Friday, December 10, 6 Tevet 6:00 PM Please join Rabbi Plumb and Ellen Allard for an in-person and virtual "From Our Home to Yours" Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Saturday, December 11,7 Tevet 9:30 AM Please join Rabbi Plumb and Zach Mayer for Shabbat morning prayer for our in person and virtual "From Our Home to Yours" Service.
Rabbi Dr. Michael Shire will be reading Torah and giving the D'var in honor of his Bar Mitzvah anniversary
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
We Remember: This week's upcoming Yahrzeit Observances
Shloshim Leo Karas
Saturday Helen Cohen
Sunday Franklin L. Bridges Leon Medvedow David b'reb Nachman
Monday Dorothy Stone Dr. Morris Yorshis
Tuesday Evelyn Domba
Wednesday Lillian Wallack
Thursday Shmuel Golan Bessie Stavisky Short Annie Tichnor Celia Gordon Leah Resnick
Friday Sara Jane Sherman Barney Glazer Lillian A. Cohen Ida Diamond
From Our Rabbi: A Teaching
Our parasha this Shabbat, Vayigash, teaches us some mussar traits that can help us through our challenging times. Joseph, the main character of our sedra, has become a mussar guide for us. He teaches bitachon, trust, and savlanut, patience. Joseph forgives his brothers by telling them that everything they put Joseph through (the pit and selling him to slave traders), and all the troubles he experienced since, ultimately were for the good. These experiences led him to the exalted place he holds today. Because of the slave traders, he came to Egypt. Because of Potiphars wife's lies, Joseph was thrown in jail which brought him into contact with Pharoahs servants, the butler and baker, who in turn introduced him to Pharaoh. Each negative experience was painful and scary. Joseph had no idea how each trauma would end. But he did not give in to despair or loss of faith. He had bitachon, the Mussar trait of trust. Even in the midst of scary times, he believed that his story was not yet over. He trusted that there was more for him to do in this world. Because of his bitachon, his trust, he refused to give up.
He also teaches us about savlanut - patience. Joseph knew the challenging times would pass, because all things change. He just had to wait it out and do what he could to save his life.
We too are faced with challenging times, especially with Omicron spreading around the world, creating renewed uncertainty in its wake. Joseph's trust and patience comes at the right time. We need both at the moment. Joseph reminds us that this too shall pass, and, despite the horrors of illness and death, we don't know what good may come from the new science that is developing every day.
Mussar teaches us that we must do all in our power to work for a good outcome in our lives, but there is a lot we can't control. That is when we turn to trust and patience to help us live with what we cannot change.
This Shabbat, I wish you one filled with calm, trust, and hope for the future.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Marcia Plumb
Congregation Mishkan Tefila 384 Harvard St. Brookline, MA 02446
