Scroll down to read Rabbi Tilchin's Shabbat Message
Friday, May 14, 4:30 - 5:30pm (PDT) MY HEART IS IN THE EAST: COMING TOGETHER FOR ISRAEL As the assault against Israel escalates, we are coming together as a united Jewish community to show our support for Israel. Join Jewish Federation and our Community Partners as we prepare to enter Shabbat with prayer and music. Click here to register for Zoom link.
Friday, May 14 at 6:30pm FRIDAY NIGHT BY CANDLELIGHT Guest musician Dale Schatz joins Rabbi Marcia Tilchin for Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv. Join on Zoom. Join on Facebook.
Saturday, May 15 at 9:30am SHABBAT SERVICES LIVESTREAM Rabbi Marcia Tilchin and musician Jason Feddy lead Shabbat morning services at Temple Beth Emet of Anaheim. Watch the livestream here.
Saturday, May 15 at 2:00pm (PDT) TWELVE STEPS & TORAH Shabbat afternoon Torah study informed by the wisdom of Twelve Step recovery. Led by Rabbis Ilan Glazer and Marcia Tilchin. Join us on Zoom.
For more information and to be added to the Twelve Steps & Torah email list, click here.
Saturday, May 15, 8:00pm ISRAEL UPDATE CONVERSATION
Join Dr. Scott Spitzer, Rabbi Marcia Tilchin and friends for havdalah and a conversation on the situation in Israel.Join on Zoom or Facebook.
Beginning Sunday, May 16 at 9am (PDT) 24 HOURS OF TORAH LEARNING The Rabbinical Assembly invites everyone to join their virtual Tikkun: 24 hours of learning from 9am Sunday, May 16 through 9am May 17 (PDT). A full schedule of the learning is available here! Link to the live event here.Click here for links to Shavuot Tikkunim (study sessions) and worship services offered in and around OC May 16-18 on Zoom and Livestream.
Sunday May 16 and May 17 at 7pm EVENING SHAVUOT SERVICES Join the Jewish Collaborative for minha and ma'ariv on Sunday, May 16 and Monday, May 17 at 7pm. May 16 will include some learning and May 17 will include Yizkor. Join on Zoom here. Join on Facebook here. Hag Sameah.
Friday, May 21 at 7:00pm SHABBATOGETHER Join us following our weekly Friday Night By Candlelight service for this month's ShabbaTogether with Jason Feddy and Rabbi Marcia Tilchin: A chance to shmooze virtually with friends new and old, near and far. Read more and register in advance here.
Saturday, May 22 at 8:00pm (PDT) HAVDALAH TOGETHER: LET'S GET REEL This month we are featuring a not-yet-released, critically acclaimed, experimental film exploring Jewish mysticism and finance. Join us in conversation with the creators, Alicia Jo Rabins, Lara Cuddy and Alicia Jo Rose. Zoom in to the 5/22 program here. Advance registration is required to receive a link to view the film between May 20-23.
Sunday, June 20 at 5:30pm OC JEWISH COALITION FOR REFUGEES WORLD REFUGEE DAY EVENT JCoOC is a proud member of the OC Jewish Coalition for Refugees. Together we partner to make Orange County more welcoming to refugees and asylum seekers. Our World Refugee Day drive-in event features a screening of "The Good Lie" starring Reese Witherspoon as a refugee resettlement worker. Tickets are limited to the first 120 registrants.Learn more and purchase tickets here.
Desperately Seeking Torah, Compassion and Days of Old
The holiday of Shavuotcommences three days from now, on Sunday night, May 16. In biblical consciousness, three-days of preparation and self-restraint precede two earth-shattering events in Israelite history: Abraham binding his beloved son, Isaac, on the altar as a sacrifice and the Israelite’s acceptance of the Covenant at Mt. Sinai. These 72 hours of self-restraint and reflection are meant to guard against coercion and impulsivity in both experiences of dramatic faith.
We re-receive the Torah every year on the festival of Shavuot. Though not as colorful as our yearly reenactment of liberation from Egypt on Passover, the anticipation with which we approach the mountain of God every year can be awe-inspiring. Those who count the omer for 49 days and / or attend a tikkun – a night of learning prior to the morning of Shavuot - can feel the excitement build.
This year, we are approaching “Sinai” with heavy hearts. The tragic events going on in Israel leave many of us speechless and weary. All this senseless death! And for what? In this podcast “Ha’aretz Weekly with Simon Spungin,” reporter Anshel Pfeffer helps us better understand how a dispute over Jerusalem real estate that was being handled in the civil courts escalated into the most aggressive exchange of violence between Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians Israel has seen in years.
Israel is still in the throes of trying to pull together a functioning government. America, Israel’s closest ally, is juggling so many problems of its own, no doubt our hope is that this current challenge in the Middle East simmers down as soon as possible, for everyone’s sake – most of all the innocent citizens of Israel and the Gaza strip whose lives are in peril. Heaven help us!
In 2020, Shavuot began four days after George Floyd was killed. I still recall how, at our Shavuot Zoom program lats May, Los Angeles participants could hear rioting in the streets below their apartments. It has been long and complicated year.
On the 2nd day of Shavuot we will read the Book of Ruth– a heartwarming tale of tragedy turned into redemption and beauty. Every lead character in this story (Ruth, Naomi and Boaz) models rising to one’s best self, showing loyalty, compassion, sensitivity, optimism and generosity amidst poverty, loss and self-interest. Now, in 2021, it is time for every leader, official and “regular Joe” to ask themselves, “What would Ruth or Boaz do to foster harmony in these turbulent times?”
At the end of every Torah service, we describe Torah as “A tree of life for those who grasp it, and all who uphold it are blessed. Its ways are pleasantness and all its paths lead to peace.” No one wants battle and bloodshed – not in Israel, not in America, not anywhere! What was the point of receiving the Noahide Laws, the Ten Commandments, the Five Books of Moses and all of our Rabbinic literature if not to help guide us during challenging times?
On this Shavuot, may we fully open our minds and hearts to Torah and God. More than ever we implore: “Help us turn to You [God], and we shall return. Renew our lives as in days of old...” Please!
Shabbat Shalom and Hag Shavuot Sameah, Rabbi Marcia Tilchin
The Jewish Collaborative of Orange County is a creative, collaborative, and compassionate community dedicated to innovating and supporting local and national programming that enriches the landscape of Jewish life and encourages individuals, and families to connect their passions and purpose with Judaism.
Jewish Collaborative of Orange County 2200 San Joaquin Hills Rd. Newport Beach, CA 92660
