As you may have noticed, our new home at Vista Del Mar has plenty of parking, but it is scattered around, not concentrated in one place. Also, we need to be mindful of Lev Eisha congregants with special needs. Specifically:
- Please refrain from parking at the curb directly in front of the entrance to the sanctuary. We need to provide access by those using wheelchairs, walkers, and other devices.
- Please reserve the spaces across from the sanctuary for drivers whose cars show handicapped parking decals or signs. Try to leave extra space between cars for easier access by those with wheelchairs. Although VDM does not currently show these spaces with the traditional blue stripes, we plan to mark them with cones and signs for easy identification.
- Labels on parking spaces indicating "reserved" apply only during the week. You are free to park in those spaces...except as noted above.
- Many thanks to congregants who offer "shuttle" rides to others who may have parked farther away from the sanctuary. This is yet another way that shows that we are a caring community.
How far would you go for a Lev Eisha service? On October 24, 2009, Rabbi
August and Cindy Paley will bring their spiritual and musical service to
Congregation B'nai Shalom in Walnut Creek, CA. What a great reason for a
get-away to the Bay Area. Please inform family and friends who live
in the Bay Area about this event. Email Rabbi August for details.
Because of the generosity and enthusiasm of our congregants, Lev Eisha survives and thrives. Our thanks go out to this month's donors:
Lee Cowan
Ken Klee
Doreen Klee, in honor of the Lev Eisha Board
Gail Heim
Annette Levey
Janis Cohen
Tributes:
Helen Budin sent a tribute to Claire Winer in memory of Sam Winer, and Sandy and Roland Terranova gave a tribute in memory of Gersh Wagner.
In his book, Strive for the Truth, Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler writes a chapter on Lovingkindness or Giving and Taking.
He wrote, "When the Almighty created human beings He made them capable of both giving and taking... God's giving is pure giving for He takes nothing in return... Our service to God is not for God's need but for our own, since we need a means of expressing our gratitude to God.
"We have been granted this sublime power of giving, enabling us too, to be merciful, to bestow happiness, to give of ourselves."
On October 5th, 2009, there was a service at Lev Eisha. Not just a service, but a most uplifting, inspiring service in a new space. We celebrated Cindy's birthday.
Rabbi August announced that it was also Betty Wagner's birthday, and that she was offering the opportunity for anyone in the congregation to join her in celebrating at Betty's home after lunch.
We drove in convoy, following Rabbi August to Betty's home, where she was waiting for us.
I quoted about Giving and Taking, but actually I feel it is more appropriate to write about giving and receiving. Betty was overjoyed to see us -- we had close to a minyan. Cindy sang, and I played the violin, and we all sang together, including Betty. Making music and singing together, laughing and crying, was uplifting and joyous, with this kind, loving group from Lev Eisha.
Rabbi August invited anyone who would like to, to let Betty know what she meant to us. The tributes were so warm and loving; all who spoke, spoke from the heart --
our hearts to Betty's heart. Betty was moved to tears -- in her "giving" having given so much of herself over so many years to so many, she was also "receiving."
Her gifts have born fruit -- opening and touching the souls of so many women --
helping us to discover paths that we would surely not have taken if she had not planted the seed. As Rabbi Dessler wrote, "Our service to God is not for God's need but for our own, since we need a means of expressing our gratitude to God."
This is precisely what happened at Betty's birthday party. She has given, and
she has received.
We received -- more gifts in the giving than we could ever have anticipated. How wonderful to
be able to perform gemilut chasadim tovim -- acts of lovingkindness -- to have been granted
a way of giving
and
receiving.
During our study time for Rosh Hashanah, my study partner and I discussed the difference between secular New Year's Eve parties, and our Jewish New Year.
The other rabbi lamented, "We just don't know how to have fun!" For Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, she observed, we beat our breasts and confess sins, in contrast to drinking and having a great party, letting loose and letting go! I wondered about that and actually totally disagree with her. I am going to explain why and connect my thoughts to the absolute joy of celebrating this month's holiday of Sukkot.
I have been to some great New Year's Eve parties. It is delightful knowing you have friends and somewhere to go where people are happy to see you! But then what? So you eat, tell jokes, listen to music, dance and feel good. This is lovely and then you count down, watch the ball and it is all over. Exhausted, you go home, hoping you do not have a hangover the next day.
Our Jewish New Year is a much different process, with a unique goal of contemplation, inwardness and quieting our egos. We carved out a sacred time to examine our existence. Are we growing or standing still content with the status quo? Are we expanding our hearts and minds, or are we just trying to survive?
The ten days were a time to wonder if we could love more, fear less, reduce anger, increase compassion, and find ways to be less judgmental, more hopeful and open to new possibilities.
So, did it work for you? Hopefully a little bit and now you are ready for Sukkot! After all our soul searching and heart shifting we are ready to sit in our Sukkah and gaze out at the stars. Sitting outdoors and dreaming about our future is the next step after the High Holidays.
And we party! We have guests, eat good food, laugh and tell stories and enjoy all our senses. The Sukkah is a visual treat, an olfactory delight, and shaking the lulav and etrog is a tactile experience.
The word Sukkah means fragile dwelling but also is a verb that means "to vision" - to look hopefully and with a full heart at your future and all the possibilities for adventure, new experiences, more meaningful work and deeper relationships.
Find yourself a Sukkah and have a blast! Use this holy time, the holiday of Sukkot, for continued personal development. Find the opportunity to reflect on what you accomplished over the Yontif holidays and rededicate yourself to renewal and change. "It is a great Mitzvah to be happy!"
Chag Samaeach! A meaningful and joyful holiday to us all!
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Mazal Tov (congratulations) to Jordan Cannington, who will have his Bar Mitzvah on November 7th at Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, Marin County. Jordan is the son of Laurel Newmark's daughter Lisa Newmark and David Cannington.
If you have a milestone to share please send it to: editor@leveisha.org. Our
newsletter gets printed about a week before each service. Please send the info ASAP.
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