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creative worship-beyond Our Prayer Books
02/02/2020 09:44:18 AM
Amy Hersh
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Maybe you agree – I don’t think Reform Jews like to talk about how to praise God.
Some of you might have jumped out of your chair just reading the previous sentence. The term “praising God” is foreign and frankly embarrassing to some of us. “It’s not what we do” as Reform Jews, especially for individuals who don’t believe in God, a Higher Power, a Creator or similar concepts.
Sure, we read praise liturgy such as Psalm 145, and we begin many prayers with the words, “Baruch atah, Adonai,” which means Blessed are You – words of praise. We have pre-written prayers and blessings for just about every occasion, as Rabbi Jaech points out. But beyond reading what has been written sometimes generations ago, how do we personally offer our praise? Can we go beyond our prayer books and find new, more personal, innovative ways to be worshipful?
In the years ahead, that may be one of our most important tasks as Reform Jews. To keep our movement and TINW growing and thriving, we will need to engage in “creative worship.”
Creative worship is the subject of discussion on Reform Judaism’s websites and blogs, as well as Rabbi Jaech’s sermons. What exactly is creative worship? It means being open-minded to different forms of prayer. Prayer isn’t just sitting in our temple reading the same words every week or every year. Any act of tikkun olam outside of synagogue, no matter how small or large, is creative worship. Singing, writing, dancing, and building a physical object can be worship too. We are limited only by our imaginations and by our courage to share our thoughts!
Reform Judaism has always been dynamic and changing. We keep tradition, but we also depend on innovation. Change is never easy – but neither is staying stuck. We are so lucky to be part of a community that welcomes diverse ideas. Please share your ideas about creative worship with Rabbi Jaech, our temple leaders and the Ritual Committee.
Mon, August 8 2022
11 Av 5782
TINW Happenings
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Tuesday ,
AugAugust 9 , 2022Current Events
Tuesday, Aug 9th 10:30am to 12:00pm
Join us for an interesting, interactive discussion of important topics of the day led by Shari Baum of Westchester Jewish Community Services. The session will be in person at the Temple and via zoom. -
Tuesday ,
AugAugust 9 , 2022Community Service through Flowers
Tuesday, Aug 9th 12:00pm to 1:00pm
TINW is delighted to announce that we will hold our third event for the Community Service Through Flowers project. We are excited that we will be collaborating with Our Savior Lutheran Church for this event. The Forever Yours Florist in Peekskill is teaming up with us to help us create beautiful flower arrangements that will be delivered to residents of a local nursing home. All you will need to bring is a: vase (the size of a Mason or pickle jar) pair of scissors shoe box to help transport completed floral arrangement Your willingness to help others is what we need to make this event a big success. We will provide the flowers, an instructor, and all that you will need to create a personalized card to your recipient. Please register below by August 3. If you have any questions, contact Yana Fomin at yana@tinw.org. We look forward to working with you to put a smile on somebody's face, and let them know we care about them! -
Tuesday ,
AugAugust 9 , 2022Chess Club
Tuesday, Aug 9th 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Come one come all to TINW's Chess Club! This is a great opportunity for folks of all ages and chess levels to play and learn this game of strategy. -
Friday ,
AugAugust 12 , 2022Shabbat Shabbang!
Friday, Aug 12th 5:00pm to 6:00pm
We've been having so much fun with our families with young children at our Shabbat Shabbang! programs this summer! Please join Cantor Lauren Fogelman and Rabbi Wendy Pein for our August session. We will be singing songs, listening to live music, doing crafts, eating challah, and enjoying a pizza dinner and yummy treats! We welcome families with children 7 and under (and their older siblings). Bring a friend to share in our Shabbat!
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This week's Torah portion is Parashat Va-et'chanan
Shabbat, Aug 13 |
Candle Lighting
Friday, Aug 12, 7:41pm |
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