Hanukkah - Shed Some Light!
Hanukkah will be upon us in just a couple of days and I thought it appropriate to think of the daily increasing brightness of the Hanukkiyah to shed some light on our Torah reading practice. It is also particularly timely as I remarked last Shabbat that we had finally, as with Hanukkiyah, completed switching over the “Me’ilim” (mantels/Torah covers) on the eight Sifrei Torah in our beautiful ark from the High Holy Day white to the variety of colours in the regular Me’ilim.
As explained several weeks ago, we have begun to use the triennial cycle of Torah reading. For further information on this well-recognized and utilized practice, I refer you to the article on the Rabbinical Assembly website detailing the background and implementation of the cycle here .
Of course, as with our Jewish calendar, it makes sense that all those using this triennial cycle, be in the same year of the cycle. It is currently the 3rd year of the 3-yrear cycle. Some of you who have been diligently following the Torah reading in recent weeks might legitimately ask, “Why have we been reading the beginning of each Parashah, rather than the last ‘third’? Excellent query!
We have had several events in recent weeks, including the hosting this Shabbat, of the Indian Kehillah, Congregation BINA. These were planned before the decision was made to adopt, at least temporarily, the Triennial Cycle. B’nai and B’not Mitzvah had already prepared various sections of Parashat HaShavu’a – most often from the beginning of the Parashah – which did not coincide with the current part of the cycle. For some initial consistency, we utilized the 1st year of the triennial cycle for those weeks. Now that we have completed those commitments, we will be dedicating our move to the 3rd year of the cycle, most appropriately, on Shabbat Hanukkah, December 4!
Admittedly, consistency and predictability of ritual practice offers a sense of comfort and relevant familiarity with the service. During the unpredictable and regularly changing circumstances of COVID days, we have interpreted rather broadly the Pirkei Avot maxim, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע, do not make your prayer a set routine. While certain changes and adaptations in our ritual routines to allow greater access may be here to stay, we will be seeking to ensure that those attending our services can feel sufficiently comfortable and familiar with what to expect at Beth David, whether in-person or virtually.
Shabbat Shalom and Hag Urim Samei’akh!
Michael Rubin
mrubin@bethdavid.com
