Shalom Congregants and Friends.....
 
Weekly Message from your Rabbi...... 
 
In Jewish tradition one of the few "sinister" figures is the "Malach HaMavet," the angel of death..... whose appearance in folklore we accept --- but when he invades our spaces and lives we are aggrieved and suffer. Tomorrow there are two funerals for long-time members of the BHS community, Herman Bercowetz and Harriet Baggish, zichronam l'vracha, here in our sanctuary. We send condolences to their families and remember their many good works in our synagogue. Like many synagogues, we have started to send out e-mail notices of deaths in the congregational family and news of shiva minyanim. I hope congregants will carry out the mitzvah of "m'nachem avelim," of comforting the deceased families, as much as they can.
 
This Friday evening, regular services are at 8pm; I will be facilitating a discussion on the power of prayer, to be continued on Shabbat morning. It is a most relevant topic, as we are in the month of Elul with the approaching High Holy Days. Come and share your thoughts in the dialog!
 
Saturday afternoon we are scheduling an extra "Saturday Sundaes" -- we had such a good time last week (almost 20 people here) and besides, who doesn't like ice cream!!
 
The Home Kashrut program will be resuming with the New Year. If you have a kosher home and would like to bake or cook anything for the synagogue, contact Rabbi Atkins!
 
This is the time that every synagogue is looking for new members. If you know anyone who might be interested in affiliating and enjoying our services/ programs/ sense of family, please let the office know!! And thanks to each of you for being members -- I am glad that each and every one of you is part of the Beth Hillel Synagogue family!!
 
Again, any time the office is open, congregants are invited to help the synagogue by purchasing Supermarket Scrip! It's an easy way for you to help your synagogue!
  
 With wishes for Shabbat Shalom.... 
 
Rabbi Gary Atkins,
Your Rabbi 
 Shabbat. Services and Candle Lighting Times
 
CANDLE LIGHTING 
FRIDAY AUGUST 28 7:10pm
FRIDAY, SEPT. 4, 6:59pm 
 
SERVICE TIMES:
8:00pm FRIDAY NIGHT AUGUST 28
8:00pm FRIDAY NIGHT SEPT. 4 
 
9:30am SHABBAT MORNING ALL DAYS
 
7:15pm SHABBAT AFTERNOON, AUGUST 29
     -- FOLLOWED BY SATURDAY SUNDAES!!!!
7:00pm SHABBAT AFTERNOON, SEPT. 5
New Synagogue Committes - Your Participation Invited!!   
Mitzvah Committee - Help to beautify our Synagogue and its grounds... Have you seen the work that a number of congregants are doing? 
 
Hesed committee - help members of the congregration who are in need of a friendly gesture or any kind  of  temporary assistance. The best kind of "people to people" tsedakah.
 
Call the office to sign up... or check with the rabbi if you have any questions!
 
Todah rabbah!!
2010 Israel Tour  ....        
Interested in seeing Israel for the first time? Interested in returning again? 
 
April 11-22, 2010 are the dates. Susan Marcus will again be our Tour Guide "par excellance."
 
We will spend time in the South (Beersheva area), Jerusalem, and the North (Galil), seeing many different places  than were visited in 20008. Rabbi Atkins is putting together the itinerary over the summer..... Susan will be visiting Beth Hillel and speaking on Friday evening, October 9th fall to share details first hand!
 
Summer Travel????? 
 
Rabbi Atkins' favorite mitzvah (or one of them anyway) is "shaliach kesef" -- giving the prayer for a safe journey to those who are traveling -- as well as some tsedakah to give at their destination. But he can only do this if you let him know before you're travelling!
 
Summer reading - check out the many new Jewish books and periodicals in our library.
Weekly Torah commentary...  by  Rabbi Michael Gold of Tamarac, Florida 
      Senator Edward Kennedy died this morning.  With his death the Senate lost the last of a powerful political dynasty as well as one of the most passionate spokesmen for liberal causes in the America.  I remember hearing speak at a Rabbinical Assembly convention in Boston a few years ago.  His age was showing but his passion and vision was not diminished.  Most the rabbis in attendance cheered strongly for him; they shared his liberal vision for America.  May his memory be for a blessing.

       I often wonder if a political leader from the other side had spoken, would rabbis have cheered as hard.  Is there room in Judaism for a more conservative view of American politics?  The Republican Jewish Coalition is a distinct minority among Jews (although many of my friends are members.)   Orthodox Jews often vote with the conservative side.  But for most non-Orthodox Jews, in a trend going back to Roosevelt, support is for the political left.  According to a recent article in our local newspaper, this has profoundly affected the politics here in Broward County, Florida.   As the large condominium complexes that dot our county are losing Jews, the Democrats can no longer count on an automatic majority.

       Jews outside the Orthodox community tend to vote left.  But there is an interesting question - is Judaism left?  Or is Judaism more right wing and conservative than most Jews?  Reading this week's portion, the Torah seems to be leaning to the left.  There is a deep concern for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the landless, the stranger, and anybody not able to provide for themselves.  Land owners must leave the corners of their crops and any gleanings for the poor.  Creditors cannot charge interest for loans.  Wage earners must be paid on time.  A creditor may not enter a debtor's home to take security.  Over and over there is a concern for the needy and the poor.
       Not only must the poor be cared for, but it must be done in a way that protects their dignity.  The Talmud teaches that if one is used to a horse to ride on and a slave to run before them, the givers of charity must provide these.  The great sage Hillel could not find a slave to run before a certain poor person, so he ran three miles himself.  (Ketubot 67b)
 
      Nonetheless, it appears there is a limit to charity.  First there is difference between charity (tzedakah) funds to care for someone and using government money.  In many European countries people receive cradle to grave care, often placing a huge tax burden on working people.  History has proven that a perfect socialist system, where the community provides everything, as been a failure, whether in the former Soviet Union or on Israeli kibbutzim.  There has to be a limit to providing for the needy.
       The same section of Talmud that speaks of Hillel's generosity also teaches, "We are obligated to provide for the poor, we are not obligated to make the poor rich."  (Ketubot 67b)  The person who is used to gold must make do with silver; the person used to silver must make do with copper.  (Tosefta Peah 4:11)   The right has a point when they claim that the more government provides for the poor, the less motivation there is for the poor to achieve self-sufficiency.  From a Jewish perspective, the highest form of charity is to provide but to give someone a job or help them start a business so they can provide for themselves.  The goal is not government welfare but self-sufficiency.  The right is correct that there must be a limit to government largesse. 
 
       Having said that, even the most conservative members of the Republican Party do not seek a society with no safety net at all.  The right speaks of freedom and capitalism, but in this system there will always be people who cannot provide for themselves.  No one wishes to see the poor, the elderly, and the sick, out fending for themselves in the street.
       So what is the Jewish view?  Is the Torah left or right?  The answer is yes.  Society does have an obligation to care for the poor.  Society also has an obligation to encourage the poor to become self-sufficient.  God is neither a Democrat nor a Republican.  God is a loving parent who constantly struggles with the question - how much should I provide for my children and how much should I leave my children to fend for themselves? 
News from Israel..... Some recent quotes,  courtesy of CIJR
 
Propaganda has always been part of warfare..... And we have heard many, many lies from the PLO and Hamas about Israel. But if there is such a things as a "new low," this is it......
 
"I have a personal opinion, it concerns me that it's true. I was [present] during the interview that night, I was a witness. It concerns me to the extent that I want it to be investigated. But whether it's true or not--I have no idea, I have no clue."--Donald Bostrom, Swedish tabloid author of last week's blood libel that alleges that the IDF was harvesting Palestinian organs for trafficking, pleading his innocence and diverting the blame rather than accepting responsibility. Although Sweden's ambassador to Israel immediately denounced the report, saying, "The article in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet is as shocking and appalling to us Swedes, as it is to Israeli citizens", his government retracted his admonition insisting, "The condemnation was solely the judgment of the embassy [in Tel Aviv], and designed for an Israeli audience." In a Friday interview with the Arab media site Menassat Bostrom emphasised that there was "no conclusive evidence" but rather a "collection of allegations and suspicious circumstances." ( Jerusalem Post, August 19, 24; Ha'aretz, August 20)
"To be sure, freedom of speech is a bedrock of democracy, and you should rightly be proud that it is enshrouded in the Swedish Constitution. But no less important alongside that freedom is responsibility and accountability. And that is where the most egregious problems with this issue lie, which could lead to the loss of greater values such as diminishing the sanctity of life. The bitter lessons of our shared history teach us that there is a short distance between 'anything goes' under the cloak of 'freedom of speech' and actions of incitement and violence....
   "While much has been made of Swedish government officials' responses, I believe that a fundamental issue has been woefully overlooked; the responsibility that lies with both the article's author and the newspaper's editors. The allegations made in the story derive from dangerous age-old anti-Semitic canards and hateful blood libels and should be condemned as such. But the central issue is that the author of the story and the Aftonbladet editors have been given a green light under the banner of 'freedom of speech' to disseminate these false allegations....
   "Therefore, I implore you as educated, rational European brothers and sisters, to demand responsibility and credibility from your reporters, their editors and their publishers. What's more, editorial integrity, responsibility and accountability must be demanded by government officials. Otherwise, the sacred institution of freedom of speech will be worth nothing more than something to wrap our fish in."--Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, in an open letter to the Swedish people imploring them to recognise the slippery slope that results from a defence of freedom of irresponsible speech. ( Jerusalem Post, August 25) 
Ongoing Announcements
  *  Bring clothing  and  food  for  the "Help Those In Need " drive.... bins are in the synagogue.
  
* Read the United Synagogue "Torah Sparks" each week -- - either at the shul or via the USCJ website.
 
* Work for a solution to end the killing  in Darfur
 
* Stop by the synagogue library ..... new Jewish periodicals and  books. "Todah rabbah" to all those who keep our library current!
 
* Purchase synagogue Supermarket Scrip! 
 
* Help support our daily minyan - come at least one morning or evening each week !