ONE MORNING, THREE MITZVOT

17 NOVEMBER 2018

A VERY SPECIAL SHABBAT AT THE

CONGREGATIONAL RESIDENCE ON SATURDAY MORNING

YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN:

 

TORAH STUDY AT 9:30 PARASHAT VAYETSAI AND THE STORY OF JACOB'S LADDER

 

SHABBAT MORNING SERVICE AT 10:30

 

SOUP KITCHEN SHABBAT LUNCH AT 12:30

 

AS A PART OF BETH SHALOM'S COMMITMENT TO TIKKUN OLAM RABBI DAVID AND DAVID Z WILL BE MAKING AND SERVING SOUP AND CHALLAH FOR THE CONGREGATIONAL LUNCH FOLLOWING SERVICES. WE ASK YOU TO DONATE WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE SPENT IF YOU HAD GONE OUT FOR A MEAL OR WHATEVER AMOUNT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE GIVING.

THEN OUR COMBINED TZEDAKAH WILL BE DONATED IN THE NAME OF BETH SHALOM TO A WORTHY CHARITABLE CAUSE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 

 

WE SING AL SHELOSHAH DEVARIM, ON THREE THINGS THE WORLD IS SUSTAINED: ON TORAH, ON WORSHIP AND ON LOVING DEEDS

 

JOIN US ON NOVEMBER 17TH FOR A CHANCE TO PUT THESE WORDS INTO ACTION.

HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO OBSERVE THREE IMPORTANT MITZVOT IN ONE HAPPY MORNING. 

IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IF YOU LET US KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU WILL BE COMING SO OUR

CHEFS WILL KNOW HOW MUCH SOUP TO PREPARE.

 

RSVP TO:

BETHSHALOM.MILANO@GMAIL.COM

 

A response to the Pittsburgh tragedy

We of Congregation Beth Shalom in Milan are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic shooting that took place at Congregation Tree of Life in Pittsburgh in the United States. We pray for the souls of those who came to the synagogue for Shabbat and who lost their lives simply because they were Jews. 

We pray for the families of the victims that they may find strength at this time of deepest grief. We pray for those who were injured. May God be with them and all who mourn with them.

The tragedy that touches any of our congregations touches all our congregations. 

May hatred cease from our world, speedily and in our time. We will continue to respond to this senseless act of hatred with acts of goodness and peace.

Rabbi David Whiman

Yom Kippur Morning Sermon, 5779/2018

By Rabbi Donald Goor

Zionism is an Infinite Ideal

I have to be honest – I struggled as I prepared for today.  Evan and I are so happy with our lives – its great to work part time, to live in an apartment that we helped design and was remodeled for us, to travel a lot, to serve this congregation in Milan, to be living our dream.  No complaints.  We have a great life.  Yet when I look around and see what is happening in the Israel I love, I’m more and more upset.  So today I want to be honest with you –brutally honest.  Share my thoughts, my feelings, to challenge you to think differently about Israel.  

Let me begin with an important statement.  I’m a passionate Zionist. I’m concerned for Israel’s existence. The land and people of Israel are central to my identity.   I love Israel. And that’s what I want for you. To be a passionate Zionist.  But more than that – to also be an introspective Zionist.

I’m also a concerned, even frightened Zionist. The Israel I love is going down a path to become a modern nation state that is antithetical to my values, to values such as pluralism, democracy, even Judaism.  

I grew up loving Israel, proud of Israel.  I remember at Sunday school passing around the little blue box – the same blue box that my grandmother placed each week next to her Shabbat candles.  I was taught a Zionism that is encapsulated in that little blue box JNF box.  Together we will built a state.  We will make real our ancient prayers and aspirations.  We will ensure its borders. We will gather in the exiles, from Europe, the Middle East, Yemin, Persia, Ethiopia.   We will created a thriving economy. Jaffa Oranges- and now Waze – high tech.  70 years of pride. We will build a modern day Garden of Eden.   Hatikvah. We will achieve the dream.  We will come home. 

“And we… even after 70 years…we are not yet there. We are not yet home. Israel was established so that the Jewish people, who have nearly never felt at-home-in-the-world, would finally have a home. And now, 70 years later, strong Israel may be a fortress, but it is not yet a home..

…When the Israeli government attempts to improvise questionable deals with Uganda and Rwanda, and is willing to endanger the lives of thousands of asylum seekers and expel them to the unknown — Israel is less of a home.

And when the prime minister defames and incites against human rights organizations, and when he is looking for ways to enact laws that bypass the High Court of Justice, and when democracy and the courts are constantly challenged, Israel becomes even a little less of a home —for everyone.

When Israel neglects and discriminates against residents on the fringes of society; when it abandons and continuously weakens the residents of southern Tel Aviv; when it hardens its heart to the plight of the weak and voiceless — Holocaust survivors, the needy, single-parent families, the elderly, boarding houses for children removed from their homes, and crumbling hospitals — it is less of a home. It is a dysfunctional home.

[when Israel passes laws that discriminate against the LGBT community, it is far from being our home.]

And when [it passes a Nation State Bill] that neglects and discriminates against 1.5 million Palestinian citizens of Israel; when it practically forfeits the great potential they have for a shared life in the land — it is less of a home — both for the minority and the majority.

And when Israel arrests a rabbi for doing a wedding…denies a space at the Kotel for us to pray, when Israel strips away the Jewishness of millions of Reform and Conservative Jews — again Israel is less of a home.” (David Grossman)

This is not the Israel that I hoped for when I put my quarters in the little blue box, or that my grandmother envisioned when she started Shabbat by putting change in her little blue box.  This is not the Israel that Ben Gurion envisioned when he signed the declaration of independence.  This is not the Israel that I was taught as a child or that I envisioned when I became a citizen.   This isn’t a Zionism of which I can be proud. 

Our challenge today is not to create or defend a state.  Our challenge today is to maintain a secure safe state that lives according to Jewish values.   I am worried that we are busy worrying about defending a state that we will soon find completely objectionable.  Do we really want a secure and safe Jewish homeland that we find objectionable and that looks upon us objectionable as well? 

 I am a proud Zionist, and I am also an introspective Zionist.  its time that we raised our voices and created a new Zionism for today.   

I envision a new Zionism based upon a serious relationship between Israel and the diaspora, based upon a healthy exchange of ideas and values.  Israel offers us strength of identity, a living breathing Judaism.  We offer a pluralistic, egalitarian Judaism based upon prophetic Jewish values.   

To be a modern day Zionist there are action items for us?  1.  We must care. If we don’t begin to care, deeply and actively, soon – we will soon have an Israel which we can no longer support.  2.  We must speak up. As Jews we have a voice – an authentic and crucial voice based upon authentic Jewish values.  3.  Put your money where your mouth is.  Why do we fund organizations that don’t support the values about which we care so deeply?  Before you support an organization in Israel ask:  Have they made statements about pluralism, about minority rights, about democratic values? And yes, put your money where your mouth is.  Support the Reform movement in Israel.  Join a reform congregation as a foreign member.  That’s support for pluralism, for democracy.  Support the Israel Religious Action Center – the IRAC – the Reform movement’s advocacy center which fights for the right to pray at the kotel. It fights against racism. It fights for women’s rights.  Support the New Israel Fund, an organization that funds non-profits in Israel that stand for democracy, for minority rights, that cares about the quality of the state we love.  Support organizations like the Yad B’yad schools where Jewish and Arab Israelis learn together.  Support Shutaf – a small organization…I’m on their board – which provides after school and camp programs for Jews and Arabs – all of whom have special needs.  

These action items aren’t a luxury – they’re a necessity, and the necessity is now.  Time is running short.  Our Zionism must be passionate – and it must be introspective.   It’s not what’s wrong with Israel that’s important.  And it’s not what’s right about Israel that’s important…it’s all about imagination.  What’s important is that we imagine, and strive to create the Israel that can and should be.  

The Zionism of the little blue box is past – we have a modern, secure state.  The Zionism of today is up to us to create.  It is more than defending a state, it is all about the quality of that state. The Zionism of today calls upon us to stand for democracy, calls upon us to demand pluralism, call out for minority rights, fight racism. 

“Israel is painful for us. Because it is not [yet] the home we want it to be. We acknowledge the great and wonderful thing that happened to us, by having a state...But we also feel the pain of its distortion.”

Theodor Herzl was truly a modern day prophet. He envisioned a modern state. And he looked beyond its creation.   He spoke across the generations when he said:  I once called Zionism an infinite ideal…as it will not cease to be an ideal even after we attain our land, the Land of Israel. For Zionism…encompasses not only the hope of a legally secured homeland for our people….but also the aspiration to reach moral and spiritual perfection.  

Zionism.  Moral and spiritual perfection.  That moral and spiritual perfection is in our hands.  The vision is clear.  The challenge has become obvious.  Action on our part is necessary.  The time is now.  

“…”  David Grossman speaking at the Alternative Memorial Day event in Tel Aviv, April 17, 2018.Ofer Vaknin

Upcoming at Beth Shalom

Dear friends,

Here we go again. This year the High Holidays are even earlier than last year! Please mark your calendars for the following events and services. September and October as always are very busy months for Beth Shalom: that is why we are sending out this message before the summer vacation. Please make sure that you put the following dates on your calendar.

Friday, Sept. 7. at 730pm Kabbalat Shabbat at the congregational apartment. 
Rabbi Goor and Cantor Kent will lead this Shabbat to discuss the upcoming High Holidays. They will help us to reflect in order to set the mood and get into the spirit to observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Please coordinate with Carey Bernitz +393356348682 and Carol Ross +393408794687 to let them know what special dish you will prepare for our potluck dinner. Carey and Carol will then plan a dinner that is balanced with vegetables/ carbohydrates. Some meat or chicken dishes that are also associated with this holiday. Desserts, fresh fruits and wine are also welcome. 

Monday, Sept. 10 at 10:30am Rosh Hashanah Services at the Hotel del La Ville.
For the fourth year, we are honored to have Rabbi Goor and Cantor Kent with us for the High Holidays. This marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year, 5779 culminating 10 days later with Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur services.  

Tuesday, Sept. 18, 7:30pm Kol Nidre services at the Hotel del la Ville.  

This most important night of the year in the Jewish calendar is a time to reflect on the past and think about what we can do to improve our character and the world in the new year, 5779. 

Wed. Sept. 19.  Yom Kippur Services at Hotel de la Ville. 

10:30am morning services
4:30pm Yizkor and Neilah services. 

Sunday September 30. For Sukkot,we have a surprise which we will announce in early September. Save the date!

October/December Calendar

Sat. Oct. 13. 10:30am Shabbat services at Hotel de la Ville

Friday, Oct. 26 730pm Kabbalat Shabbat at the Congregational apartment 

Sat. Nov. 17.  10:30am Shabbat services at the Hotel de la Ville

Sun. Dec. 2.  First day of Hannukah and party at the Congregational apartment

Sat. Dec. 15 10:30am Shabbat services at the Hotel del la Ville 

*Torah study class schedule will be published in early September. 

Carey Bernitz, President of Beth Shalom and the Board wish you Shabbat Shalom and a happy summer and we look forward to all being together again for the High Holidays! 

Shavuot and the seven-rung ladder Challah

For the Shavuot holiday it’s a custom to bake a seven-rung ladder Challah.

NUMBER SEVEN IS VERY SPIRITUAL AND IT’S REPEATED MANY TIMES IN THE JEWISH TRADITION:

·      7 ARE OUR FATHERS AND OUR MOTHERS: ABRAHAM, ISAAC, JACOB, SARAH, REBECCA, RACHEL AND LEAH.

·      7 ARE THE DAYS OF CREATION AND OF THE WEEK.

·      7 ARE THE WEEKS OF THE OMER WE COUNT.

·      7 ARE THE SPECIES OF THE HOLY LAND: WHEAT, BARLEY, GRAPES, FIGS, POMEGRANATES, OLIVES AND DATES.

·      7 ARE THE HEAVENS GOD OPENED WHEN HE GAVE US THE TORAH.

·      7 ARE THE HAKAFOT (CIRCLES).

·      7 ARE THE USHPIZIN (GUESTS).

·      7 ARE THE ALIYOT (ALIYAH LATORAH).

·      7 ARE THE BRANCHES OF THE MENORAH.

·      7 ARE THE YEARS BETWEEN A SHNAT SHMITAH (SABBATH YEAR) AND THE FOLLOWING ONE.

IN GEMATRIA THE WORD SULAM (סֻלָּם, LADDER IN HEBREW) HAS A SUM OF 7, THE SAME AS THE WORD SINAI. THIS IS A CLUE LEADING US TO MOUNT SINAI, WHERE THE TORAH WAS GIVEN. IT’S A LADDER BETWEEN EARTH AND HEAVEN.

Rabbi Whiman on Reform Judaism

All Judaisms have certain beliefs in common:

  • The existence of a creator
  • A continuing connection between the creator and the creation
  • The belief there is a purpose to life/a way to live

All Judaisms share a body of literature and teachings deemed sacred/holy.

All Judaisms share a relationship with the historic and modern land of Israel.

The Orthodox understands is that Judaism is a revealed body of belief and practice that is and has remained unchanging throughout its history and must remain unchanged.

The liberal understanding is that Judaism is a sacred body of belief and practice that is always evolving and has responded to the changing circumstances of Jewish history.

In Orthodoxy, the way to live is shaped by the demands of Halachah, understood to be an articulation of the will of the creator as interpreted by a recognized authority.

In liberal Judaism, the way to live is shaped by the ethical demands and the ritual practices of the tradition informed by the contextual demands of life and the exercise of human reason.

Halachah sets the boundaries of Jewish living, and Orthodox identity is affirmed through participation in communities of obligation.

Jewish tradition establishes the boundaries of Jewish living and reform identity is affirmed through participation in communities of meaning.

Western Wall and Conversion Law

Resolution EC 170910-2

Western Wall and Conversion Law:
Call for Unity among all Jews and Mutual Respect

The Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress, meeting in London on September 10, 2017,

NOTES that the Western Wall (Kotel) is the last standing structure comprising part of the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. It thus forms a central part of Jewish history and holds deep significance for all Jews, regardless of religious practice, orientation, or gender;

STRONGLY SUPPORTS the Israeli Government’s past agreement to create an official space for egalitarian worship at the Kotel, with joint oversight by all streams of Judaism;

FURTHER DEPRECATES the Israeli government’s decision to support a conversion bill in the Knesset that aims to delegitimize conversions to Judaism in Israel conducted otherwise than by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, thereby revoking the practice of state recognition of Orthodox conversions through independent Orthodox rabbinical courts and the right of Reform and Masorti (Conservative) converts to register in the Interior Ministry as Jewish, and the divisiveness and despair that have arisen as a result of that deicision;

CALLS UPON the Israeli government to urgently work toward finding creative solutions to these issues in the spirit of tolerance, respect, and accommodation, and, importantly, in the spirit of Israel’s Proclamation of Independence, which committed the State of Israel to “guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture”;

URGES productive dialogue between Israel and Diaspora communities in order to engender mutual understanding and ensure that Israel continues to fulfill its Zionist goal as the national home for all Jewsih people and continue the quest for a solution in the interests of the Jewish people;

RECOGNIZES AND AKNOWLEDGES the valid concerns about these decisions of the Israeli government, but urges the resulting anger and deep disappointment be channeled into positive and constructive dialogue, which attempts to resolve these issues for the benefit of Israel and the Jewish people and holds itself ready to assist in this vitally important project.

How to Have an Aliyah

The honor of reciting the blessings over the Torah and standing at the bimah while it is read is called an aliyah (plural, aliyot), which means “going up”. This refers both to the physical ascent of the person to the bimah where the Torah is read and to the spiritual uplifting associated with participation in this hallowed ritual. In most synagogues, to have an aliyah, one must be Jewish and have reached the age of bar mitzvah . Traditionally, only men could be called for an aliyah.
Being called up for an aliyah does not mean you will be asked to read from the Torah, although sometimes people ask to combine the two.

How Many Aliyot (Aliyahs) Per Service?

The number of aliyot in a Torah service varies widely depending on the day of the week and the holiday. On Shabbat morning, there are seven, but some congregations take advantage of a provision in Jewish law that permits dividing the Torah portion into more (but not less) than the required number of aliyot (Meg.23a). These extra aliyot (hosafot) allow one or more additional persons to have the honor of being called up to the Torah.
Three people are called to the Torah on Monday and Thursday mornings, on Sabbath afternoons, during the mincha service on Yom Kippur, on the festivals of Hanukkah and Purim, and on all fast days. There are four aliyot on Rosh Hodesh and on the intermediate days (hol hamoed) of Passover and Sukkot; five on Rosh Hashanah and on the festival days of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot; six on the morning of Yom Kippur; and seven on Sabbath morning.

How to Approach the Bimah

There are two traditions concerning the proper way to approach the bimah when called for an aliyah. One custom is to ascend on the right and descend from the left, in accordance with the practice of approaching the altar in the Temple (Zev. 63a-b). In addition, the entrance to the Temple Mount was from the right (Mid. 2:2). The other tradition is to ascend to the bimah by the shortest route and descend by the longest, thus demonstrating that one is eager to be called for an aliyah and reluctant to leave. According to the Shulchan Arukh, if it is necessary to choose between these two traditions, one should take the shorter route, even if this requires going up from the left (Orakh Hayim 141:7). (You may want to find out the tradition at your synagogue before you have an aliyah).

Watch this video to learn the blessing said at the beginning of the aliyah: 


Watch this video to learn the blessing said at the end of the aliyah: 



It is a dishonor to the Torah to leave the bimah immediately after reciting the final blessing that concludes the aliyah. Among Ashkenazim, it is customary to remain until the entire subsequent Torah portion has been read and the final blessing recited. In the Spanish and Portuguese tradition, one waits only until the person honored with the next aliyah has recited the first Torah blessing, returning to one’s seat while the Torah is being read.

Watch this video for more on what to say and do when you are having an aliyah: 

What To Say After the Aliyah

In Ashkenazic synagogues, other worshipers typically congratulate the person returning from having an aliyah with the Yiddish phrase “Yasher koach,” which means “May you grow in strength” or “May your strength be directed in the right path.” This custom may reflect the belief in Talmud-ic times that intense study of the Torah, symbolized by the Torah reading, “weakens the strength of man” (Sanhedrin 26b).
Among Sephardim, the expression used is “Hazak uvaruch” (Be strong and be blessed) or “Baruch tihiyeh” (May you be blessed), to which the person returning from having an aliyah responds “Hazak ve-ematz“(Be strong and of good courage).
Sephardic women, primarily those from Syria, Iran, and Iraq, make an ululating sound after the Torah honoree (especially a bar mitzvah or bridegroom) has concluded the final blessing or has left the bimah to take his seat. This practice is thought to avert the evil designs of malevolent spirits determined to cast a pall on all joyous events, similar to the original rationale for breaking a glass at the end of the wedding ceremony.

Double Aliyot and Family Members

Traditionally, two people are not called up for the same aliyah. Jewish law requires that congregants hear every word of the Torah reading distinctly, which is difficult if two persons chant the portion simultaneously. This ruling was extended to prohibit two people from being called up to the Torah together, even if only to recite the blessings, since worshipers unable to hear the words clearly would not be permitted to respond “amen”.
In some Conservative and Reform congregations, two or more people are frequently called up for the same aliyah, especially when there is a bar or bat mitzvah . They may either recite the blessings in unison or have one person recite the blessing before the Torah reading and the other the blessing after it.
Traditionally, two blood relatives may not be called consecutively to the Torah, either because of fear that the evil eye will cast a spell upon a family receiving too many blessings or because Jewish law forbids near relatives from testifying together — and those pronouncing the Torah blessings are effectively giving testimony to the truth of the sacred text. However, it is permitted to have one read the seventh aliyah and the other the maftir portion.

What’s the Order, and Who Gets Priority?

The Talmud notes that the precise system for allocating aliyot developed “for the sake of preserving peace in the congregation” (Git. 5:8). The privilege of the first aliyah is given to a Kohen. These members of the priestly caste and descendants of Aaron were to be shown honor and deference because they were consecrated to God and offered the sacrifices to the Lord (Lev. 21:8).
The second person to be called to the Torah is a Levite, a descendant of the family that also played a major role in the Temple service. The remaining aliyot are distributed among the rest of the congregation, who are classified as “Israelites.” Nevertheless, a Kohen or Levite may be called for the seventh aliyah on the Sabbath or for maftir, which is given to the person who reads the haftarah (Git. 60a).
If there is no Kohen, a Levite has the next priority. If there is no Levite, an Israelite is called first. In either of these cases, an announcement is made that the individual is being awarded the aliyah “in place of the Kohen” (bimkom Kohen). If there is no Levite, the Kohen who received the first aliyah is awarded the second one as well.
Reform and some liberal Conservative synagogues have abolished the distinction between Kohen, Levite, and Israelite, both because it is difficult to be certain of the lineage of any Jew (though a genetic characteristic of Kohanim has been reported) and because of a belief in equality for all their members. On the Sabbath the third and sixth aliyot are particularly esteemed, and it is customary to give them to learned individuals or to the person who sponsors the refreshments after services.
It is an even greater honor to receive the final aliyah for each of the five books of the Torah. This is based on the midrashic phrase, “the last [one] is most beloved” (Gen. R. 78:8), which relates to Genesis 33:2, in which Jacob, fearing a conflict with his brother, Esau, placed his adored Rachel and her son Joseph in the safest position at the rear. Other especially honored aliyot are Shirat ha-Yam (Song at the Sea; Exod. 15:1-21) and the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:2-14; Deut. 5:6-18), for which the congregation stands while the Torah is being read.
According to an old tradition, those commemorating specific events in their lives are given precedence in receiving the honor of being called to the Torah. Because of the limited number of aliyot available, it has become necessary to develop guidelines concerning those who should receive them. In this way, the potential for bias among synagogue leaders is eliminated, resentment among worshipers is reduced and dissension is avoided.

In general, priority in the distribution of the third aliyah onward is as follows:

1. A groom or bride on the Sabbath before his/her wedding.

2. A boy who has turned 13 years of age (bar mitzvah), or a girl who had turned 12 or 13 years of age (bat mitzvah).

3. The father or mother of a newborn infant, male or female, on the first Sabbath after the baby is born.

4. A groom or bride on the Sabbath after his/her wedding.

5. The father or mother of a baby girl who is to be named.

6. One observing yahrzeit for a parent on that day.

7. The father or mother of a baby to be circumcised on that day or during the coming week.

8. One observing yahrzeit for a parent during the coming week.

9. One required to recite the blessing of gomel.

10. One who is about to leave on a long journey or has just returned from one.

11. A distinguished guest in the community.

When two or more people are observing the same occasion, priority is generally given to a regular worshiper over one who comes infrequently and to a member of the congregation over a non-member. Some congregations try to provide aliyot for those who are or will be observing yahrzeit for someone other than a parent, often in the format of a “group” aliyah.