May 27 June 2, 2016 19 Iyar 25 Iyar, 5776 Morning Minyan services: Monday Friday, 7:15 a.m.; Sundays & holidays, 9:15 a.m. Shabbat Kippot should be worn by men at all times and head coverings should be worn by women when on the bimah. Please silence your cell phones and refrain from use in the synagogue. Friday, May 27 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Services Saturday, May 28 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Services 12 Noon Sponsored Kiddush Luncheon Malina Seldes Bat Mitzvah Sunday, May 29 9:15 a.m. Minyan Kiddush Luncheon sponsored by Johanna and Mark Seldes in honor of Malina Seldes Bat Mitzvah Upcoming Week Monday, May 30 Memorial Day 9:15 a.m. Minyan Offices Closed Thursday, June 2 11:00 a.m. Parsha Class 12 Noon Talmud Class 7:00 p.m. Introduction to Judaism Congregational Information Unless otherwise noted, go to rsholom.org or call (813) 837-1911 to register for congregational events. Falling behind the Kardashians: Please join us Saturday, June 11 at 9:00 p.m. for Tikun L'eil Shavuot to celebrate the giving of the Torah. We will spend a special evening of study, dialogue and discussion, reclaiming a world we can be proud of! Enjoy an informative evening with wine, cheese, desserts and conversation at the home of Rabbi & Carrie Hearshen (2508-2 W. Kansas St.). Parking available two blocks away at the Bayshore Presbyterian Church on Palm Ave. between Carolina Ave. and Ardson Place. Program is complimentary and open to the community but please RSVP to our website or call the office. Summer Speaker Series: We all know that our Rodeph members love to talk and express their opinions. You now have the opportunity to tell the congregation what you think, as our annual Summer Speaker series will run from Friday evening, June 17 through Saturday morning, August 6. This program gives our congregants the chance to present a brief (10-15 minutes) D var Torah on the parshah at the Shabbat services, Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. This invitation is to solicit your participation as a speaker. If you have friends who are congregants, who may not have seen this, as well as your young-adult children, please pass it on to them. This is an exciting opportunity to tell the congregation what you find meaningful about the torah portion. It is not meant to be a scholarly dissertation, but a from-the-heart talk about the parshah,
how you understand it, and what you think others might find in it. The experience of preparing for this often brings a new/renewed sense of understanding of the remarkable book that is the basis of our Judaism. Dates are awarded on a first come-first served basis and they have filled up quickly in the past. Please contact Lillian Stark (Lstarkm@aol.com) to find out what dates are still available. Don t delay! Izzy Shein s Used Shoe Drive Bar Mitzvah Project: To benefit the Clothes to Kids organization, thru May 29. Collect your unwanted pairs of new or gently worn shoes, sneakers and boots of all sizes and sorts for all ages. See flyer and bin in our lobby for more details or where to drop off or call/text 813-833-2497 to schedule a South Tampa pick up. Aiden Kirsh s Bar Mitzvah Project: Aiden combined his love for soccer with his wishes to honor his father's memory and help others. We pray that no child will suffer the pain of losing their father at such a young age. Please visit and share this page about Aiden s Bar Mitzvah project. Can you videotape yourself kicking a soccer ball and post the video? https://www.youcaring.com/theamerican-heart-association-546637#.vvqa99lckob and/or https://www.youcaring.com/kickfortheheart. The Rowdies Organization would like to thank Aiden for reaching out with his touching story. "We were very sad to hear about the loss of Aiden's father and send our condolences to Aiden and his family. We had a few of our players create a video to support your Kick for the Heart Foundation." Click Here to view a message from the Rowdies. Camp Rodeph: June 14th 17th and June 20th 24th, 2016. Special LATE NIGHT at Camp Rodeph on Thursday, June 16th! Extended hours for night time activities, games, movie & dinner. *Due to the Jewish holiday of Shavuot on Monday this year we are starting on Tuesday. 2nd Annual Veteran's Shabbat: We are having our 2nd annual Veteran's Shabbat on November 12. If you did not send information on your family members last year please do so this year. This includes you, and family members that live out of town, and those that are a blessed memory. If they are related to you, and they served in the Armed Forces, they should be honored. Remember this is to honor our military from the The United States, Israel, Canada and the United Kingdom. If you are or have a family member who is serving now, please include them. Send the information to Shelly Pozin, email address shelltpa@aol.com or to the office here at Rodeph: attention Caring Committee. Branch of Service, rank, years of service. If you have a photo in uniform or one that is close to the age at the time of service please send that also. Thank you to all of our military families. Adult Education Rabbi s Parsha Class: Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. (check weekly schedule). Discussion on the weekly Torah portion. Talmud Thursdays: Thursdays at 12:00 Noon. Join Rabbi and others in a discussion about the Talmud (check weekly schedule). Introduction to Judaism: Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (check weekly schedule). Adult Education Review by Arnold Stark 05/25/2016 I m again sorry for failing to follow through with my adult ed review. The regular classes have occurred somewhat irregularly, and when we did have them, I was preoccupied with other activities so could not find the time to write reviews. I will again endeavor to keep current in the future. I do wish to mention two special events which had adult ed impact. First was the Interfaith Gathering, which was well-attended. Rabbi gave a presentation on what Jewish prayer entails, and Cantor and the Choir performed several relevant songs; both parts of the program were excellent, as was the food. The Committee did a phenomenal job of organizing the event, and positive feedback was received from a number of attendees.
Next, was the performance of Driving Miss Daisy. The Director did an excellent job, and the cast gave superlative performances before a full house. While this is not specifically a Jewish play, two of the three characters are Jewish (sort of), and many issues of Jewish relevance are included in the play. Some of these are: assimilation and secularism, bigotry, maintaining a low Jewish profile in order to not ruffle feathers, synagogue (and church) bombings, problems associated with aging, and friendship. Rodeph s performance did a great job of communicating all of these. In Rabbi s Parashah Class (Thursdays, 11 a.m.), we began discussing Parashah Emor. I say began, because we did not get very far. Before beginning class, the students began reading, and immediately came up with a number of questions which took most of class to discuss. This and many previous parashyot began with God speaking to Moses, instructing him to speak to the Israelites. But in this parashah, the word for speak is different from the others: emor vs. deber - why so? This parashah deals with the behavior of the priests a lot of do s and don t s. Because the kohanim, as leaders of the people, and intercedents between them and God, must be role models held to higher moral standards than the general population, emor is used because it is more emphatic than deber. One of the first don t s concerns contact with the dead, which is forbidden to kohanim, except for immediate family: parents, children, brothers, and unmarried sisters why not married sisters? They are considered part of another family. Also, wives are not included in the enumerated list. The rabbis concluded that the word relatives would automatically include wives. Of course! In Rabbi s Talmud Class (Thursdays, 12 noon), in Volume Berakhot, we discussed afflictions of love, an attempt by the sages to explain the occurrence of the various ills of life to which even the righteous are subject, or why bad things happen to good people. Obviously, this explanation is insufficient, as this basic question is still asked over and over again today. PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR ADULT EDUCATION ENDEAVORS!!! Lifelong learning helps keep your mental faculties sharp, and forever young come and embrace the joy of learning with us! It also serves as models of the importance of education for your children and/or grandchildren! If you have any ideas for class subjects, please let me know, alsofaac@aol.com. This Week s Parsha Behar By Judy Van Der Stelt In this week s parsha Behar means on the mountain referring to the location where these laws were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Moses gives the Israelites instructions for the Sabbatical year. The land may be planted and harvested for six years and the seventh year is a complete rest without any activity. They can only gather what is produced naturally, which served as an early form of soil conservation which still exists in the agricultural communities. There will also be a jubilee year after seven cycles which is celebrated on the fiftieth year, when all the land shall return to its original owners, all Hebrew slaves are freed and all debts are cancelled. The sabbatical year provided people a chance to begin again without economic hardships. Each week we are given a mini sabbatical when we observe Shabbat. Some jobs today provide a sabbatical year for a chance to take a break from work and provide time to do other things. If you or your family was given a sabbatical year, what would you free yourself of doing? What would you spend your time doing? What opportunities would it provide you? Shabbat Shalom. Tampa Jewish Memorial Gardens Plot space is available at the Tampa Jewish Memorial Gardens operated by Congregation Rodeph Sholom (formerly the New Rodeph Sholom Cemetery). Rodeph Sholom Members $2,250 and Non-members $2,750 per plot. Price includes perpetual care. Interfaith Family section available. Payment plans may be arranged. For information please contact the synagogue office.
Community Events Israeli Dance Class: Enjoy Israeli Dance Classes from beginner to advanced, all are welcome. Great time learning both traditional and modern Israeli Folk Dance taught by Marilyn Silverman. Classes every Tuesday starting June 14, through July 12, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Donation: $5.00 per class or $20.00 for the series (per person), sponsored by Tampa Ameet Chapter of Hadassah. Please call Michele Norris today to register at 407-790-5479! Limited availability. Hillel Kitchen Registry: Help Us Fill the Kitchen! The pavers are stacked, the construction fence is up and some of the walls of the USF Hillel Jewish Student Center will soon be coming down...all to make room for our newly expanded dining room and kosher kitchen! WE NEED YOU to help us stock our new kosher kitchen. Here's how you can make that happen: A Kitchen Registry has been created from which you may make a donation for a specific item (or items). Kitchen Registry items start as low as $3.00. We hope you will purchase a Registry item and help our USF Hillel students continue to experience their Judaism "around the dining room table." The kitchen and dining room expansion will comfortably seat 100 students inside Hillel, with 100 more on the adjoining outdoor Ross Patio. Our new space will allow us to accommodate our growing numbers, expand our program offerings, increase our educational opportunities and reduce our outside kosher catering costs. AARP Driver Safety Classroom Course: Monday, June 6, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (includes lunch). Learn defensive driving techniques and proven strategies to keep you safe on the road. Refresh your driving skills and you could be eligible for a multi-year discount on your auto insurance! Memorial Hospital of Tampa Auditorium, 2901 Swann Ave. AARP members fee $15 and nonmembers fee $20. Please bring a check for payment (made out to AARP) or bring exact change. Call 813-342-1313. AARP members must present membership card. All attendees must bring their driver s license. Rodeph Calendar Events you don t want to miss June 4: Noah Vaknin s Bar Mitzvah June 10: Dedication Shabbat; Aiden Kirsh s Pre Bar Mitzvah Celebration and Oneg June 11: Tikun L eil Shavuot Program June 14-24: Camp Rodeph Sholom Visit our website at www.rsholom.org to register for events. Yahrzeits During Shabbat services these Yahrzeit, which occur 14 Iyar 20 Iyar will be recited. May their memory be for a blessing David Eli Bobo Mildred Ellis Stewart Engel Book Morsel by Etta Donnell Henny Finder Howard Hirschkowitz Lila Laufer Philip Lazar Joseph Stern Sam Verkauf Long before he became an honored author and two time winner of the prestigious Prime Minister s Prize in Israel, Yossel Birstein wore many hats in a list of diverse professions. Born in Biela Podalsk, Poland, Birstein spent some time in Australia. He lived out his last 53 years in Israel where he worked as a shepherd, an investment manager, a literary archivist. In his spare time Birstein was a host on the ubiquitous buses and crowded bus stops in Jerusalem, schmoozing with passengers, reminiscing about their lives as well as sharing with others his past as a young man. His conversations, observations and thoughts about the people met are now compiled in a new book entitled And So Is The Bus. An avid storyteller and master story-gatherer, Birstein s brief anthology of 21 short stories moves with the kinetic energy of a spinning carousel, perpetually moving. But everything in Jerusalem is in constant motion. The entire world is moving and so is the bus, observes passenger Nili Gonen before she hurriedly skips off. Immediately another bus arrives and
Birstein invites us into his world of ordinary people with whom he connects within minutes, with few words between himself and the other guests who impart another story. Each story expresses a rare freshness that confers dignity on everyday folks whom Birstein temporarily transmutes into unique individuals that command our attention and gain our respect. Birstein hosts a Russian man with a prosthetic leg who cannot find something good in the Jewish state, last of all anything good within his own family. Yet he is spending Shabbat with them, carrying a heavy bag of groceries and flowers. Berstein hosts Moshe, a rain-soaked Orthodox man who keeps banging on the bus doors. He lost his mind when he lost two sons in two different wars and one in a car accident. Berstein receives a visit on Bus 9 from Chaveleh, the sock mender, a spinster still awaiting a postcard from her imagined lover, a rich man s son who kissed her some sixty years back in Poland. At a bus stop bench, Birstein watches with suspicion the blind man with sideburns like daggers who keeps reading a newspaper. On bus number 20 Birstein reconnects with Thomas Brown, an Australian reporter who hated Jews some time ago and is curiously heading to the Old City. Opaque and often open-ended, the stories transport us into dozens of Jerusalem s neighborhoods on buses that traverse the city as we eavesdrop and soak up fragments, bits of conversations drenched in nostalgia, touched with humor, sadness, irony or satire. All are with unexpected conclusions akin to the rough brushstrokes of a skilled artist who provides a fleeting impression of the human condition. A most gracious host, Birstein enjoins us to hop on the bus and hang out with him or just sit on a bench at a bus stop and watch the world moving past.