Skip to main content

April 1 Message

Dear TBA Friends,

In these unprecedented times we draw on our values, wisdom, and ritual to guide and strengthen us. Judaism as a spiritual practice awakens us to life’s potential and enables us to seek holiness and meaning in the world in which we live at any moment, even amidst tremendous uncertainty, fear, and chaos.

Surviving this pandemic will make us all survivors. We will all really know how interdependent and connected we are with each other, and with this planet. As survivors we will bring our best tools to rebuild a world of greater love and justice. That is my deepest prayer, as I also hold you all in my prayers for safety and health.

In our daily rituals and through our sacred teachings we give thanks for life itself, make space for the longings of our hearts, and connect to sunrises and sunsets and the cycles of nature. Shabbat brings us a taste of a different world, one of more peace and wholeness. Our holidays are benchmarks for our families, connecting us to some of the most profound teachings about freedom, joy, forgiveness and gratitude. Through study and prayer we seek meaning in our lives, and join together with others in that search. Through the cycle of our lives, we celebrate births, coming of age and soulmates finding each other, and we share in supporting each other through illness and loss.

As a Jewish om we are continuing to do these things. Jewish community isn't about just a building. It is about people. It is about connection. Moment by moment, our heritage will help us with awareness and living life to its fullest, no matter what is happening.

your families.

Rabbi Alison Adler

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCHEDULE

PLEASE NOTE NEW EVENING MEDITATION WITH JERRY SCHWARTZ AND SPECIAL MINYAN AND BREAKFAST FOR SAUL AXELROD'S YAHRZEIT.

Every service/class has the same codes and links unless otherwise indicated.
Through your device click here:

Or call in through your telephone:  +1 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 264 328 7667

If you need technological assistance to set up Zoom, please send a message to deb.schutzman@tbabeverly.org and someone will call you to help. You can download the Zoom app here.



SHABBAT EVENINGS

  1. 5:30 PM  TBA FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WELCOME SHABBAT. Together we will light candles , recite the blessings and welcome Shabbat with a song. Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/749289326


2.7:00 PM SHABBAT EVENING SERVICE for All – Connect, Reflect, Breath (use link above)


SHABBAT MORNING, MARCH 28, 10:00 AM Service – with Torah study (Use link above)


SUNDAY, MARCH 29 MORNING MEDITATION with Jerry Schwartz, 7:30 AM
Jerry Schwartz is inviting you to Sunday Meditation
Call in by phone: 879-436-3064
Meeting ID: 879 436 3064

WEEKDAY MINYAN - TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPLATIVE ALL AT 8 AM (use link above) Start the day breathing more deeply and in connection and reflection! We will include prayers for healing and Mourners’ Kaddish.

-         Mondays and Thursdays – more traditional though not full service, with reflection and English and Torah study

-         Tuesdays and Wednesdays – Contemplative Service in the framework of a morning service, with singing, reflection, meditation, poetry

NEW! BEGINNING THIS WEDNESDAY 7:00 PM JEWISH MEDITATION WITH JERRY SCHWARTZ
Call in by phone: 879-436-3064
Meeting ID: 879 436 3064

=======


RESOURCES IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

Combined Jewish Philanthropies COVID-19 Emergency Fund (for those in need) and other Boston Area Resources and Events

Limmud North America Online Festival of Learning!! March 29 12PM-5PM
A signature Jewish learning festival allowing individuals across the globe to connect and engage with transformative ideas and each other. Limmud eFestival will feature dozens of sessions on subjects as diverse as food, philosophy and finance taught by leading educators, thought-leaders and change-makers.
For additional information and to register,


Webinar on running a Passover Seder virtually


Institute for Jewish Spirituality - Meditation, Learning, Mindfulness Resources for Challenging Times https://www.jewishspirituality.org/

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Circle Dance - Yom Kippur Morning 2024

  Gut yontif, good morning. How are you? If we were all on Zoom I would ask you to put in the chat one word that describes how you feel this morning. I can imagine a few of those words… overwhelmed, tired, anxious, worried...grateful…Thankfully, we are here together, in our expansive sanctuary that includes everyone at home and in person.  And in these uncertain times, on this serious and holy day, I want to begin in a very Jewish way by telling a joke. Do you remember the old joke about Rivkah and Saul? Poor Saul is nearing the very end of his life, and his beloved wife, Rivkah, is at his bedside with tears in her eyes.  She leans towards him and whispers in his ear: “Sauly . . . is there anything I can do to make easier your passing into the next world?”  Saul raises his head slowly, turns to her and says: “Rivkeleh! Chocolate babka – no one makes it like you. The taste of it reminds me how much I love you. How I’d love to have just one more bite of it before I lea...

And Let Us Say: Amen - Rosh Hashanah Morning 2024

Shanna tova. Note that we Jews wish for a good (tova) new year - not a happy one. It’s not that we’re opposed to “happy.” It’s just that goodness is the essence of what we all hope for, whether we’re happy or not.  Please, may it be good.   May goodness flow through us all, our community, our country, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Ukraine… all the world.  On this holy day that begins a new year, when we pray for goodness, one thing is certain:  Life is dramatically different from last Rosh Hashanah.  For starters [comedic beat]: The old wooden pews in this sanctuary have been replaced by comfy new purple chairs - which I hope you and your backs and backsides appreciate. So that’s different, in a good way. Better yet, we have many new people in our community - welcome to all, and shana tova. Sadly, this year, like all years, was one of loss  – we lost some deeply beloved members, friends and family. It was, in fact, a year of tremendous pain and stress. The ca...

It's Hard to Be an Angel - Kol Nidre/Yom Kippur Eve 2024

  When I was a kid, growing-up in Highland Park, Illinois, my rabbi’s name was Shalom Singer. He was a wonderful, old-fashioned reform rabbi with white hair and he wore a white robe with sleeves that billowed when he raised his arms to bless us. At such times, he looked exactly like an angel of the Lord. He preached to us in a booming voice but we were never frightened because we knew he loved us kids. He could tell jokes that actually made kids laugh.  Unlike your rabbi, I’m afraid. But it was his High Holy Day sermons that moved me most, once I was old enough to follow them. One sticks in my mind: He was talking about angels in Judaism – which, as we will see, can be very different from, say, angels in Christianity or angels in Hollywood. Anyway, what I remember is that, at some point during Rabbi Singer’s sermon, my Mom turned to my Dad and said: “ Alison is our angel.” Now, I know what you’re all thinking [pause]: I was their angel then ; but I’m yours now! Right? No, no...