Shabbat Shalom! This week’s Torah Portion is a double portion: Nitzavim, Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20, and Vayeilech, Deuteronomy 31:1-30. I hope you will join us for Shabbat Services this week: Friday, September 27, at 7:30 p.m.

Torah Question of the Week:

Do you take handwritten notes when you go to a class or lecture or meeting? Do you write down lists or journal entries? Do you send handwritten notes, cards or letters? In this week’s Torah portion, we are commanded to write a Sefer Torah for ourselves… and if we are unable to do so, we should commission someone to write it for us. What is the value of writing something by hand? What should we do with our writing after it has served its immediate purpose?

Want to learn about the Torah portion?

Here is a video summary for Nitzavim and here is one for Vayeilech.

Here is a written summary for Nitzavim and here is one for Vayeilech.

Here is the full text for Nitzavim and here it is for Vayeilech.

Also this weekend is our combined S’lichot program and service with Temple Beth El and Congregation Brith Shalom. It is on Saturday night, September 28, at Beth El and is also online. We will begin with Havdalah and goodies at 8:00 p.m., followed by our speaker, Rev. Dr. Stephen Simmons, “Putting Our Worst Foot Forward: Building Authentic Community in a Secular Time”. We will finish with a S’lichot service.

If you would like to attend in person, pre-registration is required. Please register at https://www.bethelallentown.org/event/selichot-service.html.

The speaker and service will be livestreamed at approximately 8:30 p.m. You can view it at the Temple Beth El YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5VPljdmsRZAohSs0jrMvLQ.

I hope to see you at services! Shabbat Shalom!

— Rabbi Adrienne : )