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| Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Friday, April 26th, 7:30 p.m. Join us for our Kabbalat Shabbat Services beginning
at 7:30 p.m., followed by our festive Oneg.
Mazel Tov
We wish the very best to Jamie Staub who became Bat Mitzvah on March 30th!
We wish the very best to our upcoming B'nei Mitzvah and their families:
Ben Pollara - April 27th
Emma Lichtenstein - May 4th
Will Maschler - May 11th
Julia Engelhart - May 18th
Jesse Wein-Gold - May 18th
Aidan Linkov - May 25th
10th Annual PCOL-Temple Micah Blood Drive
Tuesday, May 14
Over 80% of us will receive a blood transfusion at some point in our lives. Take a minute to think about your family and friends who have received transfusions. We need to remember that blood cannot be produced – it must come from generous people who choose to make life-saving blood donations.
In working with the Miller-Keystone Blood Group of Ewing, PCOL and Temple Micah congregants know that our blood donations will be used locally and immediately.
Please join us on Tuesday, May 14 when we will be collecting blood here at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville from 3:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
For basic donor education and eligibility guidelines you are invited to visit the following informational webpage: https://www.giveapint.org/library/who-can-donate-blood.
For more information or to sign-up to donate, please call Mary Kuller of Temple Micah at 609-275-4843, or Rick van den Heuvel of PCOL at 609-883-6784 (or email at rickvdh@aol.com).
Save the Date - June 8th - Community Shavuot Celebration
Tikkun Leyl Shavuot - An Exciting Evening of Learning
On Saturday night, Temple Micah will join other congregations in the area for a full evening of stimulating workshops, speed learning and a special TED Torah Talk. If you're interested in leading a short session, contact Rabbi Elisa. More details to follow.
Mitzvah Opportunity
Start Shabbat with a mitzvah! Bring non-perishable foods to Shabbat Services for Arm-in-Arm (formerly the Crisis Ministry of Mercer County).
There is a collection box for Arm-in-Arm at PCOL in the Community Room and donations are welcome at any time. Local food pantries, food banks and meal sites need our support year-round--not just at holidays and times of crisis.
Rosh Chodesh Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, May 7th, 7:00 p.m. Rosh Chodesh is the "Head of the New Month." In Judaism, the new month starts when the first sliver of the new moon appears in the night sky. It has been a tradition since ancient times for women to join together in celebration of this monthly miracle. Our Rosh Chodesh Gatherings happen either on, or within a few days of, the actual new moon. Mark your calendars for our next gathering: Tuesday, May 7th, at 7:00 p.m. at PCOL.A calendar of all future Rosh Chodesh Meetings can be found here.
Temple Micah at Trenton Thunder!
Sunday, April 28th at 1 p.m.
Order your tickets here!
The Community Well at PCOL
The Community Well is a community wellness center located in the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, offering services that promote wellness of body, mind and spirit and the discovery of human purpose in the Lawrenceville, NJ, and Greater Princeton area.
We encourage you to visit their website to learn more about their services and programs. If you would like to join their mailing list and receive their monthly newsletter, please click here.
Upcoming Events
April
April 26th: Kabbalat Shabbat Evening Service, 7:30 p.m.
April 27th: Shabbat Morning Service, 10:00 a.m., Bar Mitzvah of Ben Pollara
April 27th: Teen Torah Study: Pesach!, 3:00 p.m., see flyer for more information
April 28th: Temple Micah at Trenton Thunder, 1:00 p.m. May
May 4th: Shabbat Morning Service, 10:00 a.m., Bat Mitzvah of Emma Lichtenstein (off-site)
May 7th: Rosh Chodesh Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
May 10th: Kabbalat Shabbat Evening Service, 7:30 p.m.
May 11th: Shabbat Morning Service, 10:00 a.m., Bar Mitzvah of Will Maschler
May 11th: Teen Torah Study: Kedoshim, 3:00 p.m., see flyer for more information
May 18th: Shabbat Morning Service, 10:00 a.m., Bat Mitzvah of Julia Engelhart (off-site)
May 18th: Shabbat Morning Service, 10:00 a.m., Bat Mitzvah of Jesse Wein-Gold (off-site)
May 21st: Last Day of Religious School
May 25th: Shabbat Morning Service, 10:00 a.m., Bar Mitzvah of Aidan Linkov (off-site)
Words of Torah - Rabbi Elisa Goldberg
Every year on Passover, Jews all over the world gather in our homes to retell the Exodus story. We celebrate Passover both to remember the release of our ancestors from bondage and to look at the places of enslavement that still exist within us and our world. The Exodus is the classic liberation story, but it also provides a profound teaching on the nature of courage. In it we read about Moses, Miriam, and ultimately the People of Israel, as they find the strength and faith needed to resist their enslavement and choose freedom.
One might assume that the very first Passover was celebrated in the desert by the Israelites in order to relive their miraculous experience of leaving Egypt. However, the first Passover was celebrated in Egypt before the Exodus even happened. Just after Moses announced a tenth plague, God instructed the Israelites about the preparation and offering of the first Passover sacrifice. “On the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb... You shall keep it until the 14th day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall slaughter it towards evening" (Exodus 12:3-6). On the first Passover, the Israelites were still slaves dreaming of freedom.
According to tradition the lamb was considered an Egyptian deity. So when the Israelite slaves slaughtered it and put the blood on the doorposts of their homes they risked the wrath of their Egyptian taskmasters. It was the ultimate act of defiance. Until this moment they had been passive participants in Moses’ campaign, now they were actors in their own destiny. By putting blood on the doorposts of their homes, the Israelites took the first necessary step toward freedom.
A Hasidic teaching points out that the true miracle of Passover was not the plagues or the parting of the sea, but that a people who had been enslaved for generations found the courage to defy their oppressors.
This Passover, as we remember the audacity of the Israelites on their last night in Egypt, may we also celebrate these and other daily acts of courage. May we be inspired to stand up for what we believe, to live life with passion and purpose, and to look toward the future with hope.
Community News
April 28th - Annual Yom Hashoah Interfaith Commemorative Service. See flyer for more information.
June 2nd - Nineteenth Annual Dorothy Kopelman Memorial Holocaust Lecture. See flyer for more information. |
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