Leading an Erev Shabbat Service

Sunday, November 11, 10:30-noon.

Location: Near TvO at 56 Burdick Hill Road

Rabbi Brian will share his ideas for making Friday evening services engaging, joyful and meaningful - for those who attend and those who lead. He'll briefly review the typical structure of the service, the meaning behind each part and the many options available within and outside that structure.   This workshop is for congregants who have lead services or who are willing to lead a service during the coming year.

Space is limited.

Please RSVP to Judy Saul at <jasaulny@earthlink.net>

For the classes below, contact <info@tikkunvor.org> to register:

 

Embracing Judaism as a Spiritual and Ethical Practice:

An Introduction to Jewish Prayer, The Siddur (Jewish prayer book)

and the Shabbat Prayer Service

Dec. 9, Jan. 20, March 10, April 14

Sundays 10:20 am -11:50 am

Location: Near TvO at 56 Burdick Hill Road

This class, which will take place once a month during religious school, is geared to people with widely different levels of knowledge from beginners to those who are very familiar with the Siddur (Jewish Prayer book) and the Shabbat Prayer Service. Parents of children in the religious school are especially encouraged to attend as it will take place during religious school and will provide parents with the opportunity to study the prayers that our children learn in religious school. We will study traditional prayers, write our own and explore what it means to pray, how we pray or don't pray in our lives, and what prayer may mean to someone who doesn't believe in God.

Cost: This class is free for parents of religious school students,

$35 for other temple members, $70 for non-members priority given to TVO members

 

Personal and Communal Reflections on The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning

Nov. 12, Dec 10, Jan 21, March 11, April 15

Mondays 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Location: Tikkun v’Or, 2550 N Triphammer Road

We will study the Jewish approach to death and mourning, examining traditional Jewish practices and customs, and exploring how we may meaningfully incorporate them into our lives and into the life of our community.

We have all suffered the loss of loved ones and we will share what has been helpful and meaningful in our own experience of loss and mourning. Lastly, we will also explore the decisions we have made or need to make about how we want to die and how we can make sure these wishes are communicated to our families and loved ones.

Cost: $40 for temple members, $75 for non-members, priority given to TVO members

 

 

In 2013:                                    Introduction to Mussar: Nurturing our Ethical Lives

May 20, June 17, August (day to be determined)

Mondays, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Location: Tikkun v’Or, 2550 N Triphammer Road

How do we nurture and fulfill our ethical values? Mussar, a Jewish ethical practice developed by Rabbi Israel Salanter in Lithuania in the nineteenth century, understood that one could observe all the rituals of Judaism and still be unethical. Salanter focused on midot (character traits/virtues) and examining how we act on those virtues in our daily lives. Salanter's teachings have been revived and reinterpreted in recent years by Alan Morinis, Rabbi Ira Stone and other contemporary Jewish teachers. Many liberal Jews have found it to be a powerful way of deepening our ethical and spiritual lives. In the class we will study the teachings of Mussar and experiment with Mussar practice. If there is interest, we may create a Mussar group for further study and support in the coming year/s. 

Cost: $30 for temple members, $60 for non-members, priority given to TVO members

On August 13 - 15, Rabbi Brian Walt spoke about ethical values and forgiveness. You may want to read this article in Tikkun Magazine:

<http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2010/05/25/forgiveness/> 

Rabbi Walt also shared his experiences over the last 5 months living in Israel.

He referenced these articles:

“The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment”  in the New York Review of Books, by Peter Beinart

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/jun/10/failure-american-jewish-establishment/

The  exchange between Beinart and Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League, printed in the subsequent issue of the Review:

<http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/jun/24/failure-american-jewish-establishment-exchange/>

 “The Future of Palestine: Righteous Jews versus the New Afrikaners” by John Mearsheimer.

<thejerusalemfund.org/ht/display/ContentDetails/i/10418>

Several times in the Torah, G-d's wrath is aroused, and the Israelites are struck with a plague or threatened with destruction. Yet always either Moses or Aaron step in and intervene to stop or even prevent this loss of life. We might find the idea of G-d's wrath repugnant and disturbing. Why be so angry at the people yet again? We have to remember that our ancestors – not just our Israelite ancestors but most peoples in antiquity – attributed distressing events to G-d's wrath, just as they attributed good fortune to G-d's beneficence. If we are disturbed by the one, why not be equally disturbed by the other? If we see the beneficence as a metaphor, why not the wrath?

We have experienced many times in our lifetimes that when the balance of nature is sufficiently disturbed, the effects can ripple out and last long after the initial disturbance is over, like aftershocks in an earthquake. These aftershocks can cause great damage (as we have seen most recently in Haiti, Chile, China and other places, not to mention tsunamis, such as the 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of Southeast Asia. Hurricane Katrina is years past, yet the effects, both of the hurricane and of the human response (and in some cases, lack of response) are still being felt. The Gulf oil spill. Even the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill is not over - the environmental effects are still unfolding. In these events, the damage – the “wrath” - was not limited to the initial event but has impacted people's lives and will continue to do so. Once there has been a serious disturbance such as this, it isn't always easy to put the genie back in the bottle – or the oil back in the well.

In Pirke Avot chapter 5, we learn of the 10 things that were created in the twilight before the 1st Shabbat:
The mouth of the earth (that swallowed Korach and his followers),
The mouth of the well (that opened when Moshe hit the rock, some say Miriam's well),
The mouth of (Bilaam's) donkey (that enabled it to speak),
The (original) rainbow (during Noah's time),
The manna (which the Israelites ate for 40 years in the wilderness),
The staff (of Moses),
The shamir (a stone-cutting worm used to build the Temple),
The letters (of the alef-bet)
Writing (the process of writing)
The tablets (of the Law)
And some add, the original tongs, for you can only make tongs by using tongs

I'd like to update the 10 last minute creations as reminders for our time:
The mouth of the earth reminds us of the millions of people swallowed in earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, mine disasters.
The mouth of the well reminds us of the millions of barrels of oil contaminating our waters and sealife.
The mouth of the donkey reminds us to listen to voices that we might not otherwise hear.
The rainbow reminds us that the existence of our world is threatened not by G-d, but by ourselves.
The manna reminds us that there is enough food to feed the world if only we can develop the will.
The staff reminds us that we have many tools and should use them wisely.
The shamir reminds us that we have powers beyond our own hands, and we should use them for holy purposes.
The letters remind us that complex systems are made up of simple components.
Writing reminds us that we can keep records and hopefully learn from our mistakes.
The tablets remind us that after thousands of years, we are still not keeping even the most ethically based of the 10 commandments that are known in many cultures and religious traditions.
The original tongs – for you can only make tongs by using tongs – remind us to give thanks for the miracles that we have been given, whether by Divine beneficence or by our ancestors, many of whom wanted a better life for their children, just as we do today.

May we learn from these 10 creations that were created so far in advance to think about what we can create now to meet the needs of future generations, and may we learn from Moses and Aaron to be willing to step in and take action to stop the plagues of our day.

--
Hazzan Abbe Lyons
Cantor, Congregation Tikkun v'Or

Congregation Tikkun v'Or (Ithaca Reform Temple) offers adult Hebrew classes, Torah study, and other opportunities throughout the year. Check back here for current listings!