Friday, September 6, 2002

Shabbat-O-Gram for August 30-31, Elul 23, 5762

  Shabbat-O-Gram for August 30-31, Elul 23, 5762

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut

 The Web link for this week's Shabbat-O-Gram is http://www.tbe.org/sog/020831.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 placed on any of those lists.  If you wish to unsubscribe, contact office@tbe.org.  

IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE WHO IS GOING OFF TO COLLEGE PLEASE DO TWO THINGS: 1) CONVEY MY BEST WISHES FOR AN INCREDIBLE YEAR OF GROWTH AND LEARNING AND 2) SEND ME THEIR E-MAIL ADDRESSES SO I CAN SEND THEM THE WEEKLY SHABBAT-O-GRAM ALONG WITH OTHER SPECIAL E-MAIL BRIEFINGS THAT I’LL BE DISTRIBUTING TO OUR COLLEGE STUDENT LIST.  THANKS

Previous Shabbat-O-Grams are archived at http://www.tbe.org/sog/.

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URGENT!!!!!!   Give me a man who’s a stouthearted man…

MEN NEEDED FOR THE BIMAH AND SUKKAH INSTALLATION

 

The Men's Club will be donning their work gloves on Sunday, September first, starting at 8:30 AM to install the Bimah platforms for the High Holy Days and to erect the Sukkah frame outside the Religious School entrance.  No special skills are needed for the assemblers, but some new jokes and the ability to tell them well are helpful skills for the folks coming down to give moral support and drink coffee.  Dozens of people are needed for the following tasks:

  • shlepping pieces from storage
  • assembling and bolting the frames together
  • arguing about how the pieces fit together
  • drinking coffee and eating bagels
  • setting up folding chairs in the social hall
  • supervising and shmoozing the work crews

ALL KIDDING ASIDE, THESE ARE CRITICAL TASKS THAT MUST BE DONE DURING THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND AND WE WILL NEED A LOT OF VOLUNTEERS TO GET THEM DONE IN A FEW HOURS ON SUNDAY MORNING SEPTEMBER 1ST!  IT'S NOT HARD WORK IF WE HAVE ENOUGH HANDS TO DO IT!

 

Please call or email Rich Cohen at 322-1131 or rxrphrich@aol.com as soon as possible if you can be there to assist.

J  SHABBAT SHALOM  J

as we continue our journey together through Elul, the month of reflection, teshuvah and anticipation…

 

Trembling with Hope:

A Contemporary Selichot Service

 

Selichot Evening at Beth El

Saturday, August 31

THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!!!

(the first Yahrzeit for 9/11/01)

8:30 - Refreshments, followed by Havdalah, Discussion, Prayer, Song and Meditation

Blending the traditional and the contemporary.

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JUST THE FACTS: Services and Such

Friday Night: Candles: 7:12 PM

Kabbalat Shabbat – 7:00 PM (OUTDOORS, WEATHER PERMITTING) WE’LL BE BEGINNING PROMPTLY TO FINISH BEFORE IT GETS TOO DARK.  If it’s wet, rainy or cold, we’ll be in the lobby.

Shabbat Morning: 

Services at 9:30 AM, in the sanctuary, children’s services at 10:30 AM

Mazal Tov to Amanda Jablon, who becomes Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat morning.

TORAH PORTION: Nitzavim-Vayelech

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

Morning Minyan: Daily at 7:30, Sundays at 9:00, this Monday at 10.  Mazal Tov to Elana Schacht, who becomes Bat Mitzvah this Monday morning.

REMINDERS – SELICHOT SATURDAY NIGHT (AUG 31) AT 8:30 PM;

AND ON LABOR DAY MORNING, September 2, MORNING MINYAN WILL BE HELD AT 10:00 AM, IN THE SANCTUARY

 

Annual Memorial Service (Kever Avot) - Monday, September 2nd, 12:00 noon, at our cemetery

 

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A REFUAH SHLAYMA (GET WELL SOON) TO BRUCE FEINBERG

 

 

Spiritual Journey on the Web – What are (is) Selichot?

The days of Elul now dwindle down to a few, and the process of Teshuvah intensifies with the recitation of special penitential prayers known as Selichot.  Sephardim have been reciting them throughout Elul, but for Jews of European (Askenazi) extraction, the custom is to begin reciting them at dawn on the Sunday before Rosh Hashanah.  That time was moved up to midnight over the last century, to accommodate late-sleeping Americans.  Some (like us) have moved it up even more, to just after Shabbat, to accommodate babysitters.  Whenever you do these prayers, the idea is the same – preparation to enter the New Year in the proper mood of humility and contrition.

 

According to an article at jewz.com, http://www.jewz.com/articles/selichot.phtml, “the Selichot prayer service is patterned after a custom practiced by Jews in the ghettos and small towns of Eastern Europe. In those days, during the ten "Days of Awe" between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a representative of the synagogue would go from house to house at midnight to rouse Jews from their sleep. He would knock loudly three times upon the door with his wooden clapper, then sing in a traditional Yiddish melody, "O Israel! O holy people! Awake! Rouse yourselves! Get up for the service of the Creator" When the Jews reached the synagogue, they would recite Selichot, which are prayers asking God for forgiveness.”

 

Find out more about Selichot at http://www.jewfaq.org/elul.htm, and http://www.ou.org/chagim/elul/selichotbasic.htm.  The National Jewish Outreach Program has an excellent section on this at  http://www.njop.org/html/RoshPrep.html.

 

Twice during Selichot, and again throughout the Days of Awe, we repeated the 13 Attributes of Divine Mercy.  Find a nice explanation of these attributes at http://www.wujs.org.il/activist/activities/programmes/rosh_hashana/sappendix.shtml.  Each of these qualities needs to be cultivated more within ourselves.  More on the attributes can be found at http://www.vbm-torah.org/roshandyk/13-eb.htm.  The basis for reciting the thirteen attributes of mercy is found in Rosh Hashana 17b. "God passed by him and called..." (Shemot 34,6). R. Yochanan said: Were this not an explicit verse, we could not have said such a thing. It tells us that the Holy One, blessed be He, wrapped Himself (in a talit) like the prayer leader (chazzan) and showed Moshe the order of prayer. He said to him: Whenever Israel sins, let them perform this order and I shall forgive them.  "HaShem HaShem" - I am He before man sins; I am He after man sins and repents ... Rav Yehuda said: A covenant is made over the thirteen attributes, that they are never ineffectual, as is written, "Behold I am making a covenant" (34:10).” 

 

This passage raises lots of questions, about why God had to don a tallit and show Moses how to recite the attributes.  The aforementioned Web site covers many of these points.  But the most important question is why recite a laundry list of qualities at all, rather than simply praying for forgiveness.  From this we learn that the attributes of God, in Judaism, are not theology. They are revelations, manifestations of God's presence in the world.  In other words, we need not waste too much time speculating on what God is – but rather on what God DOES, and how sanctity is made manifest in our world.

 

Maimonides listed the steps toward true Teshuvah as being:

  • Recognize and discontinue the action, which may be something as drastic as stealing or as common as losing one's temper.
  • Verbally confess the action, thus giving the action a concrete existence in one's own mind.
  • Regret the action. Evaluate the negative effects this action may have had on oneself or on others.
  • Determine not to do the action again. Picture yourself in the same situation and create a positive way to handle it.

Finally, a prayer for Selichot can be found at http://www.jewish.com/news/columnists/FESH27.shtml:

DEAR GOD, forgive me for not being the best Jew I can be. Forgive me for pointing fingers at others who are less concerned with their Judaism than am I. Help me to do better in all things. Help me to be the best person that I can be.

I know that You, God, can only forgive me for those offenses I have committed against You. I must ask forgiveness directly of those people whom I have wronged in order for them to forgive me.

FOR OUR CHILDREN (of all ages), please forgive us for all the times we have yelled at you because we were angry at someone else. Forgive us for the promises we made and failed to keep. Forgive us for not understanding your inner hurts, and for the times when we were too busy to listen. Forgive us for all the times we said "No" for no reason. Help us to be better parents. Try to understand that parents often are selfish, and that they think of themselves first. Yet parents love you and want to teach you to love the world and all the people in it. We love you, and ask your forgiveness.

FOR OUR SPOUSES, please forgive me for the petty misunderstandings that have grown into large quarrels. Forgive me for not reaching out to you in your need when I was too wrapped up in my needs. Help me to be a better mate. Help me to learn to share more of my innermost thoughts with you so that you can be more receptive to my needs. Help me to appreciate our love to its fullest.

FOR OUR FRIENDS, forgive me for all the unknown hurts I may have inflicted upon you by not being aware of your needs. Forgive me for not sharing some of my thoughts and hurts with you. Help me to be a better friend.

FOR OURSELF, forgive me for all the times I did not stop myself from saying or doing something that may have hurt others. Forgive me for being too hard on myself and not seeing the goodness that is there. Forgive me for not allowing myself to grow. Help me to understand that before another can love me, I must love myself. Help me to enjoy life, love and the world.

FOR EACH OTHER, thank you for being patient with each other; thank you for caring about each other; thank you for being you and allowing each of us to be ourselves.

 

 

Required Reading and Action Items

 

 

 

Arafat’s Still Here -- Danny Rubenstein
The chairman is holding fewer and fewer meetings with senior statesmen, making and getting fewer important international phone calls and exchanging fewer messages of political or diplomatic value. Just a few weeks ago, diplomats and journalists from all over the world were preoccupied with the status of the Palestinian leader who was under siege by Israel in his headquarters in Ramallah. Yet now he seems to be forgotten. Has Arafat's leadership effectively ended? The three-man kitchen cabinet that operated alongside Arafat during the siege no longer exists. Arafat's status may be wretched these days, but even in this state of affairs, no one is challenging his leadership - he is stronger than all the others. (Ha’aretz)

 

Don't Isolate Israel, Use It -- Neill Lochery
As Israeli involvement in any conflict is inevitable, it makes sense for U.S. planners to coordinate planning activities with their Israel counterparts. The most obvious use of Israel would be in the intelligence field. Israel could contribute to the widely expected air campaign, and by employing its Special Forces to destroy Iraqi mobile missile sites on the ground. Israel exists in a dangerous neighborhood. President Bush should -- if he hasn't done so already -- give the order to his military advisors to involve Israel in the planning and execution of the war. The brutal truth is that this will be Israel's war as much as America's. (UPI International Desk)

 

Another Local Legend -- Ehud Ya'ari
A few hours after the killing of Salah Shehadeh, the commander of the military wing of Hamas, in Gaza on July 23, the claims started: Hamas, the argument went, had been on the verge of joining Fatah in a unilateral, unconditional cease-fire declaration, and only Israel, in its folly, and Sharon, in his profound nefariousness, prevented this miracle from happening. It should be clear now even to those who so eagerly bought into the "cease-fire that was missed" story -- it never had a chance. Hamas was not about to accept, before Shehadeh's elimination, a formula that was several times more far-reaching than that which it rejected afterward. (Jerusalem Report)

Analysis of Israeli Policy: A Facade of Going Forward -- Aluf Benn
(Ha'aretz )

  • The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been put on hold as discussions get underway over the American attack against Iraq.
  • The diplomatic contacts are moving forward slowly and have revealed the deep rift between the sides. Everyone talks in the same phrases but with completely different meanings
  • Foreign Minister Peres believes that the whole proposed election process will blow up over the demand that residents of east Jerusalem participate in the elections, since the current Israeli government will never agree to that.

From Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:Palestinian Violence and Terrorism and The International War against Terrorism

Chicago’s Jewish community has created "Israel Advocacy: A College Student’s Handbook."

Israel Faxx – a great selection of links  http://www.israelfaxx.com/links/themeindex.html

http://www.ujafedny.org/911remembrance/ -- New York UJA-Federation’s Site commemorating the anniversary of 9/11 – lots of excellent material

 

http://www.bjeny.org/270.htm  other supplementary materials for 9/11 from the BJE of New York

 

http://www.hillel.org/hillel/newhille.nsf/0/ED898FC2A8598A2C85256C1B004927C9?OpenDocument 9/11 program from the Hillel web site

 

http://www.jafi.org.il/top10/index.htm -- Jewish Agency’s top Web sites.  Nice selection – changes regularly

Useful Websites
Israel Goverment Gateway
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Israel Defense Forces
Jewish Agency for Israel
N.Y. Consulate
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Israeli News Sources
Ha'aretz
Jerusalem Post
Kol-Israel Radio

Media Monitoring Sites
Camera
Honest Reporting
MEMRI
Palestinian Media Watch

Israel Bonds Soar in Sputtering U.S. Economy
Since February, Israel Bonds has recorded record-breaking sales, raising close to $861 million by the end of July, 32 percent more than the previous year. The treasury has asked Israel Bonds to raise $1.25 billion by the end of the year, and if current sales figures hold, they will probably surpass that goal. Two reasons for the recent success are the wave of sympathy for Israel, particularly after suicide bombings outraged the world, and the attractive interest rates on bonds at a time when U.S. interest rates are the lowest in decades. (Ha'aretz)

http://www.walk4israel.com/honey.cfm “Sweets of Solidarity,” Send holiday gift packages to terror victim families, Israeli soldiers, or someone in your own family.

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/index.jsp

This website contains the complete contents of the 12-volume Jewish Encyclopedia, which was originally published between 1901-1906. The Jewish Encyclopedia, which recently became part of the public domain, contains over 15,000 articles and illustrations. This online version contains the unedited contents of the original encyclopedia. Since the original work was completed almost 100 years ago, it does not cover a significant portion of modern Jewish History (e.g., the creation of Israel, the Holocaust, etc.). However, it does contain an incredible amount of information that is remarkably relevant today.

 

http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editletcontent.php3?artid=2208  Rabbi Sidney Schwarz in the Jewish Week: “The organized Jewish community is stuck in a time warp. Notwithstanding calamitous numbers reflecting declining Jewish affiliation rates, flat federation campaigns, and studies that show the low level of interest in communal expressions of Jewish identity, the Jewish community continues along its merry way.”

 

http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=6630  Read about the Shomer Shabbat (Sabbath observant) little leaguer from Worcester, Mass. who pinch ran only after it was dark on Saturday night at the Little League World Series.  Sandy Koufax never did THIS!!!  Who needs to see the pros when we have little role models like this to look up to.

 

 

 

FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAYS….

 

From www.Jewishfamily.comA Thriving Diaspora: "As the High Holidays approach, and we reflect on all that is wrong in Israel and beyond," writes acclaimed author Larry Tye, "it is critical that we heed and take hope from what is going right."  Also, check out  Making T'Shuva Count: One of the major themes of the High Holidays is that of t'shuva, or repentance. And if we are to truly get a fresh start in this new year, says Rachel Kadish, then it is our responsibility to do t'shuva correctly.

 

The Elul Journal, by Rabbi Rami Shapiro (on PDF), an excellent resource for self-reflection, meditation and preparation: http://www.simplyjewish.com/PDFs/Elul_PDF.pdf

 

http://tikkun.best.vwh.net/9901/9901green.html -- An interesting article about Abraham Joshua Heschel’s philosophies, by Dr. Arthur Green of Brandeis.

 

High Holiday Guide from UJA-Federation http://www.ujafedny.org/Jewish_Life/Holiday_Archive/rosh_hashanah5763.htm

 

 http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/diduknow/jrpguide/12_part2.shtmlhttp://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/diduknow/jrpguide/12_part3.shtml -- Rabbi Isaac Klein’s (Conservative) Guide to Jewish Practice – on Elul and teshuvah

http://www.ou.org/chagim/elul/default.htm -- from the Orthodox Union

http://www.inner.org/times/elul/elul.htm -- a Kabbalistic approach

http://www.franion.com/StarElul_pages/week1.html -- material (excellent) from last year’s STAR project on Elul, in which our synagogue participated

 

 

 

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  Quotes of the Week: 

“Donahue's buffoonery may have suited afternoon talk-shows in the pre 9/11 world. But as America and Israel both face life-and-death issues involving terrorism and national self-preservation, his fatuous interjections are, not surprisingly, jarring to many viewers. Add to this the likes of Buchanan and Banfield and it's little wonder Fox and CNN are leaving MSNBC in the dust.”          

Andrea Levin, Executive Director of CAMERA, Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America   Read the full article at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1029920564217

 

Below are some excerpts from my Ki Tavo sermon of last week – to keep in mind if there is a baseball strike – DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF – there are more important things in life…like, say, football.  After the last two nights at Fenway, frankly, I’m pulling for a strike!

We are down to the wire, folks.  Our lives are hanging in the balance.  Next Saturday night, right here, we'll have Selichot services and days before the day of Judgment will dwindle down to a precious few.  Rosh Hashanah is many things, but it is nothing unless at some point there is some soul searching going on.  Teshuvah doesn't just mean repenting from sins, it really means adjusting one's aim, one's perspective, one's life goals.

            And a quick glance at today's portion jars us into that reflective pose.  The tochecha, especially, that long chapter filled with the downside, the list of curses that will befall those who break the covenant, is enough to give anyone pause for reflection.  It’s almost comical how negative these curses are.   The people are told that that they will be so rejected, such outcasts, that no nation will even want them as slaves.   I’m telling you, the place for the Jewish people described in this portion makes the UN look good.

            One look at this week’s portion, and Judaism itself could be given the descriptive title, “The Power of Negative Thinking.”  There are blessings here, I must add, but the curses far outnumber them.  In the entire Torah, negativity rules.  Of the 613 mitzvot, only 248 are positive (the Thou shalts) while 365 are negative (the “Thou shalt nots,”) enough for us to break one negative mitzvah each day of the year (except for leap years).  And this portion begins with the first fruit ceremony, where the farmer wallows in the depressing history of our people’s origins as slaves.  At least the Egyptians took us!

            Even some of the Torah’s more positive commandments have a negative twist.  There is no commandment more positve than “Love your neighbor as yourself,” but by the time it came down to the first-century sage Hillel, he read it as saying, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.”  Hillel, it apprears, like most of the rest of the Jewish people, needs a shrink.

            In fact, many of the curses mentioned here are psychological in nature. 

            Let's look at one prominent example.  Chapter 28, verse 66.  "V'hayu hayecha teluylm lecha mineged, ufachadeta laila vyomam, vlo taamin bhayecha."  "And your life shall be hanging in the balance before you, and you will fear night and day, and you will not trust in your life."

            Roosevelt said, "There is nothing to fear but fear itself," and they could well have gotten that line from this verse.  It is the fear that paralyzes us, the fear that prevents us from changing our ways for the better, and in the end, that very fear will be our punishment.  We'll fear for our very lives, night and day.

            Let's see how the sages reacted to that verse.

            In the Talmud, tractate Menachot, Rabbi Hanin interprets the first part of the verse, that your life shall be hanging in the balance before you, as having to do with the person who buys grain from year to year, while the phrase, "You will fear night and day," refers to the one who buys grain week to week, and "you will not trust in your life, " refers to the one who has to rely upon the baker for his daily bread. The Talmud is telling us that there are three types of people, those that worry from year to year, those that worry from week to week, and those who live from day to day.  Now which one is the worst?  The person who is dependent upon one annual shipment of grain, is concerned about his fate, but only worries that one time of the year; once the grain is in, he's OK.  The one who gets his grain from week to week, has to worry each week that he'll have food on the table, but at least once the grain is delivered, he's got five or six days to relax.  But the one who has to rely on the baker each day knows that each night his life hangs in the balance, for he doesn't know for sure that he'll wake up the next day with bread on the table.

            It would appear to me that we've all got to take more of a “Don't worry - be happy” attitude.  At this time, on Rosh Hashanah, we put things into perspective and prioritize in advance what are the issues that dominate all others, the concerns that demand my allocation of worry this year.  That way we can be like that first person, the one who gets the years shipment delivered in advance, and then spends the rest of the year enjoying it.

            Otherwise, we find ourselves immersed in constant struggle, paralyzed by fear, and unable to separate the big worries from the little ones.

            Mel Allen was able to do that.  The legendary Yankee broadcaster was, as many know, a member here, and I’ve been thinking of him a lot lately.  That’s because I can recall speaking to him on Kol Nidre Eve, right here, in 1994, as he prepared to hold the Torah, which he did every year.  At that time, Baseball had just cancelled the World Series for the first time in Mel’s lifetime.  Mel was Mr. World Series, so I remarked that it must be tragic day for him.  “Tragic,” he said.  “That’s not tragic.  War – now that’s tragic.  Poverty and hunger, now that’s a tragedy.  This is not a tragedy.”  As baseball prepares for yet another likely work stoppage, we all need to remember that, especially Yankee fans, with their team in first place by 9 games.

            Rabbi Hayim Shmuelovitz looks at this Talmudic passage and adds an important point.  Even the person who gets his grain once a year can still fall prey to excessive and needless fear and worry -- if he gets all caught up in whether he'll receive his shipment for next year.  "If you keep worrying about the future," he says, "you'll never have peace of mind."

           

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS…..

          ORDER YOUR LULAV AND ETROG SET NOW FOR OUR SPECTACULAR LULAV PARADE ON THE SECOND DAY OF SUKKOT, SUNDAY, SEPT. 21!!!  JUST $36, WITH A SPECIAL, SUPER DUPER PRICE FOR A CHILD’S SET: ONLY $18!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We want to make this the most spectacular Sukkot ever!

 

IMPORTANT HIGH HOLY DAYS ANNOUNCEMENTS…

 

WANT TO JOIN OUR SYMPHONY OF SHOFARS?  This year there is no Shofar sounding on the first day, because it is Shabbat.  On Sunday, we’ll once again have a final shofar sounding coming from all directions, in a symphony of shofars.  If you would like to be part of it and have a shofar, there is only one requirement: that you bring it!  Just get up at the appropriate time in the service (the end), find an open spot in the aisles, and when the signal is given, sound the appropriate note.  If you need training or practice, feel free to call me or come by.

 

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE HOME FOOD BAGS FOR PERSON TO PERSON, AND TO BRING THEM BACK BY YOM KIPPUR.

 

FIRST TIMES:

As I've done in previous years, I'm inviting you to submit personal stories possibly to be incorporated into High Holidays sermons.  This year, I'm looking for a paragraph or so about something that you might have done or experienced for the first time.  How did it feel when you first drove a car, for instance (especially for those of you young enough to have experienced it recently), or to stand under the huppah for the first time at the wedding of your child.  I'm especially looking for unusual "first times," from kids or adults, like the first time you read from the Torah, for instance, the first time your plane landed in Israel, the first time you bungee jumped, or the first time you walked without assistance (following a long recovery period).  No "the first time I had shrimp," please, and remember that my sermons are rated PG (the High Holidays Torah reading is borderline R, but I can't help that).

 

When you do this, please let me know if I can use your name or if you would rather it be anonymous.  Please send these responses s-o-o-n (have you looked at the calendar lately?).  Also, I’m still looking for teens to do Yom Kippur English readings for the Martyrology section.  I thank you in advance for your submissions -- and apologize in advance for those (likely the majority), that I won't be able to use.  You can be sure I'll read them all!!

 

WHEN YOU COME FOR SERVICES ON ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR, PLAN TO ARRIVE EARLY!!! -- We’ll have increased security, which is one good reason to get here early.  Parking will be a bit more complicated this year down the street, which is another good reason.  Also, this being a transitional year, while most of the service will be exactly as it always has been, there will also be some things done differently, or perhaps at a different pace.  Because of this, we can’t guarantee that any particular prayer, Torah reading, haftarah, shofar blowing, ark opening, English reading or sermon will be at the same time it has been in the past.  If you have a part and you’ve been told when we think it will be, here’s a good rule of thumb: don’t believe us.  Because we have no idea…  This is your rabbi speaking, and I have no idea.  (Well I have some idea, but wild rams can’t drag it out of me).  But that’s what’s going to make this year so much fun.  Plan to be here earlier than usual, and you might find yourself enjoying parts of the service you’ve never experienced before.  If you have children and arrive before children’s services begin, by all means bring them into the main sanctuary (but make sure to get them to children’s services at the appropriate time, as space will be very scarce in the sanctuary at peak times). 

 

If you get here and find that your part has already come and gone, we apologize in advance.  Please talk to one of our ushers and we’ll see what we can do.  And I promise not to say, “I told you so.” 

 

Speaking of ushers….

HIGH HOLY DAYS USHERS NEEDED

 

The Men's Club is actively recruiting the ushers for this year's services.

Men, women and couples are needed to assist in traffic control at the Sanctuary doors and to help congregants find seats.

 

We probably won't get a chance to call everyone -- if you haven't heard from us yet please consider taking one or more 45 minute time slots over the High Holy Day services and calling us with your day/time preferences.

 

Please call or email Rich Cohen at 322-1131 or rxrphrich@aol.com as soon as possible to reserve your slots.

 

 

NEEDED: TEENAGERS NEEDED TO DO SPECIAL ENGLISH READINGS ON YOM KIPPUR DAY

 

(During the Martyrology section of the service, through moving poetry and other readings, we’ll be recalling those who have died in terror attacks this past year, here and in Israel.  Teens (8th grade and up) who would like a part – please contact Rabbi Hammerman at rabbi@tbe.org.  They will be given out on a first come - first served basis

 

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On September 11…

“Our Children Honor America”

 

 

WHAT:            To date, over 500 students from the Greenwich, Stamford, Darien and New Canaan communities have participated in the “What Being An American Means to Me” contest.  They submitted essays, poetry, art, music, PowerPoint, video and multi-media projects to illustrate all that is unique about an inclusive America. 

At a ceremony on September 11, we will honor these inspiring efforts of our youth.  Prizes, including mini-internships with Senator Lieberman, Attorney General Blumenthal, Congressman Christopher Shays, Greenwich Police Chief Robbins, Mayor Malloy of Stamford, savings bonds and book certificates will be awarded to those whose entries best represent the spirit, ideals, and values of our nation.  This event will involve diverse performance groups, prominent speakers, and readings by contest winners.  Parents and fire chiefs, students and veterans, religious leaders and politicians, principals and ambulatory workers will stand in solidarity, as we acknowledge the common bonds that unite us all. 

 

WHEN:            Wednesday, September 11, 2002

                        6:00 PM           Doors open, opportunity to view students’ work

                        7:15 PM           Program begins

 

WHERE:         Rich Forum

307 Atlantic Street

Stamford, Connecticut

 

Tickets will be extremely limited.  This program has been made possible by a number of community groups, but we are particularly proud that the Jewish Community Endowment  and American Jewish Committee have played central roles,  thanks in large part to the vision and commitment of our own Jack and Claire Steinberg.

 

Special prayers commemorating Sept. 11 will also be recited at our morning minyan on that day, and at 10:29 we will sound one blast of the shofar and have a moment of slience, as all religious institutions in Stamford have been asked to do.

 

 

 

 

A PEAK BEYOND THE HIGH HOLY DAYS…

 

Sukkot: 1st Day – Sat., Sept. 21 – the service will be led entirely by congregants (what we now call our Kahal: Congregant-Led Service), followed by lunch…

 

Sukkot: 2nd Day – Sun., Sept. 22 – NEW, A family-friendly festival service (beginning at the family-friendly time of 10:00) in our main sanctuary, with extensive involvement by our Religious School classes and Bi-Cultural Students.  Featuring a spectacular lulav and etrog parade (order your set NOW – the cost is $36 -- $18 For a smaller children’s size – a BARGAIN!).  There will also be all kinds of special youth activities that are now in the works.

 

For Shmini Atzeret and Simhat Torah there are all sorts of surprises planned, and we’ll again have extensive involvement by our students (including teens), but one thing that I now can reveal: our special honorees on Simhat Torah morning (Sunday, Sept. 29) will be:

Hatan Torah (the last aliyah of the Torah); Frank Rosner (who two weeks later will be celebrating a very special birthday)

Kallat Bereisheet (the first aliyah of the new Torah): Jeannie Kasindorf (who one week earlier will have helped to coordinate the decorating of our fabulous sukkah). 

 

CIRCLE THOSE DATES ON YOUR CALENDARS NOW!!

 

 

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YOUTH O-GRAM

 

(SUPPLEMENT TO THE SHABBAT-O-GRAM FROM OUR YOUTH DEPARTMENT)

 

 

International Update:

 

ATTENTION GRADES 9-12 : Wanna go to DISNEY WORLD??

 

USY is heading south for the winter to Disney World for it's 2002 International Convention!!   Sunday, December, 22 through Tuesday, December 31st.  ONLY 14 SPACES LEFT FOR CONNECTICUT!  SEND IN YOUR DEPOSITS TODAY TO SAVE YOUR SPOT!!  Contact Regional Office at (860) 563-5531 for a form and additional information ASAP!!  Please consider joining 1000 other USYers for this amazing convention! 

 

***SPECIAL NOTE!!   I am pleased to announce that two members of the congregation, Ariel and Julie Savransky, are already registered to attend this convention!!

 

REMEMBER, ONLY 14 SPACES ARE STILL AVAILABLE TO CONNECTICUT REGION USYers!!

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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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