Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh – Your Small Local Shul in Portland, Maine
Shaarey Tphiloh Prayers, by Caryl Herzfeld
Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh
Please join us in our new location
Saturday morning services
9:30 a.m. Room 4A
Temple Beth El
400 Deering Avenue
Portland, Maine
– There will be no Shabbat services Labor Day Weekend –
Welcome to Shabbat Services
Re’eh
September 3, 2016 – 30 Av 5776
Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17
Maftir: Numbers 28:9-15
Haftarah: Isaiah 66:1-24
Candle lighting 6:55 p.m.
Kiddush generously sponsored by Hildy Dunham and Ellen Forman in honor of all those who built and sustained Shaarey Tphiloh and are now moving the congregation
forward into an exciting and challenging future
Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh, 76 Noyes St. Portland, ME 04103
President: Dr. Natan Kahn
Administrative Director: Susan C. Lawrence
www.mainesynagogue.org/wp 207-773-0693
maineshul@nullgmail.com cstexec@nullgmail.com
Shaarey Tphiloh Office Hours: T, Th, F 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Ner Lamaore
Barry Cohen, in memory of Ann Cohen
Diane Kline, in memory of Fred Sibolkin
Parshat Re’eh
The Mind’s Eye
In the opening verse of this week’s parsha, Moses speaks to the Jewish people and says, “See (re’eh), I have set before you today a blessing and a curse” (Deut. 11:26). The word “re’eh” seems out of place here. Moses is not showing anything to the people; he is merely informing them about the consequences of their actions! Why does the Torah present this information in terms of “seeing,” when it would have made more sense to use the idea of “hearing”?
Later in the parsha, the verse instructs us “to do what is good and upright in the eyes of God” (Deut. 12:28). Rashi (quoting the Midrash Sifri) divides this verse into two parts: the word “good” (tov) refers to doing good in the eyes of God, whereas the word “upright” (yashar) refers to acting righteously in the eyes of other people. This is a very puzzling comment. Since the verse itself links both of these qualities (“good” and “upright”) to God, how can the Midrash claim that the word “upright” refers to other people? This seems contrary to the literal meaning of the text!
A passage in the Talmud (Brachot 28b) will help us resolve both difficulties:
The students of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai came to visit him when he was on his deathbed. They gathered around their teacher and requested a blessing. Rabbi Yochanan replied, “May it be God’s will that your fear of Heaven be as great as your fear of people.” This unusual blessing surprised the students: “Is that all?” they exclaimed. It would seem that a person’s fear of God should be even greater than his fear of people! Rabbi Yochanan responded: “You should know that when a person commits a crime, his first thought is always, ‘Did anybody see me?’…”
To read more, go to:
www.aish.com
— Many thanks to Stan and Doris Pollack for sponsoring the delicious lunch for our Deconsecration Ceremony on August 21, 2016
The Milken Archive
A musical adventure of historic scope and proportion, the Milken Archive was founded in 1990 to document, preserve, and disseminate the vast body of music that pertains to the American Jewish experience. Over two decades, the Milken Archive has become the largest collection of American Jewish music ever assembled—more than 700 recorded works, including over 500 world premiere recordings. But the Milken Archive, known primarily up to now for its groundbreaking 50-CD series released on the Naxos label, is far more than a recording project. The Milken Archive’s collection consists of 800 hours of oral histories, 50,000 photographs and historical documents, and thousands of hours of video footage from recording sessions, interviews, and live performances, plus an extensive collection of program notes and essays—the vast majority written by Artistic Director Neil W. Levin, Professor of Music at the Jewish Theological Seminary and one of the foremost authorities on Jewish music—that provide historical and cultural context.
Use this link to find a selection of music related to Tisha B’Av and thousands of other choices, including oral histories and photographs.
http://www.milkenarchive.org/works/view/774
Melton: I am delighted to welcome you to our 7th year of course offerings through the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning with a few additional treats from local faculty members. Molly Curren Rowles, our Assistant Director, will be the contact person for classes until a new Programming Director is hired. I will be returning mid-January and look forward to catching up more with you then. Registration is currently open; I encourage you to sign up early and to support the scholarship fund. Deposits are $75/class and scholarship applications are due by August 8. – Fae Silverman
Call the JCA, 207-772-1959 to register
JCA Adult Ed Classes
Mondays @ JCA 5:30pm-7:00pm
Sept 12-May 8
Rhythms of Jewish Living w/ babysitting & dinner
Tuesdays @ BH 9:00am-10:30am
Nov 1-Apr 4
BeMidbar: Leadership Defined & Defended
Wednesdays @ JCA 6:00pm-9:00pm
Oct 26 – Mar 8
Holocaust Studies: Primo Levi Book Club and Cinema
Wednesdays @ JCA 7:00pm-8:30pm Mar
15-May 23
Jewish Humor
Thursday @ Brunswick 6:30pm-8:30pm
Sept 15-May 11
Rhythms of Jewish Living
Wednesdays @ JCA 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Sept 21-Oct 5
Siamese Mah Jongg
Josh Pernick
Rabbinic Intern from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
More About Josh
Josh Pernick is currently a rabbinical student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah in NY. A graduate of Brandeis University, he worked in the field of Jewish education for a number of years before beginning his rabbinic training at YCT, obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching in Jewish Day School Elementary Education through the DeLeT program at Brandeis University as well as completing a post-graduate fellowship in Jewish education through the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators in Jerusalem.
He spent the past few years teaching Judaic studies at Jewish day schools in Charleston, SC, Watertown, MA and Atlanta GA, and currently teaches in a community education program at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in NY. Josh also serves on the Judaic Studies teaching staff during the summer at Camp Yavneh in Northwood, NH. The son of a pulpit rabbi, Josh is looking forward to beginning his rabbinic career at Shaarey Tphiloh, learning from all of you who have been part of this community for so many years about all of the unique qualities that make Shaarey Tphiloh such a warm and special place
Fall Community Festival
Center Day Camp, 74 Hackett Road, Windham, ME 04062
Sunday, September 18, 2016
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
1:15 pm – 2:00 pm
- Maine Attorney General Janet Mills and other speakers
- There will be guided activities for children during this time.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
- Community organizations share information about themselves to the public
- We will have tables setup in the Schwartz building for organizations to display materials and invite community members to ask questions.
- Each organization that participates must have a representative from the organization present during this time to talk to community members.
- Face painting and food will be available during this time
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Adult and Family Enrichment such as Yoga.
How to participate:
Please mail us the name of your organization, the organizational representative who will attend and a description of what materials you will display. Along with contact information.
Deadline for participation: August 1st
Email to: Alexandra Sax
Jewish Community Alliance
asax@nullmainejewish.org
Kosher Food at Back Cove Hannaford
Hannaford at Back Cove is now carrying more items in its Kosher food freezer located at back of store. Ask an employee for more information.
DONATIONS NEEDED FOR JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES ALL YEAR ROUND
Wish List:
Diapers and wipes
RICE!!
Baked Beans
Pasta Sauce & Pasta
Kid Friendly Snacks-granola bars, etc.
Cereal
Juice Boxes
Learning Opportunity at Chabad House
On Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m., Dr. Shimon Simons will teach Maimonides’ Hilchot Deot, “laws of character development,” at Chabad House, 11 Pomeroy Street, Portland. The next class meeting is Tuesday, January 19. Texts will be provided. Call Chabad House at 871-8947 for more details or check the December issue of the Jewish Journal.
GREAT JEWISH BOOKS AT THE YIDDISH BOOK CENTER THIS SUMMER
Because the program has proven so popular in the past, this year we’re offering two sessions of Great Jewish Books: July 24-29 and July 31-August 7.
All students admitted to the program receive scholarships covering the full cost of tuition, room and board, books, and special events.
Now in its fifth year, Great Jewish Books brings together a diverse group of rising high school juniors and seniors to spend a week reading important works of modern Jewish literature and discussing them in seminar-style classes led by college professors. Outside of class, they meet renowned visiting authors, enjoy group recreational activities in the Amherst area, and get a taste of college life while staying (with staff RAs) in dorms on the Hampshire College campus, adjacent to the Yiddish Book Center.
Every year, the Yiddish Book Center welcomes a group of enthusiastic, engaged high school students for our Great Jewish Books Summer Program. Applications for the 2016 program are due April 1.
You can learn more about the program at yiddishbookcenter.org/great-jewish-books or by calling or e-mailing us at 413-256-4900, ext. 143, orgreatjewishbooks@nullyiddishbookcenter.org. I’m also including a flyer about the program that can be downloaded here, which I hope you will post and share with others.
As we look forward to another exciting summer of Great Jewish Books, we appreciate your sharing this information with any prospective applicants you know.
No electronic devices are permitted. No electronic children’s toys or cell phones or cameras are permitted in the synagogue on the Sabbath.
Please consider making a gift to one of our many funds. Call the office at 773-0693 for details. Thank you for your support of Shaarey Tphiloh. Contributions are tax-deductible.
Yahrzeits This Week
1 Elul Lippman Grunes, Mordecai Horen, Beatrice Miller, Bella Rubinoff
2 Elul Nellie Cohen, Abraham Sheriff, Samuel Tellan
3 Elul Ida Berkowitz, Bennie Levi, Morris Shepard
4 Elul Carl Mandoff, Leonard Meyer, Samuel Seiger, Louis Slosberg
5 Elul Faye Carroll, Rose Feuerstein, Elizabeth Goodman
6 Elul Louis Blumenthal, Ann Cohen, Rose Epstein, Nellie Jacobson, Sarah Mack, Maxwell Rapaport
7 Elul Sadie Kamber, Gesza Pasiencier, Alexander Weiswasser
Shaarey Tphiloh is now celebrating 112 years as a traditional Jewish spiritual home in Maine!
Visit the
Shaarey Tphiloh Facebook Page
