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Calendar of Events
June 6 Erev Shabbat Service in the Synagogue at 6 pm
June 7 Torah Study at 11 am
June 9 Book Club: “The DoveKeepers” at 6:30 pm
June 14 Torah Study at 11 am
June 17 JCCO Board Meeting via Zoom at 6 pm
June 21 Shabbat in the Synagogue at 10 am
June 29 Annual Meeting of the Membership at 2 pm
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Kabbalat Shabbat June 6, 6:00 pm
Fully Hosted Shabbat Dinner to follow 7:00 pm
RSVP to sherrishulman@gmail.com
No later than Friday June 6 at 10 am (I need to cook!)
Zoom Torah study June 7, 11:00 am
Meeting ID: 876 3233 5610 Passcode: 027948
Bring your thoughts, questions and ideas. Here are mine:
The parasha this week is Nasso (Numbers 4:21-7:89). There are several cryptic or mysterious rituals that are challenging to us today (or challenging to me!). Among them are the sotah ritual (to determine if a woman has been unfaithful to her husband), the Nazir (a person who dedicates themselves to God for a specific period by abstaining from certain things, such as wine and haircuts), and the priestly blessing.
The priestly blessing has changed over the course of my life. The priestly blessing is part of the Amidah repetition. When I was a child, most Conservative synagogues did not include it. But “Fiddler on the roof” included a poetic rendering in “The Sabbath Prayer” and many people use it to bless their children on Shabbat evening. And many (most?) Conservative synagogues include it on the Chaggim.
On the Chaggim, the Cohanim come up on the bimah, and they repeat the words one word at a time to bless the congregation:
May God bless you and watch over you.
May God shine God’s face towards you and show you favor.
May God lift up God’s face to you and grant you peace.
I always found the ritual left me cold. A bunch of men (and now women as well), with Tallits over their head, repeating these words just looked awkward to me. And when I first started saying these words to my kids at Shabbat dinner, it felt awkward and unnatural.
But something happened over time. Practicing a ritual or establishing a habit becomes a part of ourselves. Saying the priestly blessings became comfortable and meaningful, and stopped feeling awkward and artificial. I quoted Rabbi Sacks a few months ago on the role of routine and its relation to meaning:
We have developed in the West a strange view of religious experience: that it’s what overwhelms you when something happens completely outside the run of normal experience. You climb a mountain and look down. You are miraculously saved from danger. You find yourself part of a vast and cheering crowd. It’s how the German Lutheran theologian Rudolf Otto (1869–1937) defined “the holy”: as a mystery (mysterium) both terrifying (tremendum) and fascinating (fascinans). You are awed by the presence of something vast. We have all had such experiences.
But that is all they are: experiences. They linger in the memory, but they are not part of everyday life. They are not woven into the texture of our character. They do not affect what we do or achieve or become. Judaism is about changing us so that we become creative artists whose greatest creation is our own life. And that needs daily rituals: Shacharit, Minchah, Ma’ariv, the food we eat, the way we behave at work or in the home, the choreography of holiness which is the special contribution of the priestly dimension of Judaism, set out in this week’s parsha and throughout the book of Leviticus.
Rabbi Sacks said: “The more you seek spiritual heights, the more you need the ritual and routine of halacha, the Jewish “way” to God.”
So – over the years I have found a new appreciation for habit and routine. Rather than see them as empty experiences of “just going through the motions”, I now see them as opportunities. The words of the Priestly blessing are compelling, and each time I say them, I can imagine different variations of meaning. Rabbi Eliezer Diamond said of the formulaic priestly blessing:
Using God’s words enables me to say: I don’t know what would be best for you. I leave it in the hands of a Power greater than both of us to have the wisdom to know, and I ask that Power to bring the blessing you need to fruition.
May each of us receive the blessing we need and the wisdom to know that we have received it.
~Sherri
June Yahrzeits
The Jewish Community Religious School is a program for all Jewish children of Central Oregon. JCRSCO is a coalition of parents and teachers aligned to provide a rich and transformative Jewish and Hebrew education for all our children.
The Jewish Community Religious School is a special place where all Jewish children in Central Oregon are welcome. It is a place where teachers can connect with students and not only share knowledge and create lifelong learners, but help to foster relationships among young families in Bend and the surrounding areas. JCRSCO is a small community and depends on parent volunteers to help teachers on Sundays, as well as organize special events.
From Religious School education to Hebrew lessons, to Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation to continuing education courses, our curriculum strives to serve everyone, from the youngest early learners to teenagers eager to continue their Jewish education.
The Jewish Community Religious School serves all – they are not affiliated with any one congregation, and membership to a particular synagogue, while encouraged, is not required.
Vindaloo with the Jews
All members and interested parties are invited to join us on Sunday, June 15 for Vindaloo with the Jews at Taj Palace, 61247 S Highway 97, Bend.
Starting at 12:30pm, we eat, schmooze, and make new connections.
No reservations are required, and all ages are welcome.
If you have any questions, email Evie Lerner evielerner60@gmail.com.
What’s Happening Elsewhere
Learn more about our community at jccobend.org
Congregation Shalom Bayit, also known as the Jewish Community of Central Oregon, is an inclusive and participatory Jewish community that honors the diversity of our Jewish heritage, linking modern life to the ancient traditions of our people by providing opportunities for Jewish education, spiritual growth, and worship in Central Oregon. We are proudly affiliated with the Reconstructing Judaism Movement.
Contact us
Congregation Shalom Bayit Board of Directors
President: Neal Nelson
Secretary: Delia Kirsch Treasurer: Anna Morris
Past-President: Steve Magidson
Membership: Cynde Magidson
At- At-Large: Sherri Shulman
At-Large: Judith Arbetter
At-Large: Naomi Hall