February 18-25, 2006 - Shevat 20-27, 5766

(there will be no Shabbat-O-Gram next week)

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut

Shabbat Shalom

and

Happy President’s Day

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)

The Rabid Rabbi (including E-mail from the Front)

Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities

Ask the Rabbi

Spiritual Journey on the Web

Required Reading and Action Items (links to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)

Announcements (goings on in and around TBE)

Joke for the Week

Quotes for the Week

“To Bigotry No Sanction,
to Persecution No Assistance”

George Washington's Letter to the Jews of Newport Rhode Island (1790)

“When a person is brought before the heavenly court for judgment

the first question he is asked is whether he was honest in business.” –

Talmud Tractate Shabbat 31a

“A person who doesn't tell the truth...it's as if he worships idols” -

Talmud Tractate Sanhedrin 92a

JUST THE FACTS

Friday Evening

Candle lighting Candle lighting: 5:12pm on Friday, 17 February 2006 Havdalah is at 6:16 on Saturday evening. 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: 6:45 in the lobby - Tot Shabbat will be hosted this week by Karen and Scott Herckis and their children, Molly and Will. Molly attends Sarah Walker Nursery School. Thank you so much!

Shabbat Morning: 9:30 AM – Mazal Tov to Lowell Eitelberg, who becomes Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat Morning

Children’s services: 10:30

Torah Portion: Yitro – Exodus 18:1 - 20:23 The Ten Commandments

1: 18:1-12 (12 p'sukim)
2: 18:13-23 (11 p'sukim)
3: 18:24-27 (4 p'sukim)
4: 19:1-6 (6 p'sukim)
5: 19:7-19 (13 p'sukim)
6: 19:20-20:14 (20 p'sukim)
7: 20:15-23 (9 p'sukim)
maf: 20:19-23 (5 p'sukim)

Haftarah – Isaiah 6:1 - 7:6; 9:5 - 9:6

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 Sparks can be found at http://uscj.org/item20_467.html. UAHC Shabbat Table Talk discussions are at http://uahc.org/torah/exodus.shtml. Other divrei Torah via the Torahnet home page: http://uahcweb.org/torahnet/. Test your Parasha I.Q.: http://www.ou.org/jewishiq/parsha/default.htm. CLAL’s Torah commentary archive: http://click.topica.com/maaaiRtaaRvQhbV2AtLb/. World Zionist Organization Education page, including Nehama Liebowitz archives of parsha commentaries: http://www.moreshet.net/web/index.asp?f=1 For a more Kabbalistic/Zionist/Orthodox perspective from Rav Kook, first Chief Rabbi of Israel, go to http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/index.html. For some probing questions and meditations on key verses of the portion, with a liberal kabbalistic bent, go to http://www.jewishealing.com/learning.html or, for Kabbalistic commentaries from the Zohar itself, go to http://www.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/p=zohar/weekly/intro. To see the weekly commentary from Hillel, geared to college students and others, go to http://www.hillel.org/hillel/NewHille.nsf/FCB8259CA861AE57852567D30043BA26/DF7D129F15B3DF0885256AB80058E9C3?OpenDocument. For a Jewish Renewal and feminist approach go to http://rabbishefagold.hypermart.net/Torah1.html . For a comprehensive Orthodox viewpoint from the Israeli rabbi, Yaakov Fogelman, go to the Torah Outreach Program at http://israelvisit.co.il/top/previous.shtml. Guided meditations for each portion by Judith Abrams at http://www.maqom.com/kavannah.pdf For online Parsha quizzes from Pardes in Israel, go to http://www.pardes.org.il/online_learning/parsha_quizzes/ Torah for Kids: http://www.torah4kids.net/ Weekly Lesson of Popular Israeli Rabbi Mordechai Elon: http://www.elon.org/archives/archives.htm - and his parsha sheets: http://www.mibereshit.org/special/download_eng_pdf.htm From Bar Ilan University: http://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/eng/; http://www.torahproductions.com/weekly_article.jsp

THE ENTIRE HEBREW BIBLE (AS WELL AS OTHER JEWISH SOURCES) CAN BE FOUND WITH SIDE-BY-SIDE TRANSLATION AT

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/

Morning Minyan: Weekdays at 7:30, Sundays at 9:30 AM

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.

Winter Weather Advisory

Note that in the case of bad weather, weekday minyan does not take place when Stamford public schools are cancelled OR delayed. On Sunday, minyan is cancelled if our Religious School sessions are cancelled. Friday evening and Shabbat morning’s main service is never officially cancelled, but do use your best judgment in deciding whether to come. We will endeavor to get proper notification to WSTC radio regarding cancellations, but that may not always be possible for children’s services held on Shabbat.

Stamford Jewry’s

NEXT BIG THING

I’m proud to announce that Temple Beth El has been selected as one of ten new pilot communities nationwide for the Synaplex™ program. We will join about three dozen other congregations that have successfully implemented Synaplex over the past three years. We will be the first to bring Synaplex to Lower Fairfield County.

I am grateful to our Board, which last month voted overwhelmingly to endorse our participation. I also appreciate the seed funding we’ve received from the Jewish Community Endowment Foundation and other donors, as this exciting project begins to take shape for an October launching.

Synaplex will benefit us in so many ways, ranging in marketing to volunteer development, membership recruitment and retention, fundraising, community building and of course, programming. We’ll be using the resources of STAR (Synagogue Transformation and Renewal) which was created by the same philanthropic visionaries that have brought us Birthright Israel and have revived Hillels on college campuses all over the world.

This partnership has brought tremendous energy to all who the congregations that have come before us.

If you have any questions about Synaplex or just can’t wait to become involved, contact me or another senior staff member, or our co-chairs Judy Aronin and Adam Eitelberg. Meanwhile, to tide you over, some quick answers to FAQs from the STAR website (www.starsynagogue.org):

What is Synaplex™?

Synaplex™ is a community-building initiative that enables contemporary Jewish individuals and families to celebrate Jewish life through a menu of innovative options, in the realms of prayer, study and social and cultural programs all taking place throughout Shabbat in the synagogue.

Who developed Synaplex™?

Synaplex™ was developed by STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal), a philanthropic partnership of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Jewish Life Network/Steinhardt Foundation and the Samuel Bronfman Foundation with the goal of enriching American Jewish life in the 21^st Century.

Who is participating in Synaplex™?

Currently, nearly 40 congregations across the country representing all denomination and non-denominational synagogues are participating in Synaplex™. View the current listing.

How might my congregation be different by participating in Synaplex™?

Synaplex™ congregations are known for innovative programs that deepen the participation of members and attract the unaffiliated. They use their volunteer talent more creatively than most and therefore bring in new energy into their community. As a result, participating congregations have seen sustained increases in Shabbat attendance of about 50% on Shabbat morning and 80% on Shabbat evening.