June 25, 20158 Tammuz 5775
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ISRAEL: 

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED.  

Join Mitch Parker March 21-April 2nd in Israel.

Click here for detailed itinerary. 

E-mail Mitch:

if you are interested in participating.

 

YIZKOR BOOK 5776

Please consider memorializing your loved ones in the Yizkor Books which will be used throughout the coming year, beginning on Yom Kippur. To add names to the Yizkor Book for the coming year, Click here for
the downloadable form
or simply respond to the e-mails and letters that were sent this past week to those who had previously listed names. 

Questions? Contact DebbieSinger: yizkorbooks@gmail.com

 

PARSHAT CHUKKAT

 Highest Standards:  Because of his position of leadership, Moses is judged extremely harshly when he sins. 

Rabbi Jordan D. Cohen


 

Overview

In parashat Hukkat, we find an overwhelming concern with death. At the beginning we find the mysterious laws of the Red Heifer, a very rare animal which is burnt in a special fire outside the camp. Its ashes are then used to ritually purify those who have become impure due to contact with a dead body.

The portion then jumps 38 years to the end of the Israelite's wandering in the desert. We read the brief description of the death of Miriam, the prophetess who was the older sister of Moses and Aaron, and then an incident about the people's need for water. These two events are in fact connected by the Rabbis, who notice that stories with Miriam are always associated with water.

The people complain about thirst, and Moses is instructed by God to speak to a rock, which will then produce water. Seemingly frustrated and saddened by his sister's death, Moses strikes the rock instead of speaking to it. Water does flow, but Moses is chastised by God for his lack of trust, and he is told that he will not be allowed to lead the people into the Promised Land.

We then read of Aaron's death, and the people's mourning for him for 30 days. The portion ends describing a number of battles the Israelites must fight as they travel through the wilderness.

In Focus

And Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and the community and their beasts drank (Numbers 20:11).

Pshat

This is really one of the saddest passages in the Torah. Moses, the long time leader of the Israelites and the greatest teacher and prophet our tradition has ever known, loses control of himself, and is punished in a particularly harsh way (from his point of view) by God.

click here to continue reading 


 

May Their Memories Be For a Blessing 

JUNE YAHRTZEITS

6/25/2015 (8 Tammuz)

Betty Schwartz

6/27/2015 (10 Tammuz)

Jacob Kurland

6/28/2015 (11 Tammuz)

Harry Baer

6/30/2015 (13 Tammuz)

Beverly Weingarden

JULY YAHRTZEITS

7/1/2015 (14 Tammuz)

Jules Doneson

Sarah Dzodin

Anita Sonenshein

7/2/2015 (15 Tammuz)

Irv Belsky

Isadore Hamburger

7/4/2015 (17 Tammuz)

Pearl Nusbaum

7/5/2015 (18 Tammuz)

Ida Friedman

7/6/2015 (19 Tammuz)

N. Norman Goldenberg

Victor Lawson

Bella Lieberman

7/8/2015 (21 Tammuz)

Max Kleinbard

7/12/2015 (25 Tammuz)

Min Parker

7/13/2015 (26 Tammuz)

Maxine Gordon

Freda Kovsky

Toby Leib Myers

7/15/2015 (28 Tammuz)

Esther Dworin

Abraham Nusholtz

7/16/2015 (29 Tammuz)

Sophie Fischel

7/17/2015 (1 Av)

Molly Haar

Florence Bobry Robert

7/18/2015 (2 Av)

Milton (Billy) Graub

7/19/2015 (3 Av)

Saul Raimi

7/20/2015 (4 Av)

Herman Stark

7/27/2015 (11 Av)

Tilly Rose

7/29/2015 (13 Av)

Sydney Gartenberg

Simon Aaron Kapen

7/30/2015 (14 Av)

Rose Feibus

7/31/2015 (15 Av)

Mayme Lawson

To make a donation to commemorate a yahrtzeit, please click here.  If you are a member of the synagogue and a yahrtzeit for your loved one is not on the list, please contact the synagogue office so we can update our records.

   Please click here if you wish to permanently memorialize a loved one by purchasing a yahrtzeit plaque.  

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Sisterhood Corner
Book Club books
Click here for list of books and dates.  Thank you to Lori Orel and Shelley Fenyes for organizing Book Club.  Your suggestions are welcome.

Support B'nai Israel by using the Amazon button 
to shop today!
SHABBAT SHALOM! Shabbat Table
THERE IS A TKA BAR MITZVAH THIS SHABBAT. PLEASE PLAN TO SHUTTLE PARK FROM PRINCE OF PEACE.

SHABBAT CHUKKAT

Friday, June 26th

6 p.m., Chapel

Saturday, June 27th

9 a.m., CHAPEL

Kiddush, lower level at the conclusion of services.

10 a.m.  Supervised Youth Room, Lower Level

 

To help sustain Kiddush Lunch, please consider joining a Kiddush Lunch Bunch group. E-mail Mindy Shuback for more information.  

 

Donations to the Kiddush Lunch Fund can also be made online or mailed directly to the synagogue. 

 

UPCOMING YOUTH AND FAMILY ACTIVITIES

torah
Formal youth activities will resume in the fall.
To stay current on all youth and family activities, contact Ilana Glazier to join the B'nai Israel Families Facebook Group.

HONEY FROM THE HEART ORDERS 2015/5776
Honey
SUPPORT B'NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE 
BY SENDING HONEY TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN TIME FOR ROSH HASHANAH
ORDER BY JULY 13TH FOR FREE SHIPPING!
$11.00/JAR, HONEY ARRIVES  WITH PERSONALIZED MESSAGE FOR RECIPIENT.
 
USE THIS LINK: www.orthoney.com/BIS 
ORDER TODAY . . . DON'T DELAY!!! 
Questions?  Need help ordering?  
Contact Peter Fenyes: pfenyes@yahoo.com
248-855-4033 Honey from the Heart logo

ADULT EDUCATION

SNL
Saturday Night Learning, June 27th, 8:30 p.m. at the home of Joanna and Jay Abramson.  
E-mail Joanna if you plan to attend.
THERE WILL NOT BE A SESSION JULY 5TH.  SNL WILL RESUME ON JULY 11TH.  Happy Fourth of July.
Volunteers will lead a text based discussion each week on the topic of his/her choosing.  The evening will close with Maariv and Havdalah.  Everyone is welcome! Subjects are self-contained, so you can join any week you would like and not worry about "missing out" on material from the previous week. 

SUMMER LOVING

Great Love Stories of the Tanach

Dates:  Mondays, July 6, 13, 20, 27.  August 3, 10

Time:    9:30 AM to 11:00 AM

Cost:     $90 

Place:    TKA/BI Library 

Instructor:  Mitch Parker

Begin your Mondays with a morning study of the love stories that are an integral  parts of the Tanach.  Learn the truth about the romances of Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel, Samson and Delilah and David and Bathsheba. Spend a few summer hours immersed in the verses of one of the greatest love poems of all times, The Song of Songs, Shir Hashirim.

If you are interested in enrolling or would like more information, please contact Mitch: abbadoc@comcast.net.


Mazel Tov 
Happy Birthday!

Birthday Cake

JUNE BIRTHDAYS

 25 Max Feber

 26 Herb Lantor

 26 Karen Rosenberg

 28 Madeline Kaufman

 28 Raymond Silverman

 28 Ruth Webber

JULY BIRTHDAYS

 2  Sharon Gadoth-Goodman

 2   Mark Kuhn

 2   Cheryl Parker

 2   Marla Weiss

 4   Maxwell Singer

 7   Ilan Elrom

 7   Yael Elrom

 8   Vicki Freedman

 9   Joshua Chudnow

11  Monte Schloss

13  Coby Robbins

16  Tammy Dines

16  Elan Rosenberg

17  Joe Roth

18  Howard Jacobson

19  Randy Soverinsky

20  Miles Singer

21  Adina Berger

24  Leslie Chudnow

24  Bernice Handler

27  Barbara Kappy

28  Lena Karesh

28  Fran Stark-Hundiak

29  Robin Jacobson

29  David Lazarus

30  Hannah Finn

30  Ian Robinson

31  Brandon Kappy

31 Noah Weingarden

Jewish Wedding

 

JUNE ANNIVERSARIES

 25 Lowell Schmeltz & Ilana Glazier

 26 Ron & Sharon Gadoth-Goodman

 27 Ken & Shula Brown

 27 Lenny & Robin Jacobson

 28 Robert & Laurie Kimmel

 28 Noel & Judy Lawson

 29 Mark & Loraine Kuhn

 30 Alan and Barbara Funk

JULY ANNIVERSARIES

  6  Itzik Elrom and Paula Levy

  6 Adam and Meredith Weingarden

 

  9 Fred and Mindy Shuback

 16  Evan and Leslie Chudnow

 16  Irvin and Barbara Kappy

 19  Allan and Karen Lovinger

 30  David and Gloria Ruskin

 

 

If your birthday or anniversary information is not listed, please email the synagogue so we can update our records.
USCJ logo
B'nai Israel Synagogue is affiliated with USCJ
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
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B'nai Israel Synagogue  
5085 Walnut Lake Road
West Bloomfield, Michigan  48323
248-432-2729