Clarification of Answer by
tlspiegel-ga
on
30 Aug 2002 00:31 PDT
It was brought to my attention by my colleague justaskscott, that you
were desiring the reform translation. I would like to address this
issue by pointing you to this website for an explanation of the
difficulty of finding this would be:
Why All These New Things at a Historic Reform Temple
Taken from http://www.beth-elsa.org/Be_b0915.htm
"Sermon given September 15, 1995 by Rabbi Barry H. Block
Temple Beth-El is often called a "Historic Reform Congregation." I
wonder, though, whether the phrase, "Historic Reform," isn’t an
oxymoron, like "serious comedy" or "kosher bacon." If a congregation
is primarily "historic," it would likely resist true "reform." The
word "reform" means "change," and constant processes of change can get
in the way of historic preservation. Being historic and Reform at the
same time is not easy.
As a Reform congregation, though, our Temple has undergone significant
changes over the years. For example, Bar Mitzvah, though never
prohibited here, was once very rare. Now, both Bar and Bat Mitzvah are
extremely popular. The attire of the rabbis on the bimah for many
years did not include any ritual garb. Then, the atarah was introduced
just a decade ago. At one time, there were no restrictions on the
foods that were allowed in the Temple. Only with the new building,
some fifteen years ago, were pork and shellfish barred. Perhaps the
best example is Selichot, which we shall observe tomorrow night.
Selichot was unheard of in our Temple until SAFTY introduced it in the
1970s.
For many, Selichot is now a traditional observance of Temple Beth-El.
And yet, there probably were some who objected when it was introduced.
After all, in the scheme of things, in a congregation that has been
around for more than 120 years, Selichot is relatively new. It is not
at all historic in the minds of many long-time members. It had not
previously been part of Reform Judaism at all. And yet, our beautiful
candlelight Selichot service, along with the atarah and even the
prohibition of pork and shellfish, are now woven into the fabric of
our Historic Reform Temple."
Hopefully this will explain the unavailabilty of the Reform
translation of Selichot.
