Elul: Preparing For 5774

1 Elul 5773 - August 7, 20 13
Today marks the first day of Elul and the last month in the Hebrew year of 5773. To count down the days until Rosh Hashanah and the new year, we will be sharing a daily thoughts/inspiration with you.
Let us prepare for the coming High Holy Days together!

“The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.”
~ Emily Dickinson

Souls Ajar by Raychel Kubby Adler
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1191

2 Elul 5773
Walk on Through by Quincy Jones
"...when we don’t get the welcome we feel we deserve, it’s important to not sit back and wait for it. It likely will never come..."
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1201

3 Elul 5773
Gently Unplug: A case for undertaking a weekly digital detox

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/140869/prepent-5774-day-3-gently-unplug

4 Elul 5773
Accept -- the good and the bad.
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-4-accept.html

5 Elul 5773
Come In by Angela Buchdahl
Are we truly welcoming, to everyone, Jew and non-Jew?
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1229

6 Elul 5773
A Generational Plan for Prosperity by Eric Garcetti
"...I think of the challenges my grandparents faced: coming to a land they didn’t know with a language they didn’t speak. But, along with their grit and determination to do better than their parents had done, they had the strength to look at themselves with introspection, see their flaws and make a plan for improvement...."
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1232

7 Elul 5773
“Kiss me from the kisses of your mouth,” she declares in the Song of Songs.
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/141075/prepent-5774-day-6-communicating-with-intention

8 Elul 5773
"It is Elul; time to put out the welcome mat for the improved self by opening wide the doors of demonstrative and spoken affection to the dear ones we encounter every day"
Welcoming Actually by Elka Abrahamson
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1270

9 Elul 5773
"I always aspire to listen wholly... All I can do is notice when I'm not wholly listening, and take a deep breath, and strive to do better. I want to really listen when the world speaks."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-9-hear.html 

10 Elul 5773
Poems about innocence, family, happiness, joy....
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-10-see.html
and
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1301 

11 Elul 5773
Treat The Stranger That There Be No Stranger by David Saperstein
" In 1978, Rabbi Alexander Schindler vigorously called on us to reach out to “all who enter,” to open our congregations...." How can we continue to be open and welcoming? Who is being left out?
http://www.letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1307

12 Elul 5773
Anger Management -Examining why we get angry, and how to deal with it effectively
"A quiet moment and the soul speaks up. ...it was just important to recognize the depth of my feelings, sit with it and breathe."
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/141604/prepent-5774-day-12-anger-management

13 Elul 5773
Preparing our hearts to forgive and be forgiven
"... In Talmud there is a teaching that one should make teshuvah (repent/return) the night before one's death -- and, of course, since one never knows when one's death may be, one should make teshuvah always....When we come before the One with open hearts, with a genuine yearning for forgiveness, I believe that that God always forgives....."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-13-forgive.html

"Asking forgiveness from God is an important part of the prayer, but it cannot be completed earnestly if one has not asked for forgiveness from the people in one’s life."
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/142090/prepent-5774-day-15-asking-for-forgiveness

14 Elul 5773

Store-Bought Happiness

Trying to find lasting happiness—and not just at the check-out counter
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/141769/prepent-5774-day-13-store-bought-happiness

15 Elul 5773
Taking a Break -As the High Holidays approach, finding ways to relax and de-stress
"How do you de-stress?"

 http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/141895/prepent-5774-day-14-taking-a-break

16 Elul 5773

" 'To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven...'
Change is inevitable, change is always unfolding -- but our ability to love one another remains.... This is the month when God walks in the fields with us, yearning to connect with us Friend-to-friend, Beloved-to-beloved."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-16-change.html

17 Elul 5773
Grief
"We often choose to let grief knock on our door and only then deal with its tidings, but I invite you to join me today in taking a few minutes to confront sadness and the feeling of farewell, full of gratitude for every gift, no matter how hard the loss."
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/142219/prepent-5774-day-16-confronting-grief

18 Elul 5773
Pray
"My teacher Reb Zalman (Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi) likes to say that our written liturgy is like a cookbook; it's a collection of recipes for spiritual experience. But in order to make the recipes, you have to add ingredients; in order to make the prayers real, you have to add your own heart and soul and being."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-18-pray.html

19 Elul 5773
A Home-Made Welcome by Donald Davis
"...we decided that truly welcoming them was not about what we could buy for them, but about what we could do for them."
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1365

20 Elul 5773
Shame and Repentance
Facing our shame is difficult but vital in preparation for the Day of Atonement
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/142401/prepent-5774-day-19-shame-and-repentance

21 Elul 5773
"1. Extend a warm welcome.
2. Anticipate and fulfill stated and unstated needs.
3. Provide a fond farewell.
As you can see from number one, welcoming is our top priority. But, in fact, all three steps are about welcoming. Only if the totality of an experience is authentically meaningful can a person truly feel welcome"

The Business of Welcoming by Herve Humler
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1389

22 Elul 5773
Courage to Dare -
"There is something daring about entering into prayer. About standing before God and offering our praises and our supplications as though we actually believed that the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Source of All Being, were listening to us. More: as though the Source of All Being actually cared what we had to say. That's the audacious claim made by Jewish prayer practice every day: that we can dare to stand before God, expecting God to listen."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-20-dare.html

23 Elul
Love --
"God's love for us is unending and infinite... God so overflows with divine love that God brings creation into being in order to have somewhere to direct that love, in order to have conscious beings with whom God can be in loving relationship."
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/08/blogelul-22-love.html

24 Elul
Extending a Hand by Nathanial Helfgot
"Elul, the tradition teaches, is a time when God is more present, ready to listen and care for the human being. The Hebrew letters of the month, we are told, are an acronym for the phrase, “Ani ledodi vedodi li.” I am (devoted) to my beloved (God) and my beloved (God) is (devoted) to me."
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1409

25 Elul
Inside Out by Hayim Herring
"Here is the magic that happens when we embrace our full selves: by working on and with all aspects that comprise who we are, we can more readily embrace the stranger in our community."
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1415 

26 Elul
Hope
http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2013/09/-blogelul-26-hope-.html

27 Elul
Transcending Your Comfort Zone by Simon Jacobson
“Welcoming guests is more powerful than welcoming G-d.”
http://letmypeoplesing.com/jewels/?p=1420 

28 Elul
Making a wish!
Shana tova! A verbal wish or handmade card - which do you prefer?
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/143466/prepent-5774-day-27-making-a-wish

29 Elul: Forgive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T35_RgPvONI

Shana Tova!!

What to bring to a Dairy Potluck

It's a Dairy Potluck!
What do I bring?

Many times, when we host a potluck, our members get stuck on what they should bring and the quickest answer is always a salad. But while a potluck of one main dish and 20 salads will be good, it lacks variety. So we decided to make a list of viable options! Typically, the main dish for a dairy potluck is some kind of pasta or lasagna.

What you could bring:
Traditional House Salad
Ceasar Salad
Pasta Salad
Fruit
Fruit Salad
Caprese Salad
Cucumber Salad
Asian Noodle Salad
Green Beans
Corn
Corn Souffle
Peas
Carrots
Brussel Sprouts
Roasted potatoes
Roasted veggies
Steamed veggies
Sweet potato casserole
Squash casserole
Dinner rolls
Italian Bread (any bread)

If it's not lasagna, but something else (like fish), here are some other ideas that work:
Rice
Coleslaw
Potato Salad
Beans

Dessert Ideas: 
Brownies
Cake
Cookies
Ice Cream
Sorbet
Gelato
Chocolates
Fruit Salad
Pie


Have suggestions to add to our list?? Leave us a comment and we will update it!

Thanks!

High Holy Days 5774/2013

High Holy Days are fast approaching!! This year, they start on August 31. Be prepared! Below is our HHD Schedule.

Click the photo to download the PDF.

Buy a Rosh Hashanah Greeting for the Messenger!

L’Shana Tova Greeting
Order by Friday, Aug. 2

If you are like most of us here in the office at Micah, you are in a whirlwind of summer activities. School and High Holy Days are a far off thought.... However, High Holy Days are coming early this year!! They will begin at the end of August!

This year we are once again offering the opportunity for you to send Rosh Hashana greetings in the Messenger. Last year it was a hit (you can see the examples here)!

Think of this greeting space as you would the ads you purchased in the back of your yearbook!

Cost / Size Options

Option 1
1) Business Card Size: $36
Design + Choose one of the four “any size” greeting

Option 2 & 3
2) Quarter page: $72
3) Half page : $144
1 image + choose any one of the greetings

*Pick your size/cost option and then choose one greeting*

Greeting Choices

Options 1 - 3

1)     L’Shana Tova Tikatevu

2)     Wishing You a Sweet New Year

3)     Have a Happy New Year

4)     Happy Rosh Hashanah

5)     Happy New Year from the [insert name] Family

Options 2 & 3 Only
(for quarter or half pages)

1.     May the sounds of the Shofar welcome in a new year of health and happiness

2.     Best wishes to you and your family at Rosh Hashanah

All greetings can include either your family’s last name or each name of your family (up to 10 names total)

For Businesses:

Choose a size: business card, quarter page, or half page

Choose a greeting: 5 options available for the business card size; and 7 options available or the quarter and half page sizes

Your greeting can be “from” your business and you can include the web address.

 
Ready to order your ad?? Call us at the office at 615-377-9799 or email office@congregationmicah.org. Don’t forget to have your credit card handy or mail a check (your payment = your greeting).

Rabbis Rice: Gate of Tears

In his plea for forgiveness after the Golden Calf episode, Moses told God, "You created human beings as a flawed race who are bound to make mistakes. You must create a way for them to repair their mistakes. You must tell me that there is a way out, that there is hope." 

     In his response, God told Moses, "I created the world in accordance with the laws of cause and effect. For every action there is a reaction. And sometimes the reaction is such that it cannot be reserved. You are asking Me to change the natural laws that I Myself created."

     Moses argued, "I am not asking you to change the laws. I am asking you to crack open just one door." And God did. The door was called the "gate of tears." Tears are like the sprout on a kettle that allows internal pressure out. They have the power to pry open doors. Our sages say that "tears bathe the soul."

     Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses, our teacher, illustrates to us that there is nothing that breaks that cannot be mended. Have you ever made a mistake so big that there was no way to repair it? What is broken in your life? How many tears have you shed over it? How can you mend it? 

     Rosh Hashanah is 10 days away. The process of reconnecting, renewing and repenting begins this Saturday night...

Book of Remembrance - Order by Wednesday, Sept. 12

Micah Memorials 5773

A Book of Remembrance

"I will donate charity of their sake."

In the Jewish tradition, it is customary to remember our deceased family and friends by the simple act of declaring their names. We say their names publicly on the anniversary of their deaths (yahrzeit) and at memorial services (yizkor). 

These High Holy Days, we are offering everyone the opportunity to memorialize loved ones in our Micah Memorials: Book of Remembrance by making a contribution (tzedakah) to Congregation Micah's Memorial Fund. The book will be distributed at the yizkor services on Yom Kippur afternoon.

The cost for the 5773 Book of Remembrance is as follows: $25 per name, or a full page regardless of the number of names, will be available for $125. Your payment reserves your space.    

Click here to download the form!

Break the Fast at Micah!

 

Visit their websites + check out their menus:

Grilled Cheeserie

Wrapper's Delight

Biscuit Love Truck

The Cupcake Collection

L’Shana Tova Greeting – Order by Aug. 22

If you are like most of us here in the office at Micah, you are in a whirlwind of summer coming to an end and trying to get back into the swing of school, or finishing off your summer vacation. Guess what? It’s almost fall! That’s right… High Holy Days are just around the corner!

This year we are offering the opportunity for you to send Rosh Hashanah greetings in the Messenger! Instead of purchasing cards for all of your close Micah friends (or for all of our hundreds of congregants!), we are making space for your New Year greetings and well wishes.

Think of this greeting space as you would the ads you purchased in the back of your yearbook!

Option 1
Business Card Size: $36
Choose one of the five “any size” greeting

Option 2 & 3
2) Quarter page: $72
3) Half page : $144
Choose any one of the greetings

*Pick your size/cost option and then choose one greeting*

Greeting Choices

Options 1 - 3

1)     L’Shana Tova Tikatevu

2)     Wishing You a Sweet New Year

3)     Have a Happy New Year

4)     Happy Rosh Hashanah

5)     Happy New Year from the [insert name] Family

Options 2 & 3 Only

6)     May the sounds of the Shofar welcome in a new year of health and happiness

7)     Best wishes to you and your family at Rosh Hashanah

All greetings can include either your family’s last name or each name of your family (up to 10 names total)

Think of it this way…If you mailed out even 200 greetings, you might forget someone, but if you don’t you still have to buy those cards for just under $200, stuff the envelopes, buy the postage (for 200 envelopes, that’s $90!), add the postage, and take them to be mailed. We’re doing all of that for you, for a lower cost, covering all of your local community bases, and even taking it to the mail center ourselves.

Ready to order your ad?? Call us at the office at 615-377-9799 or email office@congregationmicah.org. Don’t forget to have your credit card handy or mail a check (your payment = your greeting).

Orders due by: Aug. 22

Example:

 

High Holy Days Schedule

http://www.congregationmicah.org/uploadedFiles/congregationmicahorg/Praying/High_Holidays/HHD%20Schedule%205773.pdf