A Message from Our Cantor
October 13, 2021

God says to Avram, "Lech l’cha! Go forth from your land, from where you were born – your ancestral home – to a land that I will show you!" (Genesis 12:1)
 
Familiar words in large part due to the musical composition L’chi Lach inspired by these words of Torah and written by Debbie Friedman in 1989. L’chi Lach is one of Debbie’s many songs that has always resonated with me. Two reasons stand out (at least in my consciousness). 1989 was the year I moved to Israel to begin studies at the Hebrew Union College. Not only would this voyage be my first visit to Israel, it was my first overseas trip. I obtained my first passport to go forth and move across the world to what was for me a very foreign place (it was also a fairly last minute choice, a story for another time). Second, Debbie Friedman chose to incorporate the feminine expression of the normative Hebrew imperative of ‘Go forth’ in her interpretation of the text. As a young woman who was raised in an era without female role models for my now chosen path (and certainly without any gendered prayer language other than male), that small grammatical inclusion was poignant and powerful. It validated my choice to go forth into this uncertain future. We’ve come a long way with regard to gendered language in our world (and within our own progressive Reform movement). This can be a challenge as well as an opportunity As our prayerbook reminds us, “We [may not] like leaving, but God loves becoming.” (Mishkan T’filah, p. 231)
 
What are your “go forth” moments? What have they taught you about yourself? What have they taught you about others? How do these insights impact how you choose to go forth from this moment forward?
 

Friday night, our Kabbalat Shabbat service begins at 6:30 pm. Doug Cohen, one of M’kor Shalom’s Vice-Presidents, will be giving the D’var Torah this week. (Shabbat siddur)
 
Rabbi Frenkel will be leading Torah Study on Shabbat morning, beginning at 9:00 am, which will be followed by Spice Up Your Judaism with Scott Kushner at 10:15 am. (both sessions via Zoom)
 
Our Shabbat morning service begins at 10:30 am, as we celebrate the Bar Mitzvah Sam Cohen. (Shabbat siddur)
 
Finally, I hope you will join us at the end of Shabbat on Saturday evening at 8:00 pm for M’korstock Unplugged with our very own EJ Park. An accomplished pianist and vocalist, she will be joined by her bassist.
 
L'shalom,

Cantor Rhoda J. Harrison