By Rabbi Alicia Magal
Erev Shabbat services led by Rabbi Alicia Magal will be held on Friday evening, March 15, 2024 beginning at 5:30 pm in person and on Zoom. Rabbi will offer Shabbat prayers to bring in the Sabbath sense of calm and peace, and chant verses from the Torah portion of the week: Pekudei ( Exodus 38:21-40:38) the final Torah reading in the Book of Exodus. It describes the making of priestly garments worn in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the completion of its construction. Included in the service are also healing blessings for those who are ill, a mazal tov for Simchas (happy occasions), and Kaddish, mourner’s prayer, recited for loved ones who have passed away. Everyone is invited to stay after services for refreshments and socializing.
On Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. we offer a morning minyan on Zoom, with traditional prayers sung or read in Hebrew and English. Join through the website link to support each other needing a minyan to say Kaddish for a loved one.
Meditation class will meet on Wednesday, March 20, led by Rosalie Malter and Rabbi Magal on zoom, focusing on a particular theme in this week’s Torah portion or other uplifting texts.
Torah study will be held on Thursday, March 21, at 4:00 pm on zoom, led by Rabbi Magal. The portion for that week is Vayikra, Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26, telling of laws concerning sacristies offered in the Tabernacle, the chief way of worshiping God from the time of the wandering in the wilderness (around 1220 BCE) through the times of Jerusalem’s First and Second Temple, about thirteen centuries. Eventually, prayer replaced sacrifices as the form of worship for Israel.
The Social Action Committee is continuing to collect food for the local Sedona food pantry. Please drop off cans or boxes of non-perishable foods in the bin provided for collections at the bottom of the stairs leading to the synagogue sanctuary. We encourage people to donate generously. Personal hygiene products, hats, visors, bug spray, sleeping bags and tents, sunscreen lotion, visors, and other items for the Summer Survival kits are being collected through March and April.
On Tuesdays, March 19 and 26, at 3 pm we are offering a two-part program on Jewish Renewal, the history and development of this contemporary innovative movement in Jewish thought, liturgy, music, and practice. See website for zoom link.
Mark your calendars for Purim, when the Scroll of Esther is read. On Saturday evening, March 23 at 6:30 pm, participants will take turns reading about brave Esther, wise Mordecai, the foolish King Ahasuerus, evil Haman (boooo) followed by discussion on the themes of the story, and sharing traditional treats like hamentaschen, the triangular filled pastries. On Sunday, March 24 at 3:00 pm a cast of JCSVV members and Rabbi Magal will present a Purim spiel (play) based on the Purim story, but this year with a twist, as there will be a “surprise guest” entering the play and shaking up the characters. Everyone is invited to enjoy hamentaschen and other refreshments at the conclusion of the spiel.
A special Shabbaton (expanded Shabbat programming experience) with guest Rabbi David Zaslow from Ashland Oregon is planned for the weekend of April 5 – 7, with an interfaith concert and workshops as well as Shabbat service and Torah study session. See details on the website under Events.
The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, located at 100 Meadow Lark Drive off Route 179 in Sedona, is a welcoming, egalitarian, inclusive congregation dedicated to building a link from the past to the future by providing religious, educational, social and cultural experiences. Messages to the office telephone at 928 204-1286 will be answered during the week. Updated information is available on the synagogue website – www.jcsvv.org.