New Year

Shalom and Welcome to a new Gregorian Year, 2013.

Did you know that while many superstitious people avoid 13, the #13 is actually a significant number in Judaism:

1. The Bar Mitzvah is held at age 13.
2. There are 13 months in the Hebrew lunar calendar.
3. The Bible lists 13 attributes of God.
4. There are 613 commandments.
5. When Israel regained its independence in 1948, the first provisional government was called the Minhelet Ha'Am and it had 13 members (for good luck). As the first Jewish government of an independent Israel, the country's founders felt that would need all the luck they could use.
6. Maimonides (the Rambam), formulated his famous 13 principles of Judaism (not 7 principles or 11 principles, but EXACTLY 13 principles).

So coming up in short order in 2013 are quite a few Temple and School events:

• This Shabbat Joshua Kalfus celebrates his Bar Mitzvah (see, lucky 13!)
• Chai School begins January 17th
• 7th Grade class is leading a service and a Tu Bishvat seder on January 26th.  Everyone is invited 
• February 2 there are 2 significant events: the Bar Mitzvah of Alex Pollack in the morning and an Aleinu at the Greenblatt home that evening where Dr. Marc Greenblatt will talk, in lay terms to us plain folk, about Genetics and Jewish History
• On the 8th our K-1-2 classes are leading Tot Shabbat services and dinner
• February 9th is FITS (Fun in the Sun). 

I hope you'll be able to join us for these many wonderful events, after all, everything is better when you are with us.