05/29/2026
Dear Friends:
Please join us at services tonight as we honor those who are 83 years old or older, and remember to join us at First Friday services next Shabbat, June 5th, as we join with the Cohen family with Harper celebrating becoming a Bat Mitzvah.
For many of us, Mad Magazine was a staple of our youth. I was not as much of a devotee as some, but I remember one issue in particular. It had a cartoon that depicted a synagogue and a church. Very different people in some ways, and yet coming from both were the words: “May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord cause His countenance to shine on you and be gracious to you; May the Lord lift His countenance toward you and give you peace.” These words, found in this week’s parasha/Torah portion are widely used throughout the Jewish and Christian worlds. We share these words in Hebrew at services every week, usually to a melody that Steve sings, one that he composed. When I translate it, I usually use a different translation, one that takes into account the challenges of the anthropomorphism in the text, referring to God’s countenance, a three-syllable word that just means “face.” I usually say, “May God bless us and protect us. May we always enjoy the light of God’s presence and know God’s kindness. May God watch over us always and bless us with peace.” Some use these words to bless their children as we welcome Shabbat each week, and we often recite them over a bat or bar mitzvah or a wedding couple.
Some of you who grew up in Conservative or Orthodox congregations may remember the Cohanim, the descendants of the ancient priestly class, reciting these words with their tallitot (plural of tallit) pulled over their heads, fingers splayed, as depicted in one of the stained glass windows in our sanctuary. Some may remember the original Star Trek TV show, and how Leonard Nimoy (Spock) would use the same gesture on the show. You can watch this interview with Nimoy to learn about the connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyiWkWcR86I. For true “Trekkies,” William Shatner is also Jewish.
What a beautiful prayer! It’s easy to spot in the Torah as the writing is set off from the rest of the nearby text. Of the three lines, it’s the middle one that sticks out for me. Imagine being aware of God’s light surrounding us. I hope some of you have encountered that. It’s rarely a permanent state, but something many of us encounter from time to time, if we allow ourselves to name it as such.
I pray that you have this sense of awareness today, and I hope this is a Shabbat Shalom u’m’vorach, a Shabbat of peace and of blessing.
Sincerely,
Jack P. Paskoff,
Rabbi
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