Temple Sholom Weekly E-Bulletin

Temple Sholom E-Bulletin December 3, 2010 Friday, December 3 YCFS, TGIS (6th & 7th grade) Sunday, December 5 Religious School Creative Arts Exhibition Wednesday, December 8 Lunch 'n Learn with Rabbi's Panel @ CAS, Chanukah Story Time Thursday, December 9 Blessings of the Skinned Knee Candle Lighting Friday, Dec. 3 4:09 pm Temple Sholom's Worship Schedule Friday, Dec. 3 6:30- 7:15 pm Saturday, Dec 4 9:30 am - 12:00 pm Sunday, Dec. 5 8:30 - 9:15 am Temple Sholom Simcha Corner Mazel Tov to: Sheri & Michael Zarkower, on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Sam. Leslie & Paul Goldberg, on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Emily. Phyllis & Jay Schondorf, on the birth of a grandson, Noah. Parents are Nancy Schondorf & Adam Riess. Rabbi Mitch on the recent publication of his story "Blessed Beans" in the newest release of Chicken Soup for the Soul - Shaping the New You (pp. 304 - 307), available at Amazon.com. Chanukah at Temple Sholom Toy Drive Wednesday, December 1st - Tuesday, December 21 "Celebration of Light" Candle Lighting/Tree Lighting Thursday, December 2nd, 6 pm at Christ Church Selma Maisel Nursery School Class Parties Thursday, December 2nd & Friday, December 3rd YCFS Latkes & Pajamas Friday, December 3rd, 5:30 pm TGIS Thank God It's Shabbos Friday, December 3rd, 7:30 Religious School Creative Arts Program (CAP) Exhibition Sunday, December 5th,10 am - 11:30 am Story Time and Music with Rabbi Mitch & Cantor Asa Wednesday, December 8th, 4:30 pm "Keep The Lights Burning" Community Post-Chanukah Party Sunday, December 12th, 3:30 pm For more information about any of these programs, contact Alice Schoen at 203-542-7165 or at alice.schoen@templesholom.com Sisterhood's Mahjongg for the Masses Monday, December 13th and the 2nd Monday of EVERY month at 7:00 pm. RSVP required: Phyllis Shapiro at 203-637-7809 or wigini@gmail.com Jewish Network of Young Couples (JNYC) 3rd Annual Pan-Asian Dinner Thursday, December 16th, 7:00 pm Join the Jewish Network of Young Couples for the 3rd annual Pan-Asian dinner. This is a great opportunity to socialize with friends old and new! To rsvp, contact Sarah Fradkin at sesamesarah@gmail.com Rabbi Mitch's Chanukah Teaching Last spring, Temple Sholom and Christ Church created our "Sholom Center" for Interfaith Learning and Fellowship". Over the years our great and leading houses of worship have created a warm and vibrant friendship and we've steadily increased our collaborative programming... Click here to see the full version of this Teaching by Rabbi Mitch. See Below or Click Here for information about the devastating fire in Israel and how you can help. YCFS Latkes and Pajamas Friday, December 3rd, 5:30 pm Join us for a special Chanukah edition of Young Children's Family Service with Reb Allison and special guest, Sheldon Low. Kids should come in their pajamas! Come sing songs, celebrate Chanukah & Shabbat and enjoy home-made latkes. Bring your unaffiliated friends to see what Temple Sholom is all about! TGIS Thank God It's Shabbos Friday, December 3rd, 7:30 pm Join Reb Allison, the Temple Sholom Band and the 6th and 7th grade classes for a Rockin' Friday Night, celebrating Shabbat and Chanukah. Lunch 'n Learn w/ Rabbi's Panel at Congregation Agudath Sholom "Is Peace in the Middle East Possible -- What can be done?" Wednesday, December 8th 12:00 - 1:00 pm Join Rabbi Cohen of Congregation Agudath Sholom, Rabbi Andrew Sklarz of Greenwich Reform Synagogue and Rabbi Mitch for lunch and discussion. This is the last in the series of Lunch N' Learns with the Rabbi's Panel. Chanukah Story Time & Music with Rabbi Mitch & Cantor Asa Wednesday, December 8th, 4:30 pm Come help us welcome some of our younger new members. Rabbi Mitch will tell Chanukah Stories and Cantor Asa will lead some Chanukah songs. Light finger food will be served. For more information or to RSVP, contact: Alice Schoen at (203) 542-7165 or alice.schoen@templesholom.com Holiday Toy Drive Ongoing through December 21st Bring new, unwrapped toys to our collection bins. All gifts will be donated to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. The Toy Drive is in conjunction with UJA Federation of New York/Westchester and UJA Federation of Greenwich. Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children Wednesdays, December 2nd, 9th, & 16th 9:30 - 10:30 am Join Reb Allison for a parenting discussion series based on the book, "The Blessing of the Skinned Knee" by Wendy Mogel, PH.D. To rsvp, contact Alice Schoen at (203) 542-7165 or alice.schoen@templesholom.com "Keep the Lights Burning" a Post Community Chanukah Celebration, December 12th, 3:30 pm Come dance, sing and enjoy a special concert with the FIDF (Friends of the Israel Defense Forces) musical ensemble. Then its party time! We will have a DJ, food, games & arts & crafts and more... Many local Jewish organizations have been are community partners on this event. Invite your friends! No Charge. For more information, call Alice Schoen, (203) 542-7165. In and Around the Community... Jewish Family Services of Greenwich - Meet & Mingle: The Network for Jewish Singles (ages 55+) is hosting a 3rd annual Hanukah Cocktail Party, Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00 pm. at the Hyatt Regency of Greenwich. $30 pre-paid or $40 at door. Call Caryl Komornik at 203-622-1881 ext. 11 or email jfsmeetandmingle@yahoo.com. Birthright Israel & Friends - Dessert reception, Tuesday, December 7th, 7:30 pm at the home of Alice Baron and Michael Delikat, 5 Cooper Beech Rd, Greenwich. Come hear how you can pass on the extraordinary gift of a Birthright trip to more of Greenwich's Jewish young adults. RSVP to Beth Dindas at 212-457-0045 or Alice Baron at alicebaron2@gmail.com. AJC Westchester's "Israel...New Perspectives", Saturday, December 11th, 8:00 pm. An elegant evening featuring Israeli wine tasting, Israeli snacks and an exciting discussion of the award winning Israeli wine industry. Tickets are $36 pp, limited to 50. Event is being held in Port Chester at Congregation KTI. For more information contact, AJC at 914.948.5585 or westchester@ajc.org Discover Schechter Westchester, Tuesday, December 14th at 8 pm. at the home of Steve & Elizabeth Katz. For more information and to rsvp, call Diana Schutt at 914-948-3111 ext. 4370 or email her at dschutt@solomon-schechter.com Response to Fire Disaster in Israel's North On Thursday, December 2, 2010, a forest fire broke out in Israel's Carmel countryside, which spread rapidly across the tinder-dry land, left parched after the hottest November in Israel in 60 years. Forty-one people died, and tens have been injured and 10,000 residents, including 600 prison inmates, were evacuated as the blaze raged out of control, devastating hundreds of acres of pine forest before sweeping down the slopes of the Carmel plateau towards Israel's third largest city. As of Friday the blaze had spread and currently the fire is not yet under control. We know that many people's first instinct is to help, and we know that there are many good ways to do that. 1) Prayer - At moments like these, we believe that prayers help as well. Click here for a prayer for Israel at this moment of need from the Masorti Movement in Israel. Please share this prayer on your listserves and recite it on Shabbat with your kehillah. 2) Donations - We suggest donating through Masorti,the Conservative movement in Israel. The fund will meet immediate relief needs, including housing. After that, money will be spent on longer-term relief volunteer efforts through Noam, Masorti's youth movement in Israel. Any leftover funds will go to our partners, the Jewish National Fund, as a gift from the Conservative/Masorti movement. To donate online, go to Masorti's contribution page and click on the Fire Emergency Fund link in the Program Designation dropdown menu. To donate by check, send it to: Masorti Foundation 475 Riverside Drive Suite 832 New York NY 10115 and note that it's for the "Fire Emergency Fund", or call the foundation at 212-870-2216 to donate by credit card.

Temple Sholom | 300 East Putnam Avenue | Greenwich | CT | 06830

Rabbi's Weekly Teaching

Weekly Teaching By Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz rabbimitch@templesholom.com
Lunch 'n Learn / Rabbis' Panel This week at Congregation Agudath Sholom 301 Strawberry Hill Avenue, Stamford 12:00 - 1:00 pm "Is Peace in the Middle East Possible? What can be done?" "Keep the Lights Burning" FIDF Musical Ensemble Concert & Community Chanukah Celebration Sunday, Dec. 12th, 3:30 pm
Parashat Miketz December 3, 2010 Teaching by Rabbi Mitch rabbimitch@templesholom.com On December 8th, at Noon, my weekly Lunch 'n Learn seminar goes on the road to Agudath Sholom in Stamford. This year, Rabbis Cohen, Sklarz and I, have once again presented a rabbinic panel series on different rabbinic perspectives. This year's topic was Israel, and on Wednesday we will be speaking on our perspectives for the prospects of Peace. While I don't want to give away my entire presentation, I will provide a preview: This week we observe Chanukah; our festival of lights. Chanukah is a celebration of God's light within our world. We believe that we diminish God's light with our acts of violence and inhumanity, and conversely, we increase God's light when we pursue love, mercy and peace. The fundamental teaching of our sacred tradition is to be Rodeph Shalom; a "Pursuer of Peace". The Hebrew word Shalom comes from the Hebrew root to mean "whole" or "complete". There cannot be peace unless there is a state of wholeness. We pursue at all times: Shalom Bayit --wholeness within our homes; Shalom Yisrael - wholeness amongst the household of the Jewish People; and Shalom Aleinu V'al Kol HaOlam; wholeness amongst all of us and upon all of humanity. Shalom is fundamental to our core Jewish belief system and is understood as obtaining the highest good. A few of our "Shalom" Sacred Proof Texts God promised Abraham he would come to his fathers in peace. (Genesis 15:15) Joseph blessed Pharaoh with peace. (Genesis 45:27) Jethro sent Moses in peace and greeted him in peace. (Exodus 4:18 & 18:7) The standard Hebrew greeting is peace. (Genesis 29:6; 45:27; Esther 9:30) One of God's greatest blessings is peace in the land. (Leviticus 26:6) God gave Pinchas His covenant of peace. (Numbers 25:12) The priests bless the people with peace. (Numbers 6:26) God desires Shalom (PEACE) and abhors war. The vision of our messianic hopes is expressed by the prophet Isaiah: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and nation will not raise the sword against nation, and they shall no longer learn war." (Isaiah 2:4) That Jews desire PEACE/SHALOM as the ideal should be first and forefront on our minds. And yet, we do not live lives of idealistic naiveté. Peace is the constantly desired result of all parties desiring a state of wholeness and fairness. Peace is not one side contracting their needs without compromise, or simply giving in on their needs. The desire for peace does not supersede our responsibility to live safely and in security. Chanukah is a celebration of God's light in our lives. But, it also is a reminder that when necessary you fight to live freely and securely. The Maccabees waged war because to have not done so would have been the end of the Jewish People. All peoples have the right to self-defense. This means that while it is always with terrible sadness and horror, at times war must be waged. The Torah and the Talmud notes that: "if someone is coming to kill you, and the only way to stop them is kill them first, then you are obligated to protect your life." (Exodus 22:1 & Berachot 5a) Jewish-"Just War Theory" is not interested in waging war for the sake of war, rather, to fight when necessary so as to be safe and secure. The primary enemy that God commands war to be fought against is the Amalekites; unrepentant murderers who targeted the innocent. Biblical Israel was commanded to fight without restraint against such people. The other enemies of Israel; such as the Edomites, Moabites, and Amnonites; our spiritual ancestors were to restrain themselves against their enemies, fighting if only attacked first. Even then, the Israelites were to try and first "make Peace". Jewish law prohibits the justification for war as primarily being able to gain more territory and material resources. The moral justification for war is for self-preservation, and to then be able to live a life by which we can radiate God's light within the world. With the modern conflict with our Jewish State of Israel, we are to forever be mindful of our ultimate desire for Shalom/Peace. However, we cannot pursue a course that would create a situation in which our safety and security was compromised. Nor can there be an agreement with any authority that is unrepentant murderers who target the innocent. One does not negotiate for the "right to exist", and in fact this enemy is the one who is fought with the Maccabeean spirit. May God give us the wisdom and faith to pursue both justice and peace with unwavering resolve. Happy Chanukah and Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Mitch
Temple Sholom 300 E. Putnam Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 203-869-7191