Shofar (TBE Newsletter)

The Shofar, Temple Beth El’s monthly publication, keeps community and temple members up to date on what’s going on. Take a look at this month’s Shofar to see what’s coming up or browse through the archives to see all that we’ve done!

July 2024 – Shofar (pdf)

The Dog Days of Summer Are Upon Us

The sun is intense these days. Even before this month began—before the summer solstice this year, Bakersfield was hitting over 100 degrees—all of us are embracing for a summer that is hotter than what we used to consider normal. Whatever one’s take on global warming and climate change in general, we know that this unbearable heat drives us to seek shelter, to remain indoors, to essentially cocoon…which is ironic, given the cultural icon found in cartoons of a bear hibernating with a sleep cap on in a cave during the winter.

The heat leads us away from sharing space with others. We become secluded in our air-conditioned universes, watching more TV and venturing out only occasionally to restock our fridges. With the exception of Independence Day, we hibernate with blackout shades and a blistering sun. This challenges the entire construct of Judaism: The notion of a Minyan (the need to have 10 people together to say certain prayers); the collective nature of our prayers (for instance, God is Avinu Malkeinu, OUR Parent, OUR Ruler); the communal gatherings in times of loss (such as the Se’udat Havra’ah, the Meal of Condolence, which requires us to be present with mourners, but also the Vigil for Israel that immediately brought us together after October 7th); and our religious school bringing children together to learn about our heritage and values. We don’t just embrace our “faith” in Judaism, we embrace one another in the midst of our religious commitments.

July also brings us to a difficult time in the Jewish calendar. The 17th of Tammuz, a fast day commemorating the day that the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem, is July 23rd, and with it begins “the three weeks,” when joyful activity becomes more limited. This is easy to observe during these Dog Days of Summer, when it’s hard to leave our cocoons. This period concludes with Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av, another fast day which this year is August 13th.

The Jewish approach to the three weeks is to pare down joyful activities, but even then, we do not withdraw from one another We still demand a Minyan to say certain prayers, pray in the plural, gather in the face of loss, and in myriad ways continue to recognize Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Lazeh, All of Israel is responsible for one another. Perhaps this the lesson of this July: Despite the challenges, we must support one another, that’s the nature of community. We must do all we can to share space at synagogue together (Shabbat services, etc.), to have lunch together (Simcha Set on the first Monday is a great way to do this), to support one another through the heat, remember that we are as alive as we choose to be. This message becomes particularly pertinent now, as some of us have simply not returned to the synagogue since the pandemic; this impacts the entire community, your friends need you!

I bless all of us with the strength during this hot season to show up for one another, to call one another, to support one another and to remember, “כל ישראל עֲ ֵרבִ ים זה בזה”, “All of us are responsible for one another.

Happy July!

Rabbi Jonathan Klein

SHOFAR ARCHIVES