Now that the new secular year is upon us, we wanted to take a moment again to contemplate the creativity of humanity when it comes to keeping time. Specifically, as even ancient societies knew, the length of the solar year is not exact and so over time both holidays and seasons can start creeping up the calendar. In order to deal with the problem, governments and timekeepers often had to add or subtract units of time for no other reason than to make the calendars line up. For the secular year, our modern calendar dates back to 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII declared that ten days would be eliminated from the calendar that year and in the future required to have a leap year every four years, with 366 days rather than 365. In contrast, when the Jewish calendar needs to be realigned, we add not just an extra day but an entire extra month, where the month of Adar becomes Adar II and the extra month becomes Adar I. Incredibly, we will witness both the leap year of 2024 with 29 days in February and the two Adar months of 5784 within the next few months. Two vastly different solutions to the same general problem occurring at the same time. Taken together, they represent yet another example of the ingenuity of humankind.
We also wanted to let everyone know that the El Cerrito City Council will be holding a meeting next Tuesday, January 16, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss adopting a resolution on the Israel/Hamas War. Considering what happened at the Richmond City Council a couple months ago, our community can make an impact by having temple members attend the meeting and expressing our opinions. We invite anyone who would like to come to attend the meeting and make our voices heard to the leaders of El Cerrito.
In addition, plenty of other major holidays are coming up in the near future, including Tu B’shvat, Purim and Passover. We will also be hosting a special Shabbat Service for the new members of our community next month on Friday, February 16. We encourage all of our new families to attend as the future of our congregation. You can also help make a difference by volunteering to help with the Purim Carnival and Passover Seder. Assisting with any of these events allows us to connect with the community, perform a mitzvah, and make the Temple Beth Hillel experience even better. And for those who wish to make a difference in our community, we highly encourage you to consider joining the Temple Beth Hillel Board of Directors next year. Our Board is always on the lookout for members who have ideas for the future of the temple and the ability to carry out that vision. Serving on the Board makes us appreciate how much Temple Beth Hillel means to us and our children.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, January 19, at 7:30 p.m. Earlier in the evening, we will have our first Family Shabbat of the year at 6:15 p.m., with our theme of Tu B’shvat. Torah Study will take place Saturday at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom, and the Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean on Sundays (see calendar for dates). And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. (except for this Sunday because of the MLK holiday). Thank you everyone!
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when? -Rabbi Hillel
~ Anna B Stein and David Zimring, Co-Presidents, Temple Beth Hillel
From the Presidents – January 11, 2024
January 11, 2024 by tbhrich • president
Hello Everyone!
Now that the new secular year is upon us, we wanted to take a moment again to contemplate the creativity of humanity when it comes to keeping time. Specifically, as even ancient societies knew, the length of the solar year is not exact and so over time both holidays and seasons can start creeping up the calendar. In order to deal with the problem, governments and timekeepers often had to add or subtract units of time for no other reason than to make the calendars line up. For the secular year, our modern calendar dates back to 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII declared that ten days would be eliminated from the calendar that year and in the future required to have a leap year every four years, with 366 days rather than 365. In contrast, when the Jewish calendar needs to be realigned, we add not just an extra day but an entire extra month, where the month of Adar becomes Adar II and the extra month becomes Adar I. Incredibly, we will witness both the leap year of 2024 with 29 days in February and the two Adar months of 5784 within the next few months. Two vastly different solutions to the same general problem occurring at the same time. Taken together, they represent yet another example of the ingenuity of humankind.
We also wanted to let everyone know that the El Cerrito City Council will be holding a meeting next Tuesday, January 16, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss adopting a resolution on the Israel/Hamas War. Considering what happened at the Richmond City Council a couple months ago, our community can make an impact by having temple members attend the meeting and expressing our opinions. We invite anyone who would like to come to attend the meeting and make our voices heard to the leaders of El Cerrito.
In addition, plenty of other major holidays are coming up in the near future, including Tu B’shvat, Purim and Passover. We will also be hosting a special Shabbat Service for the new members of our community next month on Friday, February 16. We encourage all of our new families to attend as the future of our congregation. You can also help make a difference by volunteering to help with the Purim Carnival and Passover Seder. Assisting with any of these events allows us to connect with the community, perform a mitzvah, and make the Temple Beth Hillel experience even better. And for those who wish to make a difference in our community, we highly encourage you to consider joining the Temple Beth Hillel Board of Directors next year. Our Board is always on the lookout for members who have ideas for the future of the temple and the ability to carry out that vision. Serving on the Board makes us appreciate how much Temple Beth Hillel means to us and our children.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, January 19, at 7:30 p.m. Earlier in the evening, we will have our first Family Shabbat of the year at 6:15 p.m., with our theme of Tu B’shvat. Torah Study will take place Saturday at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom, and the Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean on Sundays (see calendar for dates). And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. (except for this Sunday because of the MLK holiday). Thank you everyone!
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when? -Rabbi Hillel
~ Anna B Stein and David Zimring, Co-Presidents, Temple Beth Hillel