UPCOMING HEBREW SCHOOL EVENTS
Lunch in the Sukkah
Sunday October 4, 11:30 am
"Torah Walk":
See the Torah unrolled as Rabbi Tow takes us for a tour of the entire Torah scroll.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 11, 11:30 AM
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UPCOMING NURSERY SCHOOL EVENTS
SUKKAH DINNER AND PROGRAM FOR 3s
MONDAY OCT. 5
5:30PM
SUKKAH DINNER AND PROGRAM FOR 4s
WEDNESDAY OCT.7 5:30PM
SUKKAH BREAKFAST
AND PROGRAM FOR 2s
FRIDAY OCT.9
9:30AM |
GRJC
First Fabulous Fall Boutique!
SHOP ON SUNDAY!
October 18
11:00am-4:30pm
Over 30 vendors
jewelry giftware,accessories,
clothing, crafts
and more
Admission is free!
We will be hosting our own table where all proceeds go to the GRJC. We'll be selling the remaining inventory from the Sisterhood gift shop and your donated "regift" items.
If you have any unwanted, but new and unopened gifts, housewares, tools, etc., please consider donating them to our regift sale.
(No clothes or shoes please.) Drop your donations off at the GRJC office.
The Nursery School will be selling bulbs for fall planting.
Gold Bricks and 2010 Entertainment Books will also be available for purchase.
Stop by the
Men's Club Refreshment Stand!
For more info or to volunteer to help with the Fall Boutique please call Melinda at 201-983-7067 |
| PERFORM YOUR FIRST MITZVAH OF THE NEW YEAR
Ramapo Readers is collecting gently used or new books for distribution to elementary and high school students in Paterson.
Please consider bringing such a book to drop off at the GRJC
when you join us for High Holiday services and programs. |
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JOB SEARCH NETWORK
Announces:
8 Week Workshop Series and Support Group
(Free of Charge)
Everything you need to know about successful employment strategies.
Tuesdays 10-11:30am
Jewish Family Service of Bergen and North Hudson
1485 Teaneck Rd.
Teaneck, NJ.
Starting Date:
OCTOBER 6, 2009
To Register:
Call and ask for Information & Referral
201-837-9090
or email
IRA@jfsbergen.org
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ENTERTAINMENT 2010 BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED! SAVE UP TO 50% ON EVERYDAY PURCHASES
At only $30, the Entertainment Books are a huge value. To order or to see a sample book, please call Robin Frizzell: 201-445-1796 or email: robindale59@verizon.net
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GRJC JEWISH SKILLS LEARNING VIDEOS NOW at www.grjc.org
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At www.grjc.org, click on the link for the "videos of ritual practices". Learn how to take an aliyah and more! Thank you to Walter Goldman for shooting and editing the videos.
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Strike up a Friendship and Join our Team!
The Temples Team
(TBS, Fairlawn and GRJC)
ˇMeets at Brunswick Lanes in Fair Lawn
ˇLeague meets one Saturday night each month at 8:30pm.
ˇ 3 games per session
(10 sessions)
ˇ$290 per couple
(includes league trophy and bowling dinner)
JOIN IN OCTOBER AT A PRO-RATED FEE !
ˇCall GRJC member Nancy Sperling at 201-797-9087 to reserve your spot in the league. A detailed schedule will be provided upon joining. | |
Shabbat & First Day of Sukkot
October 2-3, 2009
15 Tishrey 5770
We light candles at 6:18 pm (See blessings below)
Dinner in the Sukkah begins at 6
(By Reservation)
Evening services begin at 8 pm
As part of our Shabbat evening service, we will celebrate all OCTOBER birthdays & anniversaries with a blessing and song.
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SATURDAY MORNING SERVICES
WILL BEGIN AT 9 AM
Jeremy Winter comes to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah
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SERVICES FOR SECOND DAY OF SUKKOT:
SATURDAY EVENING, MINCHA 6:30 PM, MA'RIV 7 PM
SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE, 9 AM
FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO SHAKE LULAV AND ETROG DURING THE HOLIDAY.
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SERVICES FOR SUKKOT INTERMEDIATE DAYS, SHEMINI ATZERET & SIMCHAT TORAH
- MON. THRU FRI., OCT. 5-9, 7 AM MORNING MINYAN
- FRI. NIGHT, OCT. 9, SHABBAT & SHEMINI ATZERET EVENING SERVICE, 8 PM
- SAT. MORNING, OCT. 10, SHABBAT & SHEMINI ATZERET SERVICE WITH YIZKOR, 9 AM
- SAT. EVENING, OCT. 10, DANCING WITH THE TORAHS/HAKKAFOT STARTS AT 6:30 PM (MA'RIV WILL FOLLOW AFTER THE TORAH READING)
- SUN. MORNING, OCT. 11, SIMCHAT TORAH MORNING SERVICE, 9 AM - WITH KIDDUSH LUNCHEON IN HONOR OF ANNUAL TORAH HONOREES.
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Blessing for Lighting Candles for Erev Sukkot:
Baruch Atah Ado--nai Elo--heinu Melech ha'Olam, asher kidshanu be'mitzvotav ve'tzivanu, le'hadlik ner shel Shabbat v'shel Yom Tov.
Praised are You, Ado--nai, Our God, Ruler of the Universe, who made us holy with the commandments and instructed us to light the candles on Shabbat and festivals.
We follow with the Shehecheyanu...
Baruch Atah Ado--nai Elo--heinu Melech ha'Olam, shehecheyanu ve'kimanu ve'higianu lazman hazeh.
Praised are You, Ado--nai, Our God, Ruler of the Universe who has kept us in life and sustained us, and allowed us to reach this occasion.
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FORMATION OF GRJC HEVRA KADISHA
Dear GRJC family,
As I mentioned on Yom Kippur, we are seeking to set up a Hevra Kadisha here in the GRJC community. The Hevra Kadisha is a volunteer opportunity to perform an important mitzvah, the mitzvah of taharah, ritual washing and dressing of a body before burial. The taharah is done at the funeral parlor in a special room.
The thought of doing this mitzvah may inspire fear, anxiety, and discomfort. From my own personal experience, and coming from the same place of nerves and fears, I found that there is a sense of peacefulness and holiness in the presence of the deceased.
Men tend to men, and women tend to women. We need then to put together two teams. Training will be provided by the organization K'vod ve'Nichum that specializes in teaching this mitzvah.
The taharah normally costs about $300. We can save our people that cost and also reclaim an important mitzvah for our community. Instead of strangers performing this mitzvah, we will once again take care of our own.
There will be an initial meeting with the teacher from K'vod ve'Nichum to answer questions after the holidays. In the meantime, please consider participating in this holy task.
QUESTIONS & MORE INFORMATION:
PLEASE CONTACT ME DIRECTLY AT 201-421-9811
OR RABBI@GRJC.ORG
With blessings,
Rabbi Tow
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 THE ISRAEL TRIP IS ON!
We're moving forward with the Israel trip that's scheduled for February 6-16, 2010. We have the final itinerary available as well as the costs, and applications with deposits are being accepted.
Another general interest meeting will be held after the fall holidays. Please be in touch in the interim for more information!
Please contact
Roann Rubin ( roann@grjc.org) to learn more about this exciting Israel opportunity! This trip offers a maximum Israel experience at the most affordable price available today--a unique opportunity!. *See Tel Aviv, Haifa, the Golan, the Galilee, Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea and more...
*Participate in an archaeological dig and planting a tree in Israel
*Dinner with members of a Masorti/Conservative congregation in Rehovot.
*Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial
*Wine tasting in the Golan Heights Winery
*See where King David lived
*And so much more...
Join us on our Israel adventure!
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She'elah u'teshuvah: Q & A With Rabbi Tow
Q: What is the
origin of the Simchat Torah holiday?
A: The Sukkot
holiday lasts 7 days, and then there is a separate holiday that falls the next
day known as Shemini Atzeret, "The Eighth Day of Assembly". It is known as the "Eighth Day" since it
falls one day after the conclusion of the seven days of Sukkot. The Rabbis of the Talmud make it clear that
Shemini Atzeret is a separate festival when they explain, "Shemini regel
bifnay atzmo/The eighth day is its own festival."
The words "Simchat Torah" do not appear in the Torah. They translate in English to "Celebration of
the Torah". The Rabbis of the Talmud call it "the second day of Shemini
Atzeret", even though Shemini Atzeret is just a one-day observance. It is not until around the year 1,000 CE that
the name "Simchat Torah" appears.
Jewish Scholar Ismar Elbogen makes the interesting observation that
Simchat Torah is mentioned in Jewish literature but not in the prayers. Up through today, Simchat Torah is referred
to in the same way as Shemini Atzeret in the Amidah. In the 13th century that we see the name "Simchat
Torah" in the Zohar, the collection of Jewish mystical writings, in reference
to the celebration that occurs on the day after Shemini Atzeret.
In the Midrash to the Song of Songs, we have evidence of a
celebration for the completion of Torah reading, but it is not known by a
specific name. Simchat Torah became the
opportunity to recognize that we have completed a full Torah reading cycle. It was in the Babylonian exile that the Jewish
community read the Torah on an annual cycle, one portion per week. In the Land of Israel, the community read
the Torah on a three-year cycle. (Here
in our community we follow the custom of reading one-third of the weekly
parasha so that technically we do not complete the Torah each year but we do
read from every parasha each year and so we celebrate Simchat Torah every year
here!) In Babylonia, Simchat Torah
started as an annual celebration of the completion of the Torah reading whereas
in the Land of Israel there was a celebration every three years.
On Simchat Torah we carry the Torahs around in circles,
hakkafot, as we dance and sing around them.
Everyone, of all ages, in the congregation has the opportunity to come
for an aliyah and say the Torah blessings.
Two special aliyot are given each year to individuals whom
the community wishes to recognize. The
Chatan (m) or Kallat (f) Torah aliya is the aliya for the conclusion of the
Torah reading from the very end of Deuteronomy. The Chatan or Kallat Braysheet aliya is the one for beginning
again at Genesis. These are significant
honors.
Simchat Torah allows us to celebrate as a community the
time, energy, commitment, and spirit that goes into the reading of the Torah
each year as well as all the activities related to Torah reading including our
weekly services and the volunteers who help to officiate during the Torah
readings.
Happy (almost) Simchat Torah to everyone!
-Rabbi Tow
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Following is the
'09-'10 schedule of the GRJC Library book discussions. Please feel free to join any or all of the events:
Sunday, November 22
10:30 a.m.
Israeli author Valerie Farber will visit Glen Rock Jewish Center to speak about her historical novel, City of Refuge, set in the time of the judges (shoftim), around 1030 B.C.E.
Thursday, January 14
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A historical novel that takes place partially in Paris, 1942, during the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, and partially in the present. The protagonist, a French journalist, retraces the steps of a young girl during the War, and as she probes into the past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.
Tuesday, March 16
The Jew in the Lotus: a poet's rediscovery of Jewish identity in Buddhist India by Rodger Kamenetz
From a historical meeting between a delegation of American Jews and a group of Tibetan Buddhists that included the Dalai Lama, the author finds similarities between the religion of the Jews and the Buddhists, and finds himself amazed by the intensity and altruism of Buddhism.
We will also view the short documentary that was made of the book.
May - date TBD (possibly Tuesday, May 11)
Jewish Sephardic Cooking Class
We will read a portion of Sephardic Flavors: Jewish Cooking of the Mediterranean by Joyce Goldstein and, in the GRJC kitchen, try our own hand at creating a few of the recipes (and eat them, too, of course!)
Thursday, June 10
The Assistant by Bernard Malamud
This is the classic tale of a poor Jewish grocer and the mysterious young man who comes to work for him.
For further information, please contact Michelle Strassberg, mstrassberg67@hotmail.com, or Rabbi Tow, rabbi@grjc.org.
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