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Look upon it, and be healed: vaccinations, Juneteenth, and the copper snake
divrei Torah, pandemic, tikkun olam
In this week's Torah portion, Chukat, the children of Israel grouse to Moses, "Why did you take us out of Egypt to die here in the desert?" And God gets angry and sends a plague of snakes, and the snakes bite the people, and people start…
Shavua tov! Looking forward to Shabbat Chukat and to Kabbalat Shabbat!
Shabbat
Shabbat Services This Week
Join us this week for multi-access Kabbalat Shabbat services at 7:30pm on Friday evening.
For those onsite, we're currently planning an indoor service -- with social distancing and masks and the doors propped…
Embracing the giant grapes
D'vrei Torah, divrei Torah, pandemic
In this week's parsha, Shlach, the scouts go to peek at the Land of Promise. They return with a giant bunch of grapes, so big it needs to be carried by two men on a carrying frame. And most of them say: nah, there's no way we can conquer…
This June, We’re Moving to Multi-Access!
pandemic, Shabbat
This June, We're Moving to Multi-Access Services
In June, assuming that our primary constituent towns remain “green” or “grey” in the state chart, we’re going to shift our Shabbat services from entirely online to multi-access…
Pollinator Garden – Help Us Build!
community, pollinator garden
There is nothing superfluous in the universe. Even flies, gnats, and mosquitoes are part of creation and, as such, serve a divinely-appointed purpose.-- Bereshit Rabbah
A pollinator garden. Ours won't look exactly like this, at least not…
Going the extra mile: a d’varling for Naso
community, divrei Torah
When a person commits any wrong toward a fellow human being, thus breaking faith with YHVH, and that person realizes their guilt, that person must confess the wrong that he has done. They shall make restitution in the principal amount and…
Four prayers from afar
Israel
Dear CBI community,
"My heart is in the East, and I am at the end of the West," wrote medieval poet Judah Ha-Levi, yearning for Jerusalem from afar. Lately, my yearning for Jerusalem has been weighed down with grief and helplessness at what…
Join us at Sinai!
Shavuot
We'll begin with Festival Maariv with Hallel and Yizkor from 7:30-9:00pm.
Tikkun Leyl Shavuot Schedule
9:00pm Bart Sobel (TBE) - Ethical storytelling9:10pm Shari Berkowitz (TBE) – Speech language pathology and Moses9:30pm R. Rachel…
A message from Rabbi Rachel – As we approach hybrid…
community, pandemic, prayer, video
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QBkfo-M8I&w=560&h=315]
If you can't see the embedded video, above, it's here on YouTube. You can also read the text of the video below.
Dear CBI Community,
As we look toward hopefully offering…
Shavua tov! Looking forward to Shabbat, to a bat mitzvah, and to Shavuot
Shabbat, Shavuot
Shabbat Services This Week
Join us in the CBI Zoom room at 10:30am on Saturday morning (note the different time) for Shabbat morning services led by Rabbi Rachel, where we will call Sadie Lentzner to Torah as a bat mitzvah!
Torah…
Looking ahead to the Days of Awe
days of awe, pandemic
Dear Congregation Beth Israel members and friends,
Please take a few moments to read and respond to this survey about the High Holidays this year. We ask that you please respond by 5pm on Sunday so that we can move forward knowing what would…
Shavua tov! Looking forward to Shabbat and to Shavuot
Shabbat, Shavuot
Shabbat Dinner This Week
Join us in the CBI Zoom room at 7:30pm on Friday night for Zoom Shabbat Dinner. Bring your own candles, wine or juice, bread to bless, and meal to eat!
Shabbat Services This Week
Join us in the CBI Zoom room…
Shavua tov! Looking forward to Lag Ba’Omer and Shabbat Emor
Shabbat
Shabbat Services This Week
Join us in the CBI Zoom room at 9:30am on Saturday morning for Shabbat morning services led by Rabbi Pam Wax!
Torah Portion and Commentaries
This week we’re reading from parashat Emor. If you’d like…
Hidden Treasure and what comes next: a d’varling for Shabbat Tazria-Metzora
divrei Torah, pandemic
Last year at the start of the pandemic, my hevruta partners and I studied a text from the Piaceczyner (the rabbi of the Warsaw Ghetto) about this week's Torah portion, Tazria-Metzora. His jumping-off point is a verse about houses contracting…
Congregation Beth Israel
53 Lois Street
North Adams, MA 01247
1-413-663-5830