TORAH READING FOR 18 ELUL 5784 September 20-21, 2024
SHAZOOM ONLY 6:30 PM September 20, 2024
KETIVAH VECHATIMA TOVAH – A GOOD WRITING AND SEALING!
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL AND ALL THE VICTIMS OF CONFLICT
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur” p.98
SIM SHALOM tovah uv’rachah, chën vachésed v’rachamim, alëinu v’al kōl Yisraël ‘amécha, [v’al kōl yoshvëi tëvël, v’imru: Amën.]
GRANT PEACE, goodness and blessing, grace, kindness, and mercy, to us and to all Your people Israel [and all who inhabit the earth, and let us say: Amen.]
PARSHA
From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/ki-tavo
Ki Tavo (כִּי-תָבוֹא — Hebrew for “when you enter” [the Land])
Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8
When you enter the land that the Eternal your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it, you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the Eternal your God is giving to you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the Eternal your God will choose to establish the divine name. – Deuteronomy 26:1-2
SUMMARY:
- The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26)
- The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8)
- The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26)
- The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69)
- Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8)
HAFTARAH
Isaiah 60:1-22
The sixth haftarah in the cycle of seven haftarot of consolation after Tisha B’Av, leading up to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which this year begins the evening of Wednesday, October 2, 2024. This haftarah corresponds to Parashat Ki Tavo.
RECOMMENDED READING
From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/ki-tavo
By: Rabbi Sari Laufer
STRUGGLING WITH TORAH and REFLECTION
Until further notice, we will meet on Fridays for Shazoom only. Please see the NEW Shazoom schedule below. Read this week’s Torah Portion at https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.26.1-29.8, and Haftarah at https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.60.1-22.
From “The Torah / A Women’s Commentary” edited by Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D., Women of Reform Judaism/The Federation of Temple Sisterhoods and URJ Press New York 2008
כי תבוא Ki Tavo – Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8
Contemporary Reflection – Alice Shalvi, pp. 1212-3
THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES, we make numerous transitions and undergo various rites of passage, of both a formal and informal nature, consciously or unconsciously. Frequently these transitions are marked by ceremony and ritual of some kind: a b’rit bat or b’rit milah, a bat mitzvah or bar mitzvah, a mikveh immersion, a wedding. These are solemn moments, both for ourselves and for our closest relatives. Often they are accompanied by self-scrutiny, a vow, and a determination to improve, to “turn over a new leaf.” The same is true of the beginning of each new year: indeed, this is the central theme of our prayers on both Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. It also holds good when we move into a new home, freshly decorated, the walls clean and as yet unmarked by greasy fingers, the windows crystal-clear and gleaming, the empty rooms waiting to be filled with our lives. Parashat Ki Tavo begins with a ceremony that marks the entry into the Land of Israel (26:1–10): as an expression of gratitude, the people are to bring a basket filled with the first fruits of the land’s bounty and to recount the events that led to the long-awaited settlement of the land.
When Benjamin Ze’ev (Theodor) Herzl gave expression to his extraordinary prophetic vision of a Jewish state in both Der Judenstaat (The Jews’ State) and Altneuland (Old-New Land), he described a new community, one in which the land would be developed through science and technology, in which there would be tolerance in all spheres, and which would be organized socially on a cooperative (“mutualist”) basis. The pioneers of the Second Aliyah, motivated by similar lofty ideals, developed precisely this kind of cooperative way of life when they founded the kvutzot and kibbutzim that became a hallmark of the new socialist communities–and eventually of the autonomous State of Israel. The Declaration of Independence drawn up by the founders of the state in 1948 also proclaimed equality of all citizens, irrespective of race, religion, or gender. Fundamental concepts of social justice, many of which are rooted in the precepts of Deuteronomy, ground much of the legislation passed by Israel’s Knesset (Parliament) from its inception. Indeed, Israel was one of the first countries to pass a law stipulating equality between women and men. For most of the first fifty years of its existence, Israel was a welfare state. Underlying this new venture was not only divine promise but all the memory of past suffering, both recent and long gone by. When Herzl had presented his amazing plan to the Rothschild family, requesting their financial help in turning dream into reality, he wrote: “We are talking about a simple old matter–the exodus from Egypt.”
Almost the entire book of Deuteronomy is a reprise, not only of the events of the forty years in the wilderness (which the people Moses is addressing have not witnessed themselves), but also of the commandments first encapsulated in the giving of the Decalogue at Sinai and later elaborated in the long, detailed catalogues of precepts and prohibitions. Now in Ki Tavo and the passages that follow, the time has come to look toward the entry into the new home, to review the covenant, and to rededicate oneself–individually and as a people–by first acknowledging the fact that God has fulfilled the promise given to our forebears. This is to be immediately followed by an expression of awareness of past suffering–not necessarily one’s own, but that of the collective. Remembrance of things past is an essential part of developing a new identity, beginning a new existence. The formulation of this memory in the First Fruits ceremony, with its reference to the “fugitive” or “wandering Aramean” (26:5), surely stirs within the modern reader recollections of the trials and tribulations of Jews in the Diaspora, which culminated in the unprecedented horrors of the Holocaust. The purpose of these recollections is to stimulate us to behave differently from those who oppressed us–to give to “the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat their fill” (26:12).
Being the favored of God entails duties and responsibilities. Failure to observe is to be cursed; obedience brings blessings, prosperity, fruitfulness. Above all, doing God’s bidding means that Israel will be established as “God’s holy people” (28:9) and will be “the head, not the tail” (28:13). In contrast, the detailed, terrifyingly graphic list of horrors that will be heaped upon the people if they fail to abide by God’s laws ends with perhaps the direst of warnings: to be scattered among all the peoples “from one end of the earth to another” (28:64) and, worst of all, to become slaves once again (28:68).
The message of parashat Ki Tavo applies to us even now, whether we live in Israel or in the Diaspora. To justify Israel’s existence as a Jewish state and homeland, it must forever strive to be a “light unto the nations” and not a state like any other. As a people, wherever we are, we have a remarkable and noble mission–to fulfill God’s precepts, whether they deal with our relationship to the Divine or–more concretely–with our relationships with our fellow human beings, all of whom have been created in the divine image.
HIGH HOLY DAYS 2024/5785
Please read the emails from Dr. Sam Caron, Congregational President, regarding Temple Kol Hamidbar’s plans this year for observing Rosh Hashanah (evening of Wed, Oct 2 – Fri, Oct 4, 2024) and Yom Kippur (evening of Fri, Oct 11 – Sat, Oct 12, 2024).
In the meantime, various congregations within the Reform Movement are still providing online resources to anyone interested in participating in services. In some cases, registration is required. You may want to visit the following websites for their latest information on the High Holy Days and how to access them.
Kol Ami (formerly Temple Emanu-El and Congregation Or Chadash), Tucson, AZ https://www.katucson.org/
Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas, CA https://orami.org/hhd/
Temple Sinai, Oakland, CA https://www.oaklandsinai-hhd.org/
The Union for Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/rosh-hashanah/how-find-high-holiday-community-wherever-you-are
PRAYERS
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:
FOR OUR COUNTRY p.376
THUS SAYS ADONAI, This is what I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of lawlessness; to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. Share your bread with the hungry, and take the wretched poor into your home. When you see the naked, give clothing, and do not ignore your own kin.
O GUARDIAN of life and liberty, may our nation always merit Your protection. Teach us to give thanks for what we have by sharing it with those who are in need. Keep our eyes open to the wonders of creation, and alert to the care of the earth. May we never be lazy in the work of peace; may we honor those who have [served, suffered or] died in defense of our ideals. Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance. May they govern with justice and compassion. Help us all to appreciate one another, and to respect the many ways that we may serve You. May our homes be safe from affliction and strife, and our country be sound in body and spirit. Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL p.552
O HEAVENLY ONE, Protector and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel which marks the dawning of hope for all who seek peace. Shield it beneath the wings of your love; spread over it the canopy of Your peace; send Your light and truth to all who lead and advise, guiding them with Your good counsel. Establish peace in the land and fullness of joy for all who dwell there. Amen.
FOR HEALING – El Na R’fa Na Lah!
We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of abuse, brutality, conflicts, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds especially directed at individuals and specific communities including us, and war; for all those at home alone or lonely; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!
YAHRZEITS/ANYOS
We say KADDISH YATOM for those of our friends and families who have died and been buried this last week; those in the period of Sh’loshim (30 days since burial); those who have died in the last year; and those whose Yahrzeits/Anyos occur at this time; as well as the victims of brutality, conflict, disease, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds, and war.
This coming week, 18 Elul through 24 Elul, we lovingly remember:
Phyllis Berkowitz
Temple Kol Hamidbar Memorial List
Lavee Mayberry
Friend of TKH member
David Rosenblatt
Father of TKH Founding Member Simon Rosenblatt
Those victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.
“ZICHRONAM LIV’RACHAH” – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR BLESSING.
SHAZOOM ONLY
We will meet for Shazoom ONLY this evening, Friday, September 13, 2024. Dr. Sam and Mary Caron will lead the service. Please see the NEW Shazoom schedule below. During Elul, Mary Caron will sound the Shofar before the start of Shazoom.
Zoom regularly updates its security and performance features. Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this Friday evening with wine/grape juice for Kiddush and Challah for Motzi.
Shazoom – Erev Shabbat Service
Time: Sep 20, 2024 06:30 PM Arizona
To join Shazoom click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09
Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854
Passcode: 4NrMk0
Hint: The last character of the password is the number zero.
Ketivah Vechatima Tovah – A Good Writing and Sealing!
Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat – Gut Shabbos!
-Ruben
PS – NEW Schedule through October 2024 for Shazoom (Arizona Time Zone):
September 20, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
September 27, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[Leil S’lichot 9/28 nightfall – preparation for High Holy Days]
October 2, 2024 – Wednesday, Erev Rosh Hashanah
[Rosh Hashanah – Tishri 1-2]
October 4, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
Shabbat Shuvah – Sabbath of Returning
October 11, 2024 – Erev Yom Kippur
Kol Nidrë
[October 12, 2024 – Yom Kippur]
[October 16, 2024 – Sukkot]
October 18, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
Shabbat in Sukkot – Chol HaMoed Sukkot
[October 23, 2024 – Shemini Atzéret]
[October 24, 2024 – Simchat Torah]
October 25, 2024 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm