One has to look no farther than the front door to know that this Thanksgiving is so much different than any before.  We can almost say, parroting Pesach, 'Why is this night different from all others?'  Because on this night there is a near-empty table.  Few, if any, are coming home afraid of either catching or spreading the virus. And for more than a quarter million families in our country, the table will be forever missing a soul.  So much is different from years past.  Soon, God willing, this year will be a bad memory of a challenging and sorrowful time.  But for now, we struggle through it together.

So on this Thanksgiving, what ought we to be thankful for?  Everyone has their own reasons to be thankful, for sure.  But maybe this year we ought to be even more mindful of our friends and temple community.  Knowing that your friends have been with you and you with them and knowing that Beth Miriam is still reaching out and serving you is reason for thanks.  In fact, in a profoundly moving way, many of us are grateful that we have not been abandoned.  Maybe this year's Thanksgiving can be even more meaningful than any other before it. 

I don't know about you, but each holiday - Jewish or otherwise - throughout this year has deeper meaning than ever before.  On Rosh Hashanna, we prayed for the blessings of a sweet new year - and, boy, did we ever mean it!  On Yom Kippur, we wondered who shall live and who shall die, who by plague and who by water.  And every Shabbat we would wish one another a Shabbat Shalom - a Shabbat of peace with all the layers and profundities peace means in the middle of the pandemic.  This Thanksgiving will also be more meaningful.  It is no longer simply about turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie.  It is about the joy of being loved, God-willing being healthy, having your friends, your family and your temple around, and knowing that you are cared about.  All that is a reason to be thankful.  

So, to paraphrase Ecclesiastes, 'Eat your turkey in joy - and take time to sincerely reflect on the blessings you have and will once again have in the near future.'

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

 

 

 

 

Shabbat Services

​​​​​​​Temple Beth Miriam extends its mazal tov to Sam and Ben Jacobson on their b’nai mitzvah on November 21. Sam and Ben were called to the Torah at the Temple Beth Miriam bima and led us in the reading and the worship service. Mazal tov to parents Greg and Lisa on this wonderful event

 

 

 

 

Shabbat Siddur for At-Home Use Now Available for Pick Up at the Temple

 

 

 

 

Everyone is welcome to our online Havdallah ceremony ending the Shabbat and beginning the new week.  The time is 7:30 on the dates below in Zoom Room 589-198-4173 p/w 181818