THE KISS

Shemini Atzeret (The Eighth Day of Assembly) 

Tishrei 22, 5781 / October 9-10, 2020
Torah: Deuteronomy 14:22 - 16:17; Numbers 29:35 - 30:1 
Haftarah: 1 Kings 8:54-66

Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah)

Tishrei 23, 5781 / October 10-11, 2020 
Torah: Deuteronomy 33:1 - 34:12 (V’zot Hab’rakhah); Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 (Bereishit); Numbers 29:35 - 30:1 
Haftarah: Joshua 1:1-18
 
Candle-lighting for Friday, October 9: 6:07 PM PDT
Candle-lighting for Saturday, October 10: 7:02 PM PDT 

Our Refuah Shleimah/Prayer for Healing List  can be found at: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing      

If you would like to have a name added or removed from this Prayer for Healing list, please write to me at: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 

A list of all of our on-line activities can be found below. All our services and programs are available at: https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

A list of Zoom links to all our programs and services is available at:  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M5jzfligR7kovoXdiEeah3pd2R4fiJi8NHarmrMEEzM/edit 

Some excellent on-line resources are available for Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah at: 

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/  
 
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source. 
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THE KISS
 
"So Moses the servant of God died there, in the land of Moab, by the mouth of the Lord. He buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, near Beth-Peor; and no one knows his burial place to this very day." Deuteronomy 34:5-6

This parashah has one of the most touching scenes in the Torah. Moses has spent the entire book of Deuteronomy (I call it "The Long Goodbye") recounting his life and times, as the leader of the Israelites and as the intercessor between them and God. Moses' relationships with the people and with God were fiery. He shepherded the Israelites, protected them from God's wrath, and castigated them.
 
In their conversations with each other, Moses and God seemed in a strange way like an old married couple - reminding each other of the old days, both good and bad; blaming each other for the faults of the Israelites, like parents arguing over children; seeking deeper understanding of each other; and finally, saying goodbye in a tender way. The Babylonian Talmud says that when Moses died, God took his soul by kissing him.
 
Today, many of us, whether Jewish or not, say we are seeking spirituality - we may want religious services to be spiritually uplifting, or we may want to feel closer to God in some way. But virtually all of us want it on our terms.It reminds me of my second year in rabbinical school, when there was an early attempt to develop a spirituality program for the students. We used to joke that the program required that "you will be spiritual every Thursday at 10".
 
What we need to acknowledge is that spiritual life can be like a lovers' relationship - it has its ups and downs, passion, loneliness, anger, intimacy, estrangement, reunion, forgiveness. Why should our relationship with God be easier than our relationships with people? Like any other relationship, it takes a commitment of time, learning and emotion to develop a spiritual life. The payoff is that we know that at the end of our days, we will be able to look back at a life fulfilled; ending in a warm embrace from those we love.
 
Chag Shemini Atzeret V’Simchat Torah Sameach V'Shabbat Shalom!
These are the seasons of our joy!
 
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
TBH/CBM
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 87b
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO! 

Shabbat/Sh’mini Atzeret Evening Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom, this Friday evening at 6:30 pm PDT.
 
Shabbat/Sh’mini Atzeret Morning Service with Yizkor with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom this Saturday at 10:00 am PDT.
 
Family-friendly Simchat Torah Morning Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom this Sunday at 10:00 am PDT.

Downloadable and printable Siddur for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat Ma'ariv, Shabbat/Festival Morning, and more, available at: 
http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0 

You can download both Siddur Sim Shalom and Siddur Lev Shalem at the above link. 
 
David Silon’s "History of the Jews of Israel and the Middle East" will resume Sunday, October 18 at 11:00 am PDT. 

Join us every Tuesday at 12:30 pm PDT for Lunch and Learn, a 60 minute study session. We're learning the weekly haftarah. 

The study materials for the October 13 class can be found at:    
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WCuLjGViOO8BbYKIp6p1HMNFMVW4WGFa?usp=sharing 

You can subscribe to the Conservative Yeshivah’s weekly Torah Sparks via email here: 
https://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/torahsparks/ 

Cyber Torah list management (no salesman will call!): 
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, and receive Cyber Torah every week in your mailbox, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: 
Cyber Torah list management (no salesman will call!): 
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, and receive Cyber Torah every week in your mailbox, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net      
Send requests for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net