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BHBIRochester.org Published Monthly Vol 44/No 10 Tammuz-Av 5770 July 2010 Editor: Stan Schaffer |
Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel B U L L E T I N |
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July
President’s Message Friends, It looks like summer is
finally here. We had a long and beautiful spring and I hope we’ll have an
equally beautiful summer. Among the activities that everyone looks forward to
are the picnics. We’re going to have two this year. On Friday, July 30th,
we will have a joint picnic with Temple Beth Am, at Beth Am, before Friday
evening services. We did this last year and everyone had a wonderful time.
Come, enjoy yourself, see your friends, and make new friends. If you would
like to volunteer to help out with set-up, cooking, clean-up or whatever else
you can think of, call Judith Mercer. She is our picnic liaison person.
Thanks, Judith. We plan to have a
Friday night barbeque to welcome potential new members in August. More
details can be found below. I want to also thank
Andrea Paprocki. Andrea has been preparing some of our kiddush luncheons for
awhile now. In addition, Andrea has become our “Office Person”, going through
the mail, handling messages, mailing out gift acknowledgements. Without
volunteers like Andrea (and there are so many of you!), this shul couldn’t function. On a more serious note,
Tisha b’Av will be commemorated on the evening of July 19th. We
are planning to have a joint service with Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth
David, as we did last year. At the time I’m writing this, the plan is to have
the joint service at the JCC. Last year we had a really interesting
discussion followed by a moving service. This year should be equally
worthwhile. Please plan to attend. Have a good July. Shalom, Leon Metlay |
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Joint Beth Am / BHBI Picnic
Friday,
July 30, 5:30 pm at Temple Beth Am
$15/family or $5/person if RSVP on/before
July 23
$18/family or $6/person if RSVP after July
23
Plus PAREVE dish to pass. Add $2/person,
$6/family w/o dish to pass.
RSVP by sending payment with a note
to the Temple Beth Am office (Temple Beth Am, POB 177, Henrietta, NY 14467).
Indicate your name, how many people, how many of each (for planning):
vegetarian, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken (more than 1 serving of each is
permitted).
Suggested dish to pass (must be pareve and have
hechser other then “K”): pickles; olives; non-dairy dessert: Tofutti, cookies,
Italian Ice; potato chips,
pretzels, salsa, salad dressing; tabuleh; hummus/pita bread; soda; juice;
carrot & celery sticks; non-dairy packaged dip; fresh corn; fresh fruit.
BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – JULY
2010
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Friday |
July 2 |
7:00 PM |
Shabbat
Evening Service at Heather Heights in Pittsford Light candles at
8:35 PM |
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Saturday |
July3 |
10:00 AM |
Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Torah: Pinchas |
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Sunday |
July 4 |
9:00 AM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion |
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Friday |
July 9 |
8:00 PM |
Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Light candles at 8:32 PM |
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Saturday |
July 10 |
9:30 AM |
Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI with Rabbi Goldberg officiating. Torah: Matot-Masei Blessing for the new month.
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Sunday |
July 11 |
9:00 AM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion |
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Monday |
July 12 |
7:30 PM |
Monthly Meeting of the BHBI Board of Trustees |
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Wednesday |
July 14 |
7:30 PM |
Small Shul
Collaborative Torah Study Session at BHBI |
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Friday |
July 16 |
8:00 PM |
Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI Light candles at
8:28 PM |
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Saturday |
July 17 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Devarim |
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Sunday |
July 18 |
9:00 AM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion |
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Monday |
July 19 |
7:30 PM |
Joint Tisha b’Av Study Session and Service with Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at the JCC |
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Friday |
July 23 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at
8:23 PM |
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Saturday |
July 24 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service
Torah: Vaetchanan |
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Sunday |
July 25 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast
and Discussion |
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Friday |
July 30 |
5:30 PM |
Joint Picnic with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am followed by Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at
8:15 PM |
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Saturday |
July 31 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service
Torah: Eikev |
TORAH STUDY
Join
congregants from Temple Beth Am, Temple Beth David and BHBI for our monthly
Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Torah Study session at BHBI on Wednesday
evening, July 14th at 7:30 p.m. The discussion is always lively and engaging!
WHEELCHAIR LIFT
Please note that our
wheelchair lift is now fully installed and operational. If you are
someone who has stayed away from services because of difficulty climbing our
stairs, know that there is now a safe, easy and convenient way to join us once
again. Please come and give it a try! There is a conveniently
located button to press should you need assistance. So don’t delay any
longer – join us at BHBI services and events! Of course,
contributions to help with the expense of the lift are still welcome.
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FROM THE RABBI’S DESK By RABBI GEOFFREY GOLDBERG July 2010 |
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During the long days of Shabbat during the summer, it
is the custom to study Pirkei Avot, traditionally translated as
“Ethics of the Fathers” but in these days of gender sensitivity translated as
“Teachings of the Sages” (at least in Siddur Sim Shalom). Pirkei
Avot is a tractate of Mishnah, dedicated to the ethical teachings of the
rabbis. Originally Pirkei Avot had five chapters, but when the custom
arose of studying a chapter of Avot on each of the six Sabbath
afternoons between Passover and Shavuot an additional chapter was later
added. Ashkenazi Jews generally continue studying Avot until the
Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah. You can find the text of Pirkei Avot in
traditional siddurim following the Sabbath Minḥah service. However, to really
engage with the text you should study from one of the many commentaries that
are available, including Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom.
I am currently studying Avot with the commentary of Rabbi Meir
Matzliah Melamed, which was originally written in Spanish. It is a sheer
delight to read. If you want to learn about the ethical standpoints of
Judaism as well as many of its theological concepts, there is no finer text
to turn to than Pirkei Avot. Every time one returns to Avot,
one learns new insights from this core rabbinic text of Judaism. Take, for example the very opening words of the first
Mishnah of the opening chapter: “Moses received Torah from God at Sinai, and
transmitted it to Joshua….” (etc.). On Shavuot I raised some of the issues that these
opening words raise. Why, for example, does the text say “received” with
respect to Moses, and not “transmitted”? Why does the text say “Torah” and
not “the Torah”? Why does the text here say that Moses transmitted the Torah
to Joshua, but not to Aaron and his sons, when, after all, the priests were
the guardians of the teaching? (The latter, by the way, is referred to in the
Koren Siddur, translated, with commentary, by Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
who comments, “Interestingly, the Sages traced their provenance to the
prophets rather than to the priests, who go unmentioned in the chain of
succession.”) Each phrase of Avot invites discussion, and that
is one of its wonderful characteristics. On the very first word, “received,” the Torat Moshe
commentary of Rabbi Moses Alshekh, who lived in the Levant and Safed in the
sixteenth century, is deeply insightful and a powerful refutation of a
mechanistic view of Revelation: “It is still the case that one
only receives as much as he is prepared [or capable] to receive. Even in the
case of Moses, therefore, it does not say that the Torah was passed to him by
God….” [Alshekh continues] “But it is an impossible thing that Moses would
receive Torah exactly as it was in the mind of God. The word “receive” may be
used even in cases when what is received is not identical with what is in the
possession of the giver.” On the scope of the word “Torah” there is no agreement
among scholars. Rabbi Meir Matzliah Melamed writes that “the commentators
tell us that the Torah mentioned here refers to the Oral Law…” Professor
Judah Goldin’s commentary to Avot, the one incorporated into Or Ḥadash, disagrees, for Goldin wrote,
“… the Torah meaning both the oral and the written tradition… These are polemical
statements in which the Pharisees [the forerunners of the Rabbis] assert: Our
tradition is the normative tradition; yours [that of the various sectarians,
including the Sadducees] are wrong.” Even Sinai does not necessarily only have a geographical
meaning! Note that the Hebrew text (mi-Sinai, not be-Sinai)
actually means “from Sinai” rather than “at Sinai.” Accordingly, the Italian
Rabbi, Ovadiah Bartenura (d. ca. 1500), whose commentary is included in all
standard editions of the Mishnah, wrote that that mi-Sinai means,
“from He who revealed Himself at Sinai.” In other words, Sinai is also an
epithet for God. One of the most delightful features of the Pirkei
Avot edition of Rabbi Meir Matzliah Melamed is when he says, as he quite
often does, “in my opinion, this means,” or better, “in my humble opinion,
this means.” This learned rabbi is not afraid to share his own thoughts on
this ancient text. Surely, he is also inviting us not to be afraid to express
our humble opinions, too, when we engage with the text of Avot. On these long Shabbat days of summer, take a few
moments to study a little Pirkei Avot. Your reward will be great
indeed! Rabbi Geoffrey Goldberg |
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YAHRZEITS
At the following Shabbat Services, we will read the
names of our late loved ones whose Yahrzeits will occur on that Shabbat or
during the following week.
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July 2-3 |
Tammuz |
July 9-10 |
Tammuz- Av |
July 16-17 |
Av |
July 30-31 |
Av |
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Louis Edelson* Bernard Sallerson* Max Goodman* David Gordon* Nelli Ahuva Metlay* Ira Edward Potter* Thelma Ring Smith* Irwin Bertman* Oscar Hart Mark Rose Abraham Schriba* Ida M. Weiss |
21 21 23 23 24 24 25 27 27 27 27 27 |
Hyman Tannenbaum* Celia Silverstein* Sydney Gold Louis Schiff* Ray Bloch Joseph Greenbaum* Moses Berkowitz* Dave Kovel Kathy Shur* |
28 29 1 1 2 2 3 5 5 |
Anna Berman* George Cohen* William Aaron Bernstein* Haim Menachem Levy Hyman Silverman* |
8
8
9 12 12 |
Jennie Braime* Abraham I. Spector* Alexander Aronov Morris Ohl* Sarah Applebaum Gastel* Israel Osband* Rose T. Cohen Jacob Osband* Joseph Teitel Samuel Wechsler* * Denotes name memorialized
on BHBI Memorial Plaque |
20 20 21 21 22 22 26 26 26 26 |
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July 23-24 |
Av |
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Frank Carper* Sarah R. Spector* Samuel Gross Abraham Heyman* Phillip Boyarsky* Bessie Gastel* |
13 13 15 17 18 18 |
We pray that our mourners will be comforted among all
the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem and that the memory of the deceased
continues to be a blessing to all who knew them.
MEMORIAL PLAQUES
Memorialize a friend or
loved one by purchasing a BHBI memorial plaque. For more information, contact Stan Schaffer at 473-8072 or stanschaffer@frontiernet.net
AMAZON.COM
The next time that you want to buy something from
Amazon.com go to the BHBI web page at www.BHBIRochester.org and click on the
Amazon.com link. Each time you
make a purchase after linking to Amazon.com from our web page, BHBI gets a
percentage of the purchase. Buy
gifts or something for yourself or your family and support BHBI at the same
time!!
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So far our
TOPS Gift Card fundraiser has been quite
successful. Remember, TOPS Gift Cards are now available through BHBI in $50
denominations. To
purchase TOPS Gift
Cards, contact Stan Schaffer at
473-8072 or by e-mail at stanschaffer@frontiernet.net |
TO OUR DONORS – THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
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THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS
FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE
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June 12th |
The
Congregation |
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June 19th |
Katharine
Metlay in honor of Nina Klionsky’s birthday; Stan and Elaine Schaffer in
honor of Aviva’s graduation from Brighton High School |
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June 26th |
The
Congregation |
Do You Know Anyone Who is Unaffiliated and
Interested in Joining a Congregation?
Let
them know about BHBI’s special free 3 month trial membership (available
to prospective first-time new members only). Have them contact BHBI at 244-2060 or BHBI@frontiernet.net and we will be
happy to give them information about BHBI and this great offer!!
GOODSEARCH.COM
Goodsearch.com
is an on-line internet search program that pays non-profit organizations like
BHBI a fee every time someone uses their search service. Go to www.goodsearch.com, enter the search term
that you want and put in BHBI on the line where it says Who Do You Goodsearch
For? BHBI will collect a fee for
each search you make!
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y YY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
JEWISH FILM
FESTIVAL
This year’s film festival runs from July 25th to August 2nd. Have you purchased your tickets or a
festival pass for the JCC’s Ames-Amzalak Rochester Jewish Film Festival
yet? If not, get them today at the
JCC or on-line at http://www.rjff.org/
THE RABBI GOLDBERG FUND
Contributions to the Rabbi Goldberg Fund enable us
to engage Rabbi Goldberg to lead additional services at BHBI during the
year. Whenever the funds in the
Rabbi Goldberg Fund reach a predetermined level, we will schedule an additional
service with Rabbi Goldberg. To
contribute to this purpose, please send a check in to BHBI with a notation that
the contribution should be used for the Rabbi Goldberg Fund.
OFFICE: The synagogue office is checked regularly for mail and messages. The synagogue phone is 244-2060. For urgent issues, call Steve Teitel at 473-5741 or Stan Schaffer at 473-8072. You can also e-mail us at BHBI@frontiernet.net
WANT TO REMEMBER
OR HONOR SOMEONE OR A SPECIAL OCCASION?
Consider sponsoring a kiddush or making a donation to any one of our funds (General Operating, Kiddush, Library, Torah, Rabbi Aaron Solomon Scholarship, Our Youth, Special Events, Rabbi Goldberg Fund or the Sam Malina Memorial Fund). Please indicate which fund you would like your donation to go to and we will send out an acknowledgement card as you indicate and print an announcement in this bulletin. A standard sponsored kiddush at BHBI costs just $40 while a larger enhanced kiddush is just $50.
BULLETIN CONTENT
What do you enjoy reading in the BHBI Bulletin? Is there something that you would like added (or taken out)? If so, please let Stan Schaffer know. We always appreciate feedback.
DID YOU MISPLACE YOUR BULLETIN?
Don’t worry. BHBI Bulletins going back several months can now be found on our web page: www.BHBIRochester.org
WANT TO GET YOUR BULLETIN HOT-OFF-THE-PRESS? Consider having us e-mail it to you! Contact Stan Schaffer at: stanschaffer@frontiernet.net
Congregation Beth Hamedresh-Beth Israel
1369 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14610