Shabbat Blast

Friday, April 1, 2022

From:  Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein

​​​​​​​Dear CBO Family,
 
How do we maintain hope and work towards change when the news on the ground seems so dire? This question comes up every time a war forges forward or a terrorist attacks. This is the sentiment that many are sharing with me especially following the war in Ukraine as well as the violence by the terrorist in Bnei Brak. 
 
So what is our emotional course of action? It is understandable to stay despondent, but when we drop into hopelessness we are no good to individuals who may needs help with supplies, words of comfort, or advocacy. 
 
Luckily, we are not alone. We join together with thousands of years of Jews who have tackled these issues and we have mechanisms in place to cultivate hope. 
 
One of the most powerful strategies for building hope is the Passover seder which is an ancient resilience exercise. Not only is it a tradition to have a bag packed at the Passover seder as if we were leaving, but we tell the story of slavery to freedom to remind ourselves that slavery can turn into freedom.  We do not know what the catalyst will be, but we know it is possible. It challenges us to believe that what seems impossible can actually come to be. 
 
And if you do not want to wait until Passover, we can turn to other words spoken by our ancestors: “I look up to the mountains and hills, longing for God’s help. But then I realize that our true help and protection is only from the Lord, our Creator who made the heavens and the earth (Psalm 121).”
 
We must cultivate hope. We do that with words, with questions, action and song. 
 
Look up and ask God for help to get through this moment and see what shifts inside.
 
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Bernstein

CANDLE LIGHTING
Friday, April 1 at 7:00 pm

HAVDALAH
Saturday, April 2 at 8:01 pm

CLICK HERE to check for upcoming events and services.

CLICK HERE to watch Live-Streamed Services 

• Kabbalat Shabbat at 8:00 PM (In Person & Live Streamed)

• Nosh & Drash at 9:00 AM on (In Person) 
• Shabbat Service at 9:45 AM (In Person & Live Streamed)
  Bat Mitzvah - Alanna Romanick
  Thank you to Raquel and Seth Romanick and brother, Drew 
  for sponsoring kiddush in honor of Alanna's Bat Mitzvah.

Dinner for Bill and Elayne - Sunday, April 3rd at 4:30 pm
Good Luck to Bill and Elayne on their new adventures

CLICK HERE  for the Live Streamed Services

CLICK HERE to Sell Your Chametz

CLICK HERE for Schedule of Passover Services

CLICK HERE to register

We will be participating in the Celebrate Israel parade Sunday, May 22 in New York City.

Please contact Iris Astrof at irisastrof@aol.com or
call (516) 835-6428, if you know you are planning to join us. Bus transportation will be available.