In This Issue:
- FEBRUARY MOTAS MEETING – SUN FEB 12
- MOTAS 2017 ANNUAL APPEAL
- FEBRUARY DINING OUT – SUPPORTING SISTERHOOD
- PRESENTING OUR 2017 MAN OF THE YEAR – DANIEL FAIGIN
- MRJ MAN OF THE YEAR DINNER AT TAS – SAT MAR 4
- UPCOMING MENS HANGOUT: WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?
- IN CLOSING
1. FEBRUARY MOTAS MEETING – SUN FEB 12
The next monthly membership meeting of MoTAS will be on Sunday, February 12. The meeting will include great friends, Klezmer music, a three star buffet, and big ideas. The meeting will begin with breakfast at 8:45 am, with the meeting proper starting at 9:00 am.
The Parashat for the meeting is Beshallach: The Israelites cross the Red Sea and celebrate with song and dance. They are sent on their journey and given manna for sustenance which appears daily. If one takes more than he can consume that day, it rots and turns wormy. The Israelites receive Shabbat. They start complaining. We will have a modern, positive and inspiring commentary.
Our opening music for the meeting is Halleluyah by Rick Recht. Listen for free at http://www.rickrecht.com/album/halleluyah/.
During the meeting, we’ll be discussing the upcoming Purim Carnival and our partnering with Temple Ramat Zion. The tentative date for the carnival is Sunday March 12. The carnival will be held at Ramat Zion. White Oak Ave. will be closed in in front of Ramat Zion for it. There will be Kosher food trucks. Ramat Zion will also provide Kosher Pizzas. We were asked to serve food and provide general assistance. What are your ideas for a game booth? Something Golf themed? Emoji Putting Green maybe?
You are encouraged to browse the PragerU courses from prageru.com. What topic would you like to learn about or discuss?
Our closing music is: The Hope (Studio Version) by Rick Recht. Listen for free at http://www.rickrecht.com/album/the-hope/. Email Frank for lyric sheets that match The Hope (Studio Version).
We end, as always, with closing comments, good and welfare.
2. MOTAS 2017 ANNUAL APPEAL
In 2012, ignoring the objections of our accountant, the Men of TAS eliminated the dues requirement for membership. We moved to an inclusive model where every man in TAS is part of the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom. Since we don’t have dues, we don’t have steady revenue. So, every year Men of TAS asks you to support our work financially.
By now, you should have received the email with our Annual Appeal message. You can also find the message on our support page at http://support.tasnorthridge-motas.org/. On that page, you can find a printable donation form that you can mail in, as well as a link to contribute online.
See your friends and fellow congregants that have really stepped up to support us on our website’s Wall of Honor at http://wallofhonor.tasnorthridge-motas.org/. Join the Wall of Honor yourself by donating 100 or more shekels (dollars). Your generous gift will provide fun events for all Temple members, kids to adults, teachers and staff. Continue to repair and improve our facilities. Most importantly, it will help us continue teaching and living the Jewish values that guide and enrich all our lives.
3. FEBRUARY DINING OUT – SUPPORTING SISTERHOOD
Our February Dining Does Good” will be February 20 (Presidents Day) at Marie Callender’s in Northridge in support of MoTAS and Sisterhood. You can find a flyer for the event at https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/dining/.
Mark your calendar for our March Dining Does Good, which will be at Souplantation on Monday, March 20. The flyer will be available shortly.
4. PRESENTING OUR 2017 MAN OF THE YEAR – DANIEL FAIGIN
At the 2017 MoTAS Shabbat on Friday, January 27, 2017, the MoTAS Man of the Year for 2017 was announced by Barry Mann, our 2016 Man of the Year. You can read Barry’s speech at https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/2017/02/01/2017-motas-man-of-the-year/. Our honoree is none other than your humble MoTAS Weekly editor and cybermaven (and also your immediate past president), Daniel Faigin. Daniel will be honored, together with all the other Men of the Year from the other MRJ congregations in the region, at the MRJ Regional Man of the Year dinner on March 4th at TAS. More information is in the next item.
5. MRJ MAN OF THE YEAR DINNER AT TAS – SAT MAR 4
MRJ Man of the Year Dinner – Saturday Evening, March 4, 2017. At the MoTAS Shabbat, our honoree for the MoTAS Man of the Year, Daniel Faigin, was announced. Daniel will be feted, together with the honorees from other MRJ congregations from the MRJ Pacific Southwest region, at the MRJ Man of the Year Dinner on Saturday, March 4, 2017. This year, the dinner will be held at Temple Ahavat Shalom, allowing us to show off our beautiful remodeled social hall. The cost of the dinner is $36, and you can RSVP now by clicking here. We will also need volunteers to help check in people and help with the event; if you are able to volunteer, click here.
6. UPCOMING MENS HANGOUT: WHAT IS SOCIAL JUSTICE?
At our last MoTAS meeting, we had an energetic discussion about the meaning of the term “Social Justice”, and how different groups view the term very differently. Should “Social Justice” be redistribution by the government to those it deems to be in need, or should it be people helping people that they feel are in need — in other words, what is the role of government, and what is the role of community? Independent of what the government does, what is an individual’s responsibility to others? What does our tradition teach about the different views of social justice from a Jewish perspective. The discussion got so lively that we have decided to devote an upcoming Mens Hangout to the subject. We’re looking for a Sunday evening in late February, so watch your MoTAS Weekly for the announcement.
IN CLOSING
As always, remember that the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom is *your* organization. Keep up to date on our activities at http://www.tasnorthridge-motas.org/ and participate. Sign up for our action alert list at http://tinyurl.com/motas-action-alert. We want to serve all the men of Temple Ahavat Shalom and welcome new participants from the TAS membership. Join our Facebook group and “follow” our website. Come be part of the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom!
Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom 