Kol HaLev Weekly Bulletin
July 23, 2024
Important Community Meeting Next Tuesday!
Kol HaLev is in the process of updating our bylaws, the rules by which we run our community. A committee has made proposals for changes;
a version of the bylaws containing these proposed changes has been attached to the past two newsletters; and we’ve already held one
community meeting to review the proposals. For the most part, the changes have been technical or practical—for instance,
changing our method of communication from U.S. mail to email.
Some of the proposed changes, though, are substantive and have provoked strong feelings both for and against, with both sides
appealing to our values. Such is the proposal to remove the requirement for Kol HaLev board members to be Jewish. That will be the
main topic of our values-based discussion at the next community meeting on the bylaws, online on July 30 at 6:30 pm. Please attend!
The bylaws, with proposed deletions marked in blue and proposed insertions in red, are available here.
Rabbi Emily's Column
In the midst of all the detailed information in this week’s portion, including the repetition of the rules of sacrifice, and the division of tribal land,
we come across the unprecedented appeal of Zelophehad’s five daughters! Their father, having no sons, leaves his daughters without land
when he dies. Instead of resigning themselves to this unfortunate sexist system, these sisters appeal to Moses and YHVH. Many of us
nowadays admire Zelophehad’s daughters because they asked for what they needed. They collected their ideas, appealed their case,
made their needs known, and illuminated a new level of morality. And so, in the midst of the repetitive, predictable structure of
this portion, we have something arising that is unique and highly effective.
My needs from the community are not particularly novel right now. With the High Holidays approaching, I invite you to help me—by voicing your desires for our journey through Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As I plan the service, I intend to ask more questions of the community, and open our prayer space up to more collaborative thinking than in years past. And we will also need help with setup of the space, ushering, organizing the Yom Kippur Break Fast, etc. I also welcome hearing what you’d like to contribute in the prayer service. My prayer for today, however, is that we be like Zelophehad’s daughters, and not feel shame in asking for what we need, in whatever area of our lives this applies to now. Thank you for communication, transparency, and creativity in all things. It’s what the world needs now.
This Week
Hashpa’ah Group with Rabbi Emily
Wednesday, July 24, 7:30 pm
Once a month, Rabbi Emily leads a spiritual guidance (Hashpa’ah) group instead of the usual community conversation.
If you’d like to learn about this group, please contact Rabbi Emily.
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Service Leadership Workshop with Rabbi Emily
Thursday, July 25, 6:00 pm - virtual
Join fellow Kol HaLev members in learning about prayers, composing prayers, and practicing the presentation of prayers.
Rabbi Emily and the group will offer gentle feedback on your choices. Members of this workshop have gained confidence and
led several successful services together. And they’ll be happy to welcome you! No prior experience necessary.
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Shabbat Unplugged
Friday, July 26, 7 pm
CHC Chapel and virtual
Come in person, if you can, to soak in the full auditory and participatory experience of welcoming in
Shabbat with Kol HaLev’s very own musical ensemble!
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Shabbat Morning Service and Torah Study
Saturday, July 27, 10 am
CHC Chapel and virtual
Join Rabbis Emily and Steven, and Cantor George, in song, prayer, and reflection.
(Please remember that the chapel is a fragrance-free zone.)
Torah Portion of the Week
Pinchas (Second Triennial Cycle) (Numbers 26:52–28:15)
This portion begins by going through the allotment of tribal lands again. But, as we’ve noted before, it's not particularly surprising that only men are mentioned! Zelophehad’s daughters appeal this unfair rule. Their father has died recently. He had no sons, and his daughters are out of luck. They are given no land. But God hears them out and rules in their favor regarding their inheritance of the land. New laws are established for inheritance based on their case. Then it’s time for Moses to appoint a successor. Joshua ben Nun is chosen, and Moses gives him “smicha” by placing his hands upon him, empowering him as leader of the tribes of Israel. Our section ends with descriptions of more offerings, including meal offerings, burnt offerings, and libation offerings. These include daily offerings, as well as offerings for Shabbat and the New Moon. Why in the Torah do we go over the division of land amongst the tribes over and over again? Why do we go through these Temple offerings and sacrifices repeatedly? What YHVH wants is abundantly clear by this point in the story. The Torah clearly could have been much more concise! Is the Torah simply redundant? Yet, in our tradition, questions like this present an opportunity to make meaning. For instance, one way to look at all this repetition is that YHVH certainly tells the people what He wants. Perhaps one way of showing how important something is, is to repeat it. Is this the most effective way?
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Reading Group: Judaism Is About Love
Saturday, July 27, after the Shabbat Morning Service
CHC Library (formerly the Kol HaLev Room)
All are welcome! Our discussion of Shai Held’s exciting new book will be preceded by a bagel potluck. Kol HaLev will provide bagels and cream cheese. Please bring a dairy, vegetarian, or fish dish to go with the bagels. Salads, vegetables, protein sources, and fruit are especially welcome.
We’ll discuss Chapters 6 and 7, pp. 134–179, in Part II, “Widening Circles: Whom Should We Love?” In the spirit of
Reconstructing Judaism, we’ll consider what we find valuable in the tradition and what we want to transform.
For more information, including the schedule of readings, contact Jodean.
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KHL Unplugged in Voices for Peace: A Virtual Cabaret to Benefit ALEPH
Sunday, July 28, 4–6 pm, online
Pay what you can (suggested donation, $36 or more)
A stellar lineup of performers will lift us up in song, connect with us through words,
and bring us all together—beyond our Zoom screens—as one collective soul.
Please register here.
For information on ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal, click here.
The cabaret will be emcee’d by Rabbi Mark Novak and Hazzan Stephanie Weishaar, and produced by Rabbinic Pastor/Cantor Lisa Levine.
Featuring:
Bat Ella
Marilyn Bronstein
Rabbi Itzchak Evan-Shayish
Hazzan Cindy Freeman
Hazzan Leah Frey-Rabine
Rabbi Ilan Glazer
Rabbi Shefa Gold
Cantor Linda Hirschhorn
Hazzan-Maggid Steve Klaper
Naomi Less
Student Rabbi Laura Lenes
Hazzan Abbe Lyons
Rabbi George Mordecai
Student Rabbi Mikey Pauker
Rabbi Emily Stern & Kol HaLev Unplugged
Rabbi Brielle Rassler
Akiva and Lisa Wharton
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Bylaws Discussion Meeting
Tuesday, July 30, 6:30 pm – virtual
We’ll continue our values-based discussion of proposed changes to our bylaws, focusing especially on
whether to retain or remove the requirement that Kol HaLev board members be Jewish.
Save the Date!
High Holy Day Planning Meeting
Tuesday, August 6, 7 pm – virtual
In the heat of summer, Rosh Hashanah may seem far away, but it’s already time to start planning for the High Holy Days! Let’s think about the major themes of the season: return, endings, beginnings, change, and above it all, our dream of something enduring. Are there parts of the services and rituals that especially appeal to you—or that you find troublesome? Parts you would like to lead? Stories, songs, thoughts you would like to share? Join us online to discuss what shape our communal experience might take when we welcome in 5785.
Community Notes
Board Meeting Report
The board met on Sunday, July 21, heard committee reports, reviewed the Treasurer’s Report for the fiscal year that just passed,
showing a budget shortfall of $300/month, and discussed ways to decrease expenses and increase income. It was agreed to survey
Kol HaLev members about our perceived security needs, and to send out a pledge letter with our budget now, with additional appeals
around the High Holy Days and in December.
The board discussed the need for volunteers to bring wine and challah for Shabbat, to do setup and cleanup for kiddush after Shabbat
morning services, and to coordinate major food events. A process will be developed to engage members of the community as volunteers.
Our president, Alan Silver, suggested having a minyan coordinator to ensure that anyone who wants to say Kaddish at Friday night services
will be able to do so. (Shabbat mornings do not generally present a problem.) He and another board member will work on this.
Rabbi Emily informed the board that a search had begun for a musical assistant, to start after Cantor George’s departure in the fall.
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Learning Transcendental Meditation
In the spring, several members of Kol HaLev attended a lecture on Transcendental Meditation (TM) given by David and Laurie Rosenberg.
When they heard that TM is a simple, natural technique that anyone can learn to release stress and therefore lead a happier, more fulfilling
life, many of our congregants expressed a desire to learn.
We are happy to announce that Paul Roochnik, a Jewish teacher of TM from Bethesda, is ready and willing to teach KHL members in
either August or September at the Baltimore Transcendental Meditation Center. Interested? Contact Laurie Rosenberg.
For more information, you may also visit the Center website.
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Sponsoring Kiddush Lunches
From time to time, Kol HaLev members have sponsored a kiddush after the Shabbat morning service to celebrate a simcha (joyous occasion), such as a wedding or B’mitzvah, or to commemorate a loved one. These light lunches give us an opportunity to get to know each other better and bring us together as a community. If you feel moved to sponsor a kiddush, don’t be shy! It can be quite simple, and help is available if you need it. Contact Judy, the keeper of our calendar, to arrange for a date, and Jodean for help.
Website
For more about Kol HaLev, our people, services, programs, and events, check out the updated Kol HaLev website at www.kolhalevmd.org!
Newsletter
Reading. Please note: what you see on your phone or other device is only about half of the newsletter. Because readers have told us that they don’t want to scroll through large blocks of text on their phones, we generally display only the first few lines of each item in the email, with the option to click through to the website. What you don’t get in the email is the reason, the details, the context, and, often, the contact information.
So if you want the full, in-depth, unexpurgated experience, please click through!
Contributing. The weekly KHL newsletter goes out on Tuesdays. If you’d like to put an item in the newsletter, please clear it with Rabbi Emily and Alan Silver by noon on the previous Sunday. Suitable items include KHL activities, some CHC activities, and events of particular interest in the larger Jewish community. Please provide a complete paragraph (or several paragraphs) with all relevant information.
As a rule, the KHL newsletter does not reprint content from other sources, whether print or digital. A summary and a link to the content may be provided instead. If you have material that you think is vitally important to reprint in the KHL newsletter, please provide proof of permission from
the author(s) and publisher. The relevant information on copyright law is available here.