Simkhat Torah

Shir Tikvah recognizes Jewish learning as intrinsic to Jewish life. We study Torah together on Saturday mornings, 9 to 10:30. For more information click here (link).

We consider all aspects of involvement in the Shir Tikvah community as learning opportunities, including participation in celebrations, observance of tradition, prayer, committee service, Shabbaton, and formal study.

We invite all Shir Tikvah members to be enthusiastic learners.  Our learning experience is multigenerational and is designed to support the different kinds of intelligence each learner brings to the process.

Explore our Nashira Education Program for children of all ages, including Torah Tots (NEW!), Tot Shabbat,   Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah preparation, Hevra, and our adult education activities.

Do not say, “when I have leisure, I will study.” Perhaps you will have no leisure. (P. Avot 2.4)

Program overview

Adult Education Spring 5770 Overview (link)

Nashira Project Overview (link)

Nashira 5770 Calendar (link)

Being a Kehillah Kedoshah

Shalom friends,

During the year 5770, we will explore the meanings of our coming together, on all levels:

1. Official – according to tradition, every Jewish congregation is formally called a kehillah kedoshah, a “holy congregation”. So our full name is Kehillah Kedoshah Shir Tikvah, the holy congregation Shir Tikvah.
     Jewish theology does not consider holiness to have anything to do with most of the connotations that we assume. Think of the arrogance of someone who acts “holier than thou” and you’ll know what I mean. In Judaism something is holy because it is dedicated to a specific purpose: the shovels by which incense was added to the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem were holy to the Temple. They were used ONLY for that purpose.
     Shir Tikvah is not just a community; it is, ideally, a holy community. How, for what purpose, is our community holy to you?

2. Religious – Jews come together to do three primary Jewish acts: Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Hasadim.
     Torah, “learning”: our Torah study has unbelievable energy and creates fascinating insights. If you are willing to be spiritually stretched and provoked, and intellectually challenged and interested, you should join us at 9am on any Shabbat morning. We say we are a learning community: Shir Tikvah is holy to us if it brings us closer to feeling that special purpose.
     Avodah, “prayer, meditation, ritual”: prayer and ritual are major components of a Jewish religious congregation. Doing Jewish is not so much fun alone. Jewish tradition teaches that to gather together in a minyan to pray is to evoke God’s presence – and certainly to increase the holiness of a place! The Mourner’s Kaddish is a wonderful example. If we all come to shul to help make the minyan even when we don’t feel the need to pray, then when any one of us does have the need for a supportive presence, we’ll all be there for each other.
     Gemilut Hasadim, “acts of loving kindness and of justice”: Jews are put on this earth to help heal it. That’s basic Jewish theology. We gather in a group to make the world better. That is holy work, because in so doing we are dedicating the work to a special purpose: on that day God will be one and God’s name will be One, we recite in the Aleynu prayer. The world will be whole, and healed, through our work. And since we are part of the world, through the work of healing the world, our connections to each other will be strengthened as well.

3. Personal – each of us is created in God’s image. Each of us is holy to our life’s purpose. Through engaging with Shir Tikvah in study, ritual and acts of justice and healing the world, each of us is invited to come closer to knowing, and fulfilling, the purpose of our life. A congregation full of self-aware, purposeful, spiritual people – that is a holy congregation!

b’vrakha,
Rabbi Ariel