Rabbi’s Corner - Parshat Ki Tavo

As many of you know I attended a rabbinic conference this week in NJ as part of “The Legacy Heritage Fund Distinguished Rabbinic Fellowship”.  It was a very interesting experience and I am so happy that I was able to go.  It was nice to be able to discuss issues of the rabbinate with my colleagues and peers as well as some of my mentors.  In addition, I enjoyed the learning that we did and the time that I was able to spend with Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter with whom I have a longstanding and close relationship.  He has so much knowledge and experience to offer.  I also made some good connections at the conference with people who might be able to help our shul in various ways in the near future.

I would like to invite each of you to join me for a class in preparation for the Yamim Noraim.  The class is entitled “Voyage of the Verses.” We will explore the rich text of the machzor and the prayers for Rosh Hashanna.  We will examine the verses quoted and why those were chosen in specific to be included in our most sacred prayers.  This is a great way to get in to the themes and spirit of the upcoming holidays.  Hopefully by understanding the machzor we will be able to create a more meaningful experience of tefilah for ourselves over the holiday.  In order to accommodate those who have other obligations and commitments I am giving the exact same class twice:  EITHER this Shabbat afternoon at 6pm (YIWH) or this coming Wednesday evening at 8pm (my home).

I would also like to announce that NEXT SHABBAT we will be hosting a Scholar in Residence at YIWH.  This is a very exciting opportunity for our shul to have Rabbi Dr. Alex Mondrow with us.  Rabbi Mondrow served as the rabbi at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine for the last four years and is currently both a middle school psychologist and eighth grade rebbe at Yeshivat Noam in NJ.  He received his Semicha from YU and his Doctorate in Psychology from Ferkauf focused on substance abuse treatment for adolescents, parenting techniques, and psychoeducational assessment.  He is a wonderful speaker and rabbi and I encourage you to join us for as many of his lectures as you can.  See the full schedule for details.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Weinberg