December 2021   Keeping Connected

Dear Friends,

This week, as we have been celebrating Chanukah, I have been thinking a lot about the symbolism of light and the power of illumination. The Torah opens with God’s first act of creation. “God said, ‘Let there be light.’” God needed the light to separate light from darkness. God observed that this primordial light, this first act of illumination, was good. Later, in the Talmud, there is a debate about how to light the chanukiah. It is written in Tractate Shabbat 21b:5-7, “Beit Shammai say: On the first day one kindles eight lights and, from there on, gradually decreases the number of lights until, on the last day of Hanukkah, one kindles one light. And Beit Hillel say: On the first day one kindles one light, and from there on, gradually increases the number of lights until, on the last day, one kindles eight lights. The reason for Beit Hillel’s opinion is that the number of lights is based on the principle: We increase holiness, we do not decrease.”

Beit Hillel’s insight feels both profound and simple at the same time. As we go into the darkest days of winter, it seems obvious that we would want to increase illumination and to diminish some of the oppressive darkness of the shortest days of the year. Perhaps this is why winter festivals of light are so universal across religious and cultural traditions. We feel moved to bring the light of hope to our spirits when the days are dark and cold. Rabbi Larry Milder understands that the act of kindling light has more significant moral and spiritual overtones as well. He writes, “Adding one candle each night represents the deeds that we must undertake to restore healing to our world. In matters of sanctity, we do not diminish our efforts. We increase our commitment, we redouble our efforts, we do all that we can to keep ourselves and others safe, and to work toward a brighter day.”More

November 2021    Keeping Connected

Dear Friends,

As we enter the month of November, during which we celebrate the secular holiday of Thanksgiving, I am feeling a huge amount of gratitude. Let me share with you why I am feeling this way. But first a story….

Jewish tradition tells us about an old man who is planting a fruit tree. A passer-by  named Honi wonders why he would bother to plant a tree that won’t bear fruit until decades after the man is dead. The old man responds, “As my father planted before me, so do I plant for my children.” This Talmudic story teaches us about the Jewish ethical teaching of tikkun olam, a Hebrew phrase that means loosely, “repair the world.” There is a traditional Jewish belief that everyone has an obligation to leave this world better than they found it. Jim Friedman, who works for the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati writes, “What we give is not so much for our own enjoyment, but to sustain and improve the world for the current as well as the next generation. It is really not a choice, but rather a requirement, to make our entire community a better place for everyone.”

Congregation Shalom is blessed to have many people who take this teaching to heart and have shared their time, gifts and financial resources with our community so that future generations can benefit. Recently, our congregation was blessed to receive a gift to establish a new fund: The James and Carol Herscot Fund to Enhance Jewish Life in the Greater Lowell Community. Mr. Herscot grew up in Lowell and although he does not live in the area anymore, he and his wife want to help the Jewish community of Lowell and the surrounding area thrive in the future. In particular they want to help those people who have difficulty finding a doorway into Jewish life find that welcome. This year we will be able to use some of the monies in this fund to sponsor monthly programs for Jewish families in the greater Lowell area. Our next event will be on Saturday morning November 6^th at 10:30 am. Please see the publicity that is in our weekly updates. One does not need to be a member of Congregation Shalom to participate in these events.More

October 2021   Keeping Connected

Dear Friends,

I remember learning in rabbinical school that every Jew is commanded to write their own Sefer Torah (Torah scroll). The Talmud teaches that this commandment is actually the last mitzvah found in the Torah and the Talmudic scholar Rava, (3^rd-4^th century sage) based this on a passage from Deuteronomy 31. In this text, Moses and Joshua were commanded: “So now write this song and teach it to the children of Israel. Set it in their mouths, so this song will become a witness for me among the children of Israel.” (Translation by Richard Elliott Friedman). In time, this mitzvah came to be interpreted in many ways and most people fulfill this mitzvah by either helping to pay for the actual writing or purchase of a Torah scroll for their synagogue.

When I learned about this mitzvah I was very inspired and imagined that at some point in my life I would learn the traditional Hebrew calligraphy of the Torah scroll as well as the many rules that guide the scribal artist in creating a scroll. This past summer I had the opportunity to put my big toe into this process when I studied with a soferet named Rachel Jackson. In addition to being a bookbinder, designer and artist, Rachel is a full-time scribe and wonderful teacher. Below my letter you can learn more about her and see some of her work at the links provided.

A Torah scroll should be checked every few years to make sure that it is in good condition. In this way, small repairs can be made before any larger problems develop that might make the scroll unkosher. This year, I am excited that Rachel Jackson, will be coming to our community at the end of October and early November, to review our scroll and make any necessary repairs. She will also be leading education programs for the students in our school as well as the adults in our community. Keep a look out in the weeks ahead for more information regarding her visit to our congregation. I hope you will join us for this amazing opportunity.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Shoshana Perry

http://www.binahdesign.com

https://www.instagram.com/binahdesign/

https://www.stamscribes.com

September 2021   Keeping Connected

It has been hard to watch the news these last few weeks. Images from Afghanistan are heart-breaking. In particular I want to honor our fallen service members who were engaged in a truly heroic effort of saving lives. May their memories be a blessing and may their families find comfort in knowing that they were serving their nation and working to preserve the lives of innocent people.

Most of us have listened to interviews with veterans and active duty military professionals over the last week. All those I heard strongly believed that as Americans we are obligated to help the Afghanis who bravely worked with American troops over the last 20 years. They believe that not only is it the moral thing to do, but that it is in our national interest to demonstrate that we will protect those who help us during time of war.More

August 2021   Keeping Connected

Dear Friends,

There are some truths in the world: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, this has been amongst the rainiest summers in the history of the Northeast, people will debate about the quality of their favorite ice cream stand with a fierceness that is unbending….AND any newsletter article I would have written a week ago is already out of date AND any newsletter article I write today may have information that will need to change in a week’s time. Even with the survey we sent out, those who answered at the beginning of the week had a different sensibility than those who responded on the last day of the survey. I am sure you can all relate to the sense of vertigo we are feeling with the emerging Covid recommendations, restrictions and concerns. Most of all I want to share that we received over 150 responses, which was excellent. Thank you for participating. Because the survey was anonymous, we cannot tell if folks answered one reply per household or if two people responded. We were able to get a general sense of where the community is at and we will integrate your ideas and concerns into our decision making in the next couple of weeks.

Usually in my August newsletter I am able to write about the upcoming holidays. By this time of the year I would know the schedule for services exactly, who is doing what parts and more. Even last year, knowing as we did by the end of June that we would be completely remote, I was able to share details about our holiday season in August. This year, with 5 weeks to go, there are still great uncertainties and our Re-Opening Committee continues to evaluate our synagogue’s procedures. When I talk with other rabbis around the country I can assure you that the word most on people’s mind is “pivot”! How can congregations pivot and adapt their plans on short notice if needed? Thank you for your flexibility as we work through these next weeks.More