First of all, we wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped to make our annual Hanukkah Fair such an extraordinary event. Thanks to Jane, Wendy, and all the committee members for all their hard work putting the event together. Thanks to all our volunteers for helping with the cooking, set up, clean up, cookie decorating, face painting, overseeing the bake sale, and all the other critical jobs. We had such an amazing turnout, with our own members and those of the greater East Bay community coming to show their support.
Starting Thursday we will all be celebrating the Festival of Lights, complete with latkes, sufganiyot, gelt, dreidels, menorahs, and of course family and presents! Candles will be lit, prayers will be said, games will be played, and good times will be had by all. At the same time, as with all our holidays, we must keep the deeper meaning of this wonderful time in mind. The story of Hanukkah symbolizes the themes of Redemption, with the restoration of the Temple by the Maccabees; Faith, when the Maccabees lit the menorah with only one day’s worth of holy oil believing that God would provide a miracle; and Persistence, with the successful conclusion of a war against a mighty empire against the odds. Just as importantly, the rituals of Hanukkah require us to reflect on holiness and life. Before we enter the room where we celebrate, we must pass through a door flanked by a menorah and mezuzah to symbolize entering a holy space. On the night of Shabbat, we wait 18 minutes after sunset before lighting candles to symbolize Chai (Life). When we light the candles, we light the newest candle first to symbolize that no one is superior to others. As this holiday is full of meaning, let us all reflect on the meaning of our own lives and how we live out that meaning everyday.
Also, we wanted to express our deepest gratitude for all our members who volunteered to serve on the newly created search committee to look for TBH’s next rabbi. We will all miss Dean very much after his retirement next year but this also marks the next chapter in the story of TBH. We and the members of the committee will be working hard to find a worthy successor for our beloved Rabbi Dean. As part of this effort, shortly we will be sending out a survey for members to fill out indicating what qualities you would like to see in our future Rabbi. We look forward to hearing from all of you and welcome your input.
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. And for those who wish to volunteer for Food for Thought this year, there is a sign up sheet in the main hallway.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, December 15, at 7:30 p.m. The next Family Shabbat will occur on that same Friday at 6:15 p.m. so please help spread the word. We will be hosting the second annual TBH Dreidel Olympics, so be sure to come and show off your dreidel skills. And for our new members, we will be holding a special Shabbat service for all of you in January. Torah Study will take place every Saturday at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom and the Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean (see calendar for dates). And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School every 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 – Dec. 7, 2023
December 7, 2023 by tbhrich • president
Chag Hanukkah Sameach Everyone!
First of all, we wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped to make our annual Hanukkah Fair such an extraordinary event. Thanks to Jane, Wendy, and all the committee members for all their hard work putting the event together. Thanks to all our volunteers for helping with the cooking, set up, clean up, cookie decorating, face painting, overseeing the bake sale, and all the other critical jobs. We had such an amazing turnout, with our own members and those of the greater East Bay community coming to show their support.
Starting Thursday we will all be celebrating the Festival of Lights, complete with latkes, sufganiyot, gelt, dreidels, menorahs, and of course family and presents! Candles will be lit, prayers will be said, games will be played, and good times will be had by all. At the same time, as with all our holidays, we must keep the deeper meaning of this wonderful time in mind. The story of Hanukkah symbolizes the themes of Redemption, with the restoration of the Temple by the Maccabees; Faith, when the Maccabees lit the menorah with only one day’s worth of holy oil believing that God would provide a miracle; and Persistence, with the successful conclusion of a war against a mighty empire against the odds. Just as importantly, the rituals of Hanukkah require us to reflect on holiness and life. Before we enter the room where we celebrate, we must pass through a door flanked by a menorah and mezuzah to symbolize entering a holy space. On the night of Shabbat, we wait 18 minutes after sunset before lighting candles to symbolize Chai (Life). When we light the candles, we light the newest candle first to symbolize that no one is superior to others. As this holiday is full of meaning, let us all reflect on the meaning of our own lives and how we live out that meaning everyday.
Also, we wanted to express our deepest gratitude for all our members who volunteered to serve on the newly created search committee to look for TBH’s next rabbi. We will all miss Dean very much after his retirement next year but this also marks the next chapter in the story of TBH. We and the members of the committee will be working hard to find a worthy successor for our beloved Rabbi Dean. As part of this effort, shortly we will be sending out a survey for members to fill out indicating what qualities you would like to see in our future Rabbi. We look forward to hearing from all of you and welcome your input.
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. And for those who wish to volunteer for Food for Thought this year, there is a sign up sheet in the main hallway.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, December 15, at 7:30 p.m. The next Family Shabbat will occur on that same Friday at 6:15 p.m. so please help spread the word. We will be hosting the second annual TBH Dreidel Olympics, so be sure to come and show off your dreidel skills. And for our new members, we will be holding a special Shabbat service for all of you in January. Torah Study will take place every Saturday at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom and the Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean (see calendar for dates). And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School every 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