Yahrzeits the
Isadore Alpert
Frank Anker
Lillian Bandes
Max Brock*
Rose Cieman*
Shelley Fletcher
Joan F. Esrick Fyvolent
Sheila Gottesman
Louis Greenberg
Barbara Harris
Elsa Hofman
Richard E. Jacobson
Jacob Kelly III
Eric Louis Levey
Rita Levey
Morris Abraham Lippman
Jacob Matracht
Herbert Newberg
Meyer Oster*
Emanuel Packard We
Joseph Packer*
Sam Pastrovich
Rose Pecharsky*
Ethel Peltz*
H. Bernard Peltz*
Teresa Graff Phillips*
Steven L. Premack*
Priscilla Root
Martin Roseman
Morris Silverberg*
Abraham Singer
Jared Brett Slutzky
Theresa Solomon*
Harriet Sperber
Sarah Spero*
Helen Springle
Leonard Temko*
Sylvia Victor
Jeanne Walden*
Jack Zelig
*Denotes plaque in Memorial Alcove
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Bo Exodus 10:1-13:16
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison, Joyce Liu, & the Cantor Pamela Siskin Memorial Choir
January 23, 2026
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison
Parashat Bo arrives with urgency. The plagues reach their climax, freedom is at hand, and everything happens quickly The Israelites eat in haste, shoes on their feet, ready to move And yet, in the middle of all this speed, God gives a quiet, radical instruction: “This month shall mark for you the beginning of months ” Before we leave Egypt, we are taught to mark time
It is hard not to feel that tension right now The new year is already racing ahead of us The goals we set with such care only weeks ago may already feel distant. Like our ancestors, we are moving fast but Parashat Bo reminds us that freedom is not only about movement. It is about intention.
So how do we slow down? We sanctify time. We create moments that interrupt the rush: a pause before answering an email, a walk without our phones, a commitment to rest that we guard as fiercely as any appointment. Taking care of ourselves is not indulgence; it is how we sustain the energy needed to live our values.
And how do we stay true to our goals? Not through perfection, but through small, repeated acts of alignment returning again and again to what matters most.
This Shabbat, I invite you to do what our ancestors first learned to do: stop, mark time, and breathe. May Shabbat be our act of holy resistance and our renewal for the journey ahead
Ani V’Atah
Ani ve 'ata neshaneh et ha'olam
Ani ve 'ata az yavo ' u kvar kulam
Amru et zeh kodem lefanai
Zeh lo meshaneh,
Ani ve 'ata neshaneh et ha'olam
Torah Portion Announcements
Saturday, January 24
10am - Market Minyan @ Pioneer Park
Wednesday, January 28
10:45am - Book Club @ Panera Bread
Ani ve 'ata nenaseh mehatchalah
Yihyeh lanu ra ein davar zeh lo nora
Amru et zeh kodem lefanai
Zeh lo meshaneh,
Ani ve 'ata neshaneh et ha'olam
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 Bo: Exodus 10:1-13:16
Saturday, January 24, 2026 /6 Shevat 5786
God sends the plagues of locusts and darkness upon Egypt and forewarns Moses about the final plague, the death of every Egyptian firstborn. Pharaoh still does not let the Israelites leave Egypt. (10:1-11:10)
God commands Moses and Aaron regarding the Passover festival (12:1-27)
God enacts the final plague, striking down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt except those of the House of Israel. Pharaoh now allows the Israelites to leave. (12:29-42)
Speaking to Moses and Aaron, God repeats the commandments about Passover. (12:43-13:16)
