Enjoy Torah Sparks- creative commentaries on the weekly Torah and Haftarah readings written by Conservative Yeshiva faculty.
Click here to enjoy a community discussion of ParashatToldot aspart of JFOC's special series, "סיפורי ראישית": Stories From the Beginning."
Dear Friends,
Hodesh Tov – Happy Rosh Hodesh Kislev! Because Heshvan (the month that ended yesterday) only has 29 days this year (sometimes it has 30), there is only one day (as opposed to 2) of Rosh Hodesh Kislev – the 9th month on the Jewish calendar if you begin with Nisan as the first month. Click here to learn 12 Things You May Not Know about the Hebrew Calendar.
If today is the 1st of Kislev, you all know what that means: Hanukkah is just 25 days away, beginning Sunday night, November 28, with the lighting of the first candle. Not quite the “Thanksgivukkah” we all marveled at in 2013, but still pretty cool that the Hanukkah begins at the tail end of Thanksgiving weekend.
I hope you have the chance to watch the dynamic conversation between Rabbis Heather Miller, Nico Socolovsky and me about this week’s parashah, Toledot, as part of “Sippurei Reishit – Stories from the Beginning.” This partnership between Jewish Federation of OC and the OC Board of Rabbis is new and exciting. As parshiot go, Toledot (the 6th parashah in the Book of Genesis) is rich in conversational material, but a little disjointed. The insights offered in our 3-way discussion helped strengthen some thematic threads for me personally. Click here to be part of the conversation.
In last week’s Shabbat message, using Avraham and Sarah as a template, I wrote about the generational pain that can be passed from parents to children to grandchildren when fundamental emotional and psychological issues are not addressed in a healthy way. The conversation mentioned above opens with a powerful discussion about Esau, Jacob’s twin, his very different relationships with Isaac and Rebecca, and how those dynamics might be tied to his parents’ respective personal circumstances in their families of origin. I’d love to know what YOU think. Feel free to share your insights about our patriarchs and matriarchs in writing to joy@jewishcollaborativeoc.org.
We look forward to welcoming Dale Schatz to Shabbat by the Shore (Adjacent) next week, November 12. We are all invited to join the Temple Beth Emet community as their guests for a lovely, catered Shabbat dinner after services. RSVP here to join us. The service will be live-streamed on Beth Emet’s website.
May the onset of Kislev ignite goodness and warmth in our hearts, homes and communities.
Shabbat Shalom u’mevorakh, Rabbi Marcia Tilchin
Friday, November 5 at 6:00pm (PDT) FRIDAY NIGHT BY CANDLELIGHT JCoOC joins Temple Isaiah in Newport Beach with services led by Eric Dangot and Jason Feddy. Address: 2401 Irvine Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Click here to join on Zoom. Meeting ID: 819 0465 0297 Passcode: shalom
Friday, November 5 at 6:30pm (PDT) OR HAMIDBAR PRIDE SHABBAT Or HaMidbar invites people of all faith communities and beliefs to join tonight's 2021 Pride Welcoming of the Sabbath Service. Join on Facebook.
Saturday, November 6 at 2:00pm (PDT) TWELVE STEPS & TORAH Shabbat afternoon Torah study informed by the wisdom of Twelve Step recovery. Join us on Zoom. For more information and to be added to the Twelve Steps & Torah email list, click here.
NO HAVDALAH TOGETHER THIS WEEK
ALI resumes November 15th ADVANCED LEARNING INSTITUTE
New ALI Series Beginning November 15 Please sign-up to attend our exciting four-week course with Hazzan and Ph.D candidate, Matt Austerklein, "Innovative Disruptions in Jewish Music" offered in partnership with the Cantors Assembly and Ivrim Jews Without Borders. To learn more and register, click here. November 15, 22, 29 and December 6.
Now through December 3rd Backpacks of Love and Care Seek Adoptive Families JCoOC is honored to partner with City Net for a second year, working to insure that OC's unsheltered residents have warm clothing for the winter. Click here to adopt a backpack and sign up to volunteer. THANK YOU!
Tuesday, November 16 at 7:00pm (PDT) CIRCLE OF HOPE & HEALING We invite those navigating a path of grief to our next Circle of Hope & Healing gathering.
Click here to learn more about the program, facilitators and to register.
Saturday, November 20 at 10:00am (PDT) ZOOM GALI GALI Families with young children are invited to join Rabbi Aviva Funke and Scott Spitzer for November's interactive, musical Shabbat experience. Learn more and register here.
PLEASE SAVE THE DATE Sunday, December 18 at 6:00 & 8:00 PM VIOLINS OF HOPE BENEFIT CONCERTS JCoOC, in partnership with Chamber Music OC and Violins of Hope LA presents two (identical) concerts on Dec. 18th. Proceeds from both performances will benefit JCoOC's Jewish community arts partnerships and initiatives and CMOC's Irv Weinstein Scholarship Memorial Fund. To learn more and reserve tickets, please click here.
TheJewish Collaborative of Orange County is a creative, collaborative, and compassionate community mosaic dedicated to innovating and supporting local and national programming that enriches the landscape of Jewish life and encouraging 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
