A juicy, song- and soul-filled encounter with Parshat HaShavuaa, the weekly Torah portion, led by Cantor Richard.

Please bring a vegetarian dish for a potluck lunch.

Hosted by Jeff Horn. 

Cantor Richard writes:

Dear Kol HaEmek Family,

I hope that your experience of the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, held authentic moments of connection to Self, Others, and the Holy One. My time with residents at The Reutlinger, a senior assisted living community in the East Bay, was very meaningful and heartfelt.

I can't wait to spend Shabbat with you on November 6 and 7! In addition to spirited and musical services and a chance to connect with fellow congregants and guests, we will delve (on Shabbat morning) into a juicy and often overlooked part of Chayei Sarah, the weekly Torah portion. 

Sometime following the death of his beloved, Sarah, we read that Abraham, now 140 years old, "took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah." Setting aside the unlikely truth that Abraham was indeed 140 years old when he began a new family, how did he have the fortitude to have six sons with her?!  And who was Keturah? Rashi, the celebrated biblical commentator, asserts that Keturah was actually Hagar under a different name.  Hagar, the very same maidservant who had been sent away with her son Ishmael at Sarah's urging!  What does this suggest about Avraham and our understanding of human nature?  What lessons might we draw from the text, from subsequent Torah interpreters, and from our exploration together that could inform how we best live our lives?  Please join me! 

Warmly,

Cantor Richard