Weekly Message 04.04.2025 Parashat Vayikra
- jccwestpasco
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
Parashat Vayikra (and He called) Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26
HafTorah Isaiah 43:21 - 44:23
Dear friends,
We begin a new month and a new book of the Torah this Shabbat. After reading and studying the action-packed foundational stories in Genesis (Bereshit) and Exodus (Shemot) which culminate in the completion of the Mishkan, we now settle into the myriads of sacrifices that were commanded to Moses by Hashem and immediately put into practice in the holy sanctuary.
There were detailed instructions for sacrifices of different animals for different violations. One could assuage one's guilt for disobeying spiritual laws and those that harm others. In thinking about and carrying out these practices our ancestors were able to contemplate how their behavior affected other individuals and their community, first in the wilderness and later in the era of the Temple in Israel. This is not exactly exciting reading and as opposed to the previous books of the Torah, we won't find theatrical adaptations of the narrative. However alien these sacrifices appear to us, there is still much to be learned. We can still make sacrifices to make up for any harm that we may have caused others or our communities. We can sacrifice some of our time and money to perform charitable deeds and/or contribute to organizations that help alleviate suffering from lack of food, shelter, and companionship. We can strive to replace acts of harm with acts of kindness, and we can speak out when we see injustice anywhere. So, while we read about animal sacrifice, lets keep in mind how we can sacrifice thousands of years later.
Our Haftorah, this Shabbat contains the words of the prophet Isaiah (43:21-44:23) who speaks to the exiles in Babylon and states that without spiritual values, life is meaningless and would be replaced with chaos and purposelessness.
Please join me in Shul or virtually on Zoom tonight at 7:30 pm and tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9:30 am for our religious services. And after services on Saturday morning, you are invited to join Chris and me at our home at Grand Boulevard on the Cotee River to witness the annual Chasco Fiesta boat parade, one of the oldest continuous celebrations in the nation in its 104th year! We will supply beverages and snacks and a few chairs so we can sit together by the river and watch this joyous event. As it is now only a week until Passover, please feel free to bring any dairy or pareve Chometz that you can share with others rather than throwing it out or ritually "selling" it! I hope many can join in on this festivity!
We have many activities throughout the month of April, so please mark these dates and times and join us at any or all!
Saturday, April 5th 1 pm Boat Parade get together
Friday/Saturday, April 11th and 12th 7:30 pm and 9:30 am Shabbat Hagadol services
Sunday, April 13th First Day of Passover Services at 9:30 am followed by our community Seder at 12:30 pm
Tuesday, April 15th 6 pm Annual Yom HaShoah proclamation at New Port Richey City Hall
Friday/Saturday, April 18th and 19th 7:30 pm and 9:30 am Shabbat/7th day of Passover services
Sunday, April 20th 9:30 am Last day of Passover services including Yizkor memorial prayers
Thursday, April 23rd 11 am Monthly volunteer day at Metropolitan Ministries on Route 19 in Holiday. Sign up to volunteer at
Jewish Community Center Event Link: https://vhub.at/1L1BLIK
Sunday, April 27th 11:30 am Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) celebration at Temple Beth David in Spring Hill
Tuesday, April 29th 7 pm Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) program at Temple Beth David
So don't be a stranger and help us build our community!
Shabbat Shalom,
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
______________________________________________________
ZOOM LINK FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Shabbat Services 04/04 @ 7:30 pm & 04/05 @ 9:30 am
Time: This is a recurring meeting Friday and Saturday
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
Komentarze