1. Hakol March April 2013 - Hewlett E. Rockaway Jewish Center
1. Hakol March April 2013 - Hewlett E. Rockaway Jewish Center
1. Hakol March April 2013 - Hewlett E. Rockaway Jewish Center
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HERJC<br />
516–599–2634<br />
Rabbi<br />
ANDREW WARMFLASH<br />
Ext. 214<br />
rabbiw@herjc.org<br />
Rabbi Emeritus<br />
DR. STANLEY PLATEK<br />
Hazzan<br />
DAVID SISLEN<br />
Ext. 215<br />
cantorsislen@herjc.org<br />
Ritual Director<br />
NACHUM PLOTKIN<br />
Ext. 222<br />
nplotkin8@gmail.com<br />
Religious School Director<br />
DAVID WOOLFE<br />
599–0424 or Ext. 219<br />
rsdir@herjc.org<br />
Nursery School Director<br />
CHERYL KARP<br />
599–1169 or Ext. 237<br />
nurserydir@herjc.org<br />
Youth Director<br />
TODD HAUSMAN<br />
599–1148 or Ext. 223<br />
youthdir@herjc.org<br />
www.herjc.org<br />
and Amazon<br />
Click on the<br />
Amazon button found<br />
on the left hand side<br />
of the first page of our<br />
website, www.herjc.org,<br />
do your shopping as<br />
usual and HERJC gets<br />
a donation!<br />
Amazingly simple<br />
and wonderful.<br />
notes from the hazzan<br />
DAVID B. SISLEN<br />
As I write this, we have just completed Tu B’Shevat, and are in the<br />
midst of our preparations for Purim. The former holiday celebrates<br />
the turn of the seasons – the desolation of winter giving way to the<br />
rebirth of Spring. The latter commemorates our national deliverance<br />
from condemnation to freedom. These two minor holidays serve as<br />
warm-ups for the original <strong>Jewish</strong> holiday, Pesach, which is right<br />
around the corner.<br />
The Festival of Freedom combines the timing and symbolism of<br />
natural rebirth with the physical freedom and establishment of our<br />
national identity. In antiquity, as well as now, Passover did not occur without ample and<br />
exhaustive preparation. Whether we are occupying our time with preparing the Korban<br />
Pesach, the Paschal Sacrifice, or cleaning our homes, changing our dishes, and cooking<br />
for a small army, it’s easy to get lost in the details. What’s missing from the system is the<br />
spiritual aspect of the observance; the personal meaning which lifts the performance<br />
of an action off the page of some arcane rulebook, giving it depth and emotional<br />
significance. This weakness of Judaism is also one of its greatest strengths. Judaism is a<br />
religion of doing. We have numerous actions we are bidden to perform – 613 of them,<br />
in fact. Each one can be explained and intellectualized, and its symbolic role can be<br />
easily identified or derived. Yet the trick is to imbue each inherently <strong>Jewish</strong> action with<br />
a sense of personal meaning which takes it from the physical to the spiritual. Some of<br />
us feel this added dimension with some mitzvot, and we perform them with gusto. But<br />
with others, if we don’t feel the pull, we either write them off as not applicable to us,<br />
or decide that they are too difficult to take on.<br />
The HERJC Mitzvah Fair on <strong>April</strong> 21 is designed to provide a solution to this problem.<br />
By presenting a wide variety of ways to add the performance of mitzvot to our lives,<br />
the hope is that if you have not already taken advantage of the Year of Mitzvah to add<br />
a few new things to your plate, that by having a ready-made buffet of possibilities, you’ll<br />
find at least one which will fit the bill. And then, as you begin performing your new<br />
mitzvah (or mitzvot!) with enthusiasm, watch the spiritual magic happen. But be<br />
warned! Mitzvah goreret mitzvah – one commandment leads to another. You may just<br />
find the process to be one of rebirth just like the beginning of Spring. In the company<br />
of others who are making the same journey, you may just find that your Year of Mitzvah<br />
turns into a lifetime of finding new depth and meaning in performing the actions which<br />
define us as Jews.<br />
Chag kasher v’sameach.<br />
We‘ve Got You Covered!<br />
Taking orders for KIPPOT/YARMULKES<br />
for all your simchas.<br />
Call Anita: 596-4717<br />
page 2 MARCH/APRIL <strong>2013</strong><br />
www.herjc.org<br />
HAKOL