In my newsletter series last year, I guided us on a bit of a tour of the geography of the Amidah. As with most guided tours, our journey through the Amidah was too short - it only provided an opportunity to point out highlights and hopefully spark your interest to return and find out more. Luckily, unlike a tour to a foreign country, it is possible to revisit the Amidah any day of the week, no airfare required! I invite all of you to continue the exploration of its depths and peaks on your own, and share what you discover with me and with others! This year's newsletter excursion will be through the Talmud. Given the vast quantity of texts in the Talmudic landscape, in contrast with the more limited size of the Amidah, this year we will be farther than ever from getting a full picture of the layout of the land.... Furthermore, in a Talmudic landscape there are not only peaks and valleys, but intri- cate networks of winding trails of argument with difficult footwork and surprise switchbacks, so that it can be all too easy to get disoriented and lost. And whoever in- vented the concept of not being able to see the forest for the trees might have had Tal- mud in mind too. This year, on our first ex- cursion together through this landscape, I will aim to guide us on some easier trails that have overlook spots providing a clearer view of the forest with all its richness and diversity. But by doing so I don't want to give the impres- sion that Talmud is always easy. So, for the moment, we are going to plunge into a somewhat wilder spot, a spot that is an atypical starting point. We will begin not with a summary of the history and development of the Talmud, nor even with the beginning text of the first volume of the Talmud. Rather, because the High Holidays are already upon us, I thought I would jump ahead and bring us directly to take a glimpse at Tractate Rosh Hashanah. If one were to pull this volume off the shelf and start reading, it would not be immediately apparent that Rosh Hashanah was its primary concern! It begins by quoting a section of an earlier legal text, called the Mishnah, which states that there are four New Years: "There are four periods of commencement of years: viz.—on the first of Nissan is a new year for [the computation of the reign of] kings, and for festivals; the first of Elul is a new year for the tithe of cattle, but according to R. Eleazar and R. Simeon, it is on the first of Tishri. The first of Tishri is New Year's [day] for the ordinary or civil year, for the computa- tion of the seventh years [or years of release], and of the jubilees; also for the planting of trees, and for herbs. On the first of Shevat is the new year for trees, according to Beth Shammai; but Beth Hillel say, "it is on the fifteenth of the same month." (By the way, R. Eleazar = Rabbi Eleazar...) In brief (or not so brief) then, the new years may be counted as follows: * The first of Nissan: for kings and for festivals (i.e., Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot) * The first of Elul: for tithing animals (but some say this should be the first of Tishrei, which would imply that perhaps this is not a new year after all, so maybe there are only three....?!) * The first of Tishrei: for civil matters, for the jubilee, for planting trees and herbs (and this is, of course, the Rosh Hashanah that we celebrate in the Fall) * The first of Shevat: for trees (but some say it is the fifteenth of Shevat) You might notice that this initial text from the Mish- nah is full of disagreements. Is Elul even a new year at all? Is the new year for trees on the 1st or the 15th of Shevat? Why do there seem to be two new years for trees - Tishrei and Shevat? And what is a new year for kings anyway?! The Mishnah itself does not resolve these kinds of questions here, which necessitates further discussion. The Gemara (the Talmud's commentary on the Mishnah) obligingly fills that void. Perhaps even over-fills it! Rabbi’s Message September, 2013 “The Temple Shofar” Temple B’nai Abraham Important Dates Erev Rosh Hashanah 7:30pm 9/4 Rosh Hashanah 9:30am 9/5 Rosh Hashanah 9:30am 9/6 Hebrew School Open House 10am 9/8 Kol Nidre 6:15pm 9/13 Yom Kippur 9:30am 9/14 Ne’lah 6:00pm 9/14 Shabbat 7:30pm 9/20 Tot Shabbat 6:00pm 9/27 Temple President Rabbi Sarah Siedel Sisterhood President Charlie Weiss Julie Pfau Randye Bloom Temple Officers Temple President Charlie Weiss Executive Vice President Brian Epstein VP, Finance & Treasurer Michael Rosen VP, Religious Committee Marcia Rosen VP, Membership Devlp. Kim Aubry Chair, Religious School Robin Affrime Chair, Adult Education Betsy Ramos Chair, Building Neil Nissim Chair, Fundraising Linda Osman Recording Secretary Susan Giachetti (Continued on page 2)
11
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Temple B’nai Abraham · Temple B’nai Abraham Important Dates Erev Rosh Hashanah 7:30pm 9/4 Rosh Hashanah 9:30am 9/5 Rosh Hashanah ... vals. The discussion is elaborate and goes
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Transcript
In my newsletter series last year, I guided us
on a bit of a tour of the geography of the
Amidah. As with most guided tours, our
journey through the Amidah was too short -
it only provided an opportunity to point out
highlights and hopefully spark your interest to
return and find out more. Luckily, unlike a
tour to a foreign country, it is possible to
revisit the Amidah any day of the week, no
airfare required! I invite all of you to continue
the exploration of its depths and peaks on
your own, and share what you discover with
me and with others!
This year's newsletter excursion will be
through the Talmud. Given the vast quantity
of texts in the Talmudic landscape, in contrast
with the more limited size of the Amidah, this
year we will be farther than ever from getting
a full picture of the layout of the
land.... Furthermore, in a Talmudic landscape
there are not only peaks and valleys, but intri-
cate networks of winding trails of argument
with difficult footwork and surprise
switchbacks, so that it can be all too easy to
get disoriented and lost. And whoever in-
vented the concept of not being able to see
the forest for the trees might have had Tal-
mud in mind too. This year, on our first ex-
cursion together through this landscape, I will
aim to guide us on some easier trails that have
overlook spots providing a clearer view of the
forest with all its richness and diversity. But
by doing so I don't want to give the impres-
sion that Talmud is always easy.
So, for the moment, we are going to plunge
into a somewhat wilder spot, a spot that is an
atypical starting point. We will begin not with
a summary of the history and development of
the Talmud, nor even with the beginning text
of the first volume of the Talmud. Rather,
because the High Holidays are already upon
us, I thought I would jump ahead and bring us
directly to take a glimpse at Tractate Rosh
Hashanah.
If one were to pull this volume off the shelf and start
reading, it would not be immediately apparent that
Rosh Hashanah was its primary concern! It begins by
quoting a section of an earlier legal text, called the
Mishnah, which states that there are four New Years:
"There are four periods of commencement of years:
viz.—on the first of Nissan is a new year for [the
computation of the reign of] kings, and for festivals;
the first of Elul is a new year for the tithe of cattle,
but according to R. Eleazar and R. Simeon, it is on
the first of Tishri. The first of Tishri is New Year's
[day] for the ordinary or civil year, for the computa-
tion of the seventh years [or years of release], and of
the jubilees; also for the planting of trees, and for
herbs. On the first of Shevat is the new year for
trees, according to Beth Shammai; but Beth Hillel say,
"it is on the fifteenth of the same month." (By the
way, R. Eleazar = Rabbi Eleazar...)
In brief (or not so brief) then, the new years may be
counted as follows:
* The first of Nissan: for kings and for festivals (i.e.,
Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot)
* The first of Elul: for tithing animals (but some say
this should be the first of Tishrei, which would imply
that perhaps this is not a new year after all, so maybe
there are only three....?!)
* The first of Tishrei: for civil matters, for the jubilee,
for planting trees and herbs (and this is, of course,
the Rosh Hashanah that we celebrate in the Fall)
* The first of Shevat: for trees (but some say it is the
fifteenth of Shevat)
You might notice that this initial text from the Mish-
nah is full of disagreements. Is Elul even a new year
at all? Is the new year for trees on the 1st or the
15th of Shevat? Why do there seem to be two new
years for trees - Tishrei and Shevat? And what is a
new year for kings anyway?! The Mishnah itself does
not resolve these kinds of questions here, which
necessitates further discussion. The Gemara (the
Talmud's commentary on the Mishnah) obligingly fills
that void. Perhaps even over-fills it!
Rabbi’s Message
September, 2013 “The Temple Shofar”
Temple B’nai Abraham
Important Dates
Erev Rosh Hashanah
7:30pm 9/4
Rosh Hashanah
9:30am 9/5
Rosh Hashanah
9:30am 9/6
Hebrew School Open House 10am
9/8
Kol Nidre 6:15pm
9/13
Yom Kippur 9:30am
9/14
Ne’lah
6:00pm 9/14
Shabbat
7:30pm 9/20
Tot Shabbat
6:00pm 9/27
Temple President Rabbi Sarah Siedel Sisterhood President
Charlie Weiss Julie Pfau Randye Bloom
Temple Officers
Temple President
Charlie Weiss
Executive Vice President
Brian Epstein
VP, Finance & Treasurer
Michael Rosen
VP, Religious Committee
Marcia Rosen
VP, Membership Devlp.
Kim Aubry
Chair, Religious School
Robin Affrime
Chair, Adult Education
Betsy Ramos
Chair, Building
Neil Nissim
Chair, Fundraising
Linda Osman
Recording Secretary
Susan Giachetti
(Continued on page 2)
comfort, who console. I am
proud to be president of this
wonderful institution, with all
its rich history and heritage. I
follow in the footsteps of a long
list of incredible temple presi-
dents, many of whom are still
members. You will see us all at
the start of the High Holiday
services. It is a special mo-
ment, but only one of many
throughout the year.
At this time of year, Ashkenazi
Jews say L’shana Tova Ketiva
ve-chatima tovah which trans-
lates as "may you be written
and sealed for a good
year." The formal Sephardic
greeting is Tizku leshanim rab-
bot, which means "may you
merit many years." Whatever
your custom, I wish you a
sweet and prosperous year.
Warm regards,
Charlie Weiss
Page 2 Temple B’nai Abraham
The summer always goes by so
quickly, but this has been a
great one for B’nai Abraham. It
started with a very successful
set of Congregational Meetings
– my first time leading. Since
joining TBA and attending
these annual meetings, I’ve
always felt there was something
special about getting together
once a year to renew our col-
lective decision to persevere as
a congregation, to budget our
funds wisely, and to invite our
community members to take
on a larger role.
As is tradition, we voted in the
incoming temple board. As you
connect with these representa-
tives throughout the year,
please take a moment to shake
their hand and thank them for
their unswerving dedication
and invaluable service to our
community. And on a similar
note, I would also like to take
After beginning Tractate Rosh Hashanah by
quoting the above Mishnah, the Gemara goes
on to discuss the first case listed - the first of
Nissan, the new year for kings and festi-
vals. The discussion is elaborate and goes on
for several pages or dapim (the word for page
is daf, the plural is dapim).
When I first started reading this volume of
Talmud, I found myself frustrated by this dis-
cussion. I wanted them to talk about Rosh
Hashanah, to offer some guidance and perhaps
even spiritual insight to infuse my holiday
preparations with meaning, but here they were
arguing about how to count the reign of a king
based on which month he came into power!
Comments about predated and post-dated
documents were only the beginning. They dis-
cussed what happens if a king comes into
power on the 29th of Adar, or the 1st of Nis-
san, or what happens if the prior king dies in
Adar but the new king doesn't come into
power until Nissan, or if the prior king dies in
Adar and is succeeded in Adar, or if the prior
king dies in Nissan and is succeeded in Nis-
san.... They jumped back to the timing of the
Exodus story, discussed the timing of Moses'
final speech and Aaron's death, and the life and
death of a foreign king named Sichon....
The convoluted journey seemed to draw ever
farther from the Days of Awe.... And in the
midst if my frustration, I wondered why I was
surprised. I, a Rabbi, well acquainted with the
non-linear nature of the Talmud and its vastly
different historical and social context, had nev-
ertheless come to the text with an expectation
that it should fit with my sense of order and
speak to my current priorities and spiritual
needs. How silly of me!
And this is the first lesson to be learned about
Talmud. It will always surprise you. It will not
be what you expect. Sometimes it will most
definitely NOT be what you want! But what
happens when you let go of expectations for
what the text should be might surprise you. In
the case of my foray into Tractate Rosh Hasha-
nah, well, you will just have to wait until the
High Holidays to find out!
Shanah tovah u'metukah!
I wish all of you a good and sweet new year!
Shalom,
Rabbi Pfau
President’s Message
the opportunity to thank our
outgoing board member – Sid
Morginstin – and incoming
board member – Marcia Rosen
– whose involvement will
gratefully continue beyond
their official capacities.
We also spent the summer
rededicating our efforts to
increasing membership. Special
thanks to Debby Weiss & Brian
Epstein for their endless hours
spent designing our long-
overdue NEW WEBSITE that
our community and visitors will
be able to enjoy beginning this
month. The new website is
more than just a resource and
marketing tool…it’s our first
point of contact where we
have an opportunity to tell our
compelling story.
This synagogue is blessed with
staff and congregants who
reach out, who welcome, who
Rabbi’s Message (continued from page 1)
Get well to Ronnie Zeichner from Elaine and Jay Trackman
In honor of Kim Aubry member-of-the-year from Elaine and Jay Trackman
In memory of Ron Szymanski from Marsha and Joel Dowshen, Michael Scolaro and Randye
Bloom
Get well to Elaine Trackman from Ronnie and Stan Zeichner
Get well to David Caldwell from Robin and Steve Affrime, Michael Scolaro and Randye Bloom
Phyllis Busch for the yahrtzeit remembering Bee Busch
Brian & Maribeth Epstein in memory of Ethel Shipe
Eileen Gale in memory of Marcel Nissim
Betsy Ramos in memory of Bernard Shain
Jack Ross for the yahrtzeit remembering Bonnie Ross
Randye Bloom & Michael Scolaro in memory of Elaine Zeitz
Renee Harrison for the yahrtzeit remembering Harvey Roseman
Rhea Goldman for the yahrtzeit remembering Norman Goldman
Elaine & Jay Trackman for the yahrtzeit remembering Elinor Roth
Brian & Maribeth Epstein for the yahrtzeits remembering Annette Brewis, Jerome Epstein,
Benjamin Epstein
Randye Bloom & Michael Scolaro for the yahrtzeit remembering Selma Bloom
Marcy Schwartz-Shain & Richard Shain for the yahrtzeit remembering Celia Schwartz
Plaques are available for $250. To order a plaque, send the following to TBA: Marcia Rosen, Plaque Chairman PO Box 245 Bordentown, NJ 08505 or: [email protected]. English name of loved one, Hebrew name of loved one and date of death in the English cal-endar. Once the plaque has been installed, you will be billed. Plaques will not be moved from one board to the other.
Old Prayer Books
& Kippot
Old prayer books, Talle-sim, kippot, or other religious items that are no longer needed should be buried. Please place these items into the box (by the sanctuary stairs). Items will be brought to the local Chabad House for burial. $5 donations are appreciated.
Siddur & Tallit
Donations
A new siddur (prayer book) can be purchased in honor of or in memory of someone for $35. A tallis (prayer shawl) can be purchased for $60. Please contact Marcia Rosen at: [email protected]
Morning Services 2013-14
October 12th
November 16th
December 14th
January18th
February 15st
March 22nd
April 26th
May 31st
Brendon Weiskott Bar Mitzvah
June 7th
Rubin Carlis Bar Mitzvah
June 28st
Matthew Kunkler Bar Mitzvah
Yahrzeits for Fall 2013
Sept. 6th Elinore Roth, mother of Elaine Trackman
Frank Schwartz, uncle of Phyllis Chudoff
Sept. 13th
Herman Sternfeld, father of Mildred Josephson
Ida Kushner, mother of Sol Kushner
Bea Schwartz, aunt of Phillis Chudoff
Fred Gutstein, husband of Lillian Gutstein
Molly Schaffer, mother of Rhoda Kessler
Sept. 20th Nissim Nissim, father of Marty Nissim
Sept. 27th Mervin Groveman, husband of Seena Groveman
Oct. 4th
Elsie Sternfeld, mother of Mildred Josephson
Howard Sacks, father of Faith Hupfl
Paul Goldfarb, stepfather of Charyl Morginstin
Oct. 11th Myrna Morris, wife of Ron Morris
Oct. 18th Gertrude Herzog, mother of Madge Rosen, grandmother of Mike Rosen
Walter Harrison, husband of Renee Harrison
Oct. 25th
Selma Densky, mother of Sharon Coleman
Abraham Zackler, father of Marsha Dowshen
Helen Roseman, mother of Renee Harrison
Lillian Brewis, great-grandmother of Brian Epstein