Shabbat Toldot – Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 7pm Tonight

Dear Congregants and Friends,

Please note that as with every Friday night, we have services at 7pmand very much look forward to seeing you all.  We hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving and will join us tonight.

Congregation Beth El
8902 Mesa Drive
Austin, TX 78759

Parashat Toldot: From Rabbi Peter Tarlow – Texas A&M Hillel

This week’s parashah revolves around the life of our second national patriarch, Isaac. Called Toldot (Genesis: 25:19-28:9) the parashah touches upon the life of Isaac.

Isaac is perhaps our most tragic of the our patriarch’s. He is the victim of parental abuse, deceived by his wife and son, and even the parashah dedicated to him spends more time dealing with his sons than with him. Yet despite all that has happens to Isaac, he is a survivor, laughs at life and refuses to allow life to conquer him, but instead turns negative situations into positives.

The parashah begins with Yitzchak. (Isaac) now 40 years old, and after some 20 years of marriage became the father of twins: Esav (Essau) and Yakov (Jacob). Just as in the case of his father, Abraham, Issac had to deal with a famine. Unlike his father, he never left the land ofIsrael, but was forced to move south toward what is today Gaza. Being a financial success, Isaac had to learn to deal with the Plishtim who provoke a fight over water rights as a way of manifesting their jealousy toward him. The text teaches us that Isaac, being a good negotiator, was able to establish both commercial relations and a peace treaty with the Plishtim.

The parashah then returns to the story of Isaac’s family. We learn that at the age of 40 Esau marries two Canaanite women against his parents’ will,. We then learn that Rivkah (Rebecca) decided that Jacob is to receive the “blessing” (confirmation that the nation’s continuity will pass through Jacob and not Essau). She tricked Isaac into giving the blessing to their younger son (Jacob). This duplicity provoked Esau’s ire. Rebecca fearing for Jacob’s life decided on a strategic retreat, sending Jacob back to Haran. Rebecca gave the pretext that her brother, Lavan, would arrange a marriage for Jacob. The parashah ends with Jacob’s departure for Padam Aram and Essau’s marriage to his third wife.
This parashah is filled with a number of famous episodes, but what really seems to dominate the parashah is the contrast between Jacob and Essau.

When we first read the parashah we cannot help but feel sympathy for Essau. He appears to be a righteous individual. He honored his father (although he did not seem to have too much respect for his mother). Essau was physical, and a good athlete; he was a man of this world. Jacob, on the other hand appears to be a much less likeable and charismatic figure.

Jacob, on the other hand, appears to be less sympathetic. He is a yoshev-ohel, literally a person who sat in his tent, what we would call today a homebody. While Essau expressed the physical, Jacob was more concentrated on the spiritual and academic. One appears to be strong in body, the other appears to be strong in character and in intelligence. Is the Torah noting here that while there is a place for the physical, that too much emphasis on the physical, on the game, means that in the end, we become so tired that we accomplish little? Is the text reminding us that too much emphasis on the game, means that in the end we become losers? Did Rebecca understand that the person who puts too much emphasis on the physical in the end squanders his/her opportunities? Jacob, with all his faults understood that while at times we must engage in physical pleasures but at the same time we must not lose sight of our ultimate goal.

This week’s Torah portion then asks us to examine the unnecessary distractions in our own life. Are we so focused on the pleasures of the moment that we lose sight of tomorrow’s goals? Do we use the pursuit of the game as an excuse for abandoning the pursuit of both personal and national priorities? Are our priorities appropriate or are we so self-centered that we cease to deserve G’d’s blessings.

These are important questions to ask just before Thanksgiving. May your holiday be one in which you concentrate not on the physical act of eating, but on the spiritual act of appreciation for the blessings that each of has in our own lives.

Veteran’s Shabbat Tonight

Congregants and Friends of Beth El,
Please note that we have services tonight at 7pm and will participate in Veterans Shabbat by welcoming Barry Rosson of the Jewish War Veterans to come and speak to us during services. Please don’t miss.
Also, please hold the date for this Sunday, November 13, at 4pm for our Annual meeting and cookout. Please be sure to come. Also, please bring a parev side dish for the cookout – non dairy please – for example, salads, chips, parev deserts, etc. We will be honoring our very special congregants for their many years of service – Morris and Elaine Shapiro and Barry Mann.
Cantor Ben- Moshe’s Weekly message:
This week’s parshah, Vayera, continues the story of Avraham and Sarah and their son Yitzhak. We read of Yitzhak’s birth, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the binding of Yitzhak. We also see for the first time a prayer for healing, as Avraham prays for King Avimelekh and his court.
This Shabbat is National Donor Shabbat, during which we raise awareness of organ donation. Prayer for those who are ill has always been a part of our tradition, as we see in our parshah, but organ donation can let us be part of the healing process even after our own deaths. Let us remember that saving human life overrides almost every other commandment, such is its importance. If you are not already a registered organ donor, I urge you to register.
This Shabbat we also honor our veterans. Thank you for your service.
Shabbat Shalom.
Congregation Beth El
8902 Mesa Drive,
Austin, TX 78759

Services Tonight and Tomorrow Morning

image via http://www.pomegranatestudios.com/

Dear Congregants & Guests,

Please note that we have weekly shabbat services Friday November 4th at 7pm and Shabbat morning, November 5, starting at 9 am with the Torah service at 9:45 am.

Children’s services will be at 11 am.

We look forward to seeing you all and please be sure to HOLD THE DATE: November 13 at 4pm for the Beth El Annual meeting and cookout!  Don’t miss this yearly event.

This week’s parshah is Lekh L’kha, in which our ancestors Avram and Sarai (later Avraham and Sarah) first make the move to the Promised Land, the Land that would become Israel.  Avram is told by God to leave everything that is familiar and comfortable to go to a place which he has never seen.  This is the first of Avraham’s ten trials, and like the last, the Binding of Isaac, involves a great leap of faith.  Because this parshah speaks of the first ‘aliyah, going up to the Land of Israel, it is customary in Israeli synagogues to honor new ‘olim, immigrants, on this Shabbat.

May our Land and our People know peace and prosperity, on this and on every Shabbat.

Cantor Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

8902 Mesa Drive

Austin, TX 78759

www.bethelaustin.org

Shabbat Noach, Service at 7pm

Shabbat Shalom. Please join us this evening at 7pm for Shabbat services.

A note from the cantor:

This week we read Parshat Noah, which describes the Great Flood and how humans spread across the world. The Torah describes how God created the rainbow as a sign of a new covenant with humanity, that the world would never again be destroyed by flood. God’s resolve comes from the realization that humans simply have the capacity to do evil-it is in our nature, therefore it is to be expected that evil will sometimes happen. We are also capable of great good and compassion, though, and that is where we should focus our attention and our energy, as well as on repentance, t’shuvah, for our wrongdoings.

The b’rachah for seeing a rainbow is “Baruch Ata…zocher b’rito u’n’eman b’ma’amaro.” “Praised are You…Who remembers His Covenant and is true to His word.”

Shabbat Shalom and Hodesh Tov, a Good Month to all.

Cantor Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
8902 Mesa Drive
Austin, TX 78759

Simchat Torah Service and Baby Naming Thursday at 7

Please join us at Congregation Beth El this Thursday night at 7 as we close out the high holiday season with a Simchat Torah service and the naming of our newest baby congregant.  We will finish the Torah reading for the year, dance, eat, sing, and start reading again from the B’reishit, the Book of Genesis.

Shabbat services will be Friday at 7 and Saturday morning at 9AM, including the reading of the entire portion of “B’reishit”.