Shofar - January 2012 - Tevet/Shevat 5772

Shofar Tevet/Shevat 5772 Jewish Family Congregation January 2012

www.jewishfamilycongregation.org

From the Rabbi’s Desk page 1 Service Schedule page 2 What’s Happening…? Page 3 January Oneg Hosts page 4 Early Childhood Center page 5 The Religious School page 11 JiFTY page 17 Birthdays/Annivs/Yahrzeits page 19

Social Action Committee page 21 Recent Donations to JFC page 22 Ask the Rabbi page 23 Talent Show pictures page 27 Kids Ask the Rabbi page 29 Donations Form page 30 JFC’s January Calendar page 21

In December, my long-time friend, Brenda Barrie, visited JFC and spoke about her recently published book, The Rabbi’s Husband. I had received a copy from her before-hand, and had read it, and it has left me thinking about a variety of subjects raised by the book.

Brenda mentioned that she had begun work on this book about 10 years earlier, and, at that time, had thought about writing about the first class of the Hebrew Union College (the Reform seminary) to ordain 10 women…a minyan of women rabbis. That did not happen until 9 years after Rabbi Sally Preisand opened the door for women in the rabbinate. Brenda gave up on that project and instead turned out her interesting book about the rabbi’s husband. Before 1972, even the concept of a rabbi’s husband would have provoked astonishment.

I remember the husband of a classmate being asked, every time he accompanied his wife to her student pulpit, “What do you call a rabbi’s husband?” His answer: “Lucky”. As far as I know, there is still no term comparable to rebbitzen for said husband. One of our professors, Dr. Michael Meyer, married to Rabbi Margie Meyer, had “rebbitz” on his li-cence plate, but that was a joke, not a real Yiddish word.

There were 15 women in my ordination class in 1990, and we were a support group for each other. Some women ordained long before us visited the campus and told us about the problems of being in a class with only a handful of women in it, problems ranging from the lack of wash-room facilities in the library building to not being taken seriously by their student congregations. By the time I entered the college, these were only distant memories.

Another subject raised by Brenda’s book has to do with her protagonist’s decision to leave the Reform movement and go back to her roots in the Conservative Judaism. The

rabbi in the book wants to return to a more ritually ori-ented Jewish practice. This intrigues me, because my adult religious life began in the Conservative movement, and I moved away from it because I saw a great gap be-tween the official standards of the movement and the ac-tual practices of its members.

I still see that in my own family. For example, I have cous-ins who are very active in their synagogue, both as lay leaders and as occasional service leaders. They go to Shabbat morning services every week and then go out for Dim Sum. The Conservative movement officially requires its members to follow the traditional Jewish dietary laws, but many, many Jews affiliated with Conservative syna-gogues clearly do not do so. The Reform movement en-courages each adult member to decide his/her own prac-tice, and thus it is entirely possible and legitimate for con-gregants to go out for Chinese food before our Shabbat evening services.

So unlike the rabbi in the book, I found great comfort in the Reform movement’s emphasis on intellectual integrity and individual autonomy.

But, like the rabbi in the book, I also appreciate a ritually oriented Jewish life. For people like me, the good news is that the Reform movement sees itself as an umbrella, un-der which there is room for a very diverse set of beliefs and practices. Our most recent prayer book, Mishkan T’filah,embodies that umbrella concept. In the footnotes on many pages, it says “for those who choose”, and then it describes a ritual (from bowing at certain times to facing the entry to sing the last stanza of Lekha Dodi) that comes from traditional practice. And the concept of individual autonomy is emphasized in the choice that is offered.

(Continued on page2)

From the Rabbi’s Desk

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Page 2 Jewish Family Congregation Shofar January 2012

From the Rabbi’s Desk (cont’d)

I see this in action every time I attend a conference of the Women’s Rabbinic Net-work. More and more women wear kippot all the time, and certainly during prayers and meals. At morning services, lots of women…clearly now the overwhelming majority…wear kippot and tallitot. And there are a few…also a growing number…who lay t’fillen each weekday morning. But when we go out to eat, a significant number of women will order foods that are treif.

While some are troubled by this lack of consistency, others, me included, rejoice over the freedom of the individual to choose what is important to her.

I know that the decision of the rabbi in my

friend’s book is a necessary element of the plot, but it caused me to think about the changes that our movement has gone through, and I have been reassured about my own choice, to become a practising Re-form Jew. It has deepened my appreciation of Shabbat, and the wisdom of our inher-ited customs and practices. It allows me to live in the real world and still benefit from a Jewishly oriented life.

A good book should stimulate far-ranging thinking, and this one certainly did! If you did not get a copy while Brenda was here, you can find it on Amazon, and by the time you read this, it will also be available for the Kindle.

Please let me know what ideas it stirs up for you, when you have read it.

(Continued from page 1)

SERVICE SCHEDULE

JANUARY

Friday, Jan 6/ Tevet 12 7:30 pm WORSHIP 101* Saturday, Jan 7 10:00 am Shabbat morning service

Friday, Jan 13/Tevet 19 6:30 -7:15 pm Family Service

Friday, Jan 20/Tevet 26 7:30 pm Parshat VaEyrah 4th grade presentation Saturday, Jan 21 10:00 am Shabbat Morning Service

11:00-1:00 Lunch N Learn

Friday, Jan 27/ Shevat 4 7:30 pm Parshat Bo Laurence Furic chants Torah Musical Service

Saturday, Jan 28 10:00 am Shabbat morning service

*WORSHIP 101 Do you wonder why we bow at certain times during service? Why we face the ark? When do we cover or at least close our eyes? You are not alone in wanting answers to these and other questions, and we are offering an opportunity to get those answers during our Shabbat evening service on January 6 at 7:30 pm.

Worship 101 is a different kind of service…where we will interrupt the service to take questions. Your raised hand will function as the “pause” button on a re-mote control.

And please don’t be shy about asking whatever it is you want to know. It is very likely that others have the same question. We will explain the structure of the service, and answer as many questions as time permits.

So please mark your calendar, and plan to join us on January 6, for Worship 101.

Jewish Family

Congregation 111 Smith Ridge Road

P.O. Box 249 South Salem, NY 10590 Phone: (914) 763-3028 Fax: (914) 763-3069 e-mail: [email protected]

jewishfamilycongregation.org

Rabbi

Carla Freedman [email protected]

Cantor Kerry Ben-David

[email protected]

School Director Leslie Gottlieb

[email protected] Early Childhood Center Director Jane Weil Emmer

[email protected]

Temple Administrator Jolie Levy

[email protected]

Board Of Trustees Richard Mishkin,

President 914-764-8305;

Mark Lavin,

Vice President; Polly Schnell,

Vice President; Hal Wolkin,

Chief Financial Officer; Carrie Kane

Elise Serby Patterson Shafer Debra Verbeke

Elisa Zuckerberg and

Johanna Perlman, Past President

Shofar Editor Jolie Levy

Shofar Printer EnterMarket

Tevet/Shevat 5772 Jewish Family Congregation Shofar Page 3


Please find a substitute if you

cannot host your assigned Oneg.

Please contact the JFC Office with the name(s) of the new hosts.

Please contact your Board Host if you have any questions.

JFC WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS ANDREW RAPPORT and ALLISON DeCRESCENZO

of South Salem, NY

The items in the JFC Gift Shop have changed again.

Please stop in and

take a look!

JANUARY BOARD HOST: Elisa Zuckerberg (914) 763-9616

JANUARY ONEG HOSTS

-- ONEG HOSTS --

PLEASE REMEMBER NO MEAT GOODIES MAY BE SERVED AT ANY ONEG

JANUARY 6 Edward & Martha Gordon

Lowell & Nicole Haims

JANUARY 13 Jonathan & Jama Hansonbrook

Richard & Lydia Hellinger

JANUARY 20 GRADE 4 SERVICE

JANUARY 27 Donn Henshaw & Abby Plotka-Henshaw

Doris Hettmansberger

We now have a Facebook page!

If you are on Facebook, go to: http://facebook.com/

jewishfamilycongregation

and like us!

http://facebook.com/jewishfamilycongregation

http://facebook.com/jewishfamilycongregation


Todah Rabbah from the ECC to:

EVERYONE who helped with our Chanukah Community Candle Lighting Service

Cantor Kerry, Kathy and Paul Storfer for making our story and music time fabulous.

Rabbi Carla, Leslie, Jolie and Kathleen for all of your support and help throughout the

month.

Sometimes the simplest things can make a big difference. This month we began our weekly trips to our “library.” Each Monday, we roll out a blue library mat, roll in our library shelves, and convert the Youth Lounge into our ECC library. Each teacher team customizes the library shelves with books for their students to choose from. We have invited Mystery Readers to surprise our classes with a favorite book. Every student has a library card, and they may bor-row a book for the week. Simple, cost free, and a big hit!

Library helps give the week structure. The children borrow books on Mon-days, and return the books on Friday. Moving forward, we will ask our older students to share thoughts about the books they borrowed (book reviews). The students are excited about their weekly visits to the library. Instilling a love of reading and books is an inspiration to us all. And…Yes, we celebrated Chanukah this month. Each class invited parents

and special friends to celebrate with them. We sang, cooked, created and partied! The yellow room answered the question: What do you know about Chanukah?

Sydney – A long time ago there was a tiny bit of oil that lasted eight nights. Mitchell – We light the candles. Owen – We get presents. Macey – Some people don’t celebrate Chanukah. Dylan- You light the menorah for eight nights. Aaron – You spin the dreidel- Jewish people celebrate Chanukah. Jordan – The Temple was destroyed. Tammy – We eat Latkes and applesauce. Jason – We pray to one God. Kayla – The Shamash lights all of the other candles.

The Early Childhood Center Jane Weil Emmer, Director

CHOIR

If you would like to join the choir, or for more information, please contact Kathy Storfer at [email protected]

We welcome all adults -- 13 or older!


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The Green Room


The Blue Room

The Yellow Room




The Religious School Leslie Gottlieb, Director

What makes a good leader? This question was one I used to provoke a discussion with the 9th grade Student Men-tors a few weeks ago during our weekly class held on Thursdays prior to their actual mentoring obligations. We had a wonderful discussion about it. It is a complex re-sponse that could hardly feel complete no matter how much time is given to ponder the weight of it. Leaders are all around us—but a real leader is hard to identify by con-sensus because what one feels about the qualities of a leader-- can be arguably less or more important to an-other.

Now that the next Presidential election cycle has kicked off in earnest, all we seem to hear from our involved politi-cians is how they can provide us with the leadership we all need and crave. Republicans complain about the present leader of the free world and how little leadership he is providing. Democrats complain about the chinks in the armor of Republican candidates revealing their undersized potential to become great future leaders. So what are we all hoping for? It seems that nothing shy of a messiah will satisfy the masses. So here we are.

Our mentors were asked to come up with the qualities of a leader as it pertains to being a classroom teacher in a Jew-ish congregational school setting. They were also asked to consider the larger world and what leadership means. Here are some of their responses…. The mentors agreed that a real leader is responsible and needs to provide us with good role models of behavior. They need to lead by example. Leaders should be intelligent, they thought. Leaders should be charismatic, virtuous, principled. Inter-estingly, they said leaders should be kind. They felt lead-ers should be understanding. Leaders need to be power-ful. Good leaders need to be accountable.

When asked to identify a leader for discussion, they cited Lincoln, Obama… and when they suggested that I could be thought of as one, I had to redirect them-- but I was grate-ful for the nod. We moved on to the more noteworthy folks in our history. We talked about how these two men succeeded and failed at their job of leading others. It was an enlightening conversation for me and they were fully engaged because this is something they could really talk about with great ease. If you want perspective on the world we live in, talk to 9th graders. They are, most of them I have been exposed to anyway, highly gifted at rec-ognizing certain truths that seem so difficult for adults to see. Life is still uncomplicated enough for them to see what’s really there and what is not. We, as adults, often hide from the obvious because it fits our chosen agendas. Oh, to be 15 again.

So I took a look at some notable quotations from some prominent citizens of the world to get some ideas about

what leadership means to others, those dead and alive. Here are some of the more interesting ones:

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling

with them while they do it. Theodore Roosevelt

If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants.

Isaac Newton

Leadership: the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

The price of greatness is responsibility. Winston Churchill

I must follow the people. Am I not their leader? Benjamin Disraeli

Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.

John F. Kennedy

The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on.

John Quincy Adams

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is:

Try to please everybody. George Orwell

The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.

Steve Jobs

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.

Bill Gates

It is impossible to imagine anything which better becomes a ruler than mercy.

Seneca

I am humbled-- crouching in the shadow of these great individuals who seem to have/have had the ability to capitalize on the true essence of defining leadership with extraordinary brevity & wit. But I think our mentors at JFC were right on target with their responses. Kindness is what they thought of… while Seneca called it mercy. Em-erson called it influence instead of authority-- and they

(Continued on page 13)


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The Religious School (cont’d)

saw it as someone who controls power. Churchill and the mentors agree/d that a leader must be responsible to his/her constituents. Adams identified the need to give to others who will carry on your message—conviction and will. The mentors characterized the same message in their words; someone principled and virtuous can be trusted to carry on with someone else’s vision or conviction.

Think about it. When do leaders become leaders? Is it when one puts on a judge’s robe, brandishes a scepter, holds up a Kiddush cup, points to the chalkboard which is now really a Smart Board, puts on more war paint than the next guy, organizes a rally or protest? Or is it when a leader listens, reaches out, understands, shows love, acts responsi-bly… bends a little or a lot to show compassion?

To our mentors at JFC, and not just the 9th graders but to those in grades 9-12… to those past, present, and future mentors… we respect the journey you have chosen by stepping into the role of Jewish leaders for the next genera-tion. In this secular new year, we look forward to years you’re your leadership as you continue on the path to be-coming Jewish educators at JFC and beyond!! Mentors, thanks for all you do for us at JFC!

(Continued from page 11)

Todah Rabbah From The Religious School to…

Dayna Kaplan for the Chanukiah and book.

All of the Youth Group and K-7 Class Parents for their help organizing treats for the school Chanukah parties last month.

All the ECC and RS staff members for their caring cooperation in sharing our facility.

All those who have donated generously to The Molly & Gregory Friedlander Religious School Scholarship Fund.

Don’t forget to check out

the JFC Blog!

Go to www.jfc.rjblogs.org

Next Midnight Run: March 17, 2012

http://jfc.rjblogs.org


The Religious School’s...


...Chanukah Celebrations


JFC’s-

Matt Emmer

at NFTY Fall

Kallah

Our Chanukah Service…

A unique menorah from the Andrade Family….

...and some very unique

Oneg creations!


JiFTY ...Our Chanukah Party...


Allan & Alice Gottlieb

Ian & Sigal Leitner

Sandi Auerbach Max Auerbacher

Samuel Auerbacher Juliette Bellinson Marcela Berland Cecelia Bersch Andrew Blum Michelle Blum Robyn Cohen Marina Fried

Jonathan Glass Allan Goldstein

Brooke Goldstein

Jack Haims Gregory Hoffman Kristopher Kahn

Lisa Katz Glenn Kurlander Kenneth Kurzweil

Eric Kutscher Dr. Martin Kutscher

Patricia Lerner Stephen Margolis Richard Mishkin Michael Mucciolo

Abby Plotka-Henshaw

Tamar Rackear-Sturm Emily Rauch Joshua Rauch

Sandra Rosenhouse Dr. Michael Salpeter

Rona Salpeter Savannah Shafer

Justin Sobel Suzanne Sunday Riannah Wallach

Lisa Warren Clayton Weisberg

BIRTHDAYS

ANNIVERSARIES

Nathan Bell Robert Belsky Douglas Birdsall Jeannette Cohen Stephen Crown Ruth Davis Joseph Elias Israel Farber Helene Fuchs Julius Fuchs Theodore Garfiel

Zelda Jacobs Helene Kutscher Michael Mishkin Grayce Romeo Bernard Shuler Gerda Simon Julius Simon Zachary Adam Smith Louis Steinhorn Arnold Treitman Helen Worster

YAHRZEITS

Have you considered celebrating significant birthdays

and anniversaries with a leaf on our Simcha Tree of Life?

Call the JFC Office for details.

Please call the JFC Office when any relevant information arises or changes so all Birthday, Anniversary and

Yahrzeit listings are accurate and up to date. JFC can only list names/dates that have been reported to us.


The 6,000 attendees at the URJ's 71st Biennial conference near Washington, DC - the largest URJ Biennial ever - heard from national and international leaders and saw a historic changeover of leadership. The URJ recommitted itself to cultivating the next generation through the Campaign for Youth Engagement and announced a new emphasis on reaching North American Jews both inside and outside the walls of its congregations.

I was privileged to be one of the 6,000 attendees. Attending the conference as both the Director of our Early Child-hood Center and also as a member of Eisner/Crane Lake Camp Board allowed me to see and hear things with a unique perspective. The Campaign for Youth Engagement is an exciting initiative that I believe begins with Early Childhood. After all, nurturing and creating a strong Jewish identity begin at birth.

The entire weekend was filled with inspirational speakers, spirited music and inspiring conversation. The highlight of the event was the President’s speech. President Barack Obama knew exactly what to say when he addressed the Un-ion for Reform Judaism Biennial on Friday. After all, there’s a resident expert on Judaism in the Obama family.

“Since my daughter Malia has reached the age where it seems like there’s always a Bar or Bat Mitzvah every weekend … As a consequence, she’s become the family expert on Jewish tradition,” Obama cracked.

Obama took Malia’s advice and gave a d’var-torah-turned-stump-speech revolving around the word “Hineini,” saying, like Joseph, that he’s ready to take on challenges even if he can’t predict them all.

The President rattled off a litany of his accomplishments, not just in regards to Israel (military aid, missile defense, support at international organizations during the Palestinian statehood bid, dispatching firefighting planes to stop fires in Israel, aiding besieged Israeli embassy in Cairo), but also in advancing liberal causes such as health care access, LGBT rights, women’s rights, and economic justice.

“America’s commitment and my commitment to Israel and Israel’s security is unshakeable. It is unshakeable,” he said.

But Obama had his praises for the Jews in the room, too, making sure to congratulate the Religious Action Center on their golden anniversary and thank them on a personal level for their commitment to the Civil Rights Movement.

“You helped draft the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. You helped to liberate Soviet Jews. You have made a difference on so many of the defining issues of the last half-century,” he said. “And without these efforts, I probably wouldn’t be standing here today. So thank you. Thank you.”

If you have not had the opportunity to see the speech in its entirety, it is worth the time. It can be found at http://urj.org/biennial11.

Jane Weil Emmer, Director JFC ECC

Biennial December 14-18, 2011

Jewish Family Congregation Early Childhood Center

Where Family is our middle name

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO REGISTER!

Please visit our website at www.jewishfamilycongregation.org

http://urj.org/cye

http://urj.org/cye



Happy secular new year! The JFC Social Action Committee is gearing up for our next Midnight Run. The date is Satur-day, March 17th, and there are many ways to help out:

1. Sign up to attend the run; 2. Coordinate the food; 3. Prepare bagged meals; 4. Donate items listed below; Help with the repair of our garage/storage area.

Contact Debbie Lavin at [email protected] or 232-0756 to volunteer.

As you read in the last Shofar, we’ve had great volunteer efforts to fix up the garage as a staging and storage center for our midnight runs. However, we still need help: the roof leaks. Contact Pat Shafer at [email protected] if you can donate time or materials (we can use lots of both!).

What can I donate to the Midnight Run?

New, men’s jockey-style underwear New toiletries: small deodorants, toothbrushes, dis-posable razors. New or gently used back packs, book bags, and duffle bags New or gently used men’s jeans, hoodies, coats, hats, gloves, scarves, shoes Roofing material!

JFC Social Action Committee by Lee Goldstein

The Tzedakah of the Month

For JANUARY Is

HOMES FOR HEROES FOUNDATION Their purpose is to provide or coordinate financial assistance and housing resources to our nation’s heroes such as military personnel, police/peace

officers, firefighters and first responders in need.

Selected by the

JFC Social Action Committee

Want to help? Contact Debbie Lavin ([email protected]) or Jeanette Sanders ([email protected])

If you would like to “announce” a Simcha in your family, please send the text (pictures are welcome too!) to Jolie Levy at

[email protected].

Announcements must be received by the 15th of the month to appear in the next month’s Shofar.

Please feel free to acknowledge your Simcha with an $18 donation to any JFC Fund or with a leaf on our Simcha Tree.

Donation forms appear in every Shofar.

Next Midnight Run: March 17, 2012

JFC ANNOUNCEMENTS

mailto:[email protected]




Recent Donations to JFC

IF ANY DONATIONS ARE NOT LISTED, KINDLY CONTACT THE JFC OFFICE AND LET US KNOW.

General Fund Dr. Silviu and Josephine Landman The Hogan Family In Memory of Amy, Molly & Gregory Friedlander Mark and Debra Lavin In Memory of Charlene Lavin, Edith Redman and Harold Redman Robi and Steve Margolis In Memory of Freda Shuler

Molly & Gregory Friedlander Religious School Scholarship Fund 3rd Grade Class In Honor of Leslie Gottlieb on the occasion of Chanukah Sherr Family In Memory of Amy, Molly and Gregory Friedlander

Music & Choir Fund Richard and Beth Sklarin In Honor of Julia Sklarin on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah

Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund Jerome Kerner Kenneth Kurzweil and Suzanne Sunday In Memory of Ruth Davis 3rd Grade Class In Honor of Rabbi Carla Freedman on the occasion of Chanukah

HIGH HOLY DAY DONATIONS David and Leslie Moss Martin and Tracey Weisberg Laura Levenson Mindy Cohen Michael and Rona Salpeter Ken Okamoto and Nita Weissman Pat Shafer Lawrence and Jacquelyn Goldman Kenneth and Cindy Carson Kenneth Kurzweil and Suzanne Sunday Martin and Tracey Weisberg Paul and Kathy Storfer

ASK THE RABBI

Question: I see “Rosh Hodesh” on my Jewish calendar, but I don’t know what that is. Can you explain, please?

Answer: Rosh Hodesh literally means “head of the month”, so it is the beginning of a new Jewish month. It was treated as a minor festival, with its own set of pre-scribed sacrifices (Numbers 28:11-15).

In ancient times, the beginning of a month was deter-mined by an actual sighting of the tiniest sliver of the new moon after the “no moon” phase. Then the sighting was communicated by lighting a fire on a high hill, so that it could be seen in the next town, and those folks lit a fire, etc. While the Temple stood in Jerusalem, people took the day off work, thronged to the Temple, offered sacrifices and then had family feasts.

Since the destruction of the Temple, Rosh Hodesh is merely announced in synagogue on the Shabbat preceding the new moon; there are also changes to the traditional liturgy for Rosh Hodesh.

The necessity of sighting the actual new moon came to an end when Rabbi Hillel II established his calendar, based on astronomical calculations which fixed the dates of the new moon; this happened in 358 CE.

The declaration of the new moon was very important, be-cause otherwise, Jews living in separate communities could not be sure that they were observing festivals on the right days. It is interesting to note that Rosh HaShanah is the only Jewish festival that begins on the first day of a month.

Rosh Hodesh was also treated as a special women’s holi-day, because, according to rabbinic legend, the women of Israel declined to participate in the building of the Golden Calf (though the Torah does not allude to this) and for their loyalty to Judaism, they were given the holiday of Rosh Hodesh.

In recent times, women’s groups have taken to celebrating Rosh Hodesh, with festive meals and rituals created for the occasion, by way of reclaiming the ancient event that was specifically intended for women.




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MANY THANKS

TO ALL OF OUR

WONDERFUL

PERFORMERS!

And a SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR

PANEL OF JUDGES: Michelle Auerbach

Samantha Rai Nicole Rose Elyse Sherr

Heather Sherr



Question: Why do we call God Adonai ?

Answer: In the Torah, the name of God is spelled Yud, Hey, Vav, Hey. It has no vowels, because nothing in the Torah scroll has any vowels. And there are probably two or three ways to add vow-els to the Hebrew letters of God’s name and still be within the rules of Hebrew grammar. But since we don’t know which is correct, we don’t want to take the chance that we are saying it incorrectly, so we don’t even try to do so.

It was understood in ancient times that just saying God’s name out loud could unleash great power into the world, and that could be very dangerous…not the kind of thing you do casually! So our ancestors chose to avoid saying God’s name out loud alto-gether, with one exception. The Kohen Gadol (high priest) said the name of God out loud on only one day of the year, Yom Kippur. And he said it only in one place: the inner sanctuary of the Temple in Je-rusalem, which was called the Holy of Holies, into which only he could go. So no one heard him say it.

Still, the Jewish people had to have a way to refer to God’s name without taking the chance of mispro-nouncing it. So the practice came to be the sub-stitution of the Hebrew word Adonai for the ac-tual four-letter name of God. Adonai means “The Lord”. And whenever we see “The Lord” in English, we know it is a substitute for God’s actual four-letter name; many of us now replace the English translation of Adonai with the Hebrew word itself, so when we say Adonai in the middle of an English prayer or Torah text, we are reminding ourselves that we are avoiding using God’s actual name.

Once the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, there was no Holy of Holies, and so no one said the name out loud at all.

So, today, we don’t know the proper pronunciation of God’s actual name, and we just say Adonai in-stead.

Kids Ask the Rabbi



Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 ECC

4 ECC

5 K-3/CC/SMP/YG (“spring” shekels begin) Kids Knesset 5:10-5:30

6 ECC ECC Staff Mtg. 12:15 Creation Station WORSHIP 101 Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat

7 Gr. 7 9-10:45

8 Gr. 4-6 9:00-12:00 (“spring” shekels begin) Kids Knesset 11:10-11:30

9 ECC Gr. 7 4:20-6:15

10 ECC

Ritual Mtg

11 ECC

Bd Mtg

12 K-3/CC/SMP

13 ECC Creation Station (makeup)

FAMILY SERVICE 6:30-7:15

14 NO Gr. 7

15 NO Gr. 4-6

16 NO ECC

NO Gr. 7

MLK, JR. DAY

OFFICE CLOSED

17 ECC

18 ECC RS Comm. Mtg 12:30

19 K-3/CC/SMP/YG

20 ECC

Creation Station

Gr. 4 Service Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat

21 Gr. 7 9-10:45 Lunch ‘N Learn

11:00-1:00

22 Gr. 4-6 9:00-12:00

23 ECC Gr. 7 4:20-6:15

24 ECC

25 ECC

26 K-3/CC/SMP

27 ECC Creation Station MUSICAL SERVICE Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat

28 Gr. 7 9-10:45

29 Gr. 4-6 Bring A Parent to RS 9:00-12:00

30 ECC Gr. 7 4:20-6:15

31 ECC

January 2012

JEWISH FAMILY CONGREGATION

WINTER BREAK

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL OR ECC

OFFICE CLOSED

K-3: 4:15-6:00 CC: 6:15-7:15 YG: 7:15-8:15

JANUARY 20-22: EISNER AND CRANE LAKE CAMPS

CHAGIGA/ARTS WEEKEND

ADULT PROGRESSIVE

DINNERS 6:45 p.m.

FAMILY SKATING

PARTY 12:15-2:45

Jewish Family Congregation 111 Smith Ridge Rd/Rte. 123

P.O. Box 249

South Salem, NY 10590

Non Profit Organization

Postage PAID

White Plains, NY Permit No. 9022

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

Documents

Shofar - January 2012 - Tevet/Shevat 5772