By Rabbi Alicia Magal
Shalom and greetings from the Rabbi, Board of Directors, and congregation of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley for the New Year 5783 which began on the Hebrew calendar last week
All the services, classes, and programs are listed on the synagogue website. Visitors are welcome to attend services.
On Friday, September 30, a Friday evening Erev Shabbat service – Shabbat Shuva, the special Shabbat bettween Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, begins at 5:30 pm both in person and on Zoom, and livestreamed for members and their invitees. Congregants participate by lighting candles, doing a reading, or having an Aliyah for the Torah service. Verses from the Torah portion will be chanted: Vayelech (Deuteronomy 31:1 – 31:30) telling of the appointment of Joshua by Moses to be his successor as leader of Israel. Moses faces his own mortality and entrusts the Torah to the Kohanim, priests, and the Elders of Israel. The Torah was not to remain the specialty of the priests but was to be heard and to become familiar to all of the people. Blessings for those who are ill, and a Mazal Tov for those celebrating a birthday or anniversary will be offered at the Kabbalat Shabbat service. Kaddish, the Mourner’s prayer, will be recited in memory of those who passed away either recently or at this time in past years. Shabbat offers a time out from work and worry, an opportunity to be grateful for our lives and the bounty with which we are blessed.
The High Holy Day services continue with Kol Nidre, the eve of Yom Kippur, on Tuesday, October 4 at 6:30 pm. Rabbi Magal and Cantorial soloist Marden Paul will lead the services, which will be both in person and livestreamed and through zoom. Yom Kippur Day services begin at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 5. During the mid-day break, there will be a discussion based on our life experiences as we view them through the lens of these Days of Awe and introspection. Services resume for Yizkor (Memorial service) and the concluding Ne’ilah service that ends around 6:30 p.m. The full schedule is on the synagogue website, jcsvv.org.
On Thursday, October 6, at 4:00 pm, Torah study, led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, will be held on Zoom. The Torah reading for that week is Ha’azinu (Deuteronomy 1-52), the farewell poetic speech of Moses. He sings a final hymn of joy to God on the banks of the Jordan, with the Promised Land on the horizon. Moses is instructed by God to go up Mt. Nebo from where he will see a panorama of the Promised Land, after which he will die on the mountain top.
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 which will be inside the foyer of the synagogue through Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, October 5.
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.
Shalom and greetings from the Rabbi, Board of Directors, and congregation of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley. All the services, classes, and programs are listed on the synagogue website. Visitors are welcome to attend services. Special uplifting weekly messages for the Hebrew month of Elul recorded by Rabbi Magal are posted on the synagogue website.
On Friday, September 23, a Friday evening Erev Shabbat service, led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, begins at 5:30 pm both in person and on Zoom, and livestreamed for members and their invitees. Congregants participate by lighting candles, doing a reading, or having an Aliyah for the Torah service. Verses from the Torah portion will be chanted: Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9 – 30:20) as Moses speaks to the new generation of Israelites before they enter the Promised Land, and reminds them of the Covenant which is binding upon all of them, as well as on all the generations to follow for all time. The Torah will be theirs as much as if they had personally received it at Sinai. Blessings for those who are ill, and a Mazal Tov for those celebrating a birthday or anniversary will be offered at the Kabbalat Shabbat service. Kaddish, the Mourner’s prayer, will be recited in memory of those who passed away either recently or at this time in past years. Shabbat offers a time out from work and worry, an opportunity to be grateful for our lives and the bounty with which we are blessed.
Sunday night, September 25, we will usher in Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year 5783 – that begins the High Holy days. Services continue on Monday, September 26, including hearing the blasts of the shofar to wake us up and help us ask for forgiveness for when we have missed the mark of our highest intentions over the past year. Rabbi Magal and Cantorial soloist Marden Paul will lead the services, which will be both in person and livesreamed and through zoom. The full schedule is on the synagogue website jcsvv.org. Second Day Rosh Hashanah services will be on Tuesday, September 27 on zoom only.
Wednesday morning minyan begins at 8:30 a.m. on September 28 on zoom. Join the group to offer healing prayers, and to support those saying the mourner’s prayer, Kaddish, for a loved one who has passed away. Every person counts and is needed!
On Wednesday at 4:00 pm Rosalie Malter and Rabbi Magal will lead a class on Jewish meditation on Zoom. Each session focuses on a different tool or aspect of Jewish meditation practices.
On Thursday, September 29, at 4:00 pm, Torah study, led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, will be held on Zoom. The Torah reading for that week is Vayelech (Deuteronomy 31:1 – 31:30) telling of the appointment of Joshua by Moses to be his successor as leader of Israel. Moses faces his own mortality nad entrusts the Torah to the Kohanim, priests, and the Elders of Israel. The Torah was not to remain the specialty of the priests but was to be heard and to become familiar to all of the people.
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 which will be inside the foyer of the synagogue through Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, October 5.
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.
