Shabbat Blast

This Shabbat, Parashat Mishpatim, the Torah asks us to imagine what values we want reflected in our society when we live in the Land of Israel. It tells us to take care of the widow and the orphan. It gives us laws of interpersonal relations between parents and children and what should happen if we harm each other. Mishpatim goes out of its way to help us play out Jewish values in the Land.

We must ask ourselves today the same question that the Torah asks us. How are our values lived and reflected in the Land of Israel today? This past week, there was a historic move at the Kotel (Western Wall), through a great deal of effort by many organizations such as the Conservative Movement, Masorti Olami, Women of the Wall. The Israeli government is officially welcoming strands of Judaism to have a place at one of the holiest sites for Jews at a permanent prayer plaza called Robinson’s Arch.

The following statement will appear in the law books of the State of Israel:

"The customs of this site will be based on principles of pluralism

and gender equality, and prayer at this site will be egalitarian

and un-segregated, women and men together, without a partition."

It reflects the reality, as the Masorti Movement wrote, that there is more than one way to be Jewish. There is a government supported section for egalitarian prayer where women and men can pray together and where everyone’s voices are lifted up.

For more information on this historic event, click here. For background information on Robinson’s Arch, click here.

I will be speaking more about this from the bima on Shabbat morning. Please join us.

Announcements:

1. Friday night is Superbowl Shabbat. Services are at 6:30 PM with dinner to follow. There is no 8:00 PM service.

2. 9:00 AM Nosh and Derash on Shabbat morning.

3. World Wide Wrap on Sunday morning at 9:00 for the morning minyan. Have you not wrapped tefillin since your Bar Mitzvah? Here is your chance to try it out! We have extra tefillin for you. Just show up and we’ll help.

4. Save the Date for Purim on March 23rd. 6:30 Happy Hour. 7:30 Megillah reading!

A note before closing: There was some confusion about the 2 services we had last Shabbat morning. We had an extra service for all of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah families in the whole Dalet class. It was not an actual Bar/Bat-mitzvah celebration. We called it a "mock Bar/Bat mitzvah Shabbat,” designed to educate families about the Shabbat morning service with extra explanations and chances for students and parents to interact.