Rabbi’s Reflections – Monday, September 27, 2021
Hoshana Rabba Simcah *|FNAME|*,
As you can see from the greeting, today (Monday) is the 7th day of Sukkot (the last day, but wait, there is an 8th day coming). Today we complete a week of dwelling in the Sukkah. For many of us at Shomair, we’ve had quite a (great) week at Camp Galilee in LaFollette, TN on the shore of Norris Lake. The image above is the view from the front of our Sukkot Tent of Meeting.
Interestingly, Hoshana Rabba (you may recall from the above paragraph) is the special name given to the 7th day of Sukkot, meaning “save us now in abundance.” The message of Hoshana Rabba is, “The week is complete (God completes things in ‘7s’) when there is abundant salvation.” (See Romans 10:9)
Also, I want to remind you about the 8th day celebration (called Shemini Atzeret) which starts tonight and goes all day Tuesday. We will have a special worship service at 10:30AM, Tuesday, September 28th at the Shomair building, 3811 Boyds Bridge Pike (because Sukkot is officially over). That service will be followed later in the day by Simchat Torah (rejoicing in the Torah) at 7PM, when we will parade our Torahs around the synagogue (hakafot) and roll the Torah back from the end of Deuteronomy to the beginning of Genesis where we will read this coming Shabbat.
Here is one more special announcement. Please pray for Avi and Tzofiya Rogers. Here is the message from Hallel Schell, her daughter-in-law. “ Tzofiya has been admitted to the Cleveland clinic in Weston, FL for pneumonia. Her x-ray shows that the pneumonia has progressed and the doctor would like to treat her with an antibiotic and steroids. Because of Tzofiya’s extreme allergic reactions to virtually all medications, we are uncomfortable with virtually any kind of medical treatment but do not sense that we have much choice in the matter and must trust in the hands of the doctors at the hospital. The situation is made much more complicated, since Tzofiya is alone in the hospital as they are not allowing family members into the hospital. To make matters worse, Avi is now also sick with Covid as well while he battles to support Tzofiya remotely from outside.”
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Mon 27 Sep 2021 21st of Tishrei, 5782
Sukkot VII Hoshana Rabba
De 33:8-12 Nu 29:26-34 Mal 3-4 2 Ch 36 (Ac 28) Rev 22
Week 40
Memory Verse: Jacob 17:24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands. 25 Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, since He Himself gives to everyone life and breath and all things.
196 9/27 Monday: Acts 15-16
197 9/28 Tuesday: Galatians 1-3
198 9/29 Wednesday: Galatians 4-6
199 9/30 Thursday: Acts 17-18:17
200 10/1 Friday: 1 Thessalonians 1-2