Sedona AZ (January 4, 2018) – Exodus tells the story of Moses.
Shalom to all from the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley. Erev Shabbat services will begin on Friday, January 5, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, who will offer a drash (commentary) on the portion of the week, as well as Shabbat prayers, blessings for those who are ill and Kaddish, the Mourner’s prayer. The new Board of Directors for 2018 will be installed officially and will receive a blessing. Members who have joined in the past year will also be honored and receive a blessing.
Shabbat morning Torah study begins on Saturday, January 6, 2018, at 11:00 a.m., with discussion of Shemot, the first portion of the Book of Exodus (chapter 1:1 – 6:1), telling of the experiences of the Israelites around 1200 BCE, four hundred years after they had come down to Egypt from Canaan.
Jacob’s family from Joseph’s time had grown into a numerous people, and were now enslaved. Pharaoh orders the killing of all boy children. Moses is born and hidden by his mother, and later adopted by a princess, Pharaoh’s daughter, and raised in the palace. As a young man, Moses sees the harsh treatment by the Egyptian taskmasters over the Hebrews, and kills one of the Egyptians who was beating a Hebrew slave. Moses flees to Midian, becomes a simple shepherd, and leads a peaceful life until one day while tending his flock, he hears a voice calling to him from a burning bush, and telling him his mission: to return to Egypt and liberate the Israelite slaves. Reluctant to take on this dangerous assignment, he is assured that God will be with him on his mission.
The readings of the next few weeks will spell out the challenges of Moses in confronting Pharaoh, and becoming the liberator of the Israelites.
Please bring a vegetarian dish to share at the pot luck luncheon following the study session.
Beit Sefer Shalom Religious School of the JCSVV will not meet on Sunday, January 7.
Wednesday mornings at 8:30 a.m. all are invited to the egalitarian morning minyan with a beautiful view of the red rocks from the sanctuary. This interactive minyan includes time for questions and comments on the prayers and on the Torah portion of the current week. Visitors are most welcome, and actually needed to enable us to have a full minyan for mourners to say Kaddish.
The JCSVV is offering a bi-weekly JCSVV class on Jewish Influences on Jesus’ Teachings, on Thursday afternoons 2:00-4:00 p.m. from January 11 through June 28, 2018, as Jesus, his family, and his disciples were Jewish. His actions and teachings were the product of a fascinating dialogue with—and reaction to—the traditions, cultures, and historical developments of ancient Jewish beliefs.
Chapel of the Holy Cross Sedona Arizona
By understanding Judaism before and during Jesus’ life, Jews and Christians will appreciate each other more. The springboard for class discussions, facilitated by Paul Friedman, will be videotaped lectures by Jodi Magness, Ph.D., award winning Professor of Early Judaism at the University of North Carolina.
The subjects of Judaism and Jesus will be approached from a historical rather than scriptural perspective, and one rooted in the study of ancient texts and archaeological discoveries.
Attendance at every class session is open to everyone, just come when you can. No fee for members of the JCSVV; $5 donation requested from non-members for each session. The topics for the first class on January 11, 2018, will be Jesus and Judaism and Sacred mountains and law-giving in Judaism.
Please contact the JCSVV office at 928 204-1286 to sign up for the class.
The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, located at 100 Meadow Lark Drive, Sedona, Arizona is a welcoming, egalitarian, inclusive congregation dedicated to building a link from the past to the future by providing religious, educational, social and cultural experiences. The congregation is unaffiliated with any particular stream of Judaism in order to respect and serve the wide diversity of its members and visitors.
The JCSVV community has many volunteer opportunities. Rabbi Magal is available to speak with anyone on spiritual matters. For information about the synagogue or calendar, call 928-204-1286 or visit online at www.jcsvv.org.
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