Shalom Congregants and Friends.....
 
Rabbi's Ramblings...... 
     
This Friday evening, Shirley Morrison presents the final installment of our summer book discussion series. She will be sharing about "The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank." Look forward to seeing you at Shabbat services! 
 
Congratulations in advance to Nate Shor for chanting the haftorah Shabbat morning! And when would YOU like to do it?
 
We are in the month of Elul now. The shofar is sounded at services each day to remind us that the Days of Repentence and Return are drawing closer. I am planning with our cantor now details of the services, and I hope you will plan to attend one of the study sessions regarding our new mahzor, Lev Shalem.
 
I look forward to our Fish-Fest a week from tomorrow. Hope that both the weather cooperates and that you will be there!
 
Next week I will be doing one of my "favorite" rabbinical activities.... taking a prospective convert to the mikveh. To create another active and excited Jewish soul is a wonderful thing; I only wish the enthusiasm about being Jewish was shared more widely!
 
Congratulations to congregant David Baram for winning the highly contested Democratic primary for state representative!
  
I received my High Holy Day issue of "Conservative Judaism." Some really good articles are in it! If you didn't get it, there are a few extra copies at the synagogue. Also, The Jewish Week newspaper, out of New York City, has agreed to send, for free, a number of their monthly educational supplements for distribution. The latest one is entiltled "Travel" and is well-worth reading. So summer reading is not over!!!
 
Shabbat Shalom -- look forward to coming to shul and being with your "synagogue family" here at Beth Hillel Synagogue!
 
 Rabbi Gary and Iris Atkins
"No one should leave services unmoved or unchanged...
 This Week  Shabbat Services & Candle Lighting
 CANDLE LIGHTING   
 
 Friday, August 13.... 7:34pm
 
SHABBAT  SERVICE TIMES:                               
Friday, August 13 - 8:00pm
Saturday, August 14 - Shaharit 9:30am, Mincha/ Maariv/Havdalah 7:30pm   ----
GETTING EARLIER!!! 
 
Come enjoy the beautiful Havdalah ceremony that ends Shabbat...
Congregational Announcements 
Synagogue Bulletin Board
There is a new bulletin board by the door to the rabbi's office. Take a look when you're in the building to read notices of community events and contemporary news articles!  See photos of my grandchildren!!
 
And there are also good handouts on the racks by both the chapel and sanctuary.....
 
 Traveling in the weeks ahead?????
Ask Rabbi Atkins for "shaliach kesef" - messenger money - along with a prayer for a safe journey, it will "guarantee" you a safe trip.
It's one of my favorite  mitzvot!!
 
 Library Reminders
Lots of good new books in the Library - and interesting periodicals like Consumer Reports, The Jewish Week, and The Forward!.......  
 
 Music and videos, too!   Our subscription to the Jerusalem Post newspaper has resumed!  
 
Beautify The Synagogue Grounds
 
Call Tobie Neuwirth at 242-7084 to volunteer ...... 
 Upcoming  Special Events   - For more info see  Chai-lites!!    
 
August 20 - Shabbat Under the Stars - Fish Fest - 6:00pm / 7:15 services
 
August 27-28 - Shabbat Study on Mahzor Lev Shalem
 
August 29 - Men's Club 5771 "Kick-off" breakfast meeting
 
August 30 - Rabbi Edward Feld - talk on the new Mahzor 7:30pm
 
September 4 - Selichot services at Beth El  Temple
 
September 8 - Erev Rosh Hashanah
 Social Action Updates    
 
 Volunteer  to serve at Loaves and Fishes shelter. Our turn is coming up in September! Contact Lenny Swade or the office if interested.
 
DONATIONS OF FOOD ARE GREATLY NEEDED FOR THE KOSHER AND REGULAR FOOD BANKS!! PLEASE DONATE AT THE SYNAGOGUE NOW!!
  
Help with Darfur ..... Help in Hartford... Help in Ethiopia
 
The 2010 Handbook of Hartford Volunteer Opportunities is now available for your perusal in the library!
 
Be aware of those less fortunate than we are!! Carry out the mitzvah of tikkun olam!

 

Israel in the News    - Courtesy of CIJR
  
 
It''s good to see a little humor  even with a difficult subject once in awhile..... I found this to bring a smile!
 
 Suicide Bombers to go on Strike


 
Muslim suicide bombers in Britain are set to begin a three-day strike
 on Monday in a dispute over the number of virgins they are entitled to
 in the afterlife.  Emergency talks with Al Qaeda have so far failed to
 produce an agreement.  The unrest began last Tuesday when Al Qaeda
 announced that the number of virgins a suicide bomber would receive
 after his death will be cut by 25% this February, from 72 to only 60.  The
 rationale for the cut was the increase in recent years of the number of
 suicide bombings and a subsequent shortage of virgins in the afterlife.

 The suicide bomber's union, the British Organization
 of Occupational Martyrs (BOOM) responded with a statement that this
 was unacceptable to its members and immediately balloted for strike action.
 General Secretary Abdullah Amir told the press, "Our members are literally
 working themselves to death in the cause of Jihad.  We don't ask for much
 in return, and to be treated like this is like a kick in the teeth."
 
 Speaking from his shed in Tipton in the West Midlands, in which he currently
 resides, Al Qaeda chief executive Osama bin Laden explained,
 "We sympathize with our workers concerns, but Al Qaeda is simply not in a
 position to meet their demands.  They are simply not accepting the realities of
 modern-day Jihad in a competitive marketplace.
 
 Thanks to Western depravity there is now a chronic shortage of virgins
 in the afterlife.  It's a straight choice between reducing expenditure and
 laying people off.  "I don't like cutting wages but I'd hate to have to tell
 3,000 of my staff that they won't be able to blow themselves up."
 
 Spokespersons for the Union in the north east of England, Ireland, Wales
 and the entire Australian continent stated that the strike would not affect
 their operations, as "there are no virgins in their areas anyway."
Torah Portion -- Commentary of the Week 
 
This week, written by Rabbi Michael Gold of Tamarac, Florida....ENJOY!
  
   Are there prophets today?  Rabbi Johanan taught in the Talmud, "Since the Temple was destroyed, prophecy has been taken from prophets and given to fools and children."  (Baba Batra 12b)  Of course, like every Talmudic passage, not everyone agrees with Rabbi Johanan.  This week's portion does speak of a prophet like Moses who will speak to future generations.  Was the Torah speaking about men like Isaiah, Amos, or Jeremiah, who lived in ancient times?  Or is prophecy still alive today?
       The answer depends on how we define prophecy.  Most people believe a prophet is a kind of seer or augur, someone who can predict the future.  Certainly there are plenty of people writing plenty of words on the future; read the opinion pages of any newspaper or look at almost any blog.   Such people may be opinionated, but none would claim to be prophets.  If we believe that the future is open ended and that we have free will, anyone who claims to predict the future is treading in unstable waters. 
       Perhaps there is another definition of prophecy.  I prefer to see a prophet as someone who speaks in the name of God.  As Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, "The prophet is a person who sees the world with the eyes of God."  A prophet is God's messenger, somebody with a unique wisdom and insight who can answer the question, "O Man, what does God require of you."  And if we believe in God, it makes sense to believe that God endows certain people with the gift of insight.
       In the Bible, God chose certain people for prophecy.  Jeremiah wrote, "Before I created you in the womb, I selected you, before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet concerning the nations."  (Jeremiah 1:5)   Amos declared that when God has spoken the prophet has no choice but to declare God's will.  "The Lord has spoken, who can but prophecy?"  (Amos 3:8)  Jonah was the reluctant prophet who tried to run away, and ended up in the belly of a fish.  When one hears the call to speak in the name of God, one needs to act.
       The medieval Jewish philosophy Maimonides was the consummate rationalist.  He believed in Aristotle's God, an unmoved mover.  For Maimonides, one could prepare oneself for prophecy through intense study of philosophy and other ancient subjects.  One could choose to be a prophet, although such a choice meant intense learning.  The mystics on the other hand were the ultimate anti-rationalists.  They believed God's very Being flowed into certain people who prepared themselves properly.  Fasting, prayer, ritual ablutions, meditation, or manipulating the letters in the divine name were all means to achieve the gift of prophecy.  Again certain people, through intense personal preparations, could prepare themselves to speak in the name of God.
       What about today?  False prophecy abounds and can be dangerous.  We all remember the mass suicide among the followers of Jim Jones in Guyana.  We ought to have skepticism towards anyone who claims to have insights into God's will.  Having said that, I still believe that there are people given the gift of insight and wisdom that flows from God.  Just as Mozart was given the gift of music and Van Gogh was given the gift of art, so certain people are given the gift of understanding the divine.  They seem to understand what it is to speak in the name of God.  Or perhaps a better way to put it, God chooses people with the unique ability to communicate God's will to the rest of us.
       There are still prophets among us.  We can hear certain people speak or read what they wrote, and have an aha moment; this person is speaking in the name of God.  All it takes is wisdom and discernment to understand what God is trying to tell us.