Melanie Einbund
Apples and honey, round challahs with raisins, blowing of the shofar, honey cakes, pomegranates, flowers, and all that is sweet and inviting as we welcome the New Year! We greet each other by saying L’shana tovah u’metukah (pronounced l’shah-NAH toe-VAH ooh-meh-too-KAH), which means “for a good and sweet year.”
We are delighted to welcome Rabbi Daniel “Danny” Price to Congregation B’nai Midbar. Imagine coming to your new congregation and your first services are High Holy Days! Eliyanah Powers, cantorial soloist, and Dr. Joshua Nichols, accompanist, are returning to help us navigate through our chants and prayers. The Yom Kippur evening service will include Stephen Beecher, cellist. He will perform ‘Kol Nidre’ (All Vows). Kol Nidre is a prayer sung at the beginning of the service on the eve of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The prayer expresses repentance of unfulfilled vows, oaths, and/or promises made during the year. The melody became famous when the composer Max Bruch used it as the basis for variations for cello. The music is widely popular because of its plaintive and appealing qualities.
An Important Reminder
Services will be held at a new meeting place. We are fortunate to live in a vibrant and active community. Often, due to the many activities we have, the availability of meeting rooms cannot keep up with demand. Knowing the circumstances, our need to have meeting places available to coincide with the Jewish calendar created a need to look at alternatives. We have been successful in finding an offsite location.
The Santa Catalina Catholic Church has a beautiful campus, and they have been very welcoming to our request. The church has agreed to provide the necessary space to hold our services at their Parish House. Our congregation will have the ability to plan, organize, and worship together, knowing where and when we will be. We will have Onegs and the Yom Kippur ‘Break the Fast’!
The church is about eight miles from SaddleBrooke with a travel time of 15 to 20 minutes by car. Parking is plentiful. We understand that some members and guests would like to carpool. Contact Esta Goldstein at [email protected] with your carpool request.
Dates to Remember:
Rosh Hashanah—The celebration of the New Year 5785
Evening: Oct. 2
Day: Oct. 3
Tashlich—Oct. 3
Yom Kippur—Day of Atonement
Evening: Oct. 11
Day: Oct. 12
Oct. 25—The October Oneg is sponsored by Eileen and Dick Feldgus, celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, and Art and Sharon Triester, in honor of their friends!
Annual Meeting—Dec. 13 (It is rumored that ice cream is involved.)
Times and locations will be sent to the congregation and guests.
Tashlich service is on Oct. 3. Tashlich symbolizes the forgiveness of sins. As we pray for forgiveness, we cast pieces of bread onto a flowing body of water. The bread symbolizes the sins of the past year and is swept away. Those who embrace this tradition are spiritually cleansed and renewed. So, bring your breadcrumbs!
We Remember
As we remember our loved ones, let’s remember those lost on Oct. 7, 2023. A Community Wide Oct. 7 Commemoration event is being held on Oct. 7, 2024, from 6 to 8 p.m. If you are interested in attending, contact Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (jparizona.org). You must register to attend.
Our August Jewish Community Event was held to Meet and Greet Rabbi Price. Over 50 people attended! Rabbi Price spoke about the community and his spiritual and religious pursuits. Many took the opportunity to speak to the Rabbi individually. Rabbi Price’s open and engaging personality left many happy and pleased.
We have a website: bnaimidbar.org. Bonnie Lasky will be sending members emails to join the website. Bonnie has worked extremely hard to bring us a website. Features include a calendar of services and events, photo gallery, personal Yizkor, Birthday and Anniversary dates, Tucson Jewish community resources and much more. If you have any ideas that you would like to see on the B’nai Midbar website, please share them with Bonnie Lasky at [email protected]. We are looking to the website going “live” on Oct. 1. Todah Rabah (Thank You), Bonnie!
Onegs are held after Shabbat services to greet and be with friends. Beverages and a variety of cakes, cookies, and challah are available. If you wish to sponsor an Oneg to celebrate, honor a person(s) or event please contact Judi Friedman at [email protected].
High Holy Day information and schedules will be forwarded to congregants. For those who have guests and nonmembers wishing to join us, please contact Joy Erickson at [email protected] or Esta Goldstein at [email protected] for information.
B’nai Midbar is a welcoming congregation. If you wish to join our congregation or have questions, please feel free to contact Esta Goldstein at 520-825-1181 for information.
A Sweet New Year to all!