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Three short takes: First, it’s Elul already, the time of turning. At services in the coming months we’ll have our fill of liturgical reminders about introspection and self-betterment. But the work should begin now (actually it’s a 24-7-365 endeavor, but in the preparatory month of Elul we focus our greatest attention on it).
This is the time to do Cheshbon HaNefesh, a soul-reckoning, and to follow up on what we uncover while doing so. That includes heartfelt apologies to others, true commitments to ourselves, and a deepening of our connection with whatever part of the Transcendent Presence we may be in touch with. Don’t wait! Begin now! It’s a limited time offer, before “the gates begin to close”...
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Second, nametags. Recognizing that we need help in remembering the names of the hundreds of people we encounter in shul, for years our nametags have been an Adat Shalom trademark. Wearing nametags is second only to our onegs in building and maintaining the community spirit that we cherish. Yet it can be easy to forget to bring and wear them, and at 9:30 on a Saturday morning, it may not seem like the highest priority. Thus we need to redouble our efforts.
This is important enough in our own home, each Shabbat. But it’s all the more imperative in the cavernous space of Wheaton High School, where scores of guests join with record-turnout-numbers of members. To simplify registration this year, as well as to recommit ourselves to fostering community, we’ve now made it a requirement: your nametag is your ticket. Pre-registered guests and visitors will receive a preprinted nametag upon arrival; members now know to bring their own (should you have misplaced yours, feel free to use any large-lettered nametag you might have, and look in future editions of The Scroll for announcements about obtaining ‘replacement’ nametags).
Please help us out by setting our nametags and machzorim aside — yes, we only have enough High Holy Day prayerbooks for our registered guests, so please bring your own for all adults and older children in your household. Plan now to bring them, along with your tallit and kippah (for those who so choose), yourselves, and your spirit. We’ll see you at Slichot on the 8th, and Erev Rosh Hashanah on the 17th.
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Finally, Sundays. This Fall will witness a huge step forward in the development of our synagogue program, made possible by being in our own home. The JCC’s space constraints precluded regular programming on Sundays. But this year we will be turning Sunday mornings into the “other prime time” in our communal life. Five grade levels of the Torah School will be meeting on most non-holiday Sundays, September through May, with a creative program including electives for grades 8-10.
Concurrent with this new Torah School program, on nearly every one of those thirty Sunday mornings, we will be offering adult education sessions and/or other meaningful programming. We are proud that our community has avoided the infamous “drop-off syndrome” wherein adults bring their kids to religious school in order to “get Jewish,” while they themselves manifest little interest in their own Judaism. Children notice this, older kids included. That’s why we must maintain the tradition of concurrent children’s and adult learning, now that our 6th through 10th grade students are coming on Sundays.
Saturday mornings will always remain our central time for gathering as a community. But since it’s not always possible to come to shul on both mornings of a given weekend, we will soon (after the High Holy Days) institute a regular short tefilah (prayer) service on Sunday mornings at 10am, preceding the 10:30 start time of both the adult and Torah School education sessions. We see this as part of the program, and ask that older Torah School students and their families arrive in time for these weekday services, which like Saturday services will usually be led by Cantor Rachel or myself, and will periodically be lay-led.
Put Sunday mornings on your calendars now for the upcoming program year! Check The Scroll or the list-serv for details on each week’s line-up, or just show up for the learning du jour. I look forward to seeing you on both Saturdays and Sundays in the year ahead!
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb
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