Spirituality
Torah Portion
In The Bible, As In Life,
Each End Is A Beginning
son of Sheltie and Lee Ravitz. Havdalah service bat mitzvah
at 5 p.m. of Taylor Chaness, daughter of Shelley and Neil
Chaness. Havdalah bat mitzvah at 6 p.m. of Jayme Ruby,
daughter of Leslie and Alan Ruby.
TEMPLE KOL AMI
5085 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield, 48323, (248) 661-
0040. Rabbi: Norman T. Roman. Rabbi emeritus: Ernst J.
Conrad. Cantorial soloist: Susan Greener. Services: Friday 8
p.m. Saturday 10:30 a.m.
CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK
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 am.
TEMPLE SHIR SHALOM
3999 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield, 48323, (248) 737-
8700. Rabbis: Dannel Schwartz, Michael L Moskowitz.
Carrtorial soloist: Penny Steyer. Services: Friday 8 p.m.,
Saturday 11 am. Friday, Shabbat camp. Saturday bat mitz-
vah of Shayna Cohen, daughter of Cheryl and Larry Cohen.
REFORIVVRENE‘VAL
CONGREGATION SHIR TIKVAH
3900 Northfield Parkway, Troy, 48084, (248) 649-4418.
Rabbi: Arnie Sleutelberg. Services: Friday 7:45 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. Friday service led by religious ritual com-
mittee members.
SECULAR HUMANISTIC
THE BIRMINGHAM TEMPLE
28611 W. 12 Mile, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 477-
1410. Rabbis: Tamara Kotton, Adam Chalom. Founding
rabbi: Sherwin T. Wine. Services: Friday 8 p.m. Saturday
9:30 a.m. Bar mitzvah of David Leve, son of Sam and
Wendy Leve.
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. Attemative 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
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 monthly; secular bar/bat mitzvah; Sunday school.
SEPHARDIC
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.
liRADMIONAL
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.
IVIENTABIS
FLEISCHMAN RESIDENCE
6710 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 661-2999.
Rabbi: Avie-Shapiro. Services: Saturday and Sunday 9:15
a.m. Minchah Monday-Friday 4:30 p.m.; Saturday 1:30
p.m. Maariv Monday-Saturday 5:30 p.m.
YESHIVAT AKIVA
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. Community is invited.
1/ 9
2004
52
Beth El To Fete
Retiring Organist
Temple Beth El will
honor its retiring organist,
Dr. Gale Kramer, at a 6
p.m. dinner and 7:30
p.m. Shabbat service
Friday, Jan. 16. The serv-
ice will feature a "Sermon
in Music" by Dr. Kramer.
Kramer
There is a charge for
dinner. For reservations,
call (248) 851-1100, ext. 3149.
Sisterhood Plans
Art Auction
The Adat Shalom Sisterhood will hold
an art exhibit and auction Saturday
evening, Jan. 17. The Marlin Auction
House from New York will run the auc-
tion, which will include famous painters
as well as art from the Adat Shalom
Nursery School.
The evening of hors d'oeuvres,
desserts and art pieces will begin with a
7:30 preview and 8:30 auction. Cost is
$12 per person. Cheryl Margolis and
Candy Sherman are chairing the event.
Call (248) 851-5100.
`Exceptional Jews'
Topic Of Lectures
Dr. Howard Lupovitch will lecture for
three successive Sunday mornings at
Congregation Beth Ahm on "A Little
Slice of Heaven on Earth: Exceptional
Jews, Extraordinary Abilities."
The topics of the 9:30 a.m. lectures
include Jan. 11, "The Prophets;" Jan.
18, "The Kabbalists;" and Jan. 25, "The
Mashiach." Cost per session is $8 mem-
bers/ $10 others. Call (248) 851-6880.
T'chiyah Hosts
Visiting Rabbi
Rabbi Marjorie Berman of Philadelphia,
a recent graduate of Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College, will visit
Congregation T'chiyah on Friday-
Saturday, Jan. 16-17.
On Friday at 7:45 p.m., she will
speak on "Interfaith Relationships,
Partnerships, Families, Households: A
Positive Force for 21st Century
Judaism." On Saturday at 10 a.m., she
will lead the service. Both events will
take place at the Royal Oak Woman's
Club, 404 S. Pleasant.
they cannot stay there; we know that
the story cannot and will not end
here. And we know that the comfort
and security of b'nai Yisrael, the "chil-
dren of Israel," will be short-lived.
So is Genesis merely an introduction
to the primary Torah narrative of the
here's no question that
Exodus from Egypt, or is it a self-con-
words are particularly
tained restoration epic that repairs
important in Torah.
what has become increasingly broken?
Torah scholars remind
It is clearly both.
us that even the smallest details of the
Genesis opens with bereshit, "in the
text have something to teach us, espe-
beginning," and ends with b'mitzrayim,
cially when that text begins or ends a
"in Egypt." What is it that connects
narrative section.
"in the beginning" and "in
The final chapters of
Egypt"?
Genesis bring a wonderful
Genesis ends with Joseph
and particularly satisfying res-
becoming the second Adam,
olution to the ubiquitous
and Egypt is the second
conflict/competition that has
Eden. Both men are the
plagued the families of
God-designated providers
Genesis since Adam and Eve.
whose families benefit from
In each generation, sibling
the lush and abundant gar-
rivalry has torn apart one
den.
family after the other. The
In Egypt, the first family
expected norm of first-born
lives
the life intended in
tribal leadership has been sys- RABBI JOSEPH Eden. BMitzrayim they are
KLEIN
tematically shredded by
bereshit. What was supposed
Special
to the
struggles of brother-against-
to be in the beginning is
Jewish News
brother (and sister-against-sis-
finally restored in the end.
ter).
It is as intricate and
Not until the very end of
clever a plot line as any Charles
Genesis does brother dwell peacefully
Dickens novel. With its final word
and contentedly with brother and
Mnitzrayim, the Genesis text takes us
family with family within the extend-
both back to the beginning and, at the
ed tribe.
same time, forward into the next
It would, therefore, appear that this
book.
week's resolution of fraternal conflict
This necessary experience of going
with its "happily ever after" Genesis
both backward and forward at the
ending is a conclusion to our story.
same time is an apt description of our
Finally, God's family is at peace with
Jewish quest.
themselves.
We can only know where we are
But even as we readers breathe a
ar.d who we are by knowing what is
collective sigh of relief, we drop, with
and was behind us. But since the pres-
a thudding impact, on a single word.
ent is only a momentary link between
The last word in Genesis is bMitzrayim,
yesterday and tomorrow, we are
"in Egypt."
pushed from behind to step into
As we close the book, with its
tomorrow.
happy ending and resolution of frater-
The Judaism that formed us and
nal strife and struggle, we are striking-
framed us then must be continually
ly reminded that this cannot be the
made meaningful in the way we live
ending because they are still bMitzray-
our lives today. ❑
im— in Egypt!
We have not forgotten that this
series of patriarchal narratives began
with God promising Abraham proge-
How often are we aware that the
ny, properry and protection.
"chapters" of our lives connect us
Jacob/Israel is told "ufaratzta" —
past
to future? Isn't it true that
"spread out to the west, east, north
conclusions
in life often become
and south, for all this land is yours."
an
introduction
to something new?
The chosen people are to live in their
Are
there
ways
by
which families
promised land.
can
mark
or
purposefully
recognize
So, as comfortable and content as
these
transitions,
in
addition
the
Jacob's family is in Egypt, we know
ways our Jewish tradition institu-
Joseph Klein is rabbi of Temple
tionalizes these transitions?
Shabbat Vayehi:
Genesis 47:28-50:26•
I Kings 2:1-12.
T
Conversations
Emanu-El. His e-mail address is
rabbi@rabbiklein.com
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