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Many Ways to Worship, All of Them Welcome

At Suburban Temple Kol-Ami, we understand that for some people, worship means coming to temple for Friday night services. We also understand that people’s busy lives and diverse Jewish traditions make other types of worship a better fit. That’s why at ST-KA you can join us on Friday night or stream services from your home. Attend a special service for families with young kids or discuss Torah at our innovative lifelong learning program.

TORAH TALK

Select Thoughts from Our Clergy

Pekudei
Rabbi Allison Vann, 3/11/2022 


In this week’s Torah portion, Pekudei, the construction of the mishkan, the Tabernacle, is completed. The mishkan has been, literally a labor of love. Sforno, the 16th century Italian commentator teaches that whether through donating materials or actual construction, every Israelite had a part in creating the traveling Sanctuary. The mishkan was completed a year following the exodus from Egypt, leaving 39 more years in the desert (Exodus 40:17). The Israelites did not wake up the morning after it was finished with nothing left to do. Far from it! In many ways, that was just the beginning. Once constructed, they needed to learn how to continue to live up to the holiness that God expected. Carol Towarnicky teaches, “The mishkan in many ways exemplifies the relationship between holiness and community. The root of the Hebrew word, sh (שׁ)-ch(כּ)-n(נ), is related to the root of the words Shechinah — God’s presence on earth — and shachen — neighbor.” The Israelites learned that when they work together with their neighbors, they brought God’s presence into their midst. How timely is this Torah portion! Our global community is hurting. To be a holy community, we must remember that we are all neighbors. Like the Israelites, we have many ways we can build a better community.  We can build with our hands; we can contribute our time or donations.
May the Shechinah come to dwell among all of us.

Eternal Responsibility. Beautiful Moment.

Rabbi Moishe Druin from Sofer on Site was at Suburban Temple-Kol Ami repairing all four of our Torahs. Click on the image to see a video from his visit:

Fri, March 31 2023 9 Nisan 5783