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TES Weekly
May 27 - June 3, 2014    

Rabbi's Message

5/27/2014  - 27 Iyar 5774   

 

Often it has occurred to me that the three central biblical holidays - Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot - are pilgrimage festivals. It would be a wonderful thing to travel to Jerusalem three times a year, as our forebearers did to mark these sacred times, but barring that, how does one celebrate a pilgrimage festival absent the pilgrimage? We could, as frustrated pilgrims in the Middle Ages did, walk labyrinths to approximate the experience. We could do pilgrimages to other places nearby that might have just a taste of that Jerusalem energy - like a Sukkot trip to Eight Dollar Mountain in the Illinois Valley, or a Passover week walk on the Pacific Coast Trail.

 

One approximated pilgrimage is the tradition of staying up all night to study Torah - what we call Tikkun Leyl Shavuot (literally, the fixing or healing that is the night of Shavuot). This year, Chazzan Bella and I wanted to weave more music into our night of study. To that end, we'll not only be doing some learning on Shavuot's agricultural origins transforming into a holiday commemorating revelation, the history of the Hallel service, and an interactive experience with biblical verses - we'll also be doing some kabbalistic kirtan chant, and bringing in music throughout the night. Havurah Shir Hadash will join us here at TES at 10:30pm (as we joined them last year!) for the final hour or two spent studying Zohar. You'll find a full schedule of next Tuesday night's learning below. Please join us and bring a delicious dairy-themed dish to share for the potluck before beginning at 6:30pm (and RSVP so we know how many people to prepare for).

 

In the meantime, come for Torah Study at 9:00am, and Shabbat Services at 10:00am this Saturday morning. Saturday evening at 6:30pm, we'll also have this year's final installment of the Rabbi's Tisch, where we've been looking at some of the history and dynamics of the Hasidic movement. This week we'll turn an eye towards some more modern Hasidic masters, such as the Slonimer Rebbe, and the Lubuvitcher Rebbe, as well as talking about what is sometimes called Neo-Hasidism - the attempt to take some elements of the Hasidic approach and spirit and channel it into contemporary egalitarian communal Jewish life.

 

L'shalom,  

 

 



Rabbi Joshua Boettiger
Upcoming Services
Torah Study
Saturday, May 31, 9:00am

Shabbat Service
Saturday, May 31, 10:00am

Introduction to Hasidism III / Rabbi's Tisch, Saturday, May 31, 6:30pm
This Week at TES
Song Circle Voice Class every Tuesday at 1:45pm
Torah Study
every Tuesday at 6:30pm
Jewish Meditation
every Wednesday at 8:00am
Announcements

The History of Jewish Poetry continues Thursday, May 29, 6:30 - 7:45pm

Please see details below under "Adult Education." Childcare will be available for this series of four classes. Please contact the TES office at (541) 488-2909 if you know for sure that you would like childcare so we can plan accordingly.     

 

Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, Tuesday, June 3

Join Rabbi Joshua Boettiger and Chazzan Bella Feldman for a Night of Learning in Honor of the Revelation on Mount Sinai.
 
6:30-7:30pm   Potluck Dairy Dinner (it's traditional on Shavuot to eat dairy dishes like blintzes). Please bring a dish to share and RSVP to Kathy at the TES office at (541) 488-2909 or by e-mail to [email protected], so we know how many people to expect.
 
7:30-8:00pm  The History of Shavuot: How the holiday transformed from a spring agricultural festival to a celebration of the giving of Torah.

8:00-8:45pm   Hallel are poems of praise, six Psalms (113-118) that we sing on almost every special holiday occasion in Judaism. Learn the history and politics (why almost every?) of this service, as well as singing hallel melodies from Shlomo Carlebach to Pete Seeger.

 

8:45pm - Espresso milkshake break
 
9:00-9:45pm  Weaving the Organic Patterns of Torah
Delve into the study of Torah text to re-create new insights and understanding, through creatively combining verses of Torah to tell new tales.
 
9:45-10:30pm   Kabbalah Kirtan
Join us for a powerful and spiritually transformative musical experience through call and response repetition of sacred Hebrew and Aramaic phrases and names of God.
 
10:30pm - Midnight and Possibly Beyond
Zohar: The Book of Splendor (with members of the Havurah, who will join us at 10:30pm here at TES, as we joined them last year!).   
        

Lauren Croyle Bat Mitzvah, June 14, 10:00am 

All are invited to come celebrate! Please RSVP as soon as possible.  Please see invitation below for details. 

 

 

 

  

  

Mikvah Mitzvah at Jackson Wellsprings, June 13 3:00-5:00pm (RSVPs required, please see below) 
Join us for a Mikvah educational experience.
Our local community is blessed to have a kosher Mikvah available to us. Rabbi Jackie Brodsky will be guiding the group through the Mikvah. Learn prayers, history and the purpose of a traditional Mikvah. 

The Mikvah represents spiritual cleansing and renewal. The word Mikvah means 'gathering'-it is a gathering of time; of past and future into present, making them both accessible. In his book "Waters of Eden, The Mystery of the Mikvah," Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan teaches that mikvah enables us to transcend the bonds of time for "ultimate freedom." He says, (we are) "No longer bound by either past or future but exist in absolute present which IS the one instant of time one has control over."
This opportunity is open to all generations.

Please bring modest body covering for your time in the spring. There is a suggested donation of $20 ($30 for mother-daughter pairing) to participate but all interested in attending are welcome regardless of means. All proceeds will go to the TES Israel Tour Scholarship Fund.

More information about the Mikvah is available on the Jackson Wellsprings site:
http://www.jacksonwellsprings.com/mikvah/ .

For questions and to RSVP, please contact Miranda Briggs-Graumann at [email protected].


Yoshe Zohar Bar Mitzvah, June 21, 4:00pm
All are invited to come celebrate! Please RSVP by June 6.  Please see invitation below for details and please note 4:00pm start time.
 
 


Elijah Krayna Bar Mitzvah, June 28, 10:00am

All are invited to come celebrate Elijah's Bar Mitzvah! Luncheon to follow immediately after the service. Please RSVP by June 10 to Jacqueline Neuwirth at [email protected].  

 
 

Discount Tickets Available for Roy Zimmerman, Sunday, June 8
On Sunday, June 8th at 7:00 pm, satirical folk singer Roy Zimmerman will be appearing in
concert at Temple Emek Shalom. The
Marin Independent Journal says Roy's performance is "Bobby Kennedy meets Bobby Dylan."
If you enjoy laughter, then you'll love
Zimmerman's jabs at contemporary society. Regular priced tickets are $18 in advance and $20
at the door.

Special discounted ticket offer to all Temple Emek Shalom members and those individuals who receive the TES Weekly e-mail newsletter: $5.00 off regular ticket price. To receive this
discounted ticket price, either print out the first page of this TES Weekly and take it to the Music Coop (268 East Main in downtown Ashland) or call Ben DeBaldo, the promoter, directly at 541-708-0715 and leave your name, how many tickets you'd like, and your phone number. He will return your call to confirm your reservation.

Please join us for a musical evening of laughter and love of social justice!

TES Coffee Bar Ready for Service! 

Our new Coffee Bar is stocked with Noble Coffee and ready for you to come hang out with friends or go online while you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. It is located in the lobby by the bulletin board.

We are still on the lookout for furniture: a cafe/bistro table & chairs for the lobby, and some nice seating for the library. If you know of anything available (inexpensive and in good condition), please contact Kathy at the TES office at (541) 488-2909.

          

Member News
TES members, don't be shy. Please send us your news, accomplishments, joyous events, etc. for us to put in the monthly newsletter to share with the congregation. Please contact Kathy at the office at 541-488-2909 or [email protected].              
      
Honor Family and Friends with a Gift to TES
You can easily and quickly make donations to all funds, to remember and honor family, friends and loved ones. Visit the donation page and see the possibilities. Click here  
Adult Education
The History of Jewish Poetry

According to Stephen Paul Miller, "all poetry is Jewish." Join Rabbi Boettiger for this four session class where we'll trace Jewish poetry from the psalms of King David, to the ribald medieval wine/women/death poems of Andalusian Spain, to the heyday of Yiddish poetry, to Yehuda Amichai and modern/contemporary poetry in Israel and the U.S. We'll not only work with particular poems and poets, but also explore poetry as a phenomenon in Judaism and Jewish life and history. Thursday evenings (May 22nd and 29th; June 5th and June 12th) from 6:30-7:45pm (child care available on site - please advise the TES office if you would like childcare). All are welcome. Non-member fee of $10 per session.

 

Introduction to Hasidism III / Rabbi's Tisch, Saturday, May 31, 6:30pm    

The Hasidic movement was revolutionary in its day: eschewing elitism, and elevating joy, music, and storytelling within the Jewish community. A hasidic tisch ("table" in Yiddish) is a classic form in Hasidic tradition - a gathering around a table to sing niggunin (wordless melodies), hear stories, and study text together. On three Saturday evenings this winter/spring, Rabbi Joshua Boettiger will both teach on Hasidic history, and lead an experience of a tisch - "learning hasidism by doing hasidism." The evening will conclude with a havdalah ritual. All are welcome. Saturday, May 31st, 6:30-7:45pm will be the last class of the year.

  

Social Action Opportunities
Member Dana Schallheim would like to share the following with our community:

Little 2 year-old Helen L., of Medford, suffered from an E Coli infection last August. This infection developed into Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome which severely damaged Helen's kidneys. Now on daily peritoneal dialysis, Helen has end stage renal failure. To sustain her life, her team of doctors at OHSU have recommended that Helen receive a kidney transplant.
 
Helen's family has teamed up with the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA), a national 501(c)3 charity. COTA has become the premier organization providing fundraising assistance to families facing a life-saving transplant.  

 

For four weeks beginning May 3, all four Yogurt Huts have agreed to donate a percentage of sales to COTA in honor of Helen L.  Please visit Yogurt Huts often through the rest of this week!  

 

Visit www.COTAforHelenL.com for more information about Helen or to donate.    

Sponsor
Allen G. Drescher, PC
Attorney at Law
21 S 2nd Street
Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 482-4935
Quick Links

Services This Week

Torah Study
Saturday, May 31
9:00AM

Shabbat Service
Saturday, May 31, 10:00AM

Introduction to Hasidism III / Rabbi's Tisch,
Saturday, May 31, 6:30pm

 
Temple Emek Shalom | 541-488-2909 | http://emekshalom.org


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