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Marathon Jewish
Community Center's Cyber Shul
Sukkot 5767
Candle Lighting Time:
Wednesday, October 3, 2007 6:16 p.m.
Thursday, October 4, 2007 after 7:16 p.m.
Friday, October 5, 2007 6:13 p.m.
The Sunday after
Rosh Hashana Judy and I attended the 7th annual Pickle Festival
on the Lower East Side. A portion of Orchard Street was closed to traffic
and every imaginable pickle purveyor showed off his/her wares. I learned
that any thing can be pickled. I saw pickled crab Apples to pickled
Zucchini. There was such a crowd attending the festival that Gus’ Pickles
actually ran out!
One sign about a
steam ship at a venders stall caught my eye. It told the story of the
steamship Arabia. The Arabia traveled the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers for
a season, and in the spring of 1855 it began serving communities along the
Missouri River. The Arabia was a side-wheel steamer, carrying passengers
and cargo on a regular route and schedule. At 171 feet long and capable of
carrying 222 tons, she was a medium-sized boat. Her trade route took her
well into present-day South Dakota, and on one trip she carried soldiers
and 70 horses on her main deck. Against the Missouri's swift current, the
giant 28-foot tall paddlewheels could push the steamboat upstream at 6 or
7 miles an hour. Unfortunately it sunk in 1856 with the lost of its
entire cargo (But thank God, there was no loss of human life!)
In 1987 The Arabia
was discovered and excavated. The ships contents now form the Arabia
Steamship Museum in Kansas City, MO. Amongst the exhibits you will see
small-mouthed bottles contain bright green sweet pickles made on the Lower
Side. Scientists have declared after much investigation that even after
150 years they're still edible!
To my knowledge the
Torah has not yet been compared to a pickle, but it has been compared to
water, oil, wine, honey and milk. The study of Torah is as thirst
quenching and life sustaining as water. It is as sweet as milk and honey
and makes the heart rejoice as wine does. Just as oil refreshes and
brightens the head and the body, so too does the Torah. (Midrash Shir
Hashirim).
On Thursday night,
October 4th and Friday morning October 5th we shall
celebrate Simchat Torah, the celebration of concluding of the final
chapters of Deuteronomy and the beginning the Torah again with the first
chapter of Genesis. Don’t find yourself in a pickle and miss out this
celebration of the Torah. Who knows? Perhaps the rejoicing in the law
and our commitment to study Torah and apply its lessons to our lives will
preserve our Jewish identity and pride in us, our children, grandchildren
better than those preserved pickles made in the Lower East Side over 150
years ago!
Hag Simchat Torah
Samayach,
Rabbi Gary Greene
P.S. Exciting news in our synagogue! One of our
congregants, Eric Mayo, is one of five citywide finalists in a scholarship
contest sponsored by 1010WINS news called Tomorrow's Newsmakers. Eric is
in the Student Broadcasters category. He needs your vote in order to win
the scholarship. You can vote at
www.1010WINS.com
. Scroll down to Tomorrow's Newsmakers on the left hand side and click on
it; then find Eric's picture and vote for him. Voting opens Friday and
runs through Wednesday at 12 noon.
Simchat Torah
celebrations begin on Thursday night at 7:00 P.M. Of course we shall
dance around the synagogue 7 times with the Torahs and special flags.
Tonight is the only time in the entire year we shall read from the Torah.
You have seen an egg
roll and a butter roll, but have you ever seen a Torah roll? Come to our
annual Torah Roll Thursday night. We shall unroll one Torah scroll from
the very beginning of beginning of Genesis to the very end of
Deuteronomy. Rabbi Greene will take us on a short walking tour through
the 5 Books of Moses.
The holiday
continues on Friday at 9:00 A.M. join us for regular services as we dance
around the Torah 7 more times. Of course all children will be invited for
a special aliya all by themselves.
In addition to all
the festivities, Marathon honors Elliot Goldstein with Hatan Torah and
Gloria Dobin with Kallah Beraisheet. Join us as we honor these two
deserving members who have done so much for our shul.
After services, join
us for our annual cholent Kiddush.
Parents, remember
that there is no Sunday School Classes this Sunday, October 7the due to
Teacher’s workshops.
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