and
December 22 and 29, 2006
– Tevet 2 and 9, 5767
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.”
Thank you to all our volunteers
who will be helping at homeless shelters and other facilities this weekend, as
well as all those who have been visiting nursing homes and hospitals during
this holiday season. Among them
were our K-2 students at
And thanks also to those who made last
weekend’s Hanukkah celebration HERE so special, including our choirs (who
have been spreading cheer all over town this week!), volunteers (including our
Sisterhood gift shop volunteers, teens, and Board of Ed members, all of whom
pitched in big-time), teachers, dreidel spinners
(including our champion – by a razor thin margin – Robbie Katz),
creative Menorah designers, and last but certainly not least,
Photos of our Primary
Grades’ visit to
as well
as our grand Hanukkah Celebration of last Sunday.
Check out www.tbe.org for lots more pictures of those
events, plus
our
extensive library of photo albums,
articles, sermons, info about
the temple,
Shabbat-O-Grams and links to
the Jewish world.
http://www.lionetwork.net/images/Hanuka-LH.swf
Click on the candles!
(thanks to Beth Boyer for forwarding this one)
Contents
of the Shabbat O Gram:
(Click
to scroll down)
Just
the Facts (service schedule)
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary
(new)
The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities
Required Reading and Action Items (links
to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)
Announcements (goings on in and around
TBE)
Quote for the Week
“With blessings of light, of hope, of peace, of spirit—
we bring not might, not power, but the Breath of Life.”
- Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Friday
Evening
Candle lighting: 4:12 pm on Friday, 22 December 2006 and 4:17 on the 29th
(yes, it is getting later!) For candle lighting times,
Havdalah 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/
Shabbat Evening service:
6:30 PM – in the lobby on the 22nd,
chapel on the 29th
Tot Shabbat: 6:45
– in the CHAPEL on the 22nd, no Tot Shabbat on the 29th.
Shabbat Morning: 9:30 AM
Children’s
services: 10:30 AM – (Jr.
Congregation service in the chapel, Tot Shabbat morning downstairs. 6th
and 7th graders are expected to be in the main sanctuary. On Dec. 29, there will be no Junior Congregation, though
Nurit’s service WILL be held – Jr Cong. kids are most welcome in
the main sanctuary)
Our Torah Reading
for Shabbat Morning
Genesis 37:1 - 40:23– The Joseph story begins
1: 43:16-18
2: 43:19-25
3: 43:26-29
4: 43:30-34
5: 44:1-6
6: 44:7-10
7: 44:11-17
maf: Numbers 7:54-8:4 (for Hanukkah, 8th day)
Haftarah: Shabbat Chanukah II / I Kings 7:40-50)
If you liked Storahtelling,
you’ll LOVE Storahtelling’s new weekly blog about the Torah portion Find it at http://storahtelling.blogspot.com/. ORT
Navigating the Bible; Rashi
in English; BibleGateway:
Useful for comparing different translations: Note- this is a Christian site.
What’s
Bothering Rashi (Bonchek) Each week, one example
from the parashah is deconstructed.
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://www.jtsa.edu/community/parashah/. USCJ Torah
THE ENTIRE
HEBREW BIBLE (AS WELL AS OTHER JEWISH SOURCES) CAN BE FOUND WITH SIDE-BY-SIDE
TRANSLATION AT http://www.mechon-mamre.org/
100
Blessings: Download information about the grace
after meals (see Birkat
Ha-mazon explained in Wikipedia and in the Jewish
Virtual Library)
The actual prayer can be downloaded at Birkat
Hamazon [pdf]
Morning Minyan
7:30 Weekdays, 9:30 Sundays
We’ve had Guaranteed
Minyan requests (including from me) for yahrzeits on
Sunday, December 24. If you can make
it, please take a moment to sign up at the Rosner Minyan Maker at www.tbe.org.
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.
We’ve had several people coming lately
who are saying kaddish following recent deaths in the family. We want to make sure we have a minyan
each day. Your presence any morning is greatly appreciated!
Please sign up at the Rosner Minyan Maker at www.tbe.org
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Commentary
Samantha
Wise’s Commentary of December 16: Parshat Va-Yeshev
This is an
amazing day. On the same Shabbat, we bring together
the three most famous sets of siblings in Jewish history. In
the Torah, we read (red) about Joseph and his brothers. On
Chanukah, we celebrate the victories of Judah Maccabi and his brothers. And perhaps, more famous than both, on Passover, we always
read about the wise child, who questions tradition. We have with us today, three Wise
children: my sisters and me.
So it’s
natural that I would want to talk about siblings. In
the first case, we see Joseph and his 11 brothers constantly fighting. Then, we see Judah and his four brothers all uniting to
fight for a higher cause. And finally, we have the
Wise family, whom we find somewhere in between.
My sisters and I
do fight occasionally, although we are usually as united, like the Maccabees.
Joseph thought
too highly of himself and used to gloat all of the time: his brothers hated him
for it. As for the Wises, sometimes we try to 1-up
each other, but it’s not nearly as bad as with Joseph and his brothers. Unlike Joseph and his brothers, most of the time when it
comes to competition, it’s sort of a joke for us.
What else caused
Joseph’s family to break down? One problem was
tattling. Because it is mentioned before anything
else, some commentators believe that it was tattling that
caused Joseph’s brothers to hate him the most.
In my family,
tattling usually works. Each of us knows that if we
are the ones to go to our parents, we’ll get to watch the others get in
trouble. We also realize that it is not the best way
for us to get along, and that we should try to work it out.
An even greater
concern for Joseph was that Jacob clearly favored him. Favoritism is a BIG PROBLEM! The great thing about my parents is that they do not favor
one of us over the other. This solves many problems
before they even start.
After Joseph has
his dreams, his brothers go north to take care of the flocks.
Jacob sends Joseph north to visit them. It is
one of the all-time dumb parenting moves. The last
thing you do when people are angry is send their foe to visit them on their own
turf. It reminds me of the time where my sister
invaded my personal space by borrowing my camera without permission. So, I tattled on her, but in this case, it didn’t
work. Eventually, I got over it and did not throw her
into a pit or sell her to Ishmaelites for some pieces
of silver.
Unlike
Joseph’s brothers, my family has a lot in common with the Maccabees. The Maccabees worked together to defeat the Greeks, who were
much greater in number, but weaker in willpower. Once a year, my family has to take
firewood from the backyard to the front door. There
are many more logs than there are hands, but we work together and make many
trips back and forth. At the end of the day,
we’re all warm. In addition, we cheer for each
other. No family is louder than us when we are in the
stands. During the softball season, we yell like crazy
for each other, hoping that the encouragement will stimulate good performance
on the field.
And one other
thing I’ve learned about family is that it can extend well beyond those
who are directly related. My bat mitzvah is the last
one for my grade. I think now is a great time to
reflect on how close we have all become. Now, we are
like a huge family, made for trusting, laughing, and sharing.
We know now who shares our interests, who will be there for us, and who
really understands our personalities. I’m really glad I get to see many of you at Kulanu.
Each of us has a
little bit of the wise child in us.
But only if we learn the lessons of
Judaism’s most famous siblings, the Maccabees and Jacob’s kids, can
we all become one wise family.
For my bat
mitzvah project, I am donating sports equipment to kids in impoverished
communities. It is important that my “brothers
and sisters” around the world get to play the games we all love. Sports are such a joy for me, and I want every kid to be
able to share this feeling.
While we are on
the topic of charity, I would like to explain the significance of my bema
baskets. All of the toys in the baskets are going to
be given to patients from newborn to 18 years, through David’s Treasure
Tree program. These toys can be used during the
patients’ hospital stay or are given to the patients to take home. I think the patients and their families will appreciate
these gifts, which will hopefully make their holidays
enjoyable, no matter where they celebrate.
The
(occasionally)
The
Conservative Movement to Provide
“TSEDEK
HEKHSHER”
New kosher certification
would track worker dignity and worker safety
Not all the news from the Conservative Movement is about this
month’s landmark decision by the Law Committee . Here’s an item announced this week
that speaks of a vibrant, relevant and new approach to Jewish values and
halakha. Let me know what you
think!
The commission was appointed by
the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly in
response to published reports describing alleged unsafe working conditions and
worker mistreatment at the nation’s largest kosher meatpacking plant, AgriProcessors, Inc., in
The
commission’s overriding objective is to ensure that the American Jewish
community can continue to be able to buy kosher meat with full confidence in
its integrity as a kosher product and in the presence of Jewish values in the
production process.
The
commission conducted site visits of AgriProcessors’
Postville plant in August and September, 2006, meeting
with a wide variety of people in both labor and management, including Rabbi Sholom Mordecai Rubashkin, vice
president of AgriProcessors, as well as other
community leaders.
As a result of
their numerous conversations, the commission concluded that there were indeed
significant issues of concern at the plant, including those of worker health
and safety.
Members
of the commission subsequently met again with Rabbi Rubashkin
in November to review their preliminary recommendations and to explore ways of
moving those recommendations forward.
Throughout their three visits, the commission emphasized a commitment to
building a trusting relationship with the plant management to solve any
problems.
In a December
letter the commission’s chair, Rabbi Morris Allen, AgriProcessors
committed to retaining a consultant to further review
employee safety and health procedures and to take specific steps to address the
commission’s concerns.
Several commission members also
toured the Empire Kosher Poultry Plant in
The commission intends to continue working with these and other kosher food manufacturers to ensure adherence to Jewish values in the production of kosher food and will be conducting other site visits.
As the humane treatment of animals is at the heart of the laws surrounding kosher slaughter, further visits may include assessments of the conditions and treatment of animals. Additional study may also include an assessment of the effects of their products on the environment by these same and other food processors.
The issue of working conditions in the kosher food industry was first reported by the Forward newspaper in May, 2006.
For more information contact Richard Lederman (301) 230-0801 ext. 1, Steve Rabinowitz (202) 265-3000, Shira Dicker (212) 663-4643 or Joanne Palmer (212) 533-7800 ext. 2601.
And speaking of Jewish ethics and food, check
out this new Website in progress: http://www.jcarrot.org/ - Jews, Food, and
Contemporary Issues
It is the brainchild of Nigel Savage, founder
of Hazon,
who came here as scholar in residence a few
years ago.
“The Jew
and the Carrot features the intersection between Jews, food and contemporary
life.
The Jewish
community has an amazingly complex relationship to food. As
the rest of the world is waking up to the notion of sustainable agriculture,
local foods, and healthy eating, so is the Jewish community in the States and
in
We want to:
- Raise the quality of
discussion about contemporary food issues in the Jewish community.
- Convey a sense of
importance and joy around food.
- Challenge and inspire
participants to think deeply and broadly about their own food choices.
The Jew and the
Carrot is a project of Hazon, an organization
dedicated to a more healthy and sustainable Jewish community on the road to a
more healthy and sustainable world for all.”
There you will find more on such
fascinating stories as this:
Believing is seeing by Sarah Rose
The L.A. Times
asks why we’re inclined to see the divine in a grilled
cheese sandwich?
The word for it
is “pareidolia” - perceiving patterns
where none are intended.
“There’s
a yearning out there for things spiritual; people have a great spiritual
hunger.”
Back to that OTHER issue, for those who
would like to read the actual position papers, they are available online at the
Rabbinical Assembly Website:
|
Information about the Law Committee and the Current
Papers |
