Temple Talk. If You Meet the Messiah in the Road...Plant a Tree By: Rabbi Tracy Nathan. Address. Upcoming TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL

Transcription

1 TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL If You Meet the Messiah in the Road...Plant a Tree By: Rabbi Tracy Nathan Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai taught: If you have a sapling in your hand and someone tells you the Messiah has arrived, first plant the sapling and then go out to welcome the Messiah (Avot d Rabbi Natan B31). This teaching by one of our most important sages is certainly counterintuitive. Before running out to greet the long-awaited Messiah, one must first do the seemingly mundane work of planting a tree. Rabbi Yochanan highlights the spiritual nature of tree-planting, grounding the action in the redemption of the world. The spiritual and practical nature of trees and tree planting is celebrated most fully during the holiday of tu bishvat, the 15th of Shevat (this year February 7-8). In ancient Israel, the 15th of Shevat marked the beginning of the tax year for the tithing of fruit trees. Ten percent of all produce was set aside for the support of the poor and the landless Levites and priests. After the exile from the Land of Israel, tu bishvat lost its importance until the 16th century, when the Kabbalists of Tzfat found new meaning in the holiday. For these mystics, God was viewed as a Tree of Life expressed through the tree of the Sefirot (Divine Upcoming Temple Talk Tu Bishvat Dinner and Service - February 10 There will be no Friday Night Services - February 17 Presidents Day Minyan - February 20 at 9:00am attributes), and tu bishvat became a day of renewing the Divine Tree of Life. They created a seder where they ate more than 15 varieties of nuts and fruit from trees in four courses marked by four cups of wine, corresponding to the four mystical levels of the universe. With the modern Jewish settlement of the Land of Israel, the planting of trees became a way to plant Jewish communities in a practical and symbolic way. And more recently, tu bishvat has become a Jewish Earth Day, where we both celebrate God s creation and commit ourselves to becoming better caretakers of the earth. This ecological vision was a concern of the past as well. A story is told in the Babylonian Talmud: One day, Honi was journeying on the road and he saw a man planting a carob tree. He asked him, How long does it take for this tree to bear fruit? The man replied, Seventy years. Honi asked, Do you think you will live another seventy years? The man replied, When I came into (Continued on page 3) Rabbi: Cantor: President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Tracy Nathan Ellen Band Merrill Griff Jim Baron Genevieve Fosa Ed Kaufman Membership Co-Chairs: Editor: VOLUME 27 ISSUE 6 F EBRUARY 2012 S HEVAT ADAR 5772 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Yahrzeits 2 MLK Day Thanks 3 Mark s Remarks 4 Story by: Hazzan Yosi 5 Calendar 6 Donations 7 Upcoming Programs 8-11 Diana Korzenik and Ellen Macklin Andrea Baron Address 25 Harvard Street P. O. Box Waltham, MA office@tbiwaltham.org (781) Office Hours Monday - Friday 9:30am - 12:30pm

2 TEMPLE TALK P AGE 2 February Yahrzeits Plaque Loc. Name Yahrzeit Date 5-2 Sylvia Kurtzman 1-Feb Shevat Benjamin Freeman 1-Feb Shevat Samuel Seskin 1-Feb Shevat Rubin Elkins 2-Feb Shevat Sarah Kennen 2-Feb Shevat 09 Sophie Koocher 2-Feb Shevat Joshua Mikels Webb 3-Feb Shevat 10 Julius Bootin 4-Feb Shevat Beril Novick 5-Feb Shevat Morris Katz 6-Feb Shevat Louis Kniznik 6-Feb Shevat Molly Hauser 6-Feb Shevat 13 Edythe Simon 6-Feb Shevat 13 Bessie Goldberg 6-Feb Shevat Rose Leavy 7-Feb Shevat Samuel Cutler 7-Feb Shevat Ilona Viltschek 7-Feb Shevat Dinzie Cutler 8-Feb Shevat Sarah Fischer 9-Feb Shevat Ida Chansky 9-Feb Shevat 16 Harry Cohen 10-Feb Shevat 17 Morton Ginsburg 11-Feb Shevat Harry Kritzman 12-Feb Shevat Jacob Rosenfield 12-Feb Shevat Sadie Krinsky 12-Feb Shevat Joseph Milesky 12-Feb Shevat Monroe M. Frankel 14-Feb Shevat Saul Cohen 14-Feb Shevat Dora Dame 15-Feb Shevat Morris Freedman 15-Feb Shevat Gussie Kniznik 16-Feb Shevat 23 Sam Bogan 16-Feb Shevat Samuel Wolk 17-Feb Shevat 24 Jacob Koocher 17-Feb Shevat Solomon Harris 18-Feb Shevat 25 Ida Kulin 18-Feb Shevat 25 William Becker 19-Feb Shevat Maurry Furman 19-Feb Shevat 26 Plaque Loc. Name Yahrzeit Date 1-3 Sarah Milesky 20-Feb Shevat Sylvia Weinstein 20-Feb Shevat Sarah Mindel Freedman 20-Feb Shevat Louis Nochemsohn 20-Feb Shevat Irving Norman 20-Feb Shevat Florence Lipkin 20-Feb Shevat Dorothy Ullian 20-Feb Shevat Mildred Rothbart 22-Feb Shevat Abigail Decker 24-Feb Adar Abraham Tatelman 24-Feb Adar Benjamin Lebowitz 24-Feb Adar Fannie Blackstone 24-Feb Adar Goldie Rachel Webb 24-Feb Adar Harry Freedman 24-Feb Adar Robert Gordon 24-Feb Adar Eva Kaitz 25-Feb Adar Mildred Marion 25-Feb Adar Evelyn Myers 26-Feb Adar Jacob Krinsky 26-Feb Adar Benson Griff 27-Feb Adar Harry Canter 27-Feb Adar Saul G. Ginsburg 28-Feb Adar Vittal Crevoshay 28-Feb Adar Jacob Shay 29-Feb Adar Maurice Katz 29-Feb Adar Philip Rosenfield 29-Feb Adar Ruth Gordon 29-Feb Adar Arthur Nochemsohn 1-Mar Adar Marsha Goldstein 1-Mar Adar Minnie Milesky 2-Mar Adar Gnesia Crevoshay 3-Mar Adar Harold Katz 4-Mar Adar Louis Michelson 4-Mar Adar Samuel Margolis 4-Mar Adar Yetta Blackstone 4-Mar Adar 10 If you would like to make a donation in memory of a loved one listed above please send it along with a brief note of who you would like remembered to the Temple Office.

3 TEMPLE TALK P AGE 3 If You Meet the Messiah in the Road...Plant a Tree By: Rabbi Tracy Nathan (Continued from page 1) the world, I found carob trees. Much as my parents planted these for me, so I plant these for my children. (Talmud Bavli Ta anit 23a) Planting trees, a laudable act for both its practical benefits and spiritual symbolism, exemplifies the responsibility of each generation for cultivating resources for the next generation. As Rabbi Yochanan taught, redemption is linked to our care for the sapling, symbolic of this next generation the carob tree planter s children and their descendants. On this tu bishvat, may we commit ourselves to caring for the future of our earth and our children. Please join us as we celebrate the New Year of Trees with a communal dinner and seder on the Friday night following tu bishvat, February 10, following our kabbalat shabbat service at 6:30pm. Thanks for Your MLK Day Efforts When I introduced Audrey Shulman, Director of HEET at a Temple Board meeting, I hoped her proposal would inspire action, but I was aware that if we said YES these energy conservation improvements would be a complex undertaking. It was and it has been done! Many thanks to Andrea for her ongoing diligent coordination of the HEET Energy project. From my perspective, this enterprise --detailed work that required far more than just one day-- albeit MLK Jr. Day- became a mitzvah for our community on multiple levels. Our shul now will be saving on energy costs and over the next 7 years: $4,200, and 32,000 gallons of water. The CO2 savings should be equivalent to taking 2.5 cars off the road. We know future steps that need to be taken to save even more and each of us using the shul for prayer, meetings, concerts, etc will be more comfortable. Mitzvah is action; DOING SOMETHING // We saw action -- Merrill atop the steep ladder installing bulbs in the sanctuary, along with Jim and Eddie; Anita installing the plastic window seals, Mark & Genevieve programming and installing thermostats, many Brandeis students and folks from HEET helped around the building as well. We have also installed water aerators in the sinks and timers on the water coolers to shut them off overnight when they are not in use. Many more unnamed volunteers came to our shul from Brandeis and many towns to assist us on that special day! -- Bravo to you Andrea and Audrey, and to all of us. Now each of us also has learned how to conserve fuel costs at home, too. If you would like a free energy saving audit of your home (you are allowed 1 per year) contact Next Step Living at customer_service@nextsteplivinginc.com, or call us at Diana Korzenik

4 P AGE 4 V OLUME 27 I SSUE 6 Mark s Remarks: What Some Synagogues Will Do to Get a Minyan By: Mark Frydenberg It seems that every few years I write a newsletter article encouraging people to come to our daily minyan. This is one of those times. You ve heard the message before, it s not new. You know what I m going to ask you to do. I was curious to see what other synagogues do to encourage their minyan attendance. Here s a sampling of what I found. Several synagogues have Minyanaire s clubs honoring their minyan s regulars. Congregation Bnai Moshe in Michigan posts the names and faces of their regulars donned in tallit and tefillin on their Web site. Congregation Bnai Amoona in St. Louis gives its Minyanaires a lapel pin whose design symbolizes the ten people required for a minyan. Chabad Nashville invites members to join the Monday Morning Minyanaire s Club! Get your week off to a great start with BLT - Bagels, Lox and Tefilin, and make your whole work-week feel more spiritual... Other synagogues require their members to commit to one or two days a year or once a month as Jewry Duty in order to do their part to support their synagogues daily minyans. Temple Beth El in Poughkeepsie New York writes, We ask ALL congregants to adhere to the Jewry Duty call. Keep an eye on your mail. Each and every family will be getting a notice for Jewry Duty during the year. The commitment will be for one week. The notice will identify which week is yours. We hope that you will all respond with the realization that we are a community and as such we need to work together to make sure everyone s needs are met. Temple B nai Israel in Willimantic describes Jewry Duty as one of our important ways of being there for each other. It gives us some extra assurance that... those of us in mourning have a service with a minyan in which to say Kaddish. It is a simple kindness of presence, which is part of the covenant with our fellow congregants that we take on as members. In addition, it gives each of us a chance to come in to services and reconnect with our community, with Judaism, with God, and with our selves. In fact, it's usually fun or inspiring or both. Finally, I learned of a minyan at Temple Emunah in Lexington where a participant in Amsterdam who needed to say Kaddish joins the existing minyan by Skype. Rabbi David Lerner writes This enables someone on the other side of the Atlantic to come and experience the power of God, the power of prayer, the power of community, and the power and support of a nurturing community around sacred occasions and after times of loss. Whatever the incentive, the message is the same. We need to be here for each other on ordinary days, on days when we read Torah, and on days when someone is saying Kaddish. Our community has been very good at coming together when a member loses a loved one and to enable her or him to say Kaddish during the first week of Shiva. Unfortunately, there also have been mornings with only two people at minyan. On the bright side, at least someone is there to respond Amen! The winter months are tough for us during the week, as some of our regulars have temporarily relocated to warmer climates. Please call the Temple office or me to add yourself to our on call list so we can call you to support the minyan when a member is saying Kaddish. Or surprise us and come any morning (except Tuesday). As always, use common sense when attending minyan during the winter months. Our minyan cancellation policy is simple: if Waltham schools are cancelled or have a delayed opening due to bad weather, stay home. Our morning minyan will be cancelled.

5 TEMPLE TALK P AGE 5 Holy Ground Liberating the Imagination By: Hazzan Yosi (Joseph) Weintraub Last month in Torah we began reading the book of Shemot / Exodus, our archetypal journey from enslavement to liberation and movement towards a higher calling. The calling begins as Moses approaches the bush which burns yet is not consumed, where God says to him: "Shal na'alekha mei'al raglekha, ki ha-makom asher atah omeid alav, admat kodesh hu - Cast off your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you are standing is holy ground". Am I the only one who has ever wondered why we keep our shoes ON in shul? And just what is the nature of this particular holy ground which necessitates Moses removing his shoes? Perhaps that at times of such raw intensity, our most basic response is to remember and renew our connection with the earth itself from which we come, the ground of our very being and source of our sustenance, as well as to connect with our spiritual source. And perhaps, too, we need to come closer to our most essential nature, unencumbered by any additional layers of separation, which the shoes represent. Indeed, hasidic teachers draw out this connection further: "Regel", the Hebrew word for "foot", is connected to the source of the English word "regular", meaning the way we've accustomed ourselves to walk, that which we have made habitual. And the Hebrew root for shoes, "na'alayim", also yields the word "na'ul", which means to be locked. So we can understand "shal na'alekha mei-al raglekha" as "cast off the locks from your habitual ways of being, doing, or thinking". Allow yourself an "out-of-the-box" experience (or an out-ofenslavement experience). In the words of one poignant prayer: Dear God, protect us from that to which we have become too accustomed. For indeed, the deepest binding force of enslavement is often an imprisonment of the imagination - the inability to imagine any other possibilities - to see and open to the potential to do something different. As parshat Shemot this year coincides with the weekend of our celebration of the life, work, and inspiration of Dr. Martin Luther King, it s particularly fitting to note the story of the Hebrew midwives who, in our first recorded instance of civil disobedience, had the imagination and courage to disobey the orders of the tyrannical pharaoh, to let the boy babies, including Moses, live to fulfill their potential. And it s similarly fitting to recognize the 24th yarhzeit of Hiram Bingham, who served as American consul in Paris in 1940, and disobeyed the directives of his earthly higher-ups by issuing papers which enabled the escape of over 2,000 Jews from Nazi-occupied France. And one other symbol of the flexibility of imagination sometimes required of us comes in a rather unexpected form: Moses asks for a sign, God instructs him to throw his shepherd's staff on the ground, and voila - the staff turns into a serpent - a snake! Why a snake? Perhaps, as some have noted, because one salient feature of the snake is its skeleton - it is essentially all spine - all vertebrae! Is this not the ultimate expression of flexibility of movement? So I invite you to take a deep breath... and another... and imagine. Imagine a world in which all of our yearnings, and all of our words and deeds are coming from a place of the deepest caring - for the earth, for ourselves, for each other... every word and deed a manifestation of the Divine Love that permeates and fills the holy ground upon which we all stand - the flame that burns continually... and is never consumed.

6 P AGE 6 V OLUME 27 I SSUE 6 February 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Ellen Band B shallach 5 6 Board Meeting 7:00pm :30pm - Tu Bishvat Seder, Dinner and Service 11 Rabbi Tracy Nathan Yitro NO Service or Dinner this evening 18 Rabbi Tracy Nathan Shekalim/Mishpatim Morning Minyan 9:00am Member Led Terumah Rabbi Tracy Nathan Tetzveh/Zachor If not specified, Minyan Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday is at 7:00am and on Saturday and Sunday at 9:00am.

7 P AGE 7 Mazel Tov To Yosi Weintraub on being ordained as a Cantor!!! To Carol Halberstadt, on the betrothal of her son, Ari Isaac Halberstadt to Deborah Rachel Slon. Rabbis Discretionary Fund Carol Halberstadt, in honor of the betrothal of her son, Ari Isaac Halberstadt to Deborah Rachel Slon. Diana Korzenik, in support of the Waltham Community Day Center. Saturday Kiddush Sponsors January 14 - Lillian Etkind and Family in loving memory of Irving Etkind February 11 - Morris and Edith Hollender in honor of Morris s Birthday February 18 - Yosi Weintraub Donations Martha Tolpin and Tzvi Abusch Esther Davidson, in memory of her mother, Ethel Potash. Jerome and Ella Bloom, in memory of Mary Bloom. Vadim Bubes and Yelizaveta Goltser, in memory of Maria and Nicholas Goltser, Judith Kilman and Jacob Bubes. In memory of Catherine Cantrell s son, Steven from: Irving and Sheila Lesnick Ed and Renee Brown V OLUME 27 I SSUE 6 Thelma and Yukee Kennen, in memory of his brother Abe Kennen. Yom Kippur appeal... Fred and Annette Manasse Anita Israel March 17 - Diana Korzenik TO: My TBI Community RE: The Sudden Tragic Loss of my son, Steven Cantrell (Moshe Aaron) Words can't describe adequately the love and appreciation I feel at the outpouring of empathy and compassion shown me the past two weeks after my son's death. From the phone calls Rabbi Nathan made from CA in the middle of the night to the incredible generosity of Merrill and Carol Griff opening their home in Waltham for shiva for my family members and friends as well as the TBI community. In addition, many TBI members as well as Rabbi Nathan and Rabbi Foust attended the memorial service at Kerem Shalom in Concord and the shiva held at the home in Acton of my daughter-in-law Alison Tishler and my grandsons, Alex, Joshua and Benjamin Cantrell. Thank you all for your presence and phone calls from the bottom of my heart. When I joined TBI five years ago or more and began attending morning minyan, I never knew I would find such a loving spiritual family to hold me up in my time of grief and mourning. Thank you for all the hugs and comforting words as well as all those who now provide daily, weekly service (especially Morris Hollander) keeping TBI the vibrant welcoming place we attend. G-d must have a special reward for those dear faithful souls. Last Thursday night, I attended the first session of a Jewish Grief Support Group. My loss was the most recent, and it seemed I was also the only person having a membership and support from a synagogue community. What a difference that makes! How much sadder they were and experiencing great difficulty moving on. We need each other--single, married, or otherwise. Thank you again, and I look forward to finding tangible ways of appreciating my TBI community.

8 TEMPLE TALK P AGE 8 Thanking You As a number of you already know, last month I was blessed to receive cantorial ordination through the ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal. And as I reflect on my journey to reach this shehecheyanu moment and open my heart and soul to beginning and carrying forward the trust and service with which I am and will be charged, I am awed with gratitude for the many ways in which you, my Temple Beth Israel community, have supported, encouraged, and lifted my spirits along this path sharing together in davenning and song and joys and sorrows, and embracing, wrestling, and finding new meanings in the texts and deep riches of our traditions. In partial expression of my deep appreciation, I am sponsoring our kiddush lunch for Shabbat Mishpatim / Shekalim, on February 18 th, in honor of all of YOU here s hoping to see many of you there! In blessing and song, Joseph Weintraub now also known as Hazzan Yosi Save The Date Photos from Energy Day January 16th Purim: March 7th at 7pm - Join us for the whole megillah reading and nosh some hamentashin! Passover Community Seder: April 6th at 6:30pm - $30/adult $20/children 11 and older. Full details will follow in the March newsletter. Mother s Day Breakfast with Mel Simons: Sunday May 13th at 10:00am Candle Lighting Times Feb 3 Feb 10 Feb 17 Feb 24 Mar 2 Mar 9 Mar 16 Mar 23 Mar 30 Apr 6 4:43pm 4:52pm 5:01pm 5:10pm 5:17pm 5:25pm 6:34pm 6:42pm 6:50pm 6:57pm We Need Minyanaires Services are held at 7:00am on weekdays (except Tuesday) and at 9:00am on weekends & 9:00am on Civic Holidays. ****************************************** Kaddish We are not able to guarantee a minyan at each morning service, so if you need a minyan on a particular day to recite Kaddish, please let the Temple know at least 2 days prior.

9 Welcome Shabbat with Services and Community Dinner at Temple Beth Israel Services: 6:30 pm Dinner: 7:30 pm Friday Evenings, Feb 10 (Tu Bishvat) Mar 16 Apr 20 $12 per adult, $30 per family Welcome Shabbat with a spirited Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 6:30 pm, led by Rabbi Tracy Nathan, followed by a homecooked dinner at 7:30 pm, singing, and good conversation. Reserve now! Payment must be received by Thursday morning, the day before the dinner you are attending. We cannot accept payment at the door, and will not send bills afterward. Sign up for all three dinners and save! Names of Adults and Children Attending: Contact Phone: Date Number Amount February 10 Adults Children $12 per adult or $30 per family March 16 Adults $12 per adult or Children $30 per family April 20 Adults Children $12 per adult or $30 per family Sign up for all three dinners now and save! Discount: $5 per adult or $15 per family Payment Enclosed: What is the number of vegetarian meals required at each dinner for this reservation? Here s how I/we can help: (check all that apply) shopping setting tables cooking serving cleaning up making phone calls offering a ride to someone who otherwise couldn t come Send your check to Temple Beth Israel, P.O. Box , Waltham, MA For more information, see office@tbiwaltham.org or call the Temple Office at (781)

10 Mail to: Temple Beth Israel, P O Box , Waltham, MA $30 deposit/ticket will hold your space. Balance due by May 1, 2012.

11 TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL COMMUNITY PASSOVER SEDER Friday April 6, :30 P.M. 25 Harvard Street, Waltham For reservations complete the registration below and return it before April 12th along with your total payment to: Temple Beth Israel, PO Box , Waltham, MA Name: Phone Number: Number of adults in party x $30 = $ Number of children (10-18) in party x $20 = $ Number of children under 10 Total amount enclosed $ We're planning to serve a home-cooked chicken dinner. Please let us know if you have special dietary requirements or require vegetarian meals. I CAN VOLUNTEER TO HELP ON THE DAY OF THE SEDER. Set up. Plan to arrive by 5 p.m. on April 19th Work in the kitchen, put out food, or serve. Clean up, wash dishes, reset the social hall, etc. I CAN BRING DECORATIONS FOR THE TABLE. Candles/candlesticks Seder Plate (empty) Cup of Elijah Matzah plate/cover Flowers Other: Please RSVP BY MARCH 30, 2012 Reservations received after March 30th will be $36 per person Contact us at , or office@tbiwaltham.org

12 Temple Beth Israel stamp 25 Harvard Street P.O. Box Waltham, MA Phone: Website: February 2012 Bulletin It is never too late to donate. Use the form below and mail it to the Temple. Thank you in advance. Donate on the web at Kol Nidre Pledge High Holiday Donation General Fund Rabbi s Discretionary Fund Morris Hollender Music Appreciation Fund Carl Goldstein Memorial Fund Other, please specify: Temple Beth Israel Donation Form For your convenience, please use this form to make your donations and send to: Temple Beth Israel, P O Box , Waltham, MA I have chosen the fund indicated at the right: (Please use a separate form for each fund. Minimum donation: $10) Attached is my check in the amount of: $ The donation is being made In Honor Of In Memory Of Other This donation is made by: Name: Address: City/State/Zip Please send acknowledgement to: Name: Address: City/State/Zip