Junior Congregation Archives - Congregation Beth El Austin ק״ק בית אל

Purim at Beth El!

April 4, 2021/in Junior Congregation /by betheladmin11

Shabbat Shalom to you all! We had a very sweet Purim last night, but the show will go on a little longer. Our Sunday school children are encouraged to all come in costume this Sunday for Sunday School. We will have goodie bags and of course the amazing Israel American Council (IAC) Purim mask exhibit at Beth El. We will also have our rescheduled marketing meeting this Tuesday at 7:30 and we hope you can join us.
Tonight’s Friday evening services will begin at 7 PM. Can’t wait to see you in person or on zoom.

Friday Night Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82884019311

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message:
This week’s parshah, Tetzaveh, begins with a description of the vestments of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, and of the ordinary Kohanim. The Kohen was instantly recognizable by his clothing-even today, some descendants of the Kohanim living in Jerusalem wear the prescribed clothing. Clothing can serve many purposes. As in the case of priestly vestments or a military uniform, clothing can identify us. Even something so small as a kippah or other headcovering can identify one as a Jew. On the other hand, clothing like a Purim costume, or even a mask worn to protect ourselves and others from disease, can obscure our identity. And to be sure, a uniform obscures the individual in order to emphasize the group. Clothing, in other words, can have great power over how others perceive us. Ultimately, though, it does not change who we are. Aharon, even when he was wearing the vestments of the Kohen Gadol, was the brother of Moshe and Miriam, the father of El’azar and Ithamar, and the grandfather of Pinhas. His family knew his true essence underneath the robes and the miter-as did God. And no matter what we wear, we are known to those who love us, including God. Shabbat Shalom.Shabbat candle lighting time 6:10 PM

Beth El Blast Yizkor Sunday & April events

April 4, 2021/in adult education, announcements, Junior Congregation, News, School, Shabbat /by betheladmin11

Tonight’s Friday evening services will begin at 7 PM. Zoom and in person.No Sunday school, but please join us this Sunday at 11 AM for Yizkor – in person or via zoom using the Friday night link. Friday Night Zoom

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82884019311

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message: This Shabbat is the seventh day of Pesah, the day on which we read the story of the Crossing of the Sea of Reeds. B’nei Yisrael burst into song when they saw their enemies destroyed and knew that they were truly freed from Egypt. Since there was no Shabbat Hol Hamo’ed, Intermediate Shabbat of Pesah, we read another song as well-Shir Hashirim, the Song of Songs. The obvious connection to Pesah is that the Song describes spring in Eretz Yisrael. But on a deeper level, the love poetry corresponds to the love story, as it were, between God and the People of Israel. The prophet Jeremiah referred to this period when B’nei Yisrael first went into the wilderness as their honeymoon with God. Jeremiah recalls that love as an example for the Jewish People of his day-may it be for us as well. Shabbat Shalom u’Mo’adim L’Simhah.

השבת , בשביעי של פסח, אנו קוראים את פרשת קריטת ים סוף. כשראו בני ישראל את צבא מצריים טובע בים, והבינו שהם באמת חופשיים. אנחנו קוראים גם בשבת הזאת את שיר השירים, שמתאר את האביב בארץ, אבל הוא גם סיפור אהבה, שחז״ל השוו לאהבה התריה בין ה׳ לעם ישראל. שבת שלום ומועדים לשמחה.

No BERS Sunday school due to the Passover Chag – day eight. Please join us the rest of April! Thank you to all who helped with the second Second Night Seder via zoom. We had a blast and enjoyed hearing Logan sing the four questions! Yesher koach to him, the Hazzan, Shereen, Yosef and all who helped.Thank you to our amazing Mitzvah Makers who made delicious matzah ball soup and delivered it to those in need. Do you know that we even had a family that was stuck in Austin over Passover and needed Hagadoth, a seder plate, grape juice and soup and were so unbelievably grateful that they found a congregation in a new and unfamiliar city that was able to help them celebrate Passover. That’s the kind of shul we are all proud to call our Jewish Home!

Beth El Second Night Passover Seder

March 24, 2021/in adult education, announcements, Events, Junior Congregation, News, Passover, Sermon, Shabbat /by betheladmin11

Just a reminder that the Beth El Annual Second Night Seder is tonight at 6:30 PM.
Passover Zoom Link:

Meeting ID: 859 6871 3636
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85968713636

From Shereen and Hazzan Ben_Moshe:

Hag Pesah Sameah Beth El Friends,

We hope this finds everyone well and looking forward to the Festival of Freedom. We hope that this will be the last time that we celebrate together virtually, and that next year will be, if not in Jerusalem, at least in person. We pray that we will be able to gather with extended family, and together as a congregation for the second night of the holiday. In any case, may our matzah be crisp, our knaidlach either fluffy or dense, as you prefer, our haroset sweet, and may we all enjoy old family recipes as well as new ones. And of course, may we all remember and give thanks for our People’s liberation from bondage.  Hag Kasher v’sameah!

Here are some tips on how to prepare for Pesach:

Clean all hametz food items from the house-eat up/throw out/donate/put aside to be sold.
Clean the house, but not obsessively. Dirt isn’t hametz!
Since Pesah begins on Saturday night, things are a little different.  B’dikat Hametz (searching for hametz) is done Thursday evening, and Bi’ur Hametz (burning hametz) is done on Friday, preferably by about 11:30AM.  Hametz may be eaten Friday evening and Saturday morning until 11:30-but it’s easier to eat kosher for Pesah food on Shabbat and use egg matzah (which can’t be used for the Seder) instead of bread. If you do eat bread on Friday evening/Saturday morning, any leftovers should be put in the garbage or compost by 11:30. The Seder should not begin until the end of Shabbat, 8:10PM at the earliest, and Kiddush includes the paragraph for Havdalah.
Join us for the 2^nd Night Seder via Zoom:
We hope you will join us for this year’s interactive seder.

Getting ready for the evening:Prepare your dinnerPrepare your Seder plateSet your table (Elijah’s cup, candles, wine, pillows for reclining, Afikomen bag, matzah, matzah cover)Haggadah – bring your own or a copy of the Beth El Zoom Haggadah (included in this packet)Agenda for the evening – 6:30 pm 6:30 PM Welcome & let the Seder begin!We will take a 30-minute break for dinner and then come back on to proceed with the Seder.Turn off your cameras or enjoy your dinner and chat with others who are also enjoying their dinner via Zoom.Seder resumesSing-a-long – join us for some of our favorite Pesah songs!
We look forward to seeing you Sunday evening!
Hag Kasher v’sameah from the Ben-Moshe household (Hazzan Yitzhak, Shereen, kids and dogs).

Bat Mitzvah Weekend

March 13, 2021/in Junior Congregation /by betheladmin11

Services @ 7 PM tonight. Zoom and in person. We have Shabbat morning services starting at 9:45AM this week, as we celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of Sarah J! We hope you can join us for the beautiful Torah service. Thank you to Jeff and Diana for sponsoring the kidish. All CDC social distancing guidelines will be followed. No Sunday school as it’s Spring break.Join us Thursday evening for our Chai Mitzvah Ten Commandments class on zoom! See below. Friday Night Zoom Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message: Shabbat Hahodesh is the Shabbat either on or preceding Rosh Hodesh Nisan. Rosh Hodesh Nisan is the New Year of the Torah. While the first of Tishrei commemorates Creation, our history as a People begins with the Exodus. Before that first of Nisan, we were a family, a clan, a rabble of enslaved people. With the commandment to start a calendar and prepare for the Exodus, we became a nation. We no longer looked to other people for holidays, but began to celebrate our own. Even though the long centuries of exile from our Land, the cycle of weeks and months and years, of Shabbatot and Festivals, has held us together. And now, with the establishment of the State of Israel, we are once again the majority in our homeland and our holidays are national holidays. It is a great privilege to live in such times. Shabbat Shalom.

השבת היא שבת החודש. שמציינת את תחילת חודש ניסן, שלפי התורה הוא החודש הראשון של השנה. ברגע שקבענו לוח השנה משלנו, הפכנו ממשפחה לעם.Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe Shabbat candle lighting time 6:20 PM

Mazel Tov to Sarah on her bat mitzvah this Shabbat morning, Saturday March 13! We are so proud of you. May you continue to be a blessing to your parents, community and the Jewish people!