Friday, November 1, 2002

Shabbat-O-Gram, Nov. 1, 2002 and Heshvan 26, 5763

 Shabbat-O-Gram, Nov. 1, 2002 and Heshvan 26, 5763

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut

J  SHABBAT SHALOM  J

 

Ahem….So does anyone recall my World Series prediction???  If you don’t, go to our archive go back two weeks and see for yourself

Previous Shabbat-O-Grams can now be accessed directly from our web site (www.tbe.org), or more directly at www.tbe.org/sog/index.htm -- and our Web site now also has High Holy Day sermon postings and recent youth group photos

 

JUST THE FACTS: Services and Such (featuring our 1st Family Friday Service)

Friday Night:

Candles: 4:33 PM ( GEVALT, that’s early!)

Services at 7:30 PM in the CHAPEL. 

Please join us en masse so that we can welcome those from the JCC’s Young Jewish Professionals group who will be our special guests at services this week.  This service is open to everyone!

Tot Shabbat Services with Nurit: 7:15 PM, in the Lobby

Shabbat morning:

This week is a Kahal – congregant led service, followed by lunch. Service begins at 9:30 AM, with children’s services at 10:30.

Torah Portion: Hayye Sara 

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. CLAL's Torah commentary archive: http://click.topica.com/maaaiRtaaRvQhbV2AtLb/.  Nehama Liebowitz archives of parsha commentaries: http://www.torahcc.org/nechama/gilayonarchives.htm.  For a more Kabbalistic/Zionist perspective from Rav Kook, first Chief Rabbi of Israel, go to http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/index.html

Mazal Tov to Inga and Lucain Tuluca, whose daughter Leah Vicky will be named this Shabbat morning

Mincha Havdalah service: 4:00 PM

Mazal Tov to Jason Piskin, who becomes Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat afternoon.

Morning MinyanDaily at 7:30 AM, Sunday at 9AM

 

----------------------------

 

Spiritual Journey on the Web:  Humility

 

One of the best puns in the entire Torah occurs in this week’s portion of Hayye Sarah.  As Abraham attempts to conclude a deal for some property in which to bury his wife, he deals with the Hittite Ephron. In Gen 23:7, we read that, out of respect and humility, Abraham “bowed low to the people of the land, the Hittiites.”  The pun, a double pun actually, only serves to reinforce this demonstration of humility.  For Abraham bowed to “Am Ha’aretz liv’nay Chayt.”  As we recall from the High Holidays, the word chayt means “sin.” Although here it is spelled differently in meaning “Hittite,” it sounds exactly the same.  So to ancient (and modern) Jewish ears, when hearing this phrase recited, we pick up the nuance that Abraham was bowing low to sinners.

 

Not only sinners, but those who were “Am Ha-aretz.”  Literally it means the “nation of the land,” but in later Jewish lore an “am ha’aretz” is considered a simpleton, the Jewish version of a “bumpkin,” one who is ignorant of Jewish law (find a definition at http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/judaism/bldef_amhaaretz.htm).   Some interesting Halachic views on the Am Haaretz can be found at http://www.torah.org/learning/rambam/talmudtorah/tt3.2.html and http://www.torah.org/learning/halashon/rchapter7.html, all reinforcing the need for humility, which is why Abraham humbled himself to them.

A rabbi once said that all wise men and women should keep two verses in their pockets: in one pocket, "For My sake the world was created," in the other, "Dust art thou and unto dust thou shalt return." The lesson we learn from Abraham here is that, that no one, no matter how uneducated, is beneath any one else -- and it is never beneath our dignity to be humble.

Here are some more Jewish lessons from the Web, on the subject of humility:

http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/Humility.html From the Jewish Virtual Library – a nice lesson developed from texts

http://www.hillel.org/hillel/newhille.nsf/669e75f27e96d8a1852567d9005462b1/D63F12DF42226AF6852569110067D0A1?OpenDocument, similar lesson, but expanded, from the Hillel web site

http://www.cckollel.org/html/heritage/questions/question132.html  I like the definition found here for humility: “Judaism defines humility as "living with the reality that nothing matters except doing the right thing." That means the humble person is not dependent on the opinion of others. Because sometimes doing the right thing is popular (and consistent with one's ego needs), and sometimes it's not. But the humble person can set his ego aside, if need be, in order to consistently do the right thing.”

http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/festivls/pesach/psruen04.html Moses and humility.

http://www.darchenoam.org/discussion/dis_home.htm#humility A series of lessons (shiurim) on the topic

http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/humility.htm -- “the Rav” (Soloveitchik) lessons on humility

http://www.uscj.org/scripts/uscj/paper/Article.asp?ArticleID=379 USCJ material

http://www.digiserve.com/mystic/Jewish/Matt/humble.html Quotations from Daniel Matt, from a kabbalistic perspective

http://www.jewishmag.com/10mag/story/story.htm -- What the grape and humility have in common

http://www.inner-meditation.org/basic/intro/intro03.htm To Know God in Humility – introduction to Jewish meditation.

 

There is also such a thing as being too humble.  That was the sentiment expressed by Isaac Leib Peretz in his classic tale “Bontsche the Silent.”  An 
English translation appears in "A Treasury of Yiddish Stories," edited by Irving Howe and Eliezer Greenberg (Viking Press, 1954).

Read about him, and that immortal story, at http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/100/people/bios/ylperetz.html.  Humility should never be confused with

meekness.  Abraham was no pushover.  But he knew when, and before whom, to bow.

 

Humbly yours,

jh

 

 


 

Required Reading and Action Items

 

Full Circle, Halfway Home

Joshua Hammerman - Special To The Jewish Week 

I was walking on the Upper West Side just before Rosh Hashanah, reflecting on the fast-approaching midpoint of my career — 20 years out of rabbinical school and 20 years to retirement — when I called to check my voice mail back in Stamford. There was a message from an old friend, the storyteller Peninnah Schram. So here I was, ... more...

 

Israel, Iraq and Terrorism:

 

You can spend hours at the recently upgraded Steven Spielberg Jewish Film ArchiveThe site contains 100 films available that you can watch without downloading them, via steaming video technology (you do need a fast Internet hookup in order to do that),as well as an extensive archive of Jewish cinema.  The plan is to add about 100 additional films for viewing to the site each year.  The ones available now include classic images of  Israel, both pre and post 1948.  In fact, for those planning to take

 

U.S. Reform Rabbis to Visit Ariel, Meet Terror Victims
41 Reform rabbis are arriving in Israel on Sunday for a week-long solidarity mission to Jerusalem, Haifa, and Ariel. "This is a non-ideological mission to express our solidarity with the people of Israel during this most difficult time," said the executive director of ARZA-World Union, North America, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who is heading the mission. For the upcoming mission, Hirsch said he substituted meetings with politicians and Palestinian groups with visits to victims of terrorism and a briefing in Ariel on Israel's security situation. Hirsch said that the rabbis have a humanitarian purpose for visiting West Bank communities: "We want to go there because we want to identify with the suffering of our people wherever they may live, and [show] our refusal to go along with the distinction our enemies make between a baby in Ariel and a baby in Tel Aviv."
    The mission is arriving just days after 120 Reform rabbis signed a statement condemning Palestinian terrorism unconditionally, and rejecting the idea that a solution to the conflict can be imposed - an effort initiated by Rabbi Michael Boyden of Hod Hasharon in Israel. (Jerusalem Post)

 

Iraq First - Ehud Ya'ari
So long as Abu Mazen and his like avoid engaging Arafat or Hamas in a real test of strength, and make do with grumbling, threats, and position papers, there won't be any serious change in the situation and all the attempts at de-escalation will be overtaken by the war in Iraq (or whatever last minute formula is found to replace it). Arafat thinks that another Gulf War will lead to an international conference a la Madrid. He is hoping to hold on until then. His rivals in the Fatah leadership, however, argue that that is a dangerous gamble, and that Sharon will exploit the coming period to hasten the implosion of the Palestinian Authority. (Jerusalem Report)

 

Israeli Special Forces Go on a Scud Hunt
Israel's Unit 262, the equivalent of Britain's Special Air Service (SAS), is on a mission in western Iraq to protect Israel from missile strikes. The Israelis are understood to have deployed two teams of 24 commandos, that have detected at least one Scud base. The commandos hide by day and operate at night, using data from the Israeli spy satellite Ofek-5, which transmits images of Iraqi targets to Israel every 60 minutes. As another precaution, Israeli air force officers are working with their Jordanian counterparts to detect low-level Iraqi planes flying towards Israel. (Front Page Magazine/Sunday Times - UK)

 

In the Shadow of Iraq: Sharon's Washington Visit - Abraham Ben-Zvi
The "road map" outlined by President Bush in his negotiations with Prime Minister Sharon was primarily intended to accomplish the tactical, short-term goal of making it easier for central Arab powers to cooperate with the U.S. against Iraq. The new American map, unlike the Mitchell Report, did not specifically call on Israel to stop all settlement activity as soon as an effective cease-fire was implemented. (Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies - Tel Aviv University)

 

Syrian Occupation Changes Lebanese Demographics - John Perazzo
With some 35,000 troops in Lebanon, Syria controls the Lebanese presidency, government, and press. Syrian secret agents roam Lebanese streets, eavesdropping on conversations in search of a seditious word. Should they overhear anything objectionable, the offender is beaten, arrested, tortured, and in many cases simply "disappears," never to be seen again. Moreover, the Assad dynasty has systematically flooded Lebanon with more than a million Syrian emigrants, while some 850,000 Lebanese have been forced to leave their country during the past dozen years - drastically altering Lebanese demographics. (Front Page Magazine)

 

Fatah Focusing Attacks on Settlers - David Rudge (Jerusalem Post) The attacks in Ariel and Hermesh appear to mark the beginning of a trend to focus terrorist activities on settlers, says Dr. Hillel Frisch, a senior researcher at Bar-Ilan University's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. According to Frisch:

Legal Aspects of the Palestinian Refugee Question - Ruth Lapidoth

  • The number of Arab refugees in 1949 was between 538,000 (Israeli sources), 720,000 (UN estimates), and 850,000 (Palestinian sources). By 2001, the number of refugees registered with and supported by UNRWA had grown to about 3.5 million.
  • The UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees does not include descendents in its definition of refugees, nor does it apply to a person who "has acquired a new nationality, and enjoys the protection of the country of his new nationality." Under this definition, the number of Palestinians qualifying for refugee status would be well below half a million.
  • The very broad definition under which the number of refugees constantly increases may be appropriate for UNRWA purposes in order to decide who qualifies for assistance, but it is hardly suitable for other purposes.
  • UN General Assembly Resolution 194 of 11 December 1948 does not recognize any "right" to return, but recommends that the refugees "should" be "permitted" to return, subject to two conditions - that the refugee wishes to return, and that he wishes to live at peace with his neighbors. The violence that erupted in September 2000 forecloses any hope for a peaceful co-existence between Israelis and masses of returning refugees.
  • UN General Assembly Resolution 393 of 2 December 1950 recommended the "reintegration of the refugees into the economic life of the Near East, either by repatriation or resettlement" (emphasis added, R.L.).
  • Security Council Resolution 242 of 22 November 1967 affirms the necessity "for achieving a just settlement of the refugee problem." The Council did not propose a specific solution, nor did it limit the provision to Arab refugees, probably because the right to compensation of Jewish refugees from Arab lands also deserves a "just settlement."
    (Jerusalem Viewpoints - Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

 Historians Criticize Islamic Dhimmitude and Pay a Price - Rod Dreher
Jewish student leaders at Georgetown University accused the speaker - Bat Yeor, the leading historian of dhimmitude (the state of formal discrimination historically imposed on Jews and Christians living under Islamic occupation) - of not making "a clear distinction between pure, harmonious Islam, and the acts of a few who falsely claim to act in the name of Islam."
    "This is pure nonsense," Bat Yeor replies. "When one studies the Inquisition or the Crusades, one does not feel obliged to make a clear distinction between 'pure' Christianity and those historical events....This attitude imposes the worst law of dhimmitude on non-Muslims: the refusal of their evidence. The historical testimony of the millions of human victims of jihad is rejected on its face by this doctrinal attitude." (National Review)

IDF Intelligence: No Palestinian Partner - Amos Harel (Ha'aretz) Major General Aharon Ze'evi, director of military intelligence, will present the IDF's annual intelligence assessment to the inner cabinet today. According to the assessment:

  • Israel does not have a partner for diplomatic agreements at this stage - most certainly not in Yasser Arafat. There are no signs of Arafat agreeing to step down in the coming months, nor of a potential successor.
  • There are no signs of an end to the confrontation with the Palestinians in the coming year. Israel must manage the conflict in such a way as to avoid it escalating or slipping into a conflict with other Arab countries.

 

OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST

 

“Responsa for Today.” Want to know if smoking is prohibited in Jewish law?  Interested in whether we should tell the truth to terminal patients?  Why do we sway when we pray?  For answers to these questions and many many more, go to Masorti’s responsa Web site at: http://www.responsafortoday.com/eng_index.html.  Keep in mind that the Masorti views do not always correspond with rulings of the American-based Law Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly, but Rabbi David Golinkin, the author of many of these responsa, is widely viewed as one of the major authorities in Conserviative Halacha.  In any event, this makes for fascinating, thought-provoking reading.

Looking to grab some moments of peace in the middle of a tough week?  Prepping for Shabbat?  Right now, click on rightnow.  You won’t regret it.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/10/24/jewish.community.ap/index.html Eruv “upheld” in court.

 

Liberal Thinker 

Paul Wellstone, the two-term Minnesota senator killed last week in plane crash,remembered as a passionate advocate for the underdog. James D. Besser - Washington Correspondent, the Jewish Week http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=6917

 

One People, Two Worlds,” the title of the current book by a Reform and an Orthodox rabbi exploring the issues that divide them, proved to be all too accurate this week when the Orthodox author, Yosef Reinman — under pressure from religious leaders in his haredi community — canceled a 17-day, 17-city book tour that was to begin Sunday with co-author Ammiel Hirsch.  By Gary Rosenblatt of the Jewish Week, at http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editcolcontent.php3

Francis: Probing Religion's Role in Economic Success "The economy of nations whose people hold firm religious beliefs, especially with regard to heaven and hell, tend to grow faster. Further, the stick represented by a fear of hell apparently stimulates growth more than the carrot of the prospect of heaven. These are the results of a new study probing the time-honored fascination of economists with the impact of religion on economics – and vice versa...."

Goldberg: Suit Charges Religious Discrimination Over Eyebrow Piercing"To Costco, an employee's eyebrow ring was a violation of the corporation's dress code. To the worker, it was a symbol of her religious belief. Last year Costco Wholesale Corp. fired Kimberly M. Cloutier of West Springfield for refusing to remove the ring. She has now filed a $2 million suit against the corporation.  Cloutier, 27, belongs to the Church of Body Modification and maintains that her piercings, which include several earrings in each ear and a recently acquired lip ring, are worn as a sign of faith and help to unite her mind, body and soul...."

 

 

Special for college students (and college applicants):   

 

Go to Davka’s  (http://www.davka.org/) resources for college students at http://www.davka.org/where/israel/explained/index.html for some good flyers that can be distributed around your campus.  This material explains the Israeli position in clear, concise and easily swallowed chunks, with graphics.  Well done.  Thanls to Rabbi Liz Rolle for the tip on this one.

 

If you are about to go to college, a parent or a grandparent of a college student www.hillel.org is a website to bookmark.  It has all the information that any Jewish college student or applicant will need Their search function will enable you to research Jewish life at just about any college or university.  There are various links to all kinds of Jewish information and other areas such as financial aid.  You can also find information on conferences and on the Birthright Israel program.

 

 

Quotes of the Week: 

“Bombs in Bali. More bombs in the Philippines. A mass hostage-taking in Moscow. A sniper in Washington’s suburbs. Is this how it is going to be? Terror everywhere? Terror without end?…In the mind’s dark places, a dismaying prospect opens up. What if October is not exceptional? What if, instead, it becomes the norm? What if, like Israelis, we face a world in which bombs and blood are a commonplace, a matter of routine? And what if, like Israelis, we find that our war against terrorism fails utterly to stop the terrorists from coming at us?”—Columnist Marcus Gee (Toronto Globe and Mail, Oct. 26)

“[Senator Paul Wellstone] was ‘AIPAC proof’. His support for the peace process and his view of the P.A. as a partner for peace, out of the understanding that the alternative might be Hamas and not necessarily a Palestinian Thomas Jefferson, made him, in his own eyes, a target of AIPAC. As opposed to other congressmen who suppress their own views out of fear of AIPAC’s heavy hand, Wellstone never hesitated to voice his opinion. His vote a few days ago against the broad mandate given to U.S. President George W. Bush ahead of the possibility of war with Iraq [showed] that he had no doubt about the justice of his way…With the tragic death of Wellstone, his wife and his daughter in a plane crash, the U.S. lost one of its most courageous leaders. Israel lost a real friend.”—Former Labor MK and cabinet minister Yossi Beilin eulogizing Senator Wellstone (Jer. Post, Oct. 29)

“The United Nations hasn’t really improved much in the years since I was there, and it hasn’t really improved much at all with respect to Israel. [As the U.S. ambassador at the UN] I was deeply shocked by the simple anti-Semitism that pervaded the place…We need to speak out about the calumny spoken at the UN. We must tell the truth…The state of Israel has taken more risks for peace than any state in the world, and has received very few rewards for those risks for peace…”—Former US Ambassador to the UN Jeane Kirkpatrick, giving the keynote speech at the Zionist Organization of America’s Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award Dinner. (Jerusalem Post, Oct. 28) 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS (and lots of ‘em)

 

TWO NEW CLASSES BEGIN NEXT THURSDAY

 

The Accessible Talmud

with Barb Moskow

 

     In this introductory course, we will spend the first session cracking the secrets of Talmud study before moving on to actual text study.  Each subsequent week will feature a different text, illuminating the diverse styles and ideas represented by sages.  Knowledge of Hebrew, Aramaic, Old French and the ability to read Rashi script Not Required!  We will utilize the Steinsaltz English edition of the Talmud for our studies.

 

DATES:  November 7, 14, 21, December 5, 12

TIME:  7:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.

 

“What’s a Nice People like the Jews

Doing in a Mess Like This?”

with Rabbi Joshua Hammerman

 

     This class will trace the roots of the Israeli Arab conflict, with a special focus on understanding the various streams of Zionism. A historical exploration, using video and text, of how the Jewish people returned to Israel and how they coped with what they found when they got there. The class will also discuss ways to become informed advocates for Israel (making the case forcefully and with historical background) while also understanding the nuances, complex, and tragic nature of “the situation.”

 

 

DATES:  November 7, 14, 21, December 5, 12

TIME:  8:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.

 

     HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FOR THE FIRST CLASS: PERUSE THE NEW Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive AND, IF YOUR INTERNET HOOK-UP ALLOWS, CLICK ON “VIEW THE FILMS” AND WATCH ONE OR MORE OF THE FILMS IN THE SECTION MARKED “PRE-STATE.”  WE’LL BE WATCHING AND ANALYZING EXCERPTS FROM THE CLASSIC FILM, “LAND OF PROMISE,” AT THAT FIRST SESSION.

 

--------------------

 

 

Birth and Beyond:

Common Roots – Varied Practices

 

Christian, Jewish and Muslim beliefs and traditions associated with birth, coming of age, marriage and the end of life.  (Rabbi Hammerman and many others will be participating)

 

This Sunday, November 3, from 2:30 – 6:00 PM

First Congregational Church

Old Greenwich

 

Annual conference coordinated by the Religious Educators Committee of the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut

.

 

--------------------

 

Paramus Productions and Mark W. Beckerman/Senior Prom Productions invite you to a reading of a new comedy

“Sex and the New Age in Paramus,” 

by Jordan Jacobson,

who just happens to be married to our very own Cantor Deborah Jacobson

Where: Studio 3A @ the Duke Theatre

When: Monday, November 4

Time: 6:30 PM Refreshments, 7:00 PM Reading

RSVP Tel: 212-769-6449, email paramusproductions@hotmail.com

TICKETS ARE FREE!!!

GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF WHAT WILL CERTAINLY BECOME THE TALK OF THE TOWN!!

 

---------------------

 

7th Grade Shabbat Dinner

Friday, November 8th

7:30 p.m.

 

--------------------------

 

Hanukkah Concert

Nov. 24 @ 4:00 PM

Fun for all ages, as we get ready for the holiday

a musical celebration, and lots more (with a dreidel spinning contest too!)

With our Junior and Adult Choirs

Led by Cantor Deborah Jacobson.

Accompanied by Simona Frenkel on keyboard & piano

and Nurit Avigdor on guitar and vocals.

Potato latkes, sufganiyot (jelly donuts), cookies & drinks.

Raffle Drawing (CD players and much much more)!

A gift for every child to take home!

 

DON’T MISS IT!   

 

-----------------------------

 

CABARET

A Night of Magic and Comedy

Saturday, November 16, 2002

8:00 pm—Meet and Mingle

Open Bar with wine and soft drinks

Wandering Magicians

Comedic Skits by Ensemble Studio Workshop

 

The Main Act:

The Magical Duo-George Schindler & Nina

 

A Surprise Finale-- Starring Cantor Deborah Jacobson

 

Temple Beth El

Followed by Ice Cream and Dessert Buffet

Desserts by Thyme for Kosher

 

RSVP by November 5

For Information on Ticket Prices--- Contact the Temple Office or

Check the Website

 

 

----------------------------------------

 

AN EVENING OF MUSIC AND TANGO

Tuesday, November 19, 2002
7:30pm at Rich Forum in Stamford, CT.


Sponsored by the Jewish Federations of Fairfield County

Attend a benefit concert for Argentinean Jews.
Proceeds will fund JDC (Joint Distribution Committee) hunger and social
service programs at 70 welfare centers in Argentina.


Tickets available @ $100  per person.
Available through the Greenwich UJA/Federation at 552-1818.

($1,000 and higher levels includes multiple tickets and post performance
dessert reception.)

Program for the evening includes performances by:

The Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir under the baton of conductor Eli Jaffe
The renowned Raul Juarena Tango Band and dancers
Argentine Soprano Raquel Mendelsohn
Local Cantors including Cantor Deborah Jacobson from our synagogue

The current crisis involves 200,000 Jews currently live in Argentina - the
5th largest Jewish community in the world.

       - 60,000 Jews live below the poverty line and are unemployed.
       - 70% of small businesses owned by Jews have closed.
  - Thousands are homeless and on food rations.

*Because of this important community event, the November 19th meeting for the Women of the Book group has been canceled.  Instead of seeing a video on December 17th, the group will discuss the book “Bee Season.”

 

--------------------------

 

Congregational Shabbat Dinner

Friday, November 22nd

6:00 p.m.

Sponsored by the Religious School & Sisterhood

RSVP to the Religious School office 322-6901, ext. 306.

Followed by: Family Friday Night Service

7:30 p.m.

Featuring our Junior Choir

----

And save the date for our

HOMECOMING SHABBAT

AS WE WELCOME BACK ALL OUR COLLEGE STUDENTS

Shabbat morning, Nov. 30 @ 9:30

RSVP if you (or your collegian) will be there --we’re ordering special Hanukkah gifts

 

-------------------

 

It’s Kislev!  Welcome it with our

Rosh Hodesh Group – with Barb Moskow

Monday, Nov. 4

7:30 PM

 

---------------------------

The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day
By Francine Klagsbrun
Talking to God: Prayers for Times of Joy, Sadness, Struggle, and Celebration,                  By Naomi Levy

Wednesday, Nov. 20 • 7:30 p.m. Temple Beth El

In The Fourth Commandment and Talking to God, authors Klagsbrun and Levy, leading women of Conservative Judaism, share their thoughts on Judaism’s most important events. Francine Klagsbrun is a columnist in Moment magazine and the author of several books on Jewish practice and ethics. Naomi Levy is one the first female Rabbis of the Conservative movement and is the author several books on Jewish spirituality and healing after tragedy.  This program ispart of the JCC’s Jewish Book Festival series and co-sponsored by Temple Beth El

 

-----------------------------

 

Learning & Latte”

A series of monthly dialogues hosted by Borders

Tuesday, November 26th at 7:30 P.M.

 

JOURNEYS THROUGH GENESIS

This Month:  The Temptation of Adam and Eve

 

Groundbreaking conversations led by

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman of Temple Beth El

and the Rev. Dr. Douglas McArthur, Senior Pastor

of the First United Methodist Church

 

 

----------------------------------------

 

Don’t Miss the JCC’s Jewish Film Festival, Oct 26th-Nov.3rd

 

Beth El is a co-sponsor of the series, and particular the film, “Trembling before God,” a feature-length documentary about Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who “come out” as gays and lesbians and as a result reconcile their sexual orientation with the drastic discipline of their tradition.

 

Saturday, November 2nd

Gripsholm

7:30 p.m.

at the State Cinema

 

Sunday, November 3rd

Trembling Before God

2:00 p.m.

at the Garden Cinema

 

I’m Alive and I Love You

3:30 p.m.

at the Garden Cinema

 

Trembling Before God

7:00 p.m.

at the Garden Cinema

Featuring a dialogue with area rabbis and Rabbi Steve Greenberg

-----------------------------------------

 

 

TEMPLE BETH EL LEARNER’S MINYAN

 

n     DO YOU PANIC WHEN CALLED UP FOR AN ALIYAH?

n     DO YOU WONDER WHY WE SAY THE AMIDA TWICE?

n     DO YOU THINK THAT A HAFTARAH IS “HALF A TORAH?”

WELL, WONDER NO MORE!  IT’S BACK, BUT AT A NEW TIME

JOINBARB MOSKOW IN THE LIBRARY

NOVEMBER 16, 2002

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

 

---------

 

YJP and the Stamford Jewish Community are promoting the following:

JCC Maccabi Xperience Israel Programs (JMAX) and

Birthright Israel want to give YOU a GIFT:

FREE trip to Israel for 10 days

Who can go? YOU, if:

 

● you are Jewish

● you are between 18 – 26

● you haven’t traveled to Israel before with a peer-educational group.

 

Registration deadline is November 30, 2002

Expected departure is January 5, 2003

For more information contact Dan Rozett at 203.322.7900 ext. 142 or drozett@stamfordjcc.org You can also go to www.jccmaccabix.org for additional information

 

 

----------------

 

 

YOUTH ACTIVITIES

 

Election Day

The Kadima and USY trip to the Palisades Mall has been postponed

 

Kesher (3-5) overnight at TBE

Sunday Nov.10

 

Atid (K-2) Hanukkah Gift-Making Day

Sunday Nov. 17

1-3 PM

 

9th grade, 10th grade and New Member Mystery Overnight

Nov. 2 and 3 in West Hartford

 

USY Regional Fall Kinnus 2002

Camp Isabella Friedman

November 22-24

 

USY (9-12) and Kadima (6-8)

DINNER AND SERVICE

Friday, November 15th

6-8:30 PM

 

 

And finally, in honor of the new Hammer-dog, here’s a good joke I’ve gotten from a few online friends:

A guy gets a new dog, a nice Jewish dog. So he calls him Einstein. Now he can't wait to show him off to his neighbor. So, a couple of weeks later when the neighbor finally comes over, the guy calls Einstein into the house, bragging about how smart he is. The dog quickly comes running and stands looking up at his master, tail wagging excitedly, mouth open, tongue hanging out, eyes bright with anticipation. The guy points to the newspaper on the couch and commands "Fetch!"

 

Immediately, the dog climbs on to the couch and sits, his tail wagging furiously. Then all of a sudden, he stops. His doggie smile disappears. He starts to frown and puts on a sour face. Looking up at his master, he whines, "You think this is easy, wagging my tail all the time? Oy vey... This constant wagging of the tail puts me in such pain, you should only know! And you think it's easy eating that dreck you call designer dog food. Forget it .... it's too salty and it gives me gas, but what do you care? You try it. Dreck I say! Then you push me out the door to take care of my business, twice a day. It's disgusting I tell you!"

 

The neighbor is absolutely amazed...stunned. In astonishment, he says, "I can't believe it. Einstein can speak. Your dog actually talks. You asked him to fetch the newspaper and he is sitting on the sofa talking to us."

 

"I know, I know." says the dog owner. "He's not yet fully trained yet.  He thought I said, "Kvetch."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Web link for this week's Shabbat-O-Gram is - http://www.tbe.org/sog/021101.htm - The site is continually updated during the week with corrections and additions.  Feel free to forward this link to your friends. People can subscribe to the weekly Shabbat-o-Gram at www.tbe.org.   I also send out mailings to college students, Gen Xers and teens, so let us know if you wish to be placed on any of those lists.  If you wish to unsubscribe, contact office@tbe.org.  

 

No comments: