Shabbat shalom – Parashat Ekev

Friday Night Services, Tonight 8/7, 7 PM

Saturday morning services, this Saturday 8/8 at 9 AM, with the Torah service at around 9:45 and children’s story time at 11. A delicious kidush follows services.

Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This weeks parshah, ‘Ekev’, gives us the origin of one of the unique practices of Jewish Tradition-that of reciting Birkath Hamazon, the “Grace After Meals”. Many, if not most religious traditions incorporate a prayer before eating, to express gratitude for one’s meal. Our practice is to recite a prayer afterwards-“And you shall eat and be satisfied, and praise Hashem your God for the good Land which God gave you.” We are to say Birkath Hamazon after eating bread in the amount of an olive’s bulk or more. It has been pointed out that in so doing, we go above and beyond the Commandment-we praise God even if we are not satisfied by our meal. Quite possibly the most important religious attitude to take is one of gratitude, for everything that we receive in our lives. Shabbat Shalom.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

MORE SISTERHOOD SUMMER FUN!
Sunday August 16, at 1 PM at Beth El, Shiry will be showing us how to decorate a cake for special occasions or shabbat. Please bring your own undecorated cake – like a simple sponge cake, and get ready to turn it into an edible work of art. All are welcome! Please bring a healthy kosher nosh to share.

Morah Shiry’s Conversational Hebrew class continues Wednesday August 12 (new date)
Join us at 7:00 PM for another in the interactive, hands on class with our very own Morah Shiry. This class will feature an awesome ISRAELI Falafel meal from MAOZ ! Students will practice their Hebrew speaking skills as well as eating a yummy kosher meal! At 8 PM, Gabbai Bam will be davening mincha and give a short dvar! It is free and open to all and you will definitely learn something new.

New classes are forming in September so let us know if you are interested.

Hebrew School is gearing up to start on August 30!
We are so excited about the coming year with the BERS (Beth El Religious School). Sundays at 10am the children will be having Sunday Fundays with their morot and sneaking in a whole lot of Jewish learning! For more information, go to info@bethelaustin.org

 

Rabbi Tarlow’s weekly Parasha brought to you from the Center for Latino Jewish relations.
This week’s parashah (weekly section) is called “Ekev.” You will find it in the book of Deuteronomy 6:12-11:25. Like much of Deuteronomy, this parashah teaches us its lessons by means of farewell speeches. Moses continues his review of Israel’s history, emphasizing the rights of the people to the land, and their need to love the stranger. Deep within the text we find one of the most famous of all of Deuteronomy’s refrains. In Chapter 8:3 we read; “Lo al ha’lechem lvado yichey ha’adam/Humans do not live/survive by bread alone..” Read out of context it appears to be a text that preaches the need for spirituality. If we read the full text a different concept appears to emerge. The second half of the verse reads: “ki col-motzah fi Adoshem yechey ha’adam/for rather humans live/survive on whatever it may be that G’d decrees.” In other words, despite the fact that we might like to think that we control our lives, in reality we do not control the events of our lives, but rather we merely control the way we choose to face those events. Is this concept far removed from modern religious thought that is far less deterministic and argues that we are responsible for our actions? Linguistically, however, the text reinforces this dual notion The Hebrew reader cannot fail to connect the word “lechem/bread” to the word “milchamah/war,” and the word “motzah/product” to the word “motzie/he who brings forth nourishment.” Is the text reminding us that we have both a spiritual and pecuniary side? Our challenge then becomes: how do we balance the material and the spiritual? Do we control both aspects of our lives? Is the text teaching us to be humble and the same time it also provides us with a gentle reminder that all nations, and all creation, exist at the will of G’d? From this perspective, both war and bread come from G’d, and both good and evil are part of G’d’s plans. How do we combine this concept of G’d with a G’d who gives us “free will”? Taken as a whole, this entire parashah reminds us that it is dangerous to be too sure of oneself, and it is especially dangerous for a nation to believe too much in its leaders. When people are convinced of their total goodness they become both arrogant and failures. When nations refuse to see their leaders’ errors, and when nations turn their leaders into gods, tragedy follows. This week’s parashah argues that success in life is not determined so much by what we do as by what we do with the ”hand in life that we are dealt.” In other words, no one controls life, but we do control how we choose to react to life’s events. What do you think? As we in the US gear up for our almost continuous election cycle, how do we use these concepts to judge candidates from both parties? What does the text say to you about your life and any nation’s political life? Does the text make you uncomfortable or contemplative?