By Rabbi Alicia Magal
Shalom and greetings from the Rabbi, Board of Directors, and congregation of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley.
All the services, classes, and programs are listed on the synagogue website.
Come join us either in person or online. See jcsvv.org for instructions to register for in-person services or online links. Visitors are welcome to attend services.
On Friday, July 8, a Friday evening Erev Shabbat service, led by Joe Berger, VP of the Religious Affairs Committee and other congregants, begins at 5:30 pm both in person and on Zoom, and livestreamed for members and their invitees. Congregants participate by lighting candles, doing a reading, or having an Aliyah for the Torah service. Verses from the Torah portion will be chanted: Hukkat (Numbers 19:1 – 22:1) telling of the death of Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ sister and brother. Moses receives the answer to his plea to be able to enter the promised Land. He would not lead the people into the land, but rather Joshua would be his successor. Blessings for those who are ill and a Mazal Tov for those celebrating a birthday or anniversary will be offered. Kaddish, the Mourner’s prayer, will be recited in memory of those who passed away either recently or at this time in past years. Shabbat offers a time out from work and worry, an opportunity to be grateful for our lives and the bounty with which we are blessed.
Wednesday morning minyan begins at 8:30 a.m. on July 13 on zoom. Join the group to offer healing prayers, and to support those saying the mourner’s prayer, Kaddish, for a loved one who has passed away. Every person counts and is needed!
On Wednesday at 4:00 pm Rosalie Malter will lead a class on Jewish meditation on Zoom. Each session focuses on a different tool or aspect of Jewish meditation practices.
On Thursday, July 14, at 4:00 pm, Torah study, led by Anita Rosenfield, will be held on Zoom. The Torah portion for that week is Balak (Numbers 22:2 – 25:9) telling of Israel’s confrontation with Moab, through whose territory Israel wished to march peacefully on their way to Canaan. But Balak, kind of Moab was determined to fight. In preparation he sent for Balaam, a man believed to have mysterious power to curse and bless. Have you heard of the story of Balaam and his donkey? It is humorous. The donkey sees an angel preventing their going forward before the so-called visionary! In the end what was supposed to be a curse turns into a blessing: “How goodly are your tents O Jacob; your dwelling place, O Israel.” That phrase has come into the morning liturgy as people enter the sanctuary.
The Social Action Committee is continuing to collect food for the local Sedona food pantry. Please drop of cans or boxes of non-perishable foods in the bin outside the lower level parking lot entrance to the synagogue.
The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, located at 100 Meadow Lark Drive off Route 179 in Sedona, is a welcoming, egalitarian, inclusive congregation dedicated to building a link from the past to the future by providing religious, educational, social and cultural experiences. Messages to the office telephone at 928 204-1286 will be answered during the week. Updated information is available on the synagogue website – www.jcsvv.org.