Rabbi Barry's Messages

WEDNESDAY WORDS

January 6, 2021

Given the tumultuous events in our nation’s capital yesterday, Wednesday Words has been transformed this week to “Thursday Words”

Also, due to technical difficulties, I am sharing these thoughts in writing rather than via video.  I must begin with the following prayer from the Union Prayer Book

“Fervently we invoke Thy blessing upon our country and our nation. Guard them, O G-d, from calamityand injury; suffer not their adversaries to triumph over them, but let the glories of a just, righteous and G-d-Fearing people increase from age to age.  Enlighten with Thy wisdom and sustain with Thy power those whom the people have set in authority, the President, his counselors, and advisers, the judges, law-gives and executives, and all who are entrusted with our safety and with the guardianship of our rights and our liberties.  May peace and good-will obtain among all the inhabitants of our land; may religion spread its blessings among us and exalt our nation in righteousness.

Amen”

As I prepared to sleep last evening, I held these words written so long ago Deep within my heart and my Neshama, my Soul.

As sleep came upon me, I remembered my paternal and maternal grandparents  Z“L. They came to the United States late in the nineteenth century escaping

threats to their lives in Eastern Europe, in Belarus.  Linda’s mother Z“L immigrated from Poland just a few years before terrors of Shoah (Holocaust ).

Linda’s father Z“L  was able to come to these shores from Greece as an infant early in the twentieth century.

In America, Linda’s parents, my grandparents and my parents,  with hard work and diligence, built successful lives as merchants.

From the dry goods store that my parents owned with my grandfather, from Linda’s father’s beautiful carpet store,

Linda and I, along with our cousins, were able to graduate high school, university, graduate school, law school and seminary.

How unspeakably grateful we are to our parents and grandparents for their courage and perseverance in establishing successful

lives in our blessed America.

How beyond words of gratitude am I to America for providing the foundations for our parents and grandparents

to build successful lives in our Land.

I was traveling to and from Rayne, Louisiana, yesterday for a private Burial service for Jim Levy Sr. of Bunkie, Z“L.  We had Jim’s

Funeral Service a few weeks ago but due to the heavy rains and high water table in Leger Cemetery near Rayne, burial could not

occur till today.  It was important to me that I be present for his Burial to recite Kaddish in his loving memory.

I confess that I was very frightened as I listened to public radio WRKF in Baton Rouge as the news came about the

storming of the Capitol.  After watching the video’s of the assault on our Capital, I became even more frightened for our Nation.  I mourn the death of the lady

who was shot during these hours how grateful we must be that so far no other injuries or fatalities have been reported.

I am supremely grateful that Congress quickly reconvened to conduct Its vitally important work for our beloved country once safety

was restored. The immediate return of Congress in safety is a reminder that

we are a resilient country and that our elected leaders understand the Importance and necessity of an orderly transfer of power among our

highest elected officials.  I am reminded that we are taught over and again that our fate as Jews is

Inextricably linked to the destiny of the nation in which we live. This is why the prayer above is so important at this very moment.

“May peace and good will obtain among all the inhabitants of our Land; may religion spread its blessings among us and exalt our nation

In righteousness.   Amen.“

With Loving Prayers,

Rabbi Barry

*Union Prayer Book,

Volume I, page 148, Central Conference of American Rabbis,

New York, 1961

December 31, 2020

Dear Temple Sinai of Lake Charles and Friends,

As the first day of the new secular year fast draws near, we hold each and every one
of y’all so very close in our hearts and our prayers.

First, we pray so deeply that 2021 will overflow with the blessings of health and healing for
us all, we have cherished members who have undergone surgery and lengthy
hospital stays.  Others of our beloved congregation have been ill for extended days at home
or in other facilities.  May this new secular year bring each of them continuing and complete
Recovery as quickly as possible. We pray that our family members who are primary caregivers for their loved ones will be blessed with continuing strength, stamina, perseverance and optimism.

Second, we pray for Refuah Sh’laymah, Complete Recovery, from the Virus. May our Lake Charles and Region, our Louisiana, and our world reach that day when the dangers of Virus shall have been
Fully Conquered.

Third, we look forward with hope and optimism to the continuing repair of so very many
of our homes and offices which have been so heavily damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes
Laura and Delta.  This rebuilding effort has taken so much of our energy and has been a real
Challenge to our own sense of equanimity and patience.   Still, we pray deeply that all of us will look to 2021 as the Year of Rebuilding and Restoration when we shall have succeeded in all our repair efforts.

Fourth, many of our members continue in evacuation.  This is such a heavy challenge in every
imaginable way.  Traveling daily back and forth between locations distant from Lake Charles
takes such a toll.  May all of our evacuees find the courage and strength for meeting their daily
responsibilities of work and home.

Fifth, our beloved Temple Sinai facility itself!  How earnestly we look forward to the day when
we shall all come together once again in our precious Sanctuary, Social Hall and Building.

Sixth and in a certain sense perhaps just as important as everything we have noted, is the
Repair of our own Neshama, our own inner Soul. Even though we have been masking,
doing our best to isolate, hand wash and social distance, we trust that we have not lost our
own sense of ourselves as precious children of G-d.  We believe that Ha Shem has been with us
and Working through the loving hands of our doctors, nurses, surgeons, medical staff and
researchers through the secular year now ending.

So often we have looked in the mirror at ourselves in masks and had to stop for a moment to
remember our face!

As we look upon family, friends and neighbors in masks, it’s too easy to
forget the individual, precious beauty and sanctity of everyone.

May we always treasure and cherish the sanctity of each of our lives, the beauty of our Neshama, our Soul.  May we always sense the Divine within us, and all around us, helping us to restore not only our properties but also our own inner selves.

One of our favorite Hebrew phrases with which personal letters often conclude is
Chol Tuv.

Literally these two small words mean „Everything Good.“

We believe these two little words really represent so much more for us all
at this time.

Chol Tuv for us is the Fervent hope, wish and prayer that we shall all be
blessed with overflowing cups of life in
202l.  We are confident that everything that comes our way will be blessed by the
Source of Blessings, that all difficulty shall be the less difficult because G-d will
be with us in every way, as we reach out to help and support one another.

Happy 2021 Temple Sinai and Friends!  May this truly be a Better Year!

CHOL TUV!
With loving blessings,

Joel and Rabbi Barry

_______________________________________________________________________

I have recorded my first weekly Wednesday Words!
These brief videos of 2-3 minutes will hopefully be the source
Of Hope and Optimism.

You can find the first video on our You Tube Channel,
temple-sinai.tv

With loving blessings always,
Rabbi Barry

Rosh Chodesh Elul, the first day of the Hebrew Month of Elul, fell on Wednesday, August 7.

With the arrival of Elul, we really enter into the mood and the spirit of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our High Holy Days.

This is a very special time of our Jewish year, when our thoughts and prayers turn to the deeper meanings of life, leading us to take account of ourselves in the year now ending.

As we prepare for this season of renewal and hope, special prayers of s’lichot are offered. As Rabbi Mark Washofsky points our in Jewish Living – A Guide to Contemporary Reform Practice, these “special penitential prayers” are part of daily Jewish worship, except for Shabbat, from beginning of Elul to Yom Kippur.

Another important High Holy Day custom is to visit the graves of loved ones during the Ten Days of Repentance.

These visits help to remind us of the beauty of the lives of our loved ones .cherishing their memory and finding inspiration to emulate their loving words and deeds.

From Elul through Break Fast at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, these are very special, unique days in our Jewish year. Linda and I pray for all of us that this season will prompt us to consider carefully the purpose of our lives and take a personal accounting of ourselves.

I believe that as Jews we are truly blessed to have Elul and our entire New Year observance as our yearly reminder of doing our best to honor God, love one another, and continue doing our best to support our temple and actively pursue our study of Judaism and practice of mitzvoth.

I am so very grateful to begin my fourth year of service to Temple Sinai as your rabbi. Both Linda and I are very grateful for your love and support as we look forward to a New Year of health and joy for our temple and all our families.

L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu – May this New Year of 5774 find us all inscribed in the Book of Life, Health and
Happiness

A Thought For Monday From Rabbi Barry
  (First Published as e-mail Nov 05, 2012)

When We Say “Thank You” in Hebrew

“Todah!”

This simple Hebrew word means “Thank you!” in English.

The root of “todah” in Hebrew is a grammatically irregular root, consisting of the three letters Yod, Daled, Heh.

Of great interest to me has always been one of the basic meanings of this Hebrew root : To Acknowledge.

Thus, whenever we say “Todah” to one another in Hebrew, we really are giving our acknowledgement of the importance of the gift, help or friendship we have
received. 

To give thanks in Hebrew is really to recognize the very deep value of that which we have been given, and to be sure that the giver knows of our acknowledgment!

I hope that with the approach of our national day of giving thanks, our Hebrew language’s approach will bring even deeper meaning to our holiday. 

When we gather for our Thanksgiving meal, try sharing with each other our personal “acknowledgement” of the blessings in our lives. l believe this little custom can help each of us recognize, and give thanks, on a deep level, for the many gifts in our lives. 

Even more, looking within each day and acknowledging the blessings surrounding us can
make our lives all the more meaningful.

It’s in this spirit that I say “Todah” to each and every one of you in our Temple Sinai family for all of your most gracious love and friendship you have showered upon Linda and me!

Rabbi Barry’s Word of the Month

SKVETCH

This old Yiddish word is usually translated as “To complain!”

I believe one of the most descriptive treatments of “Skvetch” can be found
in a book which I have packed in one of our many boxes.

So with apologies to its author, I share this memorable description of the meaning
of “Skvetch!”

A man is on a European train, in which one sits in a compartment facing another
passenger.  The other passenger, somewhat elderly, complains about his
thirst.

“Oy vey, oy vey, I’m so very thirsty” he repeats and repeats.

Finally, his compartment mate, gets up, goes down the corridor, pours
some water into the little cubed paper cup, and brings it back to the
complainer.

The elderly passenger eagerly swallows the water, and then immediately
starts to “sketch” again:

“Oy vey, oy vey, I was so thirsty!”

This is a true “Skevetch!”  Not only was the passenger complaining at first
about being extremely thirsty, he couldn’t cease complaining even after
being given water.  To keep complaining and complaining even after one’s
complaint has been satisfied, is to be a real Skvetch!

May all our Skevetching be mindful of the old Yiddish word,
“G’nug.”

G’nug means “Enough!”  But even more,
it really means “Enough already!!”

So let our Skvetching in the new secular year be mindful also of “G’nug!”

___________________________________________________________________________

    A Monday Thought For Temple Sinai From Rabbi Barry
(First Published as e-mail on Oct 22, 2012)
In his book Everyday Holiness, Dr. Alan Morinis quotes Rabbi
Yosef Yozel Hurwitz, Alter of Novarodok, in these words:

     A person who tries to practice trust in God while leaving himself a
backup plan is like a person who tries to learn how to swim but
insists on keeping one foot on the ground. ( p. 209 )

As Dr. Morinis points out in his book’s chapter on Trust, or Bitachon in Hebrew, every “soul yearns to trust.”  At the same time, we accept the unpredictability of life, realizing that there is no way to predict the future.

I appreciate very much Dr. Morinis further reminding us that in the study of Mussar, the Middah, or soul-trait of “trust” really means more than just trust in isolation. Rather, we ought to expand this soul-trait to “trust in God.”

The next time a seemingly impossible challenge appears, try
to include in your thoughts and prayers a sense of trust in God.

My personal experience has taught me that my own sense of confidence about the future has been greatly strengthened when I think about trust in  this way.

Then the words of Jeremiah might become true for us as well:

Blessed be the one who trusts in the Lord and the Lord
shall be his Source of trust.     ( Jeremiah 17:7 )