Friday, November 26, 22 Kislev 6:00 PM Please join Rabbi Plumb and Tutti and Ron Duyan for our Virtual "From Our Home to Yours" Service
Saturday, November 27, 23 Kislev 9:30 AM Please join Rabbi Plumb and Cantor Ellen Band for Shabbat morning prayer for our Virtual "From Our Home to Yours" Service.
If you have a simcha, please share it with us and receive a special blessing from Rabbi Plumb during an upcoming Shabbat service. Sponsor a Kiddush by virtually inviting us to your home as you lead the community in KIddush and HaMotzi prayers. (we will provide challah and grape juice!) Please contect Rosalie Reszelbach, Janet Stein Calm or Toni Spitzer to arrange.
Please click here for the link to the new Conservative prayerbook, Siddur Lev Shalem: Shabbat Shaharit Siddur Lev Shalem The prayers will be the same as in our usual blue siddur, so feel free to use that instead if you wish.
Please click here for the link to the page numbers for Shabbat morning prayers in Sim Shalom (Blue) and in Lev Shalem Page Numbers for Shabbat Morning
Hanukkat HaMishkan: Welcome back to Mishkan Celebration Weekend Shabbat Hanukkah, December 3-5
Friday, December 3 - Celebratory Kabbalat Shabbat Musical service with Ellen Allard and the CMT Band, followed by a Reunion Dinner in the Social Hall Click here to register
Saturday, December 4 - Shabbat morning services with special haftarah read by Miriam Drukman, with memorial to Mitch Selig
Sunday, December 5 - Menorahfest style Bring Your Own Hanukiyah lighting, plus a Campus wide Public Outdoor candlelighting, latkes and sufganiyot (More details and registration to follow)
Calling all Young Adults! Not your parents KIDS TABLE! There will be a Yong Adult seating area in Social Hall for you to have your own gathering time and conversation. Bring Your Friends!
We Remember: This week's upcoming Yahrzeit Observances
Shloshim Harvey Hecker
Saturday Harvey Chet Krentzman
Sunday David Brodsky Leonard Pach Jacob Finkielsztein
Monday Ruth Sheff Rosenberg Audrey Wintman
Tuesday Joseph Lank Jospeh Linsey Pauline Schorr Rose Rosen Joseph Allschwang
Wednesday Matilda Harris Goldberg , Roberta Ingall
Thursday Ruth Miller Sara Wilson
Friday Bertha Friedberg Roberta Shur
From Our Rabbi: A Teaching
A favorite rabbinic question concerning Chanukah is, What is the miracle of the first day, since there was enough oil in the cruse to burn for that day? Where was the miracle if it was obvious the oil on the first day would be enough for that day?
There are several different answers for this question, but I’d like to share a comment from a contemporary scholar, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld. He suggests that the oil lasting was not the miracle of Hanukah. The miracle was the faith to light the Menorah at all.
Rabbi Strassfeld says 'the miracle the first day was the deep faith that it took to light the menorah, knowing there was not enough oil for eight days. That same faith led the Maccabees to revolt against impossible odds, to strike like hammers and scatter sparks of revolt in the hills of Judea. They believed they would prevail “not by strength, nor by power, but through My spirit—says Adonai.” This faith allowed them to light the menorah, and it is this faith that made it burn for 8 days. It is the miracle of faith despite darkness, and of belief in the growth of light in the depths of winter.’
We face many challenges this Hanukkah--a continuing pandemic, a divided country, and a planet in crisis. We are also working to bring our congregation back together after nearly two years of physical separation, to bring people back into our Mishkan, as the Maccabees did in their mishkan.
But Hanukkah is about having faith in our community, our people, and ourselves. May this Shabbat before Hanukkah bring you faith in your ability to light lamps even in darkness.
Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Marcia Plumb
Congregation Mishkan Tefila 384 Harvard St. Brookline, MA 02446
