Torah Portion / Synagogues

Waiting For The Messiah

Shabbat Behalotecha:
Numbers 8: 1-12: 16;
Zachariah

T

ucked into the last few pages of
Neviim (Prophets), is the Book
of Zachariah.
Were it not for the fact that three
times a year passages from Zachariah
appear as our haftorah readings (this
week, the first day of Sukkot, and the
Shabbat within Chanukah), we might
not read from the book at all. We read
regularly from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Amos, Hosea and Micah in our siddur,
invocations and creative liturgies; but
quotes from Zachariah are relegated to
quiz-bowl questions.
In our haftorah reading for this week,
we are introduced to the lifted hopes
and the historical realities of Israel's
return from Babylonian exile at the end
of the sixth century B.C.E.
As Zachariah prepares for Israel's
return to Judah, he learns that leadership

Joseph Klein is rabbi of Temple
Emanu-El. His e-mail address is
Rabbi@rabbiklein.com

CONSERVATIVE

ADAT SHALOM SYNAGOGUE

29901 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 851-
5100. Rabbis: Daniel Nevins, Herbert Yoskowitz. Cantor:
Howard Glantz. Rabbi emeritus: Efry Spectre. Cantor
emeritus: Larry Vieder. Services: Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9
a.m., 9 p.m.; weekdays 7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday 8:30
a.m. Bar mitzvah of Max Farkas, son of Susan and
Stephen Feldman and Neil J. Farkas.

AHAVAS ISRAEL (GRAND RAPIDS)

2727 Michigan St. SE, Grand Rapids, 49506-1297, (616)
949-2840. Rabbi: David J.B. Krishef. Cantor: Stuart R.
Rapaport. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 7:30
a.m.; Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.

BEIT KODESH

31840 W. Seven Mile, Livonia, (248) 477-8974. Cantor:
David Gutman. President: Larry Stein. Vice presidents:
Martin Diskin, Al Gittleman. Services: Friday 8 p.m.;
Saturday 9 a.m.

CONGREGATION BETH AHM

5075 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 851-6880.
Rabbi: Charles Popky. Ritual director: Joseph Mermelstein.
Rabbi emeritus: A. Irving Schnipper. Cantor Emeritus:
Shabtai Ackerman. Services: Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9:30
a.m., 8:45 p.m.; weekdays 7 a.m., 7 p.m.; Sundays and
civic holidays: 8:15 a.m., 5 p.m. Bar mitzvah of Brandon
Morganroth, son of Janette and Lonny Morganroth.

BETH ISRAEL (FLINT)

G-5240 Calkins Road, Flint, 48532, (810) 732-6310.
Cantor emeritus: Sholom Kalib. President: Leonard
Meizlish. Services: Saturday 9:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; weekdays
7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday and legal holidays 8 a.m., 6
p.m. Ivriah religious school (810) 732-6312.

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in Jerusalem will be shared by Zerubavel
merits," and then say "Hear now, 0
as governor and Joshua as high priest. In
Joshua the high priest, you, and your
Ch. 3, we are transported to a Divine
friends who sit before you; for they are
tribunal, where a heavenly herald calls
men of good omen; for, behold, I will
out: "Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord;
bring my servant 'the Shoot'" (Zachariah
for He has roused himself from His holy
3:8) who will effect the final redemption
dwelling." (2:17) There Joshua the high
of the people.
priest stands before God, an angel of
Zachariah believes that Zerubavel (his
God and Satan, the accuser.
name means "seed of Babylon" (zera
Our text offers us a focused historic
bavel), will grow into that "shoot" and
snapshot of a formative and
be king. He seems to be disap-
very significant moment in
pointed that the responsibili-
Jewish history Less than two
ties of king-messiah will be
generations after the
assumed by two men:
Babylonian destruction and
Zerubavel and Joshua. But the
exile, the Jews find themselves
will of God is, after all, the will
ruled by a Persian empire
of God.
which encourages the exiled
A great change in messianic
leadership to return and
anticipation takes place at this
rebuild. Such a redemption
precise moment in Jewish his-
requires a king-messiah, who,
RABBI J OSEPH tory. After the destruction,
in the opinion of Zachariah,
after the exile — the remote
KL EIN
ought to be Zerubavel (son of
expectations of redemption are
Specia 1 to the
Shaltiel, son of Jehoiachin, for-
now near at hand. Previous
Jewish News
mer king of Judah). Contend-
generations of prophets had
ing also for the king-messiah
compiled wish lists of messian-
job, apparently, is Joshua the high priest,
ic redemptions, but this one was real,
whom Zachariah calls only "a brand
was now: the authentic grandson of the
plucked out of the fire ... clothed in
last king of Judah, with an appointed
filthy garments." (Zachariah 3:2)
high priest at his side. Zachariah is sure
But in this week's haftorah, in a
that a national, political and religious
vision, Zechariah hears God command
redemption is close at hand. But this
that Joshua be dressed in "royal gar-
early post-exilic enthusiasm would

BETH ISRAEL (ANN ARBOR)
CONGREGATION

2000 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, 48104, (734) 665-
9897. Rabbi: Robert Dobrusin. Services: Friday 6 p.m.;
Saturday 9:30 a.m.; weekdays 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 5 p.m.

CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM

14601 W. Lincoln, Oak Park, 48237, (248) 547-7970.
Rabbi: David A. Nelson. Cantor: Samuel L. Greenbaum.
Ritual director: Rev. Samuel Semp. Services: Friday 6
p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 6:30 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m., 5 p.m.;
weekdays 7 a.m., 6:30 p.m. Bar mitzvah of Mark Ronald
Rosen, son of Michele and Michael Rosen. Monthly birth-
day blessings.

BETH TEPHILATH MOSES

146 South Ave., Mt. Clemens, 48043, (810) 465-0641.
Services: weekdays 7:15 a.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.; Sunday
8 a.m.

director: Leonard Gutman.
Southfield: 27375 Bell Road, Southfield, 48034, (248)
357-5544. Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:30
a.m.; Monday, Thursday 7:15 a.m.; daily 6 p.m.; Friday 6
p.m.; Saturday 8:45 a.m., 8:45 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m.
Bar mitzvah of Jordan Michael Birnholtz, son of Paula and
Mark Birnholtz.
West Bloomfield, B'nai Israel Center: 4200 Walnut Lake
Road, West Bloomfield, 48323-2772, (248) 357-5544.
Services: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:15 a.m.; Monday,
Thursday 7 a.m.; daily 6 p.m.; Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9
a.m., 8:45 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.

TEMPLE ISRAEL

2300 CenterAve., Bay City, 48708; (989) 893-7811.
Cantor: Daniel Gale. President: Dr. Jonathan Abramson.
Services: Saturday 9:30*a.m. A liberal, egalitarian congre-
gation serving the tri-cities area. Religious and Hebrew
education programs for children and adults.

CONGREGATION B'NAI MOSHE

6800 Drake, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 788-0600.
Rabbi: Elliot Pachter. Cantor: Earl Berris. Services: Friday 6
p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 8:45 p.m.; Monday-Thursday 7
a.m., 6 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m.; Sunday and legal holidays 9
a.m.; Sunday 6 p.m. Bat mitzvah of Kendall Maxbauer,
daughter of Terri and Robert Roth and Leo and Jeanne
Maxbauer.

ISAAC AGREE
DOWNTOWN SYNAGOGUE

1457 Griswold, Detroit, 48226, (313) 961-9328. Chazan:
Cantor Usher Adler. Baal Kriah: Rabbi Craig Allen. Cantorial
soloist: Neil Bards. Ritual director: Dr. Martin Herman.
President: Dr. Ellen Kahn. Services: Saturday 8:30 a.m.

CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK

Rabbis: Joseph H. Krakoff, Jonathan E. Berkun. Rabbi
emeritus: Irwin Groner. Cantor: Chaim Najman. Ritual

INDEPENDENT

AHAVAT SHALOM

413 N. Division St., Traverse City, 49684, (231) 929-
4330. Rabbi: Chava (Stacie) Bahle. Weekly Shabbat cele-
brations, holidays, year round programming, children's
education. Summer programming for downstate visitors.

GROSSE POINTE JEWISH COUNCIL

(313) 882-6700. Rabbi: Nicholas Behrmann. Cantorial
soloist: Bryant Frank.

JEWBILATION

P.O. Box 130014, Ann Arbor, 48103, (734) 996-3524 or
995-1963. Rev. Lauren Zinn. Services: Friday 6:15, fol-
lowing dinner. Jewish Roots with Interfaith Wings holds
bi-monthly Shabbat dinner, services, kids' programs,

quickly fade.
Zachariah's messianic redemption fal-
ters and is replaced by a more practical
and political redemption at the hands of
Ezra and Nehemiah. It would not be
until the Maccabee rebellion in the sec-
ond century B.C.E. that messianic hopes
would be renewed as the Pharisees and
their philosophies became popular. But
here in the Book of Zechariah, tucked
away at the bottom of the prophets, we
can catch the spirit of an expected,
immanent messianic arrival. P1

Conversations

How do we interpret the ups and
downs of the failed messianic
expectations of the Biblical
record? Mashiach meant some-
thing very different to the
Pharisees and rabbis than it had
for the generations after David.
How have we modified or
changed our understanding of the
messianic era in our time? The
different messianic expectations
within our 21st century Jewish
community clearly separate us
theologically. Is it at all productive
to talk about those differences?

..:0;;;Krel tb3rnN.

family school and Hebrew school for all ages.

ORTHODOX

AGUDAS YISROEL MOGEN ABRA-
HAM

15751 W. Lincoln, Southfield, 48075, (248) 552-1971.
Rabbis: Dov Loketch, Asher Eisenberger. President: Irwin
Cohen.

ANN ARBOR CHABAD HOUSE

715 Hill St., Ann Arbor, 48104, (734) 995-3276. Rabbi:
Aharon Goldstein. Services: Friday at sundown; Saturday
9:45 a.m., 20 min. before sundown; weekdays 7:30
a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. Times for weekdays and Sunday are
for the academic year.

ANN ARBOR ORTHODOX MINYAN

1429 Hill St., Ann Arbor, 48014. Rabbi: Rod Giogower.
Services: Friday at sundown; Saturday 9:30 a.m. and 20
minutes before sundown; weekdays during the academic
year 7:30 a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.

BAIS CHABAD OF
FARMINGTON HILLS

32000 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 855-
2910. Rabbi: Chaim Bergstein. Services: Friday sundown;
Saturday 9:30 a.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m.; weekdays 6:50
a.m.

BAIS CHABAD OF
NORTH OAK PARK

15401 W. 10 Mile, Oak Park, 48237, (248) 872-8878.
Rabbi: Shea Werner.

BETH TEFILO EMANUEL TIKVAH

24225 Greenfield, Southfield, 48075, (248) 559-5022.
Rabbi: Yisroel Menachem Levin.