Congregation Beth Shalom

Latest Issue - News & Schmooze

Amber's Message:

I heard a rabbi once say, “awe is the combination of beauty and fear.”

Living in Montana has taught me a lot about awe. As a tour guide in Yellowstone, I used to share this idea about awe when showing people thermal features. They’re mesmerizing - and they could kill you.

The mountains make me feel this way too. They make me feel small and contemplate the mysteriousness of the earth, how forces beyond total comprehension can create these giant beauties.

Our first snow of the season last week - another awe-inspiring event. I’m a Floridian wimp so the cold scares me, but also makes me feel humble, more respectful and accepting of what’s beyond our control.

We’ve celebrated the harvest with Sukkot and started reading the torah from the beginning once again, as the season is slowly changing and the cycles of all life are moving. It’s beautiful how the Jewish calendar is so connected to nature and time, how many opportunities we might find to be in awe of our world.

We hope you’ll find some awe-inspiring moments as we welcome Rabbi Lotker back for learning, worship, social action, and fellowship this weekend. Please note that the schedule will be slightly different, with Adult Ed on Thursday at 7pm instead of Sunday. Rabbi Lotker will be explaining the structure of the Friday night service and meaning of the prayers, with plenty of time for discussion and questions. We hope it will help you participate in and better understand what’s going on during our Shabbat service on Friday at 6pm, followed by an oneg sponsored by the Jew Tang Clan.

L'hitraot (see you soon),

Amber

Amber Ikeman, Director of Music and Community Engagement
amber@bethshalombozeman.org
(406) 556-0528 x202

Sara's Shpiel: