The Jewish Observer
News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community | Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024
The Jewish Observer

Congregations September 2023

Chabad of Nashville 

High Holiday Season at Chabad of Nashville 

During the High Holidays, The doors to heaven are open to all… so are ours! 

Chabad of Nashville will be hosting services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 5784, and our doors are open to all who call upon us, with love, warmth and friendship. 

The community is invited to join Chabad for traditional High Holiday Services blended with contemporary messages and insights in a warm and welcoming environment. 

Whether your background is in Jewish prayer and practice is extensive or limited, the services will leave you feeling enriched, connected, uplifted and energized to start your new year off in a most meaningful way. 

For children! Chabad will also offer a full program of well supervised activities for children ages: 4-12 years. Children get to experience the joy of holidays in their own special way-in their own designated room, close to their parents. 

Kids love this program and learn a lot in the process, ensuring that Chabad High Holidays will be a meaningful and enjoyable experience for the entire family. 

During the services the rabbi will share insights and inspirational stories related to the significance of the day, prayers will be recited in Hebrew and English, all in a warm and family friendly atmosphere, and children’s services will be offered for young families. 

 

 

 

THE HIGH HOLIDAY 5784 SCHEDULE OF SERVICES AT CHABAD OF NASHVILLE 
 

ROSH HASHANAH 5784 

 

Friday, September 15, – the first night of Rosh Hashanah 

Candle Lighting and Service to welcome the New Year     6:30 PM 
New Year’s Eve Dinner 7:00 PM 

 

Saturday, September 16– First day of Rosh Hashanah 

Morning Service                                 10:30 AM 

Children’s Service                              11:00 AM 

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Rabbi’s Sermon 11:30 AM 

Musaf                                                 12:30 PM 

 
 

 

Sunday, September 16 – Second day of Rosh Hashanah 

Morning Service                                 10:30 AM 

Children’s Service                              11:00 AM 

Rabbi’s Sermon /  Shofar Sounding      11:30 AM 

Musaf                                                12:30 PM  

Shofar in the Park 5:45 PM 

 
 

YOM KIPPUR 5784 

Sunday, September 24 – Yom Kippur Eve 

Light Yom Kippur candles &                       
Kol Nidrei Service                                     6:30 PM 

 

Monday, September 25 – Yom Kippur Day Service 

Morning Service                                                         10:30 AM 

Children’s Service                                                      11:30 AM 

Rabbi’s Sermon and 
Yizkor Memorial Service                                            12:15 PM 
Musaf                                                                        1:00 PM 

Mincha Service                                                           5:00 PM 

Ne’ilah Closing Service                                              6:00 PM 

Havdalah Service             7:31 PM 

 

All services will take place at Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad, 95 Bellevue Road, in Bellevue. 

To RSVP or for more information please contact us at 615-646-5750  Rabbi@chabadnashville.com or   www.chabadnashville.com 

 

Chabad to Host Rosh Hashanah New Years Eve Dinner 

 

As High Holidays 5784 roll around very soon, many are planning where to attend services. Yet, there is another aspect to this special season. 

 

Just as spiritual preparation is needed as we approach the High Holy Days, holiday meal preparation simultaneously remains an important feature of our traditions. Jewish people are known to be major foodies (our friends and neighbors still can’t believe that we prepare Thanksgiving-worthy meals every week for Shabbat!), and we wear our chef badges with pride.  

 

Our foodie tendencies are heightened during the autumn months when Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot-- which fall close together on the Hebrew calendar-- demand the preparation of consecutive, extravagant festive meals.  

 

Chabad of Nashville will be hosting a New Years Eve gourmet dinner, on Friday night, September 15, at 6:30 PM.  

 

The Rosh Hashanah Meals will include several of the traditional foods which symbolizes blessings for a Sweet New Year. The meals will include the traditional round Challah, apples and honey, sweet brisket, mashed potatoes, tzimmes, and honey cake, all prepared by a gourmet chef. 

 

According to Jewish mystical teachings, when the Jewish holiday meals are prepared and eaten with the intention of enhancing the intrinsic holiness of the day, the very food itself becomes elevated. 

 

RSVP for the Rosh Hashanah Dinner at Chabadnashville.com. For more info. Call 615-646-5750. 

 

 

 

 

SHOFAR IN THE PARK  ON ROSH HASHANAH 

 

The Jewish people have been blowing the Shofar, a simple hollowed out ram's horn, for thousands of years in celebration of Rosh Hashana, the beginning of the Jewish New Year – also known as the birthday of humanity. According to Jewish law, one must hear the blasts directly from the shofar itself. No medium will do — not a microphone, not a computer, not even a slight echo. 

 

Intrinsically, the Shofar is not just a sound. It is a cry. A prayer. A soul-awakening, personal, meditative and rousing experience. Hearing the sound of the shofar is the main commandment associated with celebrating the Holiday. 

 

This year, the first day Rosh Hashanah is on Shabbat, which we do not sound the Shofar then in respect of the Day of Shabbat. We will therefore sound the Shofar on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Sunday, September 17. 

 

For Rosh Hashana 5784, sophistication will give way to simplicity, as Chabad of Nashville will once again host, “Shofar in the Park,” where many will gather in the park to hear the blasts of a lone shofar (ram’s horn), and the sound of the Shofar will be heard in the open fields of Edwin Warner Park. 

 

Shofar in the Park,” will take place on Sunday, September 17, at 5:45 PM in the Edwin Warner Park, Highway 100 near the intersection of Old Hickory Blvd. The sounds of the shofar will be sounded as the New Year is celebrated, and apples and honey for a sweet new year will be distributed.  

 

In the past, Shofar in the Park has taken place across the country in many parks and beach fronts. From Central Park in Manhattan, to Yellowstone National Park in Montana, from Venice Beach in Los Angeles, to South Beach in Miami, Shofar in the Park is now in Nashville.  

 

“The idea is to allow as many people as possible to observe the central mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah,” says Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel, with Chabad of Nashville. “The Park is an open and neutral place where every person is welcome. It doesn’t matter if you have any prior Jewish education. It’s irrelevant if you pay dues; are affiliated or unaffiliated, all are welcome to come as you are and hear the shofar.” 

 

The event is free and open to the public. Rain or shine. Children, singles, families, all are welcome. 

 

To learn more about Shofar in the park, please go to chabadnashville.com. 

 

 

 

Cantor Duvid Erblich will lead High Holiday Services at Chabad 

Congregation Beit Tefilah is honored and pleased to welcome back Cantor Duvid Erblich to lead the High Holiday services during the upcoming High Holiday season of 5783. 

Musical talent is inherent in this renowned Erblich family of Cantors, from which Cantor Dovid Erblich descends. He was born in the United Kingdom to the world-famous Cantor Moshe Leib Erblich. As a child at the age of 4, he participated in his father’s recordings with solos and duets. 

 

From a young age his father used to put him to bed with tunes of famous cantorial music, and wake him up to the tunes of beautiful cantorial melodies. 

 
The famous "Ana Avda" that is sung all over the world during the High Holidays was composed by his late Father, Cantor Moshe Leib Erblich. 

 
Cantor Duvid Erblich, has performed at numerous concerts around the world, and was the official cantor for twenty years at The Taylor Synagogue in Cleveland Ohio, and at the Jewish Community Center Synagogue in Dubai United Arab Emirates, 

 

Cantor Erblich is happy to be coming to Nashville to lead the services at Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad. One of the unique additions to the service by Cantor Erblich is to blend Chasidic melodies and various famous Jews tunes into the liturgy of the High Holiday services. Also, during the services, stories and insights into the prayer will be shared by Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel. 

 

All are invited to participate in the High Holiday services at Beit Tefilah, and one does not have to pay to pray. There is no membership or tickets required and services are held in Hebrew and English in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. A special children's service is held on each morning of the High Holidays. For a complete listing of the High Holiday services at Beit Tefilah, go to chabadnashville.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Order your Own Personal Lulav and Etrog Set 

"You shall take for yourselves...the fruit of a citron tree, the branches of date palms, twigs of a plaited tree, and brook willows." (Leviticus 23) During the Holiday of Sukkot, we observe the Mitzvah of the Lulav & Esrog (The Four Kinds). 

 

As this year some families will not be attending serices in person due to covid-19 precautions, Chabad of Nashville is pleased to make this beautiful Mitzvah available to every family in the Nashville community. Chabad is offering a special opportunity of ordering your own Lulav and Etrog set from the Holy Land, Israel. 

It is a beautiful Mitzvah for each family to have their own set for Sukkot, as this is a very special Mitzvah. These sets are available to order at chabadnashville.com 

 

All orders must be placed by Monday, September 11, 2023. 

The Lulav set orders can be placed at chabadnashville.com 

 

 

 

Chabad to host "Sukkot Under the Stars"  

Sukkot is known as the Festival of Joy, and also as the Holiday celebrating the fall harvest. On the holiday of Sukkot the Sages declared it a mitzvah to eat 14 meals in the sukkah, and in keeping with the holiday’s agricultural meaning, gratefulness is expressed to God after the harvest through the eating of autumn fruits and vegetables. 

A wonderful way to connect to nature is to cook with what is in season locally.  In Tennessee we are blessed with a bountiful fall harvest.  Hearty homemade soups accompanied by an assortment of breads are a wonderful way for your family and guests to warm up during the chilly fall evenings in the sukkah. 

Join friends and family as Chabad of Nashville will be welcoming the joyous holiday of Sukkot with a festive holiday dinner at “Sukkot Under the Stars”, on Friday, September 29, 6:30 PM, at the Chabad of Nashville Sukkah Plaza. The festivities will include locally grown produce harvested by local farmers, in the spirit of the Festival of Harvest. 

There is no cost to participate in this two sukkot event. RSVP appreciated at chabadnashville.com 

 

 

 

 

Congregation Micah 

 

September Observer Scene 

Congregation Micah - an inclusive, innovative synagogue exploring and celebrating Jewish life - is committed to building community and repairing the world! We offer creative and diverse ways to live a Jewish life in Tennessee and beyond, using the rich beliefs and practices of Progressive Judaism as our foundation. Visit our 30+ acre campus or access our virtual programs from our website, www.congregationmicah.org. Like us on socials: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @MicahNashville; sign up for our e-blasts; learn and pray with us in-person, or livestream our service on our website, YouTube, or Facebook.  In our tent, there is room for everyone! 

 

Weekly Events: 

Sanctuary Shabbat Services: Fridays at 6 PM 

At Micah, we approach God in many ways: the inspiration of words, the beauty of sacred space, the authenticity of our intentions, and through the power of music and song. Join us in-person or virtually for services this month that will be as diverse as they are engaging, as moving as they are participatory. Come early and schmooze with us starting at 5:30 PM! Light refreshments are served. 

Saturday Morning Torah Study: 9 AM on Zoom 

Deep conversations about the text with thoughtful and caring people led by the clergy. 

Mah Jongg: Tuesdays from 12:30 PM- 3:30 PM 

Join our players for an afternoon of fun in the social hall! For more information, contact Paula: pgkwn@comcast.net. 

Schmooze & Views: Thursdays from 10:30 AM- 11:30 AM 

At Micah, we keep politics off the pulpit but not out of the building. Share your views in a round-table discussion on current events facilitated by Rabbi Flip and Dr. Bob Smith. 

 

 

 

September Events: 

 

Entering the Sacred: 
High Holy Days Preparation Class 
Thursday, August 31 and September 7, at 6 PM 
This two-part series will prepare us to enter the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with a deeper understanding of the themes, prayers and intention of the days.  Rabbi Laurie and Cantor Josh will help to set the tone for introspection and spiritual fulfillment during this sacred season.    
 

Nashville Film Premiere of Morning, A Journey: A Visual Album 
Saturday, September 2nd Gordon JCC at 7:30 PM 
The Nashville Jewish Film festival and Congregation Micah are proud to present the Nashville premiere of Cantor Josh Goldberg’s award-winning film. This unique 60-minute feature film explores the nature of prayer and theology utilizing spoken word, original music, and stunning imagery filmed in Nashville, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Israel. 
 
Join us for refreshments and a brief musical Havdalah ceremony featuring local Jewish musicians and clergy, followed by the film screening and a Q and A. 
 

Mussar Class with Karen Strock: Jewish Spiritual Ethics 
Wednesdays, September 6, 13, 20, and 27 at 12 PM 
This Introduction to Mussar course is an invitation to enter 5784 with renewal, meaning, purpose, and hope. Join Rabbi Karen Strok, dear friend and rabbinic colleague to Rabbis Laurie and Flip, in a 4-week interactive Introduction to Mussar course, designed for beginners. We will cover the guiding principles of Mussar and spiritual practices that can make us even better versions of ourselves. Our text will be "Everyday Holiness" by Alan Morinis and we will have weekly reading assignments to enhance our learning. 
 
Women’s Circle:  
Friday, September 22, at Noon 
Rabbi Laurie engages your intellect and inspires conversation on a variety of Jewish topics. All are welcome. Bring a friend. RSVP on Micah’s event page. 
 

Grief Group with Rabbi Laurie: 
Thursday, September 28, at 12 PM 

"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms." 

-Muriel Rukeyser, The Speed of Darkness 
 

We all have stories of loss. Maybe a loved one died, a marriage ended, a relationship went sideways, or a job slipped through our fingertips. Loss is often accompanied by grief, and grief is best explored and moved through by the sharing of stories in community. Rabbi Laurie will convene a grief circle monthly beginning in August. All are welcome to attend. This offering is in-person only. 

 

 

HIGH HOLY DAY EVENTS 

As always, times and locations of programs may shift. Please check our website at the following QR Code in order to see the most current updates. 
 
Insert graphic titled: QR Code, with cutline: QR Code in order to see the most current updates. 
 
SELICHOT: Saying I’m Sorry  

8:00 PM Saturday, September 9 

Start the season with soul searching done the Micah way: beautiful music, penitential prayers, personal testimonials, and good food. We replace the covers on our Torah scrolls with white ones to remind us that change is possible, and that each of us has the power to repair our relationships, our lives, and the whole world – all while we renew our sense of wonder and purpose. 

  

EREV ROSH HASHANAH: The Jewish New Year’s Eve  

7:30 PM Friday, September 15 

At Micah we look, “not at the container, but at what’s in it.” (Pirkei Avot 4:27) Tonight, as always, we open our tent wide to make room for members and their families (as well as all guests) so that anyone who desires may participate fully in the services and ritual practices of the Jewish people, regardless of their heritage. The Rabbis Rice and Cantor Josh Goldberg have collaborated to create an experience that will invite you to reflect on the world and your place in it. Create a vision of what your life could be amidst a compassionate and authentic community where all are supported. Sing, read, and chant along with us as we return to our roots and revisit the stories, songs, and spiritual disciplines of the season. This year our New Year’s Eve service falls on Shabbat, so we will make room in our sanctuary for the Sabbath Bride, Sabbath Angels, and visitors from all over the world via the internet. Let the music ignite your soul with a sense of awe and wonder and leave loneliness in the year behind as a distant memory. 

 

ROSH HASHANAH: Birthday of the World  

10:00 AM Saturday, September 16 

A millennium ago, our most ancient ancestors heeded a call to live a life counterculture to the rest of the world. In search of a greater purpose, they felt compelled to record their experiences - lessons gleaned - and pass on their most meaningful traditions from one generation to the next. In each age our progenitors mined our rituals and customs in search of wisdom, finding practical applications regarding the most poignant and relevant ideas of previous generations on how to live a fulfilling life. Like our ancestors, many of us here in Tennessee are living a life counterculture to the values of those that surround us. Watch our livestream or be among likeminded folks on a morning where technology meets theology for just as our spiritual practices have developed over time, so has our worship! Services this morning will include ancient prayers set to modern musical settings. Come close to Torah in our state-of-the art sanctuary as we pioneer groundbreaking ways to tell our ancient stories with innovative interpretations that speak to the realities of today. The blasts of the shofar - ram’s horn – may take you back centuries, but the provocative nature of the rabbi’s sermon (not written by A.I. – Artificial Intelligence) will transform your understanding of how the past provides a roadmap for the future, your future! 

TASHLICH: Casting Off Our Sins  

Immediately following the Morning Service Outside 

Upon the conclusion of the morning service (and weather permitting) we will observe the ancient custom which originated in the Book of Micah of casting out all our missteps and mistakes – all the stuff we do not want to bring with us into the New Year. Journey with us to the back of our campus for a short song session and a modern take on this ageless ritual. 
 

YOUTH SERVICE: Pray with Your Peeps  

2:00 PM in the Eden Room  

Experience Judaism with those your own age as the Micah Clergy and musicians create a safe space for our youn