Please join us this Shabbat in getting to know Rabbi Benjamin Goldberg Friday, May 4, 6:30 PM Family Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Aleph and Pre-Aleph followed by a cocktail reception with hot hors d'oeuvres and desserts (DAIRY).
Saturday, May 5 Nosh and Drosh, 9AM Shabbat Service, 9:45AM
From the Clergy Search Committee Click HERE for the update.
From Rabbi Benjamin Goldberg
Dear Congregation Beth Ohr,
My life has been immeasurably enriched through the study of Torah, the practice of mitzvot and the comfort of supportive Jewish community. As a rabbi and Jewish leader, I strive to bring all of these dimensions of Jewish life to everyone in search of a holy path in life, from the youngest to the oldest, from the most connected to the most distant.
I will be ordained as a rabbi this month by the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. (You can watch my "senior sermon" here) During my time in school, I've had the opportunity to develop my rabbinic skills in diverse settings, including as the solo rabbi of a small congregation in rural Connecticut and as rabbinic intern at a congregation in suburban New Jersey. I have worked with teenagers, college students, hospital patients, interfaith activists and more. I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and graduated from Northwestern University.
Our Torah portion this week, Emor, opens with laws governing how our ancient priests were to respond to a death in the family. Normally, priests were to avoid contact with dead bodies, as this was a principle source of tumah, the "ritual impurity" which made someone unfit to enter the Tabernacle. However, for certain close relatives, the priest was to set aside his public ritual role in order to attend to the burial. As Rashi notes, the priest has no choice in the matter. It's not that the priest may become impure; he must participate in the burial, even though doing so would temporarily disqualify him from priestly service.
Like the ancient priests, we each at times find ourselves in situations where we will have to compromise on things that are very important to us for the sake of family. This could mean setting aside professional obligations or religious commitments in order to be with our families at critical moments. If our ancient priests could do it, so can we.
My fiance Daniel and I look forward to getting to know the community this weekend.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ben Goldberg
Services Friday, April 27 - Thursday, May 3
Family Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Pre-Aleph and Aleph: TONIGHT 6:30 PM, followed by cocktail reception with hot hors d'oeuvres and desserts (DAIRY). Nosh and Drosh: Saturday, 9:00 AM, with Rabbi Ben Goldberg Shabbat Service: Saturday, 9:45 AM, with Rabbi Ben Goldberg Junior Congregation: Saturday, 10:00 AM Minyan: Sunday, 9:00 AM Minyan: Monday, 6:30 AM
We welcome Rabbi Benjamin Goldberg and his fiance Daniel Olson to Congregation Beth Ohr this Shabbat. We thank them for visiting our Kehilla, and wish both of our new friends a fruitful and peaceful Shabbat.
DON'T FORGET! Cabaret 2018 is here!!! Saturday, May 5, 8:45 PM Sunday, May 6, 2:00 PM Wednesday, May 9, 7:00 PM Saturday, May 12, 8:45 PM
Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism