Torah Portion

Looking Past Ourselves
To Find God's Presence

1100. Rabbis: Daniel B. Syme, David Scott Castiglione.
Cantor: David Montefiore. Services: Friday 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:30 a.m. Sunday 9:40 a.m. Friday, Janice
Rothschild-Blumberg, historian, will speak at commemo-
ration of anniversary of Prentis Memorial Library.
Saturday Havdalah bat mitzvah at 5:30 p.m. of Lindsay
Erin Singer, daughter of Nancy and Kevin Singer.

TEMPLE SHIR SHALOM

TEMPLE BETH EL (FLINT)

REFORM/RENEWAL

5150 Calkins, Flint, 48532, (810) 720-9494. Rabbi: Karen
Companez. Cantorial soloist: Aleksander Chernyak.
Services: First Friday of the month 6:15 p.m.; second
Friday 8 p.m.; all other Fridays 8 p.m.

TEMPLE BETH EL (MIDLAND)

2505 Bay City Road, Midland, 48642, (517) 835-4822.
Guest teacher: Hal Greenwald. President: Stuart J.
Bergstein. Services: Friday 8 p.m. once a month.
Regularly scheduled High Holiday services for the tri-city
area.

TEMPLE BETH EMETH

2309 Packard, Ann Arbor, 48104, (734) 665-4744. Rabbi:
Robert D. Levy. Chazzan: Ann Zibelman Rose. Services:
Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. Family service once a
month at 7:30 p.m. replaces 8 p.m. Friday service; call
for specific dates.

BETH ISAAC SYNAGOGUE

2730 Edsel Dr., Trenton, 48183, (734) 675-0355.
Services: Friday 7:30 p.m. Congregational leaders con-
duct services throughout the year.

TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL

801 W. Michigan Ave., Jackson 49202; (517) 784-3862.
Rabbi: Jonathan V. Plaut. Rabbi emeritus: Alan Ponn.
Chazzan: Evette Lutman. President: Dr. Cathy Glick.
Services: Friday 8 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. the first
Saturday of the month.

CONGREGATION CHAYE OLAM

4875 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Twp. 48301-2805, (248)
851-7485. Cantor: Stephen L. Dubov. Services: Friday
7:30 p.m. Saturday 10:30 a.m. Friday, Shiddach Shabbat
(especially for singles).

3999 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield, 48323, (248) 737-
8700. Rabbis: Dannel Schwartz, Michael L. Moskowitz.
Cantorial soloist: Penny Steyer. Services: Friday 8 p.m.,
Saturday 11 a.m. Friday, New Member Shabbat; guest
musician, Dan Nichols. Saturday aufruf of Linda Pavlon
and Steven Zukin. Ma'at Shabbat at 9:30 a.m.

CONGREGATION SHIR TIKVAH

3900 Northfield Parkway, Troy, 48084, (248) 649-4418.
Rabbi: Arnie Sleutelberg. Services: Friday 6:30 p.m., 7:45
p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. Friday, New Member Shabbat.
Early service is family service.

SECULAR HUMANISTIC

THE BIRMINGHAM TEMPLE

28611 W. 12 Mile, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 477-
1410. Founding rabbi: Sherwin T. Wine. Rabbis: Tamara
Kolton, Adam Chalom. Services: Friday 7:30 p.m.

JEWISH CULTURAL SOCIETY

2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, 48108-2301, (734)
975-9872. Board president: Karla Rice. School principal:
Ramona Brand. Shabbat services first Friday of every
month 7:30 p.m.; cultural Jewish celebrations, secular
bar/bat mitzvah programming, cultural Sunday school.

JEWISH PARENTS INSTITUTE

JCC, 6600 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 661-
1000. Director: Marilyn Wolfe. Alternative cultural Jewish
celebrations; secular bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies; adult
programming; cultural Sunday school from nursery
through teen.

SHOLEM ALEICHEM INSTITUTE

28690 Southfield, Suite 293, Lathrup Village, 48076,
(248) 423-4406. Co-presidents: Alva Dworkin, May
Moskowitz. Holiday observances; Friday night oneg
Shabbat; cultural events.

WORKMEN'S CIRCLE ARBETER
RING

14450 W. 10 Mile, Oak Park, 48237, (248) 967-4020.
Rabbi: Joseph P. Klein. Cantor: Norman Rose. Services:
Friday 7:30 p.m. Saturday 10:30 a.m. Friday, Social
Action Shabbat. Saturday, Young Family Shabbat.

26341 Coolidge, Oak Park, 48237, (248) 545-0985.
Chair: Arlene Frank. Michigan district director: Ellen R.
Bates-Brackett. Year round holiday observances, Nokh
Shabbes Havdalah once a month; secular bar/bat mitz-
vah; Sunday school.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

SEPHARDIC

TEMPLE EMANU EL

-

5725 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield, 48323, (248) 661-
5700. Rabbis: Harold S. Loss, Paul M. Yedwab, Joshua L.
Bennett, Marla Hornsten. Cantor: Lori Corrsin. Cantorial
soloist: Neil Michaels. Rabbinic intern: Jennifer Tisdale.
Services: Friday 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m. Saturday 10:30 a.m.
Friday early service baby naming of Logan Carly Forman,
daughter of Shawn and Jeff Forman; Jeremy Scott
Jenkins, son of Amy and Matt Jenkins. Wedding blessing
of Lara Sussman and Ofer Eldan. Later service b'not
mitzvah of Samantha Cutler, daughter of Gayle and Dr.
Alan Cutler; Nicole Bishop, daughter of Laurie Bishop and
Alan Bishop. Saturday b'nai mitzvah of Max Gordon, son
of Debra and Dr. James Gordon; Hillary Wallace, daughter
of Heidi and Michael Wallace. Havdalah bat mitzvah at 5
p.m. of Mallory Sommerfeld, daughter of Helene and
Avery Sommerfeld. Havdalah bat mitzvah at 6 p.m. of
Samantha Scharg, daughter of Michele and Henry
Scharg.

KETER TORAH SYNAGOGUE

5480 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield, (248) 681-
3665. Rabbi: Michael Cohen. Services: Friday at candle-
lighting time; Saturday 9 a.m., Minchah 1 1/4 hours
before the end of Shabbat; Sunday 9 a.m.; Monday 7
a.m.; Wednesday 9 p.m., Thursday 7 a.m., 9 p.m.

TRADMONAL

B'NAI DAVID

6346 Orchard Lake Road, Suite 100, West Bloomfield,
48322, (248) 855-5007. Cantor: Ben-Zion Lanxner.
Services: Saturday 9 a.m. Haftorah, William lcikson.

MINYANS

TEMPLE KOL AMI

FLEISCHMAN RESIDENCE

5085 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield, 48323, (248) 661-
0040. Rabbi: Norman T. Roman. Rabbi emeritus: Ernst J.
Conrad. Cantorial soloist: Susan Greener. Services: Friday
6 p.m. Saturday 10:30 a.m.

6710 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 661-
2999. Rabbi: Avie Shapiro. Services: Saturday and
Sunoay 9:15 a.m. Minchah Monday-Friday 4:30 p.m.;
Saturday 1:30 p.m. Maariv Monday-Saturday 5:30 p.m.

CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK

YESHIVAT AKIVA

1924 Coolidge, East Lansing 48823, (517) 351-3570.
Rabbi Emeritus: Morton Hoffman. Rabbi: Richard Baroff.
Cantor: Pamela Jordan Schiffer. Services: Friday 8 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m.

21100 W. 12 Mile, Southfield, 48076 (248) 386-1625.
Services: During the school year, morning services at
7:30 a.m.; afternoon services at 2:40 p.m. The commu-
nity is invited.

Shabbat Vayetze:
Genesis 28:10-32:3;
Hosea 12:13-14: 10.

In the Kedusha of our morning
worship, we read from the Book of
Isaiah of God's angels shouting to
each other: kadosh, kadosh, kadosh

adonai tzva-ote, m'lo kol ha-aretz
k'vodo.
In some translations it is ren-
dered "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
n this week's story in Torah,
of Hosts, the whole earth is filled
Jacob runs away to his moth-
with God's glory." I prefer to trans-
er's brother, Laban, in flight
late it: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
from his brother
of Hosts, the fullness of
Esau.
all the earth is God's
About to cross over the
glory."
border, Jacob stops for the
We tend to sleep-walk
night and dreams of a
through life, unaware of
ramp going up into the
the Presence of God that
sky with angels ascending
fills all space. Either our
and descending. In his
lives are too full of our
dream, Jacob is promised
own selves — like Jacob
by God that he will be
— or we are too busy
blessed with prosperity
with the practical
and property, with great
mechanics of living to
progeny and divine pro-
RABBI JOSEPH take proper notice that
tection.
KLEIN
God has always been here.
When Jacob wakes up,
Special to the
Jacob named that place
he declares, "Surely Adonai
Jewish News
Beit El, the "House of
is in this place — and I, I
God" (as if God needs a
did not know it!" (Genesis
house or is confined to a single
28:16)
place!); and he raised a pillar upon
Jacob, it seems, has always
the rock that had been his pillow,
thought of himself as better and
proclaiming it a holy site.
more important than anyone else in
Jacob assumed that because he
his family. In cheating his brother
himself encountered God at Beit El,
and lying to his father, he has taken
it was the very "gate of heaven."
with impunity what he wanted.
And he gave thanks for being the
No wonder he's surprised that he,
chosen one to recognize its holiness,
especially he of all people, was
for being the special one to sanctify
unprepared for God's appearance
it, the singular someone who would
and unaware of God's presence in
erect a house for God there.
that place. And so our text says,
Jacob, of course, had it all wrong
"And Jacob 'woke up'”!
— he should have humbly offered
"Waking up" is becoming aware.
thanksgiving to the God who has
We only begin to discover God by
blessed, does bless, and will bless all
paying attention to the details
the world.
around us, by being fully present in
But then Jacob was just waking
the "now." From Jacob's spiritual
up to spiritual reality. It will be
awakening ought to coine our own.
years more before he becomes fully
Spirituality is an awareness that
aware of what it means to be in
there is something greater than me:
covenant with God. 0
a transcendent reality that encom-
passes and exceeds the finiteness of
my world. .
Jews identify that transcendent
reality as God, as Ain. Sof— the
Infinite-Yet-Singular-One. We call
Jacob is certainly a strong
God Makom, saying that there is no
character; how is he flawed?
place (makom) where God is not.
In order for Jacob to become
God and God's Presence not only
"Israel," how will he have to
fills our world — it is our world, if
change? In what ways must
only we take time to step back and
we
as individuals grow out
see it.
of "Jacob" in order to
become "Israel"?
Joseph Klein is rabbi of Temple
Emanu-El His e-mail address is
rabbi@rabbiklein.com

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