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Sing to God a
New Song... A Special Month of Creative Music, Prayer and Innovation How do you communicate with God? What kind of music, prayer, and rituals help you find holiness in your life? What's the best way for you to exercise your spiritual energy? As 21st century Jews, we have a remarkable chance to try lots of different ways of praying to God, to find our own paths. In order to find these paths, you need to have the chance to explore. A central aspect of the renaissance we are enjoying at Temple is our new focus on creating innovative ritual and spiritual experiences of Judaism. We are committed to making many opportunities available to you, and this month we'll highlight some of those options. While our "regular" Shabbat services continue to be quite well-attended, we have also been offering some new, innovative ways to exercise your spiritual faculties. Each experiment in religious expression has its particular "chasidim", its adherents. Each has been popular. And each has appealed more to some than to others. This month presents a veritable cornucopia of Shabbat service options, a series of religious experiences that are both unusual and beautiful. Each will give you and your friends and family an opportunity to pray, sing, and learn in a unique way. And each will be presented to the highest liturgical and musical standards of that particular style of service. Friday, January 4th at 8 PM we are delighted to host the fine Yale University a capella Jewish singing group Magevet, which will sing and present a mini-sermon-in-song during a special service at 8 PM, and perform a 30-minute Jewish music concert at the Oneg Shabbat afterwards. Friday, January 11th at 8 PM we'll hold our Simply Shabbat Outreach Service, a wonderful, explanatory introduction to Jewish prayer for our congregants and anyone interested in Judaism. Friday, January 18th at our 7:30 PM Family Service, our Judaism Rocks! Band will debut Shabbat Rocks, a rock-and-roll version of Jewish prayer. And Friday night, January 25th our 6 PM Tu Bishvat Wine-Tasting Seder precedes an All-Sephardic (Spanish-Jewish) Music Service at 8 PM. Of course, there's much more: our Tot Kabbalat Shabbat pot-luck and service on January 4th at 5:30 PM, Junior Congregation Saturday, January 12th at 10 AM, Project Ezra participatory Torah readers, the Rabbi's Tish and Pray and Play for young families all on Saturday, January 19th. And look ahead for our next mystical candle-lit Kabbalistic Shabbat on Friday, March 1st, and our next Chardonnay Shabbat, coming in the spring. Of course, the finest and most innovative services and the best music won't mean much if you aren't there to experience them, and to help us "sing to God a new song", as the Psalm instructs us. So come and enjoy! Make your Shabbat—and your soul—resonate with new approaches to holiness and joy. Join us in this month for the best and most creative Shabbat experiences in Arizona—or, perhaps, anywhere. Make this a month filled with song. I look forward to seeing you at Temple soon! L'shalom, in peace, |
