Parashat Tsav ( command) Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36
HafTorah - Malachi 3:4-24
Dear friends,
Welcome to Shabbat Hagadol, the Sabbath immediately preceding the festival of Passover!
We will continue our reading from the Book of Leviticus and will chant a special Haftorah from the Prophet Malechi which predicts the coming of Elijah which we repeat at the end of our Passover seder. Please try to attend in-person or on Zoom so that those saying Kaddish will have a minyan. This will be my first trip back to shul in-person after having survived a very long illness! Also, you are invited to come to our house after services for the annual Boat Parade and a chance to spend an enjoyable afternoon together! See the details and all of the Passover schedule below! Also, we are beginning the planning phase for our synagogue's sponsored trip to Israel October 30-November 10. Please look over the attachments (sent in a separate email) which contain the itinerary and other details. We will soon begin sessions for all who are interested in this trip, which is recommended for all! What an opportunity for us to be together in Eretz Yisrael!
Looking forward to seeing you at 7:30 pm this evening, 9:30 am tomorrow morning, and at the banks of the Cotee River after shul tomorrow afternoon! Ron
Ron Becker.
Spiritual Leader
Subject: Passover Schedule at the JCC
This Shabbat, March 31/April 1 is Shabbat Hagadol, the Great Sabbath. which always occurs on the Shabbat preceding Passover. It takes its name from the end of the special Haftorah that we read on this day from the Prophet Malechi (3:23) : "I will send the Prophet Elijah before the great (Hagadol) day of the Lord". This is a foreshadowing of the role that Elijah plays at the Passover seder as a call for the coming of the Messiah. Services will be in-person and on Zoom as usual and, as I am now back home after 56 days split evenly between hospital and rehab, I expect to be joining you in person at last! Thanks again for all of your visits, cards, and well wishes!
After services on April 1, you are invited to join Chris and me in front of our house at the gazebo at the Cotee River Park on Grand Boulevard between Kentucky and Vermont Streets at 1 pm to enjoy each other's company on a beautiful afternoon and watch the beautifully decorated boats float by us as part of the annual Chasco Fiesta. It is also a great excuse to bring your Chometz (leavened grains and foods prohibited on Passover) and eat them up prior to the holiday! We'll provide beverages and parking. Feel free to bring lawn chairs if you prefer not to sit on the park benches.
On Wednesday, April 5th, we will all meet once again (as we have for the past several years) exclusively on Zoom to read and study the Haggadah at our first seder. Our webmaster Barbara D Johnson will send you the Zoom login link prior to that date. If you need a Haggadah to follow along (we're using the 1992 vintage Maxwell House edition again this year, but nearly all Maxwell House editions are the same), please call Marie Abrams immediately, so she can mail you as many as you need in time for your seder! Her number is 727-847-3814. We will all log into Zoom at 5:30 pm and spend approximately one hour together going through the Haggadah all the way up to the festival meal. At that time, we will log off and enjoy this very special time with family and friends.
On Thursday, Aoril 6th, we will hold our Passover service at 9:30 am in-person and on Zoom. This special festival service includes the chanting of Hallel (songs of praise) and marks the transition away from the rainy season in Israel. For the special prayher for precious dew during the dry season, the service leader will wear the kittel (the same white robe that is worn on the High Holy Days) for this very emotional and beautiful prayer. Please help us make the minyan so that we can fulfil this important Mitzvah.
April 7th and 8th mark Shabbat Chol Hamoed (or the Sabbath of the Intermediate days of Passover). We will meet at our usual times in-person and on Zoom and will chant selections from the beautiful love poetry of Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs) attributed to King Slomon during those two services.
Finally, on Thursday, April 13th, the last day of Passover, we will gather for services at 9:30 am in-person and on Zoom as we bring an end to the festival. On this day, we chant the Yizkor (Memorial) service as we remember all those family and friends who came before us and are no longer with us. We recall their love and friendship, how they helped shape our own lives, and we dedicate ourselves to perform good deeds and charity in blessed memory of our departed loved ones. This marks the last chance to participate in the Yizkor service until the festival of Shavuot.
So, as you can see, we have a very full schedule between now and the end of the holiday. Chris and I hope that you will join us for many if not all of our activities and that you have a blessed, happy, and Kosher Passover. With best wishes always, Ron
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
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FRIDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Shabbat Service, Friday 03.31.2023 7:30 pm
Time: Mar 31, 2023 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4979030958?pwd=YXJPT2FGVTdzVVV2bVQ3c1ZnS1lMZz09
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
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SATURDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Saturday Service, 04.01.2023, 9:30 am
Time: Apr 1, 2023 09:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4979030958?pwd=YXJPT2FGVTdzVVV2bVQ3c1ZnS1lMZz09
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
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