The big day is almost here! Soon we will all be gathering around our Seder tables with families and friends to retell the story of one of the defining moments in Jewish history. As Rabbi Dean mentioned above, the holiday of Pesach has many different themes that give this holiday special meaning. This week the B’nai Mitzvah class at the religious school realized that each step of the Seder, no matter how seemingly mundane, has both significance and insights. For example, the first step involves drinking a cup of wine while the last step involves singing songs. This means that though we must remember the suffering of the Israelites as slaves in the land of Egypt, the Seder itself begins and ends with joy. Joy and bitterness come together constantly during the Seder, just like in life itself. Wherever we turn, hidden and deeper meanings appear in nearly every part of Pesach. This year, we encourage all our members to pick at least one part of the Seder to explore more deeply and find a hidden meaning you can apply during this Passover season. It will give us all something to think about as we enjoy our days and nights of matzah, eggs, gefilte fish, karpas and more!
And speaking of which, this year, we will be holding our annual Passover Seder this Saturday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. Invitations have been sent out so please secure your spot early. We also need volunteers for that week to help with set-up, clean-up, and other necessities to make the seder a success. Please contact Anna Stein or Jane Kemp if you would like to volunteer.
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. And please mark your calendars for June 9, when we will be holding our annual membership meeting. All Temple members are of course invited.
And as a reminder, the Rabbi Search Committee continues in its efforts to search for a new rabbi for next year. We will start submitting announcements and accepting job applications later this summer, with interviews scheduled for the fall. The Board now plans to have a new rabbi selected by the spring of 2025, just before Rabbi Dean’s retirement. We will provide more updates as we get closer to summer.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. Family Shabbat will occur two weeks later on Friday, May 17, at 6:15 p.m. and all families are welcome to join our Israeli themed activities. Torah Study will take place Saturdays at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom, and the next Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean on May 5 at 10:30 a.m.. And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. 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 – April 26, 2024
April 26, 2024 by tbhrich • president
Shalom Everyone!
The big day is almost here! Soon we will all be gathering around our Seder tables with families and friends to retell the story of one of the defining moments in Jewish history. As Rabbi Dean mentioned above, the holiday of Pesach has many different themes that give this holiday special meaning. This week the B’nai Mitzvah class at the religious school realized that each step of the Seder, no matter how seemingly mundane, has both significance and insights. For example, the first step involves drinking a cup of wine while the last step involves singing songs. This means that though we must remember the suffering of the Israelites as slaves in the land of Egypt, the Seder itself begins and ends with joy. Joy and bitterness come together constantly during the Seder, just like in life itself. Wherever we turn, hidden and deeper meanings appear in nearly every part of Pesach. This year, we encourage all our members to pick at least one part of the Seder to explore more deeply and find a hidden meaning you can apply during this Passover season. It will give us all something to think about as we enjoy our days and nights of matzah, eggs, gefilte fish, karpas and more!
And speaking of which, this year, we will be holding our annual Passover Seder this Saturday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. Invitations have been sent out so please secure your spot early. We also need volunteers for that week to help with set-up, clean-up, and other necessities to make the seder a success. Please contact Anna Stein or Jane Kemp if you would like to volunteer.
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. And please mark your calendars for June 9, when we will be holding our annual membership meeting. All Temple members are of course invited.
And as a reminder, the Rabbi Search Committee continues in its efforts to search for a new rabbi for next year. We will start submitting announcements and accepting job applications later this summer, with interviews scheduled for the fall. The Board now plans to have a new rabbi selected by the spring of 2025, just before Rabbi Dean’s retirement. We will provide more updates as we get closer to summer.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. Family Shabbat will occur two weeks later on Friday, May 17, at 6:15 p.m. and all families are welcome to join our Israeli themed activities. Torah Study will take place Saturdays at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom, and the next Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean on May 5 at 10:30 a.m.. And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. 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