Activities and Events

___________________________________________________

NEWSLETER  click to read

DON'T MISS RABBI MARK'S NEW CLASS !!!!!

WED NITE JAN 25 CLASS CANCELLED BECAUSE OF DEATH IN RABBI'S FAMILY

How Can We Live the
Good Life, Jewishly?

It is much easier to sin and have fun
doing it in our modern age, largely thanks to technology. Even those of us who
do not employ them must agree that computers, cellphones, and 24-hour TV
coverage have been a boon to adulterers, voyeurs, gossips—the list goes on and
on. We Jews are hardly a puritanical people; moderation in all things is a
central message of our faith. Still, as the years move on, how can we be
certain that our lives have purpose and meaning, beyond raising children,
practicing our professions, and trying to live honest and upright lives?

Dr. Ron Wolfson is an educator,
ethicist, and works on the future of the synagogue and our community at the
American Jewish University (Conservative) in Los Angeles. We will be using his
book which, despite its title, is upbeat and sunny: The Seven Questions You’re Asked in Heaven: Reviewing & Renewing
Your Life on Earth (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2009). It is
available on amazon, barnesandnoble.com, and as a kindle or nookbook. Having the book will add to your
appreciation of the class, but it is not required for you to attend and enjoy
the discussion.

Our class will begin on Wed. night,
Jan. 4, 2012, at 7:30pm, and meet for a total of 8 sessions, concluding on Wed.
night, Feb. 22. All invited; free for temple members—the charge is $50 for
non-members. Come, discuss, and enjoy!

The Jewish Center at TempleSholom of Pompano Beach

Adult Discussion Group, Wed. Nights

How Can We Live the Good Life, Jewishly?

Judaism teaches
us that there is far, far more to life than just getting and spending. We must
leave a legacy of mitzvote, good
deeds and ethical conduct, for the benefit of our families and society, and for
the sake of tikkun olam—improving the
world. Today’s world is full of pitfalls of temptation, as well as uncertainty
and fear. How can we use our faith to
guide us in living a full and meaningful life?

In this course,
we will follow the guidance of Dr. Ron Wolfson, and his book, The Seven Questions You’re Asked in Heaven:
Reviewing and Renewing Your Life on Earth. (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2009). You
can get a copy, new or used, on amazon, barnesandnoble.com, or as a kindle- or
nookbook. Having the book will add to
your appreciation and enjoyment of the class, but it is not required for you to
attend and enjoy the discussion.

The class will
begin on Wed. night, Jan. 4, 2012, and will meet for a total of 8
sessions, concluding on Feb. 22. All invited; free for temple members; the
charge is $50 for non-members. Come, discuss, and enjoy!

1. Jan.
4—Prologue: The Ultimate Question—despite Judaism’s main emphasis on “the here
and now,” mainstream Judaism does stress a belief in an Afterlife. What are
some of the questions you believe you’ll be asked by the Gatekeeper, the Heavenly
Defense Attorney, Father Abraham, or God Godself? Please understand that we are
not beginning this way in order to set a morose or depressing tone for the
course; rather, we are trying to plot and plan a course for our lives, and I
suspect that most of us are already on the right track.

2. Jan. 11—Chap.
1, “To Tell the Truth”—The Talmud (400 BCE-500 CE) postulates what type of
questions we’ll be asked in heaven. Any guesses as to what they’ll be? The
answer might surprise you! Hint: it has less to do with God, and more to do
with human relationships.

3. Jan. 18—Chap.
2, “The Immortality of Influence”—What is your ethical legacy? What sort of
parent were, are you? Rabbi Jack Riemer tells the story of a woman he met on a
plane trip, a successful attorney, who made a conscious decision not to have
children (pp.35-6). Understanding the Sh’ma
paragraph (pp. 38-41).

4. Jan. 25—Chap.
3, “Turn It…and Turn It”—Never stop learning! I believe that we Jews continue
to hold one of the world records for valuing and pursuing education—but,
somewhere along the line, “secular” replaced “religious” education. Still,
there is no greater shame than to be an over-educated dilettante, a
post-graduate-student who never got even close to the School of Hard Knocks.
Tonight, we will share our own hard-learned Advice for How to Get Through Life.

5. Feb. 1—Chap.
4, “The Hope of God”—Have you ever despaired in your life? Have you ever looked
into the future, and seen nothing but a black hole? Or have you refused to
admit defeat, taking comfort in knowing that, “If God brought you to it, God’ll
bring you through it”? In this chapter, we will read about people who survived,
who triumphed against the odds, and we will share our own stories.

6. Feb. 8—Chap.
5, “What Matters Most”—How do you acquire information; meaning, what is your
learning style? Here, we follow Dr. Ron Wolfson to Home Depot, where he begins
to master the art of applying grout. He explains to us about dialectical
learning (p. 79), and the fine art of being a dreykop (pp. 81-83). What are your priorities in life?

7. Feb. 15—Chap.
6, “Living to Do”—Have you traveled? Have you indulged in all that this life
has to offer? I don’t necessarily mean skydiving, climbing the Matterhorn, or riding in the space shuttle, but
have you looked at the natural wonders with which God has gifted us and our
universe? And what about your bucket list—how many items have you checked off,
how many remain?

8. Feb. 22—Chap.
7, “Perfecting You”—The work of Creation was not completed on the Sixth Day
prior to Shabbat; no. We are shutafin im
ha-Boray: partners with the Creator, and Creation is an ongoing enterprise.
Besides that, are you truly happy in what you’re doing now? You only get one
chance—to write that screenplay, to paint that portrait, to sail that boat
around the world. And how are you as a
human being? Dale Carnegie lived a long time ago, but his six principles of How to Make Friends and Influence People still
work, and they’re even more important in this age of e-mails and the faceless
computerization of humanity.

Conclusion: What
have we learned? Can we take some“personal Torah” from this course and use it
to make ourselves better Jews, and better human beings?

David, King of Israel: New Shabbat Day
Adult Discussion Group at Temple Sholom

Of all the
heroic figures in our Tanakh, our
Hebrew Bible, David is the most majestic and intriguing. He is a military hero,
a musician and poet, a composer of Holy Psalms to God—but also an adulterer, an
intriguer of plots concerning the stability of Saul’s Israelite Kingdom; a
double agent and Robin Hood-style brigand; a man of tremendous appetites: sexual,
militaristic, and political. And yet, our tradition tells us that Messiah will
emerge from the House of David, and he endures as a symbol of spiritual and
temporal Jewish freedom.

Join Rabbi David Mark for an exciting and
engrossing exploration of this well-known, yet mysterious, spiritual figure, as
we follow the various Biblical tales that combine to create his titanic
personality.

Every Shabbat,
at 12:30pm, following Morning Services and our sumptuous Kiddush refreshments,
we will meet in the Temple Sholom Bet
Midrash/Chapel to read, explore, and discuss, and learn the true meaning of
the old song, Dovid Melech Yisrael, Chai
v’Kayom—“David, King of Israel, lives and endures for all time.”

The course
begins on Shabbat, Jan. 14, at 12:30pm, and will run until March 31. No charge
for Temple Members; $50 for non-members. Please bring a Tanakh/Hebrew Bible (not
a Chumash/Pentateuch), to appreciate
the course more; if you don’t have one, just come. You will not be
disappointed.

Vaera

            Judaism teaches that God
is not only the creator of the universe, but is also involved in our daily
lives, in the form of Divine Providence. God plans every event that occurs to us
(with the exception, I believe, of great tragedies), even though we retain our
free will. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev teaches that every blade of grass
in the field, every leaf on the trees, has its own guardian angel standing
behind it and urging it, "Grow! Flourish!" How much more so is God present in
our own lives. It all goes back to how God appears in the Exodus story, as a
Power active in human history. Here, God utters the famous "four statements of
liberation," showing how God will go about freeing the Israelites from Egypt: "I
will take you out of Egypt; I will save you from Pharaoh; I will redeem you from
slavery, and I will take you to be My people."

            Seen in this light, the
struggle between God and Pharaoh (who was regarded by his people as divine)
becomes an epic battle between gods-on the one hand, a cruel, self-centered,
xenophobic tyrant; on the other, the God who not only created heaven and earth,
but is deeply involved in their fate. God commands Moses to start out small, in
a way which the Egyptians can comprehend: he turns his shepherd's crook into a
serpent, a trick easily matched by Pharaoh's sorcerers, until Moses's staff
swallows theirs. The first seven plagues follow, all of which can be explained
as ordinary natural events. What makes them miracles is their timing, designed
to show how God controls all heaven and earth, with Moses as His prophet. Plague
follows plague in a ghastly procession, inflicting pain and suffering on the
Egyptians, but Pharaoh will not yield. Thinking of himself as a god-king, he is
too entangled in his own pride and arrogance to set the Israelites free and
restore the welfare of his subjects.

            Why does this parsha
sound so much like Pesach/Passover in January? It is a promise which God
makes to us in the dead of winter (obviously, the Torah was not written in
Florida, with its mono-seasonality), telling us that spring will eventually
come. In the meantime, God challenges us to find holiness and spirituality in
our daily lives and activities: let nothing we do, no deed we perform in this
world, be devoid of God's spirit. Through serving God and carrying out God's
plans on earth, we become most human and humane.

Shabbat
Shalom,

Rabbi David H
Mark

Vayechi

            Sadly, here it is: once
again, we are concluding Beraysheet/Genesis. For all the years that I
have studied Torah, it remains my favorite book of the five-from the very first
time I studied it, in first grade in Hebrew Day School, in a Bible primer with
big black block Hebrew letters. Of all the books in the Torah, it has the most
appeal for readers who love stories about people, with all of their
peccadilloes. Here is the proof that dysfunctional relatives are a primary
characteristic of us Jews, and the human family in general: they are right there
in Genesis, whether examining Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Esau and Jacob,
or a slew of others. There are no perfect human beings in this book, just
ordinary folks going about their lives, much as we do today. The significant
difference is that God appears outright in these stories, as a speaking and
acting character. Most of us cannot discern God's role in our lives as directly
as our ancestors did, but that doesn't mean that He/She is not there. As the
great humanistic theologian and philosopher Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)
stated, "Vocatus non vocatus, Deus aderit-Bidden or not bidden, God is
present."

            And now, we come,
regrettably, to the end of Genesis, with Jacob living far from his beloved land
of Israel (although it does not yet bear that name), as a pensioner in Egypt,
benefiting from his son Joseph's largesse, and not terribly happy about it. Give
some credit to Poppa Jacob: he gathers his wayward sons (and, we may presume,
his daughter, Dena) around his deathbed to deliver his final patriarchal
blessing, and proceeds in no uncertain terms to tell them what he thinks of
them, warts and all: no compliments, but matter-of-fact evaluations, of their
present (and future) personalities and interactions. (We can judge his speech in
two ways: he's a prophet; or, the blessing/poem was written during the tribal
period, when the tribes weren't yet cemented into the "Nation of Israel" under
David, and didn't mesh well.) The old man criticizes them harshly, and I believe
that his frank assessments point up a major fact of our faith: Jews are expected
to behave properly in both their families and society, and woe betide the
occasional miscreant who falls short of the mark. When we read of scandals in
the media, whether financial, political, or personal, we invariably scan the
list of wrongdoers for Jewish-sounding names. Why? Because, as our parents and
rabbis taught us while growing up, "Jews don't behave that way."

            It is called
menschlichkeit-that elusive quality which is so hard to develop: the
ability to comport oneself as a capable, compassionate human being, in a world
where so many are eager to lie, cheat, and steal in the quest for the easy buck.
We live in this world, with all of its temptations and opportunities to
backstab, but are supposed to set the highest standard of character for
ourselves. As a Buddhist phrase has it, "We should live like the lotus blossom.
It grows out of the water, but its petals are not wet." Genesis represents the
absolute triumph of the human spirit over adversity, and, as a Jew, I am very
proud to be part of the faith produced it.

Shabbat
Shalom,

Rabbi David H
Mark

Vayigash 

            Joseph continues
his cat-and-mouse game with his puzzled brothers, who cannot connect this
austere, distant, kohl-eyed stranger with their frightened, seventeen-year-old
stripling brother whom they sold into slavery so many years ago. He accuses them
of spying, theft, and other capital crimes against the Imperial Kingdom of
Egypt; he warns them that Benjamin, their aged father Israel's favorite, must
remain with him as an eternal hostage, for the crime of stealing his "divining
cup."

            The brothers are
abashed, shocked, and confused by this string of charges; they are simple
country folk, and out of their depth before this sharp-tongued bureaucrat. Their
heads are spinning, but they desperately recall their promise to their aged
father: that no harm must come to his favorite, to Benjamin. Joseph finishes his
harangue, folds his arms, and waits for the brothers' reply. A deadly silence
falls.

            Into the breach
steps Judah-it is clear that we are seeing a foreshadowing of that tribe's
leadership position in the future, and why we are, today, called "Jews"
(originally "Judeans"), and not "Benjaminites" or "Josephites." His speech is
fifteen verses in length, and it is both simple and eloquent, reminding the
Pharaoh's viceroy how Benjamin's disappearance will kill their
father.

            These words
penetrate the psychological barrier which Joseph has erected between himself and
his family; he can no longer maintain his polished cosmopolitan façade. In a
choked voice, he orders his guards to clear the room of all Egyptians save
himself, and, switching to Hebrew, he confesses to his shocked brothers, "I am
Joseph; does my father yet live?"

            Of which
"father" is Joseph speaking? Hasn't Israel, his beloved parent, been the subject
of the entire discussion up to this point? I believe that this, his first query
to his brothers, the first sentence on their mutual road to reconciliation,
points to something deeper than the physical father to whom they all owe their
beginnings. No: we are speaking here of Israel's ideals-the life-lessons
which the young Jacob learned during his experiences with Esav, with Lavan; the
years of infertility-struggle with Rachel; his finally learning to love Leah,
who rose above her demeaned status to become a proud mother of tribes; and not
to forget Bilhah and Zilpah, whose voices also yearned to break their scorned
concubine-status. All the brothers who, symbolically, became our own fathers,
are still bequeathing to us our destiny, in this confusing, modern world of
economics and politics,where we struggle to find our place.

            And, in the
largest sense, we reach beyond ourselves to the Father who is our Mother as
well, who has led us through history to the present day, and who has a special
destiny for our particular tribe, which we rise each day to newly discover. Yes,
Joseph; yes, Israel; your Father yet lives, and is leading you, each minute,
each day, and into a new secular year. Shana tova oo'vree'ah-a good and
healthy New Year to all!

Shabbat
Shalom,

Rabbi David H
Mark

Toldote

Scene: Night. The wilderness encampment shared by Be'eri and
Elon, princes of the Hittite Tribe. Esav ben Isaac v'Rivkah has just paid the
mohar, the bride-price for Judith bat Beeri and Basemat bat Elon. He lies in a
tent, drinking spiced wine and getting acquainted with his two new pagan
brides.

Call me Esav; some call me Edom, the Red-haired, the Mighty
One, who breaks men in half like pieces of rotten wood. My story? You want to
hear about me? I understand your curiosity, my being your new husband, but
forgive my saying that no one has ever taken an interest in my life
before-everyone who came to sit under my father Isaac's roof always wanted to
hear about my younger brother Jacob. 'God's favorite,' they called him, and why?
Because he was clever! Tricky is what I called him; not-to-be-trusted, the one
you had to watch always, the one you were afraid to turn your back on.

            It's been that way all of my life,
and I don't know why. I am the elder brother; I am supposed to be the favorite.
And yet, for as long as I can remember, even when we were little and just
starting out to be shepherds, Jacob could do things I couldn't do, like keep the
sheep grazing in one place, stop them from wandering off. I just couldn't do
that-I was always distracted, by the wind, the sun, birds flying by, dust-motes
wandering in the wind, just like that, just-like-that-(he sips some wine and
stares off into the fire, suddenly distracted)....

            What's that? Eh? Oh, and so my
parents took me off shepherd duty-they got tired of the sheep wandering off
while I was skylarking-and 'prenticed me to my Uncle Ishmael, the archer, the
hunter. He taught me all he knew, about creeping through the woods-so quiet, so
quiet!-and sneaking up on a deer, getting so, so close that that old buckhorn
couldn't smell you, though you were so dripping with sweat in your hot leather
vest and breeches that you could smell yourself, half-a-mile off; 'Crouch down
in the high grass, boy,' Uncle Ish would whisper, clapping his big horny hand
atop my head for emphasis, to make his point, 'take your aim, and nail that
big-horn buck, right there in the throat-there, that's the way!'-and I would
pull back my bowstring, so, so taut, and let the arrow fly-and, before you could
say, 'Halleluyah, Great God of Hosts!' there would be roast venison for dinner.
Papa loved it when I brought him fresh meat; sometimes, he would get so
emotional, he would kiss my hands: 'The hands of my son, the hunter!' he would
say.

            You see, that I could do: I could
hunt. And Uncle Ish-and Papa, they were so proud of me! Papa especially; I think
because Grandpa Abe never let him hunt; he always had to be chasing after the
sheep and goats, and Grandpa never let Papa have any fun-and then, there was
that Evil Day, that day that Papa and Mama don't talk about, that day that
Grandpa took Papa, and almost (whispers) sacrificed him, to the God-Who-Is. Can
you believe it? Well, now (takes a deep gulp of wine from the cup which Judith
fills)-thank you, my love-

            But Jacob! I could never figure him
out. Pretended to be my friend-(mimics Jacob's higher voice):'C'mon now, Esav,
Big Red (so he called me; he knew I was sensitive about my hair and my fair skin
burning in the sun, and us supposed to be twins, though he was darker than
I)-have some red bean stew-it'll bring out the red in your hair! Ha! Just a
joke'-but I was hungry, and the deer and pheasant just weren't there for the
hunting, that hot hot day-

            'Brother Jake,' said I, nice as you
could want, 'Gi'me some of that there red bean stew, please.'

            But he cocks an eye at me, and I
think in my head, 'Uh-oh-what's this boy going to fool me with now?'

            'Tell you what, Big Red,' he smiles
at me, 'I'll sell you the stew, a big bowl of it, and a honking chunk of bread,
too-for your birthright paper!'

            To tell you the truth, I was
relieved. What good was that old paper? I was hungry enough to die, and I knew
that Papa loved me anyway, and would give me what I needed when the time
came-and Papa was young, death was far off! So what good was that birthright to
me at all?

            'Here it is,' I said, and took the
paper out of my hunter's bag, and wrote an 'X' on it to sign it over to him, and
got my big bowl, right away.

            But now, my belly's full of good
roast meat, and I've had my fill of wine, and I have you two lovely ladies for
my wives-and I may have to kill my brother (Drinks). Life's a funny thing, O
God-Who-Is!

Shabbat
Shalom,

Rabbi
David H Mark

Lech-Lecha

Two roads diverged in a yellow
wood,

And sorry I could not travel
both

And be one traveler, long I
stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the
undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as
fair,

And having perhaps the better
claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing
there

Had worn them really about the same....

I shall be telling this with a
sigh

Somewhere ages and ages
hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I-

I took the one less traveled
by,

And that has made all the
difference.

--Robert Frost (1874-1963), "The Road
Not Taken"

           
One day, they began their journey: the old
man and his wife, leaving behind them friends and family, off into the
wilderness. What the man's profession had been prior to their leaving we do not
know; the Torah does not consider it important, and so it does not tell us. Did
the woman protest? Were there tearful farewells? Did they sell their house, a
store, furniture or keepsakes that had been passed down? Again, the text is
silent. All we have are genealogical lists, tagged onto the story of Noah, the
ark-builder and distiller of wine: "Terach begat Avram, Nachor, and Charan; and
Charan begot Lot. ...Avram and Nachor took for themselves wives; Avram's wife's
name was Sarai, and Nachor's wife's name was Milcah....now Sarai was infertile;
she had no child" (Gen. 11: 27-30; translation mine)-childlessness being a
particular defect in those days, and grounds for divorce; but Avram and Sarai
remained faithful to one another throughout their long life-journey
together.

            There appears also to have been
a half-hearted attempt by Avram's father Terach to leave Ur of the Chaldees,
that mighty city, and move to Canaan, but they made it only as far as Charan,
where Terach died, at the purported age of 205-again, a chronological
exaggeration. Even "Ur of the Chaldees" is inaccurate; Ur was a city in Upper
Mesopotamia (the "Land Between the Two Rivers," the Tigris and the Euphrates,
the legendary Fertile Crescent of ancient times), but the Chaldeans did not
settle there until the 7th-6th Centuries BCE, long after the patriarchal period.
The city mentioned in our text may have been founded by citizens of Ur, but
closer to Charan-the "Urrian suburbs," if you will.

What I find significant about Ur is its name, which I
interpret as "The City," in the same way that New Yorkers and Londoners refer to
their respective metropolises. It was so well-known that it needed no other
name. This implies that Avram and Sarai were leaving perhaps the most advanced
city of their time to return to the wilderness-a move which Henry David Thoreau,
that prince of Transcendentalists, might have appreciated, since he also made a
conscious decision to escape the lures and blandishments of Concord and Boston
society to live in the woods around Walden Pond, the better to come to
understand both himself and Nature.

Avram and Sarai, like other pioneers throughout history,
were on a pilgrimage of both body and spirit. God had tried, twice before, to
give human beings the right to decide their own spiritual destiny, but His
designees had disappointed Him. Adam and Eve had proven unequal to the
temptation of the Tree of Knowledge, and were banished from the Paradise which
God had prepared for them on earth. Noah had originally been righteous enough-by
comparison, perhaps, to the mass of perverse humankind-to rescue a saving
remnant, but his subsequent lack of moral fiber made him unfit to further act as
God's instrument. Avram and Sarai were, therefore, God's last, best hope-and we
are all-Jews, Christians, and Muslims-their beneficiaries.

Wednesday, December 7

            8:45am - Morning
Minyan

            1:00pm - Computer Art Lesson
w/Flora

            7:30pm - Adult Education
Class w/Rabbi

Thursday, December 8

            8:45am - Morning Minyan

            1:00pm - Mahjong

            1:00pm - Writing Club

            6:00pm - Board
Meeting

Friday, December 9

            8:45am - Morning Minyan

            7:30pm - Kabbalat Shabbat
Services

Saturday, December 10

                        Haftorah: Ilana
Dixon

            9:30am - Shabbat Morning
Services

Sunday, December 11

             9:00am - Minyan   

             9:00am - Hebrew
School

10:00am - Israel Experience Meeting - open to all

             10:00am - Sisterhood Business Meeting at
the home of Marilyn Stahl

Monday, December 12

            8:45am - Morning Minyan

            6:00pm - Free Dinner 

                    With Purchase of Early Bird &
Main BINGO Package

            6:30pm - BINGO

Tuesday, December 13

             8:45am - Morning Minyan

            1:00pm - Knitting Lessons
w/Roz

Wednesday, December 14

            8:45am - Morning Minyan

            7:30pm - Adult Education Class
w/Rabbi

Thursday, December 15

            8:45am - Morning Minyan

            1:00pm - Mahjong

            1:00pm - Writing Club 

Friday, December 16

            8:45am - Morning Minyan

            7:30pm - Kabbalat Shabbat
Services

Saturday, December 17

                       Haftorah: Marvin
Schulman

            9:30am - Shabbat Morning
Services
            12:30pm - Adult Ed w/Rabbi

Sunday, December 18

            9:00am - Minyan   

            9:00am - Hebrew School

            9:45am - Chanukah Latke
Breakfast

Monday, December 19

            8:45am - Morning Minyan

            6:00pm - Free Dinner 

                    With Purchase of Early Bird &
Main BINGO Package

            6:30pm - BINGO   

Tuesday, December 20  
Chanukah-1st Candle Light

             8:45am - Morning Minyan

            1:00pm - Knitting Lessons
w/Roz

Wednesday,
December 21   Chanukah-2nd Candle
Light

            8:45am - Morning Minyan

            7:30pm - Adult Education Class w/Rabbi

TempleSholom Adult Education

How Shall We Live Our
Lives?—The Advice of the Ramban (1194-1270)

Autumn-Winter, 2011

Wed. Evenings, 7:30-8:30pm

Leader:
Rabbi David Mark

Text:
Rabbi Avrohom Feuer, trans. & ed., Iggeres
HaRamban, A Letter for the Ages: The Ramban’s Ethical Letter with an Anthology
of Contemporary Rabbinical Expositions. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications,
1989.

            The Iggeret HaRamban, or “Letter of the Ramban” is a letter containing musar (Jewish ethics) which Nachmanides,
Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, known by the acronym Ramban (pronounced Ram-BAHN)
wrote to his son, and in which he states that, “Ever day that you read this
letter, heaven will answer your heart’s desires.” I do not encourage its
reading in the sense of its being a magic charm; rather, it is meant to instill
spiritual growth into the reader. Some traditional Jews read it for spiritual
uplift in times of difficulty or danger; in other communities, the bride and
groom read it together on their wedding day, before embarking on their new
lives together. Finally, some congregations read it together on the High Holy
Days. The secret is to read the letter, not only with one’s eyes and brain, but
with one’s heart, as well.

            This particular edition, edited by
an Orthodox rabbi (and part of the popular Artscroll series), features a
masterful translation, as well as Talmudic and contemporary stories to
illustrate the various ethical points which Ramban makes throughout the letter.
In this course, we will have time to touch upon the main parts, and I hope that
participants will consider incorporating this little jewel of our heritage (and
a fine example of the Sephardic contribution to our religious literature) into
their regular prayer and spiritual practice.

You will appreciate the
course much more by acquiring the text—to order the book, either call
1-800-MESORAH (1-800-637-6724), or order online at Artscroll.com; if you
require assistance, please call the temple office at 954-942-6410, and we will
be happy to assist you.

Following is the schedule
of readings for each session. Reading the pages will enhance your enjoyment of
the discussion; if you do not have time to do the reading, please attend
anyway. Note that we may read more or less of the pages, depending on how each
session progresses.

Session
#1, Wed., Oct. 26—What is musar, Jewish ethics? Why is the letter important (Preface, pp.v-vi)? What sort of life did the Ramban have? Why should ethical
living be the foundation-stone for all members of civilized society, now as
never before (read Introduction, pp. ix-xiv)?
Finally, we will read the Letter in its entirety (pp.16-20), noting the
quotations from the Tanach, the
Hebrew Bible.

#2,
Nov. 2—Read pp.23-32—Parents’ responsibility in molding children’s character,
reverence for humanity and God; learning to speak gently and not lose one’s
temper.

#3,
Nov. 9—Read pp.33-43—Anger as spiritual poison; cultivating a spirit of
humility; how to deal with success in one’s life.

#4,
Nov. 16—pp. 44-55—Humility leads to fear of God; being cognizant of our
mortality, and learning therefrom how to appreciate one’s life; preparing to
face the Final Judgment; learning how to resist sin.

#5,
Nov. 23—pp. 56-67—Rejoicing in one’s portion; helping those less fortunate;
trusting in God; examining one’s deeds.

#6,
Nov. 30—pp.68-78—Dealing with wealth while avoiding pride; how to deal with
yearning for earthly honor; how even great talmidei
chachamim (Torah scholars) dealt with the pride of their having learned
much Torah; keeping faith even when life casts you down.

#7,
Dec. 7—pp. 79-90—When standing in prayer before the Holy One, strike a balance
between awe/fear and love; avoid elevating yourself over others through pride
and contempt of your fellow human beings; showing respect to those wiser or
wealthier than you; the measure of greatness in a person is not what they take
from life, but what they give back; learning from the example of great people [e.g.,
HaRav Moshe Feinstein, zt’l (1895-1986)] how to treat those who are poor, mentally
ill, or simply less fortunate than we.

#8,
Dec. 14—pp. 91-111—Think of yourself at all times as if you were standing in
the Presence of the Holy One; try to practice moderation in all things; do not
interrupt your Torah study to discuss frivolous matters; end each day by examining
your deeds and seeking self-improvement.

Conclusion:
what have we learned?

__________________________________________________

HEBREW SCHOOL KIDS JAZZ ADOM OLAM

SISTERHOOD MEETING ON IRAQ

GUEST SPEAKER    SUZETTE KHEDOURI

and, of course  FOOD

SHABBAT IN THE SUKKAH

Kee Tavo

"And the Lord has stated this day that you will be to Him a treasured nation...and He will place you above all nations, in name and praise and splendor, and to become a holy nation to the Lord your God, as He has spoken" -Deut. 26:18-19 (translation mine).

            Here is the statement of Israel being God's "chosen people," a title we Jews have borne for centuries-and not always to our credit or advantage. Not for nothing does Tevye, the hapless hero of Fiddler on the Roof, cry out, "Lord God, if we are Your chosen people, why don't You choose somebody else, for a change?" In yeshiva, I learned the classic interpretation of chosenness: it meant that, whenever some catastrophe was to afflict the world, it struck the Jews first-no sort of divine favoritism here! By that token, history taught (or so we were taught), a civilization which treated its Jews well and favorably would flourish and endure; any nation which oppressed, attacked, or expelled its Jewish citizens was doomed to go down to defeat, or simply vanish. Where, indeed, are the vaunted triumphs of Assyria and Babylon, and why are Greece and Rome no longer world powers? Could we Jews have had some small effect on their descent?

            And yet-and yet. There are those among us who decry the chosen people concept. Rabbi Dr. Mordecai Kaplan (1881-1983), dean of the Teacher's Institute of the Jewish Theologican Seminary and founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, did away with the concept, because, to him, it implied that only the Jews (to the exclusion of the Greek and Roman philosophers, not to mention Asian theologians) had laid the foundation for modern ethics and philosophy, let alone religion. Additionally, since most modern Jews accept that our faith is fluid in its development (as opposed to what I consider the Orthodox belief of its being "flash-frozen at Sinai"), then the concepts we find in it today were not necessarily present there in the beginning; Judaism has modified and adapted to fit the times in which we live. Moses never conceived of a space shuttle or an iPhone, but we take them for granted.

            The only quibble I have with the Reconstructionist elimination of chosenness is not theological-I agree with Rabbi Kaplan wholeheartedly-but, rather, semantic: it deals with the Torah blessings. In a Reconstructionist temple, when one is called to the Torah, the re-worked prayers take the traditional "who has chosen us from all peoples by giving us the Torah" (which I accept as truth; certainly, no other people was given the Torah), and replaces it with, "who has brought us near to His service," which is meant to skirt the sensitive issue of chosenness. My objection is simple: if we are being brought near to God's service, then doesn't it follow logically that someone else is being left behind? Isn't that, ipso facto, a form of chosenness?

            In the end, I don't see chosenness as a large issue. Every other faith community in the world, be it Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or "other," tells its adherents that they are "special," because they belong to that particular philosophy of belief. Otherwise, why belong to it? No one wants to subscribe to "Brand X, or the Lowly People's Religion." The most important thing, in the end, is for those of all faiths-or no faith-to get along, in peace and understanding.

Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi David H Mark

HONORING 9/11

Fri. Night Memorial
Service for 9/11 with Memorial Candlelighting

The Jewish Center atTempleSholom,Pompano Beach

9/9/11

Rabbi: We are gathered here
this Shabbat evening, but our thoughts move to a sad anniversary, that of Sept.
11, 2001.
There is the story of a little girl who went off to play in her neighborhood
and came home much later than her mother expected her to.

“Where
were you?” her mother asked, and the little girl answered that her friend’s
bicycle had broken, and she had had to stop and help.

“But,
sweetheart,” her mother said, still worried and exasperated, “You don’t know
anything about fixing bicycles.”

“I
know, Mom,” said the little girl, “but I had to stop and help her cry.”

Congregation: None of us know much
about how to prevent terrorism, how to rescue people from fallen buildings, or
how to make peace in the Middle East. But we can stop and
help each other cry. And we, being Jews, a people with a long and often tragic tribal
history, can help each other remember.

Rabbi: We have had moments of
fear over the past number of years, for ourselves, for loved ones, for friends.
And we have rejoiced to learn that we and they are safe. We begin by offering
God our thanksgiving and gratitude: for all who were saved, and for all that we
still have.

Cong: We light one candle for
the thousands of victims and for those who grieve for them, but have resolved
to go on, despite their loss.

(Candle 1 is lit)

Cong: We light another candle
for all those who did the heartbreaking and backbreaking work of rescue on 9/11,
and who came from all over the country—firefighters, police, medical personnel,
and clergy—to assist in the rescue effort.

(Candle 2 is lit)

Cong: We light another candle
for our nation’s leaders and pray that they will know wisdom, and learn to work
together for our greater good.

(Candle 3 is lit)

Cong: We light another candle
for the men and women in the military, who continue to serve this nation
faithfully and well, and for Americans of Middle Eastern heritage, who love
this country, as we all do, and whose loyalty ought not to be questioned.

(Candle 4 is lit)

Cong: And we light a fifth
candle for us, for the people of this synagogue, and for people of good will
all over the world, of all faiths and of no faith, who are gathering this
weekend to share their grief over this tragedy, and to pray for peace and a
swift end to worldwide conflict and hatred. And we pledge that we, as both
Americans and Jews, will, with our fellow-citizens, grow stronger, in spite of
adversity.

(Candle 5 is lit)

Rabbi: We will conclude by our
Cantor’s leading us in singing “Oseh Shalom bim’romahv,” and extend its
meaning—that God will make peace in both the high places and the low, over all
the earth, and that this peace will include not only Israel, but the entire world,
and let us say Amen.

Sing:
Oseh shalom bim’romahv/ Hoo ya’ah-seh shalom ah-lay-noo/ v’ahl kol Yisrael/
v’imroo, imroo amen.

(from
a reading by C. Robinson—adapted)

Rabbi
David Mark Will Lead Exciting New Shabbat Morning Discussion of Isaac Bashevis
Singer Short Stories

Beginning on
Shabbat Morning, August 27, following Kiddush refreshments, Rabbi Mark will
begin a new Adult Discussion Series: the
Short Stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991), Nobel Prize winner and
chronicler of Jewish life in Eastern
Europe. Singer
wrote novels, it is true, but he had a particular gift for the short story,
whose challenge is that of creating viable characters and an engrossing storyline,
and bringing it all to a satisfactory conclusion in just a few pages, unlike a
novel, which can take dozens of pages to do the same thing.

The text we will
be using will be

Isaac Bashevis Singer, The Collected Stories. NY: Farrar,
Straus, Giroux, 1982.

It is available
in either paperback or hardcover on amazon.com or bookfinder4you.com; used
copies are very inexpensive. Contact the temple if you do not have computer
access and wish for us to order you a copy.

To fully enjoy
this course, it is recommended that participants try to read the stories, one
story per week, for three months. A class schedule will be distributed when the
class officially begins on Sept. 10, explaining which story we will be
discussing each week.

There will be a
“sneak preview” of the course on Aug. 27, featuring the story which first
brought Singer to the attention of the English-speaking public, “Gimpel the
Fool.” (It will not be necessary to read this first story to participate in the
class.)

There is no
charge for the course for temple members; for non-members, there is a charge.

Reading for Ten-Year
Anniversary of 9/11

The Jewish Center at
Temple Sholom, Pompano Beach

Rabbi: Soon we will begin a
new Jewish year. Life goes on. Babies are born and we dedicate ourselves to
them. People pass on and we remember their lives, crying as we grieve our loss.
Marriages and sacred partnerships are formed and blessed. Triumphs and
tragedies enter our sanctuary whenever we gather.

Congregation: Life goes on. And our
congregation tries to hold it all: the joys and the sorrows, the pleasure and the
pain, the fullness and the emptiness. Our coming together bears witness to the
power of love, acceptance, and the ongoing building of our community.

Rabbi: Ten years ago, our
national illusions of security, our sense of safety was shattered. How many times
have we said the words, “Since 9/11…” as if by saying those words, we could
somehow return to the more secure and naïve world in which we lived before? And
yet, life has gone on. For what should we pray, now, ten years later? Should we
pray for peace and safety?

Cong: Yes; we pray for safety
in our homeland, a sense of security, confidence, and trust, that the universe welcomes
our presence and offers a home for our spirit. Still, at the same time, we pray
for justice amidst our safety, that innocent American citizens should not have
to be profiled, jailed, or deported because of their ethnic group or national
origin. Their safety should not be sacrificed in order to guarantee our own.

Rabbi: Should we pray for
wholeness, wholeness in our selves and in our world?

Cong: We pray for a peaceful
world in which Muslim and Jew can live together, a world in which people of all
skin colors, people of all faiths and creeds can live together, people of all
sexual inclinations can live together, and can encounter one another, not in
fear, but in love.

Rabbi: And we pray for our
nation, and its leaders.

Cong: We pray that our nation
rediscover its greatness, and that our leaders learn, once again, how to lead,
and not to battle among themselves. Our nation is greater than its politics.
Democracy is an ideal, and it must be renewed with every generation.

Rabbi: We pray for all of
these things. And, dear God, we pray for ourselves, and pray that You grant us
the willingness to walk with one another, for we know that we will need to walk
together with our fellow citizens; indeed, with all the people of our world, if
we are ever to make justice and peace a reality.

Cong: For there are no hands
on earth but ours. And our hands seem so few, and our abilities so small, in
the face of such great need for healing.

All: So we pray for an end
to grief, we pray for peace and safety. We pray for our nation. And we pray for
ourselves, that we might feel the spirit of life and stirrings of compassion.
Help us to resist both fear and complacency. Help us give life the shape of
justice. And teach us to love.

Vaetchanan

            In the Musee du
Louvre, the world-famous art museum in Paris, France, there stands-or, rather,
sits-a statue dating from Egypt, in 2450 BCE (Old Kingdom, Fifth Dynasty). It is
not a dramatically tall depiction of a rampant pharaoh, striding forward boldly
with spear and shield in hand; neither is it a scarab-beetle, or dragon-like
crocodilian of the Nile River. It depicts a scribe named Kai, a government
official of some importance in his time-he was sufficiently well-off to
commission both the statue of himself doing his job, and a tomb to house both
his earthly and heavenly remains, though we know nothing more of him than the
statue tells us.

            The statue is of
painted limestone, standing (or sitting) one foot, nine inches high. Kai sits,
cross-legged, on the ground, holding a long-ago-lost reed pen in his right hand,
and a papyrus roll in his left, on which he is writing. His kilt, customary
dress for Egyptian men, is stretched over his thighs as he sits Indian-style,
and it serves well as a writing surface. His facial expression is alert and
attentive, eyes wide open, ready to take dictation from whichever higher officer
or pharaoh should need his services. Unlike other Egyptian sculptures, which
nearly all conform to an identical style, Kai's likeness is individual: he
appears to be a man of intelligence, a civil servant whose importance is hinted
at, rather than trumpeted. We may assume that this statue was made in the same
workshops which turned out royal sculptures, giving it an importance it does not
loudly proclaim (10,000 Years of Art, NY: Phaidon Press, 2009, p. 29).

            Why do I use the
image of this workaday scribe to illustrate this parsha/Torah reading?
This is where Moses (1393?-1273?BCE) orates about the desert wanderings of our
people and describes the theophany at Sinai: "Face-to-face did God speak with
you on the mountain, from the midst of the fire; I stood at that time between
you and God, to tell you the Word of God, for you were fearful of the fire, and
did not ascend the mountain" (Deut. 5: 4-5; translation mine)-followed by the
second recitation of the Ten Commandments. After the smoke, thunder, and
lightning vanished into the tribal memory of our ancestors-indeed, after they
themselves died, being doomed by God to perish in the wilderness as punishment
for sinning with the Golden Calf-what remained? Only the power of the Divine
Word, as transcribed by Moses. One could do worse than be a scribe to royalty,
whether Kai or Moses. Growing up as a young man in Pharaoh's palace (whether
than of Ramses II, Merneptah, or even the woman pharaoh, Hatshepsut-we will
never know for certain), possibly being groomed for a role in the Egyptian
regime, Moses may well have known and appreciated the worth of men like Kai, and
certainly learned to respect the power of the recorded word. It served him, and
us, well.

            And that is what
remains to us today: we are the People of the Book. Although many of us never
read beyond the Chumash/Five Books of Moses, and neglect the study of the
remainder of the Tanach/Bible, it remains our people's gift to the world,
and we should pledge ourselves to its study. It may not be logical; it may be
self-contradictory; parts of it may not have aged as well as we might like-but
it is still our heritage, our legacy. Moses, Kai, and all other recorders of
history would have had it no other way.

Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi David H Mark

The Jewish Center at Temple
Sholom Adult Education Series

Shabbat Morning
Learning: Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991)

Welcome to our course! We will be reading the short stories
of a master storyteller, Isaac Bashevis Singer, a rabbi’s son from Poland who
spent his life as an agnostic Yiddishist on the Upper West Side of Manhattan,
but is known to us today as the foremost storyteller about Jewish life in
Poland (with side excursions to Israel, the United States, and South America),
both before and after the Holocaust. The Jews who inhabit his stories are
rabbis, professors, Chasidim, unbelievers, thieves, prostitutes, ba’alay-teshuva (born-agains), and the
people who live down the hall. We also find imps, demons, dybbuks, and a legion
of folk-beliefs: Singer, though an educated man, believed in supernatural
phenomena, and considered them a sort of spiritual shorthand for how the sitra achra, the Other Side, communicates with us.

Most of these stories first appeared in the pages of Der Forvertz, the Yiddish weekly
newspaper begun by Abraham Cahan, and published in The Forward Building, at one time the tallest building (at seven
stories!) on the Lower East Side. Singer would either mail or bring his stories
there every week; many of them appeared in serialized fashion. He also wrote
theatre reviews and other short articles for the paper, and it was responsible
for allowing him to prolong his visitor’s visa in this country—and, most
likely, saving his life by not forcing him to return to Europe—during World War
II.

Every week, there will be another story for us to discuss, which,
hopefully, our participants will have read in preparation. If you do not have
time to read it, please come anyway; your presence is crucial to the success of
the class. Still, reading the material beforehand will greatly increase your
enjoyment of our discussion.

The text we will be using is

Isaac Bashevis Singer, The
Collected Stories. NY: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1982.

You can find gently-used copies of the book on either amazon.com or bookfinder4you.com. If you do not have computer access, please call
the temple at 954-942-6410, and we’ll be glad to order you a copy.

Classes will meet on Shabbat at about 12:20pm, following the
Kiddush refreshments, in the bais medrash/chapel.

1. Aug. 27—“Sneak Preview” class—pp. 3-14—We will read the
story which first brought Singer to the attention of the English-reading
public: “Gimpel the Fool.” This piece, still one of his classics, deals with
the character of the “holy fool” popularized by Reb Zusya of Chasidic fame,
tho’ Gimpel is neither a Chasid nor particularly holy—he is, however, foolish.
The story was translated by Saul Bellow, who, legend has it, proved to be so
difficult to work with, that Singer resolved never to deal with him as a
translator again. (I will provide copies of the story to the class, for those
participants who do not yet have the book.)

Sept. 3—No Class

2. Sept. 10—“The Gentleman from Cracow,” pp. 15-28. The
simple Jews of Frampol, Singer’s “typical” East European shtetl, have a visitor
from the big city, who thinks nothing of dropping large sums of money
throughout the town. Is he just a young man with a large bankroll, or someone
to be avoided?

3. Sept. 17—“The Unseen,” pp. 57-78, which is told from the
perspective of the Evil Spirit, who tempts people to sin. Is he the Yetzer Ha-Ra, the Evil Inclination,
which we all possess, or a spirit from the Sitra
Achra, the kabbalistic Other (Dark) Side? Discuss.

4. Sept. 24—“The Spinoza of Market Street,” pp. 79-93, in which
an eccentric professor, in the autumn of his years, falls in love(?) and takes
a wife. Can a philosopher devoted to Spinoza’s way of life find happiness?

5. Oct. 1—“Zeidlus the Pope,” pp. 170-178. Zeidel, a
brilliant Talmud student, does not feel that he is accorded enough kavod/honor by his colleagues or his
community. He takes the dangerous step of converting; that is, becoming a meshummed/apostate, at a time when that
step was seriously frowned upon. This is the tragicomic tale of his fate, which
reads even more poignantly in this age of Jews for Jesus and other anomalies.

Oct. 8—Yom Kippur: no class

6. Oct. 15—Shabbat Chol Ha’Mo’ed Sukkot/Intermediate Shabbat
of Sukkot—“The Last Demon,” pp. 179-187. This short tale, one of my personal
favorites, depicts a lone demon’s dogged struggle to tempt the young rabbi of a
little shtetl into crossing over to the Sitra
Achra, the Other (Dark) Side, and what results. A moralistic tale of little
evil and Great Evil, done as only Singer, the Maestro, can.

7.  Oct. 22—“Powers,”
pp. 317-319. This story employs one of the Singer’s favorite methods: the
newspaperman who is approached in his office by an anonymous Jew, usually a
Holocaust survivor, who tells him the story of how he lived through hell; in
this case, by demonstrating psychic powers. Is the teller a simple furniture
repairman—or something more?

8. Oct. 29—“Something is There,” pp. 330-351. What happens
to a rabbi who loses his faith? Here we meet Rabbi Nechemia from the early-20^th-Century
Polish town of Bechev, young in years but old in grief, who, convinced that he
has become an apikores/heretic,
travels to the great city of Warsaw. His adventures are striking and well-worth
the read.

9. Nov. 5—“A Day in Coney Island,” pp.372-380. This is a
semi-autobiographical piece of Singer’s own life—or is it? We meet a young
Polish émigré writer, at once uncomfortable in and trying to build a new life
in the New York of the 1930’s, spending a summer on the “Jewish Riviera.” He
expertly describes for us the boarding-house in which he is renting a room, his
landlady and fellow boarders, his fears of being deported back to Poland, and
the women with whom he is conducting his fitful affairs (despite his homeliness,
Singer was, nonetheless, a devil with the ladies). A beautiful period piece.

10. Nov. 12—Final Session: “The Cabalist of East Broadway,”
pp. 381-386. To what extent are we responsible for our fate, and how much of
our lives depends on circumstances beyond our control—say, the will of God, or
other factors? This little piece, a small gem, deals with one Joel Yabloner, a
kabbalist who, despite being well-read and published, never received the
recognition he deserved. But then, fate—and a woman—stepped in. Singer’s talent
stands out here, in his creating an entire situation and resolving it, in the
space of a few short pages.

Conclusion: what have we learned about Singer’s world—and
about ourselves, as Jews and human beings?

August 23/11'-September 6/11'    23 Av-7 Elul 5771 

Massay

    This parsha/Torah Reading is a "laundry
list" parsha, containing the names of all the places in which the Israelites
camped during their forty-year wilderness sojourn. Scholars are divided as to
the exact location of these places; there are, today, at least three separate,
possible routes which the Israelites might have followed on their path to the
Promised Land. That's the particular challenge of being a wandering nation:
you're never in one place long enough to leave traces of your having been there,
such as broken pottery or rough stone altars, the usual characteristics of a
primitive settlement. That's also why we cannot prove the existence of any
Biblical leaders prior to, and including, Solomon; some scholars believe that
even the mighty King David might have been a mere tribal warrior-chief, more
Robin Hood than enthroned monarch.

    Like our biblical forebears, many of us have
traveled during our lives, wandering far from the neighborhoods of our youth to
where we presently live. Thinking back on those years, did you ever believe that
you would be spending this part of your life in the Sunshine State? It's a
cliché, but nonetheless true, that "life is what happens to you, when you're
planning for something else."

    There is the story of a rabbi who was invited
to a housewarming at the posh mansion of a congregant in Newton, MA, one of the
ritziest Jewish neighborhoods in the nation. The host and hostess were very
proud to show their spiritual leader around their home, for whose furnishings
they had hired one of the most prominent interior decorators in the country. The
tour included showing him their enormous dining room, with its Chippendale table
and service for fifty; the Radio-City-sized home theatre room; the bedroom, with
space for a sizeable pajama party; and the rest of the ample furnishings; no
expense had been spared. When the tour was over, it was time for the wife's
mother to show the rabbi her own, attached apartment: she was very grateful to
her daughter and son-in-law for allowing her to live with them.

    The elderly lady took the rabbi by the hand,
went down a long foyer, turned on the light in her kitchen, and pointed to the
windowsill. The rabbi did not see any Limoges china or Lladro statues; instead,
arrayed on the sill, was a line of pushkas-charity boxes, for Hebrew
schools, synagogues, battered women's shelters, programs for the handicapped,
and other worthy charities, both Jewish and gentile.

    "Now, Rabbi," smiled the grandmother,
"This is interior decorating!"

P.S.: Interested in building up your
own home pushka collection? Contact our temple office for an official Temple
Sholom mini-pushka. It is customary, prior to lighting candles before Shabbat
and Yom Tov (holiday), to give some coins or paper money for
tsedaka-charity. Do a mitzvah-and help our temple, today

Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi David H Mark

NO BINGO MONDAY SEPT 5TH     LABOR DAY HOLIDAY

________

                                                                            7:35pm           Fast Over

HEAR THE CRY OF THE SHOFAR, EACH MORNING AT TEMPLE SHOLOM

The Shofar is one of the earliest known musical instruments made from the horn of a ram, sheep, goat, mountain goat, antelope, or gazelle.

During the month of Elul, the shofar is blown after morning services every weekday. The shofar is not blown on Shabbat. It is also not blown on the day before Rosh Hashanah to make a clear distinction between the custom of blowing the shofar in Elul and the Torah mitzvah of blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.

Rambam explained the custom of blowing shofar as a wake-up call, designed to rouse us from our complacency. It is a call to repentance.

Elul is also a time to begin the process of asking forgiveness for wrongs done to other people. According to Jewish tradition, God cannot forgive us for our sins committed against another person until we have first obtained forgiveness from the person we have wronged. This is not an easy task. This process of seeking forgiveness continues through Yom Kippur.

SEE YOU AT SERVICES

Cantor Hesh

RABBI DAVID MARK

ATTEND OUR EXCITING DISCUSSION GROUP

led by OUR OWN

RABBI DAVID MARK

every Saturday at Noon

DON'T MISS IT !!!!!!!!

On Saturday, Jan 22' the rabbi resumed his study group which shall now meet immediately following services, and end at 1:00pm? We look forward to seeing you there. Although it is a different time during our week, his lectures and his vast knowledge continue to be consistently informative, and an enriching experience for all who attend.

Our present topic is "Finding God," using the book of that same title written by Rabbis Rifat Sonsino & Daniel Syme. It attempts to answer the questions, "Who is God? How do we reach God? What are our responsibilities as Jews, and how do we fulfill them in the present day?" We will trace the development of Jewish thought about God from the Bible, through the Talmud, Maimonides, and Spinoza, to modern-day thinkers such as Mordecai Kaplan (founder of Reconstructionist Judaism), Harold Schulweis (predicate theology), and Lawrence Kushner (Reform rabbi and kabbalist). Our conversations are light, intellectually stimulating, and spiritually enriching. Join us!

Order the book online at amazon.com, or call the office, and we'll be happy to order it for you: Rifat Sonsino & Daniel Syme, "Finding God: Selected Responses." NY: URJ Press, 2002 (paper).

The rabbi remains our spiritual leader, and can be reached by phone, or in person, by appointment.    He is here for us.

JINGLE BELL RABBI

NEW TUNE TO ADOM OLOM

August 23/11'-September 6/11'    23 Av-7 Elul 5771 

A year ago I approached a number of ambitious women to perform an adult Bat Mitzvah at Temple Sholom. After a year of serious study and much inspiration; these women celebrated as they took their places on the Bimah in front of their family, friends and fellow temple members. The entire congregation was awe struck at the sight of such role models as they saw their wives, mothers, grandmothers and friends reach for holiness.

This past Shabbat morning displayed what potential these five mature women have as they poured their souls into the parsha, haftorah and prayers. Each participant mastered a part of the entire service, and thus displayed an easy flowing and tension free performance as a group. The bond between these women intensified the illumination of the Jewish texts, rituals and values that rendered through the souls of the five B'not Mitvah and congregation as well.

Additionally I would like to say that I too have been filled with great pride by learning and sharing this meaningful experience with them.

Mazel Tov!

B'ahavah, Cantor Hesh

Click here to HEAR CANTOR HESH SING PRAYERS

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

The Jewish Center at Temple Sholom was the oldest Conservative Congregation in North Broward and is now the newest Progressive Conservative Congregation offering a warm and caring environment to enrich the faith of all Jews through spiritual, religious, educational and social activities, each delivering the best of innovative and traditional ideals. Women and men are invited to participate equally in all aspects of worship and are encouraged to assist and participate in services and activities, to help create a warm, comfortable and friendly atmosphere. The Center policies are set by the Board of Directors and Committee Members who work closely with the Rabbi, Cantor and Staff.

                                                    Learn more about our programs and our services