Big Question September -- Your Answers!

We asked and you answered!

I will....

 

Write

 

Listen

 

Get outdoors

 

Be good to my parents and my sister

 

Be respectful to others

 

Be awesome

 

Practice the piano with a smile!

 

Clean my room

 

Do my singing

 

Be a better listener

 

Eat healthy

 

Be caring

 

Share my toys

 

Be good at school

 

 

 

Get A's and B's on TCAP

 

Save more money!

 

Be there, no matter what happens, with open arms

 

Work hard on MiTY's Youth Board & in NFTY-OV

 

Be kind. Be me.

 

Eat more cookies

 

Make better art

 

 

 

Focus on what's important

 

Be a better sister

 

Learn how to cook

-Agreed

 

Be nicer to my brother / brothers

 

Work hard in school 

 

Be awesome and do good at my Bar Mitzvah

 

Be happier

 

 

Learn more Hebrew and make more friends

 

Be more patient

 

Be nicer to everyone!

 

Not argue with my parents!!

 

Try to be a better person

 

Be nicer to my siblings

 

Dedicate more time to school

 

Make a goal of holistic health

 

Have a forgiving heart

 

Make sure I listen to my parents

 

Be neater

 

Improve my handwriting

 

Stick to my resolutions

 

Be more organized

 

 

 

Non-dairy Potluck

It's a Non-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 non-dairy potluck is chicken or beef.

What you could bring:
Traditional House Salad
Pasta Salad
Fruit
Fruit Salad
Cucumber Salad
Asian Noodle Salad
Green Beans
Corn
Peas
Blackeyed Peas
Kale Salad
Turnip Greens
Carrots
Brussel Sprouts
Roasted potatoes
Roasted veggies
Steamed veggies
Sweet potato casserole
Dinner rolls
Italian Bread (any bread)
Rice
Coleslaw
Potato Salad
Beans

Dessert Ideas: 
Cookies
Sorbet
Fruit Salad
Carmel Popcorn
Macaroons
Biscotti
Applesauce

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

Rabbis Rice: We Will Not Forget

“We Jews suffer from many diseases, but amnesia is not one of them.”                                                                                                 – Isaac Bashevis Singer      Today our nation remembers the events of September 11. Those who lost precious members of their family on that fateful day in 2001, do not need such commemorations as we do; their loss is with them every day. And although we are far from New York City, we too recall all those who perished in the World Trade Center, in the four hijacked planes, and in the Pentagon – all victims of fanaticism and hate.      The Jewish people are a people of memory. We deliberately, intentionally, in a formal and structured way, built memory into our tradition. From Yizkor (our memorial prayers for the dead) to yahrzeits (remembering our loved ones by lighting a candle on the anniversary of their death) we recall with reverence those who came before us. The Torah also instructs us to remember an evil that was done to us long ago, when our people wandered in the wilderness: “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were famished and weary, they met you on your journey and attacked those who were lagging behind… so you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget [Deut. 25: 17-19].”      How is it that we be commanded both to “blot out the name of Amalek” and to “remember” and “not forget”? One interpretation is that we obliterate the names of those who do evil, who commit terrible crimes against humanity. When some Jews pronounce the name of Adolf Hitler, for instance, they often add the phrase “y’mach sh’mo – may his name be erased.” We do not make celebrities out of criminals; we do not give their names to our children; we do nothing to perpetuate their continued remembrance on earth. But we do remember what Amalek did. We remember acts of atrocity and keep alive the recollection of evil. No matter how painful it is, we force ourselves to contemplate such deeds year after year; we set aside ritual moments to bring them back to our consciousness. Why? Because whenever tyrants crush their opponents by force, whenever bullies prey on the weak, whenever bigotry bursts forth in violence, Amalek lives again. It would be nice to pretend otherwise. It would be nice to forget that such dreadful deeds are done. But if we do forget, Amalek will reign supreme.      The boys and girls who are celebrating their B’nai Mitzvah this year were just babies when the September 11 attacks occurred. They have no direct memories of that day. But we will teach them about what Amalek did because that story awakens us to the work we have to do in this world.      We will tell our children that Jews are here to stand up against cruelty and hate. We are here to follow a different way: the way of justice and love. We are here to create a society that protects the vulnerable and cares for the weak and honors the dignity of every person. So we show our children that the purpose of memory is to teach us to live better lives; lives of purpose; lives that matter. We combat evil by devoting ourselves to the good. We resist the darkness by remembering to hold fast to the light. We look forward to seeing you on Kol Nidrei.

Big Questions - September: "What will you do better this year?"

We have Big Questions.

You have the Answers.

This month of September, Tishri 5774, we have officially launched our Big Questions. Follow along with us as we ask a “Big Question” every month. Our first question:

What are Big Questions? 
Big Questions are human questions; they are not Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. They are not Democratic or Republican or for one specific demographic. Big Questions matter to all of us. They are different than “hard questions.” Hard Questions rely on expertise and lead to debates. Big Questions rely on wisdom and experience. They invite participation by everyone because anyone can answer them.

Big Questions aim to help people go deeper within their own traditions and identity, strengthen their interactions with others, and build richer communities. Healthy congregations are places where we
understand one another's stories so that we might further explore what we have in common. Micah’s questions are designed to do just that! The selected questions will be concerned with topics that matter to all of us, regardless of our religious traditions, cultural heritage, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and personal or political beliefs.

It is our hope that together, through the power of conversation, we will all come to better understand ourselves, each other, and our relationships with God, Torah, and Israel.



How can you answer?

• Write it down at Micah - we have a blackboard with markers to collect answer in our Social Hall!
• Mail it in - we'll collect answers and share with everyone!
• Connect with us online! When you answer on social media, add the hashtag #MicahAsks and find other people’s answers on both Facebook and Twitter! 
• Or comment on our blog!

Facebook.com/CongregationMicah
@MicahNashville
CongregationMicah.blogspot.com


The first Ask Big Questions campaign started at a Hillel on a college campus. The campaign continues to strive to make the world a better place and lead people to deeper conversations and
actions.

Shana Tova!

Rosh Hashanah poem by our member - Nanette Avery!

Happy Birthday world!

Your splendid trees sift
cradled breezes and
side- by side- houses
rest together like asters in a flower bed;
while inside
honey dipped apples
make impressions like tiny footprints;
a timeless tradition still just as sweet.
Sweet,
sticky sweet.
The challah round and plump,
a braid of memories in dough.
Everyone is rich with an appetite
of renewal
for it is Rosh Hashanah;
We need no passport
for the shofar guides us,
its calling comforts
and we rejoice.

Happy Birthday world!

MCA Parent Workshop - September 30, 2013

Making the most of “Screen Time”
Principles for selecting digital media for your children

Join us for a parent workshop at Micah Children’s Academy
Monday, September 30
7:00pm

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued strong statements about the importance of limiting young children’s “screen time.” While there are sound reasons for this recommendation, it largely misses the boat by grouping all kinds of “screens” into a single category and providing little
to no guidance to parents to determine which, if any, programs and digital technologies might have benefit.

They also appear to forget that sometimes you just need 15 minutes to chop the vegetables and feed the dog.

How CAN you make the most of screen time? What are some principles for selecting digital media for your children, and ensuring that the time spent interacting with screens don’t cause pangs of guilt?

In this parent workshop, we discuss some of the reasons behind the AAP’s recommendations, and ways to think about selecting and monitoring screen time in your own home. The goal of this workshop is to arm parents with the tools they need to make their own decisions about good selections for your own children—although some recommendations of high quality apps, games, and movies will be shared.

Please RSVP to Melissa Gresalfi

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!!