Spirituality
Torah Portion/Synagogues
Will This Be The Year We Get It Right?
Shabbat Haazinu:
Dueteronomy 32:1-52;
Hosea 14:2-10; Micah
7: I 8 - 2 0; Joel 2:15-27
T
his Shabbat is one of the most
significant Shabbatot of the
year. It is Shabbat Shuvah, the
Shabbat of repentance.
The Shabbat following Rosh
Hashanah and preceding Yom Kippur
features additional phrases in the
liturgy that are said during the High
Holiday period and a special haftorah
beginning with the word Shuvah:
"Return Israel, to your God."
The Torah portion for this week
consists mainly of a poem, a song of
Moses, which looks back on the histo-
ry of the people with all of its high
points and low points. This is an
appropriate reading for this Shabbat
when we are in the midst of looking
back and looking ahead and evaluat-
Robert Dobrusin is rabbi of Beth
Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor.
ing our lives through the process of
the Mishnah.
teshuvah, repentance.
I think that the double statement,
There is an interesting teaching in
"I will sin and repent; I will sin and
the Mishnah regarding Yom Kippur.
repent," refers to this year and next
The Mishnah teaches: The person
year. The Mishnah is referring to the
who says, Echteh v'ashuv, echteh
feeling we all occasionally have that
v'ashuv, "I will sin and repent; I will
we are trapped in an endless cycle of
sin and repent," will not accomplish
moving away and coming back, of
repentance.
making mistakes and repenting. There
It seems that this text is saying that
is a good side to this in that when we
while Yom Kippur is on our
conclude the process of
calendar every year and
teshuvah, we are in a better
teshuvah is a given within
place than we were before.
Judaism, these should not be
But, the fatalistic view that
looked as giving us permis-
we will never get out of this
sion to sin during the year.
cycle limits the power teshu-
Obviously, we can't say, "I'll
vah can have.
do what I want now because
I believe the Mishnah
I can always repent." That
wants us to see that for
isn't the way repentance
teshuvah to be successful
works in Judaism.
and meaningful, we can not
Repentance is the way of
RABBI ROBERT look beyond this year. We
dealing with failings after the
absolutely have to believe
DOBRUSIN
fact not as permission to act
that this year we'll get it
Special to the
improperly in the first place.
right. We have to believe
Jewish News
There may be, however,
that this year our lives and
another point that this state-
the life of the world will
ment from the Mishnah is m aking.
reach perfection. We have to believe
Note that the text speaks of a person
that this is the year for redemption,
who says these words twice. I think
both personal and universal.
that that fact is vital to understanding
If we look down the road and
"I think Shabbos candles are very important for every Jewish woman and girl because
it is a time that you can pray for anything you desire. I like to pray for peace in the
world and that the sick should get better."
Bassie Rabin, 13, Oak Park
To submit a candlelighting message, call Miriam Amzalak of the Lubavitch Women's Organization
at (248) 548-6771 or e-mail: miriamarnzaIakl@juno.com
CONSERVATIVE
ADAT SHALOM SYNAGOGUE
29901 Middlebelt, Farmington Hills, 48334, (248) 851-
5100. Rabbis: Daniel Nevins, Herbert Yoskowitz, Rachel
Lawson Shere. Rabbi emeritus: Efry Spectre. Cantor:
Yesvey Gutman. Cantor emeritus: Larry Vieder. Services:
Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 7:30 p.m.; weekdays
7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m. B'nai mitzvah of
Sam Brickman, son of Risa and Bruce Brickman;
Mathew Herman, son of Teri and Jeffrey Herman.
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
80
CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZEDEK
AGUDAS YISROEL MOGEN
ABRAHAM
Rabbis: Joseph H. Krakoff, Jonathan E. Berkun, Eric S.
Yanoff. Rabbi emeritus: Irwin Groner. Cantor: Chaim
Najman. Ritual 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 9 a.m., 8:15 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m.
CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM
TEMPLE ISRAEL
BETH TEPHILATH MOSES
CONGREGATION BETH AHM
6800 Drake, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 788-0600.
Rabbi: Elliot Pachter. Cantor: Earl Berris. Services:
Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 7:15 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. Haftorah, Mark
Roth. Rosh Hashanah: Friday, 8:15 a.m., 6 p.m.
Haftorah, Alan Pinter.
G-5240 Calkins Road, Flint, 48532, (810) 732-6310.
bi-monthly Shabbat dinner, services, kids' programs,
family school and Hebrew school for all ages.
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., 8:15 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.
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.
CONGREGATION B'NAI MOSHE
ISAAC AGREE DOWNTOWN
SYNAGOGUE
1457 Griswold, Detroit, 48226, (313) 961-9328.
Conversations
How can we truly make this year
different?
Chazan: Cantor Usher Adler. Baal Kriah: Rabbi Craig
Allen. Cantorial soloist: Neil Barris. Ritual director: Dr.
Martin Herman. President: Dr. Ellen Kahn. Services:
Saturday 8:30 a.m.
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.
146 South Ave., Mt. Clemens, 48043, (810) 465-0641.
Services: weekdays 7:15 a.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.;
Sunday 8 a.m.
BETH ISRAEL (FLINT)
9/17
BETH ISRAEL (ANN ARBOR)
CONGREGATION
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.
5075 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, 48322, (248) 851-
6880. Ritual director: Joseph Mermelstein. Rabbi emer-
itus: A. Irving Schnipper. Cantor Emeritus: Shabtai
Ackerman. Guest rabbi: Aaron Bergman. Visiting schol-
ar: Dr. Howard Lupovitch. Services: Friday 6 p.m.;
Saturday 9:30 a.m., 7 p.m.; weekdays 7 a.m., 7 p.m.;
Sundays and civic holidays: 8:15 a.m., 5 p.m.
2004
Cantor emeritus: Sholom Kalib. President: Leonard
Meizlish. Services: Saturday 9:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; week-
days 7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday and legal holidays 8
a.m., 6 p.m. lvriah religious school (810) 732-6312.
assume we will be back doing teshu-
vah next year, we are just trapped in
an endless cycle of moving away and
coming back, which, while it is cer-
tainly better than other ways to con-
ceive of life, is not the ideal. The ideal
is to fulfill our potential as human
beings and as a world and together
return to the perfection of Eden.
It may not happen this year. But, if
we look ahead to next year and see
nothing but sin and eventual repen-
tance, we have succumbed to the cyn-
icism that we can never reach what
God truly intended for us.
Moses looks back on the history of
the people and sees disappointment.
There may be little reason to believe
that this year will be any different.
But, at least, let's commit ourselves to
taking one year at a time and hope
that this year is the year that we have
been praying for and waiting for. ❑
2300 Center Ave., Bay City, 48708; (989) 893-7811.
Cantor: Daniel Gale. President: Dr. Jonathan Abramson.
Services: Saturday 9:30 a.m. A liberal, egalitarian con-
gregation serving the tri-cities area. Religious and
Hebrew education programs for children and adults.
INDEPENDENT
AHAVAT SHALOM
413 N. Division St., Traverse City, 49684, (231) 929-
4330. Rabbi: Chava (Stacie) Bahle. Weekly Shabbat cel-
ebrations, holidays, year round programming, children's
education. Summer programming for downstate visi-
tors.
ORTHODOX
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; week-
days 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 Glogower.
Services: Friday at sundown; Saturday 9:30 a.m. and
20 minutes before sundown; weekdays during the aca-
demic 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 sun-
down; Saturday 9:30 a.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m.; week-
days 6:50 a.m.
BAIS CHABAD OF NORTH OAK
PARK
15401 W. 10 Mile, Oak Park, 48237, (248) 872-8878.
Rabbi: Shea Werner.
GROSSE POINTE JEWISH COUNCIL
BETH TEFILO EMANUEL TIKVAH
(313) 882-6700. Rabbi: Nicholas Behrmann. Cantorial
soloist: Bryant Frank.
24225 Greenfield, Southfield, 48075, (248) 559-5022.
Rabbi: Yisroel Menachem Levin.
JEWBILATION
BIRMINGHAM BLOOMFIELD
CHAI CENTER
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
37357 N. Woodward, Bloomfield Hills, 48304, (248)
203-6721. Services: Saturday 10 a.m.