Dear Congregation Beth Israel members and friends,

March is supposed to come “in like a lion, out like a lamb.” March wears different guises, appearing one way as the month begins and another as it ends. How appropriate for us, as Purim this year falls in early March, and Purim is all about the difference between appearance and reality. Purim might seem like “just” a dress-up holiday for kids or a time to eat hamantaschen, but there’s much more to Purim than meets the eye.

At Purim we tell the story of brave Esther who hid her Jewish identity until the time came to save her people. We tell the story of Haman who insisted everyone bow to him, and who was incensed when Mordechai said, “I bow only to God.” Mordechai gets rewarded with the honor Haman most wanted, riding through the city on a royal horse after reporting an assassination plot. And Haman, who wanted to wipe us out, winds up swinging from the very gallows he had built for Mordechai, hoisted by his own petard.

Notice how both Esther and Haman hide themselves… and then reveal who they really are: their true colors can’t help shining through. Meanwhile, Esther’s very name is a play on the Hebrew nistar, “hidden,” a term our mystics sometimes use to describe God. And alone among the books of the Tanakh, Megillat Esther does not mention God at all — though divine providence is everywhere in this story if we have eyes to see.

Every spring the story of Esther comes to remind us that our actions reveal who we most truly are. We all play different roles over the course of our lives. Each of us is first a child and then an adult, a friend, perhaps a parent, perhaps spouse, perhaps elder caregiver, perhaps elder — not to mention the different roles each person takes on over the course of a career, including retiree. Throughout all of these roles, what matters is not who we say we are, but who our actions show us to be.

And Megillat Esther reminds us to seek God even — or especially — when God seems silent or absent. In every life there are times when God feels far out of reach. (As always, if the “G-word” doesn’t resonate for you, try love, or justice, or hope.)

Purim comes to remind us that things may not be as they seem, and that hope and salvation can come from unexpected quarters… and that it’s good and right to celebrate with holy playfulness as we take the next step toward spiritual and physical spring.

Blessings to all,

— Rabbi Rachel

Dear Congregants and Friends,

Though winter has not yet lessened its grip, we know that under the snow and ice, early flowers are popping up and foreshadowing spring. I want to thank our rabbinical leaders, our administrator Oliver Jones, and the Board of CBI, who continue to work through these cold months to bring you religious services, holiday celebrations, and interesting programming. I am especially grateful that they have filled in during my recent unexpected time away from the Berkshires to take care of a family emergency.

Our exciting collaboration with Kesher Shalom, a vibrant group of unaffiliated young families from southern Vermont and northern Berkshires, continues with an intergenerational Purim celebration this Sunday, March 5 from 10am to 1pm at the home of Shira Sternberg Kol in Shaftsbury, VT, featuring live music, hamantaschen, and falafel from Yalla Vermont! Enjoy live music with Joe Alpar and his band, a special art project, great food, and a spirited re-enactment of the Megillah (Book of Esther) led by Rabbi Jarah Greenfield. Come in costume, be in community, and embody the spirit of Purim! Please contact Shira Sternberg Kol to RSVP and receive the full address.

I also invite you to join our CBI Purim celebration on Monday, March 6 taking place during Hebrew School, from 3:30pm to 5pm. We will celebrate by baking (and eating) hamantaschen, acting out the Purim story and learning and singing Purim songs. All are welcome and we encourage parents to stay and participate. Come in costume, or choose something from our costume collection!

We will soon be sending out more information on our Community Passover Seder, led by Rabbi Rachel, on April 6 — the second night of the holiday. Jen Burt and her family will be catering. Please plan to join us and RSVP by Monday, March 27! We can’t wait to celebrate together.

Coming up on Sunday, March 12 at 1pm on Zoom, we’ll have special guest speaker Dr. John Grayzel talk about "The History of the Jews of India.” You’ll find more information in our weekly announcements, which are sent to you via email every Thursday. Hope you’ll join us!

Warmly,

— Natalie Matus
president@cbiberkshires.com

Friday, March 3, 7:30pm (EST): First Friday Shabbat Zoom Gathering
Stay connected with CBI friends and neighbors, or meet new ones, as we gather together around the Zoom table to celebrate the Jewish traditions of Shabbat, light the candles, and bless the wine and challah. Please RSVP via our website if you plan to attend.

Saturday, March 4, 9:30am (EST): Shabbat Morning Zoom Service
Shabbat morning service will be at 9:30am; due to expected inclement weather, this week's service will be held over Zoom only. Please RSVP via our website if you plan on attending; Zoom information will be sent to those who RSVP.

Sunday, March 5, 10am – 1pm: Purim Party for CBI & Kesher Shalom Families!
Celebrate Purim together at the home of Shira Sternberg Kol in Shaftsbury, VT with live music, art projects, and hamentaschen and falafel from Yalla Vermont! You’re invited to a multi-generational Purim party with Kesher Shalom, an informal group of families from southern Vermont and northern Berkshires. Enjoy live music with Joe Alpar and his band, a special art project, great food, and a spirited re-enactment of the Megillah (Book of Esther) with Rabbi Jarah Greenfield. Come in costume, be in community, and embody the spirit of Purim! Please contact Shira Sternberg Kol to RSVP and receive the full address. This event is free for all to attend!

Monday, March 6, 3:30pm – 5pm: Celebrate Purim with CBI’s Hebrew School
Join us for a special Purim celebration! We’ll come together with songs, form and bake hamentaschen with baker Caleb Wolfson-Seeley, and act out the Purim story with improv help from storyteller Jane Shiyah. Costumes welcome and encouraged. (And if you don’t have a costume, don’t worry: we have costume pieces you can borrow when you arrive.) This family Purim event is open to all — including families not enrolled in Hebrew School. Parents are also welcome to stay and participate, starting at 3:30pm on Monday. Please RSVP online if your family plans to join us!

Saturday, March 11, 9:30am: Multi-Access Shabbat Morning Service
Multi-access Shabbat morning service will be held at 9:30am. All are welcome to join us onsite, but you must RSVP via our website if you plan on attending; masks are required. (Please note that we will not be holding a kiddush / oneg at this time.) Service will still be available online for those who wish to participate on Zoom.

Sunday, March 12, 1pm (EDT): The History of the Jews of India
Please join us on Zoom for a fascinating and culturally insightful presentation on "The History of the Jews of India," given by Dr. John Grayzel, PhD. This presentation will give an overall sense of the incredibly rich, varied, and intriguing — over 2,000 years — history of the Jews in India, including some of the contributions they made to India’s culture and development despite their relatively small numbers (tens of thousands vs hundreds of millions of others). In addition to the history itself, Dr. Grayzel will ask participants to reflect on the probing question as to why Jews outside India know so little about the Jews of India and why at least one suggested possibility may warrant profound consideration by non-Indian Jews of their current understanding of the totality of Jewish history and identity. Please RSVP via our website for what will be an informative and interacting presentation.

Wednesday, March 22, 7:30pm (EDT): CBI Book Club
The CBI Book club will meet this month over Zoom to discuss Michael Frank’s One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World (2022). One of The Wall Street Journal‘s Ten Best Books of the Year, One Hundred Saturdays tells the remarkable story of ninety-nine year old Stella Levi, whose conversations with the writer Michael Frank over the course of six years bring to life the vibrant world of Jewish Rhodes, the deportation to Auschwitz that extinguished ninety percent of her community, and the resilience and wisdom of the woman who lived to tell the tale. This book is available to purchase on Amazon in multiple formats. Those who plan on joining us should RSVP by email to Suzanne Levy Graver at sgraver@williams.edu.

Saturday, March 25, 9:30am: Family Shabbat Service
Join together with other families in a joyous celebration of Shabbat through songs, stories, prayers, movement-based activities, and more related to the week’s Torah portion. There will be roles for young children and for older kids to actively participate. All are welcome to attend! RSVPs and masks are required; this service will be held onsite only.

Saturday, April 1, 9:30am: Multi-Access Shabbat Morning Service
Multi-access Shabbat morning service will be held at 9:30am. All are welcome to join us onsite, but you must RSVP via our website if you plan on attending; masks are required. (Please note that we will not be holding a kiddush / oneg at this time.) Service will still be available online for those who wish to participate on Zoom.

Thursday, April 6, 6pm: Second Night Community Passover Seder
All are welcome to join us on Thursday, April 6 for our family-friendly Second Night Community Passover Seder! Relive the Exodus through ritual, poetry, song, and story. We’ll savor familiar melodies, stirring poetry, an impromptu Exodus play put on by community kids, and more. A full kosher-for-Pesach meal will be provided (with vegetarian option). Please register online by no later than Monday, March 27 so that we can anticipate how much food to prepare.

☆ Tickets are $45/adult & $10/child (ages 5-18). Tickets must be paid prior to the day of the event. If you would like to attend but the cost makes you hesitate, please contact Rabbi Rachel by email.

Friday, April 7, 7:30pm (EDT): First Friday Shabbat Zoom Gathering
Stay connected with CBI friends and neighbors, or meet new ones, as we gather together around the Zoom table to celebrate the Jewish traditions of Shabbat, light the candles, bless the wine, and partake in our Passover challah breads. Please RSVP via our website if you plan to attend.

Saturday, April 8, 9:30am: Multi-Access Shabbat Morning & Festival Service
Multi-access Shabbat morning service will be held at 9:30am. All are welcome to join us onsite for this special Passover service, but you must RSVP via our website if you plan on attending; masks are required. (Please note that we will not be holding a kiddush / oneg at this time.) Service will still be available online for those who wish to participate on Zoom.

Shabbat & Havdalah Times

If you want to light Shabbat candles and make havdalah at the halakhically-accepted times, the times for the upcoming month can be found below:

March 3 light at 5:26pm (18 minutes before sundown)
March 4 havdalah at 6:27pm (42 minutes after sundown)

March 10 light at 5:34pm
March 11 havdalah at 6:36pm

March 17 light at 6:42pm
March 18 havdalah at 7:44pm

March 24 light at 6:51pm
March 25 havdalah at 7:52pm

If it is your practice to light candles at a different hour of the day (perhaps not quite so early as halakha indicates during the winter, and not quite so late as halakha indicates during the summer), that's also a legitimate Reform Jewish choice. What's most important is that you're finding a way to incorporate Shabbat into your life!