Freddie Grant’s z”l Unveiling and Shabbat Shuvah

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This Sunday, 9/23, at 10:00 am at Austin Memorial Park will be Freddie Grant’s z”l unveiling ceremony. The cemetary is at 2800 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX and the Jewish area is the southwest corner, the section closest to MOPAC. Please plan to join us at 10:00 am on Sunday morning to pay respect to Freddie and honor his memory.

Also, please to join us at Beth El for Shabbat Shuvah services. Tonight, 9/21, Friday night services will begin at our regular time of 7:00 pm and tomorrow, 9/22, Saturday morning services will begin at our regular time of 9:00 am with the Torah reading around 9:50 am.

Cantor’s Message: This Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is known as Shabbat Shuvah, from the first words of the haftarah, “Shuvah Yisrael…”-“Return, O Israel….” The message is of course one of repentance. Though our Tradition maintains that repentance can, and should be done at any time, we are especially mindful of the need to do so now, as the days grow shorter and darkness falls earlier.

In the spirit of the season, let me now ask forgiveness from all in the Beth El family if I have hurt or offended you in any way, whether in word or did, by action or inaction. May we all forgive each other, and ourselves. May we all remember the blessings that we all bring to each other’s lives, beginning this New Year of 5773 with a clean slate. Shabbat Shalom, ug’mar hatimah tovah. May each of us be sealed for good in the coming year.

Kol Nidre will be held next Tuesday night, 9/25, at 7:00 pm and Yom Kippur morning services will start next Wednesday morning, 9/26, at 9:00 am. Please email us at bethelaustin@yahoo.com with any questions or addtional details.

High Holidays at Beth El

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Congregation Beth El’s schedule of services for the next few weeks including the High Holidays.    Our High Holiday services are open to the community, but we request you provide a donation to help us cover our costs and expenses.  In addition to regular services, we will have special children’s services on all of the Holidays.  For additional information or questions, please email us at bethelaustin@yahoo.com

Friday Night, September 7                   Friday Night Services at 7:00 PM

Saturday, September 8,                          Saturday Morning Torah Services at 9:00 AM

September 8 – Saturday                         Havdallah and Selichot Services at 8:00 PM

Rosh Hashanah

September 16 – Sunday Rosh Hashanah Evening Service at 7:00 PM

September 17 – Monday Rosh Hashanah Shachrit Service at 9:00 AM

Rosh Hashanah Torah Service around 10:00 AM

Tashlikh Service at 4:00 PM at Old Spicewood Springs at 360 Under Bridge

September 18 – Tuesday Rosh Hashanah Shachrit Service at 9:00 AM

Rosh Hashanah Torah Service around 10:00 AM

September 21 – Friday Shabbat Shuvah Evening Services at 7:00 PM

September 22 – Saturday Shabbat Shuvah Morning Services at 9:00 AM

Yom Kippur

September 25 – Tuesday Kol Nidrei at 7:00 PM

September 26 – Wednesday Yom Kippur Shachrit Service at 9 AM

Yom Kippur Torah Service around 10:15 AM

Mincha at 5:30 PM, Neilah at 6:45 PM

September 29 – Saturday        Shabbat Morning Services at 9:00 AM

Schedule of Services

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Please plan to join us for Friday night services, August 31, at 7:00 PM

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly message:
 
In this week’s parshah, Ki Tetze, we have a very early example of a building code-the commandment to build a rampart or railing around the roof of one’s house. By way of background, houses in the Middle East traditionally have flat roofs, which serve as kind of an outdoor room, especially in hot weather. The Torah commands us to make sure that anyone on such a roof doesn’t fall off. This commandment has been extended by the Rabbis to include safety features of all kinds. Some might see this as unwarranted interference in the right of individuals to build their houses as they see fit. Our Torah, though, always balances individual rights with an individual’s responsibility to others. Kol Yisrael ‘arevim zeh bazeh-all Jews are responsible to one another, and to humanity at large. We are each precious in God’s sight, but also part of the larger whole of creation.
 
Congregation Beth El’s schedule of services for the next few weeks including the High Holidays.    Our High Holiday services are open to the community, but we request you provide a donation to help us cover our costs and expenses.  In addition to regular services, we will have special children’s services on all of the Holidays.  For additional information or questions, please email us at bethelaustin@yahoo.com

Friday Night, September 7                   Friday Night Services at 7:00 PM

Saturday, September 8,                          Saturday Morning Torah Services at 9:00 AM

September 8 – Saturday                         Havdallah and Selichot Services at 8:00 PM

Rosh Hashanah

September 16 – Sunday Rosh Hashanah Evening Service at 7:00 PM

September 17 – Monday Rosh Hashanah Shachrit Service at 9:00 AM

                                  Rosh Hashanah Torah Service around 10:00 AM

                                  Tashlikh Service at 4:00 PM at Old Spicewood Springs at 360 Under Bridge

September 18 – Tuesday Rosh Hashanah Shachrit Service at 9:00 AM

                                  Rosh Hashanah Torah Service around 10:00 AM                                

September 21 – Friday Shabbat Shuvah Evening Services at 7:00 PM

September 22 – Saturday Shabbat Shuvah Morning Services at 9:00 AM

Yom Kippur

September 25 – Tuesday Kol Nidrei at 7:00 PM

September 26 – Wednesday Yom Kippur Shachrit Service at 9 AM

                                 Yom Kippur Torah Service around 10:15 AM

                                 Mincha at 5:30 PM, Neilah at 6:45 PM

 September 29 – Saturday        Shabbat Morning Services at 9:00 AM

Shabbat Re’eh and Rosh Chodesh Elul

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image via http://davidonthelake.blogspot.com
image via http://davidonthelake.blogspot.com

Please join us this evening for Shabbat services at 7 PM.

Cantor’s message:

This week we read Parshat Re’eh, and celebrate Rosh Hodesh Elul, the New Month of Elul. The month of Elul is of course dedicated to preparing for the High Holidays-we blow the shofar every weekday of Elul to remind us to examine ourselves, and the Sepharadi tradition begins s’lihot, penitential prayers at the beginning of the month.  The parshah itself points us in this direction-“Re’eh Anochi noten lifneichem hayom b’rachah u’klalah“-“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse”.  We need to choose, today and every day, whether we will bring good or evil upon ourselves.  May we all avail ourselves of this time of introspection to improve ourselves, and in so doing improve the world in which we live.  Shabbat Shalom.

Shabbat Ekev

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This week we read Parshat ‘Ekev, which includes the second paragraph of the Sh’maas well as the commandment to do Birkat HaMazon, the Grace After Meals.Join us Friday evening, August 10  at 7:00pm and Saturday morning, August 11 at 9:00 am for prayer and for reading and discussion of the parshah. Of course, this week our thoughts and prayers are with our Sikh brothers and sisters as they mourn their losses in the horrible crime which took place on Sunday. May the day soon come when there is no threat of violence in *any* house of worship of *any* faith, and indeed may violence and suffering cease everywhere. May this be God’s will.

Shabbat Shalom.
Cantor Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
8902 Mesa Drive
Austin, TX 78759