Shabbat-O-Gram
December 2, 2005 - Kislev 1, (Rosh Hodesh
Kislev) 5766
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman,
Send your friends and relatives the gift of Jewish awareness -- a
Shabbat-O-Gram each week, by signing them up at www.tbe.org. To be removed
from this mailing list, sent e-mail request to office@tbe.org. If you have signed up and are not
receiving our e-mails, check your spam filter to make sure that TBE is not
being “spammed out.”
Contents
of the Shabbat O Gram: (click to scroll down)
Just
the Facts (service schedule)
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities
Required Reading and Action Items (links
to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)
Announcements (goings on in and around TBE)
Mazal Tov to the
Piskin family, whose Bearded Collie, Bailey, qualified for the finals of the
National Dog Show last week in Philly by winning his breed and then winning the
Herding Group. It was a thrill to
cheer for him on Thanksgiving Day.
Mazal Tov to
Jeffrey and Allison Brandt, whose daughter Hailey Grace was named here last
Shabbat.
Mazal Tov to
Benjamin Burstein, who became Bar Mitzvah here last Shabbat.
Mazel Tov to Linda Rezak on the birth of twin grandchildren – a girl and
a boy – born to Jessica Rezak Schwab and Yoni
Schwab (and big brother, Hillel!)
And Mazal Tov to Mayor Dan Malloy on his Inauguration today.
Quotes for the Week
On Healing and Friendship
“Our generation, as those before and after us,
will be judged by how we listen to those who are sick
and vulnerable and to those who care for them.
In the end, there is no them. There is only us."
-- Rabbi Simkha Weintraub in Sh’ma, March 2003
Will I Lose My Dignity
Will Someone Care
Will I Wake Tomorrow
From This Nightmare
There's Only Now
There's Only Here
Give In To Love
Or Live In Fear
No Other Path
No Other Way
No Day But Today
--- Lyrics from “Rent”
TONIGHT!
World AIDS
Day Interfaith Service
Thursday, Dec. 1
Time: 7:00pm
Location: First United Methodist Church
|
|
A service of rememberance, awareness,
hope and healing. |
NOTE CORRECTED TIME – 7:00 pm
|
|
REMINDER
- SCRIP GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE ON
ANY
ORDERS FOR ADDITIONAL GIFT CERTIFICATES (GREAT FOR HANUKKAH SHOPPING)
ARE
DUE BY SUNDAY AT NOON
Beginning
this week, minyan on Sunday mornings will now begin at 9:30 AM.
Our ritual committee decided to abandon the 8:30 experiment. On the bright side, the Guaranteed Minyan experiment has worked wonderfully, using the Rosner Minyan Maker at www.tbe.org. If you want a Guaranteed Minyan on a day when you have yahrzeit, simply go to the site, click on the day and fill in your name, indicating that it is a Yahrzeit, then e-mail me at rabbi@tbe.org so I can alert the congregation. The last time we did it, we had 24 people turn out.
Friday Evening
Candle lighting for
Stamford, CT: Candle lighting: 4:08
pm (Oy)
on Friday, 02 December 2005.
For candle lighting times, other Jewish calendar information, and to
download a Jewish calendar to your PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/. To see the festivals of other faiths as
well, go to http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/
Kabbalat Shabbat: 6:30 PM – in the chapel
Tot Shabbat with Nurit:
6:45 PM – in the lobby Thank you to Cheryl Bader-Goldblum and Steve Goldblum who
are hosting this week’s Tot Shabbat in honor of their children, Evan,
Rachel, and Danny. Evan will be
celebrating his 2nd Birthday, Rachel has her debut performance in
the Nutcracker, and Danny will be doing a solo Friday night with Nurit
Shabbat Morning: 9:30 AM – Main
service
MAZAL TOV TO Suzanne Cohen, who becomes Bat
Mitzvah this Shabbat morning! This is a historic moment, as Suzanne
will be the first student from the
MAZAL TOV also to Stephanie and Philip
Fischer, who will be celebrating the naming of their daughter Alyssa Layne
Fischer.
Special this Shabbat: 10:30– Noon: A
Morning of Fun and Learning - this Family Service, led by Rabbi Kalev, is an
interactive multi-generational prayer experience and all are welcome
Tot Shabbat Morning, with Nurit Avigdor, also begins at 10:30 - for the younger
kids.
All services join together for the
extended Kiddush at about noon!
Torah Portion: Toldot - Genesis
25:19 - 28:9 – the Jacob story begins
1: 26:23-29
2: 26:30-33
3: 26:34-27:4
4: 27:5-13
5: 27:14-17
6: 27:18-23
7: 27:24-27
maf: 27:24-27
Haftarah – Malachi
1:1 - 2:7
See a weekly
commentary from the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet, at www.ujc.org/mekorchaim. Read the Masorti
commentary at http://www.masorti.org/mason/torah/index.asp. University
of Judaism,
JTS commentary is at: http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/parashah/.
USCJ Torah
THE ENTIRE HEBREW BIBLE (AS WELL AS OTHER JEWISH SOURCES) CAN BE
FOUND WITH SIDE-BY-SIDE TRANSLATION AT
Morning Minyan: Sundays at 9:30 AM (note new
time!!!),
Weekdays at 7:30 AM – IN THE CHAPEL
TO ENSURE A “GUARANTEED MINYAN” FOR
THE DAY OF YOUR YAHRZEIT – GO TO THE ROSNER MINYAN MAKER AT WWW.TBE.ORG AND ALSO CONTACT ME AT RABBI@TBE.ORG.
“Covenantal” Judaism?
Your
homework for the week: listen to Rabbi David Wolpe’s
lecture given at the Jewish Theological Seminary a couple of weeks ago. It has taken the movement by storm. It can be found at his synagogue’s
website, http://www.sinaitemple.org/. In this lecture, Rabbi Wolpe proposes a
name change for the movement from Conservative to Covenantal Judaism. He claims, correctly, that
“Conservative” is a pallid, uninspiring and somewhat inaccurate
name. Further, most Conservative Jews aren't really conservative, both
politically and religiously. The
term Covenantal is derived from the concept of “brit,”
or covenant, that is at the core of Jewish tradition, connoting an ongoing,
living dialogue with God. The
covenant is with God, but also with the Jewish people and with humanity as a
whole. It is a compelling argument
and one that has propelled Rabbi Wolpe to what many consider to be front-runner
status in the process for selecting the new JTS chancellor (see http://www.forward.com/articles/6890).
But
the name he chooses might not be the best one possible. How about the name Ariel
So
think of some alternative names for Conservative Judaism, and feel free to
suggest them, and give other responses to Wolpe’s
speech, in our online discussion forum at www.the.org.
(Make sure to tell me if you have left something there!) or
at http://www.shma.com/jts-shma/ Sh’ma’s
blog on Conservative Judaism. I also plan to add more to this
discussion this coming Shabbat.
Time Management
In my
Talmud class this week we were discussing how liberating it is to set aside time
for study and how envious we are at those who can regulate their weeks and get
everything done. Preparing for
Shabbat at this time of year is an excellent training device in time
management. The sundown will not
wait for anyone, and 4:00 comes mighty quickly in December. We all need help getting our lives in
order.
The
Alban Institute (www.alban.org) is a
well-known think-tank for congregations all faiths. They provide excellent guidance for
congregational leadership, both lay and professional. The following guidelines were sent out
with pastors in mind, but they are applicable to all of us. In this high-pressured 24/7 world
– and we live in the epicenter of it – it is important for all of
us constantly to reaffirm our priorities. Take a look at it and then take
the test at the end (it almost seems like the author must have 48 hours in his
day) feel free to respond.
From the Alban Weekly - Week of 11/28/2005
A Time to Every Purpose: Competent Time Management, by
Ron Sisk
For
many of us, the most serious challenge in competent time management is neither
finding a block of time to take a sabbatical nor making the effort to create a
healthy daily schedule on paper. The most serious challenge is adhering to the
schedule we say we have.
The
first element in competent daily self-management is knowing and meeting your
own needs for adequate exercise and rest. An increasing body of medical
research is showing that adults need eight to nine hours of sleep to function
well. Doctors are virtually unanimous that we all need a minimum of 30 minutes'
exercise every day. If we fail in these two simple aspects of self-care, we
will damage our effectiveness in virtually every area of our lives.
I tend
to be an early-to-bed, early-to-rise person. It's relatively easy for me to get
to bed and then get up, exercise, and get to work in the morning.
That
may not work for you. You may like to stay up late and hate any activity before
11 a.m. If your natural rhythm is to be a night owl, look for ways to organize
your time to make maximum use of your evenings. For example, you may be a
person who should do your daily devotional reading and prayer at night rather
than subjecting God to your grumpiness in the morning. You might even combine
exercise and devotion. I knew one seminary professor, who happened to be deaf,
who would turn off his hearing aids and walk three miles from his home to and
from campus every day. He accomplished prayer, exercise, and his daily commute
all at the same time. At a minimum, in the context of your own tradition's
practices, it's essential to build in time for your own personal relationship
with God.
The
very nature of pastoral life works against keeping a schedule. The phone is always
ringing. Someone is dropping in. Sudden crises or opportunities can interrupt
the day. It's frighteningly easy to get to the end of a day without having
accomplished anything you intended to do. For me the simple technique of making
a list helped greatly. During my devotional time each morning, I would jot down
those items that I believed needed attention during the day. As each was
attended to, I crossed it off the list. At the end of the day, I carried over
unfinished items to the next day's list. The process gave me a sense of
accomplishment and helped alleviate that feeling of "never being
finished" which often plagues the pastoral life. Simple techniques from
the business world can also be helpful. The One Minute Manager, for example,
offers a number of ideas that can be adapted to the administrative areas of
ministerial life.1
Even
with the best of management, of course, a day or a week will often get away
from you. There's no way to plan for the week when three homebound seniors die
within 36 hours. One key to responsible time management on a continuing basis
comes from managing the time blocks in your week. Think of the week as pastoral
care expert Wayne Oates does in The Minister's Own Mental Health.2 Oates
divides the week into 21 periods—morning, afternoon, and evening for each
of the seven days. In a typical 9-to-5, 40-hour job, work would consume 10 of
the 21 periods. Acknowledging that pastors often work when others don't, Oates
suggests that the rule of thumb for a pastor's normal week would be to work no
more than 13 of the 21 periods. If circumstances require you to work 15 of the
21 units in a given week, why not take off an extra two units the next week to
keep your average at 13?
Approaching
your work week with this kind of sliding scale both allows the necessary
flexibility to deal with situations as they arise and keeps in mind the goal of
adequate rest, recreation, and time with family and friends. Somebody,
sometime, has to mow the lawn, do the laundry, clean the house, and buy the
groceries!
If
you're having trouble getting your schedule under control with Oates's time
blocks, you might find it helpful to look at your time use in smaller
increments. For example, take a two-week period and keep track of every 15
minutes of your time at work. Then take a hard look at how you used that time.
Did you spend excess time talking with others in the office, surfing the Net,
or playing with PowerPoint? How could you discipline yourself to free up more
time for productive work?
This
Test Is Worth the Time!
Good
managers of time tend to know that they do well with scheduling. And poor time
managers tend to know how badly they do. But if you're not sure how well you're
doing, here's a brief quiz to help you think about your time-management skills.
Mark the following statements true or false for you.
The
more you answer with "false," the more your time-management skills
need a tune-up.
1. T/F My sermon is always substantially
finished before Saturday.
2. T/F I am rarely, if ever, late for
meetings.
3. T/F I take my day off weekly, except
for genuine emergencies.
4. T/F I have a regular daily time for
devotion and prayer.
5. T/F My secretary knows the day I
prepare my sermon.
6. T/F I think that I spend most of my
time on the most important things.
7. T/F I'm confident that I visit
hospital patients often enough during their stay.
8. T/F I almost always attend my
children's school and sports events.
9. T/F Our family takes at least two
weeks' vacation every year.
10. T/F I seem to have enough time for
myself.
11. T/F My sermons are usually planned
several weeks in advance.
12. T/F I sleep eight hours a night.
13. T/F I exercise half an hour or more
several days a week.
14. T/F My spouse and I set aside time to
be with each other.
15. T/F Church people feel that I'm
accessible.
16. T/F I am home four or more evenings
per week.
17. T/F My desk top is cleaned regularly.
18. T/F I list the tasks I hope to
accomplish each day.
19. T/F I get adequate time each week for
study and prayer.
20. T/F I try never to do things someone
else could do just as well.
Time
management is not an exact science. Nor is it the same for each person.
But
good time management can make the difference between a successful, fulfilling
ministry, and one that seems to splash about aimlessly in the shallows. Most
important, time management is a skill that can be learned, and learning it is
worth the time!
NOTES
1.
Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, The One Minute Manager (
2.
Wayne Oates, "The Healthy Minister," in The Minister's Own Mental
Health (Great Neck, N.Y.: Channel Press, 1961), 16.
OUR NEW ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM IS OPEN
FOR BUSINESS
Now you can use our website to talk about all things
TBE and all things Jewish! Just go
to our website at www.tbe.org, log into the
discussion forum and follow the simple directions. If you’ve started a discussion,
let me know and I’ll inform the congregation. Naturally, all participants are expected
to adhere to the rules of Internet etiquette and Jewish sensitivity of
language.
Speaking of discussion groups, check out Sh’ma’s online chat about the selection of the
next chancellor of JTS.
Dear Fellow
Congregants,
First off, I
want to thank everyone who has so generously donated items to my Bat Mitzvah
Project – a winter wear drive.
As the weather has turned colder, I
am still collecting new or gently used hats, gloves/mittens, scarves etc. Even waterproof snow boots in good
condition can be accepted. But please, NO COATS OR LARGE
ITEMS OF CLOTHING. I have set up a box for these items on the way into the
Sincerely,
Billie
Katz
|
BIG NEWS THIS WEEK AS THE ISRAELI VERSION OF THE RED
CROSS SEEKS TO GAIN INTERNATINOAL
LEGITIMACY Magen David Adom and |
|
Magen David Adom
in American Friends of Magen David Adom – ARMDI is the only authorized tax-exempt
fundraising organization in the Magen David Adom (MDA) and its team of trained
volunteer and professional medical responders provides the entire
nation’s pre-hospital emergency medical needs, including medical,
disaster, ambulance and blood services. The |
To Support American Friends of Magen David Adom
What is Bikur Holim (Visiting the Sick?)
This topic was discussed at length a couple of weeks
ago at services (for Parashat Vayera).
On this World Aids Day, here are some excellent websites that can help us all
to understand why Judaism values this act of kindness over almost all
others.
http://www.bikurcholimcc.org/whatisbc.html
http://info.med.yale.edu/intmed/hummed/yjhm/spirit2004/loneliness/tblanchard.htm
"Visiting the Sick:
Jewish Wisdom and Practice Speak to the Loneliness of Illness" Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard, Ph.D.
Give
Me Your Hand Traditional and practical guidance on visiting the sick. Jane
Handler, Kim Hetherington, and Rabbi Stuart L. Kelman. Requires Acrobat Reader to view –
and it is super – an entire course can be given based on this very
readable guide.
And finally, to reduce your own stress –
perpetual bubble wrap - http://www.urban75.com/Mag/bubble.html
Why Travel to
This week, I am releasing the
long-awaited INTERACTIVE itinerary for this summer’s Beth El Israel
Adventure. Though the schedule and
final pricing are subject to revision, I know that many have been asking
– so here it is. Just look
below or click on http://www.tbe.org/site/sog/TBEIsraelAdventure06.htm
and you’ll find it. Right
now, if all those who have indicated interest indeed sign on, we’ll have
a group of well over 30 people!
We’ll need to know – soon – who is going. Deposit forms have been mailed to the
congregation – the amount for the deposit is $350 per person. See the aforementioned website for more
info on deposits and pricing.
If I am rabid about anything, it is our
connection to
I can imagine how my great grandparents
would have felt if they knew that a there was a Jewish state, it was relatively
easy to get there, and yet only nearly two thirds of American Jews have never
been there, not even once in their lives (see the stats at http://www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=83868,
for college students, at
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/US-Israel/njps.html). A fascinating, comprehensive study of
American Jews’ attitudes toward
In 2004 I was privileged to share this
awakening with several families, including some not from Beth El, who added
immeasurably to our experience and became lifelong friends with the Beth El-ers. There is
no question, however, that when you go to
Enough ranting. It’s time to act. Check out the Israel Tourism site at http://www.goisrael.com/ and begin thinking
of how you might go this coming year.
There is another site at http://www.infotour.co.il/. Also, at least one of our young adults
will be going on this January’s Birthright
At the Birthright Israel site itself,
they ask and answer the question that I used as my heading: Why Israel?
Here is part of their answer:
So, Why
It's a central part of Jewish history, culture and religion.
It's part of our family.
It's part of the general culture in which we live.
It's a beacon of Jewish pride and creativity.
These ten days are about your own very personal conversation with this most
ancient land and most modern state.
So check out the interactive
itinerary, now, at http://www.tbe.org/site/sog/TBEIsraelAdventure06.htm
Or right below…
Keshet: The Center for Educational Tourism in
Telephone: (972) 2 6451865 Fax: (972) 2 6452670
E-mail: keshet@keshetisrael.co.il
www.keshetisrael.co.il
Israel
Led by Rabbi Joshua and Mara
Hammerman
July 24-August 6, 2006
This unforgettable journey will have something
for everyone:
·
Bar/Bat Mitzvah affirmation
service and celebration
·
Kibbutz Experience in the North
·
Bedouin experience in the Negev
·
Exploring Tel Aviv and the
mystical city of Safed
·
Visit to our sister city of Afula
·
Visit to an army base
·
Exploring the Golan and
Kayaking on the
·
Archeological dig in the
Judean Hills
·
Relax at a five-star
Mediterranean Spa
·
Guest speakers, including
Dr. Michael Oren, author of Six Days of War.
·
Meaningful encounters with
Israelis from a wide variety of backgrounds
- Western
Wall Tunnels
- Full
children’s program with youth counselor
- A glorious Shabbat in Jerus