Parashat Pinhas – Love and consideration

pinchas-parsha-daughters-of-zelophehad-_by-iris-wexlerNo summer doldrums at Beth El! Friday Night Shabbat Services are Tonight 7/14, at the regular time of 7:00 PM and we would LOVE to see you!

Shabbat morning services are a week away 7/22 and are being sponsored by Bam Rubenstein
in loving memory of his late dad, Ralph “Ralphie” Rubenstein z’l. Everyone in the old neighborhood loved him, and they all called him, “Ralphie.” Even his kids! He was bigger than life, and ALWAYS helped anyone in trouble.

Candle lighting in Austin is at 8:17 PM

***Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message

This week in Parshat Pinhas, we read of the daughters of Tzlof’had-Mahlah, No’a, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirtzah-who, as their father’s only children (they have no brothers) demand that they be considered his heirs, instead of more distant male relatives. They bring their case before Moshe and the elders, and Moshe, interestingly, asks Hashem how to decide the case. Obviously, this was not revealed to him at Sinai. This illustrates an important fact about Jewish Tradition-it is not static. Torah adapts to new challenges and to new realities. Over the course of the summer, between Pesah and Rosh Hashanah, we study Pirkei Avot, the ethical teachings of the Mishnah. Tractate Avot begins by stating “Moshe received Torah at Sinai, and passed it to Yehoshu’a, and Yehoshu’a to the Elders, and the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets passed it to the Men of the Great Assembly (the forerunners of the Rabbis)”. This refers not to the Five Books of the Written Torah, but to the Oral Torah-the system of interpretation which allows us to discern what Torah means for us in our time. Our beliefs and observances are not identical to those of our ancestors, but we trace them to the same source-the encounter with the Divine at Sinai, where we were blessed with a Torah that is flexible enough to guide us after more than three millennia. We are truly blessed with a Tradition of love and consideration for humanity. Shabbat Shalom. Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

Beth El Hebrew school starting in the fall. For our Hebrew speakers: a Hebrew Immersion class is starting up. We also continue our one of a kind school, Sundays at 10 to 12. Come check us out!

בית הכנסת ״בית-אל״ מזמין את המשפחות הישראליות/ אמריקאיות, להירשם לשנת הלימודים הקרובה 2017-2018.
כמו כן, בפעם הראשונה ולאור הביקוש הרב תיפתח כיתה לילדים דוברי עברית.
הילדים ימצאו חממה חינוכית וערכית עם אוירה מיוחדת ואישית.
מורות ישראליות עם נסיון רב בלימוד מבתי הכנסת השונים עד לאוניברסיטה.
בית הספר שם דגש רב על חברות ועזרה הדדית ושימור הזיקה היהודית למסורת.
התכנים מועברים בצורה חוויתית אינטראקטיבית כמו בישול, אפייה, אומנות, שירה עם מיס קרול נטיעת גינה בבית הכנסת וטיפול בה והזמנת מרצים אורחים לשיחה בנושאים שונים (כמו ישראל) והשתתפות בפרוייקט ״תיקון עולם״.
בשנה שעברה הילדים בחרו לאסוף שמיכות ולתרום אותן למקלט לבעלי חיים .
כולם מתקבלים בברכה.
גילאים: 5-13
שעות פעילות : ימי ראשון :10:00-12:00

PLEASE HELP SPONSOR A KIDUSH MEAL! Send us an email to info@bethelaustin.org

Our next Shabbat Shefs is Thursday July 20th at 7 PM at Beth El. Bring your smile and an hour to spare and we’ll have you whipping up a feast for shabbat lunch at Beth El.