Rabbi Joshua Hammerman TBE Shabbat-O-Gram

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Prior Shabbat-O-Grams are archived at http://www.tbe.org/sog/index.php.

Check out my new blog at http://ononefoottheblog.blogspot.com/

Contents of the Shabbat O Gram:

(Click to scroll down)

Just the Facts

The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi

Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities

Ask the Rabbi

Spiritual Journey on the Web

The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary

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

Joke for the Week

Photos from the recent World Wide Wrap – see more at our website, www.tbe.org

Quote for the Week

The self-transformation of Esther and the Jewish community of Persia illustrates the importance of recognizing the influences of other cultures, including subtle economic and social pressures, which interfere with our spiritual values and can make us blind to political realities. At the same time, the Book of Esther clearly shows that it is not necessary to abandon Judaism for professional or political advancement, or vice versa. One can be both a loyal citizen and a practicing Jew.

Lesli Koppelman Ross

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Purim/TO_Purim_Themes/Exile_278.htm

JUST THE FACTS

Candle lighting: 6:42 pm on Friday, March 14, 2008. 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.

MAZAL TOV TO Noah Arons, WHO BECOMES BAR MITZVAH ON SHABBAT MORNING

THE FULL SERVICE SCHEDULE NOW APPEARS ON THE SEPARATE TBE ANNOUNCEMENTS E-MAIL

Shabbat Services:

6:30 - K-2 Dinner and program

7:30 - Friday night in the chapel

Shabbat morning

9:30 AM: Main Service

10:30 AM: Children’s services

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PURIM @TBE

6:30 Thursday night – family Megilla reading

7:30-9 – Carnival

8:15 – Full Megilla reading

9 – Beth El Idol – Karaoke contest

Torah Reading For Shabbat Morning

Parashat Vayikra / Zachor

The book of Leviticus begins

Torah Portion - Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26

1: 1:1-4
2: 1:5-9
3: 1:10-13
4: 1:14-17
5: 2:1-6
6: 2:7-13
7: 2:14-16

On Shabbat Zachor

Deuteronomy 25:17 - 25:19 (special maftir)

Haftarah: I Samuel 15:2 - 15:34)

Commentaries

“The Evil Doers’ Final Four”

In honor of Purim and the OTHER March madness going on, my son Ethan Hammerman, 17, came up with his brackets and seedings to decide who is the most evil evildoer in all of history and fiction. He discussed his “bracketology” at services on Shabbat Zachor. Keep in mind that this is done in the spirit of Purim, filled with parody and fun (which is why he left Hitler off of this list – with due respect to Mel Brooks and Charlie Chaplin, we preferred to consider his evil beyond parody for now). You’ll note that the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (from “Ghostbusters”) was the surprise of the tournament, but that ultimately, Haman and Voldemort were the finalists, and Harry Potter’s nemesis “won.” As a Pats fan, I objected to the inclusion of Bill Belichick, but at least that was balanced by the presence of George Steinbrenner on Ethan’s list. In the spirit of fun, then, here it is….

(1)Haman
Game 1 Details
(16)Eliot Spitzer

(1)Pharoah
Game 17 Details
(16)Anna Nicole Smith

Haman
Game 33 Details
Torquemada

Pharoah
Game 41 Details
Larry Craig

Haman
Game 49 Details
Achmedinijad

Pharoah
Game 53 Details
Idi Amin

(8)Scar
Game 2 Details
(9)Torquemada

(8)Jafar
Game 18 Details
(9)Larry Craig

(5)Fidel Castro
Game 3 Details
(12)Sirhan Sirhan

(5)John Wilkes Booth
Game 19 Details
Nicolae Ceaucescu

Fidel Castro
Game 34 Details
Achmedinijad

Nicolae Ceaucescu
Game 42 Details
Idi Amin

(4)Achmedinijad
Game 4 Details
(13)Howard Stern

(4)Idi Amin
Game 20 Details
(13)Napoleon

Haman
Game 57 Details
Voldemort

Pharoah
Game 59 Details
Yasser Arafat

(6)Hannibal Lecter
Game 5 Details
(11)Goliath

(6)King Herod
Game 21 Details
(11)OJ Simpson

Goliath
Game 35 Details
Jack the Ripper

King Herod
Game 43 Details
Atilla The Hun

Goliath
Game 50 Details
Voldemort

King Herod
Game 54 Details
Yasser Arafat

(3)Jack the Ripper
Game 6 Details
(14)The Serpent

(3)Atilla The Hun
Game 22 Details
(14)Esau

(7)Mao Zedong
Game 7 Details
(10)Cruella Devil

(7)Lex Luthor
Game 23 Details
(10)Simon Cowell

Mao Zedong
Game 36 Details
Voldemort

Simon Cowell
Game 44 Details
Yasser Arafat

(2)Voldemort
Game 8 Details
(15)Henry Ford

(2)Yasser Arafat
Game 24 Details
(15)Hadrian

Voldemort
Game 61 Details
Stay Puff Marshmallow Man

Voldemort
Game 63 Details
Pharoah

Pharoah
Game 62 Details
Darth Vader

(1)Osama Bin Laden
Game 9 Details
(16)Laban

(1)Stalin
Game 25 Details
(16)Sisera

Osama Bin Laden
Game 37 Details
Stay Puff Marshmallow Man

Stalin
Game 45 Details
Apollo Creed

Stay Puff Marshmallow Man
Game 51 Details
Mussolini

Stalin
Game 55 Details
Genghis Khan

(8)Stay Puff Marshmallow Man
Game 10 Details
(9)The Joker

(8)Swiper The Fox
Game 26 Details
(9)Apollo Creed

(5)Mussolini
Game 11 Details
(12)Pol Pot

(5)Lee Harvey Oswald
Game 27 Details
(12)George Steinbrenner

Mussolini
Game 38 Details
Charles Manson

George Steinbrenner
Game 46 Details
Genghis Khan

(4)Charles Manson
Game 12 Details
(13)Bill Belichick

(4)Genghis Khan
Game 28 Details
(13)King George III

Stay Puff Marshmallow Man
Game 58 Details
Janjaweed

Stalin
Game 60 Details
Darth Vader

(6)Roger Clemens
Game 13 Details
(11)Kim Jong Il

(6)Barry Bonds
Game 29 Details
(11)Eichmann

Roger Clemens
Game 39 Details
Janjaweed

Eichmann
Game 47 Details
Darth Vader

Janjaweed
Game 52 Details
Amalek

Darth Vader
Game 56 Details
Antiochus

(3)Janjaweed
Game 14 Details
(14)The Headless Horseman

(3)Darth Vader
Game 30 Details
(14)Robespierre

(7)Dr. Mengele
Game 15 Details
(10)Wicked Witch of the West

(7)Omarosa
Game 31 Details
(10)Mark Foley

Dr. Mengele
Game 40 Details
Amalek

Omarosa
Game 48 Details
Antiochus

(2)Amalek
Game 16 Details
(15)Cain

(2)Antiochus
Game 32 Details
(15)Pete Rose

So, NOW, who will be the first Jewish President?

Preachers all over the country will agonize this weekend over whether to make their sacred spaces a Spitzer-free zone. I’ve decided to do just that, although there are so many themes that could easily be considered “low hanging fruit” for all clergy, easy pickings for canned sermons about morality, hypocrisy and trust. It’s too easy, in fact, to turn this tragic week into a morality play. There are too many facts that are still not known about the people involved for me to jump right on the bandwagon of those asking, “What was he thinking?” Eliot Spitzer’s actions are indefensible on a number of levels (we had a great discussion of this at our Learning and Latte this week), not the least of which was that he was being touted as, potentially “the first Jewish President.”

I t is time to stop touting people as the first this and the first that. We’ve learned on the campaign trail that, historic as the Clinton/ Obama contest is, it should be about the race, and not about race – or gender. Clinton, Obama and Spitzer are no more representatives of their gender/race/religion than I am a representative of all lefties (as in left-handed, not communist), or than David Paterson is a representative of all who are visually impaired.

That said, being that it is unavoidable that such statements will be made, I’m rather glad that our first Jewish President will not be Eliot Spitzer. Politics aside, Joe Lieberman would have been better – someone for whom Judaism is more than an ethnic label, but a serious factor in molding his ethical vision. Lieberman is not perfect, of course, and observant Jews can also succumb to bad moral decisions, but it is hard to imagine that he could have ended up in this type of humiliating pickle.

Town Meeting with Chancellor Arnold Eisen

Last night’s town meeting was a watershed event. When I turned around at the end, the room was full, and Eisen was warmly received. I can’t recall another time when Conservative Jews from all across the county came together before, and it was a beautiful sight.

Here are some links to more of Eisen’s philosophy, especially in regard to the concept of “mitzvah” which he contends needs to be reexamined for our day:

http://www.jtsa.edu/Conservative_Judaism/Mitzvah/Guiding_Principles.xml

Our tradition has always understood that "mitzvah" embraces a range of meanings broader than "commandment" alone. This is certainly true of popular Jewish usage of the word mitzvah. In common usage the word is generally understood as "good deed." JTS renders our key term as "instructions" that were "enjoined upon" the Israelites and not only as "commandments" that they were "commanded." The range of meanings demanded by our tradition's use of the word over the centuries and to the present day is broader still. Those meanings include, but are not limited to, actions that we feel obligated to perform, that engage us, that we are responsible for, that we undertake out of love.

And here is the text of his speech to the USCJ Biennial last December, where he listed 10 guiding principles for the movement:

http://www.jtsa.edu/Administration/Office_of_the_Chancellor/Eisen_in_the_News/Eisens_speeches_and_writings/The_Things_That_Still_Unite_Us.xml

My closing comments last night were a “charge” of sorts, reiterating what needs to be done to reinvigorate the movement.

A story, shared by Rabbi Harold Kushner:

A Rabbi encountered a congregant who hadn’t been to shul for months and asked where he had been. The congregant explained, “Actually rabbi, I’ve been davening at the shul across town.”

The Rabbi sputters, “Oh...but I know that rabbi – and he’s a nice person to be sure – but he doesn’t have my learning, he hasn’t written books like me...what draws you there?”

The congregant says, “You know rabbi, you’re right. He doesn’t have all of your skills – but he knows how to read minds, and he’s teaching me how to as well. I’ll show you – think of something!”

The Rabbi concentrates for a moment, after which the congregant exclaims, “I’ve got it! You were thinking of the verse “I place God before me always (Ps. 16:8)!”

The Rabbi shakes his head and says, “No – actually, that’s not what I was thinking about.”

The congregant looks at his former rabbi in the eyes and says, “I know you weren’t thinking about that, Rabbi. And that’s why I don’t daven in your shul anymore.”

We’ve heard the charge, now it is up to us to take up the task. A movement that came into existence for reasons of SOCIOLOGY, which tried for so long to become a movement of IDEOLOGY, now needs to become, most of all a movement of PURE PASSION and LOVE. NO –ology alone will ignite us, not the study of life – but the living of it. No longer the Muddle in the Middle, we need to place God at the center.

We need to become the “Mussar” Movement, champions of human dignity and the power of the solitary individual; the Modesty movement, advocating humility in a complex world, gaining energy from the creative tension that comes from living in the real world of tough questions, forcing us to confront our own imperfections, and the world’s. We are the movement that looks like America - and we need to help America look like Heaven, one community at a time.

The Muddle in the Middle has been replaced by passionate centrism. And no longer can we shed our most passionate parts fueling our intellectual shell. We need that passion to light a fire – not to conserve what was, but to dream about what can be, not to fumble through a stale rote, but singing unto God a new song, all together, with and without drums. And on that day, in the immortal words of Rav Kook, whose blessed rest was shattered so cruelly last week in the school bearing his name, “The old will be come new and the new will become holy.”

That is where we are headed, God willing, as our movement renews itself.

Our Man in India

Another Report from David Rodwin – Grandson of Marilyn and Bob Rodwin and Larry and Steffi Bloch

This morning when I went to take a quick look at today's newspaper in the library, I saw something rather odd on the front-page headline of the Ahmedabad edition of the Times of India, India's most popular newspaper. It read:

"Not Gujjus, perhaps good Jews!"

Gujjus is a reference to people from Gujarat, the state that Ahmedabad is in, but I had no idea what the meaning of the headline was, so I read on. The next two paragraphs read, "There's probably something in the soil which makes them unparalleled creators of wealth. Like the Jews who control the US economy, they rule the Rupee. Call it the sweetest sixteen — the number of Gujarati-speaking barons in the Forbes global-1,000 rich list put out on Thursday."

Needless to say, I was shocked. Did this major newspaper actually just write that Jews control the US economy, and compare rich Gujaratis to "good Jews"? I really couldn't believe it. The Times of India has both an English version and a Gujarati version, and in other parts of India has a Hindi version, and versions in other languages depending on the local vernacular. It is a huge newspaper, certainly the most widely circulated by far. It is the primary news source for millions of Indians, and through its website for many people outside of India as well. This article was only in the Ahmedabad edition, as far as I know, but still--how could they put something so glaringly not OK in a front page headline?

There are few Jews in India, and most come from the Bene Israel community, a group that traces itself back in India more than 1,000 years. Interestingly, India is on of the few countries in which Jews have never really experienced anti-Semitism. Does it make it all right to print something as ridiculous and offensive as this if there is no ill-will behind it?

I'm having trouble calling the article anti-Semitic, because there is nothing mean-spirited about it. If I asked the author about it, he'd probably say something like, "All Gujaratis want to be like the Jews--rich and powerful!" So, if it's not anti-Semitism, what is it?

I think it's ignorant, irresponsible, offensive journalism that represents ancient stereotype as fact.

If you want to check out the article for yourself, you can find it at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/16_Gujaratis_in_Forbes_list/articleshow/2846528.cms

David

www.pepyride.org

www.davidajws.blogspot.com

Eco-san video I helped make: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZQdGvpok3Y

And …this just in…More from David Rodwin!

I was having trouble thinking of a topic that I thought would be "Jewish" enough for the Shabbatogram, and I mentioned that problem to Rabbi Hammerman in an email. He replied, "Anything even remotely spiritual or reflective of the human condition is 'Jewish' in my book!

It doesn't have to be about Jews to be Jewish!"

So, below is my Jewish, though not overtly Jewish contribution to this week's Shabbatogram.

As far back as I can remember, I've always favored the gray over the black and white, and the nuanced over the simple. I've never really gone overboard into any particular fad or click. In high school, I had friends in the "skater" group, the "jock" group, and the "nerd"

group, but I myself was never really a part of any of them. In college I once told a friend that I didn't really believe in anything in particular; it's not that I'm a nihilist, I said, it's just that to me, no one thing seems convincing enough to mold my life around.

I had a great time during my six months studying abroad at Hebrew University, but the experience didn't change me in the ways that it changed some of my peers. Some of them grew more religious or Zionist, but I stayed about the same as I was before I went, though of course with a greater understanding of Israel than I had before.

After graduating from Johns Hopkins, I spent two years teaching English in Kyoto, Japan, and loved it. Some of my friends seemed to have really found themselves there, and will be staying for the foreseeable future. I felt that it was time for me to do something else, so I applied—and, luckily, was accepted—to the American Jewish World Service's World Partners Fellowship program.

Since September, I've been living and working at a vocational training center for Dalits, India's "untouchables", the historic outcastes of the 3,000 year-old caste system. As a group, they are poor and marginalized, though their numbers come to about 160 million in India alone (the caste system and its untouchables—the Dalits—exist in other South Asian countries, as well).

The center is a part of a larger Dalit NGO (non-government organization). The founder of that NGO now dedicates himself to running the center, having resigned from the director position of the NGO in order to encourage the growth of new leadership. He is 48 years old, though he looks 58. He may be the single most important non-political Dalit leader of his generation, having founded three or four major organizations, represented his cause internationally at the UN, and received several international human rights awards.

As he sees it, one of the biggest weights holding Dalits back from an equal position in society is the divisions amongst them. Even within the term "Dalit", there are hundreds of sub-castes, each of which views itself as ranking at a certain place in the caste hierarchy, above and below other castes. Some Dalit castes that view themselves as being "higher" than other castes treat the "lower" castes just as they themselves are treated by the "upper" castes (you may have to read that sentence again, because it's a bit confusing). It's a lot like someone who was abused as a child becoming an abuser himself, or like a man who is humiliated by his peers coming home and beating his wife.

To combat these divisions, this Dalit leader created a new definition of Dalit. Usually, Dalit is defined as someone from the castes considered "untouchable", but he redefines it to be three things:

Someone who believes in equality,

practices equality in his or her life,

and protests inequality wherever he or she sees it.

This redefinition challenges Dalits to be more egalitarian in their own lives, both in terms of sexism and inter sub-caste discrimination; allows for the inclusion of Dalits from different religious backgrounds; and allows for the inclusion of people who are not from the "untouchable" castes, but still believe in values of equality.

There is a big sign outside his office on which these three characteristics are written in Gujarati, also depicting people being lead out of the darkness towards the dignity and freedom that the definition represents. I see the sign every day, and though I always respected the sentiment, it took a few months for its power to really sink in.

Basically, the more I think about these three values, the more I think there is to them; in part because the definition is so simple, it invites thought and interpretation. Now, six months into my placement here, I think it is the closest thing to a roadmap towards moral living that I've ever heard.

So, all of a sudden, I find myself believing in something completely for the first time in my adult life.

I don't want to say all the ways I've interpreted the three values, because it can mean different things to different people, and I think the power of it is best experienced rather than told. But I will say that the definition is easier said than lived by, and in my case has been challenging to follow. Once I applied it to my life, I found all sorts of missteps and misjudgments: everything from laughing at a sexist joke to spending far more money than I needed to on my lifestyle in Japan, when that money could have done a world of good somewhere else.

Something I read in Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography a few months back stuck with me. Roughly paraphrased (I don't have the text in front of me), it was, "It's useless to dwell on past mistakes, unless the purpose is to learn from them." I will never stop making mistakes, but hopefully I will have the courage to learn from them, through the lens of what I thought I would never have: a total belief in one idea.

Our Woman in Netanya

A letter from Jan Gaines:

The murder of 8 Yeshiva students on March 6 was a severe blow to the whole religious Zionist movement, from which Israel's army and civic leaders have been recruited in the last few years. This Yeshiva was not an ordinary religious study center but rather the home of the so-called "settler" movement and the antidote to other yeshivot which do not send their graduates to the army. These were the "best and the brightest" of non-secular Israelis whose committment to the nation was equal to their committment to G-d.

The killer came from an Israeli Arab neighborhood adjacent to the well known Haas Promenade in East Talpiot. The day after the massacre, his family errected a "mourning tent" which is the traditional Arab method of mourning. Neighbors and friends also errected both Hamas and Hizbollah flags which flew for 2 days until police requested the father to remove them. In an ironic move, the government of Jordan prohibited his relatives to errect a mourning tent of their own.

The Arab Israeli tent remains, as the family receives both congratulations and condolences.

Public opinion in Israel remains outraged, both at the fact that this was an Arab Israeli with all the privileges of citizenship( except for Army service), and the visible example of his family able to celebrate his deed surrounded by celebratory neighbors, all Israeli citizens.

At the same time, Israel continues to be battered in world opinion for striking back at Gaza, causing some civilian casualties. The expert Hamas propaganda machine churns out ghastly photos of dead women and children, which are immediately picked up by the world media, while Israeli casualties and destruction are ignored. No mention of the typical Hamas tactic of firing missiles from schools and residential neighborhoods.

Israel tries to pinpoint its retaliation, maintaining its policy of avoiding innocent casualties. But it hardly matters to world opinion which blames Israel for defending itself.

Many Israelis are facing an ethical dilemma. A very Jewish one. Should the legal rights of its Arab citizens be protected even when they celebrate a killer of Jews? And should the army take a tougher stand with more massive retaliation, mindful of the increased civilian casualties sure to ensue.?

The Arabs see Jewish restraint as weakness. And weakness encourages more aggression and terrorism.

Israel is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't. How large a role should world opinion play in strategic decisions. How far should the rule of law and of morality be extended? Are the Jews putting themselves at deadly risk by sticking to its ethical foundations?

This is the dilemma facing the government, and the subject of many discussions here. So far, there are no good answers.

Jan Gaines, Netanya, March 11, 2008

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS UPCOMING EVENT –

A REAL CHANCE TO BRING JEWISH LEARNING TO A NEW LEVEL IN OUR COMMUNITY!

JOIN THE CONVERSATION...A Taste of Me'ah

March 18

7:00 pm

at Temple Sinai

458 Lakeside Dr.

Stamford

Intensive Study with University Faculty

The Me’ah conversation is guided by university-level faculty who lead and enrich your study of four central periods in Jewish history: Biblical, Rabbinic, Medieval and Modern .

Shared Learning in Your Community

You will study with neighbors, colleagues, friends or family from your community who come to the program with varied Jewish backgrounds, but who share a common desire to learn more about Judaism through in‐depth text study.

Key Information

· 100 Hours of study over two years

· Total of four semesters

· All readings are in English

· Taught by university-level faculty

· No tests or papers

· Competitively priced

The Stamford Me’ah Collaborative is comprised of the Bureau of Jewish Education of United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien and the Board of Rabbis. Classes will begin in the fall and will be held on Thursday evenings.

Learn more about the conversation at a complimentary evening featuring a mini class taught by a Me’ah professor, David Starr.

To register, contact Ilana De Laney, Executive Director of the Bureau of Jewish Education at 203-321-1373, ext. 114 (ilana@ ujf.org) OR Sandy Golove at 203-321-1373, ext. 107 ( sandy@ujf.org )

Beth El Cares:

Inreach and Outreach

In Honor of Arnold Eisen’s visit last night: Some Mitzvah Materials from JTS

JTS Mitzvah Minute: Texts and Quotes on Honoring the Elderly

Mitzvah Minute - Protecting the Environment

Mitzvah Minute - Feeding the Hungry

Mitzvah Minute - Visiting the Sick

Mitzvah Minute: Redeeming Captives

BETH EL (REALLY) CARES

We are currently embarking on some new initiatives for inreach, including groups of people who will do visitations at nursing homes and hospital, rides to temple events, providing baby sitters for congregants, as well as those sustaining and growing our daily minyan, along with other inreach initiatives. If you are interested in participating in any of these endeavors, please contact me at rabbi@tbe.org

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AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN (PRIMARILY YIDDISH SPEAKING) WOULD LOVE A RIDE TO SERVICES ON SHABBAT MORNINGS. HE LIVES ON SHIPPAN AVE. AND HAS NO OTHER WAY TO GET HERE. IF YOU CAN HELP PLEASE CONTACT MINDY IN OUR OFFICE AT office@tbe.org.

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Many people know Lillian Wasserman, especially from her many years of work at Bi Cultural Day School. Since her daughter (Rivka Lieber) moved to Westchester, it has become increasingly difficult for Lillian to continue working here. She needs to find a small apartment or shared living situation in order to do so, at a price range of 1000-1200 dollars a month.

She is looking for bedroom and access to microwave/fridge, and one parking spot.

If you can help, contact Rivka directly at home 914-833-0909 or via email at Lieberr@aol.com

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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP PLAN OUR ANNUAL 2^ND NIGHT TBE SEDER,

CONTACT DARICE BAILER AT daricerb@aol.com. OUR SEDER COMMITTEE IS ALREAY HARD AT WORK!

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Do you know of any high school or college girls that are looking for some extra money??? Or even a mature adult who is bored and wants some spending money or to spend some time with children – mine that is…two beautiful, nice girls in fifth and first grades. We need someone after school (Roxbury) Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3:15 – 6:15 PM. You would need your own car to drive short distances to activities in Stamford. Please contact Susan and Mark Plotzky at 203.359.2290.

KICK-OFF MEETING MOVED TO TUESDAY, MARCH 25

YOU CAN STILL BE PART OF

ANOTHER COMMUNITY FIRST AT TEMPLE BETH EL

BETH EL REMEMBERS

L’dor vador … past, present and future

Our past has done so much to make us who we are as Temple Beth El

;;; yet we know so little about TBE’s and individual congregants’ past glories within the Temple and the larger community. How can we better use it to guide our individual, congregational and community growth … spiritually and morally, in pride and in numbers?

Our future will no doubt be very bright, with many of us involved

… yet, will our grandchildren and their grandchildren even know what we’ve done … or how to further our work for the benefit of themselves, the congregation and the community?

The Temple’s Trustees have authorized a new committee to solve these challenges and take the utmost advantage of the opportunities that become evident, and appointed a part president to chair it (Fred Golove) We are currently the only congregation in the community to formalize a standing committee to REMEMBER, with a mission to help its congregation strategically. .

And YOU can be involved … listen, enjoy and/or work!!!

BETH EL REMEMBERS (our historical preservation and dissemination committee) has been formed and will hold its kickoff meeting on Tuesday night, March 25, 2008, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in downtown Stamford at the local Jewish Archives, an operation of the Jewish Historical Committee of Lower Fairfield County, where we will be joined by the JHS’s Archivist and it’s world class Historian. The JHS Archives has a large TBE Collection and we will spend some fun time looking through and understanding it. We will then start into our major business of planning the Committee’s work.

All interested adults including teenagers who are b’nai mitzvah are invited to this meeting. Space for this first meeting is limited because of the ample but somewhat limited meeting facilities at the Archives. Please call Steve Lander at the Temple (322-6901, ext. 304) to let us know that you want to attend and just before the meeting we’ll provide location and parking information on a first come first served basis (with the exception that those desiring to join this committee will be given priority for attending).

Mitzvah Suggestion for the Week

http://www.madeinshderot.com/en/default.asp

The initiative to create “Made in Sderot” came to fruition as a direct result of the countless number of Hamas kassam rocket attacks upon the Israeli town of Sderot and the surrounding area settlements. These attacks have not only taken the lives of innocent residents, but they have also ravaged the area’s economy. Both local manufacturers and home based artisans banned together to create an on-line means of purchasing the many unique and high quality products made in this region. The objective of this site is to stimulate commerce for the entrepreneurs whose businesses have been stagnant due to the constant security threats effecting the area.

The hope is that people around the world will visit this site and purchase products “Made in Sderot” and at the same time help the citizens of the city and the surrounding areas to economically thrive once more.

…because it is the least we can do for them

ANOTHER WAY TO HELP THOSE IN SDEROT, FROM YITZCHAK SOKOLOFF OF KESHET TOURS

Dear Friends,

For the past few months I have been writing about the town in Israel- S'derot that has been undergoing daily rocket fire. A few weeks ago I forwarded an E-mail from a friend who I have been working in Israel, Yitzhak Sokoloff, on some of the efforts he was doing on behalf of the residents. One of the readers of the update Nora Anderson, suggested that maybe we should try to do something more substantial like arranging to get the kids of the city out during the summer. Yitzhak looked into the suggestions and in consultation with experts from the town has come back with a plan to take families out of the town for one week periods. The feeling in S'derot was that it was not good to separate the children from their parents at this time.

We have developed a multilayered plan to help the people of S'derot. You can find the details and the methods to give at http://www.informedchoiceforisrael.org. For those of you who have Facebook accounts we have created a facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9235793660

At this point I would like to ask you to do three things.

Forward this to as many people as possible- and if you Facebook accounts invite as many people as you can to join.

Second we need help in growing Informed Choice to reach out to as many people as possible in as many ways as we can- so if you have ideas, please let me know- or if you just want to help out call or E-mail me

Finally while Informed Choice will I hope do many things over the next few years we need to raise money to help the residents of S'derot now!. So please give generously.

Thank you!!

Marc Schulman

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Projects:

HELP THE ANIMAL SHELTER

BRING NEW DOG OR CAT TOYS

ALSO BRING IN NEW OR OLD TOWELS OR BLANKETS

THIS IS FOR JULIE PISKIN’S

BAT MITZVAH PROJECT

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MINYAN MATTERS

We’ll be running a series of columns from congregants responding to the question of why minyan matters – to all of us.

This moving and informative letter is from a writer who wishes to remain anonymous.

Let us know your ideas! And most of all, join us any morning!

AND NOW THERE’S ONE MORE REASON TO COME TO MINYAN…

We’ve just received copies of a new and comprehensive commentary on our siddur, “Or Hadash” – This joint project of The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly, authored by Rabbi Reuven Hammer, features material from classical and contemporary sources, explanations of the history, structure and meaning of prayers and more. The page numbers match our regular weekday siddur, but the in-depth commentaries will bring a whole new dimension to your experience of prayer, opening new doors to understanding the service.

Am I a Good Jew?

I received this question from a young-adult this week who is taking a challenging Introduction to Judaism class.

Dear Rabbi

How are you?

Over the course of the class I’ve been taking, I have been struggling with some issues. One of them is commandedness b/c I was always under this impression that Judaism was a religion and lifestyle that allowed Jews to choose certain levels of observance. I thought this made me a bad Jew/person and I'm still trying to reconcile this. We had a class last night where we were asked to bring questions that we have, sort of a clean-up type class, and I asked my question again, not really realizing I have been asking it all along Our teacher emailed me this further response today.

I believe that God created me and you. I believe that this happened so that there would be someone on earth to honor God, to stand witness to the earth and its inhabitants - through connection to God and other people. This means that I feel as a creation of God's, my responsibility on earth is to recognize and honor God in everything I do. I believe in the give and take of my relationship with God. I perform mitzvot to honor God, I eat Kosher food to honor God, I raise a family, love my husband, help people, teach people, give tzedaka, make apologies, swim, hike, take vacations, respect people...in order to honor God. I feel commanded to live a life that strives to show honor and respect.

Jewish law (halacha) brings commandments which help me to do that. I truly believe that the more mitzvot we observe, the better the world will be. Yes, the world.

I think having ways to bring holiness into our lives through ritual and through human interaction - a link in the chain that bridges my ancestors and to my daughter's future grandchildren - is a gift.

Are you commanded to observe the mitzvot? Yes. Will it take a lifetime to find new ways to do this, I hope so. Will I always observe the same way, I doubt it. Will I want more God at some times than others? I presume. There have been many times when I didn't want to believe at all. I imagine there will be others.

I think we struggle through our lives making meaning and finding holiness. The search for God is a lifelong pursuit. The search for ways to bring connectedness to our lives is as well. Will I always call that connectedness "God"? I don’t know... I hope so.

Maybe this little glimpse into my theology will help?

I hope you are well and that we will get to see you soon.

Warm regards,

MY RESPONSE… (adapted)

Dear ___

You have asked perhaps THE key question of our time in the Jewish world, one that the new chancellor of JTS, Arnold Eisen, has taken as the centerpiece of his message (for more on the chancellor’s message, see above).

Essentially it comes down to how one translates and views the concepts of "mitzvah" and "sin.' The first term is Hebrew and is often translated as "commandment." But I think that focuses us too much on the do's and don'ts rather than on the fact that each mitzvah is a lifeline from God, an opportunity to elevate ourselves to live sacred lives. Some translate the word as "good deed," also not accurate, but closer to the sense that we feel good when we've done it.

But the key here is that Jews don't look at sin in the same way Christians do. For them, Original Sin put us in a state of being existentially unredeemed (“damned”), and redemption can come only by way of Jesus. For Jews, there are 613 mitzvot and God-knows how many other laws derived from them. Not even Moses could fulfill them all! it is impossible, then, to be, as you call it, a "good Jew," if goodness implies perfect observance. No one can be. But that's OK, because we are not in a state of sin at all, even when we've not fulfilled a mitzvah. Not in the Christian sense. Sometimes we stray from the correct path; so on the High Holidays we make a midcourse correction. We find our way back. And to stick to the lifeline metaphor i introduced before, if God is continually throwing us lifelines, it's because we are continually climbing - a ladder, a mountain, whatever image works for you. I like the ladder. The more mitzvot we perform, the higher we go in our spiritual ascent. If you are a few rungs higher than I do, it doesn't make me a "bad Jew" or more sinful person.

Here's an interesting question. If you don't vote, are you a bad American? What if you don't vote, but you gave your entire life savings to feed the hungry? That in my mind is the equivalent of a Jew who doesn’t keep entirely Kosher, but works as a fieldworker in Darfur.

We all really need to be ge