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. 6/ 4 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.