Spirituality
Torah Portion/Synagogues
Mysteries A Challenge
Shabbat Hol Hamoed
Sukkot:
Exodus 33:12-34:26•
Numbers 29:17-22;
Exekiel 38:18-39:16
T
he secret things belong unto
the Lord our God, but the
things that are revealed
belong unto us and to our children
forever, that we may do all the words
of this law."
The secret things? For the
ancients, there were many secret
things — the movement of the plan-
ets, the onset of disease, the process
of life, the nature of the universe —
there were many secrets. But for us,
the world is devoid of all mystery.
From the smallest unit of matter, the
sub particle of an atom, to the outer-
most reaches of space, to the galaxies
beyond, man has unraveled all of the
mystery. He has discovered all of the
truths.
What mystery is there left? What
is hidden from us? How I remember
reading a poem, a satire, written by a
scientist who said: "Twinkle, twinkle
Irwin Groner is rabbi emeritus of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
little star; I do not wonder what you
ment. That is why they ask so many
are.
questions — because the world
I know your source and composi-
appears to them new and bright and
tion, too.
glorious. Science and philosophy and
How you were born and how you
psychology emerge out of that kind
grew."
of astonishment because all knowl-
What mystery is left? Our answer
edge arises out of wonder.
is: The mysterious is not necessarily
Not only do we live in the dimen-
the unknown in a scientific sense,
sion of space, but we also live on the
but is the inexpressible. The mysteri-
ever-moving frontier of time. We can
ous is that which fills us
know what is in this imme-
with awe and wonderment.
diate environment and we
We can explain and meas-
understand our past. But
ure the power of Niagara
tomorrow is mysterious.
rushing over the falls, but
Life is a continuous adven-
that doesn't diminish for us
ture into the unforeseen
the sense of its grandeur
and the unforeseeable. The
and beauty. We know about
hidden things belong to
celestial mechanics and
God.
physics, and yet, this does-
Our capacity to move
n't diminish our awareness
forward into this frontier of
of the beauty and gltity of
RABBI IRWIN time and to the unknown is
an autumn evening's star-
a quality which I believe
GRONER
filled sky.
gives our lives an aspect of
Special to the
The scientist describes
mystery, heroism and chal-
Jewish News
nature; he doesn't explain
lenge. It is when we face
nature. He can never
the future, we realize the
answer the question of why. There is
contingencies of life.
no experience, however common-
Next weekend marks the comple-
place, that does not have in it some-
tion of the cycle of holy days. As you
thing that escapes definition and
reflect for a moment on the year that
evokes "radical amazement." Because
has passed, I am certain that much
there are things that we cannot say
of what transpired and occurred in
in words or in formulas, we have
your lives was regular, expected and
painting and art, sculpture, music,
predictable. But there was an ele-
dance and drama.
ment of the unforeseen — experi-
Children have this capacity to be
ences and difficulties; I hope unfore-
astonished. They thrive on astonish-
seen joys, achievements and accom-
"Because I am in my synagogue all week as a staff person, lighting Shabbat candles helps me to
leave the realm of the hectic and ordinary and enter the spiritual realin to experience Shabbat
joy and Shabbat peace." — Brenda Brook, West Bloomfield Temple Kol Anii administrator
To submit a candlelighting message, call Miriam Amzalak of the Lubavitch Women's Organization
at (248) 548-6771 or e-mail• mirianiamzalaki@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
p.m.; weekdays 7:30 a.m., 6 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m.
Saturday aufruf of Julie Rogers and Jeffrey
Kowalsky. Sukkot: Friday, Oct. 1, 9 a.m., 6 p.m.;
Hoshana Rabba, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 7 a.m., 6 p.m.;
Shemini Atzeret, Thursday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. (Yizkor),
5:30 p.m.; Simchat Torah, Friday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m., 6
p.m.
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.
JN
10/ 1
2004
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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. Ritual director: Joseph Mermelstein. Rabbi
emeritus: A. Irving Schnipper. Cantor Emeritus:
Shabtai Ackerman. Guest rabbi: Aaron Bergman.
Visiting scholar: Dr. Howard Lupovitch. Services:
Friday 6 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m., 6:45 p.m.; week-
days 7 a.m., 7 p.m.; Sundays and civic holidays:
8:15 a.m., 5 p.m. Sukkot: Friday, Oct. 1, 9:30 a.m.,
6:30 p.m.; Hoshana Rabba, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 6:45
a.m., 6:30 p.m.; Shemini Atzeret, Thursday, Oct. 7,
9:30 a.m. (Yizkor), 7 p.m.; Simchat Torah, Friday,
Oct. 8, 9:30 a.m., 6 p.m.
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 holi-
days 8 a.m., 6 p.m. lvriah religious school (810)
732-6312.
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.
Children's birthday blessings. Baby naming of Cara
Ree Dones, daughter of Jill and Aaron Dones.
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.
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., 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, Joel Grand. Baby naming of Hannah
Meltser, daughter of Rachel Brown and Steven
plishments, but the unforeseen,
unpredictable and unknown entered
our lives.
Our grandparents said it better.
They said: ( .`,4 mentsh tract and Gut
lacht." "Man proposes and God dis-
poses." We have reached these weeks
of the new year 5765, and we try to
anticipate to plan for all that lies
before us; we sense this presence of
mystery.
In fulfilling our human destiny,
may we never lose sight of the mys-
tery and the awe of human existence.
In contemplating God's secrets, may
we never turn aside from our respon-
sibilities, from that which we under-
stand. May we stand at our tasks sus-
taining life for ourselves and build-
ing life for the future
a future
which we cannot know with certain-
ty — a future in which we can sus-
tain hope, faith and courage. El
Conversations
As we contemplate all the risks in
life — loss, pain and adversity —
how do they make us realize the
uncertainty and fragility of human
existence? In what ways are we
reminded that our time is in the
hand of God?
Meltser. Sukkot: Friday, Oct. 1, 9 a.m. (Haftorah, Ira
Harris), 6 p.m.; Hoshana Rabba, Wednesday, Oct, 6,
6:45 a.m., 6 p.m.; Shemini Atzeret, Thursday, Oct. 7,
9 a.m. (Haftorah, Melvyn Friedman; Yizkor), 6:45
p.m.; Simchat Torah, Friday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m., 6 p.m.
ISAAC AGREE DOWNTOWN
SYNAGOGUE
1457 Griswold, Detroit, 48226, (313) 961-9328.
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.
CONGREGATION SHAAREY
ZEDEK
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.
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.