Yahrzeits the
Rosalyn Canner*
Anna Fell Coleman*
Harry William Eichenbaum*
Norton Feldstein
Moses Fleece*
Sally Gasky
Dorothy Greenberg
Maurice Gurtman
Michele Horwitz
Miriam Klein
Sidney Konigsburg
Janice Kornfeld
Samuel Kranzel*
Esther Kurtz
Sarah Labner*
Sherman Lampl*
Leo Langbein*
Florence Lewandorf*
Linda Lieberman
Nyman Edward Myers
Chaim S. Orange*
Susan Pariser*
Tom Quevedo
Selma Zuber Rosenthal
Simon Rudofsky
Ronald Sakol*
Grace Nettler Salz
Sarah Shapiro*
Lt. Marvin J. Shavlan*
Ida Gertrude Ullman
Sam Zimring*
*Denotes plaque in Memorial Alcove
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
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
Sue & Jon Rosenbluth & Joyce Liu
Mike Shapiro - Temple President 727-347-6136 - President@TempleBeth-El.com November 28, 2025
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison
Parashah Vayeitzei and Thanksgiving come together beautifully when we look at what it means to pause, notice our lives, and acknowledge the moments of grace that carry us forward.
In Vayeitzei, Jacob leaves home with nothing but fear, uncertainty, and a stone for a pillow. In that vulnerable moment, he has a dream of a ladder stretching toward heaven and hears a promise that he is not alone. When he wakes, Jacob whispers words that feel deeply human: “Surely God was in this place, and I didn’t know it.” His life hasn’t suddenly become easier Esau is still angry, his future is still unknown but Jacob realizes that even in the hardest moments, blessing can be present. Sometimes we only recognize it in hindsight.
That’s the heartbeat of Thanksgiving as well. The holiday invites us to look at our lives with softer eyes. It asks us to remember the people who supported us this year, the unexpected kindness, the strength we discovered when we didn’t think we had any left Thanksgiving isn’t about pretending everything is perfect; it’s about noticing the sacred in the midst of the imperfect It’s about realizing like Jacob that we might have been standing on holy ground without knowing it
When we set Jacob’s awakening beside our own practice of gratitude, a powerful message emerges: blessings often appear in the very places we least expect them.
So here is my charge to all of us today: as we move through Thanksgiving and through Vayeitzei, may we stay awake to the holiness in our everyday lives. And when we find it may we respond with gratitude, courage, and the commitment to bring more blessing into the world.
Join us for :
Torah Portion Announcements
Saturday, November 29
10am - Minyan “University” Music of Chanukah with Joyce Liu
Wednesday, December 3 10:45am - Book Club
Saturday, December 6
10am - Shabbat Morning Services & B’Mitzvah of Tovah Johnston
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!
Parashat Vayeitzei: Genesis 28:10-32:3
Saturday, November 29, 2025 / 9 Kislev 5786
Jacob dreams of angels going up and down a ladder. God blesses him. Jacob names the place Bethel. (28:10-22)
Jacob works seven years in order to marry Rachel, but Laban tricks Jacob into marrying Leah, Rachel's older sister. (29:16-25) Jacob marries Rachel but only after having to commit himself to seven more years of working for Laban. (29:26-30)
Leah, Rachel, and their maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah, give birth to eleven sons and one daughter. (29:31-30:24)
Jacob and his family leave Laban's household with great wealth. (31:1-32:3)
Suggestions for parents of our youngest congregants
Relax! God put the wiggle in children. Don’t feel you have to suppress it in our 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.
