Letter from Rabbi Ross

Dear TBS Friends and Family,

It was a joy and blessing for me to connect with so many of you at our Virtual Seder last Thursday! Laurie Frankino reported that Nosh provided 75 meals to TBS last week. We have a number of ways to stay connected with each other in the days ahead. Please join us!

SPIRITUAL JOURNEY – Counting the Omer

Last week, I wrote about the dynamics of going on retreat for Passover week. Today, I want to talk about taking a 7-week spiritual journey together.

If Passover is the mythical moment where we leave slavery and enter freedom, 7 weeks later, according to the rabbis of the Talmud, at Shavuot, we all arrived at Mount Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments. The 7 weeks between these two bookend events is a time of spiritual discovery as we move from tasting freedom to being able to receive the Torah. There’s a special evening blessing that is added in during these weeks, called “Counting the Omer.” This journey is a daily preparation for this next mythical moment.

In quarantine, we are spending a lot of time numbering our days. Our self-quarantine began on 3/10, Purim, a month before Passover. May we use this daily blessing and awareness to wake us up to the idea of treasuring each day. May our mindfulness practice of making every day count, lead us to new insights this year at Shavuot.

FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICE – Fri. 4-17, 6 pm

Please join Cantorial Soloist Robin Selinger, Rabbi Rachel Brown and myself for a brief service to enter into a time of holiness.

Step 1. the prayer book can be viewed as a flipbook here:

https://www.ccarnet.org/publications/mishkan-tfilah-for-shabbat/

Step 2 – Zoom link here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84567071556?pwd=c21ZUDRNWUFPYk53dEd2K1VSVmR5UT09

Meeting ID: 845 6707 1556
Password: 224401

DEREK GALPERIN BAR MITZVAH – Sat. 4-18, 10:30 am

Please join us for this Saturday morning service, and celebrate the bar mitzvah with Derek and his family!

Step 1. the prayer book can be viewed as a flipbook here:

https://www.ccarnet.org/publications/mishkan-tfilah-for-shabbat/

Step 2 – find the zoom link here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84093836353?pwd=NzFWZEJYOFpxZnhKcVZjN29qY0d0QT09

Meeting ID: 840 9383 6353
Password: 729261

YOM HASHOAH – Mon, 4/20, 7 pm

Join the greater Cleveland community for a virtual commemoration on April 20 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The program will include memorial prayers, a survivor story, Kol Israel’s video on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and a candle lighting. Following the program, young adults will have an opportunity to participate in small group Zoom conversations modeled after the Zikaron Basalon program.

Register for the event here:

https://www.jewishcleveland.org/stay-connected/#events