OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday
9 am - 2 pm
Office will closed for holidays -
October 5 & 6
Chag Somayach!
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NEW FALL DATE SET FOR
"BACK TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS"
BUS TOUR
The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford has set a date for its popular "Back to the Old Neighborhoods" bus tour. There will be two tours on Sunday, October 25, 2015, with one at 9:30 a.m. and one leaving at 1:30 p.m. All tours leave from the Community Services Building, 333 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford. The tour is approximately 3 hours and the cost is $28 for non-Society members and $25 for members.
This tour, led by a professional guide, travels through two hundred years of Jewish history in the Hartford area. Even those who did not grow up here, will find it fascinating to learn about the first Jew mentioned in public records-in the 1600s, how the first synagogue came to be built and the ways in which the community grew and developed. The group will also visit three sites-the former Congregation Beth Israel (now the Charter Oak Cultural Center), and the former Emanuel and Agudas Achim synagogues, now churches. A specially prepared booklet with historic photos brings other buildings and businesses to life. (Please note that some buildings are not handicapped accessible and participants are welcome to remain on the bus).
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Kol HaChadoshot
"What's news and 'nu' in the Beth David community" |
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From The Rabbi
Okay. The new year is here, it has started. The holidays are not over but it is time to begin thinking about how we can grow ourselves individually. The community has its goals, but how many people are solidifying their own personal resolutions? Here is a suggestion that I would like to share.
One of our most important mitzvot is the practice of making Torah study a regimen in our regular schedules. Indeed, Talmud Shabbat 127a teaches that "the study of Torah is equal to all [the other commandments]"; and an ethical lesson taught in Mishneh encourages us to make Torah study a regular practice, if not a daily practice. Where might be a good place to begin?
There is a mitzvah known as "Shenayim Mikrah V'echad Targum". Simply translated, this mitzvah, codified in Shulchan Aruch, calls upon each of us to read the weekly parsha twice ("shenayim mikrah") along with one commentary ("v'echad targum"). In its original application, individuals read the parsha in the original Hebrew twice each week; and those readings were complemented by a study of the commentary (Aramaic translation) called Targum Onkeles. In our day, there has been an expansion of translations and commentaries; there is undoubtedly more intellectual wealth associated with Torah study today than at any previous time in Jewish history. The cornucopia of study opportunities is brimming with innovative options. Every one of us can embrace and fulfill this mitzvah in the following creative manner - 1. Read the weekly parsha twice. Read it once in Hebrew (all of us can use the practice), and read it once in English. Pick the translation of your choice. You might even find it informative to use a few different translations, creating for yourself a multi-year cycle. Perhaps read the ArtScroll translation this year, S.R. Hirsch next year, and Aryeh Kaplan in year three. 2. Select one commentary and follow it through for the year; then study a different commentary next year. Maybe start with Rashi (English versions are available) this year and move to the writings of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks next year. If you are online, you might find it easiest to subscribe to weekly parsha commentaries delivered directly to your e-mail in-box.
"Shenayim Mikrah V'echad Targum" finds its origins in Torah itself, the name of the mitzvah is an alluded to in the Hebrew name of the Book of Exodus, Sefer Shemot. The Hebrew letters that spell Shemot - shin, mem, vuv, tav - are an acrostic that spells "Shenayim Mikrah V'echad Targum". The gist of Book of Exodus tells the story of Egyptian bondage, the redemption and the revelation of Torah at Mount Sinai. The balance of Torah, as we know, is the transmission and the study of the mitzvot. That 'balance' is the essence of Jewish continuity, the transmission and the study.
The study of Torah will not necessarily change what individuals do, but it will broaden minds and impact thinking. In a world where knowledge is strength and knowledge is respected, let us be reminded of how Torah describes itself (Devorim 4:6), "for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the world".
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Succot Holiday Schedule
Sunday (10/4) - Hoshanah Rabah
8:00am Morning Tephillot
6:10pm Candles
6:15pm Minchah
7:00pm Dinner
Monday (10/5) - Shemini Atzeret
9:00am Beit Medrash
9:30am Holiday Tephillot
Yizkor
6:15pm Minchah
7:08pm Candles
Simchat Torah Hakafot
Tuesday (10/6) - Simchat Torah
9:30am Holiday Tephillot
6:15pm Minchah
7:00pm Havdallah
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Mazel Tov -
Elissa and Yonatan Freedman on the birthday of a son, Hillel Tzion. Special best wishes to big brothers Matan and Lior.
David and Lisa Gerrol on the birth of a granddaughter, Madeleine Rae, born to Sarah and Andrew Laskowski.
Grant and Sharon Holtzberg on the birth of a granddaughter, Ayelet Leora, born to Rachel and Spencer Glantz.
Joel and Ellen Stoltz on the birth of a grandson in Israel, born to Shira and Boaz Matityahu.
Harvey and Susan Levine on the birth of a grandson, Isaac Alexander, born to Debbie and Matthew Levine.
Condolences -
David Jacobs on the passing of his beloved mother Gloria.
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Honorable Mention
Thank you to Rabbi Jay Lapidus for his scholarship and time in preparing amazing classes and teaching the Shabbat afternoon classes this past year.
Thank you to Jennifer Klau, Len Felson and Igor Blekher for their assistance with the Labor Day Picnic.
The Ritual Committee for organizing the High Holiday honors and services.
Judy Brenner for freshening the shul planters and gardens in honor of the fall holidays.
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Simchat Torah Lunch
On Tuesday of Simchat Torah, at the conclusion of the morning events, there will be a light dairy lunch served in the Social Hall. This lunch is NOT A BUDGETED KIDDUSH; and a $5.00/person donation is being requested of all people who plan on staying for lunch. Please call Kim (860-236-1241), or CLICK HERE to confirm your attendance and to arrange your pre-payment.
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"Avi's Choice" - A Family Shabbat Opportunity, October 31 
Beth David families are invited to a special Shabbat afternoon program featuring celebrated book illustrator Janice Hechter. Mrs. Hechter illustrated the recently published children's book entitled "Avi's Choice", a story about the mitzvah of being helpful and supportive to relatives and friends who are recuperating from illness (bikur cholim). The program will be -
5:15pm - Reading circle for for parents and children as Mrs. Hechter reads the story of Avi's Choice. (Minchah will be taking place concurrently in the Chapel). 5:45pm - Family Seudah Shelishit; Mrs. Hechter will be answering questions about the book and the mitzvah. 6:15pm - Maariv in the Chapel 6:30pm - Havdallah and songs / Shavuah Tov!
In order for Beth David to be properly prepared for Seudah Shelishit, please call the synagogue office (860-236-1241, x10) or send an e-mail by clicking here to confirm your family's participation including your number of attendees. |
An Overview of Shemini Atzeret
(collected from various sources)
The Torah instructs us to keep the eighth day after Succot as a holy day. It is called Shemini Atzeret (the eighth day of gathering) but there are few specific rituals associated with it other than the cessation of work. The Torah declares (Numbers 29:35) "On the eighth day you shall hold a solemn gathering; you shall not work at your occupations." Some rabbis suggested that Shemini Atzeret is the official conclusion to the fall holiday "season" in much the same way that Shavuot is the conclusion to the Pesach season in the spring.
The day after Shemini Atzeret is celebrated as Simchat Torah  Simchat Torah, which means "Rejoicing in the Torah", is a celebration of the renewal of the yearly cycle of reading. The Torah is divided into 54 portions, one assigned to each week, except when a festival falls on Shabbat. On Simchat Torah we finish the reading cycle of the previous year and then immediately start anew, reading from the first parshah of Genesis, signifying that for us Torah study never ends.
Torah is the constitution and backbone of Judaism. While there are other texts we hold sacred and which inform our rituals and values on a day-to-day basis, it is the Torah which serves as the foundation and binding force bringing Jews together. Our commitment to the Covenant of the Torah makes us one people. Torah is the source of our life as a people, and hence the cycle of reading, which brings us together as a community of learners and worshipers, is cause for great celebration.It is customary to dance and sing with the Torah on Simchat Torah. Hakafot (circlings in the synagogue with the Torah) are joyous celebrations of the meaning of Torah in our lives. We sing and dance, and the community gives thanks for the blessing of the Torah. There are seven hakafot prior to the reading of the final verses, each accompanied by songs chosen by the community to sing. Then two scrolls are brought to the bima and the closing passages of Deuteronomy are read, followed by the opening passage of Genesis.
After almost a month of intense holidays, with much preparation and anticipation, Simchat Torah is a poignant conclusion. The festivities of the day are rooted in the hope that we have achieved most, if not all, of what we anticipated when we started our holiday planning late in the summer.
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Mindfulness and The Pursuit of Spirituality
Beth David Synagogue is planning a unique, community-wide series of learning and practice opportunities, based on the intersection between Judaism and mindfulness. Mindfulness in Jewish Life will take place the weekend of October 23 - 25.
Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose to the present moment and without judgment. This definition was advanced by Jon Kabat-Zinn, creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. It forms the foundation of Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, taught locally at the Jewish Community Center, the Copper Beech Institute in West Hartford, and throughout the world.
Although the term is increasingly applied in secular contexts, it is at the very heart of Jewish observance.
Mindfulness in Jewish Life will consist of three inter-related events.
- Friday, October 23. Following the 5:40 p.m. prayer service, Beth David Synagogue will host a Shabbat dinner, which will include experiential components to help participants embrace the gifts of each moment. The evening's speaker is Jeryl G. Brown, a Beth David member and licensed clinical social worker who received her MSW from Yeshiva University. Her talk will focus on some of the guidelines and road maps stemming from Buddhist teachings that form the foundation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and resonate in Jewish teaching and values.
- Saturday, October 24. Following Shabbat morning services and over Kiddush, Rabbi Yitzchok Adler (the spiritual leader of Beth David) and Dr. Brandon Nappi (executive director of the Copper Beech Institute) will talk about the science of mindfulness, as well as the basis for mindfulness in Torah.
- Sunday, October 25. The community is invited to the base of Talcott Mountain (main entrance, yellow trail head) at 9:30 a.m. to meet for words of inspiration and instruction before a mindful climb up the mountain. Leave your cell phones behind, and connect deeply with your surroundings.
Reservations - Adults - $25.00, Children (5-12) - $15.00
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Shabbat Morning Beit Medrash, 9:00-9:30am - Rabbi Adler leads a study program that uses assorted texts including Psalms, Mishneh and Medrash. No previous text study experience required.
Starting the week of October 12
The Weekly Parsha Wednesdays @ 12:30-1:30pm This class is a "lunch-n-learn", and no previous text study is required. This group convenes in the library of Beth David Synagogue.
The Theology of Judaism - Tuesday Nights @ 7:00pm, in the library at Beth David. Resurrection? Messiah? Redemption? What does classical Judaism have to say about these concepts? Traditional sources will be used to explore these and other theological ideas that are associated with Jewish faith and thought.
Talmud Sanhedrin, Thursdays @ 12:00-1:00pm This class studies a passage from the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin addresses matters pertaining to the Jewish legal system. The group is hosted by Mr. Harry Weller and meets at the Rocky Hill offices of the Connecticut States Attorney, 300 Corporate Place.
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Fundraising Opportunities at Beth David
SCRIP-Purchase gift cards to Big Y, Crown, Stop & Shop and Shop Rite. Beth David receives 5% of all sales. This is a great fundraiser because there is no cost involved to Beth David or the scrip purchaser. Simply come to the Beth David office, purchases these cards in multiples of $100; and then use them like cash at the store. Crown gift cards can be reloaded in the store at the cash register.
TREE OF LIFE-Honor yourself or family with a leaf on the Tree of Life. Bronze, silver & gold leaves available. Our "tree" adorns the synagogue lobby, with many leaves ready to be engraved. Call Tracy to negotiate prices.
MEMORIAL PLAQUES-Remember a loved one with a bronze memorial plaque. Each plaque costs $360 and will be illuminared on the anniversary of your loved one's passing as well as all holidays when Yizkor is recited.
BINGO-This is Beth David's largest on-going fundraiser. It supports the majority portion of the Beth David's yearly fundraising goal. Volunteering is an opportunity to meet other shul members and work off your MEP.
Call Tracy in the office with any questions about any of the above fundraising opportunities.
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DONATIONS
Donations received in September will be posted and acknowledged in the November bulletin.
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Happy Birthday
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Ora Russ-Fishbane
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October 1
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Karina Gitman
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October 2
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Rita Malakh
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October 2
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Sam Kassow
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October 3
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Levi Lomasky
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October 5
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Irv Schein
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October 5
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James Tauber
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October 5
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Hilary Silver
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October 8
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Eli Bilmes
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October 9
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Esther Hoff
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October 11
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William Gamzon
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October 11
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Leslie Anavim
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October 12
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Dina Fisher
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October 14
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Shoshana Benjamin
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October 15
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Sima Mondschein
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October 15
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Gabrielle Gershon
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October 16
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David Anavim
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October 19
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Aliza Chameides
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October 19
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Ed Schwartz
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October 21
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Judy Brenner
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October 23
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David Silver
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October 27
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Samuel Rubin
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October 28
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Jonathan Jacobson
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October 29
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Rachel Jacobson
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October 29
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Donna Wolf
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October 31
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Happy Anniversary
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Robert & Selma Darling
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October 4
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Daniel & Jennifer Klau
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October 11
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Larry & Serenie Cohen
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October 31
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"Where coming to shul is like coming home."
Our pledge is to make every visit to Beth David a warm, welcoming and satisfying experience. Let us know how we are doing. Your input helps us measure our success.
Sincerely,
Beth David Synagogue
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