Mission Statement
At Congregation Tehillah, we search for meaningful and just
We invite you to come as you are, bringing your unique story. We are a Jewish community where music, learning and spirituality come together.
We are committed to an environment in which all are welcome wherever they or their families find themselves on their Jewish journey,
inclusive of age, race, orientation, gender identity, ability, and economic status.
Save the Date: 2/29/2020
We look forward to celebrating with you!
It's not too late to purchase tickets HERE
THANK YOU for supporting our congregation.
Hebrew School
מַה טּוֹבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל
Hebrew School Registration is now open:
Worship
Join us every Friday evening for Kabbalat Shabbat to sing, pray and enjoy each other's company.
Check the calendar for innovative morning Shabbat services: Tot Shabbat for families with young children, meditative walk and learning service.
Tikkun Olam
TEHILLAH IN THE WORLD is our commitment to social action through:
Bend the Arc
Circle of Support
Interfaith Connections
Riverdale Jewish Unity
Working closely with refugees.
Mitzvah of the Week
Hillel teaches us that before we look to others we must look to ourselves, for if we have not taken care of ourselves we cannot take care of others.
The outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan dominates the news as more and more countries (and more and more airlines) block visitors from China to contain the disease, and more cases are diagnosed in other parts of the world, including the United States. Public health officials are taking stringent measures to keep the disease from breaking out here.
At the same time that public health officials are working to contain the coronavirus, they are trying to raise awareness of a much greater present threat to us -- the flu. The flu killed 34,000 people last year in the United States and sickened far more. Right now, we are experiencing a major flu epidemic that few are talking about. With that in mind, the mitzvah of the week is self-care. if you haven’t gotten a flu shot, get one -- it's not too late! If you have a cold and are feeling the effects of all of the temperature variations, listen to your body and stay at home. In addition to taking care of ourselves, we all bear the responsibility of not getting each other sick, especially because we often have no way of knowing who might be especially vulnerable to what we might be carrying with us.
During my recent trip to New Orleans, I was reminded that public health policies have evolved over time as our understanding of diseases has increased. For example, in the 1800s, disease was thought to be airborne; thus, if the air was disrupted, the disease would dissipate. One summer in particular, residents of New Orleans who were not wealthy enough to leave the city were subjected to the sounds of cannon balls going off throughout the night, to disrupt the air. Medicine has advanced since then, and we need to take care of ourselves so that, once we have taken care of ourselves, we can do what needs doing in the world around us.
For more information about the flu, read this recent story by NPR:
Worried About Catching The New Coronavirus? In The U.S., Flu Is A Bigger Threat.
Social Media
In this episode of Tehillah Talks, we find ourselves at a crossroad at the beginning of a new decade. We discuss:
-The toxic nature of indifference
-Anti-Semitism and its resurgence
-How to respect differences in others
-How do we deal with obstacles?
-Identifying our commonalities
-Grappling with what we can do to make a difference
Now available on Apple Podcasts
Check us out on INSTAGRAM
And follow us on FACEBOOK
Good News
The Sarah Lily Fund provides two $5,000 grants annually to help defray some of the many costs of forming Jewish families in this vital way. Applications are due November 30. For additional information, as well as the application form, please visit http://www.riverdaley.
Bad News
Phishing Alert: Over the last several weeks, congregants and employees of Jewish institutions (as well as other faith based organizations) throughout the US have received emails from individuals claiming to be members of the recipient’s organization or local community. There have been increased reports of these events over the last week.
Please do not respond to these emails!
Rabbi's Message
Parashat Yitro
Exodus 18:1 - 20:23
Finding the right words for the right situation is a challenge that each of us faces, if we take long enough to stop and think about the situation in which we find ourselves. But that act of stopping implies that we have time to stop. In our 24/7 world, who does that?
This week’s Torah portion, Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23), begins with the revelation that we always have time to stop. Let me explain. Yitro (Jethro), Moses' father-in-law, decides after hearing about all that happened and what God had done for Moses and the people that it was time to reunite his daughter and grandsons with their father, Moses.