Highlighted Sermons
Rabbi Kevin Carp Lefkowitz
Click here for Rabbi Lefkowitz's Sermon on Parshah Behar-Behukotai
May 13, 2023
Previously recorded sermons are available on our YouTube Channel by clicking here.
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Highlights from
Kabbalat Shabbat:
Religious School 2023 Video Here
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Highlighted Guest Speaker
Dr. Yizhar Hess, Vice-Chairman, WZO
Update on Israel
Click here for video of call with Dr. Yizhar Hess
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Events and Services
Friday, May 26, 9:30am - Shavuot Service - Day 1
Saturday, May 27, 9:30am -- Shavuot - Day 2 - Yizkor Service
Saturday, May 27 - Extended lunch outdoors following services with Guest Speaker, Dr. Tamara Eskenazi, "The Journey to Sinai with the Book of Ruth"
Saturday, June 3, 9:30am - Kid Shabbat/Bat Mitzvah
Tuesday, June 6, 7:00pm - Book Club - The Thread Collectors
Sunday, June 11, 5:30pm - Adat Shalom's 2023 Gala
Saturday, June 17, 9:30am - Graduation Shabbat
Friday, June 23, 6:30pm - Kabbalat Shabbat & Community Dinner
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Adat Shalom Shavuot and Memorial Day Office Hours:
May 25th: Close at 12:00pm
May 26th: Closed
May 29th: Closed in observance of Memorial Day
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Commentary on the Parsha
Shavuot
Shavuot holds a special place in my heart. Not only does it commemorate the receiving of Torah and provide an annual reason to eat cheesecake, but it also means something particular to my family. Two years ago, Mel and I got engaged the day leading up to the Ḥag. Last week while celebrating Mel’s semikhah, we revisited the same beautiful spot on Avila Beach that changed our lives forever.
Every year on Shavuot, the Jewish people revisits the moment we signed our covenant with God. We imagine Sinai where, according to Rabbi Abahu who said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani, every Jewish soul -- past, present, and future -- received God’s gift together (Midrash Tanḥhuma, Nitzavim 3). Rarely does the entire Jewish community agree on anything, yet in this one instance we stood shoulder to shoulder in acceptance of God and of our new life outside of Egypt. Shavuot is therefore an annual charge to unite as a Jewish community. To put our differences aside with Jews of other denominations and backgrounds, and toconcentrate on what brings us together, what makes us one people.
Ḥag Sameaḥ
If you have any questions, or would like suggestions for further study, please reach out to Rabbi Lefkowitz - rabbilefkowitz@adatshalomla.org.
