Annual meeting and shabbat services

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2018AM-Onlyshelach lechaA lot going on this weekend – please read! We’d love you to join us for our Kaballat Shabbat services, Friday June 8, at the regular time of 7:00 p.m.

Saturday June 9th at 9 a.m. we have our Shabbat morning services. Torah service at around 9:45 a.m. and children’s services with our own Shereen Canady at 10:30 a.m. Kidush lunch immediately following.

Sunday June 10 at 4:30 p.m. is Beth El’s Annual Meeting. See Below.

Watch this space for summer speaker series and summer Talmud classes at Beth El. Our first guest will be David Walker, who studied medieval Hebrew literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Cantor Ben-Yitzhak Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message;

Our Parshah this week, Sh’lah L’kha, deals with the sending of scouts into the Land of Israel, how they brought back a bad report which discouraged the People, and how the People of Israel were condemned to wander for a generation before entering the Land. The parshah concludes with a series of laws, the last of which is to wear tzitIth, the fringes on the corners of ones garment, or tallith. In Biblical times, this was a cloak that was normally worn at all times, but by the Rabbinic Era it was a ceremonial garment, similar to the Roman toga. The purpose of the tzitzith remains the same-as a reminder of God’s commandments. We are to look at the fringes and to remember what we are to do, to be mindful and not distracted. May we always be mindful of our responsibilities and live in the way that God desires. Shabbat Shalom.

Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Shabbat candle lighting times are at 8: 14 p.m.

Our annual “state of the shul” meeting will be held THIS Sunday, June 10, at 4:30 p.m. followed by a Kosher cookout.

We plan to discuss shul business and elect officers for the upcoming year. The meeting is open to all – 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.

You all are invited to the Bat Mitzvah of Sara K. on the weekend of June 16. Iris and Kevin would be deeply honored to have their Beth El family attend. There will be Friday services at 6:30 followed by a dinner and Saturday morning services and a kidush lunch.

Macrame and Margaritas!
Sunday June 24 @ 4pm @ Beth El

Join the Beth El sisterhood for Macrame making with our wonderful teacher Anat Inbar who will show us the ins and outs of this fun craft. And just for fun, we will all be bringing super healthy salads to share and making Margaritas to sip. Open to all! A $5 donation to help cover costs.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

we will also be watching the musical Mama Mia together on June 26 at the home of Juliette and then as soon as Mama Mia, Here We Go Again Comes Out will watch it as a sisterhood!

Sisterhood Book Club.
Judas by Amos Oz –
available in Hebrew and English

Summertime and the reading is easy – or at least incredibly interesting. The sisterhood is reading Amos Oz’s 2016 novel, Judas. We will meet at the end of the summer to have a stimulating discussion, so get your copy soon.

Rabbi Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha:

This week we turn to the section of the Book of Numbers known as “Shalach L’chah”. You will find it in Numbers 13:1-15:41. The parashah’s name is poorly translated into English as “Send forth”. The Hebrew reader will immediately note the inadequacy of this translation. While “Shlach” does mean: “send” the second word (l’chah) being the indirect object pronoun (dative case) means something such as “to yourself; for yourself”. It will immediately remind the Hebrew reader that this section offers a direct parallel between G-d’s commandment to Abraham (Genesis 12:1, Lech l’chah: also mistranslated as “go forth”) and the current commandment to Moses (Shlach l’chah, mistranslated as “send forth”). In both cases, Israel’s greats are commanded to go/send people into the land. The problem then is what does the text mean by its use of the dative pronoun l’chah after the verbal command.
The medieval commentator Rashi (Rabenu Shlomo ben Yitzach) offers a possible explanation. Rashi postulates that the word l’chah used after the verb indicates that it is the subject’s choice as to whether or not to fulfill the command. In fact, Rashi argues that G-d knew that the Israelites were not yet ready to send spies into the land, but gave Moses the option of making his own choice.
What the text may be saying is that in life G-d gives all of us choices. Sometimes we choose wisely and at other times we can only hope to learn from our mistakes. G-d permits each of us to determine our own path and how we choose has a great deal to say about who we are and what we will do/accomplish in life.
Is the text then telling us that both Abraham and Moses had to enter into the land of Israel not for G’-d but for themselves? Do we claim that we do things for others when in reality we are doing taking these actions for ourselves? In a like manner we need to be cognizant that our actions have both personal and group consequences. This week’s section asks us to think of the consequences before we act and then to choose wisely.

Parashat B’haalotkha

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Shabbat shalom! Please join us for our Kaballat Shabbat services, Friday June 1, at the regular time of 7:00 p.m.

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message;

This week we read Parshat B’haalotkha, which begins with a description of the menorah and how it was to be lit by the High Priest every evening. The haftarah echoes the theme, with its own description of the menorah. This haftarah from the Book of Zechariah is also the haftarah for the Shabbat of Hanukkah. The haftarah also deals with a High Priest-Yehoshu’a, who was Kohen Gadol after the return from Babylonian exile. The Prophet has a vision of angels taking filthy clothing from Yehoshu’a and clothing him in clean robes. This is usually interpreted as a symbol for the redemption of the Jewish People from exile, but can also be seen as a symbol of the potential for any of us to find redemption. Our Tradition teaches that no one is beyond redemption, that we are all able, like the High Priests of old, to rekindle light in our lives and the lives of those around us. Shabbat Shalom.

Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Shabbat candle lighting times are at 8: 10 p.m.

www.bethelaustin.org/donate

Macrame and Margaritas!
Sunday June 24 @ 4pm @ Beth El

Join the Beth El sisterhood for Macrame making with our wonderful teacher Anat who will show us the ins and outs of this fun craft. And just for fun, we will all be bringing super healthy salads to share and making Margaritas to sip. Open to all! A $5 donation to help cover costs.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

we will also be watching the musical Mama Mia together on June 26 at the home of Juliette and then as soon as Mama Mia, Here We Go Again Comes Out will watch it as a sisterhood!

Sisterhood Book Club.
Judas by Amos Oz –
available in Hebrew and English

Summertime and the reading is easy – or at least incredibly interesting. The sisterhood is reading Amos Oz’s 2016 novel, Judas. We will meet at the end of the summer to have a stimulating discussion, so get your copy soon.

Also, save the date. Our annual “state of the shul” meeting will be held on Sunday, June 10, at 4:30 p.m. followed by a Kosher cookout. 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, chair of the nominating committee at bob.miller@milleruniforms.com Nominations should be submitted no later than 15 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.

And finally, you all are invited to the Bat Mitzvah of Sara K on the weekend of June 16. Iris and Kevin would be deeply honored to have their Beth El family attend.

Please join Shalom Austin on Sunday June 3 at the Dell Jewish Community Campus for their wonderful and family friendly SPLASH BASH. From 11 to 3. Free and open to the community.

Rabbi Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha:

This week’s parashah (Book of Numbers 8:1-12:16) is called “B’haalotechah.” The name means “when you raise yourself up” and the name teaches us a great deal about its themes.

The parashah is another long section. In this week’s section, we find a weary Moses. He has dealt with non-stop complaining and although the text is terse with its words, the reader gets the sense that Moses is experiencing leadership burnout. It must have seen to him that whatever he did was wrong. Perhaps the pinnacle of this professional weariness is when in 12:1 the text tells us that “Vtidabber Miriam vAharon b’Mosheh al-odot ha’ishah ha’cushit asher lakach…Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married….”

Now Moses must deal with criticism from the two people in the world whom he always thought he could count on, his brother and his sister. Furthermore, it is unclear exactly what the complaints were. Were Moses’ siblings angry at him for ignoring his wife or did she do something wrong? Is this a case of racism or were Moses’ siblings standing up for Tziporah? Is such criticism part of leadership or do we still treat our leaders unfairly?
If we read the text carefully we note that Moses reacts very gently to their criticism. It is as if he is tired, understands that they too may be tired and realizes that often we take out our frustrations and our jealousies on those we love. It must have been somewhat frustrating for Aaron and Miriam to be second to Moses. It is also part of human nature sometimes to hurt those who have helped us most.
The text shows us Moses greatness by the fact that instead of insisting that G-d punish his siblings, Moses’ only words are directed to G-d when he utters the Bible’s first prayer of petition asking healing for his sister Miriam: “El na rfa na la/O G’d, please heal her now.” (12:13
Although the text indicates that G-d punished Miriam for her disloyalty, we have to ask ourselves if Moses was also asking G-d to heal her of her envy and perhaps jealousy. Is the text teaching us that our need to bring down those whom have helped us most is a form of leprosy of the heart? Perhaps that is why this week’s portion is called “B’haalotechah /when you bring yourself up”. It teaches us that our task is to raise ourselves up by what we accomplish rather than by lowering those who seek to help us.
What does this section teach us about our own hyper-politicized world, a world filled with the politics of personal destruction? Are our leaders and media outlets acting more like Miriam or Moses? What do you think?
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Parashat Naso and Grandpa Abe

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27403373Shabbat shalom! Please join us for our Kaballat Shabbat services, Friday May 25, at the regular time of 7:00 p.m.

Saturday Morning services are this week, Saturday May 26, starting at 9 am with Psukei D’Zimra, Torah service at 9:45, with children’s story time at around 10:30. We will end with a kidish lunch at around 12 noon. All are welcome! Beth El is truly a place where “everyone knows your name” and has a kind word and smile for you.

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message;

This week’s parshah, Naso, continues the theme from last week of preparation to leave Sinai and begin the trek to the Land of Israel. Continuing with the numbering of the Levites and detailing their responsibilities, a number of laws are given and then the parshah closes with the dedication of the Mishkan. This dedication included equal gifts from the tribal chieftains, and this section of our parshah also comprises the Torah readings for Hanukkah, the holiday of the rededication of the Temple. We read this parshah near the summer solstice, when the days are longest, and again at Hanukkah near the winter solstice, when days are shortest. In truth, any time is proper for dedication to doing what is Godly in this world. Shabbat Shalom.

Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Shabbat candle lighting times are at 8: 06 p.m.

www.bethelaustin.org/donate

Macrame and Margaritas!
Sunday June 24 @ 4pm @ Beth El

Join the Beth El sisterhood for Macrame making with our wonderful teacher Anat who will show us the ins and outs of this fun craft. And just for fun, we will all be bringing super healthy salads to share and making Margaritas to sip. Open to all! A $5 donation to help cover costs.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

we will also be watching the musical Mama Mia together on June 26 at the home of Juliette and then as soon as Mama Mia, Here We Go Again Comes Out will watch it as a sisterhood!

Sisterhood Book Club.
Judas by Amos Oz –
available in Hebrew and English

Summertime and the reading is easy – or at least incredibly interesting. The sisterhood is reading Amos Oz’s 2016 novel, Judas. We will meet at the end of the summer to have a stimulating discussion, so get your copy soon.

Also, save the date. Our annual “state of the shul” meeting will be held on Sunday, June 10, at 4:30 p.m. followed by a Kosher cookout. 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, chair of the nominating committee at bob.miller@milleruniforms.com Nominations should be submitted no later than 15 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.

And finally, you all are invited to the Bat Mitzvah of Sara K on the weekend of June 16. Iris and Kevin would be deeply honored to have their Beth El family attend.

Grandpa Abe: What a Day!

On Saturday, the 12th of May, we were so fortunate to have had a Bar Mitzvah at our special worshiping place. Jonathan was the Bar Mitzvah boy. He stood so proudly at the bimah and as he carried the Torah around. It just made me feel good all over, as they say down here in Texas. This was not the only thing that I noticed in our special synagogue. I looked around and I saw a middle aged gentleman with his arm on the back of the pew resting on his wife’s shoulder. Not far from him was another couple sitting real close to each other sharing his tallis. (I’m not quite sure if the tallis was to keep her warm or if he wanted to share these special moments with her. But for whatever reason, it was heartwarming) When the service ended, a lot of the couples turned to each other and they gave each other an affectionate kiss. I know this should be a Valentine’s Day story, but you have to write when the occasion arises. As my wife would say, it’s a Mother’s Day story. The children have picked up on this feeling of love and friendship in their happenings around the synagogue. I see them using, as we would say, their good manners. They are very polite and just all around very special children. I guess their parents have taught them well, with God’s help.

Dor ‘l Dor,

Grandpa Abe

Please join Shalom Austin on Sunday June 3 at the Dell Jewish Community Campus for their wonderful and family friendly SPLASH BASH. From 11 to 3. Free and open to the community.

Parshot B’har/B’hukkotai.

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皮层逆差Shabbat shalom! Please join us for our Kaballat shabbat services, May 11, at the regular time of 7:00 p.m. As always, you will leave feeling inspired and “Rejewvenated”.

This Saturday May 12, we would love you to attend Shabbat morning services. We are honored to be celebrating the bar mitzvah of Jonathan Silberstein and wish his parents Michal and Udi and his brother Matan much nachas. You all are invited. There will be a delicious kidush luncheon immediately following.

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message;

This week we close Sefer Vayyikra, the Book of Leviticus, with the reading of the combined parshot of B’har/B’hukkotai. B’har begins with the laws of the Sabbatical Year and the Yovel, The Jubilee Year, when property reverted to its original owners, debts were forgiven and indentured servants released. The Torah thus gives us a vision of society in which equality was the rule, rather than the exception. Some of these rules only work in a rural agrarian society, and had to be modified by the Sages two thousand years ago as Jewish society became more urban, but the principle remains, and endured through the ages-that liberty and equality are the ideal state. In fact, a quote from Parshat B’har is found on the Liberty Bell-“Proclaim liberty throughout the land and unto the inhabitants thereof”. May the day come when these words are taken seriously in all lands. Shabbat Shalom.

Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Shabbat candle lighting times are at 7: 58 p.m.

Please enjoy photos of our end of year Sunday school celebration at the Park with our BERS families and congregants. We again want to thank our amazing educators Anat, Iris D, Shira, Hadar, Noa, Shereen, Maya, and of course, Cantor Ben-Moshe.

Thank you to grill master extraordinaire Yosef who tirelessly grilled away all afternoon! We are definitely making the picnic at the park an annual event.

Please save the date for our next board meeting on Tuesday May 22 at 7 p.m. at Beth El.

Also, save the date. Our annual “state of the shul” meeting will be held on Sunday, June 10, at 4:30 p.m. followed by a Kosher cookout. 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, chair of the nominating committee at bob.miller@milleruniforms.com Nominations should be submitted no later than 15 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.
And finally, you all are invited to the Bat Mitzvah of Sara K on the weekend of June 16. Iris and Kevin would be deeply honored to have their Beth El family attend.
Rabbi Peter Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha;

This week we turn to one of the final sections of the Book of Leviticus, the parashah known as B’Chukotay. You will find this week’s section in the book of Leviticus 26:3-27:34. Although this section deals with a number of issues, one theme stands out and forces us into deep contemplation.
In Leviticus 26:3 we read “Im b’chukotai telchu v’im mitzvotai tishmru va’asitem otam/If you walk in (follow) My laws and keep (watch over) My commandments and you do them…” The basic theme here is a political or historical tit-for-tat. The text seems to be saying that If you follow G-‘d’s laws then goodness will come, but if you choose not, then evil will be the outcome.

This verse, however, is more complicated than at first it might appear to be. Grammatically, the verse presents us with conceptual problems. If we read the verse carefully in the Hebrew text, we note that the verse’s first two verbs have a subjunctive sense (expressing doubt), thus it is unclear if we will choose or not choose to follow G-d’s laws, but the third verb (to do) has a declarative sense “You will do them” no questions asked!

How come? Might the Torah portion be giving us an important lesson in life? Could this week’s parashah be hinting at the idea that adults may not like what they have to do, but being an adult means getting beyond one’s own feelings and pleasures and doing something that you do not want to do, but still doing it simply because it is the right thing to do? Is the Torah portion addressing an age such as ours where “feelings” overwhelm facts, where adults often act as children, and where politicians do what is best for them rather than for the nation?

This week’s parashah’s theme is to be an adult is to learn to live in a world where we do not always get our way. Being an adult means going beyond the ‘I” and coming to understand the needs of the “we”. This careful balance between the “I” and the “we”, the personal versus the common good is found throughout the Hebrew Biblical text. For example, Noah’s great act was that he walked with G-d even when it might have been inconvenient; the same is true of every honored Biblical figure. Greatness is not measured always by what we say or feel, but in the end by what we do.

What do you think? Are you stuck in a world of the “I” or can you move into the world of the “we”?

Parshot Aharei Mot/K’doshim,

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Shabbat shalom!

Please join us for our Kaballat shabbat which starts tonight at the regular time of 7:00 p.m. We invite you to join and participate and be inspired by words of Torah from Chazzan Ben-Moshe.

Shabbat morning services are this Saturday April 28 at 9 a.m. with the Torah service at 9:45; children’s story time at around 10:30 with our amazing Morah Shereen, and kiddush lunch immediately following. All are welcome! Our community is strengthened by every individual who joins us in prayer. Thank you to Javis who is kindly sponsoring the kiddush in memory of her beloved late mother’s birthday. May Ruby Lee’s memory always be for a blessing.

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly Message:

This week we read the combined parshot of Aharei Mot/K’doshim, which begin with a description of the Yom Kippur service as it was done in the Mishkan. In fact, the first part of Aharei Mot is the Torah reading for the morning of Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is of course the Day of Atonement, when we ask forgiveness for our wrongdoing. Rabbi Eli’ezer Ben Hyrcanos used to say, “Repent the day before your death.” His students asked, “How do you know what day you’ll die?” R. Eli’ezer said, “Exactly-you should repent every day.” Yom Kippur is not the only day on which we can be forgiven-every day we have that chance to mend our ways and start anew. Similarly, on Sunday we observe the day of Pesah Sheni, Second Passover, when in ancient times someone who was unable to offer the Paschal Sacrifice at the proper time could make it up. We always have chances at redemption, chances to make things right. Let us always take advantage of the the second chances given us. Shabbat Shalom.

Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

SAVE THE DATE – SUNDAY MAY 6, for a special end of year BERS party and congregational picnic at Bull Creek Park from 10-12. We will have games, family picnic, food and lots of fun. What a terrific way to end our lovely Sunday school program for the year. All are welcome.
Shabbat candle lighting times are at 7:48 p.m.

Huge thank you to Shereen and Cantor Ben-Moshe and our dream team of educators at Sunday school – Iris D, Maya, Hadar and Anat who helped bring our WHOLE SUNDAY school to the community wide celebration at the J last Sunday. The Chai Mitzvah Teens did a fantastic job on the face painting and we all enjoyed celebrating Israel at 70 with Shalom Austin.

Sunday Funday this Sunday April 29 at 10 a.m.

Join the Beth El sisterhood at the home of Doris on May 15 at 7pm.

Let us know if you need a ride. And join us even if you haven’t read the book as these get togethers are so inspiring and fun. Bring a healthy nosh to share.

Congregation Beth El has for the past few years been a part of Austin shomrim, a group of men and women who help in this amazing mitzvah when someone in the community has passed away. We could use some more volunteers to help this community wide organization. Please email us for more details. Go to the following link to sign up:

In order to start using the new, improved website, all Austin Shmirah members must sign up. PLEASE DON’T SKIP ANY STEPS!

1. Go to https://chevrah.org/
,

Click NEW SIGNUP? REGISTER FOR AN ACCOUNT, and fill it out. You may choose a very simple password. Click REGISTER NOW

2. HOME page: EDIT PROFILE.
CHECK/FILL IN ALL ITEMS WITH ASTERISKS (use dropdown menus), plus anything else you’d like to add.
Click SUBMIT at bottom of page

3. TO BECOME A SHOMER: Go back to HOME page
Click JOIN A TEAM. For EACH INDIVIDUAL congregation you want to serve, click JOIN SHMIRAH, then read that congregation’s requirements. To get on their shmirah coordinator’s mailing list, AGREE/SIGN UP. If you don’t meet the requirements or changed your mind, CLOSE. Repeat for all congregations you want to serve.

4. EVERYONE: CLICK “JOIN SHMIRAH” in the row for MAILING LIST FOR ALL AUSTIN MEMBERS. This puts you on Gail Tosto’s general mailing list.

Rabbi Peter Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha:

This week we read a double parashah, Acharei-Mot (Levitcus 16:1-18:30) and Kdoshim (Leviticus 19:1-20:27). Often the names of these weekly Torah sections tell us a great deal about the Biblical view on life and provide us with great insights. Acharei-Mot means “After the deaths of…” In the previous sections, we read about deaths caused by the plague of tzara’at and about Aaron’s sons’ deaths. The reader can imagine that many asked where was G’d. In this week’s sections we receive at least a partial answer. The Torah teaches us that Acharei-Mot, after death, G’d reminded us that we are to define live on the level of the sacred; on the scale of holiness. In other words, in the face of death, be holy; in the face of death, chose life

Certainly no people knows this lesson better than we, the Jewish people do. Less than 100 years ago, we were a broken people. On that dark-continent called Europe, we suffered the indescribable anguish of the Holocaust. Europe offered no refuge anywhere. Europe, after some 2,000 years of prejudice, simply had no place for Jewish life, and so in its final act of barbarity, it sought to eliminate its “Jewish problem.” After the orgy of murders, we were a broken people. Yet the the bent tree we call Jewish life once again found rebirth of modern Israel. Despite the fact Israel stills suffers from European prejudices modern Israel is a vibrant and strong democracy.

As we read these two sections we go on a spiritual journey. On this journey the Torah reminds us that survival is more than merely the physical; it is also the spiritual. This spiritual journey must be on both the personal and national levels. Each of us is obligated to teach the world that prejudice and hatred must be conquered and that all human beings are made in the image of G-d. Being holy is not merely living in the here and now, but with respect for the past and with a sense of futurity and hope. To be holy is both to have
faith and to practice it.

The opposite of holiness is secularism; it is a flight into fantasy. It is the belief that whatever one does is ok, that one lives only for oneself, and that what really counts is the celebration of the “I”. To be holy is to do for others, to realize that our actions matter and that no group, community or nation can survive merely by the selfish despair that comes from inward thinking.
These two sections teach us that how we live, how we choose to make our lives holy, and how we treat others form the building blocks of faith and the basis of optimism. What do you think?

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