On and Off the Bimah
On and Off the Bimah
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The CDT newsletter includes an occasional column about Jewish ritual and practice in the Dorshei Tzedek community and beyond, by the CDT Ritual Committee. Those articles are collected here.
The Hebrew on our Ark and Torah Table
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When the ark is open, you can see the words etched into the frame above the place where the Torah scrolls rest. It says:
עץ חיים היא למחזיקים
Etz chayim hi l’machazikim ba.
It (the Torah) is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it.
This is what we chant when we return the Torah to the ark...Read more...
Hagbah: Lifting the Torah
Marion Ross, for the Ritual Committee
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On the bimah a member of the congregation holds the Eitz Chayim, (the wooden handles of the Torah scroll), one in each hand, pushes down on the handles raising the Torah off the table, and with knees bent s/he brings the scroll to an upright position and lifts it high.
Off the Bimah, I breathe in, expectantly.
The person lifting the...Read more...
When is the Best Time to Arrive at Services?
Laurie Goldman
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Shabbat services at Dorshei Tzedek begin at 9:45 on Saturday mornings. The liturgy flows according to our tradition’s attunement to the rhythms of our awakening souls and the narrative of personal and collective gratitude, praise, and redemption. But since the service is not a performance, it’s perfectly appropriate to arrive at any time. You’ll be greeted with a smile whenever you arrive and service leaders will announce page numbers...Read more...
Demsytifying Leyning: How Do Our Members Know How to Chant From the Torah?
Cindy Shulak-Rome
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As a twelve year old I loved my thrice weekly Hebrew School experience that was associated with the conservative synagogue my family belonged to. However, when given a choice as to whether or not I wanted to have a Bat Mitzvah (yes, an unusually progressive conservative shul to offer Bat Mitzvah in the 1960’s) I emphatically said “no!” The reason for that response was clear in my mind. I was terrified to stand up and “sing” in front...Read more...
Our Torah Service: Re-living the Experience of Sinai and the Desert
Elaine Pollack
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The words sung just before lifting the Torah out of the ark,” Va’yihi binsoa ha-aron, va-yomer Moshe”…come directly from the Book of Numbers, (Chapter 10, verse 35). “And it came to pass, that when the ark set out, that Moses would say: ‘Rise up oh Lord and let your enemies by scattered…” These words are proclaimed by our service leader in advance of marching with the Torah, and are intended to echo our ancestors’...Read more...
Embodying Prayer
Elaine Pollack
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Think about it: from the beginning to the end of our Shabbat morning service we are engaged in a fair amount of standing and sitting, bending and bowing, touching and kissing (and not just because our friend is sitting next to us!). At a certain point, we even go up on our toes three times in succession.
These are moments when the physical meets the spiritual, and we are given a special “choreographed” enhancement which we...Read more...
Wed, October 21 2020
3 Cheshvan 5781
Upcoming Events
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Thursday ,
OctOctober 22 , 2020Zoom 201 Practice Session
Thursday, Oct 22nd 12:00p to 1:00p
Take some time to practice with other Zoom hosts until you feel absolutely comfortable and can effortlessly share documents and videos, run breakout sessions, message meeting registrants, and download Zoom recordings. -
Thursday ,
OctOctober 22 , 2020Environmental Voter Project: Voter Texting Action
Thursday, Oct 22nd 5:00p to 6:00p
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Saturday ,
OctOctober 24 , 2020Shabbat Morning Service
Shabbat, Oct 24th 10:00a to 12:00p
Please join us for musical, participatory, weekly Shabbat Morning Services! The service ends with an opportunity to offer blessings for healing for those who are ill and suffering, and to recite Mourners Kaddish. The service is then followed by virtual “Kiddush” chat rooms, an opportunity to connect with members and guests. -
Sunday ,
OctOctober 25 , 2020Building Our Capacity for Dialogue
Sunday, Oct 25th 1:00p to 2:00p
Arava Insitute Alumni speakers will lead an hour-long workshop where participants can learn more about the tools of dialogue and how to engage in environmental peacebuilding in their own communities. The group will address the matter of dialogue vs. debate, how dialogue reveals what lies beneath the surface of conflict, and how to transform dialogue into action. Space is limited; register in advance. -
Monday ,
OctOctober 26 , 2020Reclaim Our Vote phone bank session
Monday, Oct 26th 7:30p to 8:30p
Join us to make calls to get out the vote. We’ll train all participants who have not previously done phone banking and answer your questions at the beginning. ROV has a calling platform that is easy to use. Questions? Contact Cindy Shulak-Rome at cshulakrome@gmail.com. -
Tuesday ,
OctOctober 27 , 2020Contact Tracing, Civil Liberties and Public Health with Rabbi Shahar
Tuesday, Oct 27th 12:00p to 1:00p
From T’ruah's webinar series “Jewish Law and Ethics: a hackathon for the age of COVID-19”: Contact tracing is an essential tool for fighting the spread of COVID-19, but many recent tech-based suggestions about how to implement this public-health strategy broadly and quickly raise serious privacy concerns. How should Jews approach these concerns about contact tracing? How do we maintain values of liberty, privacy and public safety in extraordinary circumstances? -
Wednesday ,
OctOctober 28 , 2020Reclaim Our Vote phone bank session
Wednesday, Oct 28th 7:00p to 8:00p
Join us to make calls to get out the vote. We’ll train all participants who have not previously done phone banking and answer your questions at the beginning. ROV has a calling platform that is easy to use. Questions? Contact Cindy Shulak-Rome at cshulakrome@gmail.com. -
Wednesday ,
OctOctober 28 , 2020Jewishness, Whiteness, and Race in America
Wednesday, Oct 28th 7:30p to 9:00p
With Rabbi Toba Spitzer and Dr. Jenny Sartori. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the uprising against police brutality, many American Jewish communities are grappling with what it means to become actively anti-racist. As Dorshei Tzedek takes on this challenge, this class offers an introductory exploration of the intersections of Jewish identity, antisemitism and anti-Black racism, and the American construct of “whiteness.” What does it mean to say that European Jews “became white” in the 20th century? How do we understand the intersections of the different traumas held in white, Black, and Jewish bodies? How do systemic racism and antisemitism operate in 21st century American society? What does an embrace of a multiracial Jewish reality look like? Join us for study, discussion, and personal reflection and exploration. -
Thursday ,
OctOctober 29 , 2020Environmental Voter Project: Voter Texting Action
Thursday, Oct 29th 5:00p to 6:00p
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Saturday ,
OctOctober 31 , 2020Shabbat Morning Service
Shabbat, Oct 31st 10:00a to 12:00p
Shabbat morning, October 31, 10am-11:45am - Join Rabbi Toba at 10am for song and prayer (and a bit of meditation). At 11am we will explore the Torah portion Lech Lecha, the beginning of Abraham and Sarah's journey. Our study will be dedicated to the memory of CDT member Eugene Black, on the occasion of his 7th yarzheit. We will close the service with blessings of healing and Mourners Kaddish.