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 ,;;