Start Elul off on the right track

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Dear Congregants and Friends,

Friday night services are almost upon us.  Tonight at 7pm, we will be there to welcome in Shabbat. We very much hope to see you all.
Our Intro to Judaism class is Sunday at 3:30 pm.  These classes are absolutely wonderful and we invite you and your friends.
Only one week away from Sunday school restarting and the teachers are gearing up for an exciting year ahead.  Our classes are Sundays at 10am and start on September 7th.
Cantor Ben -Moshe’s Weekly Message:
 This week we read in Parshat Shoftim some of the various rules for setting up a government-“You shall appoint magistrates and officials…and they shall govern the people with due justice.” (Deut. 16:18). Our tradition commands us to establish good government.  We are fortunate to live in a representative democracy where we are actually able to choose those who govern us, and we are instructed to choose wisely-“You shall not judge unfairly:  you shall show no partiality; you shall take no bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just.” (Deut. 16:19). In a fee months time we will go to the polls to choose our “magistrates and officials”; when we do, let us be careful to choose those who are impartial and incorruptible, those who will work for the benefit of all rather than for a few cronies.  In doing so, we will follow God’s command:  “Justice, justice shall you pursue”(Deut. 16:20), for God is just, and demands of us that we walk in God’s ways in this manner.  In this season when we reflect upon God as the Ultimate Judge, let us keep in mind our responsibility to carry out, to the best of our abilities and with due humility, Divine justice in our society.  Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha:

This week’s Torah portion is called Shoftim.  You will find it in the Book of Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. The section’s main theme is the development of a system of leadership. The word “shofet” in this context is mistranslated as “judge”.  Although it is used in that sense, especially in modern Hebrew, in Biblical times the shofet was than a judge but also the person who made a political judgement.  It is around this meaning of the word shofet that we note the transition into the laws concerning war.  It was the job of the shofet to make the decisions that would determine if the nation was to go to war and how that war was to be conducted.

As evidenced by the Ten Commandments, Torah preaches peace, but it is also realistic enough to understand that there are times when war happens.  In fact, unlike the media’s coverage of the Middle East,  this entire week’s section is based on the idea that law must reflect what is rather than what we would like to be.  The Torah is not based on the hypothetical but rather on realities . For example, this week’s section has a number of laws dealing with the issue of respect for the dead.  Recognizing that the dead cannot care for themselves and that a body is a vessel for the soul, this section provides us with a series of laws teaching us how to respect the dead. Does the violence in the Middle East and the beheading of innocents reminds us that we humans still have much to learn?

Perhaps no where is this sensitivity to reality better stated then in this week’s section’s analysis of who should fight and who should not.  The text teaches us that men are to be exempted if they have built a new home but not yet moved into it, if they have planted a vineyard but not yet benefited from it and if they are engaged and have not yet married.

Finally the Torah exempts from fighting men who are fearful or fainthearted. In all cases, the text assumes that people will not shirk their duty, but if one enters battle preoccupied then that man will not be a good soldier. The basic understanding is that war is a tragic reality of life.   This is especially true of the last category. The text understands that negativity breeds negativity, that there is nothing more dangerous to an army then a negative person and that pessimists do more harm than good.

The underlying text seems to be teaching us that each of us makes a difference.  If we are negative, if we tear down, then the entire society will soon collapse. On the other hand we dare not become blind to realities. Thus, as Ecclesiastes teaches there is “a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to destroy and a time to build”. The choices we make impact not only our lives but the lives of all who come in contact with us. The question the text lays before us is what type of person are you and how do you make choices of life and death, war and peace?

 

PUTTING THINGS IN PERSPECTVE; FROM Rabbi Tarlow

Our condition, in Israel, has never been better than it is now! Only the television and the media make people think that the end of the World is near. Only 68 years ago, Jews were brought to death like sheep to slaughter. NO country, NO army. Only 65 years ago, Seven Arab countries declared war on little Israel, the Jewish State, Just a few hours after it was established.

We were 650,000 Jews against the rest of the Arab world. No IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) or Air Force. We were only a Small group of stubborn people with nowhere to go.

Remember: Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, and  Saudi Arabia, they all attacked at once. The state that the  United Nations “gave” us was 65% desert. We started it from zero.

Only 45 years ago, we fought three of the strongest countries  In the Middle East, and we crushed them in the Six Day War.   Over the years we fought different coalitions of 20 Arab countries with modern armies and with huge amounts of Russian-Soviet ammunition and we still won.

Today we have a beautiful country, a powerful Army, a strong  Air Force, an adequate Navy and a thriving high tech industry.  Intel, Microsoft, and IBM have all developed their businesses here.Our doctors have won important prizes in the medical development field. We turned the desert into a prosperous land. We sell oranges, flowers, and vegetables around the world.   We launched our own satellite! Three satellites at once! We are in good company; together with the USA (280 million  Residents), Russia (220 million residents), China (1.3  Billion residents) and Europe (France, England and Germany  35 million residents), we are one of the only countries in the world that have launched something into space! Israel today is among the few powerful countries that have  Nuclear technology & capabilities. (We will never admit it, but everyone knows.) To think that only 68 years ago we were disgraced and hopeless.

We crawled out from the burning crematoriums of Europe.  We won in all our wars. With a little bit of nothing we built an empire.  Who are Khaled Mashal (leader of Hamas) or Hassan Nasrallah (leader of Hezbollah) trying to frighten us? They are amusing us.   As we celebrate Independence Day, let’s not forget what this Holy day is all about; we overcame everything.

We overcame the Greeks,

We overcame the Romans,

We overcame the Spanish Inquisition,

We overcame the Russians pogrom,

We overcame Hitler, we overcame Germany and overcame the Holocaust,

We overcame the armies of seven countries.

Relax chevray (friends); we will overcome our current enemies.

Never mind where you look in human history. Think about it, The Jewish nation, our condition has never been better than now.  So let’s lift our heads up and remember:

Never mind which country or culture tries to harm us or erase us from the world. We will still exist and persevere. Egypt? Anyone know where the Egyptian empire disappeared to? The Greeks? Alexander Macedon? The Romans? Is anyone speaking Latin today? The Third Reich? Did anyone hear news from them lately?

And look at us, the Bible nation – from slavery in Egypt, we are still here, still speaking the same language.

Exactly here, exactly now. Maybe the Arabs don’t know it yet, but we are an eternal nation all the time that we will keep our identity, we will stay eternal.

So, sorry that we are not worrying, complaining, crying, or fearing.Business here is beseder (fine). It can definitely be much better, but it is still fine. Don’t pay attention to the nonsense in the media,  They will not tell you about our festivals here in Israel or about the people that continue living, going out, meeting friends.

Yes, sometimes morale is down, so what? This is only because we  are mourning the dead while they are celebrating spilled blood. And This is the reason we will win after all.

From Jewish Family Services:

Back-to-School Workshops for Parents
Jewish Family Service is offering a series of  workshops for parents during the month of September.  Participants will learn skills they can use to support their children as they transition back to school and prevent problems before they start.  Mark your calendar now:
·         ADHD:  Beyond Medication  — Wednesday, 9/3/14
·         Making the Transition to Middle School – Tips for Parents – Wednesday, 9/10/14
·         Adolescence – Survival Skills for Parents – Wednesday,  9/17/14
All workshops will be held in the ECP Multipurpose Room at the JCC from 6:30-7:30 pm.  The workshops are free and open to all.  Please contact Mike Hurewitz, LCSW with questions at mike.hurewitz@gmail.com, 512-250-1043.
Parents of Children with Disabilities and Special Needs – Discussion Group
Jewish Family Service is  launching a new discussion group for parents of children with disabilities and special needs.  The group will meet monthly and offer an opportunity for parents to connect,  share resources, learn and problem-solve together and foster inclusion in the Jewish community.  Discussion topics will be determined by the group.  Mark your calendar now:
·         Inaugural Meeting – Sunday, September 21, 2014
·         10:00 – 11:00 AM
·         JCC – Federation Trailer –  Conference Room
·         RSVP – mike.hurewitz@shalomaustin.org – (512) 250-1043

Parashat Re’eh and weekend services

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Dear Congregants and Friends,
We very much look forward to seeing you all for services this weekend, both Friday evening August 22 at 7pm and Saturday morning, August 23 at 9am.  The Torah service will be at around 9:45am and concurrently we will have children’s story time in the social hall.  If you haven’t been in a while, don’t be a stranger. Come where the folks are friendly, the kidush yummy and the davening meaningful.
Sunday afternoon at 3:30 pm we will continue the wonderful Intro to Judaism class led by the Cantor.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message:
Our parshah, Re’eh, is always read near the beginning of the month Elul.  Elul of course is the month before Rosh Hashanah, the New Year-it is a month of introspection and soul-searching, as we prepare for the High Holidays with their theme of repentance and new beginnings.  In this vein, we should look carefully at a passage in our parshah which deals with a city in Israel which has given itself over to idolatry.  The Torah tells us that such a city is to be wiped out to the last living creature, burned to the ground and never rebuilt (our Sages aver that this never happened).  What is interesting is the wording-“If you hear it said of one of the towns…you shall investigate and inquire and interrogate thoroughly.”(Deut. 13:13-15). In other words, we are not to rush to judgement based on hearsay and rumor, but rather on facts, and facts alone.  It is so easy for us to judge based on what we hear or read or see on television.  But if those words are not verifiable fact, then we should suspend judgement until all the facts are in.  In doing so, we acknowledge that there is ultimately only One True Judge in this world, and while we are called to emulate God to the best of our abilities, we must be humble in our attempts, and let us approach Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgement, with humility before our Judge.  Shabbat Shalom.

Amazing shabbat!

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Dear Congregants and friends,
What an exciting weekend coming up.  Friday evening we of course have our uplifting Kabbalat Shabbat services at 7pm.  As always, we welcome new and old faces.
Saturday morning, August 9th at 9am we continue our celebration of Shabbat with wonderful Shabbat morning services.  The Torah service will be at approximately 9:45 and concurrently we will have a special children’s story time with Miss Katherine.  We would like to thank Rabbi Michael Gisser of Fort Hood Texas for giving a Dvar Torah this weekend and we all greatly look forward to hearing his words of Torah. Rabbi Gisser is a chaplain in the US Army reserves and is currently in an 18 month program at Ft Hood to become a certified family and marriage life counselor.  Rabbi Gisser is passionate about Judaism and an expert in the Holocaust.  If you have not met Rabbi Gisser, give him a big Texas welcome when you see him.  A shout out also to Bam Rubenstein for sponsoring the kosher kidush lunch following services in honor of his father’s one year yahrzeit.
Saturday evening, at 6:30 pm we will continue our journey into the World of Crypto Judaism with our other special guest Rabbi Peter Tarlow of Texas A&M University’s Center for Hispanic Jewish relations. PLEASE come at 5:40 for mincha services, followed by Seudah Shlisheet – a tasty nosh sponsored by Barry Rosson.  We hope you can come for this very special event.
Sunday August 10th at 3:30 p.m. we continue the Intro to Judaism classes with our very own Cantor Ben-Moshe.  Again, please join us whether you have been to one, all or none, you will get a huge amount out of the classes.
Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly message:
The Shabbat of Parshat Va’et’hanan is also called in our tradition Shabbat Nahamu, after the first words of the haftarah, “Nahamu, nahamu ‘ami”-“Comfort, oh comfort my People”.  This is the first of the seven haftarot of consolation, read on the seven Shabbatot between Tish’ah B’Av and Rosh Hashanah.  After the three haftarot of rebuke which we read in the last three weeks, leading up to the mournful day of the Ninth of Av, we now shake off our mourning and return to life.  This is like mourners sitting shiv’ah, who at the end of their seven days of intense grief, venture out of the house, walk about outside, and return to the land of the living.  Indeed we must do so, as the intense soul-searching of the High Holidays will soon be upon us.  At this time, we are bitterly disappointed that life is not returning to routine in Israel and in Gaza, nor for that matter in Syria and northern Iraq.  We wish nothing more fervently than for our fellow Jews, as well as our Arab and Kurdish fellow human beings, be freed from the horrors of war and return to the land of life.  May there be no more mourning in Israel, or in Gaza.  May God grant peace to the Land of Israel and all her neighbors, and lasting joy to its inhabitants.  Shabbat Shalom

Beth El weekend services – parashat Masei

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Dear Congregants and Friends,
We would love you to join us tonight at 7pm for our weekly Kabbalat shabbat services at 7pm. The folks are friendly and the service is meaningful.
Tomorrow morning, July 26th, starting at 9 am, we invite you all to come on over for our Shabbat morning service.  The children will have snacks and a story time at approximately 10am, and as always are welcome in the sanctuary.
A special thank you to John and Bev Golden who are sponsoring this week’s delicious kidush lunch in honor of their children’s recent Birthright trip to Israel. Rachael and Jacob had a fabulous trip of a lifetime!
Sunday afternoon at 3:30 pm is the weekly Intro to Judaism class led by Cantor Ben-Moshe. Come for one or all of his classes, you will definitely learn something.
The next sisterhood event is Sunday August 3rd in which we will continue learning the basics of Mah Jong as well as have a fun event for those who just want to come hang out.
A Shabbat Prayer for Israel
As we prepare to light Shabbat candles tonight let us take a moment and pray for Israel.
Pray for the men and woman of the IDF, trying to restore peace and stability.
Pray for our extended family living in and out of shelters, who remain in harm’s way.
Pray for our brave volunteers who are delivering supplies, equipment, and food to those in need.
Pray for the leaders of Israel to be blessed by the Almighty with wisdom and strength.
Pray for peace, the Eternal’s most special gift, to be granted for all.
(Courtesy of Rabbi Tarlow of Texas A&M Center for Jewish-Hispanic relations).
Parashat Hashavua Weekly Torah portion :You will find this week’s section in the Book of Numbers: 33:1 – 36:13.  It is the final parashah in the Book of Numbers and on non leap years. according to the Hebrew calendar, we read this week’s section together with last week’s.  Because this year is a leap year it is read separately.  Last week’s parashah ended with the Children of Israel making camp on the east banks of the Jordan river, their journey home almost completed. In this week’s portion Moses recounts all forty-two sites of Israel’s forty year journey across the Sinai .
This week’s Torah section is called Masei meaning “trips/journeys of..or a long tiring hike, a schlep!” The word tends to have a negative rather than positive connotation.  As in the English word for “travel” (derived from the French word “travail” meaning “work’ and based on the Latin word for pitchfork) travel in Biblical times was arduous and dangerous. The Torah’s listing of the various journeys of the Children of Israel from Egyptian slavery to Israel’s freedom is a perfect summary not only of the entire Book of Numbers but also of Jewish history.  From Abraham’s initial journeys until our re-entrance into the land of Israel our history has been one of personal and national movement.  On the macro level, Jewish history has been a history of journeys, of travails, of seeking to find permanence in a world without stability.
What is true of the macro level is also true on the personal or micro level.  All of us are on a journey through time and space. Each of us lives in a permanent state of change and although most people state that they seek stability, change and movement is a ubiquitous theme in most people’s personal journeys.  To travel through life is not easy.  Our circumstances, our bodies, and our social relationships are ever changing.  What was is not what will necessarily be.
As Israel traveled through the miseries of the Sinai desert, there was a goal.  That objective was to enter the promised land and to establish a society that would become: “Or la’Goyim/A light to the other nations”.  Reality however was different and we soon learned in a post-Torah world, starting with the Book of Joshua, that once we reached our goal, once we crossed the Jordan River then there had to be more.  We had to set new goals, and go onto new journeys.  Thus, an irony of life is that we seek stability but true stability does not lead to contentment but rather to stagnation.
As we travel along our life’s paths we need to ask ourselves if our challenges are very different from those that faced our ancestors as they entered the land of Israel.  Do we have a moral compass?  Do we have personal and national goals?  Do we have a plan as to what to do once we reach those goals?   How afraid are we of change?  Do we seek stability or are we satisfied with stagnation?  Has our trip through life become one of mere travail or do the challenges of today become the opportunities of tomorrow? These are not easy questions.  How would you respond to them?
Cantor Ben-Moshe’s weekly message

This week’s parshah, Mas’ei, gives us something unusual-the date of a yartzheit.  While the Torah does not give us the date of death of Moshe or Miriam-our Tradition arrives at the dates through midrash,textual interpretation-Parashat Mas’ei tells us that Aharon, the first High Priest, died on the first day of the fifth month.  We call that to date Rosh Hodesh Av, and this year it occurs on Monday, August 28 on the secular calendar.  Our Sages teach that the yartzheit of a tzaddiq, a righteous person, is an occasion to remember his or her virtues, as an example to emulate.  Hillel teaches that Aharon was “ohev shalom v’rodeph shalom”-“a lover of peace and a pursuer of peace”.  The word “rodeph” is actually a very strong word-it connotes chasing, running down.  Aharon was someone who not only sought out peace, he tried to bring peace even in the most adverse of circumstances.  In these trying times, when extremists take the position that peace is impossible, we are called upon by our Tradition-by God-to do our utmost do bring about peace.  While we need to defend ourselves-and we do, capably-we must also work towards the day when we do not need defense.  In the second chapter of Pirkei Avot, which we study this Shabbat, Rabbi Tarphon says:”It is not up to you to finish the work-but neither are you free to desist from it”.  While peace seems elusive at times, we must always work towards that goal.  Shabbat Shalom-may it be a Shabbat of peace for us, for the State of Israel, for the people of Gaza, and all the world.

Friday services, classes and more

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Shalom Chaverim:
We look forward to a beautiful Friday evening of song and prayer at Congregation Beth El tonight, July 18, starting at 7pm. 
Our next Saturday morning services are a week away, Saturday July 26. Please let us know if you would like to sponsor this kidush or upcoming ones.
We have of course resumed our Sunday afternoon Intro to Judaism classes at 3:30 pm withCantor Ben-Moshe.
HOLD THE DATE:  Saturday evening, at 6:30 pm on August 9th, we continue our journey into the world of Crypto Judaism with Rabbi Peter Tarlow of Texas A&M’s Center for Jewish/Hispanic relations. These classes have kept our audiences riveted and we look forward to welcoming Rabbi Tarlow back.
Care and Concern: We would like to wish our beloved Fred Miller a speedy recovery and encourage our congregants to visit him at Emeritus on Spicewood Springs Road, very close to Beth El,  while he is there getting rehab.  Fred had a recent fall and is doing very well, and G-d willing will be home soon.  While there, please also visit our our dear Esther Kadoch  who is in the Assisted Living Section of Emeritus.  The address and number: 4401 Spicewood Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78759 (512) 774-3986
 
Please join our Facebook Group if you haven’t already! It’s Congregation Beth El Austin. Also, don’t forget to check out our website www.bethelaustin.org.
 Of course, we continue to have Israel deep in our hearts and prayers!  Shabbat shalom to you all.
Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message:
This week, Parshat Matoth, is also the first Shabbat of the the Three Weeks leading up to to Tish’ah B’Av, the fast of the Ninth of Av.  At this time, we remember the destruction of the First and Second Temples.  Our Tradition tells us that the First Temple was destroyed for the sin of idolatry, while the Second Temple was destroyed because of causeless hatred.  As we enter this season of mourning, let us make sure that we are not engaging in those same sins-that we are not committing the idolatry of placing things above God, and above our relationships with our fellow human beings, created in God’s image.  Let us also be wary of the sin of causeless hatred, especially at this time of conflict in Israel.  Our hearts are with our brothers and sisters, but let us not fall into the error of directing our anger at those who are not actually our enemies.  As for our real enemies, the murderous fanatics of Hamas, who are a plague to their own people as well as ours, may our soldiers speedily defeat them and return home safely and speedily, and may we see peace and not bloodshed in and near our homeland.  Ken y’hi ratson-may this be God’s will.  Shabbat Shalom. Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
Rabbi Peter Tarlow, Rabbi Emeritus Texas A&M
This week’s parashah is called Matot. You can find it in the Book of Numbers 30:2-33:42.  From a modern perspective, this week’s parashah is more than a bit challenging and at times seems to have gone backwards on several issues. We see this regression on the issue of women’s rights and in the Bible’s narrative concerning the war against the Midianites. It is here that we learn that a group’s collective suffering does not necessarily translate into its future compassion.  Hebrew Scripture does not try to conceal the negative, but rather reports both the good and the bad and forces us to dig deep into the text to find its ethical insights.

The Hebrew reader will pick up a variety of clues throughout this week’s section.  For example, the text does not begin with the normative: “God spoke to Moses saying…” but rather Moses simply begins to speak. The words and concepts are his and his alone. Additionally, Moses does not address the masses but rather the “rashei hamatot: the tribal heads.  Is Matot then a lesson on leadership?  Does Moses speak to the leaders because he knows that their words set a national  tone? Is he teaching us that the way our leaders speak impacts the level of civility within a society? Is the text teaching us that when leaders are divisive, arrogant or refuse to listen, a tone is set that impacts the national dialogue?

The text seems to understand that history is not unidirectional. As a species, we humans both progress and regress, and our political leadership is irregular at best. We humans are capable of caring about our fellow human beings or destroying him, of demonstrating both compassion and selfishness,  It is for this reason that the text teaches us that is not enough simply to believe. The text argues that what counts in life is not what we say but what we do. Is the text teaching us that we are to judge our leaders not by the quality of their oratory but rather by the result of their actions?  This text teaches us the need to unify our words with our actions and asks us to demand that  leaders’ words not become disconnected from their actions.

This week’s section recognizes that all too often human beings  prepared ethically to regress so as to lay claim to power and possessions, rather than develop honest interpersonal relationships. Perhaps that is why the text begins with the admonishment: “Tachel dvaro b’chol ha’yotzey mi piv/he shall not break his word but should do according to all that comes out of his mouth” (30:3)  Not easy words to live by, especially in a society that defines itself by the material rather than by the spiritual. Have we learned the lessons of Matot? What do you think?