Temple Beth Shalom Newsletter

Parasha Tazria/Metzora
3 Iyaar 5764
April 23-24, 2004

This Shabbat we are given a double portion of "yeeech". The subject of these two combined portions, Tazria and Metzora, is skin disease and how it might be cured. While much of the content of these two portions is pretty gross, there are some interesting lessons to be learned.

First, it is important to note that the word for the skin disease (tzaraot) is often mistranslated as "leprosy". The disease described in the Torah does not fit the physiological description of what we now call leprosy. Tzaraot is some other, presently unknown, skin disease. And this is important to keep in mind because it quickly becomes apparent from the Torah portion that what is being discussed is not a physical disease at all, but rather is a disease of the spirit or soul. We know this for two reasons. The first is that the priest, and not a doctor, is the one who is assigned to administer the cure. The second reason is that the cure is spiritual in nature. The primary cure for tzaraot is isolation from the community for whatever time it takes for the eruption to subside. The priest then offers various sacrifices to God once the cure occurs. There is no medicine or course of treatment, per se, except removing oneself from the community and allowing time to effect a cure. The problem is not with the victim's skin but with his or her inner being.

From time to time, many of us sense that we lack something spiritually; that we have a "spiritosomatic" disease. While we typically don't break out in skin eruptions, we often do react in other ways. We often lose our sense of well-being, we feel adrift and alienated from those around us and even from our true selves. We also may feel a distance from God at times like these. When this happens, let us take a lesson from the ancient priests and give ourselves the space to evaluate and consider what it is that our lives are lacking. Let us exhibit the wisdom and courage to examine our lives and then work to repair that which ails us. For when we are willing to undertake the difficult task of healing our inner being, God will be with us in our efforts to cure ourselves.

Rabbi Alan Freedman

Do you have questions that you would like to have Rabbi Freedman answer? Day or night, just e-mail asktherabbi@bethshalomaustion.org and he will answer your questions. The answers will first be printed in this message and on the website on the Rabbi's page, and then will be archived on our website for later reference. You may remain anonymous (provide an alias for yourself) or you may use your real name (but we probably will just print first names). Questions from all ages are welcome. For more, click the following link: http://www.bethshalomaustin.org/TBS/leadership/ask_rabbi.asp.

Friday Night Shabbat Services

Rabbi Alan Freedman leads Shabbat Services each Friday night in the Community Hall of the DJCC. Cantorial Soloist Abby Gostein leads the congregation in prayer through music. Each service is followed by an Oneg.

Babysitting is now available for Shabbat evening services every Friday night (does not include Tot Shabbat service times). No need to make a reservation.

Saturday Morning Torah Service

Rabbi Freedman leads a Shabbat morning Torah Study and a Torah Service twice each month. The next Torah Service/Torah Study session will be held on Saturday May 1st and will celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of Rachel Rubin. Instead of the Torah Study and Torah Service being in the library in the Education Building, as usual, the Torah Study and a Torah Service will be in the Community Hall of the DJCC. Torah Study begins at 10:00 a.m. with a Torah Service following at 11:00 a.m.

Upcoming Services

Friday April 23

7:15 – 7:45 p.m. Shabbat Sing-Along

7:45 p.m. Shabbat Service led by congregant Dick Amos

Friday, April 30

7:45 p.m. Our guest speaker will be Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf from Temple Emanu El in Houston. If you would like to participate in the service please contact Stephanie Puente at 418-9594 or spuente@aol.com. Please see additional information below in the SISTERHOOD section.

Looking for TBS musicians because....

THE NEXT “SHABBAT SHIR SHALOM” DATE IS SET:
Fri, May 21, service to begin at 6:30 p.m., warm-up at 6 p.m.

Rehearsal dates are as follows:
Sun 4/4 3:30 p.m.
Sun 4/11 3:30 p.m.
Wed 4/21 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. (purposeful 1/2 hour overlap with Sisterhood Shabbat rehearsal)
Sun 5/2 3:30 p.m.
Wed 5/5 7:30 p.m.
Sun 5/16 3:30 p.m.
Wed 5/19 7:30 p.m.

All rehearsals should last approx. 1 hour.

Please RSVP to Abby at music@bethshalomaustin.org to let her know if and how you (or another member of you family) would like to be involved in the service.

HOLD THE DATE!
TBS Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, June 6
10 am - noon
JCAA Community Hall

ADULT EDUCATION

Rabbi's Lunch Time Seminars

Please mark your calendar for the monthly lunch time seminars with the Rabbi: Second Wednesday of each month 12 Noon to 1:30PM at JCAA in the RabbiÆs office. The seminars are open to the community

Contact Ira Goodman by email or call 418-1905 for more information.

May- 12 -Shavuoth: The Unknown Festival

Of all of the Pilgrimage Festivals, Shavuoth is the least known and practiced. Come explore the history and traditions of this most interesting festival along with its opportunities for a fun a meaningful observance.

Contact Ira Goodman by email or call 418-1905 for more information.

SOCIAL ACTION

Mitzvah Day - Sunday April 25

Temple Beth Shalom (TBS) is co-sponsoring this city-wide Jewish Day of Tikkun Olam-"repairing the world". Join us in our efforts by finding the information online at http://www.bethisrael.org/ to MITZVAH DAY, or send in the info page from the recently mailed brochure to sign up and join us!

We have 9 Temple Beth Shalom captains in charge of a variety of projects from which you can select. The activities are scheduled during the hours of 10 am-3 pm on April 25th.
1) Heritage Park Rehab-project # 17-18-provide in-room and group activities for residents,
2) Meals on Wheels-project 26-27- grocery delivery and house number painting,
3) Norman Elementary School-project 31-inventory a science lab,
4) People's Community Clinic-project #33- data base entry and medical records maintenance,
5) Soup Kitchen-project #39-serving lunch and clean-up at University Baptist Church.

At the end of the day all city-wide participants are invited to attend the Closing Celebration from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Congregation Agudas Achim social hall. In addition to a ceremony and pizza walk through the aisles of the Volunteer Recruitment Fair where you can get great information about on-going volunteer projects conducted throughout the year.

Contact Susan Laves susanlaves@austin.rr.com or Beverly Whitley bwhitley@netspend.com for more information on Mitzvah Day!

SHALOMITES (fun for families with children ages five and under)

In case you haven't visited the TBS web site lately, check out the Shalomites page. Even though, Pesach is almost over this year, there are wonderful resources for young family haggadot and activities when celebrating with young ones. Print them out for next year!

Our final Torah Tots for this Spring will take place next weekend, April 18. Registration for the Fall sessions will take place in June - watch for more details.

Ever wonder what happens when a child graduates from Shalomite status and enters the big kid of world of TBS? They go out for ice cream and celebrate of course! All of Temple Beth Shalom and Friends are invited to join us for our first annual Shalomite Graduation where we will honor our Shalomites who will be leaving us to enter kindergarten and religious school next year. So.... I scream, you scream, we'll all PRAY for Ice Cream! Please join us Saturday, May 22 at 6 p.m. for an ice cream social and graduation at Amy's Ice Cream in the Arboretum (at the cows!). We'll eat, play, and celebrate our graduates and the end of Shabbat with Havdallah blessings and singing. We'll be together even if mother nature decides that we shouldn't be outside! Call Lisa Goodman at 918-1423 for our rain plan! We hope to see everyone at the first annual Shalomites Graduation Ceremony!

VOLUNTEER COORDINATION COMMITTEE

TBS "Volunteer Central" Matches Willing Volunteers with Projects in Need of Help

Are you a willing volunteer in waiting? Are you a committee or event chairperson looking for a few good volunteers? If so, TBS has a new committee formally known as the "Volunteer Coordination Committee" that is the perfect resource for you! The Volunteer Coordination Committee matches willing volunteers with committee chairs and event chairs who need willing helpful volunteers to help them accomplish their goals. If you are either a volunteer or someone in need of a volunteer, please contact Joan Edelstein at 340-0330, or at RED42750@aol.com.

SISTERHOOD

Upcoming Sisterhood Events

Sisterhood Shabbat - Friday April 30 at 7:45pm

Temple Beth Shalom will hold a very special Sisterhood Shabbat on Friday, April 30 at 7:45 pm in the Community Hall at the Dell Jewish Community Campus. The theme for the service will be "Choosing to Lead a Jewish Life".

The evening promises to be unique and meaningful and will focus on the personal importance of prayer and how it affects our life as jews. The guest speaker will be Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf, who serves as an Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Emanu El in Houston, TX.

Rabbi Sheinkopf will focus her talk on how the story of the Jewish people is built upon the struggles and the triumphs of individual lives. In the Torah we experience the trauma and the triumph of our Biblical ancestors as we see how their experiences illuminated the faith around which Jewish life revolves. In this age we too can integrate our personal experiences into our Jewish lives. Personal history is an important piece of the ongoing Jewish story. Rabbi Sheinkopf will demonstrate this by sharing her own path toward a Jewish life and to the rabbinate. Like each of our personal stories, it is one that is dignified and better understood in the context of Jewish history and Jewish life.

We hope you will join us for this special evening.

TRIBUTES

TO THE GENERAL FUND

In honor of our son Alex and our newest addition Kaitlyn Rose and our TBS family
Eric and Sharon Cohan

In memory of Gail Miller's Father, David Katz
Barbara and Sherwin Robin
Barbara and Ron Klayman

In honor of the bat mitzvah of Ellen and Sherman Kusin's granddaughter
In honor of the new daughter of Eric and Sharon Cohan
In memory of Samuel Deitch
Ray and Audrey Maislin

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SIMCHAS

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Mazel Tov to the following Temple Beth Shalom adult members who are celebrating their birthdays and anniversaries for the weeks of April 18 - April 25.

Birthdays

April 18 Harold Servetnick

April 18 Michael McNamara (Editor's Note: we apologize for last week's mistake showing April 18 as Rachel McNamara's birthday instead of Michael's)

April 20 David Cohn

April 20 Cece Laves

April 22 Denise Steinberg

April 25 Dale Rubinfeld

Anniversaries

April 24 Hope & Scott Weiskopf

April 25 Leigh & Steve Perry

Please contact admin@bethshalomaustin.org if you have any corrections or if you have been inadvertently left off the list.

Other Simchas

There were no major simcha announcements sent in this week. Please contact newsletter@bethshalomaustin.org if you have any corrections or if you have major Simchas to be listed here.

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