Welcome to Congregation Beth-El

SHABBAT May 25, 2013 16 SIVAN 5773 PARSHAT BEHAALOTECHA

Friday night services: 6:00 p.m. Morning Services: 9:30 a.m. Torah: Pages 605-619
Congregation Beth-El Executive Committee Co-Presidents: Treasurer: Assistant Treasurer: Secretary: Recording Secretary: Interim Sisterhood President: Parnass: Appointee: Jayne Blumenthal Seth Dalfen William J. Star Stuart Eiley Charlotte Dennick Brahm Blumenthal Vita Novick David Choueke Bruce Gottlieb Michael Latsky Beverley Mendelson Jack Rosenthal Howard Schwartz Len Sheiner

Maftir: Page 619 Haftorah: Pages 620-622 Mincha: 8:40 p.m. Shabbat ends 9:20 p.m. Candle lighting Friday night May 31, 8:17 p.m.
Rabbi Dr. Allan Nadler Rabbi Ronnie Cahana Rabbi Emeritus Allan Langner Cantor Binyamin Moshaev Cantor Hyman Gisser, zl

Religious Chair/Assistant Parnass: Mark Wener

MAZEL TOV To Susan and Paul Milner, on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Benjamin. To Alex and Margot Lanyi, on the Bar Mitzvah of their grandson, Benjamin. To Maxine and Marcelo Bercovici on the marriage of their son Steve, to Aviva Bellman, daughter of Mindy Mamelak and Gary Bellman, grandson of Larry Moldowan and Wanda Berkman.

Parsha Behaalotecha (Numbers 8-12) Thank you Cantor Benny and Rabbi Nadler. Thank you to everyone who came to hear me sing and to share this special occasion with me. Thank you Mom and Dad for your hard work, love and support. Thank you Jonathan and Leah for being wonderful siblings. Thank You to my grandparents and great grandparents for teaching me Jewish values, conducting holidays and being there for me. On this joyous day I would like to mention my grandmother Aniko. My mother says today would have made her very, very proud and although she is not physically present we feel her presence every day in our family. I know she is here with us today. Today, in my Haftorah reading, I read from Zechariah the selection from the prophets for my Torah reading, Behaalotecha. My HAFTORAH reading begins with the words Roni Vsimchi. Zechariah is speaking as an Oracle OF God. He says that the time has come to rejoice and sing because although the Temple had fallen and that the Jews had been banished to Babylon the Lord has risen again. The people of Judea will be able to return again. The Lord says that the high priest Joshua is the man who will bring the people of Israel back to Zion. In Zechariahs vision Joshua the priest will eventually lead the Jews back to Zion. Joshua stands before the Lord dressed in filthy clothes but the Lord tells him he will soon be dressed in the robes of the glorious temple. The Lord says that if the people of Judea follow his ways he will restore peace among the land. Zechariah is then told that the Lord shall bring forth to him a candlestick of gold, seven lamps with seven pipes. These are meant to represent the restoration of the menorah that burned eternally in the Temple. The light of the candlesticks may be seen as a sign of renewal and light. One can also relate the horrors of the destruction of the Temple to the Holocaust. Directly after the Jewish peoples return to Zion with the establishment of the State of Israel, many Jewish people felt that God had abandoned them through such a horrible time in our history. Jewish scholars have pointed out that perhaps God never really left but was merely watching and waiting. When He returned, He gave us back the land of Israel. We can also relate this Parsha to things that happen in our own lives. There are many times when we are going through some kind of suffering in which we feel that God has not been there for us. Often, something good can come even from the most horrible of tragedies. As in the famous aphorism: The night is always darkest just before the dawn. When we speak about the light at the end of the tunnel we are speaking about Zechariahs vision. Shabbat Shalom and Thank You Benjamin Milner

Why not support Beth-El and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Yahrzeits, baby namings, bris, and more by sponsoring a weekday breakfast or Shabbat Kiddush? Please call the office at 514-738-4766 for more information.

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Do you have a child or grandchild born in 2001 and 2002? The day a son or daughter becomes a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah, is an important milestone for parents. If your son or daughter was born in the year 2000 or 2001, please call the synagogue office to discuss options for celebrating this milestone in your childs life.