Sefer Bamidbar and Shavuot

Friday Night Shabbat Services tonight at the usual time of 7:00 PM. Join us for spirited singing and stay after for coffee and cookies.
Candle lighting in Austin is at 8:14 PM

Shabbat morning services are TOMORROW morning
Saturday June 11 at 9 AM. Please join us. A huge thank you to Hal and Elaine for sponsoring a delicious meat kidush in honor of Hal Jacob’s birthday and father’s day!

SHAVUOT is THIS Sunday at 9 AM, with the Torah Service and reading of the 10 commandments and the Book of Ruth at 10 AM. We will be honoring our recent families who have joined the covenant! Please join us in this very special milestone. We had a moving ceremony this week which will culminate in the celebrations on Sunday. A vegetarian meal to follow. Mazal tov to our precious families!

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Message
This week, we begin Sefer B’midbar (the Book of Numbers) with the parshah of the same name, and then immediately after, on Sunday, celebrate the Festival of Shavuot. Interesting, there is a juxtaposition in the Torah readings. On Shavuot we read about the People of Israel arriving at Sinai to receive Torah, and in B’midbar we read about the beginning of the journey away from Sinai towards the Land of Israel. Sinai of course was a place of great spiritual significance, the place of Revelation-but we cannot live there permanently. Our Torah teaches that we are to carry our spiritual lessons and experiences into the “real world”, and to live life. Instead of retreating from the world permanently to focus on spirituality, we are to bring spirituality into the world. That is the true Jewish spiritual path. Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameah.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

The sisterhood had an amazing planning meeting this week. We will have an action packed year of events and doing good deeds. Highlights include another Chemist in the Kitchen class with Tamar, book club event with Gail, Art with Sharon, Volunterering at Mitzvah day with Rachael, Jewish yoga (“Oy”ga) fun and much, much more. As always, please send us your ideas and if you would like to help with events.

Thank you to our new board of directors!
Last Sunday afternoon, a wonderful crowd gathered at shul for the annual meeting and kosher cookout. With grace and humor, we heard all about the happenings for the coming year. We welcomed new board members Art Levin, Barry Mann and Juliette Meinstein, who are joining Kevin Koeller, Bob Miller, Bam Rubenstein, Gregg and Michelle Philipson, Elaine Jacobs, Arie Stavchansky and Yosef Aguilar. We even have two youth group representatives who will report to the board about the needs of the youth in our congregation, Sara K. and Vania A. You all are tremendous, inspiring and really appreciated.

Kidish Crew Kudos! Todah rabah to Michelle, Sara, Bo, Iris, Claudia, Vania and Sofia, Mary and Genevieve. You can always join the kidish crew and have some fun. Great summer boredom buster for older kiddos too who just love helping us.

Happy birthday this week to Rinat Levin, Moshe Sananes and Hal Jacobs.
Let us know your special occasion and we’ll give you a Mazal Tov!

SHOMRIM: Please consider this important mitzvah!
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 for more information and to sign up:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GCJGW7N