Temple News

ZEMAN SIMCHATEINU

            This is that time of year when we feel like the Jewish Holidays just never stop.  From Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur to Sukkot, which began five days later.  Sukkot is our Fall Harvest Festival.  It is also known as “ZEMAN SIMCHATEINU – the Season of our Joy.”  It is a time to rejoice and to give thanks.

            And that’s what we’ve been doing here at Temple.  We kicked off Sukkot Friday evening with a special Festival Evening Service followed by Kiddush in the Sukkah.  We have had something going on everyday in our Temple Sukkah – a special thank you goes to Brotherhood for putting up our new Sukkah again this year on the Calhoun Street side of the building.

            The fun continues on Thursday evening with “Pizza in the Hut” at 6:00pm.  Come hang out in the Sukkah and help us choose a favorite local pizza.

            Friday is the last day of Sukkot – which means it’s time to welcome our next holiday: Simchat Torah!  On Friday evening we will hold a special Simchat Torah Service & Celebration
(Shabbat Shalom Nosh at 6:00pm and services at 6:30pm in the sanctuary).  During services, we will take our Torah Scrolls out of the Ark and march around the sanctuary in a Second Line as we celebrate Torah and all that it means to us.  The Kinfolk Brass Band will help us with our hakafot (Torah processions) – it will be a fun and joyous time for all.  Afterwards, we will read the end of the Book of Deuteronomy and then immediately turn to the beginning of Genesis: we conclude one annual cycle of Torah reading and immediately begin again.  The celebration will continue on Saturday morning with a special Festival & Shabbat Morning Service.  Sunday morning we will have a special Simchat Torah program for Chavurah@Sinai.

            Chag Sameach – enjoy the end of Sukkot and looking forward to Simchat Torah!