Torah Readings
Numbers 6:22-7:11 - Priestly blessing; princes' gifts for the tabernacle
or
Numbers 6:22-7:17
Haftarah Reading
Ezra 1:1-11 - Gifts from Babylon for temple
or
Joshua 22:1-34 - Blessing of tribes
|
|
|
It is unusual for our blessings and prayers to be given to us word-for-word in the Torah by God to say. Many prayers were written over the years. Some, like the Shema, are from the Torah, but were not originally composed as prayers. We have repurposed them for that use. In this week's parasha, God tells Aaron and the priests the words of a blessing they should use to bless the people of Israel. They may be familiar words from the synagogue service.
May God bless you and keep you.
May God's face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May God's face turn towards you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)
In our Siddur, it has been included as a concluding prayer at the end of the service and many communities will regularly use it.
In the Torah, God instructs to priests to bless the people this way and some Jewish communities to this day have those believed to be descended from the priestly family of the Kohanim bless the community with the same words. Often where this practice occurs, those giving the blessing cover their faces with a Tallit - a symbol that the blessing is not from them, but they are simply a conduit for the blessing from God.
We may not buy in to the concept of a special family whose members (just the men) have this privileged place in our community by birthright. We do still use the words, though, and so we keep hold of the meaning they contain. In a tale where God makes regular appearances, why does a blessing need to come indirectly through some Israelites rather than directly from God? Because we are the ones who bring blessing into reality - through our words and actions each day. God can't do that without us.
|
|
|
Recent events in the Middle East have been tragic, as the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians have once again been torn apart by violence. Reform Judaism put out a statement condemning violence and calling for principled leadership to find peace. RSY-Netzer, together with Reform Judaism and our communities, is hosting a space for teenagers to explore how to engage in conversations about Israel safely and with confidence on Wednesday 19th (today, as this email is sent). More information and registration can be found here.
Events there have also had an impact here, sadly, with the number of antisemitic incidents reported having increased since hostilities ramped up. As ever, CST is the go-to resource for advice and support in relation to security for your community. We all no doubt pray for a peaceful end to the conflict to come soon there, and for our communities to be safe and secure in all they do here.
|
|
|
|
Many of our communities are sharing their events and inviting you to join. Have a look at the listings on RJ Communities TV to see which events might appeal to you.
|
|
|
As described above, the Priestly blessing is often linked with the Tallit - "The Always Prayer Shawl" is a great book for connecting with this ritual item. It is also a blessing and "Rebecca's Journey Home" includes the concept of blessing each other in it as well.
Please contact Sara at PJ Library (skibel@pjlibrary.org.uk) if you would like to borrow a copy of one of these books for this weekend.
|
|
|
|
RSY-Netzer, the youth movement of Reform Judaism, is currently accepting registration for Shemesh, their summer camps. We're sure all of our young people are even more keen than usual to have a fun adventure this summer, so please share the details with your communities.
|
|
|
|
Reform Judaism is proud to present an exciting new podcast! Rabbiting On is a podcast brought to you by Rabbis Miriam Berger, Robyn Ashworth-Steen and Debbie Young-Somers. Each episode they'll be gathering round the microphones to discuss what's happening in their lives and events in the Jewish and wider world. You can listen to the first episode of “Rabbiting On” and subscribe to hear all future podcasts by visiting our website at www.reformjudaism.org.uk/podcasts/rabbiting-on. Please join in the conversation via the comments!
|
|
|
|
Thank you for joining our weekly emails - please feel free to share if you find them useful!
If you've seen something you like, or have something you'd like to share, we would love to hear from you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
