Potluck Dinner and Friday Night Service 10/19

Please join us this Friday night, October 19th, at 6:30 pm for Friday night services followed by a pot luck dinner. What better way to end the hectic week than good food, company, and conversation.

Our potlucks are dairy or parev and if you have any questions, please contact us at bethelaustin@yahoo.com

Cantor Ben Moshe Message: This week’s parashah is Noah, which recounts the famous story of the Great Flood and its aftermath, as well as the story of the Tower of Babel, when humanity fails to prevent dispersion all over the world. The early humans in the story wanted to build the tower to unite themselves, to keep themselves in one place. As Rabbi Dr. Daniel Gordis puts it, that isn’t what God wants of humanity. God wanted humanity to spread out, to create different cultures, to diversify. As the Talmud puts it, God is greater than a human king, who when he makes coins with his image, he makes them identical. When God made humans in the Divine Image, each was different from the other. Human diversity is part of God’s plan, and should be celebrated. We should be glad that different people have different cultures, different languages, different ways of looking at life, so that we can learn from each other. Shabbat Shalom.

Parasha B’reshit

Congregation Beth El we will be having services both Friday night, 10/12, and services this Saturday morning, 10/13.  Friday night services start at 7:00 pm and Saturday morning services start at 9:00 am with the Torah reading around 10:00 am.

 

Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message  This Shabbat we begin again the yearly reading of the Torah with Parshat B’reshit.  We will read of the Creation of the Universe, and especially of humanity.  Our Parshah also speaks of the creation of the Shabbat, the Queen of Days.  Perhaps the most important creation was that of rest-the idea that we were not created to labor unceasingly, but to rest and just *be*.  This is the gift of Torah to us, and from us to the entire world.

 

 

Freddie Grant’s z”l Unveiling and Shabbat Shuvah

This Sunday, 9/23, at 10:00 am at Austin Memorial Park will be Freddie Grant’s z”l unveiling ceremony.  The cemetary is at 2800 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX and the Jewish area is the southwest corner, the section closest to MOPAC.  Please plan to join us at 10:00 am on Sunday morning to pay respect to Freddie and honor his memory. 

 

Also, please to join us at Beth El for Shabbat Shuvah services.  Tonight, 9/21, Friday night services will begin at our regular time of 7:00 pm and tomorrow, 9/22, Saturday morning services will begin at our regular time of 9:00 am with the Torah reading around 9:50 am.

 

Cantor’s Message: This Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is known as Shabbat Shuvah, from the first words of the haftarah, “Shuvah Yisrael…”-“Return, O Israel….” The message is of course one of repentance. Though our Tradition maintains that repentance can, and should be done at any time, we are especially mindful of the need to do so now, as the days grow shorter and darkness falls earlier.

In the spirit of the season, let me now ask forgiveness from all in the Beth El family if I have hurt or offended you in any way, whether in word or did, by action or inaction. May we all forgive each other, and ourselves. May we all remember the blessings that we all bring to each other’s lives, beginning this New Year of 5773 with a clean slate. Shabbat Shalom, ug’mar hatimah tovah. May each of us be sealed for good in the coming year.

 

Kol Nidre will be held next Tuesday night, 9/25, at 7:00 pm and Yom Kippur morning services will start next Wednesday morning, 9/26, at 9:00 am.  Please email us at bethelaustin@yahoo.com with any questions or addtional details.

High Holidays at Beth El

Congregation Beth El’s schedule of services for the next few weeks including the High Holidays.    Our High Holiday services are open to the community, but we request you provide a donation to help us cover our costs and expenses.  In addition to regular services, we will have special children’s services on all of the Holidays.  For additional information or questions, please email us at bethelaustin@yahoo.com

Friday Night, September 7                   Friday Night Services at 7:00 PM

Saturday, September 8,                          Saturday Morning Torah Services at 9:00 AM

September 8 – Saturday                         Havdallah and Selichot Services at 8:00 PM

Rosh Hashanah

September 16 – Sunday Rosh Hashanah Evening Service at 7:00 PM

September 17 – Monday Rosh Hashanah Shachrit Service at 9:00 AM

                                  Rosh Hashanah Torah Service around 10:00 AM

                                  Tashlikh Service at 4:00 PM at Old Spicewood Springs at 360 Under Bridge

September 18 – Tuesday Rosh Hashanah Shachrit Service at 9:00 AM

                                  Rosh Hashanah Torah Service around 10:00 AM                                

September 21 – Friday Shabbat Shuvah Evening Services at 7:00 PM

September 22 – Saturday Shabbat Shuvah Morning Services at 9:00 AM

Yom Kippur

September 25 – Tuesday Kol Nidrei at 7:00 PM

September 26 – Wednesday Yom Kippur Shachrit Service at 9 AM

                                 Yom Kippur Torah Service around 10:15 AM

                                 Mincha at 5:30 PM, Neilah at 6:45 PM

 September 29 – Saturday        Shabbat Morning Services at 9:00 AM

Schedule of Services

Please plan to join us for Friday night services, August 31, at 7:00 PM

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly message:

 

In this week’s parshah, Ki Tetze, we have a very early example of a building code-the commandment to build a rampart or railing around the roof of one’s house. By way of background, houses in the Middle East traditionally have flat roofs, which serve as kind of an outdoor room, especially in hot weather. The Torah commands us to make sure that anyone on such a roof doesn’t fall off. This commandment has been extended by the Rabbis to include safety features of all kinds. Some might see this as unwarranted interference in the right of individuals to build their houses as they see fit. Our Torah, though, always balances individual rights with an individual’s responsibility to others. Kol Yisrael ‘arevim zeh bazeh-all Jews are responsible to one another, and to humanity at large. We are each precious in God’s sight, but also part of the larger whole of creation.

 

Congregation Beth El’s schedule of services for the next few weeks including the High Holidays.    Our High Holiday services are open to the community, but we request you provide a donation to help us cover our costs and expenses.  In addition to regular services, we will have special children’s services on all of the Holidays.  For additional information or questions, please email us at bethelaustin@yahoo.com

Friday Night, September 7                   Friday Night Services at 7:00 PM

Saturday, September 8,                          Saturday Morning Torah Services at 9:00 AM

September 8 – Saturday                         Havdallah and Selichot Services at 8:00 PM

Rosh Hashanah

September 16 – Sunday Rosh Hashanah Evening Service at 7:00 PM

September 17 – Monday Rosh Hashanah Shachrit Service at 9:00 AM

                                  Rosh Hashanah Torah Service around 10:00 AM

                                  Tashlikh Service at 4:00 PM at Old Spicewood Springs at 360 Under Bridge

September 18 – Tuesday Rosh Hashanah Shachrit Service at 9:00 AM

                                  Rosh Hashanah Torah Service around 10:00 AM                                

September 21 – Friday Shabbat Shuvah Evening Services at 7:00 PM

September 22 – Saturday Shabbat Shuvah Morning Services at 9:00 AM

Yom Kippur

September 25 – Tuesday Kol Nidrei at 7:00 PM

September 26 – Wednesday Yom Kippur Shachrit Service at 9 AM

                                 Yom Kippur Torah Service around 10:15 AM

                                 Mincha at 5:30 PM, Neilah at 6:45 PM

 September 29 – Saturday        Shabbat Morning Services at 9:00 AM

Annual Meeting and Cookout

Our annual “state of the shul” meeting  is this Sunday, May 6 at 4:15pm, followed by a cookout. We hope you can join us to see all the exciting things happening at Congregation Beth El.

Announcements for Passover

image via http://grade5js.edublogs.org

Dear Congregants and Friends,

We hope you can all join us this Friday night, March 30 at 7pm for our regular Kabbalat shabbat services and Saturday morning, March 31 at 9 am, with the Torah service at 9:45, for our shabbat services.  Also, don’t forget to send your RSVP by replying to this e-mail for the second night seder at Beth El a week from Saturday – April 7 at 6 pm.

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Weekly message:

This week we read in Parshat Tzav more of the rules of sacrifices-how they were to be offered, and for what reasons. This parshah, as well as most of the Book of Vayikra, Leviticus, are rather hard reading for us, living nearly 2000 years after the last sacrifice was offered in the Temple. What we need to do is to look at the Hebrew word for sacrifice-korban, meaning something that is brought near, or more to the point, something that brings us near to God. Our ancestors offered sacrifices in order to come near to God. How can we do so in our time? That is the central question that is raised by the Book of Leviticus, and a very important question for all Jews at all times.

This Shabbat is also Shabbat HaGadol, the Shabbat before Pesah. The Season of our Liberation is at hand, and we will be discussing the traditions and the meaning of Pesah this Shabbat.  Please join us Friday and Saturday.

Before services on Friday night, a sign-up sheet will be available for anyone to make me their agent for selling hametz to a non-Jew for the duration of the Festival.

Shabbat Shalom.

Cantor Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
8902 Mesa Drive
Austin, TX 78759

www.bethelaustin.org

Friday night Pot luck shabbat dinner – 6:30 Parashat Yitro

Dear Congregants and friends,

Please join us at 6:30 tonight, February 10, for a shabbat pot luck dinner and services.  We look forward to seeing you all.  This event is free and open to all.

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Message:

This week’s parashah, Yitro, begins with the story of Moses’ father Yitro (Jethro) visiting the camp of the People of Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai. The Torah records that Yitro made an offering to God, and Moshe and the Elders came to eat with Yitro. Then as now, sharing food is an important religious observance. We are impelled to serve God in all that we do, even those activities which are seemingly the most mundane, such as eating. Please join us tonight at 6:30 as we share food and fellowship together at Beth El. Shabbat Shalom.

Cantor Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
8902 Mesa Drive
Austin, TX 78759
(512)897-7646
cantorbenmoshe1@yahoo.com