A Planter's Story

The view of our shul at 58 Goose Hill Rd

While walking along a road, a sage saw a man planting a carob tree. He asked him: "How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?" "Seventy years," replied the man. The sage then asked: "Are you so healthy a man that you expect to live that length of time and eat its fruit?" The man answered: "I found a fruitful world, because my ancestors planted it for me. Likewise I am planting for my children."

(Babylonian Talmud Ta'anit 23a)

Kehillath Shalom in October

Our beautiful shul on a glorious Autumn day

Senior Seminar - how cool is this?!

HARRY POTTER AND PIRKE AVOT : SENIOR SEMINAR

Pirke Avot, written around 200 CE, is often mistakenly called the Chapter of the Fathers.  A better translation would be The Book of Principles. It’s a concise treasury of ethics and wisdom similar to the Analects of Confucius or the Manual of Epictetus.

The Book of Principles weaves together spiritual values, ideas of right conduct, and respect for others. The sages who are quoted sought to identify principles which would imbue lives and relationships with a sense of purpose and meaning.

As a backdrop to our discussions about values, we will be exploring some of the stories and events in the  Harry Potter series.  Some of the topics will be: the soul; good and evil; friendship; the  hero;  and the role of  teachers and study.  In addition to handouts from Pirke Avot we shall reading selections from When a Jew Seeks Wisdom by Seymour Rossel.

By making the teachings of Pirke Avot accessible we hope that our students can later apply its wisdom to their own life decisions.

Missing Voices Forum

A great big thank you goes out to Karen Taylor of L.I. GLBT Services Network for a wonderful Friday Night Forum.  And for reminding us that it's important not only to BE a welcoming community but to keep saying it again and again and again.

A prayer from this evening:

In All the Ways We Love

(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Straight)

May the One who blessed those who came before us, Naomi and Ruth, Isaac and Rebecca, Jonathan and David, bless us in all the ways we love.  May our journeys together be meaningful and our relationships grow and deepen.  May we support each other and share our times of difficulty as well as our celebrations and joys.  And may we always see the Divine spark implanted in each of us at the time of Creation as a sacred validation of whom we love.  May our bonds and passions be a true blessing in our lives and pleasing in God's eyes.  

And let us say, Amen.

Adapted from Siddur Sha'ar Zahav, Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, San Francisco, CA

Thank you to Karen and all our guest panelists!

A Musical Shabbat...

...with Janet London and Milton Block!

And...desert will be served!

See you there:

Friday, October 11th, 2012
7:30pm
Kehillath Shalom Synagogue

October 11th is National Coming Out Day

Today is National Coming Out Day.  

You can read about it here and here.

Later in the month we'll be having a special guest speaker at our Friday Night Services.  This event is open to the public:

Our synagogue’s Social Action Committee cordially invites you to attend a significant and timely Friday Night Forum:

Missing Voices: Engaging and embracing GLBT youth and adults in our Jewish community.

The celebrated inclusiveness of Long Island in this 21st century often does not reach our Jewish GLBT community, especially GLBT youth, who are daily subject to discrimination, ostracism, and worse in their social, community and employment endeavors.

DO NOT MISS this forum for dialogue, learning and action, featuring dynamic speaker Karen Taylor, Director of Jewish Outreach, L.I. GLBT Services Network, and a panel of congregation members and friends.

DATE: Friday, October 19, 2012

TIME: Forum is at 8:15 p.m. Please join us for Friday night services at 7:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Kehillath Shalom Synagogue 58 Goose Hill Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY

Open to the entire concerned community.

All are welcome!

Nassau County Museum of Art - Chagall Exhibit