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Shalom Congregants and Friends.....
Next week is Rosh Hashanah. We end one year and immediately begin another. The old one is gone into history. We have the opportunity to start again/ renew ourselves/ make things better. What a positive theological statement! Everything we do at our worship services is meant to energize and strengthen you, the congregant, towards reaching this goal. May the prayers of Cantor Dubro and myself inspire and lead you all to closeness to the Holy One Blessed Be He.
The "ritualistic" statements that we share with one another, like "l'shana tova tikatayvu" are meant to help us down this path. We know that it is inevitable that some will die or suffer misfortune in the coming year. Yet we can hope and pray for us, all Israel, and for the world, that it will be a year of peace, health, and blessing. And it is up to us to do our part in bringing it about. I earnestly hope that each of you will find our new Mahzor Lev Shalem of great assistance in creating a memorable prayer experience.
Because the Rosh Hashanah holiday begins Wednesday evening, there will not be an e-shul next week. I received my copy of the Chai-lites in the mail today; you will find therein a complete High Holy Day worship schedule. If you don't have yours, let the office know. Note that we will enjoy Cantor Dubro's davenning over Shabbat Shuvah, as Shabbat follows immediately after Rosh Hashanah.
With the ever-earlier sunset time, we have returned to our fall-winter schedule of only saying Maariv, the evening service, at evening minyan.
Here's a "special invitation" to attend Saturday evening Selichot services at Temple Beth El. The entire Conservative Community gathers together for this service this Saturday evening. 8:30pm Social, 9pm Program, Worship at 10pm.
Labor Day weekend will see an early Shabbat service, as on all holiday weekends, that service will start at 6:15pm on September 3. If the approaching hurricane should make it inadvisable to conduct services, we will send out an email and announce cancellation over the media. Mike Cohen is back from a most interesting trip "out West" with his grandson, and he will share some relevant experiences with us at services Shabbat morning, Sept. 4. Monday morning minyan, as with all holidays, will be at 9am.
From Iris and myself, once again, may you be written in the Book of life for a healthy and happy year!
Shabbat Shalom -- look forward to being with your "synagogue family" here in shul here at Beth Hillel Synagogue!
Rabbi Gary and Iris Atkins
"No one should leave services unmoved or unchanged... |
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Shabbat Services & Candle Lighting Times
CANDLE LIGHTING
Friday, September 3.... 7:01pm
Rosh Hashanah,
Wednesday, Sept. 8, NLT 6:55pm
Thursday, Sept. 9 NET 7:54pm
Friday, Sept. 10, 6:49pm
SHABBAT SERVICE TIMES COMING TWO WEEKS:
Friday, September 3 - 6:15pm
Saturday, September 4 - Shaharit 9:30am, Mincha/ Maariv/Havdalah 7:00pm
Friday, September 10
- 7:00pm (After Mincha)
Saturday, September 11 -
Shaharit 9:30am, Mincha/ Maariv/Havdalah 6:45pm
Cantor Paul Dubro here for CANTOR SHABBAT, Saturday Sundaes as well!!
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!
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Upcoming Special Events - For more info see Chai-lites!!
September 3 - Early Shabbat Evening Service for Labor Day weekend.....
September 4 - Mike Cohen speaks at Shabbat morning services
September 4 - Selichot services at Beth El Temple 8:30pm
Sept 5 - Morning Minyan 9am
September 8 - Erev Rosh Hashanah 6:00pm -
Complete set of Holiday Service Times in Chai-lites!
Sept 10-11 - Cantor Shabbat with Hazzan Paul Dubro
Sept 12 - Annual Cemetery Memorial Service 12noon
Sept 17 - Kol Nidre 6:30pm
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Special expressions of "Todah rabbah" - "Thank you"
* Everyone in the office (Lynn/ Bonnie/ Madalyn) for all their extra work and patience over this busy season.
* All those who volunteered for the annual Beth Hillel Synagogue soup kitchen annual day of service Thursday, Sept. 2
* All who helped "change over" the prayer books for High Holy Day worship.
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Beth Hillel Synagogue Blood Drive!!
Donovan Barros will become Bar Mitzvah on November 20. He has chosen "Organizing a Red Cross Blood Drive" as his mitzvah project. This is a wonderful project on his part......
The date will be Wednesday, October 27. The most important part to it right now is establishing a list of....BLOOD DONOR VOLUNTEERS
I you have given blood before (or are willing to be a first time donor) let Donovan or the office know. Contact Donovan at dgoldwhs@yahoo.com or call Lynn at the office.
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Social Action Updates
THE HIGH HOLY DAYS ARE TIMES TO REMEMBER THOSE LESS FORTUNATE!! PICK UP AN ENVELOPE AND SEND A DONATION TO MAZON TO HELP FEED THE HUNGRY.... AND REMEMBER TO BRING FOOD TO THE SYNAGOGUE EREV KOL NIDRE!!!
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 Update
PLO AND PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY "DISAPPROVE" OF TERROR
STRIKE ....... By Michael Widlanski
Peace talks are beginning in Washingtron. There's been a lot of commentary about them.... as hopeful as we can and must be, we must be realistic as well!
As Israeli-Palestinian talks get started in Washington after last
night's
terrorist murder of four Israelis near Hebron
south of Jerusalem,
the
Palestinian Authority referred to the attack as a "military
operation" in
its English language web site.
( http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=14713) and in its Arabic web
sites and programs.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Palestinian
leaders
"condemned" what it called "the operation" because the PLO
and the
Palestinian Authority opposed "any acts against Palestinian or Israeli
civilians." ( http://www1.wafa.ps/arabic/index.php?action=detail&id=84523
AND http://www1.wafa.ps/arabic/index.php?action=detail&id=84535)
In essence, Palestinian leaders issued a limited and conditional
warranty on
the so-called peace process by issuing a limited official new report
that
was billed as a condemnation, when it really was not a condemnation.
The reports by the official PLO News Agency WAFA in Arabic and English,
were
more interesting for what they did NOT include:
Neither the comments by Prime Minister
Salaam Fayyad in Ramallah
nor the comments by PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Washington called
terror
attack "terror" or "an attack," preferring to use the term
"operation"
(amaliyya ) and not "terror" (irhaab in Arabic) or
"attack" (muhajama ).
Neither statement condemned the perpetrators-the
radical Islamic
movement, Hamas-by name or as terrorists, but only said that the
"operation"
was "against Palestinian interests."
Neither man was quoted at length directly, as the
news agency
reported their comments as indirect summaries of their views.
Meanwhile, the Voice of Palestine radio station controlled by Abbas and
Fayyad repeatedly referred to the four Israeli murder victims as
"settlers
from settlements built on Arab land."
Chairman Abbas, who is considered a "moderate," is very hesitant to
condemn
Hamas directly for shooting at Israelis, and five years ago made public
statement in which he called on Hamas to unite with his Fatah
organization,
saying, "let our rifles, all our rifles be aimed at the occupation (i.e.
Israel)".
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Torah Portion -- Commentary of the Week
This week's commentary written by Rabbi Michael Gold of Tamarac, Florida. Especially relevant as we draw close to completing the current cycle of Torah reading!
This portion contains the
fundamental law requiring the public reading of the Torah. Once every
seven years at the festival of Sukkot, as the entire community gathered
in
Jerusalem, there was to be a public reading of the Torah. It was to be
read in a way that men, women, and children could all hear (and this was
before
microphones.) Eventually the practice developed to read a portion of
the
Torah every Shabbat morning and afternoon, on festivals, new moons and
fast
days, and each Monday and Thursday
morning.
Eventually the practice
developed for a public reading of all five books of Moses on Shabbat. In
Babylonia the Torah was read in its entirety over the course of a year;
in
Palestine it was read over three years. Over the years the entire
Jewish
world followed the Babylonian practice, with a portion read each Shabbat
covering the whole Torah in a year. This was the practice in our
synagogue
until one year ago.
In recent
years the majority of Conservative synagogues returned to the
Palestinian
practice of reading the Torah over a three year period. The reasoning
behind that decision is that it made the reading shorter and easier for
lay
people to follow. Shorter readings made it easier to find Torah
readers. And perhaps most important, with less time actually reading
through the Hebrew text, more time could be spent learning what the
Torah has to
say. Every one of our neighboring Conservative synagogues made this
change
to a triennial reading; we were the last traditional hold out. Then
last
year we chose to do something unique.
For the past year each Shabbat morning our members have been given a
choice. In the main sanctuary, we offer fifteen to twenty minutes of
Torah learning followed by the public reading of one third of the
portion. In the chapel we offer a full traditional reading. Some have complained
that we are dividing the congregation, but most of our members seem
pleased with
the fact that they can select which room to go into. We join back
together
for the haftarah, the sermon, and musaf.
For me as a rabbi, this fulfills an
important goal. Although on a personal level I prefer a full reading, I
am
not convinced that listening to a long Torah reading is the best way to
reach
most American Jews. Jews need to open the text in English translation,
study together, and wrestle with the actually words. Not just Torah
reading but Torah learning is now at the heart of our Shabbat morning
services. Certainly we have always provided adult education Torah
learning
classes. But they reach far less people than our weekly learning
sessions
in the middle of services.
This
brings me to the heart of the message of this week's Torah reading. The
Torah is not simply a scroll kept in the ark, respected but unknown. I
know that Jews rise when the Torah is carried through the sanctuary,
they bend
over and kiss it, and they want the highest respect for these sacred
scrolls. But the key issue is for Jews to struggle with what is
actually
written in the Torah. For the word "Torah" means teaching. At the
heart of the Torah is the most profound question a Jew can ask - what is
God's
teaching? What does God want us to do under the covenant? To
be a Jew is to learn Torah.
I am
searching for opportunities to teach Torah to our congregation. This
will
involve a variety of different classes in various venues at various
times. But at the center of Torah learning in our new building will be the
continuation
of offering two choices each Shabbat morning. May we Jews continue to
be a
people who wrestle with Torah, not just on Shabbat but throughout the
week.
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