Beit Tikvah

Yom Kippur Morning & Yizkor Service (virtual service)
2020-09-28 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Yom Kippur Morning & Yizkor Service
10:00 am – 12:00 noon on Zoom*
Service Leader: Rabbi Doug Heifetz
Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Please join us for our Morning (Shacharit) Service followed by our Yizkor Service. During the Yizkor Service, we will read aloud the names of those being remembered in this year’s Yizkor (Memorial) Book.

*This service is available BY RESERVATION ONLY.
You must send a Reservation Form to info@beittikvah.org by the day prior to this service if you would like to join us.
Please go to the High Holy Days 2020 page for forms and information.

Yom Kippur Ne'ilah Service & Shofar Sounding (virtual service)
2020-09-28 18:00 - 19:00
Yom Kippur Ne’ilah Service & Shofar Sounding
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm on Zoom*
Service Leader: Rabbi Doug Heifetz
Ne’ilah is the concluding service of Yom Kippur. It is the time when final prayers of repentance are recited as the sun begins to set. At the end of the service, we hear the sound of the final shofar blast.

*This service is available BY RESERVATION ONLY.
You must send a Reservation Form to info@beittikvah.org by the day prior to this service if you would like to join us.
Please go to the High Holy Days 2020 page for forms and information.

Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah Service (virtual service)
2020-10-09 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz

Find Joy in Vulnerability – Many of our seasonal holiday traditions emphasize vulnerability. The sukkah is a permeable, feeble structure, reminding us of our vulnerability to the elements and our dependence on the natural environment, on other people and on the universe in general. At Shemini Atzeret, Jews pray for rain – again marking our dependency on our natural environment and our vulnerability to forces beyond ourselves. How does this theme strengthen the emotion of joy (simcha) which is so essential at Simchat Torah? How can we find joy during a time of widespread vulnerability? Come discuss and celebrate.

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Fantasy & Science Fiction Shabbat -- Service and Discussion (virtual program)
2020-10-23 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Fantasy & Science Fiction Shabbat Program — Service followed by a Discussion
Service Leader: Miriam Winder Kelly
Discussion Leader: D.H. Aire
Come for an abbreviated Friday evening Shabbat Service, and stay for a discussion of a Fantasy & Science Fiction story.
The story is by James Morrow, a novelist and short story writer, who has won several awards for his fiction, including a Nebula Award for Best Short Story. Tonight we’ll discuss his “Bible Stories for Adults #37: The Jawbone” which is a very VIOLENT retelling of the Samson story from an unusual perspective.
Click here for the story, made available with the permission of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. (Note: Please read the story before the discussion or you will not understand the context.)
The discussion will be led by D.H. Aire, a member of Science Fiction Writers of America and an author of twenty books, many of which are in his Highmage’s Plight series. Mr. Aire has a degree in Judaic Studies and has conducted Shabbat services and Torah Studies at Balticon over the last ten years.

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service and Post-Election Self-Care (virtual service)
2020-11-13 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service and Post-Election Self-Care
Service Leader: Rabbi Doug Heifetz
Guest Leader: Arlene J.M. Grant, Esq.
Join us for a “special edition” of our traditional service. This service will include a post-election introduction to Self-Care: Cleanse Your Cache™ led by Arlene J.M. Grant, who is an activist, artist, and attorney in the Baltimore area. The Self-Care experience will include a video meditation, guided meditation, and creative expression (you can choose to journal, sketch, etc.). Self-Care helps you to manage your reaction to stress; maintain health and wellness; and realize success in personal and professional commitments.

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Kabbalat Shabbat Human Rights Service (virtual program)
2020-12-04 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Human Rights Service
Service Leader: Rabbi Doug Heifetz
Guest Speaker: Philip Leaf, Ph.D.
Please join our annual Human Rights Shabbat honoring International Human Rights Day 2020. We will focus on “Health Care is a Human Right.” In addition to our Shabbat prayers, our service includes: a Special Report on Local Community Healing and Hunger Relief from Philip Leaf, Ph.D., who is our local activist involved in providing hunger relief; a brief text study on health care in Jewish sources; and related comments on Self-Care as Health Care from our Avodah/Worship Team Leader, Arlene J.M. Grant, Esq.

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Chanukah Yarning Circle (virtual program)
2020-12-13 17:00 - 18:00
5:00 pm Chanukah Yarning Circle
Led by Miriam Winder Kelly and Arlene J.M. Grant
Please join our first Chanukah Yarning Circle. Our service opens with simultaneous menorah candle lighting, blessings, singing Ma’oz Tzur, and prayers for healing. We continue with our participants sharing personal stories of inspiration (1 to 3 minutes in length) using songs, poems, recipes, and fun memories to offer light in the midst of darkness. Our program ends with a self-care healing reflection. Come share your story, ignite your flame, and “Let There Be Light!”

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz (virtual service)
2021-01-15 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz
“My Legs Were Praying”
(quote from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel)
This Shabbat, just before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, provides a great opportunity to reflect on the legacy of the civil rights struggle, the progress, and the many steps that remain incomplete. We will read and discuss some select writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the most visible Jewish religious participants with Dr. King in the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. To what extent do Heschel’s thoughts resonate with us? What do you think he might add today, were he still alive?

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Tu B'Shvat Seder - New Year for the Trees (virtual program)
2021-01-29 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Tu B’Shvat Seder – New Year for the Trees
Leader: Miriam Winder Kelly
Co-Leader: Arlene JM Grant
Please join us for a special participatory Tu B’Shvat Seder to celebrate the New Year for the Trees. Tu B’Shvat symbolizes redemption of the land and environmental awareness. Let’s celebrate our place in nature and the birthday of our companions, the trees. We will virtually enjoy eating fruits (including nuts) that grow on trees. Fruit can be both hard and soft – like people. It takes all of us to make a world.
RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to attend. We’ll send you a grocery list of the food and drink we suggest you get for the seder. Then we’ll eat together on Zoom!

Virtual Field Trip to NYC (virtual service)
2021-02-12 18:30 - 19:30
6:30 pm Virtual Field Trip to NYC!
Kabbalat Shabbat Service at West End Synagogue
Come with us to New York City – virtually, of course – for a Kabbalat Shabbat Service hosted by a Reconstructionist congregation on the Upper West Side, the West End Synagogue. WES has invited our Beit Tikvah community to join them for this service led by their rabbi and cantor.
Note the start time is 6:30 pm!
If you wish to attend this service, you MUST send an RSVP to info@beittikvah.org by Thursday, February 11 to get the Zoom link.

Reflecting on Purim with Rabbi Doug Heifetz (virtual service)
2021-02-26 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Reflecting on Purim
Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz
A Tale of Two Queens
Join us for this end-of-Purim service. The biblical Book of Esther, read by Jews on the Purim holiday, mentions two queens – Esther and Vashti. Both of them confront oppressive conditions, in very different ways. We will explore the contrast between Esther and Vashti, and we’ll discuss the lessons of each one for our lives and society today.

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

National Refugee Shabbat (virtual program)
2021-03-12 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm National Refugee Shabbat Program
Speaker: Arlene J.M. Grant, Esq.
Please join us for our National Refugee Shabbat program, “We Shall Do Strangers No Wrong.” We will discuss the significance of Tikkun Olam to reunite families separated due to unjust immigration laws. We will explore ways to support reunification and families through established advocacy efforts. Our Shabbat program closes with a self-care meditation to replenish ourselves as we help others.

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Passover: Embracing Matzah with Rabbi Doug Heifetz (virtual service)
2021-03-26 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Passover: Embracing Matzah
Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz
No Room for Fluff – The Inner Meaning of Matzah
During our service on this night before Passover, we explore the spiritual meaning of matzah and the avoidance of leavened products during Passover. Beyond the most obvious dietary meanings, Jewish tradition has often associated leavening with puffed-up ego and the nonessential trappings of our lives that needlessly limit us. By turning away from leavening, and by embracing matzah, we can get rid of the clutter – both spiritually and physically – and return to our essence. The holiday opens the door for a Jewish ‘Feng Shui’ (traditional Chinese practice of physical arrangement of space).

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Holocaust Remembrance Day with Rabbi Doug Heifetz (virtual service)
2021-04-09 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Holocaust Remembrance Day
Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz
The Rise of Fascism & The Tower of Babel
For Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) we reflect on the rise of the Nazi fascist movement. As part of our service, we will read the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which many interpret to describe an ancient precursor to modern fascism. In what ways does the Tower of Babel story reflect some of the characteristics of Nazi Germany? Does it reflect any characteristics of the USA today? Is there a Jewish obligation to oppose fascism? Do we, as Jews, possess a unique ability to speak against fascism? How should we do so today?

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Earth Day Kabbalat Shabbat Service (virtual service)
2021-04-23 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Earth Day Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Kol Ami of Virginia
A Virtual Field Trip
Friday, April 23 is the day after Earth Day, a perfect time to reflect on this beautiful planet and the natural blessings God has bestowed upon us.
We are taking a virtual field trip to join with Kol Ami, a sister Reconstructionist congregation in Northern Virginia, to hold this service. Special songs and readings will focus on our theme while we also rejoice in the tranquility of Shabbat – another ‘natural’ gift.

If you wish to attend this service, you MUST send an RSVP to info@beittikvah.org by Thursday, April 22 to get the Zoom link.

Virtual Field Trip to San Antonio, Texas! (virtual service)
2021-05-07 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm A Virtual Field Trip to San Antonio, Texas!
First Friday Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Please join us for this virtual field trip to a Reconstructionist synagogue ‘deep in the heart of Texas’ — Congregation Beth Am in San Antonio. The service will include a preview of the holiday of Shavuot. They are looking forward to seeing us!

If you wish to attend this service, please send an RSVP to info@beittikvah.org by Thursday, May 6 to receive the Zoom link.

Shavuot Week / Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz (virtual service)
2021-05-21 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Shavuot Holiday Week / Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz
The Genesis of Creativity
On Shavuot, we celebrate the origin of Torah, our most precious spiritual inheritance and guide. For our Shabbat study topic, we’ll look at the Torah’s description of the origin of the universe, found in the first verses of the Book of Genesis. How does it characterize God’s creativity? What sort of examples does it set to inspire our own creativity?

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

LGBTQIA+ Pride Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz (virtual service)
2021-06-11 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm LGBTQIA+ Pride Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz

Beit Tikvah was the first Reconstructionist Jewish community in Baltimore to formally welcome the LGBTQIA+ community. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating Pride at this year’s Pride Kabbalat Shabbat Service.

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Shabbat Morning Service (in-person service)
2021-06-26 10:00 - 13:00
10:00 am Shabbat Morning Service In Person!
Come to our first in-person Shabbat morning service since the pandemic began last year! We look forward to seeing everyone again.
This is a participatory service and you can choose to take a reading if you wish. In this week’s parsha (Torah portion), Balak, the king of Moab, asks the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites. However, not only does Balaam not curse the Israelites, but he blesses them instead. The well-known poet and science fiction author, Rick Lupert, has graciously allowed us to include his Balak poems in our service.

A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS SERVICE.
If you’d like to join us for this in-person service, send an email to info@beittikvah.org by noon on Thursday, June 24th.

Congregation Beit Tikvah has new COVID-19 Rules for In-Person Services in place to keep everyone safe. We ask for your cooperation in following the rules.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz (virtual service)
2021-07-09 19:30 - 20:30
7:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz
Join us for our last Zoom service.
Discussion Topic: Upside-Down Letters in the Torah and the Carry-On Bag Rule
At this time of year we read the Book of Numbers, describing the middle years of the Israelites’ travels after leaving Egypt. In Chapter 10, we find 72 letters bookmarked by mysterious upside down letters. This curious notation describes something that uplifted the Israelites amidst many challenges and difficulties along their journey. How can it add to our lives?

RSVP to info@beittikvah.org if you’d like to join us for this Zoom event.

Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz (in-person service)
2021-07-31 10:00 - 13:00
10:00 am Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz
Expanding the Boundaries of Love and Connection
– the Tu B’Av Holiday
The holiday of Tu B’Av, known as the ‘love holiday’, occurs in late July this year. We’ll study the biblical roots of the festival, and see how it encourages us to expand the accepted boundaries of romantic love. We’ll of course discuss how it applies today.

A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS SERVICE.
If you’d like to join us for this in-person service, please send an email to info@beittikvah.org by noon on Thursday, July 29th.

Click to read our current COVID-19 Safety Procedures for In-Person Services. Please note that our procedures may change as pandemic safety guidelines change.

Shabbat Service & Special Guest Speaker (in-person service)
2021-08-14 10:00 - 13:00
10:00 am Shabbat Service & Special Guest Speaker
Guest Speaker: Dr. Barry Gittlen, Professor of Biblical and Archaeological Studies, Towson University
Jonah and the Paradox of Prophecy
Too often the book of Jonah is seen as a tall tale for children, trivialized, or simply passed off as a fish story. But Jonah should be read as a handbook on the nature of prophecy and the duties of the prophet. The narrative is both simple and complex, both insightful and a thought-provoking paradox.

A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS SERVICE.
If you’d like to join us for this in-person service, please send an email to info@beittikvah.org by noon on Thursday, August 12th.

Click to read our current COVID-19 Safety Procedures for In-Person Services. Please note that our procedures may change as pandemic safety guidelines change.

Erev Rosh Hashanah Service
2021-09-06 19:30 - 21:00
7:30 p.m. Erev Rosh Hashanah Service
Led by Rabbi Doug Heifetz
Our first service of the Days of Awe begins tonight. Please join us for an Apples & Honey Dessert Reception following the service.

Note: This service is available BY RESERVATION ONLY.
Send a High Holy Days Reservation Form to info@beittikvah.org by Friday, August 27 if you would like to join us for this or any other High Holy Day service.
Please click this link to go to our High Holy Days 2021 webpage for reservation forms and information.

Rosh Hashanah Morning Service
2021-09-07 10:00 - 12:30
10:00 a.m. Rosh Hashanah Morning Service
Led by Rabbi Doug Heifetz

Note: This service is available BY RESERVATION ONLY.
Send a High Holy Days Reservation Form to info@beittikvah.org by Friday, August 27 if you would like to join us for this or any other High Holy Day service.
Please click this link to go to our High Holy Days 2021 webpage for reservation forms and information.

Rosh Hashanah Tashlich
2021-09-07 12:30 - 13:00
12:30 p.m. Tashlich: “Casting off the chains of the past”
Led by Rabbi Doug Heifetz
Tashlich is the traditional ritual of ‘casting off’ old behaviors and patterns that no longer serve us, so that we can start the New Year more free and less encumbered by the past. This year we will hold our Tashlich just after the Rosh Hashanah morning service, outside the community center. The brief ritual will involve simple songs and chants, time for reflection, and the chance to cast stones into water, symbolizing a new freedom and distance from harmful patterns of the past.

Note: This service is available BY RESERVATION ONLY.
Send a High Holy Days Reservation Form to info@beittikvah.org by Friday, August 27 if you would like to join us for this or any other High Holy Day service.
Please click this link to go to our High Holy Days 2021 webpage for reservation forms and information.

Kol Nidre Service
2021-09-15 18:30 - 21:00
6:30 p.m. Observance of Yom Kippur Begins.
Individual lighting of memorial candles. Meditative music and private reflection prior to the start of the Kol Nidre prayer.
7:00 p.m. Kol Nidre Service led by Rabbi Doug Heifetz
(Please be in the sanctuary by 6:55 p.m.; no one will be admitted during the recitation of Kol Nidre until it has concluded.)

Note: This service is available BY RESERVATION ONLY.
Send a High Holy Days Reservation Form to info@beittikvah.org by Friday, August 27 if you would like to join us for this or any other High Holy Day service.
Please click this link to go to our High Holy Days 2021 webpage for reservation forms and information.

Yom Kippur Morning Services
2021-09-16 10:00 - 13:00
Yom Kippur Morning Services led by Rabbi Doug Heifetz
10:00 a.m. Morning Service
12:00 p.m. Yizkor (Memorial) Service
12:30 p.m. Musaf (Additional) Service

Note: This service is available BY RESERVATION ONLY.
Send a High Holy Days Reservation Form to info@beittikvah.org by Friday, August 27 if you would like to join us for this or any other High Holy Day service.
Please click this link to go to our High Holy Days 2021 webpage for reservation forms and information.

Yom Kippur Afternoon & Closing Services
2021-09-16 17:30 - 20:00
Afternoon & Closing Services led by Rabbi Doug Heifetz
5:30 p.m. Mincha (Afternoon) Service
6:30 p.m. Ne’ilah (Closing) Service (includes personal prayer time at the Ark)
7:50 p.m. Final sounding of the shofar
Break-the-Fast Meal following conclusion of services (separate reservation required)

Note: This service is available BY RESERVATION ONLY.
Send a High Holy Days Reservation Form to info@beittikvah.org by Friday, August 27 if you would like to join us for this or any other High Holy Day service.
Please click this link to go to our High Holy Days 2021 webpage for reservation forms and information.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service
2021-10-08 19:30 - 21:00
7:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Service

In celebration of World Space Week (October 4 – 10), during this congregant-led service we will explore prayers and readings referring to the majesty of God’s creation of the heavens. This week’s parsha, “Noach” (Noah), reminds us that we may not turn our back on the earth, while we reach for the stars.

A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THIS SERVICE.
If you’d like to join us for this service, please send an email to info@beittikvah.org by midnight on Thursday, October 7th.

Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz
2021-10-23 10:00 - 13:00
10:00 am Shabbat Morning Service with Rabbi Doug Heifetz

Did Hagar Really Come Back?
For Parshat Vayera, we’ll read about the expulsion of Hagar, Abraham’s first wife. The story tells of her cruel treatment at Abraham and Sarah’s hands. However, in spite of her misfortune, many commentators imagine that this episode didn’t end her relationship with Abraham. Rather, they theorize that Hagar later returned and remarried Abraham. Why do they imagine this? What would it take to allow reconciliation under such circumstances? How does this inspire us to reflect on our own relationships, their limitations and the possibilities of healing?

A reservation is required to attend all services.
If you’d like to join us for this service, please send an email to info@beittikvah.org by midnight on Thursday, October 21st.
