April 27, 2023
6 Iyyar 5783

www.shalomsa.org

This Week

Friday, April 28, 2023
8 Iyar 5783

Shabbat Evening Worship at 6:45 pm

Service Leader: Rabbi Lisa Goldstein
Musical Accompaniment: Rabbi Lisa Goldstein

Join us here on Zoom
or on YouTube

Rena Skoog - April 28
Adrienne Chevalier - May 1

Sunday, April 30, 2023
9 Iyar 5783
12 - 3 pm at the Barshop JCC
Kesher will take place this week at the community Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) celebration, Yalla 75!
See the box below and check your email for details.

D'VAR TORAH
Torah Reading

Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: Leviticus 16:1-20:27

Shalom Friends,

This Shabbat, we read another double portion, Acharei Mot – Kedoshim. This happens four times in years when it is not a leap year.

In Acharei Mot, we read about the duties that the high priest, the Kohein Gadol, must perform on Yom Kippur, and the ceremony of the scapegoat. Moses conveys to Aaron the Yom Kippur laws for fasting and atonement. It is hardly surprising that this is the Yom Kippur Torah reading in traditional congregations. (Reform congregations read Nitzavim instead.)

Kedoshim contains what has come to be known as the Holiness Code. The majority of this parasha includes the ethical commandments that Reform Jews have embraced as obligatory, those mitzvot that lead to our movement’s commitment to social justice. You can read Acharei Mot-Kedoshim here.

The Hebrew word for “holy” comes from the root ק-ד-ש , which means “separate,” “set apart,” or “distinct.” In Jewish tradition, kedusha, or holiness, has no magical authority. At the beginning of Chapter 19 of Leviticus, when God says to Moses, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I, Adonai your God, am holy,’” God is not directing Moses to speak to the priests, but to the entire community of Israel. Each of us has the capacity for holiness.

But what does it mean to be holy?

Commentators have struggled with this verse for centuries. The Chatam Sofer, leader of Orthodox Jewry in Pressburg, Hungary in the late 18^th-early 19^th centuries, commented on the words “the whole Israelite community,” saying it means, “You shall be holy in the midst of the community as you are mingling with other human beings.” In other words, hiding yourself away like a hermit, praying and meditating in isolation is not holiness, according to the Chatam Sofer. Rather, Judaism calls on us to seek holiness in community. Torah can only be fully embraced through our interactions with other human beings. One of the two categories of mitzvot (commandments) is bein adam l’havero, actions that we are called upon to perform or actions that we should avoid because of their impact on those around us. Among the things that the Mishnah teaches us are “without measure” are acts of kindness and caring for others: welcoming guests, rejoicing with a couple at their wedding, accompanying the deceased to their final resting place. The ethical mitzvot that the early American Reform Movement saw as the essence of Judaism reflect our belief that the way we treat other human beings is a core Jewish commitment.

Ritual practice, mitzvot bein adam la’makom, are directed toward God but also rooted in community. We seek a minyan, a prayer quorum of ten adults, to recite key prayers and to read from the Torah. We share our Passover Seder with family and friends. We invite others to sit in our sukkah. To practice Judaism alone is, if not impossible, at best sterile and incomplete. Creating a holy community is challenging, especially in such times as we’ve recently experienced. But, our tradition tells us, only in community will we experience holiness.

Each of us has the capacity for holiness. But none of us can achieve holiness by ourselves, in a vacuum. Am Yisrael – the People of Israel - is holy not because each of us upholds at all times the highest expression of Judaism, but because each of us brings to the community our own unique spark of holiness, contributing to the whole of our kehillah kedoshah, our holy community.

Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Lisa Goldstein

To add or remove a name to/from our Mi Shebeirach (Prayer for Healing) list, visit our website at
https://shalomsa.org/mi-shebeirach-prayer-for-healing/

If you or a loved one is in the hospital or ill at home and would appreciate a call or a visit, please let Rabbi Lisa know.
Email: lisa@shalomsa.org or call: (210) 474-6082

Yalla 75
Yom Ha'atzmaut Celebration
Sunday, April 30, 12 - 3 pm

Join the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, your friends and family for a community-wide event! Free admission, plus food-for-purchase options.
Congregation Shalom will have a booth at this event, making paper mosaics. If you can volunteer for a shift, please email Rabbi Lisa.

Questions? Contact Director of Israel and Family Programming,
Sammi Mazuz, at mazuzs@jfsatx.org.

TIKKUN LEIL SHAVUOT
Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 8 - 10 pm

Join Rabbi Lisa and Congregation Shalom for a Shavuot Eve Service (with Yizkor) and study as we celebrate the anniversary of the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The study topic and Zoom link will be provided closer to Shavuot.

We saw you at Seder...

Sponsor an Oneg Shabbat!

Do you have a birthday or anniversary coming up in our family? Sponsor an Oneg Shabbat to celebrate your simcha (joyous occasion)! Your donation of $36 helps to cover the cost of wine, baked and paper goods, and soft drinks. If you prefer, bake or purchase brownies, cookies, or cake to donate. If you bring a large batch, we can store them in the freezer for a later date. Please let Sondra Singer know if you can bake.

We are Grateful to...

...our donors for supporting Congregation Shalom

TO MAKE A DONATION
Send a check to
Congregation Shalom
San Antonio, TX 78270
P.O. Box 700187

or use the link below to donate by credit card

Donate with PayPal or Credit Card

New: An Easy Way to Donate to Congregation Shalom!
Introducing PayPal Giving Fund

Now, whenever you use PayPal or any of their partners, you can support Congregation Shalom. PayPal Giving Fund partners include PayPal, eBay, GoFundMe, Humble Bundle, Airbnb, Nextdoor, ShoppingGives, and Zakatify. PayPal Giving Fund doesn't charge recipients or donors any fees for their services. Some partners may charge fees on donations made through their platforms, which they will disclose at the point of donation.

You can also designate Congregation Shalom as your favorite charity, so any donations you make through PayPal Giving Fund will be directed to our PayPal account.

Thank you for your continued support of Congregation Shalom!

NO FEES with Zelle!

We can now accept payments and donations through Zelle with no fees to either you or to Congregation Shalom! You can find us by scanning the QR code in this box or by searching Congregation Shalom of San Antonio at lisa@shalomsa.org.

Invoices for the third quarter of our fiscal year have been emailed. Paying your Membership Commitment promptly helps our congregation operate in the black. Please do not delay; send in your Q3 Commitment today!

Congregation Shalom of San Antonio
PO Box 700187
San Antonio, TX 78270

Congregation Shalom phone number:
(210) 474-6082

Invite a Friend to Join Congregation Shalom

NOW is always the perfect time to become a member of Congregation Shalom! Invite your friends to our joyful and friendly Shabbat services and extend a warm invitation to join our congregation.

Congregation Shalom Membership Applications

If you or someone you know would like to become a member of Congregation Shalom, please contact Rabbi Lisa at Lisa@shalomsa.org or (210) 474-6082 for an application or visit our website.

If you see or experience an act of antisemitism, report it:

Report to ADL (Anti-Defamation League)
Report to JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council of Jewish Federation of San Antonio)

COMMUNITY NEWS AND UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES

Tradition says all Americans should remember and honor those who died in service to the Nation. The members of Jewish War Veterans Post 753 ask you to pause wherever you are and observe a moment of silence to honor all deceased military veterans on

Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 2023 at 3 p.m.

To further honor Jewish military veterans, members of Post 753 will be placing an American flag on the grave of Jewish veterans buried in the Agudas Achim, Beth El, Temple Chai/Congregation Shalom and Rodfei Sholom cemeteries for Memorial Day. The Post provides the flags (see schedule below). If you want to volunteer, please contact Herschel Sheiness to let him know your name, contact information, how many will be coming and if you have a preference of cemeteries. His e-mail address is jsheines@swbell.net.

Flag placing schedule, weather permitting:
Friday, May 26, 10:00 a.m. Rodfei Sholom
Sunday, May 28:
9:00 a.m. – Temple Beth El Memorial Park
10:30 a.m. – Agudas Achim Memorial Garden
(Temple Chai/Congregation Shalom is covered)

In addition to the schedule above, we need several volunteers for both the old Agudas Achim and Beth El cemeteries. As these two cemeteries are across the street from each other at the corner of Palmetto and Crockett Streets, the same volunteers will be asked to do both. If no one volunteers, then, regretfully, flags will not be placed on the graves of the 82 Jewish veterans buried there. Date and time will be worked out with the volunteers.

If you have any questions or to volunteer, please e-mail me at jsheines@swbell.net.

San Antonio Food Bank

Our neighbors will soon feel the loss of SNAP Emergency Allotments, which expire at the end of this month. This cut will dramatically reduce monthly food budgets for families already facing hunger. Your San Antonio Food Bank is gearing up their inventory and their staff for a tidal wave of demand for food assistance as these SNAP Emergency Allotments expire.

Many families turn to the Food Bank for nourishment. The Food Bank needs your help to feed our neighbors in need today.

Every $1 you give provides 7 meals to neighbors in need.

DONATE TODAY

EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE HELP SOMETIMES!

If you do, or if you know someone who does, please reach out to the Hebrew Free Loan Association of San Antonio. Donations are also very welcome!

Please click HERE for more information.

SAJSS SHABBAT DELIVERIES

Would YOU like to make someone smile? To sign up to become a Challah Helper

and deliver Shabbat goodies to older adults in the community,

contact Sandra at sandraw@sajss.com, or visit sajss.com/volunteer.

Jewish Family Service (JFS) has been providing affordable mental health counseling, group therapy, case management, and senior services to the greater San Antonio community and beyond since 1973.

Services are available to all, regardless of age, race, faith, sexual orientation, or economic status.

JFS is able to offer services through the generous support of individual contributors, the The Jewish Federation of San Antonio, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, the H.E. Butt Foundation, the San Antonio Area Foundation, and other private funders.

Forward

unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences

This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
Congregation Shalom of San Antonio · P.O. Box 700187 · San Antonio, TX 78270 · USA