Newsletters
Mar Cheshvan 2013
Shalom Chaverim! (Hello friends!) As I write this, I am looking outside at the grey sky and millions of droplets of rain. How quickly the seasons have changed from the beginning of the High Holy Days, to now!
Believe it or not, we have now entered the time period known as “mar Cheshvan,” or bitter Cheshvan. We call the month of cheshvan bitter, because there are no holidays as a part of this month! The beauty of this month is that we get to enjoy a “regular” schedule! After a season of Selichot, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah, a season of welcoming the New Year, introspection, celebrating our harvest and our torah, we finally get a break! We can relax our bodies, our souls; our minds.
We are not only entering the month of Cheshvan- we are making our transition into the depth of fall and winter. The sky grows darker with each passing day, the sun and the wind, colder. We are moving into the darkest season of the year.
When we move into winter, in the midst of darkness, crisp frost and cold weather, we get to celebrate a most extraordinary holiday: Chanukah. Our festival of light! We honor, sing, and celebrate the glorious 8 days of light that miraculously glowed after the battle of the Maccabees. We remember their ultimate triumph, and we celebrate the light that we have carried with us through the generations as a Jewish people. We remember and honor our ability to come through darkness with light.
It is truly amazing to walk through New York City at this time of year. Everywhere in the midst of the dark night, one sees the glowing chanukiot from the hundreds upon hundreds of apartment buildings lining the streets.
We have special opportunity to celebrate the light of Chanukah together. On December 14, we will gather for a brief Shabbat service, with lots and lots of Chanukah singing!
What better way to celebrate the great light in the midst of the winter darkness than with all of our voices joining together in song.
If you are someone who loves to sing you will have a wonderful opportunity to participate in this service. We would like to invite a group of those who love to sing perform something special in our service. A rehearsal for this service will take place during my November weekend, the 16-18th. If you are interested in being a part of this group, please be in touch with me by email at [email protected].
I look forward to raising our voices into the light together!
Shalom Chaverim! (Hello friends!) As I write this, I am looking outside at the grey sky and millions of droplets of rain. How quickly the seasons have changed from the beginning of the High Holy Days, to now!
Believe it or not, we have now entered the time period known as “mar Cheshvan,” or bitter Cheshvan. We call the month of cheshvan bitter, because there are no holidays as a part of this month! The beauty of this month is that we get to enjoy a “regular” schedule! After a season of Selichot, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah, a season of welcoming the New Year, introspection, celebrating our harvest and our torah, we finally get a break! We can relax our bodies, our souls; our minds.
We are not only entering the month of Cheshvan- we are making our transition into the depth of fall and winter. The sky grows darker with each passing day, the sun and the wind, colder. We are moving into the darkest season of the year.
When we move into winter, in the midst of darkness, crisp frost and cold weather, we get to celebrate a most extraordinary holiday: Chanukah. Our festival of light! We honor, sing, and celebrate the glorious 8 days of light that miraculously glowed after the battle of the Maccabees. We remember their ultimate triumph, and we celebrate the light that we have carried with us through the generations as a Jewish people. We remember and honor our ability to come through darkness with light.
It is truly amazing to walk through New York City at this time of year. Everywhere in the midst of the dark night, one sees the glowing chanukiot from the hundreds upon hundreds of apartment buildings lining the streets.
We have special opportunity to celebrate the light of Chanukah together. On December 14, we will gather for a brief Shabbat service, with lots and lots of Chanukah singing!
What better way to celebrate the great light in the midst of the winter darkness than with all of our voices joining together in song.
If you are someone who loves to sing you will have a wonderful opportunity to participate in this service. We would like to invite a group of those who love to sing perform something special in our service. A rehearsal for this service will take place during my November weekend, the 16-18th. If you are interested in being a part of this group, please be in touch with me by email at [email protected].
I look forward to raising our voices into the light together!