever was in my path - namely Julia.
The year of steroids - that’s when my wife earned the name “San Julia.”
I remember being unable to stop the anger from shearing into rage, unable to stop the torrent of hurtful words flooding from my mouth. It was like watching someone else, except of course, it was me. It was horrifying, embarrassing, paralyzing. How could this be me! I felt powerless over my anger.
In this week’s parsha, at the beginning of the story of Noah, God watches humans descend into destructive and corruptive behaviors...click here to read more.
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We are still celebrating birthdays each week on Zoom!
To sign up to take a Sober Birthday cake at Beit T'Shuvah, click here.
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If you would like to sponsor shabbat at
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Shop, donate and share with your friends.
*Shipping is available upon request*
*30% off this week with coupon code*
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OUR SINCEREST CONDOLENCES... |
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...to Mark Chase and the Chase family on the loss of his mother, Sandy Chase
If you are interested in sending a beautiful tribute, please contact Development . You can also send a tribute online by Clicking Here. Beit T'Shuvah will promptly send a card to the family or friend you are recognizing.
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Tribute donations are a wonderful way of marking life cycle events for your loved ones and friends and supporting Beit T'Shuvah.
Jennifer Griffin in memory of Doug Casper
Dana Dorsey in memory of Geoffrey Tamayo
Jillian Coventry in memory of Geoffrey Tamayo
Temple Beth Hillel - Beth El (Wynnewood, PA) Men's Club in memory of Sam Spitz
If you are interested in sending a beautiful tribute, please contact Development . You can also send a tribute online by Clicking Here. Beit T'Shuvah will promptly send a card to the family or friend you are recognizing.
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THIS WEEK'S SPOTLIGHT
Staci C.
By: Nathan R.
Staci C., a resident of Beit T’Shuvah, recalls the strong work ethic and dedication to service that her family taught her. Her family participated in a variety of volunteer activities when she was younger and instilled within Staci the value of education. “One of my proudest achievements is graduating from college and working to make a difference in the lives of others.”
After college, Staci combined her education and commitment to helping others into a job overseeing a grant to help at-risk teens graduate from high school. Some of these youth had experienced profound trauma and Staci was eager to be a positive role model. Below the surface, however, she was avoiding her own past trauma. “What's ironic was that I was still harboring a lot of trauma inside. I never really worked on my inner child.”
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Beit T’Shuvah has raised nearly 3,000 through the Amazon Smile program to help save the lives of those suffering from addiction. Be a part of the movement and choose Beit T’Shuvah as your set featured charity on Amazon Smile by clicking the link below for all of your amazon purchases! Click here to shop through amazon smile.
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Join the BTS clergy Tuesdays at 7pm beginning October 27 as we indulge the senses and the mind.
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Calling all alumni: Join us for our annual picnic, which will be held virtually via Zoom, on Sunday November 8th at 1pm. While there will be no barbeque and no softball game this year, we will still hold our annual gratitude meeting, enjoy some BTS style games, and have a chance to catch up with old friends and meet new friends!
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Beit T’Shuvah Custom Masks are Here! |
Stay safe while supporting Beit T’Shuvah with masks custom made by Creative Matters. Perfect gifts for alumni, staff, residents, people in recovery or community members!
$10 per mask
Designs:
One Day At A Time
In This Together
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BTS Zoom Family Support Group! Whether your loved one is still in treatment or they have already moved on to the next chapter of their journey, we would like to provide a platform in which families get to talk about their shared experiences and wisdom.
This group is for families of our current and former residents, no need to RSVP, just drop in!
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Friday night services held via zoom at 6:30pm PT.
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Saturday Morning Services |
Saturday morning Prayer and Meditation at 10:30am PT.
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Come learn on Saturday mornings at 9:30am PT with Rabbi Micha'el Akiba.
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NO CHALLAH FOR NEXT FEW WEEKS |
Please check back here for updates on when Challah will be back for purchase! |
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We are still celebrating birthdays each week on our Shabbat Zoom.
To sign up to take a cake, please contact Jillian.
If you missed celebrating your birthday this year and would still like to take a cake via Zoom, contact Jillian.
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Life in Uncertain Times: Coping Strategies Before, During, and After Corona. With Rabbi Joseph. Mondays from 12-1pm PT/3-4pm ET.
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#NotMyCorona. Recovery-Minded Spiritual Learning with Beit T’Shuvah and the T’Shuvah Center. Wednesdays. 1pm PT/4pm ET.
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BTS community AA meeting: Thursdays at 7pm.
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Beit T’Shuvah and the Elaine Breslow Institute invite you participate in this spiritual challenge!
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Thursdays. 9-9:30am PT/12-12:30pm ET.
A powerful kaddish experience led by the Lab/Shul community. They have invited our Beit T’Shuvah community to join them.
https://labshul.org/event/virtual-mourners-kaddish-call/2019-08-29/
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Past newsletters are now available online. Please click here to view.
For anyone that shops at Ralphs, please consider registering your phone with their community care program and select Beit T'Shuvah as your charity.
For anyone that purchases items on Amazon, all you have to do is go to Amazon Smile and choose Beit T'Shuvah as your charity and a percentage of each purchase will be given back to us.
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