The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2010 - Page 11
Why Do the Rabbis Want Us to Say 100 Brachot Every Day?
O
To make sure thanksgiving is
part and parcel with our Jewish
practice, we ritualize thankfulness
in every hatima that ends our litur
gical prayers: Blessed are you,
Holy One, who brings the
evening, who creates the day, who
gives wisdom, who...
There are countless things to be
thankful for and far more than 100
ways to respond. Take the grand
sweet gum tree whose five fin
gered leaves glow bright green in
the morning light. Each leaf is an
earthly star turning dark and then
light again as the clouds pass over
head. The blessing is spontaneous,
heartfelt: “Blessed are you God
who also puts stars on trees.”
Every day has these moments,
these opportunities for us to stop
and realize that we have plenty to
be thankful for
What if every time we experi
enced the surprise of biting into a
new kind of apple or of driving
down a scenic country road we
took a moment to express our
thanks? “Blessed are you Adonai,
king of the universe who gives me
a gift every time I turn a comer.”
Of course, Shabbat is a desig
nated twenty-four hour span of
intensive thankfulness that occurs
every week. At Temple Or 01am,
we make a point of trying to
expand our Shabbat-conscious-
ness. The rabbi reminds parents
not to forego the pleasure of bless
ing their children on Friday night.
We take a moment in our Kabbalat
Shabbat service to ask what reve
lation, what wonder, what blessing
we may have received during the
preceding week.
Thankfulness is year-round,
every day, 100 times a day. Happy
Thanksgiving!
Temple Or 01am serves
University City, Harrisburg, and
Cabarrus County, and is an inde
pendent congregation where Dr.
Barbara Thiede, senior rabbinic
student with ALEPH (the Alliance
Temple Israel Honors Life Presidents:
November 13
Temple Israel will honor our
Life Presidents at Shabbat servic
es. These are: I.D. Blumenthal z”l,
Sol Levine, Hugo Rosenberger
z”l, Harry L. Schwartz z”l, Isaac
Ashendorf z”l, William Gorelick,
Robert Abel, Morris Speizman z”l,
Sol Jaffa z”l, Aaron Gleiberman
z”l, David Miller, Ben Jaffa, Sr.
z”l, Sam Strause, Jerome Levin,
Steve Hockfield, Sam Bernstein
(z "l-zichronam livrakha-of blessed
memory).
Following services, a wonder
ful Kiddush luncheon will be
served. The entire congregation is
encouraged to attend services that
morning and invited to stay for the
luncheon.
As part of the tribute, a keep
sake 8 Vi” X 11” soft cover journal
containing pictures of the
Honorary Life Presidents, together
with biographical and service
information for each will be pro
duced for distribution to the con
gregation, free of charge.
Nationally known artist and local
Charlotte resident, Paul Rousso, is
designing a piece of art especially
for the occasion that will be repro
duced as the journal’s cover.
Temple Israel Adult Education
Series
Conversations with Dr. James
Howell of Myers Park United
Methodist Church and Rabbi
Ezring:
Angels and Demons in Jewish
and Christian Tradition: Tuesday,
November 9 at Myers Park UMC,
7 PM
Did Biblical Miracles Really
Happen?: Tuesday, November 16
at Temple Israel, 7 PM
Classes are free and all are wel
come.
PALS Hanukkah Event,
November 28 at 10:30 AM
For more information contact
Rabbi Faith Cantor at 704-362-
2796.
Temple Hanukkah Events
We have a full schedule of
Hanukkah events for all ages.
November 28, we invite young
families to join us for the PALS
pre-Hanukkah program.
Temple Israel Book Club
Day After Night by Anita Diamant
Monday, November 15, 7:30 PM, Temple Israel
Historical fiction readers tend
to be pulled into a story and are
often compelled to search for
more information about the inci
dents depicted. Such is the case
with Anita Diamant’s Day After
Night. Based on the true story of
the October 1945 rescue of more
than two hundred prisoners from
the Artit internment camp - a
prison for “illegal” immigrants run
by the British military near the
Mediterranean coast south of
Haifa, Day After Night tells the
stories of four young Jewish
women, survivors of four different
kinds of hell and how they grapple
with a new life in a new land.
Described as “an astutely imag
ined story ... Diamant opens a
window into a time of sadness,
confusion, and optimism that has
resonance for so much that’s both
triumphant and troubling in mod
em Jewish history.”
Readers may remember
Diamant as the author of the com
pelling The Red Tent, a TI book
club favorite.
ii[ |-i
Day After Night is available at
the public library, the Levine-
Sklut Judaic Library and local
book stores for about $15, making
it relatively easy to obtain a copy
for discussion at the November 15
book club meeting.
Temple Israel book club meet
ings are open to all members of
the community, including “drop-
ins” and those who haven’t read
the book. For additional informa
tion contact Linda Levy at
704/3 66-6 3 62/levyollie@
aol.com. ^
for Jewish Renewal) leads two
Shabbat services each month. For
information on our services,
please visit our website, www.or-
olam.org and subscribe to our
mailing list. You can also email us
at info@or-olam.org, or call 704-
720-7577. ^
0
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Wednesday night, December 1,
we invite the entire congregation
to join Rabbi, Ezring, Rabbi
Cantor, Cantor Roochvarg, the
choir, special guests and Temple
Israel’s Consolidated Hebrew
High School students to light the
first candle, sing our favorite
Hanukkah songs, and taste the
sweetness of Hanukkah treats. The
celebration begins at 7 PM.
Friday evening, December 3 we
will host a special candle lighting
followed by services at 5:45 PM
and a wonderful Hanukkah
Shabbat Dinner, highlighted by
stories and songs.
Sunday, December 5 the
Temple Israel Social Club will
host its annual Hanukkah lunch.
Tuesday evening, December 7
Temple Israel Religious School
will host a special Hanukkah
assembly for the families of the
school.
The Temple Israel Social Club
We invite active couples and
singles, affiliated with Charlotte
area synagogues, to join our social
group. Meet friendly people and
enjoy our interesting programs
and trips. Call Janine Rosner at
704-366-5631 for more informa
tion. Join us on Sunday, December
5 at 12:30 PM for our Annual
Hanukkah Luncheon with enter
tainment. ^
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