Sat. Aug. 22 - w/ special 'Labor on the Bimah' learning over lunch

Can't you just hear the Shofar blowing? It's a call to prayer!

We'll be gathering for davenning, lunch, shmoozing, and a special
"Labor on the Bimah" drash during lunch, all this Saturday in Woodley
Park at Deborah and Shalom's house. (details below)

Howard's "Labor on the Bimah" learning during lunch (even though we
don't have a bimah) is one of many events sparked by Jews United for
Justice (JUFJ), leading up to Labor Day. (JUFJ "Labor on the Bimah" events)

Volunteers still sought for Zoo Minyan veggies, davenning treats (i.e.
Kavanot or creative tidbit, perhaps from Summer Institute) also Torah
Transporter, and davening leaders – write back to info@ZooMinyan.org.

There are still short Aliyot available if you'd like to Leyn, (see 2, 3, & 4) - please use the self-service leyning spreadsheet.


Check for Drash-blogging and keep an eye on our Google calendar (Fall
dates will be posted soon) at our new-ish website: www.ZooMinyan.org

Community Announcement:
There's a light brunch this Sunday, August 23, for Kibbutz Hannaton, a
renewed community and educational center, in a beautiful setting in
the Galilee, where diverse, committed young Jews are working to claim
Israel's future by living and teaching the ideals of Pluralism,
Spirituality, Social Justice, Environmentalism, and Peace and
Reconciliation, all in the context of rigorous text study. For more
info, click here.

Now, back to Shabbat...
------------------------------
The Details:

Zoo Minyan
This Saturday, Shoftim, 22 Aug.
10am sharp, with a melodious Psukei d'Zimrah
Pot-luck dairy/veggie lunch -- main courses especially appreciated

At the home of Deborah Hittleman Flank and Shalom Flank. For directions, check your Zoo mail, or email info@ZooMinyan.org

Welcome to Elul, and
Shabbat Shalom!

Kibbutz Hannaton (this Sunday)

James and Debbie Jacobson-Maisels write in:

Kibbutz Hannaton is a renewed community and educational center, in a beautiful setting in the Galilee, where diverse, committed young Jews are working to claim Israel's future by living and teaching the ideals of Pluralism, Spirituality, Social Justice, Environmentalism, and Peace and Reconciliation, all in the context of rigorous text study. Our programs will include full time beit midrash study, spiritual retreats, seminars, and internships which engage our core values. Along with a group of passionate rabbis and educators from multiple denominations, our goal is to engage contemporary Jews with a meaningful, open, ethical and transformative Judaism. 

We would love to share our vision for new center with you and invite you all to partner with us in making this dream a reality. We are seeking your support – both financial and in any other way you can - to be part of our endeavor to strengthen the spiritual future of Israel.

Please join us for a light brunch this Sunday August 23rd , at 10am at the home of Shalom Flank and Deborah Hittleman Flank (write to Hannaton@ZooMinyan.org for address or directions), where we will share more extensively the vision and reality of Hannaton and engage together in the kind of meaningful Jewish learning which is our mission. Please feel free to pass this invitation onto friends and colleagues who are interested in supporting pluralistic Judaism, Jewish learning, Jewish spirituality or Israel and looking for new ways to get involved.

Please RSVP to James at jamesmoshejm@gmail.com. We are looking forward to seeing you all and updating you on our new project. 

Brachot, 

James and Debbie

 
Rabbi James Jacobson-Maisels

Debbie Jacobson-Maisels

Back home

Good shabbos!  Zoo Minyan was well represented at the Havurah Summer Institute last week.  Lots of ruach, new melodies, and new friends should animate the davenning back here in DC -- at TLS tonight and at Zoo Minyan next shabbos.

We'll be meeting for shabbat morning davenning next week, August 22nd.  Details to follow in next week's Zoo Mail -- but you can sign up now to bring some davenning treats home from the Institute (or from anywhere else), or for leyning, davenning, hosting, torah schlepping (such holy schelpping!), Zoo Minyan Veggies etc.  Just write back to info@ZooMinyan.org

Don't forget to check www.ZooMinyan.org for the latest updates.  There's a new drash for tomorrow's Shabbos Mevarchin, you can add Zoo Minyan to your Google Calendar, sign up for an automatic (RSS) feed, find out the name of Becca & Michael's beautiful daugther, sign up for leyning, and lots more.  We're also thinking about adding niggunim to the website -- anyone want to help?

Last but not least, the returning Zoo Minyanaires brought home brand new copies of Siddur Birkat Shalom!  If you would like to purchase your very own (at cost -- with updated grammar, a better binding, and infused with all the latest kavanah), write back to siddur@ZooMinyan.org

Birkat ha-Chodesh for Elul

Tonight is Shabbos Mevarchin for Elul, kicking off the yontiff season.  During Birkat ha-Chodesh, you may hear the haunting nusach of yamim noraim.  It's a bit shocking, here in the midst of August, still during the month of Av, to be transported for a few seconds into the middle of Erev Rosh Hashanah -- which is surely the intent.  

And in a few days (this coming Friday morning, in fact), it will be the first day of Elul.  At the end of Rosh Chodesh davenning, not only do we begin the yontiff pracitce of adding Psalm 27, but you may get to hear the season's first blasts of the shofar.

So what do we mean by shabbos "mervachin", and what might it mean for this approaching season?  Literally, we just mean the shabbos when we bless the upcoming new month (i.e., recite Brikat ha-Chodesh (link) while holding the sefer torah).  Small problem though -- there's no actual bracha in Birkat ha-Chodesh.  Neither of the Baruch Ata nor the Brucha At variety.  It there's no extra bracha, why call it the "Shabbos that is blessed"?  And who's doing the blessing or getting blessed here?  The month herself?  The Sh"tz holding the sefer torah?  All of us reciting the Birkat ha-Chodesh?

One interpretation: For most months, Shabbos Mevarchin is about giving and receiving the blessing of "chodesh" -- which means both "new" and month.  When we recite the Birkat ha-Chodesh, we bless the project of "re-newal" that we collectively pledge to undertake in the coming month.

But Tishrei doesn't get a Birkat ha-Chodesh, nor a Rosh Chodesh, but instead a Rosh Hashana.  So the blessing for Elul has to cover Tishrei as well, a blessing of "shana" -- which means both "change" and year, may it be a good and sweet one.  When we recite the Birkat ha-Chodesh tomorrow, we bless the project of change that we collectively pledge to undertake in the coming holiday season.

May we be blessed this yontiff, to offer, be a conduit for, and receive overflowing blessings of change for all of us.