Shabbat Shoftim 5780

 
Dear Friends,
 
Welcome to the stretch run! We are now in the month of Elul, and it is time to prepare our hearts for the season of teshuvah, self-reflection and improvement. A great way to start is to commit to studying Torah and its endless reservoir of meaning in our own day. As always, I aim to link the Torah portion to current concerns. Click here for the written version of this week’s Dvar TorahThe video version is here.
 
The Sephardic tradition is to begin reciting Selihot, penitential prayers, on Rosh Hodesh Elul. For the best-known of the Sephardic liturgical poems, click here for Adon Haselihot. I’ll share other clips of piyyutim throughout Elul.
 
Earlier this week, we had a terrific webinar with Joseph Gitler of Leket Israel, as he told us how his national nonprofit food bank is meeting the challenges of food insecurity during the pandemic. Click here for a recording of that webinar. Below are some links that Shira Woolf shared with us in the Zoom chat.
 
 
Don’t forget to click here for Virtual Shabbat Prayers from Cantor Zim.
 
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom, and as always good health 
 
Rabbi David Wise