Yahrzeits
We Remember...
May their memory be a blessing and a lesson for how we can live our lives.
Fred Marsh Cynthia Adler Sonya Miller Robert Blackman Sam Mogel* Eugene Blum Lewaaron Moyer* Sophie Bresler* Winnie Nelson* Scott Ira Carl* Edith Nobel Charles Davidoff* Rose Pronk* Mildred DeRoy Louis Rifkin Abe Gastman* Harold Rosenbluth* Moses Gerson* Zelda Hilda Ross Charles Goldwater* Fanny Schauder Louis Robert Gray Paul Schauder Katherine Hartman Ben Sembler Simon Haskel Edith Silverglied Lisansky Gomberg Philip Kitt* Henry Simon* Rose Kitt* David J. Susskind* Daniela Lahav Dorothy Weil* Nancy Lambert Ron Wilner Edward Lederer* Reva Wollock* Eric Levey Esther Wolotsky Isaac Levinson Ronald Ziegler Larry Mandell
the
Shabbat
Spotlight
*Denotes plaque in Memorial Alcove
We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us with any questions. Amy L. Morrison - Rabbi 727-347-6136 - RabbiMorrison@TempleBeth-El.com Tara O’Donnell - Director of Finance & Operations 727-347-6136 - Tara@TempleBeth-El.com
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Jennifer Hannon - Director of Early Childhood Center 727-350-5885 - JennHannon@TempleBeth-El.com Alexis Kelly - Raymund Family Religious School Principal 727-347-6136 - RaymundRS@TempleBeth-El.com Tracy Nash - Bookkeeper 727-347-6136 - Bookkeeper@TempleBeth-El.com Tovah Feld - Communications & Engagement Coordinator 727-347-6136 - Tovah@TempleBeth-El.com Allison Fowler - Office Administrative Assistant 727-347-6136 - Allison@TempleBeth-El.com Mike Shapiro - Temple President 727-347-6136 - President@TempleBeth-El.com
Parashat Va-eira Exodus 6:2-9:35 Rabbi Amy L. Morrison, Barbara Marin, & the jammin’ jews #tbestpete
January 16, 2026
A Special Message from
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison
Parashat Va-eira is where redemption begins to feel real—and unbearably slow. God promises freedom, but the Israelites cannot hear it. “Mi’kotzer ruach u’me’avodah kashah” or in English, ‘their spirits are crushed by hard labor.’ Even when hope is spoken aloud, trauma makes it impossible to believe. Moses stands between God and a broken people, between promise and reality, and wonders how liberation can ever come. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood this spiritual exhaustion. He spoke to a nation weary from centuries of oppression, where hope itself felt dangerous. Like Moses, King returned again and again with the same message—justice, dignity, freedom—even when doors remained closed, and hearts hardened. Pharaoh’s refusals echo in the speeches ignored, the laws delayed, the violence unleashed against those who dared to dream. Va-eira teaches us that redemption is not instant, and it is not gentle. It comes through plagues that shake the moral order, through confrontation that exposes cruelty, through faith that refuses to let despair have the final word. God reveals the Divine Name as a promise of presence: “I will be with you in the struggle.” Dr. King gave voice to that same faith when he insisted that justice is not optional—it is demanded by God.
Announcements Saturday, January 17 10am - Mitzvah Minyan @ Clothes to Kids - This event if fully booked! Monday, January 19 8:30am - MLK Parade in St. Pete Thursday, January 22 4pm - Nifty Over Fifty Karaoke @ LaLa St. Pete
Torah Portion Parashat Va-eira: Exodus 6:2-9:35 Saturday, January 17, 2026 / 28 Tevet 5786 Despite God's message that they will be redeemed from slavery, the Israelites' spirits remain crushed. God instructs Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt. (6:2-13) The genealogy of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and their descendants is recorded. (6:14-25) Moses and Aaron perform a miracle with a snake and relate to Pharaoh God's message to let the Israelites leave Egypt. (7:813) The first seven plagues occur. God hardens Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh rescinds each offer to let the Israelites go. (7:149:35)
Suggestions for parents of our youngest congregants
This parasha asks us to notice whose spirits are still crushed, whose cries go unheard. It reminds us that being Jewish means remembering slavery and refusing to accept it in any form. Like Moses, like Dr. King, we are called to speak even when our voices tremble—and to believe that liberation, though delayed, is holy and inevitable.
Relax! God put the wiggle in children. Don’t feel you have to suppress it in our
If you are new to Temple Beth-El, welcome! OPEN COMMUNITY CREATES ENGAGING & DIVERSE JEWISH PATHWAYS Located in St. Petersburg on Florida's beautiful west coast, Temple Beth-El is a Reform Jewish congregation that has served this area since 1928 and is focused on strengthening relationships and making connections. We are a welcoming Reform community for Jewish and interfaith households to experience an uplifting and joyful sense of belonging as we seek to connect our members with each other and the greater community and world around us. Enjoy and have a Shabbat Shalom!
sanctuary or chapel. Sit towards the front where it is easier for your little ones to see and hear what is happening on the Bima. They tire of seeing the backs of other’s heads. Quietly explain our rituals and sing or clap when appropriate. Children learn liturgical behavior by copying you. If you need to leave services with your child, do so, but please come back. Remember that the way we welcome children in synagogue directly affects the way they respond to coming to synagogue, to God, to one another. Let them know that they are welcome in this house of worship, here, at Temple Beth-El.