Parashat Vayera

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Friday Night Shabbat Services, Tonight 1/08, at 7 PM.

Our Saturday morning services are this shabbat, December 9, at 9 AM. The Kidush is kindly sponsored by Audrey and Barry Mann.

Marion Miller’s funeral service will be held Friday January 8th at 11 AM at Weed-Corley-Fish funeral home, 3125 North Lamar Blvd.
It will be followed immediately after by a graveside service at Capital Memorial Park Cemetary in Pflugerville, at the Beth Israel section III.
14501 North IH-35, Pflugerville, TX 78660

Shiva minyanim will be held at Bob Miller’s home around the corner from Beth El: Please park across the road in the office lot.
Friday January 8th at 5PM
Sunday January 10 at 7PM
Monday January 11 at 7PM
Tuesday January 12 at 7PM
Wednesday January 13 at 7PM

Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week we read in Parshat Va’era of the four promises God made to the People of Israel through Moses-that He would take us out of Egypt, save us, redeem us and take us to be His People. In memory of those four pledges, we drink four cups of wine at the Passover Seder. Our outlook is thus one of gratitude-we thankfully acknowledge all that God has done for us, from the Exodus until now. Gratitude is the basis of our spiritual life-we thank God first for the gift of life, and also for the ability to be conscious of that gift. This week, as we mourn the passing of Marion Miller, and extend our condolences to Fred and to Bob Miller, and to Bob’s brothers, Marc, Steve and Keith and the entire Miller family, we are also grateful that such a wonderful woman was part of our lives. May her memory be for a blessing. Shabbat Shalom.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Marion Miller’s obituary: Written by her.
www.tributes.com/Marion-Miller.
Writing this death notice myself serves a dual purpose: 1) it spares family members from trying to recall all the small details of my life, and 2) it provides future generations with some important information. I was born at home in Hartford, Connecticut on 1/19/31 in the midst of the Great Depression. I was pre-deceased by my mother, Clara Simon Cohen, born in Russia, Father, Isidor, born in Russia, brother, Samuel Cohen: brother, Joseph Cohen and half sister, Betty ShermanIn 1933 the family moved to Boston, Massachusetts where WPA work was made available by the then U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Despite the hardship brought on by the Great Depression, we never lacked for the necessities of life, thanks to my father’s hard work as a carpenter.When I was six years old, my mother died of a kidney infection. In 1937 antibiotics were not yet available. Betty at age 21, newly married to Irving Sherman, became caregiver to three younger siblings along with caring for two children of her own, Roselyn and Evelyn. Betty was my father’s first child by a previous marriage.After graduation from Roxbury Memorial High School for Girls in 1948, I worked as a secretary for two years at Kingston Clothing Company in Boston. At age 19, I married Fred G. Miller on March 8, 1950. Four sons were born of this marriage: Marc (married to Lori), Keith (married to Robin), Stephen and Robert. The boys were raised in the Natick/Framingham, Massachusetts area. I returned to the working world as a secretary after the children were all in school. Former employers include the Ahlquist Agency, The Equitable Life Assurance Society, The Interface Group, Medical Park Orthopedics of Austin, TX and Miller Uniforms & Emblems.In 1997 Fred and I moved to Austin to be close to our family, all engaged in the rapid growth of Miller Uniforms. After one year as a medical transcriber, I joined Miller Uniforms in 1998.Fred and I enjoyed traveling to various countries throughout Europe, Paris, France being my favorite destination.On 1/24/10 we traveled to Israel for a fast-paced, week-long tour with a Hadassah group.Fine art and music were among my major interests. Visiting museums was a favorite activity, as was the game of Scrabble. Advice to Future generations: Learn to play a musical instrument and appreciate fine art.I was a life member of Hadassah and a proud member of Congregation Beth El in Austin.Final words: “No need to mourn. It was a wonderful life – fine husband, fine children, fine grandchildren and find great-grandchildren.In addition to my husband, Four sons and their wives, survivors include, 7 Grandchildren, 3 Step Grandchildren, 9 Great Grandchildren my Brother’s widow Phyllis Cohen, Three nieces, Diane, Beverly and Sandy, Nieces Roselyn and Evelyn, several cousins and second cousins.Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 8, 2016 at Weed-Corley-Fish North Lamar Chapel. Interment will follow at Beth Israel III at Capital Parks Cemetery in Pflugerville.Memorial contributions may be made to Congregation Beth El, 8902 Mesa Drive, Austin, Texas 78759 or Hospice Austin’s Christopher House, 4107 Spicewood Springs Rd., Suite 100, Austin, Texas 78759

Parashat Shemot

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Friday Night Shabbat Services, Tonight 1/01, at 7 PM. We hope you can join us for uplifting and sprited singing. Great way to keep your New Year’s resolution of going to shul more.

Please keep Marion Miller in your thoughts and prayers as she is currently at Seton Hospital Main battling illness. We wish the whole Miller family strength in this difficult time.

Our next Saturday morning services are January 9, at 9 AM. The Kidush is kindly sponsored by Audrey and Barry Mann. We will be honoring Phil and Keren Harvey as they embark on their journey of making aliya to Israel and wish them all the best!

Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week we begin Sefer Sh’mot with the parshah of the same name. Pharoah(possibly Seti I) decides that the Israelites need to be enslaved, so he makes them out to his people to be a threat, and is thereafter able to oppress them with the cooperation of the Egyptian people. After our ancestors’ liberation from Egypt, the Torah commands us to refrain from oppressing strangers, for we knew what it was like to be an oppressed community of outsiders. We need not look so far back, either. During the 1930’s and 40’s, Jewish refugees from Europe were barred from entering the United States, ostensibly out of fear that they might be Communist infiltrators. We know that feeling all too well-and God commands us in the Torah to act compassionately towards the strangers and outsiders. To support and comfort demonized ethnic groups is not only our best interest, but in the best tradition of the Jewish People. Shabbat Shalom.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

We will resume Sunday Fundays, a.k.a. Sunday School on January 10 at 10 AM. So much to look forward to including Jungle Yoga walk on Sunday January 24 with Yoga instructor Mirit Solomon-Shimoni and more.

Rabbi Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha from the Center for Crypto Jewish studies:
Appropriately enough, we begin a new year with a new book of the Bible. This week we begin our yearly reading of “Sefer Shmot” or as it is known in English translation: “The Book of Exodus.” Just as each year brings new opportunities and challenges, the same can be said for each book found within the Hebrew Bible. Exodus is a perfect example of a book that is both a continuation of Genesis and also a very different book from Genesis. In this election year it reminds us that the consequences of past mistakes become the problems of the next administration. Reading Exodus carefully the text seems to indicate that we are partners with G’d in the shaping of history, and due to a God-Human partnership, time is a river flowing toward goals. Exodus argues that humans play a role in history’s direction. This second book of the Bible takes us from slavery toward liberation. The Hebrew reader will note the subtle clues in Exodus to humanity’s political empowerment. For example note the book’s name: Sefer Shmot does not mean The Book of Exodus, but rather the “Book of Names.” In Hebrew Scripture having a name is more than a mere sign of life. For our ancestors, names meant existence, and not to have a name was to be less than human. To give a name is to have power and purpose. Adam, symbolizing humanity, becomes human when he names the animals. G’d does not name the animals, Adam does, and in so doing changes nameless creatures into specific groups of animals. On the other hand, fascist regimes turn people’s names into numbers as a dehumanization method. We see a hint of the importance of names in the latter chapters of Genesis, the angle changes Jacob’s name to Israel, and Joseph in his flight toward assimilation changes his name from a Hebrew name to an Egyptian name. Names, in the Hebrew Bible symbolize the person or groups relationship with the world.Modern politicians continue to use names as weapons, they often speak of allies with specific names and generalize enemies’ names. The importance of names is underscored in the parasha’s first verses: VaYakam Melech Chadash al-Mitzrayim shelo yada et Yosef/there arose a knew king over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” Note the interplay here: “the Pharaoh” did not know (of) Joseph and we, the reader, do not know who the Pharaoh is. Pharaoh has ceased to be a person and instead has turned into a political position. Might the text be indicating that dehumanization begins when we cease to know our enemy’s name, when our enemy is reduced to a concept or a generalization instead of a human being?

Community News: Grand re-opening of the Austin Community Mikveh: Save the Date. Sunday January 17 at noon

Parashat Vayehi

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Friday Night Shabbat Services, Tonight 12/25, at 7 PM. We hope you can join us.

Saturday morning services are tomorrow morning, December 26, at 9 AM. Kidush sponsored by the Koeller family in honor of our special congregation and Jewish home, Beth El.

Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
The Book of Genesis can be read as a long tale of recurring sibling rivalry. From Cain and Abel through the story of Joseph, Sefer B’reshit tells of older brothers resentful of their younger brothers’ successes (and in the case of Leah and Rahel, sisters as well). In our parshah, Vayehi, the latest of B’reshit, we finally see something different. Yisrael/Ya’akov wishes to bless his grandsons, the sons of his favorite Joseph. He deliberately switches his hands to give the firstborn blessing to Ephraim, the younger, instead of the actual firstborn M’nasheh. Tradition says that he did so because of a prophetic vision that the Tribe of Ephraim would actually be greater than the Tribe of M’nasheh. In any event, the Torah does not report any conflict between the two brothers despite their grandfather’s favoritism. It is perhaps for this reason that Jewish parents, when blessing their sons before Shabbat and Festival meals, use he words from our parshah “May God make you like Ephraim and M’nasheh”. May we all live up to this blessing, and live in love and harmony with all of our brothers and sisters-all of humanity. Shabbat Shalom.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

We will resume Sunday Fundays, a.k.a. Sunday School on January 10 at 10 AM.

Rabbi Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha from the Center for Crypto Jewish studies:
This week we conclude our yearly study of the Book of Genesis with the parashah called VaYichee. You will find this section beginning in Genesis 47:28 and continuing until the end of the book. This week’s section deals with the eternal struggle between father and son, between human beings and between G’d and humanity. The parashah’s initial verses set the stage. By the book’s end we see that Joseph has had to make his own life in a foreign land. Now reunited with his father (we have to wonder why Joseph took so many years to tell his father that he was alive and then made his enfeebled dad come to him) Jacob insisted that Joseph take full responsibility for his, Jacob’s, funeral instating that Joseph bury him not in Egypt but rather in the land of Israel.Joseph’s reply was a terse: “A’aseh cdivarchah/I will do as you ask/according to what you say to me”. Jacob then reacted by stating once again in he tersest of manner: “Hishavah li/Then swear on it for me.” How come? Why does Jacob need a second statement? What do the words ‘hishavah li’ tell us about the relationship between Jacob and Joseph, or the relationship between any two people? Have the years of separation caused Jacob both to love his son and not to trust him? There is, however another possibility. Do these words represent the conclusion of a series of oaths started first by Abraham and now coming to an end with the death of the last patriarch? Once again, we see that the characters in Genesis are extremely human. Each lived his or her life in a precariousness state. Are all relationships fragile?From God’s relationship with Adam until Jacob’s relationship with Joseph the book emphasizes a sense of struggle and the realization that life is not lived on a single plane but rather it is a web of entanglements. Genesis, then, ends with humanity now on its own, responsible for its own actions. Is this final oath symbolic of our being free to soar toward G’d or fail? Does it represent that both the G’d-human, and human-human relationship will be ones of struggle and of hope? As we will see in the next book, that of Exodus, Genesis was a mere introduction to the struggles and dreams that will lie ahead.

Community News: Grand re-opening of the Austin Community Mikveh: Save the Date. 17 January.

Parashat Vayigash

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Friday Night Shabbat Services, Tonight 12/18, at 7 PM. We hope to see you!

Saturday morning services are the morning of December 26, at 9 AM. Please consider sponsoring an upcoming kidish if you haven’t done so recently. It is a lovely honor and mitzvah. In kind donations are also greatly appreciated.

Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week’s parshah, Vayigash, concludes the story of Joseph’s test for his brothers-and in the beginning of the parshah, Judah passes the test with flying colors. Faced once again with the opportunity to condemn(so he thinks) his father’s favorite son to slavery, he instead offers himself in place of his brother Benjamin. He redeems himself for his earlier sale of Joseph, and proves himself worthy to be the ancestor of kings and ultimately the Messiah. Our Torah, our Tradition, does not present our ancestors as perfect, but as flawed human beings-but also points us toward the possibility of repentance and redemption in our own lives. We are all flawed-but, like Judah, we all have the opportunity to overcome our flaws. Shabbat Shalom.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

BERS, Sunday school class had a great semester. We will resume Sunday Fundays on January 10 with our super teachers, Bev, Shiry and Anat, and our helper extraordinaire, Judith. We love our teachers!

Rabbi Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha:
The name of this week’s parashah is: “Vayigash,” meaning: “he approached” or perhaps even “he created the conditions for a family rapprochement”. You will find this weekly parashah toward the end of the book of Genesis 44:18-47:27. It is in this section that Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and reunited with both his brothers and father, Jacob. The text is layered with meaning, and Biblical scholars could write whole dissertations on it. In a sense this week’s section also serves as a unifying theme for all of Genesis. Genesis, perhaps the Bible’s most human book, is about conflict and rapprochement, about the ebbs and flows of human relations. In Genesis we learn that both conflict and reconciliation are a constant part of life.In this week’s parashah we learn that after Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he sent them back to Canaan to bring his father Jacob to him. In chapter 45 verse 24 we read “Vayishlach et achiv vyelchu, vayamru alehem “al tirgzu baderech!” For the reader of the Bible in translation it is hard to hear the tones and cadences of the original Hebrew, but we may translate the verse as something like this: “So he sent his brothers back to Canaan saying to them: ‘behave now, do not get into any arguments along the way.'” Once again, the theme of conflict and reconciliation peeks through the darkness of despair and becomes part of the sunshine of hope.It is somewhat surprising that after all that Joseph had to do and all the lessons that his brothers have had to learn, that Joseph would still have to act as an almost petulant parent toward his older brothers. A closer examination, however, reveals some deep psychological insights. Is Joseph teaching us that not only do siblings often quarrel, but also that all relationships involve ups and downs? Is the text reminding us that often when people are in close relationships they find it is easier to blame the other rather than to address or solve the problem?Joseph may have been doing more than merely warning his brothers not to forget that their task was to save their father from the grips of a famine and not to r-g-z (get angry, blow up, lose one’s temper). Are his words also teaching us that although despite the anger and vitriolic words that often fill family and international feuds, as long as there is life there is also the chance to choose to forget past hurts and to find reconciliation? Can we get past our personal and national anger and find the benefits of peace? Are there times when peace and reconciliation are not possible? Is Genesis teaching us that we can move beyond personal injuries and find reconciliation and hope? What do you think?

Below are some of the photos from the Annual Hannukah party at Beth El last week. It was an amazing evening of great Klezmer music by Los Klezmeros, delicious food, fun and festivities! By far our biggest crowd to date! Thank you to the many, many folks who helped, our anonymous sponsor and all who kindly donated.

Annual Hannukah Party – Parashat Miketz

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Friday Night Shabbat Services, Tonight 12/11, at 7 PM. We hope to see you!

Saturday morning services are TOMORROW morning, December 12, at 9 AM with a special Shabbat Channukah service. We will have the Torah service at about 9:45 and will be using all three Torah Scrolls on this Shabbat Hannukah.

Saturday evening, December 12, at 6 PM we will be having our annual Hannukah party. We’ll have Havdallah followed by kosher food, sufganiot, latkes, kid goody bags donated by Jo and Hannah De la Concepcion, klezmer music with Guy Ben-Moshe (not a relative of Cantor Ben-Moshe) and Morah Shiry’s daughters! Fun for all! Thank you to our anonymous sponsor! Such kind Tzedakah.

*Kidish crew this week includes Art, Elaine, Iris, Yesenia, Kevin, Mary, Genevieve, Guy, Claudia and Bev! The kidish is partly sponsored by Yesenia Soto in honor of her birthday. Mazel tov Yesenia!

Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week, in Parshat Mikketz, we read the resolution to last week’s cliffhanger. Joseph is taken from the dungeon to the palace of Pharaoh to interpret the king’s dreams. He moves from the darkness of slavery and imprisonment to the light of being Pharaoh’s prime minister. This week we are also moving towards light, as we increase the number of our Hanukkah candles each evening, bringing more and more illumination into this darkest period of the year. May we bring light into darkness always-into the darkness of those suffering pain, may we bring the light of comfort. Into the darkness of fear, may we bring the light of courage. Into the darkness of those suffering from bigotry, may we bring the light of welcome. In the words of the Psalmist, “b’orchah nir’eh or-in Your light we see light.” May we always bring the light of God’s Presence to those in darkness. Shabbat Shalom and Hag Urim Sameah, a Joyous Festival of Lights.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

BERS, Sunday school class meets this Sunday, December 13. We will have a bit more Hannukah fun before our next class January 10. Happy winter break BERS and thank you to our wonderful teachers Bev Golden, Shiry Turjeman and Anat Inbar! You guys rock! Pictured below are some of the children giving our special guest Dana Baruch a huge hug after teaching them all about Hannukah and helping them to make lovely beeswax candles.

Grandpa Abe’s Words of Wisdom
TIME TO GET OFF MY ROCKING CHAIR
Well, It’s time for me to get off my rocking chair and comment on the wonderful dinner in honor of our Chazzan Ben-Moshe. Let me start from the beginning. It was done first class with fancy little sandwiches and do-dads that you ate with your fingers. They were very tasty and, if you ask me, they were teasing you for the great meal that was coming later. The synagogue was packed to capacity. I need to tell you, if you didn’t make it there, you really missed something great. The main meal was catered, kosher, and over-the-top. The Master of Ceremonies was none other than Mr. Gregg Philipson. On a scale of 1 to 10, he went over the chart at 12 1/2. He had some interesting stories and comments. He made some presentations to the Cantor and other congregants. I need to tell you also that the special women of the congregation were given lovely flowers from Elaine Jacobs. Work on this lovely banquet I’m sure took a long time and hard work. The children also helped in making this possible and they also were presented with some flowers. It’s so good to know that something as important as this lovely dinner was put together by so many people and of all ages. This congregation really knows how to come together and make things happen. I felt so proud when I saw all these people and all the hard work they had done to honor such a fine person. As our congregation grows, and it certainly is growing, we will have more of these to mark milestones in our growth. If anyone happens to read some of my mumbo-jumbo, I would certainly hope they would take the time out to visit this fine congregation. It’s like no other I have ever been to. It’s friendly, easy to live with, and a great place to get your spiritual needs met. Dor ‘L Dor,Grandpa Abe

Rabbi Tarlow’s Weekly Parasha:
Last week we studied Vayeshev (Genesis: 37:1-40:23) and also explored some of the meanings of Chanukah. This week as we end Chanukah we study the sectiona called MiKetz (Genesis 41:1-44:17). On some level both sections deal with the story of dreams. In the first of the two parashiyot, VaYeshev, we learn how Joseph’s brothers, due to a fit of jealousy, throw him into the pit and sell him as a slave.In Egypt Joseph is framed, ends up in jail. Now in this week’s parashah, Joseph is able to leave prison through his ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and goes from being a mere prisoner to become the Egyptian Prime Minister and the second most powerful man in Egypt. Throughout these two sections we find the theme: that those who live only in the present, whose lives are based on immediate gratification, end up losing their future. Joseph’s stories teach us the lesson that what may at first appear to be bad, may turn out to be a blessing. His tales also remind us that nothing in this world is forever, teaching us that during good times, prepare for times of personal and national challenges. Might this week’s parashah not be teaching us the importance of knowing how to seize an opportunity when confronted by it. After his false imprisonment, Joseph could have felt dejected and defeated. Instead, he was wise enough (chapter 41:33-36) to seize an opportunity, offer practical advice and become one of the great leaders of Egypt.Although the parashah weaves a tale of dreams and dysfunctional family reunification, there is also within these sections a hidden lesson. Might Joseph’s wisdom be more in his methods then in his decisions? Reading the text in the original Hebrew we see that Joseph’s methodology consisted of the following parts: 1) He refused to become depressed or feel defeated by his situation, 2) he looked for an opportunity to change his life, 3) he concentrated not on his own welfare but on the welfare of others, 4) he considered the weight of his words and how Pharaoh would react to his presentation, and 5) he offered practical and doable solutions. Might Joseph’s paradigm be our modern leaders ought to follow? It is interesting that this same theme, of deferred gratification, of planning for the future also is one of Chanukah’s motifs. The lights of Chanukah remind us that we have the ability to direct much of our life’s path; that each of us can effect both positive and negative change. As we approach Chanukah’s conclusion it reminds us that when our life is darkest that we can shine “light” onto it by fighting cruelty, by being a bit less selfish, and by understanding that nothing is eternal. The Chanukah candles also remind us that even when though their light goes out we must enjoy the moment at the same time that we are preparing for the future. Both Joseph’s personal story and the lesson of Chanukah merge. Both teach us to count our blessings, to enjoy the good, but never to forget that change is ubiquitous. Both also teach us to take responsibility for our lives and rather than waiting for miracles to happen. What are the miracles in your life that you are making happen?