B shalom, Rabbi Harv

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1 A SHALOM BAYIT PUBLICATION - August - Tammuz - Av 5771/2011 From Rabbi Harv... NUMBER ONE The fourth book of Moses is entitled BAMIDBAR, and it records the history of the Jewish people as they wandered for forty years through the wilderness. In English the book is called Numbers because the first half of the second verse reads: Take a census of the whole Israelite community (Numbers1:2). Following that are listed the names of the leaders and the size of each tribe, and, in verse 46, the tally: 603,550. We might well ask why this is considered sacred literature. It might be an appropriate assignment for a class in Bible, but why should it be read in the synagogue and considered a holy text? The answer is to teach us that each individual is important and every human being, literally, counts. We have here not only the exact numbers but even the names. This tells us that human beings should be seen not as a mass but rather as individuals each of whom has a name. Everyone counts. As we consider our own lives, we ought to understand the importance of the individual. When an election occurs, the sum of individual opinions make up the decision. A football team may have eleven players but if one does not do his job, then the running back wil never get passed the scrimmage line. In the home the father, the mother, and the child are all individuals and unless they express their personalities the family will become dull and devoid of feeling. Everything turns on the individual. Every person must say, For my sake the world was created. B shalom, Rabbi Harv SANHEDRIN 37a 1

2 INTO THE FUTURE On Friday night, the 15th of July, at our monthly Shabbat services we were privileged to listen to a guest cantor, Cathy Gordon. Cathy had a voice that could be described as ethereal. She accompanied herself with a well played guitar. She showed an upbeat sense of music having been a student and colleague of Debby Freedman. Her rendition of the Mi Chamocha was filled with the joy our forefathers must have experienced upon leaving slavery in Pharaoh s Egypt. As always we need additional volunteers to work on our committees. If you would like to serve the Congregation and do tzedakah please serve on a committee. Volunteer and be good to your soul. Our next Torah study group will be the last Saturday of this month. Please note that this month we have five (5) complete weekends. I understand that this occurs once each 800 years or so. If you plan to attend please give me a call (951) so that I may prepare materials for you. This study group is held in my home at 2 PM Until next month, everyone please have a Shalom Bayit. ED Membership Committee July 5, 2011 Membership Committee members Cathy Colt, Adele Kiefer, Hannah Riceberg, Doreen Levin, Ilene Kaplan, and Marge Amstadter met at 9:30 AM at the home of Cathy Colt and Jeff Silver. Judy Rosen was ill and Carol Sherman had a family emergency. The committee discussed and made changes to a draft for a flyer for the High Holy Days. Additionally we developed wording for the smaller ads for Four Seasons Beaumont, Solera and JCN Newsletters. We decided that the expense of an ad in Sun lakes Lifestyles did not justify its use as no one from Sun Lakes had taken advantage of the Congregation s events in the past based on an ad. The committee resolved that four meetings per year were sufficient unless some unexpected situation arose, in which case a special meeting would be called. The four dates and times will be announced and will probably be on Wednesday afternoons. Cathy Colt, Membership Chair 2

3 Havdalah Sponsors (Remainder of 2011) August - Sisterhood September - Hannah & Marge October - No Havdalah due to High Holy Days November - Sandy & Marty & Judi & Lloyd SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, June 4, 2011 HAVDALAH SERVICE & POT LUCK DINNER 5:30 pm, Fireside Room December - Paul & Ken Oneg Shabbat Sponsors August - Sandy & Bill September - Carol October -????? November -????? December -????? Call Carol to sign up. Words to the wise from our V.P.: We miss you when we don t see you at Shabbat Services or Havdalah. We re convenient, close to home, and the Oneg cake, cookies, tea and coffee are free! Our Shabbat Services are spiritually enlightening and we are so blessed to have the voice of Cantor/Rabbi Harv to listen to. Discussion at Havdalah can get very interesting and spirited at times; you don t want to miss out. The great dishes that appear at oour Havdalah potluck dinners are another reason to attend. We keep our Congregation strong with your support. See y all in August! Hannah RESERVATIONS REQUIRED! Call Hannah (Let her know what you are bringing) $2.00 pp Members (for room use) $5.00 pp Guests (includes room use) POTLUCK is a TASTY way to share our exotic, gourmet and down-to-earth styles of cooking (and lets us show we can do more than just make reservations!) Coffee, tea and water provided. BYO Wine/ Soda 3

4 President Edward Newman August Remembrances Past-President Carol Sherman carollois21@gmail.com Birthdays 19 Sandra Shulkin Vice President Hannah Riceberg hr3555@yahoo.com 23 Joan Rifkin 26 Sandy Zwick Secretary & Newsletter Editor Marge Amstadter mamstadter@dc.rr.com Anniversaries 8 Hal & Shirley Barsh Treasurer Ken Krupsaw Membership Committee Chair Cathy Colt cathycolt@verizon.net 29 Steve & Martha Benoff Yahrzeits Mildred Carmen, mother of Joan Rifkin Ways & Means Committee Co-Chair Ilene Kaplan Erica Feigenbaum, daughter of Lauree Feigenbaum Religious Practice Committee Co-Chair Sylvia Gilon sgilon@dc.rr.com Morris Glass, father-in-law of Ken Krupsaw Fred Weinberg fweinberg@dc.rr.com Sara Glass, mother-in-law of Ken Krupsaw Havdalah/Oneg Chair 4

5 HIGH HOLY DAY TICKETS The Board of Congregation Shalom Bayit has decided that this year tickets will be issued for the Holy Day Services for members in good standing. One ticket will cover all four services for each member. Tickets will be sold to non-members at a charge of $25.00 per person for each of the four individual services and each service will have a different colored ticket. The four services are (1) Erev Rosh Hashanah, (2) Rosh Hashanah, (3) Erev Yom Kippur, (4) Yom Kippur Day. Tickets will be collected at the main doors to the sanctuary. Reservations are being accepted but tickets should be paid for by September 20th. If a non-member who has purchased tickets joins the Congregation by January 1, 2012 the money paid for High Holy Day tickets will be applied to membership dues. Please let your friends, relatives, and neighbors know about this new policy. Reservations may be sent to: Treasurer, Congregation Shalom Bayit, c/o 1320 W. Williams Street, Banning,CA For more information: Cathy In Honor Tribute Cards Mr. & Mrs Steve Benoff - birth of new granddaughter - Congregation Shalom Bayit Mr. & Mrs Steve Benoff - birth of new granddaughter - Carol & Ken Dr. Nomi Lee - gratitude for donation - Lauree Feigenbaum In Memory Family of Sonny Charitan - Congregation Shalom Bayit Friedman Family, Grandmother Leona - Dad and Carol Harold Adler, wife Nancy - Carol and Ken Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Shane, sister-in-law Nancy - Carol and Ken Mrs. Bella Roos, husband Lou - Congregation Shalom Bayit 5

6 JEWISH ETHNIC DIVISIONS (CON T) Wikipedia Modern Divisions - Genetic Studies of DNA While Ashkenazim developed in Europe, their massive emigration from Europe for better opportunities, and during periods of civil strife and warfare, they also became the overwhelming majority of Jews in the New World continents and countries, which previously were without native European or Jewish populations. These include the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Brazil and South Africa, but with Venezuela and Panama being exceptions since Sephardim still compose the majority of the Jewish communities in these two countries. Only in Israel is the Jewish population representative of all groups, a melting pot independent of each group s proportion within the overall world Jewish population. Despite the evident diversity displayed by the world s distinct Jewish populations, both culturally and physically, genetic studies have demonstrated most of these to be genetically related to one another, having ultimately originated from a common ancient Israelite population that underwent geographic branching and subsequent independent evolutions. A study published by the National Academy of Sciences stated that The results support the hypothesis that the paternal gene pools of Jewish communities from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East descended from a common Middle Eastern ancestral population, and suggest that moost Jewish communities have remained relatively isolated from neighboring non-jewish communities during and after the Diaspora. Researchers expressed surprise at the remarkable genetic uniformity they found among modern Jews, no matter where the diaspora has become dispersed around the world. Moreover, DNA tests have demonstrated substantially less inter-marriage in most of the various Jewish ethnic divisions over the last 3,000 years than in other populations. The findings lend support to traditional Jewish accounts accrediting their founding to exiled Israelite populations. Even the archetype of Israelite-origin is also beginning to be reviewed for some Jewish populations amid newer studies. Previously, the Israelite origin identified in the world s Jewish populations was attributed only to the males who had migrated from the Middle East and then forged the current known communities with the women from each local population whom they took as wives and converted to Judaism. Research in Ashkenazi Jews has suggested thatin addition to the male founders significant female founder ancestry might also derive from the Middle East, with about 40% of the current Ashkenazi population descended matrilineally from just four women, or founder lineages that were likely from a Hebrew/Levantine mtdna pool originating in the Near East in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. DNA analysis further determined that modern Jews of the priesthood tribe - Cohanim - share a common ancestor dating back 3000 years. This result is consistent for all Jewish populations around the world. The researchers estimated that the most recent common ancestor of modern Cohanim lived between 1000 BCE (roughly the time of the Biblical Exodus) and 586 BCE, when the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple. They found similar results analyzing DNA from Ashkenazi and Sedphardi Jews. The scientists estimated the date of the original priest based on genetic mutations, which indicated that the priest lived roughly 106 generations ago, between 2,650 and 3,180 years ago depending whether one counts a generation as 25 or 30 years. (Editor s note: So, I guess we are REALLY all related!) 6

7 Please support them as they Personal Touch Feeding Walking Playing Reliable Dependable 30% Discount To All Patients Without Available Anytime Contact: SUSAN FISHER WAYS n MEANS Total of monies earned from September 2010 thru July 2011 is $1, Anyone interested in purchasing watches may call me at and we ll set up a time to get together. I will set up again at another Havdalah in time for holiday gifts. The Ways and Means committee needs more people to help out with ideas. 7

8 Shalom Bayit 1320 W. Williams Street Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Board Mtg August 2011/ PM ED s. Sisterhood Lunch 11:30 Shabbat Havdalah Potluck 5:30 Torah Study Service 7:30 Ed s 2:00 pm