Why Is Next Shabbat Different From Other Shabbats?
There are two reasons:
First, because this year the first and eighth days of Passover were both on Shabbat. The calendar in Israel (where there is no observance of the 8th day of Passover), and the one that Rabbi Yossi (our visiting Rabbi) has always followed, does confirm that K’doshim is the parashah on May 4.
The second reason (why next Shabbat differs) is that our community will enjoy this divergence of calendar with a guest Rabbi who has lived Judaism in both of these realms of Torah.
Rabbi Yossi Feintuch, our lead candidate for the JCCO Rabbinate, will spend May 3rd – 5th with us in celebration of our new affiliation with the National Reconstructing Judaism movement and our first use of the Kol Haneshama, our new Reconstructing Judaism Siddur.
Rabbi Yossi will officiate at a Friday Erev Shabbat service. He will take advantage of the calendar divergence to learn with us and discuss the topic, “What does it mean to be Holy?”
Then he will lead a Saturday morning Torah service. In the true Rabbinical tradition, he asks us to juxtapose the exterior trappings of holiness of Parashat Akharey Mot with the internal and personal question of holiness as shown particularly in Lev. 19, 10-19 of Parashat K’doshim. These verses prescribe holiness in everyday life, through tzedakah, through kindness, through speech and interaction with others through the Golden Rule and through the key notion of spiritual discipline; “Know Thyself”.
Later in the evening, Rabbi Yossi will lead us in a twilight Havdallah service.
Please join with our community in welcoming and getting to know Rabbi Yossi at one or more of these events. There will be time after each of the events for you to visit with Rabbi Yossi and his wife, Judy.
Friday, May 3rd, Erev of Shabbat service at 7pm. Please come for the service which will be followed by a potluck oneg, so, please bring some nibbles to share.
Saturday Torah Service, May 4th at 10am. Please join us for Kiddish and pot luck lunch. Saturday evening Havdallah at 7:30pm. We will be having delicious food from Kebaba at our Havdallah gathering. Please join us for another opportunity to meet the Rabbi and his wife.