I found this lovely rendition of the song Yonati from Central Synagogue recorded December 17, 2017.
A soulful song, Yonati, My dove is a beautiful way to welcome Shabbat. The English translation is below.
Shabbat Shalom.
Yonati
O, my dove, in the crevice of the rock,
Concealed by the mountain’s face,
Show me your countenance,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is pleasant,
And your countenance charming.
Each week I try to find a particular prayer to share as we enter Shabbat. I keep passing over this video of Kippalive- until now. This is Kabbalat Shabbat from Kippalive.Great acapella music to welcome Shabbat. It’s 9 well spent minutes. But if you want, you can go to the index on the left-hand side to go directly to a particular prayer or song.
Shabbat Shalom!
As another frenetic week draws to a close, let’s welcome Shabbat with an “oldie but goodie” from the talented Craig Taubman. His rendition of L’cha Dodi from his album Friday Night Live.
Shabbat Shalom,
Welcome Shabbat with Lecha Dodi and a melody from Uzbekistan
Shabbat Shalom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HswQsMg35w
This Shabbat we read Parsha Vayechi, closing the Book of Genesis. This coincides with the end of the secular year 2017. The religious and secular realms share something else as well; we immediately move forward into the Book of Exodus and seamlessly, 2018 starts.
Exodus’s incredible story awaits its unfolding. And if only based on the events of the past year, we anticipate 2018 will be filled with things that will both challenge us and have a far-ranging impact upon us. How we respond will also have a great effect on the future as well.
We end Genesis, as with every book of Torah, with the traditional closing: “Hazak, Hazak, v’nitchazek! Be strong and together we shall be strengthened!”
May we live 2018 energized with the courage of our convictions and move forward together. May 2018 be a year of blessings for us all, in which we work toward creating a legacy worthy of the next generation.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy New Year!
Light One Candle
One of the great songs about the meaning of Chanukah, our Country, and our Faith- keeping the dream alive written by Peter Yarrow and immortalized by his group Peter Paul and Mary.
As the President of the United States declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel, the various players had expected reactions. Many in Israel cheered, Arab Nations jeered, but really nothing has changed. The President officially recognized the de facto situation; Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. However, peace had not been advancing between parties and it seems unlikely this declaration does anything to move it forward. The two sides remain filled with mistrust of the other and neither is willing to budge from their respective recalcitrant positions. The status quo remains. Jerusalem, the City of Peace, sadly is not at peace.
We welcome Shabbat singing Lecha Dodi. In this mystical song-poem, Jerusalem is anthropomorphized; we prayerfully exhort that she shakes off the dust and embarrassment of a world that has forsaken what she represents to Jews and to humanity. I sing those verses with an ambivalent heavy heart every Friday night, struggling with why peace has not yet come to the place where God dwelled.
Jerusalem remains a city divided and in a state of unrest. Sadly, she is unable to bring unity to her people Israel, or to brothers and sisters who also share a vision of belonging. She is mine, but she belongs to others too. Jerusalem, The City of Peace still remains an elusive dream. An outside declaration or moving an embassy changes nothing. Only the will of those who truly seek her can realize the dream that Jerusalem is a holy center for humankind and the aspiration of peace on earth.
Shabbat Shalom.
As part of the ritual of the Friday evening meal, we offer blessings- prayers of gratitude for our children and for our partner. The prayer men traditionally offer to their wife is the Eshet Chayil, A Woman of Valor. Taken from Proverbs 31 (verses 10-31) this poetry expresses our gratitude for the blessing of a cherished partner. Please enjoy this rendition of Eshet Chayil.
Shabbat Shalom
This weekend is an extraordinary confluence of memories and events that I pray leads to our rededication to the values we cherish as a nation and as Jews. Kristallnacht and Veteran’s Day are times of extraordinary solemn remembrance. The lessons we learn from these can shape our commitment to the world we seek to achieve.
November 9 marks the anniversary of Kristallnacht, Nazi Germany’s great pogrom and genocide against the Jewish people. The oppression and persecution of the Jews of Europe entered a new and deadlier phase bringing the long-simmering anger and aggression out into the open as Goebbels encouraged mass arrests, violence against Jews and any visible signs of Jewishness, including synagogues, stores, and our sacred texts.
November 11 marks Veteran’s Day, the time we honor those who have bravely fought to preserve, protect, and defend our country and the values we represent. Eventually, these men and women fought against the Nazi’s tyrannical regime built on hate but sadly too late to rescue the 6 million Jews slaughtered.
And yesterday, November 9, I was proud to accompany the Women’s Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia on a trip to Washington, DC to advocate both in Congress and the White House for DACA, Responsible Gun Legislation, Food Insecurity and the SNAP program, and against BDS and Anti-Semitism. We championed our values and spoke truth to power with persuasive force and civility.
The struggle to realize a better kinder nation and world continues. Yasher Koach and most profound gratitude to all of those who join the fight.
Shabbat Shalom.
For most of October, I have been away traveling with Naomi from Budapest to Amsterdam, spending most of our time in Germany. It was a fascinating trip, both revealing and thought-provoking. I look forward to sharing some of what I have learned and some of the questions that remain unanswered in the weeks ahead.
For now, I wish you Shabbat Shalom and share with you Psalm 92. This music was written by Franz Schubert and performed by Cantor Solomon Sulzer for the consecration ceremony of the Stadttempel in Vienna. I will share in other posts the famously talented Shmuel Barzilai, Cantor of the Stadttempel. (This performance is by the Choeur de la synagogue de Copernic Soliste: David Serero)
Shabbat Shalom!
