September 21-October 5,
2007
Tishrei
9-23, 5768
Covering the festive weeks
of Yom Kippur – Sukkot
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman,
A
Good and Sweet New year to All
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Contents
of the Shabbat O Gram:
(Click
to scroll down)
Just
the Facts (service schedule)
The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities
The Beth El Bar/Bat
Mitzvah Commentary
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
On the first of Tishrei
[Rosh haShanah] the moon [the Shekhinah]
is covered, and it does not shine until the tenth day [Yom Kippur], when Israel
turn with a perfect repentance, so that the supernal Mother [Binah, the womb of souls and creator of the world]
gives light to Her. Hence this day is called the day
of atonements (kippurim).... For on this day
the Moon receives illumination from the supernal Light [Binah]….
—Zohar III, 100b
Candle lighting: 6:35 pm on Friday, 21
September 2007. For 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/. The United Synagogue has updated its candlelighting information. To learn more, click here.
The Full Yom Kippur and Sukkot Schedules are on our website, www.tbe.org, & in our bulletin
Morning Minyan - 7:30 Weekdays, 9:30 Sundays
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.
Torah Readings
Yom
Kippur (on Shabbat)
Torah Portion: Leviticus 16:1 - 16:34 & Numbers 29:7 - 29:11
1: Leviticus 16:1-3
2: Leviticus 16:4-6
3: Leviticus 16:7-11
4: Leviticus 16:12-17
5: Leviticus 16:18-24
6: Leviticus 16:25-30
7: Leviticus 16:31-34
maf: Numbers 29:7-11 (5 p'sukim)
Haftarah: Isaiah 57:14 - 58:14
Yom
Kippur (Mincha)
Torah Portion: Leviticus 18:1 - 18:30
1: Leviticus 18:1-5
2: Leviticus 18:6-21
3: Leviticus 18:22-30
Haftarah: Jonah 1:1-4:11; Micah 7:18-20
Sukkot I -
סוכות
יום א
Torah Portion: Leviticus 22:26 - 23:44 & Numbers 29:12
- 29:16
Haftarah: Zechariah 14:1-21
Sukkot II - סוכות
יום ב׳
Torah Portion: Leviticus 22:26 - 23:44 & Numbers 29:12
- 29:16
Haftarah: I Kings 8:2 - 8:21
The
(occasionally)
The hours grow short. We are down to
the final few moments before the Most Awesome Day begins. As we each conclude our preparations and head
to services our gait betrays an edginess, a concern that we are about to leap
into the unknown. Yet, we come with a
strange sense of assurance and calm. At
least we are going into this venture together.
As we begin Kol Nidre on Friday evening, the people holding Torahs on the
bima will be those who have suffered great losses this past year. They who are most worthy, they who are also
the most vulnerable, will be the first to usher our prayers into the celestial
heights. Then we will continue to pray,
and to think and to chat and to reflect late into the following day.
My best wishes to you and yours for a year of good health, meaningful
moments and peace.
Rabbi Joshua
Hammerman
PS – after Yom Kippur comes the unbridled joy of Sukkot – join us on each
of the festival days (day school kids, who are out of school, are especially
encouraged to be here). Help us decorate
our congregational Sukkah this Sunday and do visit mine the following Sunday at our open house
(sponsored by the Schwartz family) honoring the Landers. Send your kids to
many youth events this weekend, including the ice cream break-the-fast for USY,
the car wash and Barbecue on Sunday (and leave us your car to wash!) – and check our website next week for pictures from a very,
very busy Sunday morning.
Because of all the holidays upcoming, the Shabbat O Gram will be on
hiatus until October 12 (by which time this mess will be resolved in the
American League East – and on that day, Frank Rosner turns 95!!!). We’ll be sending out e-mails as needed.
Happy
And now, a word from
the new chancellor of JTS…
See especially the sections I have put in bold
a major
theme of his this year is to re-explore the concept of mitzvah.
Rabbis across the movement have been
asked to touch upon these themes in their sermons.
Dr.
The New Year greets us with a combination of joy and solemnity that, in my experience at least, is unmatched at any other point in the Jewish calendar.
Joy: because we are here to celebrate together with family and friends, because we have the precious opportunity to begin again and do things better this time, because we enjoy beloved tastes and melodies. We say the sheheheyanu with special fervor. Hope is abundant and expectancy keen.
Solemnity: because we know at this season of the year, even if we at other times forget or deny it, that life is serious. The world remains unjust and broken. It is still in need of repair. So are we. All too many of our resolutions from new years past remain unfulfilled. But we can turn to them this year. The shofar's blast assures us that turning and return are possible, if only we rouse ourselves to hear its call. As I sit in shul each Rosh Hashanah, the shofar seems to be calling out to me with one question above all: am I using my time correctly? We don't know how much of it we have. The liturgy insistently reminds us of this. It urges us to consider whether the time we do have is well-spent. We for our part crave assurance that we are walking on a path that leads to good and blessing. Jewish tradition calls that path to good and blessing, that assurance of right living, mitzvah. In this message I hope to begin a conversation with you about mitzvah. The subject has always been a major focus of Jewish reflection. It has loomed large in my own mind ever since I ventured into adulthood. I believe that discussion of what mitzvah means to us and why may prove of great importance to the vitality and direction of Conservative Judaism. Three sets of experiences in recent years have propelled the matter of mitzvah to the forefront of my consciousness.
First, while teaching Judaism to
undergraduates at Stanford, I was made aware of the
degree to which Jews and Christians alike have internalized the age-old
dichotomy of law versus love. Their God, according to this way of seeing
things, instructs humanity, and does so out of love and elicits love in return.
Our God sets forth laws in anger and we obey these commandments in fear of
God’s wrath. The Torah (and the gospels!) are of
course more complicated than that. But the complexities are lost on all too
many Jews who, I fear, are distanced from the life of
mitzvah because they see it as mere servitude. Their loss and ours is immense.
Second, while interviewing American
Jews along with sociologist Steven M. Cohen for our book The Jew Within,
I was confronted time after time with Jews jealously
protecting their autonomy, preserving their freedom of movement, defending
"the sovereign self." The philosopher Immanuel Kant conceived of our
situation two centuries ago in just this dichotomous fashion. Either you are
free, adult, autonomous—or you are obedient,
childlike, commanded. All of us carry around notions of this sort to some
degree. I know I do. They challenge our commitment to a "pattern for
living" (Abraham Joshua Heschel's phrase) such as mitzvah that is not of
our invention. How can we at once be autonomous modern individuals and embrace
the do's and don'ts of a tradition that has been around for three millennia?
The challenge posed to Jewish commitment by this dichotomy is real. It must be squarely faced.
Third, however, discussions I have
had with Jews about this matter over the past few years have made it clear to
me that many Jews do embrace this tradition and its path of mitzvoth, and do so
joyfully. Like the Torah and the sages, they do not conceive of mitzvah merely
as "commandment" but engagement; to embrace
a broader, nuanced meaning: responsibility, obligation, instruction,
discipline, love.
Are we going to shul this year; or listening to the shofar; or fasting on Yom Kippur, or resolving to be better parents to our children or children to our parents; or getting involved in campaigns to stop genocide in Africa; or helping to bring peace to the Middle East; or giving tzedakah to disaster relief efforts; or volunteering at the local homeless shelter; or supporting our local federation? Are we doing these things and others like them, because or only because we believe that God commanded us to do them at Sinai?
For some of us, God does figure as commander of the commandments, whether by means of the revelation to the Israelites at Sinai or through more personal revelations that come to us via conscience, or in the faces of human beings whom we meet and who require our assistance. For others of us, God may figure only marginally in our sense of commandedness or obligation or responsibility. Other factors are more immediate and consequential.
We may feel responsible to our community, for example. Or to our ancestors. Or to the tradition that the ancestors transmitted to us. We may be heeding the voice of conscience, trying to do the right thing, to live the right way. We may have accepted Jewish tradition—or our particular way of living and learning it, as Conservative Jews — as a "package deal,” in the same way that marriage and parenting are package deals. We are grateful for the life as a whole that these afford us. Not every detail or duty pleases us equally. Yet we accept these nonetheless as part of the package, grateful for this life, this responsibility, this love.
And, yes, there are moments when we act in ways that "we are supposed to" not because of that duty but because we love these actions, or love the people who benefit from them, or love life, love the world, love God. I suspect that upon reflection all of these examples will resonate with each of you to some extent, some more than others, some of them more on certain occasions than on other occasions. That is certainly the case with me, as it has been for Jews throughout the ages.
That, I think, is why the Torah and the sages bequeathed to us a liturgy and holiday cycle that affect heart and soul as well as mind. They address all our senses, lead us to sing and sway, to eat and refrain from eating, to think of God and life and duty in multiple metaphors. The Days of Awe meet us in the solitude of our deepest reflection as well as in the joy and solemnity of family, congregation, and community. The tradition wants to bring us face to face with the key questions and challenges facing us as human beings, and it wants to encourage us to answer these questions and challenges with the complexity required. No one mood or metaphor will do.
We are commanded,
to be sure. At this time more than at any other time of year
we know that. In case we have forgotten, the liturgy is there to powerfully remind us. But we are far more than commanded. We are
obligated, responsible, instructed, engaged, in love. We are Jewish human
beings. We learn what is required of us by drawing on all our faculties, our
experience, and our communities.
This is a challenging moment for our Movement, for our people, for our country, for the world. May we help one another at this holiday season to ask and answer the questions facing us with honesty and wisdom.
Shanah tovah u-metukah,
|
|
|
STAR Announces Results of Second Annual
National Rabbinic Leadership Survey |
|
American rabbis
express less anxiety over Israel, but more concern over synagogue engagement.
Synagogue Growth Read Executive Summary. |
Israel
celebrating Israel
January 10-18, 2008
On this unforgettable journey, we’ll:
- Explore
- Bring
ancient texts to life with faculty of the renowned Hartman Institute
- Be
briefed by experts on the news behind the headlines
- Meet
with representatives of
- Learn
about the latest ideas in Jewish environmentalism
- Hear
first hand about the latest efforts in Arab-Jewish and interfaith
relations
- Learn
about early Zionism and meet a hero from
- Hear
about the growth of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism
- Bring
care packages to soldiers on the northern border
- Meet
the brave firefighters of Kiryat Shemona
- Discuss
art and Kabbalah with an expert in Safed
- Spend
a glorious Shabbat in Jerusalem
- And much more!
For the full itinerary and registration form, click
on
http://www.tbe.org/site/sog/TBEIsraelSeminar2008.htm
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunties
Beth El Cares:
Inreach and Outreach
I received this
urgent request from TBE and Stamford native Wendy Skigen daughter of long time
members George Skigen of blessed memory, and Estelle Skigen). She can be contacted directly at joyskeets@yahoo.com
jh
“My name is Wendy
Skigen and I'm 55 years young, n/s, needing an affordable place to live in the
***********************
HIGH HOLY DAY FOOD DRIVE Please give generously to the High Holy Day Food Drive Bring your filled bags to the Temple Your donation will be delivered to Person to Person and appreciated by many people. Volunteers are needed to unload the food and stock the pantry at Person to Person on Monday, September 24th at 9:00 a.m.
The more people who help, the less time it takes. Please call Cathy Satz at 968-9191 if you can help. Come for an hour, come for two.
***********************
From Mark and Jenna Plotzky
This years’ MS Bike Tour was indeed a very special. For the
first time, I was joined by my daughter Jenna and together we both rode 12
miles to raise money in the fight against MS. Jenna was very excited as we
arrived at Sherwood Island State Park early Sunday morning and was able to complete
the ride in less than 2 hours. She has already showed interest in riding with
me at next year’s MS Bike Tour. I think that knowing that we had
everyone’s support behind us really made a difference for both of us. We
want to thank everyone who sponsored and supported us. Also, we want to remind
people that you can still sponsor us over the next few weeks. It is unfortunate
but true that many of us have friends and family with MS and we really hope
that this helps. Any donation that you or your company can provide would be greatly appreciated. Simply click on the links at
the bottom of this message to sponsor me or Jenna.
Alternatively, if anyone would also like to join us next year,
we could have a team ride if we have at least 4 people. If you have any
questions about the donations, the team ride or anything else, please feel free
to contact me at 203.359.2290.
Thank you again for all your support! Together we have
raised almost $700!
P.S. If you would like more information about the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the MS Bike Tour are used, or the
other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit
nationalmssociety.org.
Click
here to visit Jenna's personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web
address:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=3861201&pg=personal&fr_id=7020&s_tafId=57583
Click
here to visit Mark's personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web
address:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2150852&pg=personal&fr_id=7020&s_tafId=57583
Bar Mitzvahn Students’
Mitzvah Projects
Hi! I’m Mike Sosnick and
my Bar Mitzvah is on October 13th. I am collecting used cell
phones in any condition for a nonprofit organization called the CTIA (www.ctia.org and www.calltoprotect.org)
Their Call to Protect initiative repurposes the working ones and gives them to
people in dangerous domestic violence situations. The nonworking ones will be taken apart and recycled in a way that is safe for the
environment. A box will be placed in the
building for this collection. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Mike Sosnick
Hello. My name is Eloise Hyman.
My Bat Mitzvah
is coming up soon, so I am starting to work on my Bat Mitzvah project. A Bat Mitzvah project is something kids do to help the community when they come of age to have a bar or bat mitzvah. For my project, I am gathering books to donate for kids in juvenile residential treatment centers.
I am now asking for your help. I am collecting books in good condition for boys and girls aged 14-18. Could you please look through your rooms, bookshelves, and closets for any spare books that you think kids might enjoy. You could also tell your friends, and I could collect books from them as well.
The books that are allowed are fantasy, romance & teen books, history, novels, mysteries, sci-fi, science, poetry and anything else you can think of (but no sex please)!
How will you get me the books? You can:
- give them to me at school,
- have me pick them up at your house,
- send them to me,
- Or bring them to Temple Beth El the day of my Bat Mitzvah (October 27)
I
will be collecting books from September to November. The books for the
boys will be going to the
Thank
you, for reading this and I hope you will be able to help<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->
.
See you in October.
Eloise
Hello my name is Nick Hyman.
My Bar Mitzvah is coming up soon, so I’m starting my Bar Mitzvah project.A Bar Mitzvah project is something bat/bar mitzvah kids do for their bar/bat mitzvah to help the community.
For my project I am collecting books to donate for adult inmates in prison. I ask for your help.Could you look through your closets, bookshelves, and roomsfor any spare books that you think adults might enjoy reading.
I am collecting books for men and women ranging in age from 20-80.
What types of books are allowed? History, Thrillers, Mysteries, Romance, Poetry, Sci-Fi, Science, and even Math.
How can you get me the books? You can:
· give them to me at school,
· have me pick them up at your house,
· send them to me,
· or bring them to Temple Beth El the day of my Bar Mitzvah ( October 27)
I will be collecting books from September to November. The books do need to be in good condition.I will be giving the books to the Moshannon Valley Correctional Center in Pennsylvania My address, e-mail, phone number, and AIM: 755 Westover Rd. Stamford CT. 06902,nhyman@klht.org, 203-316-8228, or nickthekiwi106
Thank you, for reading this and I hope you will be able to help me.If you have friends with spare books, pass this note on and I’ll collect their books as well.
Nick
Thanks to Jon Durica for
forwarding this one:
Subject: help remove JewWatch from Google - When you Google the word
"Jew", one of the first websites that pops up is
http://www.jewwatch.com/ -- an
anti-Semitic, hate-filled harangue masquerating as
"scholarly, factual, informational".
Add your name to the petition to remove www.jewwatch.com from
Google's search engine. (Check out the site and you will understand why.)
In order for Google to remove this, they would need a petition of over 500,000
requests.... so let's make it 1,000,000!
P.S. Current total signatures approx. 272,000
Go to: http://www.petitiononline.com/rjw23/petition.html
to sign the petition.
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Highest Level of Tzedakkah
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