Weekly Bulletin - Beth Emeth Home

Weekly Bulletin Amalgamated Hebrew Men of England (1975) 100 Elder Street, Toronto ON M3H 5G7 | 416.633.3838
February 28th, 2015 | 9 Adar 5775
www.beby.org
Shabbat Zachor
Tetzaveh
~The Congregational Kiddush ~
will be held in the Fischtein Hall following services
Hertz Chumash
Rabbi Morrison’s Sermon Topic Today
“Jewish views on physician–assisted suicide”
Torah Reading pp. 339-349
Maftir pp. 856-857
Haftarah pp. 995-998
Etz Hayim Chumash
Torah Reading pp. 503-518
Maftir pp. 1135-1136
Haftarah pp. 1135-1136
The Sefer Haftarah Parasha
is dedicated in honour of the birth of my 4th
grandchild (February 24, 2009) Hoshea Menachem
in Israel, son to Elka & Nechemia, brother to
Yehoyada, Hadassah and Iscah. Grandson to
Lorene Richmond and great grandson to
Sam l”z and Sonia Richmond.
Services for Week of March 1st
Sunday........................................... 7:30 & 8:30 am
Monday - Wednesday..................... 7:15 & 8:15 am
Thursday (one service only)....................... 7:00 am
Friday............................................. 7:15 & 8:15 am
Sunday -Tuesday........................................6:05 pm
Wednesday & Thursday.............................6:00 pm
Friday evening............................................6:05 pm
Shabbat Candle Lighting............................5:55 pm
Hashkama Minyan..................................... 7:30 am
Shabbat Services......................................... 8:45 am
DON’T MISS THE ANNUAL PURIM SPIELER!
LES MIZ GILLA ACCORDING TO JUDGE JUDY!
Tickets on Sale now! Call the office to purchase.
Two performances:
Wednesday March 4th following the Megillah Reading at 6:30 pm
and Sunday, March 8th at 1:30 pm
Tickets $5 pp or family price of $20 (2 adults - 3 children)
MISHLOACH
MANOT CARDS
Now available for Purim!
In lieu of gift baskets make a donation.
Call the office to purchase.
ANNUAL PURIM CARNIVAL!
Sunday March 8th at 2:30 pm.
Don’t miss out on all the fun! Music. Food.
Carnival Games. and much more!
In advance: $7 per person / $30 family (5 people max)
At the door: $10 per person / $45 family ( 5 people max)
Volunteers Needed! Contact Dale.
PURIM SERVICES SCHEDULE
Fast of Esther - Wednesday March 4th
Services: 7:15 & 8:15 am
Mincha 6 pm / Megillah Reading 6:30 pm
Followed by a performance of:
Les Miz Gilla According to Judge Judy
Purim Day - Thursday March 5th
Shacharit: 7:00 am (One Service Only)
Megillah Reading
Mincha Ma’ariv 6:00 pm
~ Seudah Shlisheet is sponsored by ~
Marvin & Faye White in observance of Yahrzeit for Marvin’s father Louis White l”z
~We extend our condolences to~
The family of our late member, Ann Borenstein l”z
BEBY reserves the right to make copy & editorial changes.
DEADLINE THURSDAY NOON of each week.
Beyond that time we cannot guarantee that your
event will appear in the bulletin.
We regret any errors and omissions that may occur.
Please contact the office to make corrections.
Shabbat Study Group — 5:00 pm
Shabbat Mincha — 5:35 pm
Shabbat Ends — 6:49 pm
ALLERGY ALERT!! Many of our members suffer from asthma or other breathing difficulties. Please
be considerate of those who are chemically sensitive to fragrances and other scented products
- your discretion in applying scented products when attending Shul is appreciated.
HALACHA (JEWISH LAW) prohibits the use of audible beepers, cell phones, electronic games
and any type of photographic equipment on Shabbat and Yom Tov.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation in preserving the sanctity of Shabbat.
Yasher Koach and thank you to our Shabbat Greeters!
WEEKLY PROGRAMMES
Rabbinics Study Group – Daf Ha’Shavua - The Weekly Page of Talmud. For
beginning or intermediate students, study the first Tractate of the Talmud known
as Masechet Berachot. “The primary focus of the tractate is the myriad ways in
which a Jewish person expresses his faith during his life.” 35 minutes prior to
Mincha.
SUNDAY
FREE Hebrew Reading Classes - Level II with Michael Kinrys: For those who
can slowly read Hebrew, this class will help them gain experience reading and
singing many of the daily and Shabbat prayers. Classes begin Feb 22 at 9:15 am
and run for six weeks. Call the office to register.
The Library ~10 am - 12 noon. Drop by and peruse our many fabulous new
titles! Bible Stories for Jewish Children by Ruth Samuels; Prisoner 88: The
Man in Stripes by Roy D. Tanenbaum.
The Kadima Centre: 2-3:30 pm. For info on student registration, contact Marcel
Cohen at 416.633.3838 or [email protected]. More info available from
www.beby.org. We are looking for adults to volunteer who are compassionate,
patient and positive.
Tanach Study Group - March 22nd at 7:30 pm. At the home of Avrum & Linda
Gottlieb. 14 Artreeva Drive. Studying Beresheit Ch. 24.
MONDAY
Mah Jongg at 12:00 noon. All welcome. Call the office 416-633-3838 to join.
Donation of a Toonie. Refreshments served. FREE Mah Jongg Lessons! Call for info
and to register!
Rabbi’s Study Class: Probing the Parsha: A detailed study of a particular theme
emanating from the weekly Torah portion. Each theme is linked to an essay topic
found in the new book, The Observant Life - The Wisdom of Conservative Judaism
for Contemporary Jews. The book is encouraged but not required for participants.
Boardroom. 7:15 - 8:15 pm.
TUESDAY
Sisterhood Study Group - 10 - 11:30 am | Rabbis Morrison and Lipson
alternate weekly. Ask The Rabbi with Rabbi Morrison: Brief English responsa to
modern halakhic questions from the perspective of Conservative Judaism. Topics
will cover Bible, ethics, gender, interfaith, symbols, conversion, kashrut, lifecycle,
holy day cycle, women’s issues, theology, and more. Rabbi Lipson’s Weekly Topic:
Studying the Book of Shmuel (Samuel) and the Book of Kings — Politics & Power in
Biblical Israel.
Frumba - women’s cardio dance fitness - Sponsored by Sisterhood. 7:45
pm. All ages and fitness levels welcome. No Previous dance experience is
needed. Come join us! Its FUN, elevates your mood and gets you FIT fast and
ENERGIZED!! Contact Bette at [email protected] for drop in and try it
rates, package pricing and full schedule updates.
WEDNESDAY
Talmud Class with Dr. Aaron Nussbaum | 9:15 am. Chapel.
Mah Jongg and Rummikub hosted by Sisterhood. Games begin at 12:30 to
3:30 pm. Donation of a Toonie. Refreshments served. Mah Jongg Games and
Rummikub games needed. If you have one to donate, contact the office. FREE
Mah Jongg Lessons! Call for info and to register!
Sisterhood presents Israeli Folk Dancing with Shoshana Frank. Beginners 7
pm • Intermediate/Advanced. 8 pm. $8.00 per class. Info? Call Shoshana Frank at
905.889.9419.
THURSDAY
Nash & Drash 2015 - March 26 (Pre-Pesach Nash & Drash with the Cantor),
April 23 and May 21. $13 pp.
THE MARTY KESHEN CHESED COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU!
If you would like to volunteer with home and hospital visits, Shiva calls,
etc. please call the office and leave a message for Rochelle Kerzner
Committee Chair or email [email protected]
SISTERHOOD KNIT/CROCHET AND CHAT GROUP. GOOD NEWS!
To make it easier for you to donate to us, you can now make donations
directly to the BEBY Chesed Knitters via the shul office. We are forever
thankful to the men and women who attend the morning minyans for their
generous donations - helping us to continue knitting baby blankets and hats
for the Soldiers. Join us at 10 am - every Monday morning!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Please pick up a flyer or check our web site /facebook page for more information on our upcoming events.
SHABBAT
Tish & Torah - Rabbi Lipson leads learning sessions for the Parashat Hashavuah at
10:00 am in the Boardroom.
COMING
Les Miz Gilla According to Judge Judy
Wednesday March 4th
Les Miz Gilla According to Judge Judy
and Annual Purim Carnival
Sunday March 8th
Leon Eisner Memorial Lecture
Monday March 9th
Mens’ Club Bourbon Tasting
Wednesday March 11th
Shabbat Across Canada
Friday March 13th
Israel Engagement Shabbat
Saturday March 14th
Reel & Spiel
Wednesday March 18th
Rouhama Danto
Jewish Symbology in
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Wednesday March 25th
Pre-Passover Nash ‘n Drash
Thursday March 26th
Sisterhood Girls Night Out
Thursday March 26th
Passover Workshop
Sunday March 29th
Earth Day
Monday April 20th
60th Anniversary Discovery Weekend
April 24th-26th
David Anisman Dinner Draw
Thursday May 7th
CHAZZAN’S CORNER
Davening Class - Chazzan Edwards offers an informal,
hands on practical class - Monday evenings
No class Monday March 2nd. As of March 9th,
class begins 1 hour before Mincha Maariv.
FYI: Please be aware that in the event of a medical emergency, our Security Personnel are
EVENTS
YOUTH & YOUNG FAMILIES
Junior Congregation
BETH EMETH GREENING COMMITTEE
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Shakin’ Up Shabbat!
Our Purim tradition inspires us towards positive community
environmental action that connects and strengthens
Actions battling climate change since global warming is probably
contributing to this record cold weather
Unprecedented disappearing snow and ice from the Arctic region is
leaving behind warmer open water less reflective to sunlight
The Northern polar region is then warming at a faster rate than the
rest of the Northern hemisphere
This difference in temperatures drives the jet stream
The jet stream’s winds slow down producing sluggish weather
patterns which leads to more frequent extreme weather
every Shabbat at 10 am with a fun activity
led by Elie Morrison and Samara Gottesman
or by Omer Itzhak, our Shinshinit. New program with
lots of fun activities and games! See you there!
Sam Kotzer Shabbat & Festival Gan Program
OPEN YEAR ROUND FOR NURSERY SERVICES.
10 am - 12 noon | BEBY Babies Room (lower level)
Structured weekly Shabbat programming
for children ages 1 through JK,
including Tefillot, songs, games, and healthy snacks.
Hilda Swirsky, RN, BScN, MEd, Chair,
[email protected] or Fay Rakoff, [email protected]
Contact DALE at [email protected] or
call 416 633.3838 for MORE INFO or to
RSVP to any program.
Upcoming...events
YOUTH EVENTS
Wednesday March 11th - 6:30 pm - Men’s Club Bourbon Tasting:
$60 pp N/M $78. Order via Eventbrite.
http://mensclub-bourbontasting.eventbrite.ca
New Members Shabbat and Shabbat Across Canada
Friday, March 13th. With Guest Speaker Susan Jackson,
Executive Director UJA Federation Women’s Philanthropy
The Roller Coaster of Jewish life, Jewish Tomorrow
Enjoy an Uptown Gourmet catered Shabbat Dinner. Members:
Adults~$25 Children 12 & under~$18. Guests: Adults ~$30
Children 12 & under~$20. Order via eventbrite or call the office.
http://shabbatacross-newmembers.eventbrite.ca
Israel Engagement Shabbat
Saturday, March 14th. Welcoming University Students who
represent the diversity of Israeli culture! Please join us for this
special look at Israel. Begins 10:30 am.
Reel & Spiel presents Goodbye, Columbus. Wednesday March
18th at 7 pm. Intro by Rabbi Leslie Lipson. $5 pp. Includes
Refreshments and Popcorn!
BEBY Continuing Ed presents Jewish Symbology in the Works
of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling with Rouhama Danto.
Wednesday March 25th. 7:30 pm. All Welcome. No charge.
OPEN MIC NITE! APRIL 8TH
Gotta Dance! Gotta Sing! ....
if you have talent
don’t hide it away... here’s your chance to shine!
Perform for us during Hol Hamoed Pesach! 8:00 pm
Along with the Klez Konnection - we are presenting an entire
evening of music and entertainment.
Please call the office if you would like to participate.
To book a Youth Kiddush please send an email to [email protected].
Monday March 9th at 8 pm - Annual Leon Eisner Memorial
Lecture with Mordechai Ben-Dat. Thinking About Mendel Beilis. ~
Generously sponsored by ~
Sally Eisner, Judy Eisner and Paul Eisner and their families and the
Leon Eisner Memorial Fund. All welcome. No Charge.
PJ PLUS IS A PARENT (OR GRANDPARENT!) AND TOT
PROGRAM for 1.5 -3 years old. This 10 week program runs
Sunday mornings right here at Beth Emeth! Your first class is
FREE! 9:30 - 10:45 am in the BEBY Babies Room.
CCCS B’Nai Mitzvah Tzedakah Project Fair!
The Canadian Council of Conservative Synagogues (CCCS) will be
sponsoring a Tzedakah Fair geared for present and future B’nai
Mitzvah families, on Tuesday evening, March 10th, 7:30 p.m. at
Beth Torah Synagogue, 47 Glenbrook Avenue. If you are interested
in enhancing your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah experience, this venue
will allow families to explore a variety of communal organizations
within the Jewish Community, and to consider working with anyone
of them regarding an interactive Tikkun Olam or Mitzvah project.
A number of party vendors, including Bounce Entertainment, Cliq
Photography, Happy Days, Modern Kosher Caterers, and Spirit
Entertainment will be actively participating to advise families on their
respective simcha celebration requirements. Community is welcome!
Graduation Shavuot 2015
To show our appreciation and gratitude to you and your children Beth Emeth
CAMP RAMAH SUBSIDIES 2015 - deadline for applications is
Monday March 16th. Contact the office.
Café Shinshinim:
Join Omer for a lively bi-weekly program
covering a range of current topics. Join us
March 3rd at 6:45 pm.
Jerusalem on-line U - video & discussion The Creation of the State of Israel.
YIZKOR BOOK - 2015: If you wish to have your dedications
included in this year’s Yizkor Book, please call the
office and speak to Freda at 416.633.3838.
CPR trained. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to seek out their services.
TETZAVEH
by Dr. Eitan Fishbane, Jewish Theological Seminary JTS - www.learn.jtsa.edu
The mitzvot are a path of spiritual practice, a cultivation of religious awareness
that may open us to the mystery and urgency of the divine voice. Not only
legal obligation, mitzvah is a moment of encounter with the ever-renewing Divine Presence as it reverberates through the generations of the Jewish people.
As the hasidic mystics have taught, every person is a living Torah,
an embodiment of the word and light of God. According to ancient rabbinic
midrash, it was through the Torah that God created the world, and later mystics adapted this idea to suggest that the Torah is the very energy and life-force
of Divinity as it fills the world and the human self. Each person is imbued
with the divine spirit of Torah; the words that we speak and the actions we
undertake are all manifestations of Torah, mitzvot in motion.
We stand this week just a short distance from the grand revelation
of Sinai. We have heard the legislations of parashat Mishpatim, the detailed
mapping of individual and communal life. In parashat Tetzavveh, as could
be said in different ways about parashat Terumah, the Torah is taken into the
heart of each individual Jew; the mitzvot received as a people through divine
revelation are now absorbed into the depths of the human self in all its singularity and preciousness.
At a literal level, our parashah begins with the imperative to construct the forms of priestly service with precision, to fashion the devotional
trappings of the Ohel Moed (Tent of Meeting):
You shall instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives
for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly. (Exod. 27:20).
But read figuratively through the lens of spiritual direction, this
opening verse seeks to cultivate the growth of the individual person into a
living embodiment of mitzvah, a vessel for the divine light.
Such is the teaching found in a playful and bold reading by the Sefat Emet, the
late nineteenth century hasidic master, Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter of Ger: the
statement “atah tetzavvehet benei Yisrael” (“You shall ‘instruct’ the Israelites”)
may be read as the transformation of the people, each of them, into a living
mitzvah. Make them, the people of Israel, into mitzvot in the world—tetzaveh
et benei Yisrael. Guide each Jew toward the embodiment and ensoulment of
the mitzvot; help them become mitzvot themselves.
What does this mean? How does a person become a living mitzvah? Perhaps it is in those moments of greater spiritual awareness, the affir-
BEGINS THIS WEDNESDAY — !
BEBY Continuing Education & Morasha present:
Feb 25 to March 25 - Rabbi Torczyner’s Sociology and the Synagogue in
five classes, (including The Synagogue Kiddush, Creating a Society of Trust,
Communal Prayer, The Needs of the Many and the Needs of the Few, Splintering
Synagogues). 10:00 -11:00 am at Beth Emeth
If you are away and want to be included on the mailing list in order to receive
the audio, you can do so for $25.00. Pick up a registration form from the foyer.
Feb 25 to April 1 - York University Professor Emeritus, Barrie Wilson’s
Secrets of Early Christianity, The Lost Gospel in six classes. A Jewish
perspective on Early Christianity focusing on such questions as, How did early
Christians understand the Hebrew scriptures? Why do some Christians reject the
idea of a human, Jewish, married Jesus? How did the Christian scriptures come to
be? and much more. The course will use Prof Wilson’s recent international bestseller The Lost Gospel, as a way into the secrets of early Christianity including the
social, family, and political side of Jesus. 11:15 am - 12:15 pm at Beth Emeth.
For more information and to register, call Loretta Tanenbaum at 416-789-7400
or email [email protected]. BEBY Members receive price discount.
Consider a Weekly Bulletin Sponsorship!
Call the office to arrange your dedication.
We would love to announce your BREAKFAST SPONSORSHIP right here in the
weekly Bulletin! Whatever the occasion - birthdays, anniversaries, births, graduations, and in memoriam. Please call the office for information and to reserve.
*The Bulletin deadline is THURSDAY NOON of each week. Beyond that time we can not guarantee placement.
LARGE PRINT
SIDDURIM
available.
Ask an usher.
mation of the pervasive presence of the sacred
in the world. Or perhaps it is in a posture of
ROSEN JUDAICA
love and compassion toward the others that we
GIFT SHOP
encounter on a daily basis. When we “become
mitzvot” in this way, we contribute meaningHUGE PASSOVER
fully to the building of the sacred “lighting”
INVENTORY BLOW
(ma’or) mentioned in this opening verse, the
OUT SALE! BEGINS
luminous presence of God in our world. That
MARCH 1ST.
is the dramatic act of‫—ד‬raising up the eternal
flame of divine wonder and mystery. We bring
Call Sonia Hendler
light into the world when we become instruat 416 633.3838 x 224
ments of the ahavah rabbah of Divinity—the
great and unending love that God sends into
Wednesday mornings
our hearts through the mitzvah of Ḥesed, kind10 am - 12:30 pm
ness and compassion toward our fellow human
or by appointment.
beings. Not just to our family, friends, and intimate partners, but to all who cry out to us—
whether that cry be audible or silent.
This, I suggest, is how we might read another striking verse from
our parashah—lines that depict the ornate and dramatic features of the priestly service bestowed upon Aaron.
Aaron shall carry the names of the children of Israel on the breastplate of
mishpat over his heart, when he enters the sanctuary (bevo’o el hakodesh), for
remembrance (lezikaron) before the LORD always. (Exod. 28:12)
In its original biblical context, this ritual practice is both evocative
and mysterious. Aaron the priest is called upon to bring the people “with him”
symbolically into the sacred zone; his task is to carry them upon his heart
so that when he approaches God he fully represents the people. Applying a
figurative spiritual reading to this already rich devotional ritual, let us interpret Aaron here as a model for our own individual journey to the sacred, our
cultivation of a spiritual practice infused with the moral urgency of ḥesed and
mishpat—kindness or compassion, and justice. We must hold that marker of
justice and goodness on our hearts always: the ḥoshen mishpat (“the breastplate of judgment,” perhaps the breastplate of justice) should be kept close,
and “the names of the children of Israel”—or, far better, of all people who
suffer and need our love and compassion—should be symbolically inscribed
upon our hearts. We must carry that vision of justice and love whenever we
seek to approach the sacred (be-vo’o el hakodesh). Remember them to God
(lezikaron lifnei YHVH tamid): always hold the pain of others in your mind as
you approach the holy, for human goodness and love must never be removed
from spiritual practice. That remembering, that zikaron, brings us before God
(lifnei YHVH)—to become aware of the brokenness and to seek its redemption.
Weekly Morning Simchas & Sponsorships
Regina & Leon Goldis and family
in celebration of Jacob’s Bar Mitzvah
Hashkama Minyan Sponsorship
From the special clothing of the Kohanim in parsha Tetzaveh to the
costumes of Megilat Esther, OY, what to wear! Shabbat Shalom.
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