Parashat Shoftim – Sunday School Starting!

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Shabbat shalom, chodesh Elul tov, and see you at 7 PM. 

The name of this week’s parshah is Shoftim, or in English, “Judges”. While the parshah deals with a few topics, the main focus is on courts of law that are to be established once the People of Israel settle in the Land. Of particular interest is the rule that no one may be sentenced to death-or indeed for any other offense-on the testimony of one witness. Two witnesses are needed to obtain a conviction in a criminal case. The Sages expanded upon this-they taught that the two witnesses had to be persons of unimpeachable moral character, that they had to witness the actual commission of the crime, and moreover had to warn the perpetrator in advance that he was about to commit a capital offense. Under these conditions, of course, a death sentence would be practically impossible. The Rabbis were of the opinion that the death penalty, while prescribed in the Torah, was so repugnant that it was to be avoided at almost all cost. Our Tradition holds that there is only One Judge who has the power over life and death. As we enter the month of Elul, the month of preparation for Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgement, let us remember who the True Judge really is. Let us not judge our fellow humans harshly. And while this is a time of reflection and self-assessment, let us not judge ourselves harshly, either. Rather, let us trust in the judgement of God, who is as Moshe said, “a compassionate and merciful God, patient and abounding in loving kindness and truth”. Shabbat Shalom and Hodesh Tov.Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

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Please join us tonight as we welcome Rabbi Peter Tarlow Rabbi Emeritus of Texas A&M and expert in security and tourism, as he delivers a special Dvar Torah!

BERS SUNDAY School parents please be sure to complete the following survey as soon as possible.https://forms.gle/VdngF6ZsBAT9VHx1AShabbat candle lighting times in Austin 7:55 PM2020-2021 BERS Survey

We are excited to start the new school year soon and would love to have your input as we plan for this unique new school year. Please take a few minutes to respond if you are a BERS family. Thank you. Iris and Yosef

https://forms.gle/VdngF6ZsBAT9VHx1A

Here’s the amazing weekly parash from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks for your listening enjoyment!

https://soundcloud.com/office-of-rabbi-sacks/the-good-society-reeh-5780Parashat Hashavua Rabbi Peter Tarlow :The name of this week’s parashah is: “Re’eh”. You will find it in the Book of Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17. This section continues with Moses’ great summation speech emphasizing the fact that we all live with the potential to be positive (create blessings) or to be negative (create curses).The section begins with a strange Hebrew grammatical phrase: “Re’eh, Anochi noten lifnechem hayom brachah uklalah/See, I am giving you today (right now) a blessing(s) and a curse(s).” It is a strange sentence. Hebrew tends to emphasize sight much less then it emphasizes “hearing”. It is also not the style of Hebrew to begin a sentence with a word in the imperative mood (tzvui). Furthermore Re’eh is a singular command. We might have expected the verb to be Re’u, meaning see in the plural format. Usually when we find less common grammatical formats, we get a sense that the text is telling us much more than at first meets the eye. For example, is the singular command form indicating that the text is speaking to each one of us on an individual basis or does it see Israel, not as separate individuals but as a singular or collective entity? To add to the uniqueness of this sentence, the Bible then uses the continuous present tense (noten) rather than the more normative “va’natti” for “I give”. Hebrew rarely uses this tense. It is tense that indicates a sense of ongoing continuity. Is the text indicating that G-d never stops giving? Is the text teaching us that we are continuously confronted with opportunities to create good or to do evil, and the choice is ours?Is the text reminding us that we dare not be blind to life’s opportunities and to fail to see them is a curse we bring on ourselves? This week’s text reminds us that when things go wrong in our lives we need to begin to heal by asking ourselves: where did I fail? How did I not see the mistakes that I was making? What can I do differently to change the direction of my life?Once again Moses reminds us that Judaism is not to be a religion of submission or fatalism, but a religion that teaches us that we are G-d’s partners in life and it is we who must determine the quality of our life. This year has been a year of challenges. How have you faced the year’s many hurdles? Did you turn curses into blessings or only see crises and problems?Is the lesson of this week’s parashah the idea that to be an adult is to view the world through reality rather than make-believe? How many of us take the time to realize that there are blessings even when life seems harsh? How many of us know how to appreciate the blessings that come into our lives, and to realize that these are gifts of G-d that should not be taken for granted? Are you capable of being creative enough to see our challenges as opportunities to create new blessings?

Beth El Shines this summer – and Camp for your Kids

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Shabbat Shalom and we so look forward to seeing you all tonight at 7 PM via zoom (SEE ZOOM LINK BELOW) and in person in our beloved shul (no more than 10 people following social distance).

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85895579341

Hazzan Ben-Moshe’sWeekly Message:This week we conclude the Book of Numbers, Sefer B’midbar, with the combined parshot of Mattoth and Mas’ei. We also announce the beginning of the month of Av, about which our Sages said “When Av enters, joy decreases”. The month of Av is the month in which the First and Second Temples were destroyed, and according to tradition many other calamities befell the Jewish People. However, Av is also the month of T”U B’Av, the festival celebrating the beginning of the grape harvest in the Land of Israel. Furthermore, Tradition says that Tish’ah B’Av, the Fast of the Destruction, will also be the day on which the Messiah will come and our final redemption and return home to Israel. May our redemption come soon, and our mourning turn to celebration. Shabbat Shalom.Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Candle lighting in Austin at 8:16 PM.

Sunday school resumes in the fall! Whether we are in person or via zoom, the learning, ahavat Israel and friendships continue. Please contact us asap to reserve your spot!

Looking for the coolest in person Summer camp for your children (preschool to middle school) – Check out J Camps! www.shalomaustin.org/camp

Community News:
Green Team at TBS invites Beth El to a Movie Discussion: A Plastic Ocean
Monday, August 10
7:00 p.m.
Join A Plastic Ocean documentary producers and fellow Green Team members to discuss this important movie. In advance of our discussion, you can watch the movie on Netflix, iTunes, or YouTube. RSVP to Christy Esmahan at: c.esmahan@gmail.com

Beth El can now accept donations of stocks through a brokerage account. Please contact our treasurer at bethelaustin@yahoo.com.

Please consider at tax deductible donation for via our secure site. Being a small synagogue, every dollar goes to good work and continuing our heritage. http://bethelaustin.org/donate/

Ethics Class& Parashat Pinhas

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Shabbat Shalom and we so look forward to seeing you all tonight at 7 PM via zoom (SEE ZOOM LINK BELOW) and in person in our beloved shul (no more than 10 people following social distance).

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85895579341

Hazzan Ben-Moshe’sWeekly Message:This week we read Parshat Pinhas, which begins with God’s confirmation of Pinhas Ben El’azar as the next High Priest, because of (or in spite of) his extrajudicial killing of Zimri Ben Sallu and Kozbi Bat Tzur, which ended the plague of Ba’al P’or. The parshah continues with the story of the daughters of Tzlof’had demanding that they receive their father’s inheritance in the Land of Israel, the ordination of Yehoshu’a as the next leader of the People of Israel, and concludes with the order of statutory sacrifices. The story of the daughters of Tzlof’had-Mahlah, No’ah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirtzhah-is an interesting one. The five challenge the rule, stated earlier in the Torah, that if a man dies without sons, his estate falls to his nearest male relative. The daughters affirm their right to inherit from their father as his children-and Moshe, instead of dismissing their claim, asks God for guidance. God actually changes the rule of the Torah-daughters who have no brothers do indeed become heirs. Thirty-eight years after leaving Mount Sinai, God reveals a new law of Torah to Moshe, thus illustrating an important part of Jewish Tradition. Torah is not static-it evolves and changes, even as the People of Israel evolve and change. Chapter One of Pirkei Avoth details the transmission of Torah from Moshe to the Sages-but the teaching and practice of Torah changed so much over that time that the Midrash tells us that Moshe had a vision of the Beith Midrash of Rabbi ‘Aqiva in which he could not understand the teaching, but was assured that this was “the Torah of Moshe from Sinai”. Our Tradition may change with the times, but is still based on Torah and its values. Shabbat Shalom.Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Candle lighting in Austin at 8:18 PM.Annual Meeting July 12Also, save the date. Our annual “state of the shul” meeting will be held on Sunday, July 12, at 7:00 p.m.

The meeting will be in person (up to 10) at the shul and via zoom.Annual Meeting Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86767607489

We plan to discuss shul business and elect officers for the upcoming year. To nominate a current member as an officer, please send an email to Bob Miller, secretary and chair of the nominating committee at
bmiller111158@gmail.com

Nominations should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than 7 days before the board meeting. The meeting is open to all – they are always a great deal of fun and very inspiring. We are blessed to be part of this small, yet vibrant and truly chesed filled congregation.

Our next Pirkei Avot class is July 14!
Zoom Meeting Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81083498229

Refua Shlema to our dear Barry. He is safely out of the hospital and recovering at home. We love you Barry!

Please know that our doors are literally always open for you and your family at Beth El. We have so many kind people in the congregation who are quietly and without fanfare doing good deeds. We want to help any and all congregants. One of our angels, Steve, came this week and power washed our whole driveway. Truly a labor of love in the 100 degree weather. We are here for you as so many of you are here for us as a shul! We love our congregants. Let us know if you are facing any kind of hardship.

Sunday school resumes in the fall! Whether we are in person or via zoom, the learning, ahavat Israel and friendships continue. Please contact us asap to reserve your spot!

Beth El can now accept donations of stocks through a brokerage account. Please contact our treasurer at bethelaustin@yahoo.com.

Please consider at tax deductible donation for via our secure site. Being a small synagogue, every dollar goes to good work and continuing our heritage. http://bethelaustin.org/donate/

Annual Meeting and State of the Shul

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Shabbat Shalom and we so look forward to seeing you all tonight at 7 PM via zoom (SEE NEW ZOOM LINK) and in person in our beloved shul (no more than 10 people).

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85895579341

Happy Birthday USA!

Hazzan Ben-Moshe’sWeekly Message:This week we read two parshot-Hukkath and Balak. The time of wandering in the wilderness is coming to an end, and the conquest of the Land is set to begin. Parshat Hukkath begins with the laws of the Red Heifer, the sacrifice that was to bring purification from contact with the dead. The Torah instructs us that anyone who comes in contact with a dead person is to undergo purification rituals for a week before rejoining the community (obviously, this no longer holds true in our time, as we have no Temple, and the rituals have fallen into abeyance). Interestingly, one group which was to undergo such rituals was warriors. Victorious soldiers returning from the field of battle could not triumphantly parade through the camp, but had to isolate themselves for a week. Whether intended or not, this would have had the effect of reducing the glorification of war and warriors. Jewish Tradition from its onset has held that war may sometimes be a necessary evil, but is not to be celebrated, and while we may be happy that a threat is removed, we do not delight in the death of our enemies. We believe that all human life, created in the Divine Image, is holy. Some of our enemies have stated that their disregard for life is their strength-but it is our reverence for life that is the strength of our People. Shabbat Shalom.Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Candle lighting in Austin at 8:18 PM.

Annual Meeting July 12Also, save the date. Our annual “state of the shul” meeting will be held on Sunday, July 12, at 7:00 p.m.

The meeting will be in person (up to 10) at the shul and via zoom.Annual Meeting Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86767607489

We plan to discuss shul business and elect officers for the upcoming year. To nominate a current member as an officer, please send an email to Bob Miller, secretary and chair of the nominating committee at
bmiller111158@gmail.com

Nominations should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than 7 days before the board meeting. The meeting is open to all – they are always a great deal of fun and very inspiring. We are blessed to be part of this small, yet vibrant and truly chesed filled congregation.

Our next Pirkei Avot class is July 14!
Zoom Meeting Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81083498229

Save the Date. Let’s have a fun afternoon at Town Lake this summer, where each family rents a canoe or kayak, or brings their own one from home, and enjoys each other’s company together. The prefect Social Distance event. Please RSVP to bethelaustin@yahoo.com

Beth El can now accept donations of stocks through a brokerage account. Please contact our treasurer at bethelaustin@yahoo.com.

Please consider at tax deductible donation for via our secure site. Being a small synagogue, every dollar goes to good work and continuing our heritage. http://bethelaustin.org/donate/