Dear Temple Beth Shira Family and Friends,

I just returned from the most wonderful TBS Religious School seder. I feel so upbeat about our kids, our parents, our teachers, our Sisterhood, our Education Director, Marilyn Brand and the entire Temple Beth Shira school community. The energy in that room was electric! Our students are really learning, participating and bonding. It's a beautiful phenomenon to behold! Special thanks to Sidney Wicks who compiled a terrific haggadah for this occasion and organized the entire successful event. Now your response should be, and must be to spread the word about our special synagogue family, and especially to let non-members know that TBS is the place for Jewish kids to learn, grow and develop their sense of belonging to our people and our heritage.

My family and I are looking forward to celebrating with so many of you for the second seder at Brook's restaurant. It was a magnificent event last year and, in the very capable and devoted hands of Irwin Moss, will again be a very special celebration this year. Irwin deserves a huge thank you from all of us for caring and expertly chairing this event again.

The number four is so important in the seder ritual. There are the four questions, the four promises of redemption made by God, the four cups of wine and the four types of children. I'd like to suggest that you consider four themes when you sit down with family and friends at your seder tables;

One is FAMILY. The seder is a family event. We take the time to appreciate how blessed we are to have our loved ones around our tables and to give thanks for the lives that touched ours including those who are no longer physically present. There are parts of the seder for the children and parts for the adults. The seder is constructed this way as a reminder that constructing family time in the midst of busy lives and schedules is essential to our well being.

Two is LEARNING. The seder offers an opportunity to expand our knowledge and understanding. Young and old, we know enough to know that we don't know enough! Jewish learning is life long. The seder is an opportunity for intellectual stimulation and growth.

Three is COMMUNITY. We are connected to the Jewish community past and present. Those who came before us left a legacy that is now ours to embrace and impart to generations to come. We are part of a fabric that will endure only if we embrace our heritage and identify ourselves with the Jewish community. Judaism does not survive in isolation, but rather as a continuum. The seder links us to one another throughout the generations.

Four is TRADITION. The seder is rich in tradition and ritual. When we interact with and engage in the ritual, we are reminded that we are in relationship with God and with the spiritual aspects of our being. A abbreviated seder and the seder that bypasses the ritual before and after the family meal, eliminates the essence of the Divine and the deepest principles and values of Judaism.

May your sederim be rich with meaning. May you and your families be blessed with learning, spiritual elevation, joy and a deep sense of belonging to our magnificent heritage.

From my home to yours, sincere wishes for a Zeesn Pesach!

Cantor Ellen L. Stettner

Dear Temple Beth Shira Family and Friends,

The chapters of Leviticus which we read this week, Tazria-Metzora, contain the laws of physical and spiritual purity. Here we are given an important view of ancient medicine and ritual. The procedures described to cure a skin infection, primarily quarantine, were meant to safeguard both the patient and the entire community. However, if there were nothing more to these chapters than an historic view of purification, our interest would be limited. But we have come to understand and cherish that every word of Torah delivers a contemporary lesson with impact relevant to our lives today.

During Biblical times, infections and skin ailments were thought to be caused by a person's wrongdoing. Commentators throughout the ages identify the wrongdoing which caused these skin afflictions as the sin of slander. In Hebrew, leshon ha-ra (literally "evil tongue") refers to slander, gossip, talebearing, and all other forms of damage to an individual and society caused by words. The Book of Psalms warns: "Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful speech..." The lesson is clear. The spread of lies, gossip, character assassination and derogatory statements can infect society, destroy communities, cause profound sorrow and severely wound individuals. The Book of Proverbs teaches: "Death and life are in the hands of the tongue..."

Friends, next time you are tempted to say something derogatory about another, please remember that leshon ha-ra is incompatible with the commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself." If you have a grievance with an individual, bring it directly to that individual. S/he is the only one who can facilitate the change that you might hope for. Rabbi Yochanan warns that "spreading leshon ha-ra - slander, lies, or misinformation - is identical to denying the power of God." The family of Temple Beth Shira has grown and thrived because of the love and support found within this special community. It can just as easily be dismantled. Let us pledge to take the lesson of this week's Torah portion to heart by minding our words carefully and working together to build up rather than to tear apart. Temple Beth Shira deserves nothing less.

I close with two very appropriate words: MAZAL TOV!! Our recent b'nai mitzvah, Jenny Alovis and Austin Shulman were both spectacularly wonderful as they led our worship, taught the lessons of their parashiyot and beamed with well deserved pride in their accomplishments. And another Mazal Tov to two sets of new Temple Beth Shira grandparents. Harriet and Alan Goldner are the proud new grandparents of Lily Jade, and Michael Rosen and Terry Chaves have a beautiful new grandson, Brody Jackson. Our congregational family kvells with the Alovis, Shulman, Goldner and Rosen families!

L'shalom,

Cantor Ellen Stettner

Birkat Hachama (ברכת החמה, "Blessing of the Sun") refers to a Jewish blessing that is recited on the Sun once every twenty-eight years, when the vernal equinox as calculated by tradition falls on a Tuesday at sundown.

According to Judaism, the Sun has a 28 year solar cycle known as machzor gadol (מחזור גדול, "the large cycle"). A solar year is 365.25 days long and the "Blessing of the Sun", being said at the beginning of this cycle, is therefore recited every 10,227 (28 times 365.25) days. The next time that it will be recited will be on April 8, 2009 (14 Nisan 5769 on the Hebrew calendar).

The same blessing is recited upon experiencing various natural phenomena, including lightning, comets, and meteor showers; as well as upon witnessing wondrous natural topography, such as great mountains, rivers and vast wilderness.^[1] When recited for these other experiences, the blessing is recited alone without additional verses or Psalms etc. The text of the blessing itself is as follows:

"ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם עושה מעשה בראשית"

"Blessed are You, Eternal One, our God, Ruler of the Universe who makes the works of Creation."

Dear Temple Beth Shira Family and Friends,

This week we begin a new Book of the Torah, Vayikra (Leviticus.) The opening passages describe the different kinds of sacrifice that were to be offered in the ancient sanctuary. We no longer worship by making these physical sacrifices. Instead we come together in prayer. But we do serve God and our community with sacrifices; through the way we conduct ourselves in service to those in need and by offering to support our congregation and our community. Today is also the first day of the new month of Nisan. Each new month gives us the opportunity for a fresh start in our efforts to be the best we can and do the most we can lovingly and unselfishly. We look forward to the next two weeks as we prepare for the Festival of Passover. Let us make the most of this chance to do our pre-Pesach spring cleaning of our homes and of our spirits. Let us strive to rid ourselves of the clutter that bogs us down and inhibits our ability to reach out in service for the greater good of our community and our world. I hope you will spend time during your Passover preparation to evaluate the sacrifices that you could and should commit to in the coming weeks and months. (And don't forget to make your reservations for the incredibly special TBS second seder at Brooks restaurant on April 9th!)

There is plenty of good and welfare news in our TBS family.

Our heartfelt condolences go to Harriet and Alan Goldner on the untimely passing of Alan's younger brother, Eugene. May his memory ever be for a blessing.

Mazal Tov to Mindy and Marshall Mintz on the wonderful occasion of their son, Grant becoming a bar mitzvah. We are honored that the Mintz's have chosen Temple Beth Shira as their home away from home and I am thrilled to officiate as Grant is called to the Torah. For those of you who do not know, the Mintz family lives in Virginia, but have chosen to observe Grant's bar mitzvah here in Boca Raton during their spring break as members of our lucky synagogue family!

I send all of my love and prayers to Norman Yarmis, Hugh Odza and Bob Friedman as they struggle to recover from illness. I know that your cards of good wishes will be most appreciated.

And while we are on the subject of Refuah Sh'leimah, please send all news of good and welfare to me. Please do not assume that someone else is informing your clergy of the needs of our congregants. I want to be able to support our members and their families in their time of need, but I must be informed in order to do so. If you know that someone is ill, call me without hesitation.

Finally, Mazal Tov to Irwin Moss as the Brotherhood Man of the Year, an honor thoroughly deserved;  to our TBS Brotherhood for their beautiful worship service; and to our TBS Sisterhood for their second annual Rosh Chodesh observance. It's easy to see that wonderful events are happening all of the time at Temple Beth Shira!

For those of you who are lucky enough to be heading out of town for spring break, I wish you safe and joyful journeys. For those of you who are lucky enough to find yourselves in beautiful Palm Beach County for spring break, how blessed we are to live in Paradise!

L'shalom,

Cantor Ellen Stettner