One of the things that I find beautiful about Judaism is the importance it places on community. We are always striving to create a close connection with other Jews living in our midst. In traditional circles, certain prayers, such as Barechu, the Tefilah and Kaddish cannot be said without a minyan, a quorum of ten. The liturgy of High Holy Days teaches us the need to rely on each other for our confessions to be acceptable to God. The rituals of Sukkot are built around community observance and celebration.  Community is necessary to help those in mourning to grieve and to heal.

Just as our community serves us when we observe holidays or mourn, so should our community be able to celebrate with us. When we dance at a wedding, we are fulfilling our mitzvah to rejoice with the bride and groom. When we share a meal during Shabbat or Holidays, we are fulfilling the mitzvah of marking the day as a holy gathering.

As a congregation, Temple Beth Shalom comes together for all of these momentous events- holidays, celebration and mourning. Temple Beth Shalom regularly honors those who are celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries, There are many occasions that occur in our day-to-day lives that merit recognition, such as a new home, a new job, a promotion or an ‘A’ in school, a college/graduate school admission, or perhaps an engagement.

The Temple Beth Shalom family would like the opportunity to acknowledge these events, by honoring you during our Friday night Shabbat services. If there is a life event that you would like to acknowledge- a move, return from a trip, recovery from illness or injury, Bar/Bat-Mitzvah anniversary- please contact me, Cantor Rubinstein, at the Temple Beth Shalom office, or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .