Parashat Miketz (at the end) Genesis 41:1 - 44:17
HafTorah Kings I, 3:15 - 4:1
Dear friends,
I begin this week's Shabbat weekly message with the very sad news that our beloved Rabbi Emeritus Alan Goldberg passed away yesterday. He was a wonderful friend, teacher, and spiritual leader for all of us, and the face of our congregation for two decades. The funeral will take place at the chapel at Beit Olam Cemetery, Trinity Memorial Gardens, 12609 Memorial Drive, Trinity, FL 34655 (just off of Route 54 and Community Drive) at 9:30 am on Monday, December 18th followed by the burial and a reception hosted by the family at the chapel.
There will be services at the synagogue Monday through Thursday, December 18th through the 21st, time to be announced. Please make it a priority to attend these short services so that there will be a minyan for the mourners to say Kaddish.
We will hold Shabbat services this evening and tomorrow morning at 7:30 pm and 9:30 am respectively in-person and virtually on Zoom.
This Shabbat, we continue our reading and studying of the Book of Genesis (Bereshit) with the portion of Miketz. Our triennial reading will be from Chapter 41, Verse 53 through Chapter 43, Verse 15 in which Joseph through his ability to interpret the Pharoh's dreams and prepare the Egyptian nation from famine, rises to power and encounters his brothers who had sold him into slavery and have now come to Egypt to obtain food during the famine. Naturally, they do not recognize Joseph in his royal vestments, and he puts them through an extreme test without yet revealing himself to them, which occurs later.
Our Haftorah is a perfect match to the Torah portion as it deals with the dreams of kings, in this case those of King Solomon. In his dreams, he asks Adonai not for riches or long life or honor befitting a king, but for the power to serve others, for an understanding heart, and for the ability to advance the welfare for all who he serves as one so young and inexperienced in leading. This serves as an inspiration for us all in the difficult times in which we now live.
Thanks to all who visited the assisted living center to help the residents celebrate Hanukkah and to those who attended the beautiful Hanukkah program at the Unity Church of Port Richey. This Thursday, December 21st, a group of JCC congregants will be volunteering once again at Metropolitan Ministries at the Pasco County holiday tent to distribute food, toys, and other necessities to those in need. This is such an important mitzvah as hundreds of families are served in our region. Again, thanks to all fellow volunteers!
Finally, please save the date of Wednesday, January 17th beginning at 10 am as our synagogue will be hosting another "mental health first aid" class free of charge for the entire community. Let's join in with other faith-based participants for this very important initiative that helps to alleviate suffering and saves lives. I participated in an earlier training session and found it to be extremely valuable. There is further information below and I will be forwarding a flyer next week.
So, in consolation with Rabbi Al's family and in his memory, let's double our efforts to serve our community. Please consider participating in some or all of our interfaith community initiatives.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ron Becker,
Spiritual Leader
Lifeline University is excited to host a FREE Mental Health First Aid Training on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. I’ve attached our flyer and the registration steps to follow to ensure you receive the certification for free.
Please register by Tuesday, January 2, 2024. Limited spots are available. We look forward to your participation in the training!
VALUE TO YOU
One in five Americans has experienced a mental health challenge, but many are reluctant to seek help or don’t know where to turn for care. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use challenges.
Peer-reviewed studies show that individuals trained in MHFA:
Expand their knowledge of signs, symptoms and risk factors of mental health and substance use challenges.
Can identify appropriate types of professionals and self-help resources for individuals with a
mental health or substance use challenge.
Have increased confidence in and likelihood to help an individual in distress.
Show increased mental wellbeing themselves.
These strategies can also be applied to help when clients or fellow team members are experiencing:
A panic attack
Changes in behavior and performance
Frustration or anger
COMMITMENT
The training is an 8-hour commitment to obtain the nationally recognized certification, consisting of:
2 hours of online self-paced pre-work to be completed 7 days before the live training class
7 hours of a live training class
TRAINING DETAILS
This training will take place:
Date: Wednesday, 1/17/2024
Time: 10 AM – 5 PM
Location: Jewish Community Center West Pasco (9841 Scenic Dr, Port Richey, FL 34668)
REGISTRATION
This training is free to you thanks to grant funding.
Follow the registration steps attached to redeem the training for free.
Proceed to Step 1 and select our unique training named: Mental Health First Aid Training – Faith-Based Organizations
OR
Skip to Step 2 by clicking HERE for the direct link to our training
Best,
Joanna
Joanna Corde
Project Coordinator
Addressing Crisis Today in Tampa Bay
Workforce Institute
St. Petersburg College | EpiCenter TE-1-335
727-341-3640 | Corde.Joanna@SPCollege.edu
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FRIDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Shabbat Service, Friday 12/15/2023 7:30 pm
Time: Dec 15, 2023 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
__________________________________________________
SATURDAY:
JCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Saturday Service, 12/16/2023 9:30 am
Time: Dec 16, 2023 09:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 497 903 0958
Passcode: 5QdVaA
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