Rabbi Adrian M Schell ………… . .Rabbi Julia Margolis Rabbi Hillel Avidan, Emeritus
Bet David Weekly News Ad Kan כאן עד
Shabbat Ki Tavo 5 September 2015 – 21 Elul 5775
Thursday 3 September – 18.00 The Prayers of the High Holy Days “Rosh HaShanah” – Shiur (Rondavel) Friday 4 September – 18.00 Kabbalat Shabbat Service; L’chaim follows in the foyer, in honour of Gregory, Ruth and Janis Jordan and Neebashnee Kristnasamy 18.00 Child-care in the Youth Centre Saturday 5 September – 08.30 Religion School; 08.45 Breakfast Shiur – Torah Study; 10.00 Shabbat Morning Service includes the Bar Mitzvah of Alex Schlapobersky. Service is followed by a b’rachah sponsored by parents Ivan and Karen in Alex’s honour, 10.30-11.30 Children’s Service (Youth Centre) Thursday 10 September – 18.00 The Prayers of the High Holy Days “Yom Kippur” – Workshop (Rondavel) Friday 11 September – 18.00 Kabbalat Shabbat Service; 18.00 Child-care in the Youth Centre Saturday 12 September – 08.30 Religion School; 08.45 Breakfast Shiur – Torah Study; 10.00 Shabbat Morning Service includes the Bar Mitzvah of Adam Kramer. Service is followed by a b’rachah sponsored by parents David and Luella in Adam’s honour, 10.30-11.30 Children’s Service (Youth Centre) Please see the schedule for the High Holy Days on the last page.
The prayers of the High Holy Days – Workshop. The first session will be this Thursday, 3 September @ 18.00 in the Rondavel. This study session is open for all. Please bring your Machzorim.
I am Alex Schlapobersky and I am a Jew. I am 13 years old, I go to the Ridge School. I have a dog called Toto. My dad’s name is Ivan and my mom’s name is Karen. I have a sister, Maya, and two brothers, Paul and Nick. I have my Bar Mitzvah to show that I am becoming a man, and I also want to have it to educate my friends about Judaism and also for tradition. For me it is a commitment to Judaism and a commitment to God.
Mazal Tov Alex Schlapobersky on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat; Gregory Jordan, Ruth Jordan, Janis Jordan and Neebashnee Kristnasamy who successfully appeared before the Bet Din as Jews by Choice; Rabbi Schell for his designation as Marriage Officer and Marriage Officer for Civil Unions; Phil and Pam Rosenberg on the brit milah of their son, Noah Eli. Proud grandparents Martin and Lesley Rosenberg (Photo: Phil introduces Zac to his baby brother Noah). Happy birthday to all who have birthdays this week
FINAL CALL: Rosh HaShanah Dinner (2nd night): Join the Bet David Family on the second night of Rosh HaShanah for a festival service followed by a Communal Dinner on Monday 14 September 2015. Service starts at 18h00, dinner at 19h15 in the Middleton Hall. Cost per head: Adults R150; Children under 13 years free
Machzor Please donate or lend any extra or unwanted copies of the
High Holy Day “Gates of Repentance” prayer book to the office as we have no books in stock.
Bet David, Morningside Ad Kan עד כאן Page 2
Congratulations to the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre on the dedication of the new building. The centre will be open for the public in the next few months and will be a place of learning and commemorating. During the short dedication ceremony on 1 September, Shoah Survivor Veronica Phillips and Survivors of the Ruanda Genocide presented to the Centre small artefacts, commemorating the pain and loss they suffered.
Bet David Kitchen — Yom Tov Take-home orders – Rosh Hashanah orders close on Monday 7 September for collection on Friday 11 September before 12h00; Yom Kippur – orders for Breaking of the Fast close on Friday 11 September for collection before 12h00 on Tuesday 22 September. No orders will be accepted after the above dates. Sharon 0117837117/[email protected]
Condolences Greg and Nicci Sheinerman on the recent passing of Greg’s grandmother, Pauline Lopato, mother of Michelle Sheinerman. Prof. Antony Arkin (Durban) on the passing of his father Marcus Arkin, past Director-General of the South African Zionist Federation.
Weekly Yahrzeits Toba Hirschfeld remembered by Carla Feldman; Arnold Bergman remembered by Leslie Bergman; Helen Sinek remembered by Mike Sinek; Jetti Trum remembered by Marion Hassall; Jochel Alkin remembered by Mimi Egnal; Jennifer Ginsberg and Laura Nordling remembered by the Schlapobersky family.
Zichronam livracha, may their memories be for a blessing.
Thank you for recent donations Yahrzeits – Lynne Raphaely in memory of Estella and Teddy Abro; B’racha sponsorship - Michelle and Sarah Eliason and Barry Sinclair; Neebashnee Kristnasamy and the Jordan family for this week’s l‘chaim.
Speedy Recovery-Refuah Shleimah Arthur Kruger; Betty-Ann Weitzmann; Chris Sherlock; Ethel Epstein, mother of Lynn Sherlock; Gabrielle Smith; Jack Joselowitz; Joshua Smith; Lothar Maroos; Madeleine Rose-Hicklin; Sonya Leiman. Please contact our office to report illness and advise whether you would like a visit from one of our Rabbis.
Bet David, Morningside Ad Kan עד כאן Page 3
‘Design a Simchat Torah Flag’ 5776 Competition All under-13 year olds are welcome to enter. Prizes will be awarded for top 3 flags. Submit your colourful A4 drawing with a Simchat Torah theme to Giddy in Religion School or hand in to shul office. Deadline for entries is 12 September.
Over the past few months Andie and Gabrielle Smith have been working on crocheted blankets for donation to Arcadia. If you have any blankets or any other items you would like to include in this donation please contact Andie on 0718747888 or Rabbi Margolis on 0766730750
Bet David Kehillah
WPJ JUMBLE SADE – Our MEGA Jumble Sale is here! At Beit Emanuel, 38 Oxford Road Parktown –
Sunday 6 September – doors open at 10h00. We need volunteers to help with the sale on the day between 09h00 and 12h00. All help is welcome. Tzedakah is not limited to monetary gifts; time is also a form of charity. Please contact Marian if you can help. 011 6462409 or [email protected].
Join Bet David Kehillah’s 50/50 Club—For only R180.00 a year, you are eligible for the monthly draw. EFT–Bet David Sisterhood, Nedbank Sandton, branch code: 197005 acc. no: 1970476214, Reference: 50/50 surname. Entry forms available from the shul. Bet David Kitchen—Home-made delicacies available from our own kitchen! Place orders by Monday with Sharon 0117837117/[email protected] for collection on Friday 12h00. Monthly Feeding Schemes Food Collection – next on Sunday 6 September - 09.00 to 13.00 at Pick ‘n Pay South Rd, Morningside and Hyde Park branches. Contact Lesley Rosenberg 0832366823 if you can help for one hour or more. Place non-perishable groceries in the trommel in the foyer for the feeding schemes.
Open position Looking for a fulltime person to do Marketing and Events Management at Bet David. If interested, please
call Michelle on 082 492 0562 or send an email to [email protected].
RABBI MARGOLIS’ WEEKLY COLUMN One of the best rewards that I could receive as a Rabbi, teacher and a friend is the following letter that Neebashnee sent to me. Especially during this month of Elul, let's strive to be more positive thinkers, be grateful for what we have all around us during our daily life. Let's open our hearts to welcoming new members of the congregation. Appearing before a rabbinical court brings with it a feeling of trepidation and heightened anxiety. However there is something different in the air today; there is an added feeling of expectation, as this court will hopefully mark the culmination of my conversion process. Nothing can prepare one for the time when one comes before three Rabbonim. Not to mention, my Hebrew teacher, the part for which I am most fearful – when I will have to read aloud from the machzor, demonstrating my knowledge of a language so beautiful, that when I speak it, I literally feel suspended in a moment gone, reminiscent of ancient times. The questions are posed and my answers are tinged by my own nervous emotions. How can I hope to adequately enunciate the connection that I feel, between Divine and mortal, and yet which is impossible to fathom, all while sparking within me a feeling of peace so profound that I often “smile out aloud” at synagogue. The journey to this point hasn’t been easy. Learning to open my mind and wrap my heart around a faith and a lifestyle where I essentially had no inkling of what the barest basics were, while performing the simplest of rituals were challenging in their own right. However that’s what one does when one falls in love – You leave your own people, your own rituals, your own lifestyle to learn and embrace the one of the One you fall in love with. You walk a path that is foreign and unseen, never knowing and yet blindly trusting. And just as suddenly we’re done, and I can officially begin my Jewish life. And I know, that just as those who have walked before me, so will I walk. Just as those who have lived before me, so will I live. And just as those who have been loved before me, so am I loved.
Torah Reading for Shabbat Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8 (Reading: 26:1-27:5 - Plaut p.1350; Hertz p.859) Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22 (Plaut 1368; Hertz p.874) In Ki Tavo the Israelites are commanded to bring their first fruits as an offering: “When you come into the land that the Eternal your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Eternal your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Eternal your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. And you shall go to the priest that shall be in those days and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Eternal your God that I have come into the land that the Eternal swore to our fathers to give us.’ Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Eternal your God.” In this brief passage we see the past, present and future, as the text attempts, in its day, to secure the future by means of its being embedded in the past. It envisions a future in which the Israelites will have inherited the land promised to them by God. In a commentary on this portion, Nehama Leibowitz reminds us of the passage in the Haggadah that says that in every generation every Jew is obligated to see him or herself as if he or she personally had gone out of Egypt. Similarly, this passage concerning first fruits seeks to secure the future through attachment to a narrative about a shared past. It would not be enough for the Israelites of the future to complacently consider the land merely an inheritance from long dead ancestors. They would have to behave as, and therefore come to believe themselves to be, one with the very generation that had been so dramatically redeemed. Thus, the bringing of first fruits was not only a ritual of recollection but also of re-enactment. Only a few days separate us from the Days of Awe – they offer each and every one of us the possibility to review our past, to see where we are, and to create a vision for the future. By doing so, we make sure that our decisions and acts are based on solid ground, and are strong enough to carry us into the next year. Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Adrian M Schell (Source: Cantor Gershon Silins, Ki Tavo) (Photo: David and Joshua Woolf, leading the Ashrei Prayer at Shabbat)
The Torah Study Breakfast Shiur with Rabbi Schell continues on Shabbat, 05 September at 08.45. Podcast of Rabbi Schell’s weekly Radio Sermons on Radio Today, follow http://betdavid.podomatic.com/.
BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS—Last Friday of the month (next 25 September);
FAMILY SERVICE 18:00— 23 October; 06 November; 04 December
SATURDAY MORNING: 08:30 - 10.00 Religion School Term 3: 25 July - 26 September 10:00 Shabbat Shacharit service, B’rachah follows; 10.30 Children’s Service (3 – 10 years) (Youth Centre)
ROSH HASHANAH 2nd NIGHT DINNER - Monday 14 September 2015 following the 18h00 Yom Tov service (by prior booking)
CONGREGATIONAL SUPPER – 16 October, following the 18h00 service
BREAKFAST SHIUR WITH RABBI SCHELL 08.45—5 September; 19.9.; 17.10.; 31.10.
Save the date – Bet David’s “4-Fore-Four” Annual Charity Golf Day – Tuesday 3 November 2015 Rabbi Adrian M. Schell – [email protected]; Rabbi Julia Margolis – [email protected]
The High Holy Days at Bet David The countdown to the High Holy Days has begun! Information regarding the upcoming High Holy Days has been emailed to all members. Membership is vital to our congregation - please ensure that your account payments are up to date. High Holy Day Admission Tickets will be emailed during the first week of September, to all congregants whose accounts are in good standing. Please contact Diane at the office should you have any queries regarding your account.
Bet David Rosh HaShanah Dinner 5776 Join the Bet David Family on the second night of Rosh HaShanah for a festival service followed by a Communal Dinner on Monday 14 September 2015. Service starts at 18h00, dinner at 19h15 in the Middleton Hall.
Cost per head: Adults R150; Children under 13 years free
We will celebrate the beginning of the New Jewish Year with apples and honey, and a festive meal
with soup, a main course (fish/vegetarian), assorted salads, and a dessert. Soft drinks are provided; you may bring your own wine to the dinner. Kindly complete the attached form and return to: [email protected].
High Holy Day Appeal An exciting year is coming to an end. 5775 has brought Bet David many changes, such as a new rabbinic team, and exciting opportunities for growing and expanding our services. Many of these changes have only been possible because we received support from our congregants. We are very thankful for your help. As it is customary at this time of the year to make a donation to your synagogue, we appeal to you to give consideration to the needs of Bet David, your congregation and those whom we assist throughout the year. Your contributions will be greatly appreciated.
High Holy Day Calendar September / October 2015 – Tishrei 5776 Date Time Service
Sunday 13 September 18.00 Erev Rosh Hashanah
Monday 14 September 10.00 1st Day Rosh Hashanah
11.00 Children and Youth Service and Activities with Rabbi Schell and Netzer
Monday 14 September 13.30 Tashlich Ceremony
Monday 14 September 18.00 Erev 2nd Day Rosh Hashanah, followed by a communal dinner in the Middleton (please book your place)
Tuesday 15 September 10.00 2nd Day Rosh Hashanah, followed by b’rachah
Friday 18 September 18.00 Kabbalat Shabbat for Shabbat Shuvah
Saturday 19 September 10.00 Morning Service for Shabbat Shuvah
Tuesday 22 September 18.00 Kol Nidrei
Wednesday 23 September 10.00 Yom Kippur Morning
11.00 Children and Youth Service and Activities by Netzer
Wednesday 23 September 13.30 Shiur – Study Session
Wednesday 23 September 14.30 Yom Kippur Afternoon/Mincha
Wednesday 23 September 16.45 Tree of Life Memorial Leaf Dedication (Shul Foyer)
Wednesday 23 September 17.00 Yizkor Service followed by the Neilah Service
Wednesday 23 September 18.39 Havdalah – followed by Breaking of Fast (Rondavel)
Sunday 27 September 18.00 Erev Sukkot
Monday 28 September 10.00 Sukkot Morning, followed by b’rachah (Bet David)
Sunday 04 October 18.00 Erev Simchat Torah
Monday 05 October 09.30! Shmini Atzeret Torah (Beit Emanuel)
Ad Kan emailed on Thursday; deadline Tuesday. Submissions to [email protected]
