All events are located at the synagogue, 3035 South Russell Street,
unless otherwise indicated.
Please bring non-perishable foods to the synagogue for the Missoula Food Bank
Har Shalom Weekly News: May 18, 2012
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Torah Byte –
Behar-Behukotay: from Walking in God's Ways by Rabbi Steven Pik-Nathan
This week's parashah, Behukotay, is the final parashah in the book of Vayikra. In this parashah God tells Moses to inform the people if they "walk with my statutes and observe my mitzvot (commandments) all will go well for them. However, if they do not, the heavens will dry up and all sorts of tragedy will befall them. Though I don't take this type of "reward and punishment theology" literally I believe that there is an important spiritual lesson to be found in the problematic narrative of the parashah. At the start of the parashah we find another phrase connected to the idea of walking. Moses is told that if the people walk with God, hithalkhti b'toch'chem,"I (God) will walk about in your midst."
The word b'toch can mean in the midst of the people, but it is often interpreted by the rabbis as meaning 'within each individual.' In other words, if the people walk in God's statutes then God will be within each of them wherever they go. For each of us "letting God in" means something different. To some it has a more anthropomorphic sense, to others it is more mystical. To others, such as myself, it can have the sense of allowing the Power that brings peace and goodness into the world to enter and flow through us. Each of us needs to determine for ourselves what "letting God in" means to us (at least for that moment) and what we do that prevents God from entering us. In this way we can make our lives and our world better by walking with God within us and infusing all that we do with the energy of the Divine.
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Calendar
May 18, 6pm
Kabbalat Shabbat Service
May 19, 10 am – noon
Torah Study, Behar-Behulotay, Leviticus 25:1 - 27:34. All welcome
May 20, 10 am – noon
Atidaynu
May 23, 7 pm
Adult Prayerbook Hebrew with Laurie Franklin
May 25, 6pm
Kabbalat Shabbat Service.
Kalm–Abeshaus hosting Oneg honoring Evan becoming a Bar Mitzvah
May 26, 10 am – noon
Torah Study, Bemidbar, Numbers 1:1 – 4:20
May 26, 10:30 am
Evan Kalm Bar Mitzvah, University Congregational Church,
405 University Ave. Kalm-Abeshaus family invites congregation.
May 26, 8pm
Shavuot observance. Service and dairy Oneg. Details below.
June 3, 10 am – noon
Atidaynu, final classes for school year.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • News
Taste of Jerusalem Dinner
Winners have been picked. Congratulations to Pat and Jack Cohen, Elisa Goldstein of Florida, and Gretchen of Stevensville. A huge thanks to all who bought and sold tickets. Money is now headed toward our capital account.
Evan Kalm Bar Mitzvah
Robin Abeshaus and Stephen Kalm would like to share our joy and gratitude with everyone in the Har Shalom community as we invite you
to join us for our son Evan's Bar Mitzvah on May 26 at 10:30 AM.Because we are blessed with a very large family, we are having the ceremony at the University Congregational Church,
405 University Avenue. We will serve lunch following services.We also hope to see many of you at Shabbat services at Har Shalom on Friday, May 25, 6:00 PM. We will host a pizza oneg after the service.If possible, please let us know if you plan to attend so that we can be sure to have enough food! RSVP by email to robinabeshaus@gmail.com
or by phone: 542-7535.
Family Promise is up and running
Family Promise opened its 'doors' yesterday to three families that would still be without a place to live today were it not for Family Promise. This week the three families are housed at St. Anthony's church. In two weeks they will be housed at UCC, with support from Har Shalom. Some members of Har Shalom have signed up to help with hosting and meals during that week — todah rabah. For those who would like
to be involved on a smaller scale, there is a list of food supplies we need to supply during our host week. If you are able to help with food
supplies (supplies only, no cooking required!), please contact Robin at robinabeshaus@gmail.com or 542-7535. I will let you know specifically what is needed.
Erev Shavuot: 8 pm Sat May 26 at Har Shalom
Bring your sense of wonder (and the kids and their sleeping bags)
Each day after Passover brings us closer to the festival Shavuot. Shavuot celebrates several events simultaneously: First, it’s a Torah-commanded harvest and pilgrimage holiday, when the People of Israel brought the first fruits of the wheat harvest to the great Temple in Jerusalem. It’s also the time we mark “Matan HaTorah” the gift of the Torah. On the eve of Shavuot, Jews all over the world gather to study, pray, sing, dance, and experience revelation. And, yes, eat cheesecake!
At Har Shalom, we will celebrate our spiritual harvest as a deep, joyous personal and communal celebration. On Passover, another of the three harvest festivals, we are asked to feel as if we were personally freed from Egypt. On Shavuot, it’s much the same; we can experience the giving of Torah as an immediate, living act. So, why do we tell the story of Ruth on Shavuot? Why do we sing Psalms? Why do we eat dairy foods? Come and find out! Music, dance, texts, skits, children’s activities and indoor tent sleeping bag space, AND CHEESECAKE!!! Questions?: Write to Laurie at laurief@har-shalom.org or call 546-9368.
Opportunities to help around the shul
Weekly and holiday events need small infusions of volunteer help to make Har Shalom a communal effort. Each week we have Shabbat services, either Friday evening or Saturday morning, and if you could bring a challah and a little nosheray (nibbles) that would be a nice mitzvah. Please contact Sue at the office, 406.549.9595, to help out.
Har Shalom Board of Directors
We have room for board members and would welcome any interest you might have in being a part of creating Har Shalom’s tomorrow. Call Bert Chessin at 406.531.5193.
Har Shalom Administrator: Sue Fortner
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday from 1 – 4 pm
The Har Shalom board welcomes Sue Fortner to the Har Shalom family. We have established hours for Sue to be available to the congregation and the wider community. Sue will be responsible for the bookkeeping and the office operations, but also will be supporting the board and committees in work that is ongoing and new efforts that are starting up. Please stop by, introduce yourself and share your thoughts and ideas with her.
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