Shabbat-O-Gram for March 8-10 -- Adar 25, 5762 (Shabbat Ha-hodesh)
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut
Shabbat Shalom
The Shabbat-O-Gram is being e-mailed out in plain text, but if you wish to see it in all its html splendor, you can click to it on the Web, at http://www.tbe.org/sog/020308.htm. If you wish to unsubscribe, contact office@tbe.org.
We welcome Cantor Deborah Jacobson this Shabbat morning, who will be completing her weekend "tryout" for our cantorial position. She will be leading the Pesukey d'zimra (opening hymns and Psalms) and Shacharit sections of the service on Shabbat morning, from 9:15 AM to about 10:10.
Yom Kippur Katan -- March 13 -- A Day of Fasting and Prayer for Israel
Today (Thursday), a horrific bombing was thwarted in a popular restaurant called "Kaffit" in Jerusalem's trendy Emek Refaim neighborhood. (http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=138763&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0). Last November, the Stamford Solidarity Group had lunch in that very place. It brings home the uncertainty Israelis feel at this time.
With Israelis continuing to suffer so horribly from ceaseless terrorism, take a few moments this Shabbat to pray for those who are wounded, whose Hebrew names can be found at the "cholim" Web site, at http://www.torah.org/services/cholim/cholim.php3. The rabbinate in Israel has declared next Wednesday, March 13, to be a Yim Kippur Katan (a "mini" YK), a day of fasting and prayer for Israel. There is so little that we can do right now, it seems. Perhaps fasting on one day (or at least missing a meal -- or eating a felafel, even) might be the way to better galvanize us and sensitize us to their unfathomable pain and fear. We also pray for the Palestinians to produce visionary and peace loving leaders, so that the suffering of their own people will also cease.
Purim is over but you can still fulfill the mitzvah of sending gifts of food on Purim right now. Via the www, you can send Purim baskets to families of terrorist victims in Israel. Tragically, there are 9 pages of victims names, photos, and descriptions—so it loads up fairly slowly so be patient. This project is sponsored by Jewishstreet.com and the Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund. Please go to: http://www.jewishstreet.com/purim/victims.asp Making your donation may lift the spirits of families so distraught by their losses.
JUST THE FACTS: Services and Such…
SHABBAT SHALOM TO OUR FOURTH GRADERS, WHO WILL BE HEADED OFF ON THEIR CLASS SHABBATON!
Friday Night: Candles: 5:35 PM
Shabbat Shalom: 7:15, in the lobby
Kabbalat Shabbat: 8:00 PM, in the sanctuary, FRIDAY NIGHT CHAI!
Shabbat Morning:
P'sukey d'zimra (psalms and meditations) and Shacharit: 9:15 -- Led by cantorial candidate Deborah Jacobson
MAZAL TOV to David Warnock, who becomes Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat morning;
MAZAL TOV to Craig and Suzanne Olin, whose daughter, Jessica Melanie Olin, will be named this Shabbat Morning
Torah Portion: Vayakhel-Pekuday, Shabbat Ha-Hodesh: We complete the book of Exodus with a detailed description of the sanctuary in the Wilderness, accompanied by guidelines on the observance of Shabbat. To see how the 39 categories of prohibited Shabbat work are related to the work done on the sanctuary see http://www.jewfaq.org/shabbat.htm. We also read a special selection for the Sabbath preceding the new month during which Passover will fall.
Read the Masorti commentary at http://www.masorti.org/mason/torah/index.asp. 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.
Children's Services: 10:30, in the chapel (grades 3 - 6) and downstairs in the Kindergarten room for younger grades. This week, the chapel service will be "hosted" by grade 6.
Shabbat Mincha-Havdalah: 5:00 PM.
MAZAL TOV to Laura Kosann, who will become Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat afternoon.
Morning Minyan: Daily at 7:30, Sundays at 9:00.
Spiritual Journey on the Web: Constructing Sanctuaries
(Note: This journey is based on research I did about a year ago. Not all of the sites are as easily accessible now, but I felt that this material best explains the key Torah concepts related in this week's portion. Enjoy!)
1)
"Work" has always meant something other than "daily drudgery" in Jewish tradition. From the earliest days of the Bible to the advent of modern secular Zionism, there has always been something sacred about the work we do. In fact, the Hebrew words for work are directly connected to the sacred. The most common term, "avoda," not only means "work," it also is the term used for the sacrificial rites followed in the days of the ancient Temple. Later, when the Temple was destroyed, "avoda" came to be associated with that which replaced sacrifices: prayer. "On three things the world stands," says Pirke Avot, "on Torah, Avoda and G’milut Hasadim (acts of kindness). Work and worship stand united, for one leads to the other prayer leads to world-mending activity, and such work engenders an attitude of awe and gratitude, i.e. prayer.
So it is appropriate to make our first stop on this journey the prayer book itself. Click on http://siddur.webjew.org/ to find a very helpful transliteration of many prayers.
2) Melacha
So, you may be asking, if work is worship, why are we expected to worship on Shabbat, a day in which we are not supposed to work? The kinds of work specifically not allowed on Shabbat are not categorized in the Torah as "avoda," but rather as "melacha." To my knowledge, the term is used only in regard to Shabbat and, in a modified form, festivals, and it is found in this week’s portion, Va-yakhel. We read in Exodus 35:2, "On six days work (melacha) may be done, but on the seventh you shall have a complete rest, holy to the Lord." Melacha isn’t seen as bad, simply inappropriate for one day (but very important on the other six). As if to underscore the holiness of melacha, it is closely aligned with the term for "angel," "malach," indicating that such work is hardly daily drudgery, but rather the vocation of heavenly beings. And, specifically, what kind of work is melacha?
I found a good definition in a chat recorded at http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:www.ohr.org.il/ask/ask283.htm+melacha&hl=en
"Melacha means "creative act." By refraining from creative acts, we recognize G-d as the Ultimate Creator. Melacha is any act that represents the uniquely human ability to put our intellect to work and shape the environment. Thus, switching on a light is a melacha. Among other things, it can be considered "building" a circuit. Specifically, a melacha is anything that fits into one of 39 categories of activities listed in Tractate Shabbat page 73a. This list includes activities such as seeding, uprooting, building, writing and burning."
The rabbis derived those 39 categories based on the verses that follow Ex. 35:2, which describe in detail the building of that tabernacle. All you will ever need to know about these 39 categories can be found on the Web. Check out http://www.bus.ualberta.ca/yreshef/shabbat/melachaCD.html, for a quick delineation, and http://www.ou.org/chagim/shabbat/concept.htm for more detailed information.
So what we are talking about here is not "work" per se, but a sacred, creative act, the construction of sacred space during the week, leading to what we do on this seventh day, in the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel, the building of a "cathedral in time." Rabbi David Wolpe elaborates on this beautifully at http://www.olam.org/magazine/issue3/treasure.cfm?treasure_id=20
3)
Heschel’s concept transcends all boundaries, as is evidenced by a sermon found at http://www.christ-community.net/html/sept_3__2000.html. The pastor writes: "The great Jewish Rabbi Heschel speaks of the Sabbath as the cathedral of time. The great European cathedrals are sacred space, but the Sabbath is sacred time. It was an oasis; it was a resting-place; it was a very, very great gift. It was a gift that was marked by the cessation of work, of labor."
Also check out another sermon at
http://www.calvincrc.org/sermons/topics/tenCommandments/exod20.html. In fact, there are about 175 references that I could find on the Web citing this expression of Heschel’s. One site that doesn’t, but which is all about work, worship, and sacred space, is at http://www.india-today.com/itoday/20000807/offtrack.html. This article is about the construction of a Hindu holy place, and the site is also a wonderful portal to Indian culture and music. And then there is http://www.bcca.org/bahaivision/BWF/0842workisworship.html, which gives us a fascinating Baha’i perspective.
4)
All of this discussion of sacred places gives us pause to wonder what that original tabernacle, the Mishkan, described in such detail in our portion, must have looked like. A word of caution here: If you plug the word "Mishkan" into search engines, you are bound to land on one of many sites run by "Messianic Hebrew" organizations. The mishkan is a key symbol for them, since the sacrificial cult is a natural link from ancient Judaism to Christianity (just trade the sacrificial lamb for you-know-who and you see what I mean). If you venture onto these sites, you’ll get a clear signal as to the wool they are trying to pull over our eyes (to stick with the lamb image), by dressing up Christianity as a natural extension of Jewishness (the, ahem, "wolf in sheep’s clothing"). The only thing is, I’m not going to help get you there. Safer sites to visit include http://www.carol-miller.com/mishkan0.htm. I don’t know who Carol Miller is (I ran a quick search but still couldn’t locate her credentials), but her analysis of the Mishkan’s symbolism is excellent, including references to a great scholar of religions, Mircea Eliade:
"This then was a point of connection between Heaven and Earth, between Man and God; "the paradoxical point of passage from one mode of being and another." Eliade speaks in depth about "…the reason for the elaboration of techniques of orientation which, properly speaking, are techniques for the construction of sacred space. But we must not suppose that human work is in question here, that it is through his own efforts that man can consecrate a space. In reality the ritual by which he constructs a sacred space is efficacious in the measure in which it reproduces the work of the gods."
Miller’s also got pics. Not only do we find a solid depiction of the Mishkan here, at http://www.carol-miller.com/cm00-1.htm, but she then traces the evolution of Jewish sacred space from that point to the rise of the modern synagogue, at http://www.carol-miller.com/cm02a.htm. Included in this is the floor plan of the synagogue at Bet Alpha. Finally, a nostalgic trip back to the Maimonides Day School in Brookline, Mass., which so many of my closest friends attended in my youth, leads us to a fascinating student project, a 3-D view of the Mishkan. Find the Virtual Mishkan at
http://www.maimonides.org/highschool/seniorprojects/97projects/ihefter/.
5)
Where does this journey lead us? We’ve explored the construction of sacred spaces, as well as sanctuaries in time. Taken to its logical conclusion, the next step is to explore sanctuaries in cyberspace. I do lots of that in my book, but for here, it’s enough to look at one more link:
http://www.angelfire.com/sk/orchadash8/, billed as a "Synagogue Without Walls." You would be surprised at how many synagogues classify themselves in this way (I turned up 14,000 hits on a recent search), including many, many synagogues that actually do have walls. It tells us about the impact of the Havurah (Jewish fellowship) movement, for sure, and even more about the impact of new technologies and other innovation on synagogue life. To that end I highly recommend two studies that have just been released. From the Pew Research Center, http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=28 the report, "Wired Churches, Wired Temples: Taking congregations and missions into cyberspace." And from the Hartford Seminary, a landmark study released just last week, "Faith Communities Today," the largest survey of congregations ever conducted in the United States, found at http://fact.hartsem.edu/.
Heschel concludes his masterpiece, "The Sabbath," with the assertion, "We must conquer space in order to sanctify time." He could hardly have imagined the conquest of cyberspace when he wrote that, but it is clear to me that he might have sensed some of the same boundlessness in cyberspace that he saw regarding Shabbat. For cyberspace resides in that murky area between sacred space and sacred time, in that moment of twilight between the holy Shabbat and the six days of angel work (melacha) preceding it.
Quotes of the Week: Israel's Painful Decision: How Hard to Hit, How Much to Take?
"I want to conduct negotiations, but we cannot do that until the Palestinians are hit very hard…In the current situation, it’s either them or us. We are at war and our backs are against the wall. I don’t expect the P.A. to halt terrorism. They are terrorism. Arafat is the father of all terrorism..."—P.M. Ariel Sharon (Jerusalem Post, March 5)
"We have to act like we are at war. When 22 of our citizens are murdered in 24 hours, I approve any operation aimed at punishing the Palestinians until they beg for a ceasefire."—Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit, who is usually viewed as a dovish Likud Party member (National Post, March 5)
"Which population in the world would allow itself to be intimidated and terrified as this whole population is, where you can’t send your kid out for a pizza at night without fear he’ll be blown up? Let’s really let the [Palestinians] understand what the implication of their actions is. Very simply, wipe them out. Level them."—Rabbi David Hartman (International Herald Tribune, March 2-3)
"…[F.M. Shimon] Peres…insist[s] that Israel continue talking with the leadership of the P.A. despite the mounting death toll from terror. ‘We must give hope to the 3.5 million Palestinians," Peres reportedly said. To which I cannot help but respond: And what about giving some hope to the 5 million Israeli Jews, Mr. Peres? Isn’t it time we start worrying a little more about ourselves and a little less about our neighbors’ hopes and aspirations? Even more troubling is the response of…Meretz MK Yossi Sarid, who…said after the weekend attacks in Jerusalem and Ofra: ‘So long as the occupation continues, the terror will continue…’. Not a word of condemnation for the murder of Jewish children, nor even an expression of criticism…Remarks such as these only serve to strengthen the resolve of Arafat and his gang, who see how easy it is to provoke discord among Israel’s leadership…."—Columnist Michael Freund (Jer. Post, March 6)
"If I would have known the reality would get this bad, I would not have joined this government…If Arafat is irrelevant, we have nothing to ask from him and it does not matter whether he is in Ramallah or elsewhere. But if he is relevant, we need to be talking to him."—F.M. Shimon Peres pleading to the security cabinet not to return the tanks removed last week from the area around Yasser Arafat’s compound (Jer. Post, March 6)
"If Arafat disappeared…I tell you, it would be a state of disorder…We cannot say that without Arafat we can reach an agreement. It’s a grave mistake…I’m not pro-Arafat. I’m pro-peace and stability and the welfare of the people in the whole area, Israelis and Arabs. Settlements [are] illegal, but we leave this to the negotiations to reach a decision."—Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during his visit to Washington, D.C. (Jer. Post, March 6)
"Balata refugee camp welcomes you. Its martyrs will win."—Lettering on the arch of the West Bank camp raided by Israel last week. [Of the 20 Palestinians killed in Jenin, half were policemen, Col. Moshe Tamir reported. But they were also terrorists, he said. "They were on duty around the refugee camp and they opened fire on us even after we asked them to lay down their weapons. You can be a policeman in the morning and a Hamas man in the afternoon."] (New York Times, March 3)
"You must turn your rifles on all Israeli army checkpoints. No soldier posted at one of these roadblocks should be safe. They symbolize the humiliation that Israel imposes on our people day after day."—West Bank leader of Arafat’s Fatah faction, Marwan Barghouti, speaking to a crowd of 10,000 Palestinians attending the funeral of a Fatah activist (Nat’l Post, March 6)
"The U.S. believes that this goal is only possible if there is a maximum effort to end violence throughout the region, starting with Palestinian efforts to stop attacks against Israelis."—U.S. President George W. Bush, while applauding Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s offer to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, refused to budge from American insistence that violence must cease before Washington will involve itself directly (Globe and Mail, March 6)
"According to…columnist Thomas Friedman, Prince Abdullah demanded a full Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 border. But, according to Henry Siegman, a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, unnamed Saudi officials said Saudi Arabia would settle for less. Siegman wrote, ‘Saudi officials told me that normalization of relations with Israel does not preclude Israeli sovereignty over the Western Wall in the Old City and over Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem…’ But Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, editor-in-chief of the Saudi London-based daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat…reported something different. "Prince Abdallah’s conversation [with Friedman] was based on the word ‘entire,’ because this word is everything…It is the key, just as it was the main obstacle in past peace negotiations. If the Israelis want peace, they must give something whole, not a part. They must return the West Bank in its entirely, occupied Jerusalem in its entirety, the Golan Heights in its entirety, and [give] a full Palestinian state."— Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Feb. 19 (MEMRI, Inquiry and Analysis, No. 87, March 3)
"A decision calling for a complete withdrawal to the ’67 lines makes negotiations superfluous, and Israel cannot accept the principle of the initiative prior to negotiations nor decisions that harm its security. Withdrawal to the ’67 borders is an absolute blow to Israel’s security."—Cabinet Secretary Gideon Sa’ar, expressing Israel’s opposition to the Saudi peace initiative (Ha’aretz, March 4)
"Israel, it’s suggested, should give up territory, buffer zones, and Jerusalem’s Temple Mount in exchange for a declaration of ‘recognition’ by Middle East countries—that is, the very countries whose inhabitants [according to USA Today’s recent Gallup Poll] either think that Sept. 11 was the work of the Israelis (about 60%), or that crashing hijacked airliners into Lower Manhattan was justified (about 30%). If Oslo was supposed to be about ‘land for peace,’ what should one call the Saudi deal? ‘Land for empty promises by irrational people?’…I’d be more inclined to consider it suicidal."—Columnist George Jonas (Nat’l Post, March 2)
REQUIRED READING AND ACTION ITEMS
ON ISRAEL AND TERRORISM
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/03/01/Opinion/Opinion.44368.html "A Betrayal of Trust" by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin in the Jerusalem Post, on an Arab friend who blew himself up in Efrat.
http://www.walk4israel.com/ Writing to Israeli terror victims
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/charleskrauthammer/ck20020306.shtml Charles Krauthammer on the Saudi "Peace" Plan
Was Daniel Pearl a Jewish "Martyr?"
http://www.beliefnet.com/index/index_10005.html Was Daniel Pearl a Jewish martyr? (will be discussed further at services this Shabbat) Also on that site's Judaism page, a discussion on reviving a Conservative synagogue.
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0209/kamber.php The Village Voice, "The Chosen One" Journalist Daniel Pearl Was Killed for Being a Jew
Passover (Food Shopping Guides and other materials):
http://www.rabassembly.org/info/pesahguide/ (Rabbinical Assembly)
http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/; http://www.ou.org/chagim/pesach/default.htm; http://www.kosherquest.org/html/passover.htm
http://www.kosher.com/?ad=11 -- Order Passover food online
http://all-worldtravel.links2go.com/more/www.kosher.co.il/ An extensive array of Kosher links
www.iabolish.com/passover/ a valuable new web site that provides materials and activities about modern day slavery; are appropriate for Passover.
"A CONSERVATIVE COMPACT OF COMMITMENT"
http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.03.01/news6.html Conservative Judaism's top congregational professional is coming under fire from several of his colleagues for proposing a less rigorous set of religious expectations for non-observant Conservative Jews. From the Forward.
http://uscj.org/item19_780.html The document in question, "A Conservative Compact of Jewish Commitment," delivered by Rabbi Jerome Epstein of the U.S.C.J. at the recent USCJ convention (though not in coordination with other arms of the movement).
WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS
WHY VOTE IN THE ELECTIONS FOR THE WORLD ZIONIST CONGRESS Your participation in the elections for the 34th World Zionist Congress provides you with the opportunity: To celebrate 53 years of Israeli statehood after 2,000 years of exile; To stand up for Israel’s security against Arafat’s hypocrisy and Palestinian terrorism; To show your concern about the pressing social questions that threaten to undermine the quality of Israeli society; To make your voice heard on behalf of religious pluralism and religious freedom in the Jewish State. Click here to learn more about what’s at stake.
WHO MERCAZ USA IS: MERCAZ USA is the voice of Conservative Jewry within the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Zionist Movement and the Jewish National Fund working to support religious pluralism in Israel and strengthen the connection between Israel and the Diaspora. Click here to learn more about MERCAZ USA and its agenda.
WHAT ISSUES MERCAZ IS RUNNING ON: Our election platform seeks to realize a better society in the State of Israel while fighting for the country’s safety. We are concerned with Security, Pluralism, Social Justice, Ecology and Jewish/Zionist Education, in addition to the specific concerns of the worldwide Conservative/Masorti Movement. Click here to learn more about the MERCAZ Platform.
WHO THE MERCAZ CANDIDATES ARE: Our slate of candidates represents the best of the Conservative Movement. Led by Dr. Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, the MERCAZ list of delegates includes leaders from every arm of the Conservative Movement, including rabbis, synagogue presidents, cantors and Sisterhood and Men’s Club officers, from all regions of the United States. Click here to learn more about the MERCAZ slate.
FURTHERMORE...There are 10 other slates running in this election. Click here to learn about 5 more reasons why you should support MERCAZ.
CRISIS IN ARGENTINA:
Approximately 220,000 Jews live in Argentina, more than 50,000 below the poverty line -- and the number is rapidly accelerating. The current financial crisis has had a devastating impact on all institutions of Jewish life there. Included in this are many Masorti institutions. Contributions to the Argentina Masorti Social Assistance Fund can be made payable to the "World Council of Synagogues, Inc." and sent to World Council of Synagogues, 155 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010. All contributions are tax deductible.
EMERGENCY PRE-PASSOVER FOOD DRIVE FOR PERSON TO PERSON
This past year Temple Beth El’s High Holy Day Food Drive exceeded all previous years. Because of present economic conditions more families are coming to the Person-To-Person Food Pantry for help. This is particularly true at the end of each month.
In 2001 Person-To-Person’s pantry provided over 112,000 meals to over 906 different families. In January 2002, 517 families requested food supplies totaling 7,000 meals. Other emergency providers are also reporting increased demand and reduced supply.
During this month, in which we celebrate Passover, we remember the commandment in the Haggadah, "Let all who are hungry come and eat." Person-To-Person is not looking for matzos or gefilte fish, but is in need of cereal, pasta, rice, soups and canned fruits and vegetables.
Please do your part by bringing one or two bags of food to the Temple by Friday, March 22nd. If you prefer, take the food bags directly to the Person-To-Person Food Pantry behind St. Luke’s Church at 1864 Post Road in Darien, CT. Empty bags are available in our lobby.
Your holiday is always sweeter if it’s shared!
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
MAZAL TOV
to Phyllis & George Heller on the births of two grandchildren: Hannah Lauryn, born to Denise & Jay Freiberg and Noah Jeremy, born to Sherri & Wayne Heller. MAZAL TOV to all!
Friday Night "Chai" -- This Friday, March 8 @ 8:00 PM
A jazzy, spiritually soaring service guaranteed to have you singing your heart out and dancing all night long!!
Mini-Parlor Concert -- March 10 @ 11 AM
"The Many Faces of Jewish Music"
Musical talent from within our congregation, with Hazzan Rabinowitz, Nurit Avigdor, Stephanie Osher, Marc Schneider, Dorothy Kalinsky and Ariel Shindler…
A Gift From Sisterhood
Sunday, March10th at 9:30am
'Gelfilte Fish" and "Creating New Traditions"
Be our guests for brunch and join in a discussion led by Barb Moskow.
Examine new rituals and traditions that have been created in the last few years.
Learn how new and legitimate rituals get accepted into the mainstream.
There is no charge to attend. This is Sisterhood's gift to the women of TBE.
R.S.V.P. to Denise Greenman 329-8594 or Denise147@aol.com
The brunch and discussion will end by 11am in time to attend Hazzan's concert.
For Women Only…
Celebrate Rosh Chodesh Adar
with Barb Moskow & special guest Bonny Grosz
Monday March 11th
7:30 pm-9:00 pm in the Youth Lounge
Join us for an evening filled with study, prayer, meditation, singing, thoughtful discussion, food and much more. To RSVP please call 322-6901 ext. 306
It’s Back - Save the Date!!!
Temple Beth El’s Jewish Book Fair
Bigger and Better Than Ever!!!
Sunday, March 10th 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Open to the Community
Large selection of adult, young adult and children’s books, fiction, non-fiction, coffee table books, picture books, cook books, Haggadot and much more…
Proceeds benefit the Temple Beth El Religious School
Call Adam Eitelberg to volunteer at (203) 353-3347
TEENS AND PARENTS!!!!
Is there Jewish life after high school?
Wednesday, March 13th at 7 p.m. -- in the lobby
What are the hard decisions a student has to make? How do you make them? Come hear … Rabbi Rich Kirschen, Executive Director of Hillel at Brown University, who will be speaking on "Changing Jewish Culture on the College Campus."
MORE UPCOMING PROGRAMS WITH RABBI ANDREA COHEN-KEINER!!
Friday evening March, 22nd at 7:30 pm
TALKING AT THE BORDERS
Interfaith Families and Extended Families Walking the Line
Join Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener for engaging service and a thought provoking discussion on the challenges and joys encountered by interfaith families and their extended families
TELL YOUR FRIENDS (INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE UNAFFILIATED)!!!
-----------------------------
Shabbat, March 23rd at 10:00 a.m.
Spend Shabbat morning with Rabbi Cohen-Kiener
CONTEMPLATIVE LEARNER’S MINYAN
A spirited, spiritual service filled with stories, song and meaningful prayer
------------------------------
Shabbat afternoon, March 23rd at 4:00p.m.
All those in a meditative mood are invited to join Rabbi Cohen-Kiener for a
MEDITATIVE MINCHA
Featuring niggunim, chant and contemplation to enjoy the day of rest
RSVP to 322-6901 extension 306
The Board of Rabbis of Stamford and Greenwich present
"Pondering Passover"
Insights into the Passover Haggadah and holiday observances
With the participation of the rabbis of Stamford and Greenwich.
Make the holiday more meaningful for you and your family.
Historical and spiritual insights.
Contemporary meaning and applications
THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 7:30 PM
TEMPLE SINAI, LAKESIDE DRIVE, STAMFORD
TEFILLIN SEMINAR
Conducted by Hazzan Sidney G. Rabinowitz
Sunday, March 17, 2002 at 10:00 a.m.
A must for all Bar/Bat Mitzvah candidates of all ages! There will be a wonderful video on the making of Tefillin, what makes them kosher, and what could make them un-kosher. Surgery will be performed on a pair of no-longer kosher Tefillin and allow hands-on inspection of each part. This seminar is open to all within our congregation. If you do own a pair of tefillin, please being them along.
This program will be sandwiched between the two sessions of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah class family program with Rabbi Hammerman, "Becoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah" that will also take place that morning.
Coming soon….
Annual Cantor's Concert, featuring the Klezmer Conservatory band of Boston:
April 21 @ 3 PM
Temple Beth El To Honor Hazzan Rabinowitz
The Committee to Honor Hazzan & Sandy is looking for former Junior Choir singers to participate in the upcoming festivities! If your son or daughter ever participated in the Beth El Junior Choir, please call Roz Perlson (323-7328), Kathy Paseltiner (356-9735) or Carol Kalter (968-1075) to give his/her name, address and phone number. Thank you.
May 4 - Dinner Dance at Temple Beth El
May 19 - Community Event to Honor Sidney and Sandy Rabinowitz
Send us any memories, history, personal observations, programs, photos or other memorabilia. Those wishing to honor the Hazzan with a gift to the temple can do so with an entry in a journal being prepared for the May 4 event. Watch your mail for details or contact Roberta Aronovitch (for information) at 203-322-6901 ext 304 or by e-mail at execdir@tbe.org
Junior Choir Reunion! Friday, June 14, 2002
The Committee to Honor Hazzan & Sandy is looking for former Junior Choir singers to participate in the upcoming festivities! If your son or daughter ever participated in the Beth El Junior Choir, please call Roz Perlson (323-7328), Kathy Paseltiner (356-9735) or Carol Kalter (968-1075) to give his/her name, address and phone number.
Beth El Cares
BETH EL CARES and AMERICARES HOME FRONT NEED YOU!
SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2001 (FLEXIBLE HOURS)
Please volunteer to help us refurbish and repair the home of an elderly Stamford resident. No experience needed, though we are also looking for people with painting and home repair experience to assist the group.
TO SIGN UP OR TO GET MORE INFORMATION CALL:
Art and Sue Greenwald at (203) 329-1662 or e-mail adg521@optonline.net
JOIN THE MAY MITZVAH TEAM!
Connecticut Remembers
Interfaith Memorial Service Marks Six Month
Anniversary of September 11th
convened by the
Council of Churches & Synagogues
by request of Governor John Rowland
Sunday, March 10th at 3:15 p.m.
at Union Baptist Church, 805 Newfield Avenue
Stamford, CT
UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS
ATID (K-2) KARATE AND ICE CREAM (at Temple Beth El) -- Sunday, March 10: 1:30-3
USY Semi Formal Dance -- March 16
CHOCOLATE SEDER, March 24th-- KADIMA (6-8)
SHABBAT SHALOM!
The Shabbat-O-Gram goes out weekly to hundreds of Beth El congregants and others. Feel free to forward it to your friends, and if you know of anyone who might wish to be included, please have them sign up at www.tbe.org. You can unsubscribe by contacting our office at office@tbe.org.
For more information on my synagogue, check out Beth El's Web site at www.tbe.org. To check out some previous spiritual cyber-journeys I have taken, see my book's site at www.thelordismyshepherd.com.
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