Join us for Tu BiShvat at CBI on January 19

Save the date and plan to join us for Tu BiShvat, the New Year of the Trees!

Saturday, January 19: come at 9:30 to daven (pray) the morning service (with some special Tu BiShvat treats in it). And/or come at 11am for our Tu BiShvat lunch seder, led by Rabbi Rachel (bring a vegetarian / dairy dish to share). Integrated into our lunchtime seder adventure will be a family-friendly creative project led by Rabbi Jarah. Bless and eat tree fruits! Experience a mystical journey through the four seasons and the Four Worlds! Rekindle your commitment to caring for our earth!

RSVP to rabbibarenblat at gmail dot com or call the office at 413-663-5830.

And/or: if you use FB, please RSVP on the Facebook Event Page and share it on your own page to encourage others to come too!)

This program is supported by a grant from the Grinspoon Foundation.

 

Shavua tov! Looking forward to Shabbat Yitro — and our Tu BiShvat celebration!

Shavua tov — a good new week to you.

Join us on Shabbat morning at 9:30am. We’ll be reading from the Torah portion known as Yitro, and services will be led by Rabbi Rachel.

Services will be followed at 11am by our Tu BiShvat seder — a mystical journey through the four worlds and the four seasons, and an opportunity to connect with the spiritual sap now rising in us as spring draws nearer. Please RSVP to let us know if you’re coming (so we can set up the right number of chairs.) There will be kids’ programming provided by Maggid David Arfa, both during services and during the seder. Bring a dairy / vegetarian dish to share for lunch:

If you’d like to read some commentaries on this week’s Torah portion, here are a few:

• 2006: Earth and whole stones  (originally published at Radical Torah)
• 2006: Birthday d’var
• 2007: What is revealed (originally published at Radical Torah)
• 2009: The Deal [Torah poem]
• 2011: Coming Back Down [Torah poem]
• 2012: Caring for others, caring for ourselves
• 2013: A Special Transmission at Sinai
• 2014: Self-care and Tu BiShvat
• 2017: Yes we said yes we will yes

• And here are commentaries from the Union for Reform Judaism: Yitro.

Wishing you blessings,

Rabbi Rachel

Shavua tov! Looking forward to Shabbat Yitro.

Shavua tov – a good week to you!

This week we’re reading the Torah portion known as Yitro (Jethro) in the book of Shemot (Exodus.)

If you’d like to read some commentaries on this week’s Torah portion, some links follow:

• 2006: Earth and whole stones
• 2007: What is revealed
• 2009: The Deal [Torah poem]
• 2011: Coming Back Down [Torah poem]
• 2012: Caring for others, caring for ourselves
• 2013: A Special Transmission at Sinai
• 2014: Self-care and Tu BiShvat

And here’s the URJ’s compilation of commentaries on this week’s Torah portion: Yitro | Reform Judaism.

This coming Shabbat morning, February 7, services will be led by Rabbi Rachel — followed by our special Tu BiShvat seder, celebrating the New Year of the Trees with stories, poems, songs, learning about the four seasons and four worlds, and eating symbolic tree fruits and nuts in celebration. This year our seder will also feature Jewish environmental teachings and stories relating to the shmita (Sabbatical) year from Maggid David Arfa. RSVP to the office by Wednesday, please!

Many thanks to our shamashim, the members who host our Shabbat services each week. If you would like to join that group, please contact Pattie Lipman.

We hope to see you soon at CBI!