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Weekly Bulletin
January 31, 2015 | 11 Shevat 5775
Amalgamated Hebrew Men of England (1975)
100 Elder Street, Toronto ON M3H 5G7 | 416.633.3838
www.beby.org
Shabbat Shira
Beshalach
Hertz Chumash
Torah Reading pp. 265-281
Haftarah pp. 281-287
Etz Hayim Chumash
Torah Reading pp. 399-422
Haftarah pp. 424-430
Please extend a warm welcome to our
BEBY Choral Group, joining us today for services on Shabbat Shira.
The Sefer Haftarah Parasha is dedicated
in honour of the
Bar Mitzvah of Josh Rosenberg
on February 11, 2006 by his grandparents
Rachel & Yehuda Rosenberg
A Celebration of Tu B’shvat
Led by Omer Itzhak
during the third Sabbath meal on Shabbat January 31st.
Services for Week of February 1st
Sunday .......................................... 7:30 & 8:30 am
Monday - Friday ............................ 7:15 & 8:15 am
Sunday - Thursday ....................................5:25 pm
Friday evening...........................................5:25 pm
Shabbat Candle Lighting ...........................5:17 pm
Hashkama Minyan..................................... 7:30 am
Shabbat Services ........................................ 8:45 am
~ Seudah Shlisheet is sponsored by ~
the Barsky Family in observance of Yahrzeit for Edith Barsky l”z
~ We extend our condolences to ~
Arnie Gross, Natalie & Manny Langer and Darlene Wronzberg and
families on the loss of wife, daughter and sister, Lenna Gross l”z
The family of our late member, Aron Gerhard l”z
BEBY reserves the right to make copy & editorial changes.
DEADLINE THURSDAY NOON of each week.
Beyond that time we cannot guarantee that your
event will appear in the bulletin.
We regret any errors and omissions that may occur.
Please contact the office to make corrections.
Shabbat Study Group — 4:25 pm
Shabbat Mincha — 5:00 pm
Shabbat Ends — 6:11 pm
ALLERGY ALERT!! Many of our members suffer from asthma or other breathing difficulties. Please
be considerate of those who are chemically sensitive to fragrances and other scented products
- your discretion in applying scented products when attending Shul is appreciated.
HALACHA (JEWISH LAW) prohibits the use of audible beepers, cell phones, electronic games
and any type of photographic equipment on Shabbat and Yom Tov.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation in preserving the sanctity of Shabbat.
Yasher Koach and thank you to our Shabbat Greeters!
WEEKLY PROGRAMMES
SHABBAT
TISH & TORAH - Rabbi Lipson leads learning sessions for the Parashat Hashavuah at
10:00 am in the Boardroom.
RABBINICS STUDY GROUP – Daf Ha’Shavua - The Weekly Page of Talmud. For
beginning or intermediate students, study the first Tractate of the Talmud known
as Masechet Berachot. “The primary focus of the tractate is the myriad ways in
which a Jewish person expresses his faith during his life.” 35 minutes prior to
Mincha.
SUNDAY
FREE HEBREW READING CLASSES - LEVEL II WITH MICHAEL KINRYS: For those who
can slowly read Hebrew, this class will help them gain experience reading and
singing many of the daily and Shabbat prayers. Classes begin Feb 22 at 9:15 am
and run for six weeks. Call the office to register.
COMING
THE MARTY KESHEN CHESED COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU!
If you would like to volunteer with home and hospital visits, Shiva calls,
etc. please call the office and leave a message for Rochelle Kerzner
Committee Chair or email [email protected]
SISTERHOOD KNIT/CROCHET AND CHAT GROUP. GOOD NEWS!
To make it easier for you to donate to us, you can now make donations
directly to the BEBY Chesed Knitters via the shul office. We are forever
thankful to the men and women who attend the morning minyans for their
generous donations - helping us to continue knitting baby blankets and hats
for the Soldiers. Join us at 10 am - every Monday morning!
FEBRUARY EVENTS & MORE
The KADIMA CENTRE: 2-3:30 pm. For info on student registration, contact Marcel
Cohen at 416.633.3838 or [email protected]. More info available from
www.beby.org. We are looking for adults to volunteer who are compassionate,
patient and positive.
TANACH STUDY GROUP - February 22nd at 7:30 pm. At the home of Bernie & Cyril
Shoub, 258 Armour Blvd. Studying Beresheit Ch. 23.
MONDAY
MAH JONGG AT 12:00 NOON. All welcome. Call the office 416-633-3838 to join.
Donation of a Toonie. Refreshments served. FREE Mah Jongg Lessons! Call for info
and to register!
RABBI’S STUDY CLASS: PROBING THE PARSHA: A detailed study of a particular theme
emanating from the weekly Torah portion. Each theme is linked to an essay topic
found in the new book, The Observant Life - The Wisdom of Conservative Judaism
for Contemporary Jews. The book is encouraged but not required for participants.
Boardroom. 7:15 - 8:15 pm.
TUESDAY
SISTERHOOD STUDY GROUP - 10 - 11:30 am | Rabbis Morrison and Lipson
alternate weekly. Ask The Rabbi with Rabbi Morrison: Brief English responsa to
modern halakhic questions from the perspective of Conservative Judaism. Topics
will cover Bible, ethics, gender, interfaith, symbols, conversion, kashrut, lifecycle,
holy day cycle, women’s issues, theology, and more. Rabbi Lipson’s Weekly Topic:
Studying the Book of Shmuel (Samuel) and the Book of Kings — Politics & Power in
Biblical Israel.
FRUMBA - WOMEN’S CARDIO DANCE FITNESS - Sponsored by Sisterhood. 7:45
pm. All ages and fitness levels welcome. No Previous dance experience is
needed. Come join us! Its FUN, elevates your mood and gets you FIT fast and
ENERGIZED!! Contact Bette at [email protected] for drop in and try it
rates, package pricing and full schedule updates.
WEDNESDAY
TALMUD CLASS WITH DR. AARON NUSSBAUM | 9:15 am. Chapel.
MAH JONGG AND RUMMIKUB HOSTED BY SISTERHOOD. Games begin at 12:30 to
3:30 pm. Donation of a Toonie. Refreshments served. Mah Jongg Games and
Rummikub games needed. If you have one to donate, contact the office. FREE
Mah Jongg Lessons! Call for info and to register!
SISTERHOOD PRESENTS ISRAELI FOLK DANCING WITH SHOSHANA FRANK. Beginners 7
pm • Intermediate/Advanced. 8 pm. $8.00 per class. Info? Call Shoshana Frank at
905.889.9419.
THURSDAY
NASH & DRASH 2015 - February 19, March 26 (Pre-Pesach Nash & Drash with the
Cantor), April 23 and May 21. $13 pp.
Please pick up a flyer or check our web site /facebook page for more information on our upcoming events.
THE LIBRARY ~10 am - 12 noon. Drop by and peruse our many fabulous new
titles! Churchill & the Jews by Martin Gilbert; Vengeance by George Jonas.
World Wide Wrap
Sunday February 1st
The Joy of Singing - Vocal Workshop
Sunday February 1st
Reel & Spiel - “A Serious Man”
Wednesday February 4th
Scotch Tasting with Dinner Pairings
Wednesday February 11th
Eli Rubenstein - Brunch
Sunday February 15th
Girls Night Out
Thursday February 26th
Les Miz Gilla According to Judge Judy
Wednesday March 4th
Les Miz Gilla According to Judge Judy
and Annual Purim Carnival
Sunday March 8th
Leon Eisner Memorial Lecture
Monday March 9th
Mens’ Club Bourbon Tasting
Wednesday March 11th
Shabbat Across Canada
Friday March 13th
Rouhama Danto - Sistine Chapel Symbology
Wednesday March 25th
Pre-Passover Nash ‘n Drash
Thursday March 26th
Sisterhood Girls Night Out
Thursday March 26th
Passover Workshop
Sunday March 29th
Earth Day
Monday April 20th
60th Anniversary Scholar-In-Residence Weekend
April 24-26
David Anisman Dinner Draw
Thursday May 4th
THE JNF TORONTO TU B’SHEVAT TELETHON takes place on
Sunday February 1st and Tuesday evening February 3rd. Sunday’s
10-4 and Tuesday night; 6:30-9 pm with other dates to follow – any
hours offered are gratefully accepted. Training and refreshments will
be provided. Interested volunteers should contact Toby York at toby.
[email protected] or call 416-638-7200 x 123 or to secure a spot at the
table.
CHAZZAN’S CORNER
Davening Class - Chazzan Edwards offers an informal,
hands on practical class - Monday evenings
following Mincha services.
FYI: Please be aware that in the event of a medical emergency, our Security Personnel are
EVENTS
YOUTH & YOUNG FAMILIES
BETH EMETH GREENING COMMITTEE
Junior Congregation
Shakin’ Up Shabbat!
One of the themes from Shabbat Shirah ve Tu B’shvat
“Sabbath of Song” was sung by Moses and the Children of Israel at the
sea, hence also known as Shirat Hayam, the boundary where wood
meets water. What we can do this week to honour this:
• When renovating, upgrade to water saving appliances ( e.g. dual flush
toilets, low flow showerheads)
• Because purifying and supplying water expends significant energy,
conserve water whenever possible (e.g. turn off taps when soaping,
shampooing and while brushing teeth).
every Shabbat at 10 am with a fun activity
led by Elie Morrison and Samara Gottesman
or by Omer Itzhak, our Shinshinit. New program with
lots of fun activities and games! See you there!
Sam Kotzer Shabbat & Festival Gan Program
OPEN YEAR ROUND FOR NURSERY SERVICES.
Hilda Swirsky, RN, BScN, MEd, Chair,
[email protected] or Fay Rakoff, [email protected]
10 am - 12 noon | BEBY Babies Room (lower level)
Structured weekly Shabbat programming
for children ages 1 through JK,
including Tefillot, songs, games, and healthy snacks.
THIS WEEK! DON’T MISS OUT!
The Joy of Singing | Vocal Workshop with
Dr. Robert Loewen
Sunday, February 1st
Sponsored by Beth Emeth Sisterhood and the Music Committee
Beginner Workshop: 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.
Experienced singers Workshop: 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Light refreshments available after the second workshop.
Maximum enrolment -18 singers per session.
BEBY Members ~$15 | NM ~ $20.
Reel and Spiel - A Serious Man (2009)
Wednesday February 4th — 7 pm
Directed by the Coen Brothers - Black comedy set in the 60’s - Larry
Gopnik, a Midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel and
although he seeks meaning and answers, he seems to keep sinking.
Introduction by Rabbi Leslie Lipson.$5. Popcorn & refreshments.
BEBY Men’s Club & FJMC present:
Scotch Tasting & Dinner
Wednesday February 11th — 7 pm
Gourmet Dinner catered by Uptown and Scotch Tastings. FJMC
members & immediate family guests: $90 pp. NM $108. Purchase
via Eventbrite or through the shul office by February 4th.
http://bebyscotchtasting.eventbrite.ca
Continuing Ed presents:
Eli Rubenstein - Writer and Story Teller.
Significant Jewish Events in our Lifetime.
Sunday February 15th — 11:30 am
Join us for a delicious brunch and tales of
Jewish Historical significance.
Arback Hall. $10 pp. RSVP to office by Thursday, February 12th.
Contact DALE at [email protected] or
call 416 633.3838 for MORE INFO or to
RSVP to any program.
YOUTH EVENTS
To book a Youth Kiddush please send an email to [email protected].
Men’s Club presents:
World Wide Wrap | Sunday February 1st
8:30 am services followed by complimentary breakfast. Call the
office to RSVP. No charge. This year more than ever, we must bind
together and be counted! We all count — men, women, teens,
students and lefties are all welcome to join in laying tefillin. Bring
yourself, children, siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren
and friends and let’s tie the generations together! Personal tefillin
trainers will be on hand (and head) to help.
PJ PLUS IS A PARENT (OR GRANDPARENT!) AND TOT
PROGRAM for 1.5 -3 years old. This 10 week program runs
Sunday mornings right here at Beth Emeth! Your first class is FREE!
9:30 - 10:45 am in the BEBY Babies Room. Winter session begins
January 25th. Join us!
CHILLIN’ N’ CHOLENT FOR TEENS!
Calling all Beth Emeth Teens! Chillin’ n’ Cholent is back! Join us
following services (approx 12:30 pm) in the boardroom for Rabbi
Lipson’s famous cholent (and other goodies!) Next Date TBA.
RSVP to Dale, 416-633-3838 x229 or email [email protected].
ShinShinim Hangout with Teens! January 31st: Come out
for a delicious Israeli cooking night! At the Yakobi residence (RSVP
to Dale) Cost: $5.
Annual CCCS Winter Shabbaton Retreat! and Snow
Tubing Kitchener-Waterloo. February 20 - 22nd. For youth
grades 6-8 AND 9-12. Cost: $118 and includes all food, activities
and accommodations at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. To register,
contact Dale.
Café Shinshinim:
Join Omer for a lively bi-weekly program
covering a range of current topics. Next
program February 17th.
YIZKOR BOOK- 2015: If you wish to have your dedications
included in this year’s Yizkor Book, please call the
office and speak to Freda at 416.633.3838.
CPR trained. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to seek out their services.
BESHALACH
Excerpted from Prof. Arnold M. Eisen,
Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary JTS - www.learn.jtsa.edu
I’d like to suggest that from the first words of this week’s portion to the last, we find lessons of direct relevance to issues of revelation and commandment, faith and covenant
that have been on the minds of thoughtful Jews for centuries and remain matters of
concern today.
Take the very beginning of the parashah. God did not lead the Israelites out of Egypt
on the Way of the Land of the Philistines, though it was close by, lest the people have
a change of heart (i.e., lose courage) at the sight of war and return to Egypt. This God,
now as always, accommodates human needs, perceptions, and realities—even fears.
The direct relation between divine strategy and human foibles is underlined by the
similar sound of the two key words in the passage: God naham (led them) lest Israel
yinahem (regret, change heart [Gen. 13:17]).
Maimonides and other Jewish philosophers had much to say about the notion of accommodation. It would be hard to think of a concept more crucial to understanding
covenant and revelation. The very language of Torah accommodates human understanding—and the limits of such understanding—when it employs human metaphors
in describing God: arms, fingers, hands—and voice. The Torah does the same when it
tells vivid stories that communicate complex notions effectively to a diverse audience
(the stories we read this week are a case in point). It struggles with the fact that both
our reason and our imagination are bounded (and distorted) by extrapolation from
human experience. God by definition surpasses experience and extrapolation alike.
Heschel taught that the most basic words of all to the Torah are perhaps the most
difficult: “God said” and “The Lord spoke.” What could these words possibly mean?
Hence the Rabbis’ frequent resort to the explanatory principle, “Torah is written in
human language.” Its words cannot capture the reality to which they point. The Torah
cannot even point directly at the divine object of its thought much of the time. It must
proceed in roundabout ways, just like the Israelites leaving Egypt.
This makes covenant, a divine-human partnership for the betterment of God’s world,
our world, both necessary and difficult. The Torah describes but cannot make sense
of the fact that God has given less-than-perfect human beings a degree of freedom and
control over history and even over nature. We are not automatons. God is not a puppeteer. The Torah insists that God is involved in history—never more so than at the
Exodus described in Beshallah—but that this involvement remains (at least from our
point of view, which is the point of view from which the Torah sees things) episodic,
unpredictable, incomplete. God requires human beings, Israelites in this paradigmatic
case, in all our imperfection, and with all our capacities, to make the world more
BEBY Continuing Education & Morasha present:
Feb 25 to March 25 - Rabbi Torczyner’s Sociology and the Synagogue in
five classes, (including The Synagogue Kiddush, Creating a Society of Trust,
Communal Prayer, The Needs of the Many and the Needs of the Few, Splintering
Synagogues). 10:00 -11:00 am at Beth Emeth
If you are away and want to be included on the mailing list in order to receive
the audio, you can do so for $25.00. Pick up a registration form from the foyer.
Feb 25 to April 1 - York University Professor Emeritus, Barrie Wilson’s
Secrets of Early Christianity, The Lost Gospel in six classes. A Jewish
perspective on Early Christianity focusing on such questions as, How did early
Christians understand the Hebrew scriptures? Why do some Christians reject the
idea of a human, Jewish, married Jesus? How did the Christian scriptures come to
be? and much more. The course will use Prof Wilson’s recent international bestseller The Lost Gospel, as a way into the secrets of early Christianity including the
social, family, and political side of Jesus. 11:15 am - 12:15 pm at Beth Emeth.
For more information and to register, call Loretta Tanenbaum at 416-789-7400
or email [email protected]. BEBY Members receive price discount.
Flyers and registration forms available from the foyer.
Consider a Weekly Bulletin Sponsorship!
Call the office to arrange your dedication.
We would love to announce your BREAKFAST SPONSORSHIP right here in the
weekly Bulletin! Whatever the occasion - birthdays, anniversaries, births, graduations, and in memoriam. Please call the office for information and to reserve.
*The Bulletin deadline is THURSDAY NOON of each week.
Beyond that time we can not guarantee placement.
just and compassionate. The required combination
of divine and human action and initiative is demonstrated in our parashah time after time.
LARGE PRINT
SIDDURIM
available.
Ask an usher.
ROSEN JUDAICA
GIFT SHOP
For example: God worries that the Israelites will
HUGE PRE-PASSOVER
panic when they see war and return to Egypt. Yet
pre-inventory blow out
we learn in the very next verse that the Israelites
left Egypt “armed.” They will of course panic any
sale! Begins March 1st.
number of times in this parashah, and those that follow—not least because the way on which God leads
Call Sonia Hendler
the Israelites places them directly in the line of battle.
at 416 633.3838 x 224
At the Red Sea, God fights their battles for them. In
another crucial pun, Moses tells them not to fear (al
Wednesday mornings
tira’u) but instead stand fast and see (re’u). A famous
10 am - 12:30 pm
midrash noted that the salvation at the sea required
the Israelites to walk into its giant billowing waves.
or by appointment.
Put another way: God leads with a cloud by day and
a pillar of fire by night, but the Israelites must do the
walking—and they need human guides to show the
exact way through the wilderness, human warriors to protect them as they go, human
wisdom to govern them, human judges to discern right from wrong. Cloud and fire are
visible but ambiguous, necessary but not sufficient. God’s direction is like that.
That is why tradition is so crucial to this path: the fact that each generation need not
invent things for itself, but can carry forward a project it inherits. Each must innovate
in order to carry the project forward—but it must also remain loyal to that project
rather than substitute others that are totally of its own devising. The combination of
creativity and obligation in each generation’s relation to the past directly parallels the
combination of individual freedom and collective obligation built into the covenant
itself. Both pairs are necessary to covenant. Hartman, following R. Jose, found this
teaching in the story of the manna. I think the Torah teaches it beautifully in two other
passages in Beshallah as well.
The first—my personal favorite in the parashah—comes at the outset. Moses took the
bones of Joseph with him when the Israelites left Egypt, because Joseph had sworn to
the Israelites (way back when), saying, “God will surely take notice of you (i.e., recall
your plight); then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” We read that
injunction several weeks back, at the close of the book of Genesis. Now, at the very
moment of Exodus, the Israelites not onlyseeGod’s promise to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob fulfilled, but get to join in such fulfillment of promises across
the generations—to experience it from the inside, we might say, as actor and not just
recipient-by doing what their ancestors had promised that they, the ancestors’ descendants, would do. The act is all the more powerful because it concerns burial: the deed
that none of us can perform on our own behalf and must rely on others (children and
community) to do for us.
Hashkama Minyan Sponsorship
Dr. Leslie & Tzila Lee in celebration of their 40th Wedding
Anniversary
and by Leslie & Michael Kinrys in observance of the 12th Yahrzeit
for her aunt Irene Dacks l”z on Tu B’shvat.
Weekly Morning Simchas & Sponsorships
Murray and Leo Altberg in observance of Yahrzeit for their mother,
Chaya Blima l”z
Sara Belzycki and family in observance of Yahrzeit for her beloved
husband Joseph Belzycki l”z
Jack Taksa in honour of the Offruf for his grandson, Aaron Schacter.
Now on Twitter too!
Read the weekly blog - penned by Rav Yitz!
http://drinkingwisdom.blogspot.com/
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www.beby.org for more info.