Beth El Happenings – classes, pot luck dinner and more.

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Dear Congregants and friends,

This Tuesday night, January 10, at 7pm we will continue our Judaism 201 course. This class will discuss the Saturday morning service. This class will be relevant for all levels of knowledge and light refreshments will be served.

The new religious school semester for students in kindergarten to third grade begins this afternoon at 4 pm with Morah Betsy.

This coming Friday, January 13 at the slightly earlier time of 6:30, we will have our first potluck dinner of 2012. Please RSVP to Iris at bethelaustin@yahoo.com if you can make it and if you can bring a dairy or parev dish to share.
We look forward to seeing everyone at Beth El.

Congregation Beth El

www.bethelaustin.org

Shabbat Vayehi — Friday and Saturday Services

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Please join us Friday night at 7PM and Saturday morning at 9AM for Shabbat services.  There will also be a children’s service beginning at approximately 10:30 AM.

From the Cantor:

Some 1000 years ago, the great commentator Rash”i said that the Torah could have begun in the Book of Exodus, but that the preceding parts were necessary for background.  Indeed, the Book of Genesis can almost stand alone.  While most of the Torah is the story of the People of Israel, the Book of Genesis is mainly the story of the family of Avraham Avinu, our ancestor Abraham.  Just as the Torah finishes with words of blessing-the last parashah of the Torah is called V’zot Hab’rachah, “This is the blessing…”, our parashah this week, Vayehi, is one of blessing.  In our parashah, the patriarch Ya’kov/Yisrael blesses his children before his death, with words that are echoed by Moshe in his blessing.  The saga of one family is about to turn into the saga of a people.  May God bless us with the blessings of our ancestor Yisrael, as well as the blessings of our Teacher Moshe.  Shabbat Shalom.
Cantor Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
8902 Mesa Drive
Austin, TX 78759
Religious school classes resume next Monday, January 9.