Sp it I
Torah Portion/Synagogues
Faith Is Strongest When Life Is Darkest
Shabbat Vayetze:
Genesis 28:10-32:3;
Hosea 12: 13-14: 10.
jr
acob, for the first time in his life,
had left his parental roof. Taking
the wanderer's staff in his hand,
he was journeying to a doubtful haven
of refuge.
Fleeing the wrath of his brother,
Esau, and heartsick because he had to
leave his loving mother, Rebecca, Jacob
wandered forth with deep anguish. He
would be compelled to make a new start
among people he did not know.
How dark everything seemed to him
is expressed by the words of the
Midrash, "The whole world became like
a wall before him." Troubles closed in on
him from every side.
On the first day of his wearisome
odyssey, the sun suddenly set. At that
moment, the sages say, he prayed. Where
could he find shelter? Exhausted, Jacob
places his head upon rocks as he lay
down to sleep, "and he dreamed." He
saw a vision of a ladder joining heaven
and earth. So vivid was this encounter
that when Jacob awoke from his trou-
Irwin Groner is rabbi emeritus of
Congregation Shaarey Zedek.
bled sleep, he took a vow saying, "If the
ecstasy in the 18th century when the
Lord will be with me and will keep me
Jewish communities of Eastern Europe
in the way I go ... then this stone ... shall
were transmitted as a result of physical
be God's house.
destruction and spiritual desolation. The
Jacob had encountered God's pres-
Baal Shem Tov called upon the people to
ence many times, but this always
rekindle their spirit of hope, to begin
occurred during the daytime, in
singing in the midst of their terrible
moments of tranquility. This time, how-
afflictions.
ever, Jacob, in a state of helplessness,
There are people who can only pray
encountered the Almighty when the sun
in the noon brightness of the sunlit day.
had set, in the midst of dark-
They can express gratitude
ness. Jacob, reclining on a hard
then, but theirs is not the
stone, was in a state of pro-
assurance that remains when
found anxiety about the
all else is gone. An Austrian
future. And yet, in the midst
playwright once declared: "We
of his distress, he found faith
know of some very religious
and saw "the Gate of Heaven.
people who came to doubt
Jacob is each of us. Who in
God when a misfortune befell
his personal life has not
them, but we have never yet
known sorrow or frustration?
seen
anyone who lost his faith
RABBI IRWIN
Upon whom has eventide not
because
an undeserved fortune
GRO NER
cast its shadows? Who has not
fell to his lot.
Sp eci a 1 to the
lived for a period in the midst
In the story of Jacob's
Jewisl 9 News
of darkness?
dream, we learn that to pray
in the dark means we are saddened, but
not broken by life's afflictions. What
Resurgence Of Faith
should one pray for at such a time?
There are people who declare they have
First, for strength. We can draw out
no faith at all. Missing within them is
of our depths powers untapped and
that sense of awe, reverence and need
unknown. We are stronger than we
from which there arises the awareness of
think. We can mobilize our deepest
God's presence.
reserves rather than surrender to self-pity.
Chassidism was the movement that
On the wall of a cellar in the city of
summoned men and women to a resur-
Cologne, where Jews had hidden from
gence of faith and hope, of song and
the Nazis during the Holocaust, the fol-
77
) 7
,,
Shedding Light On Shabbat
The correct time to light Shabbat candles is 18 minutes before sunset on Friday.
Sponsored by Lubavitch Women's Organization. To receive Shabbat candles, candlesticks and
brochures at no cost, contact Miriam Amzalak at (248) 548-6771 or miriamamzalakl@jtmo.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:
Yevsey Gutman. Cantor emeritus: Larry Vieder. Services:
Friday 5 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 5 p.m.; weekdays 7:30
a.m., 5 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m. B'not mitzvah of Emily
Fingerman, daughter of Tatyana and Michael Fingerman;
Mami Lieberman, daughter of Lori and Michael Lieberman.
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
am.; Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.
70
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. lvriah reli-
gious 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
31840 W. Seven Mile, Livonia, (248) 477-8974. Cantor:
David Gutman. President: Larry Stein. Vice presidents:
Martin Diskin, AI Gittleman. Services: Friday 8 p.m.;
Saturday 9 a.m.
CONGREGATION BETH AHM
BETH TEPHILATH MOSES
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.,
4:45 p.m.; weekdays 7 a.m., 7 p.m.; Sundays and civic
2004
BETH ISRAEL (FLINT)
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., 5:15 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m., 5 p.m.; week-
days 7 a.m., 6:30 p.m. Adult bat mitzvah of Marilynn
Emmer.
BEIT KODESH
11/19
holidays: 8:15 a.m.. 5 p.m. Bat mitzvah of Leah Stilman,
daughter of Erin and Jeffrey Stilman.
146 South Ave., Mt. Clemens, 48043, (586) 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
4:45 p.m.; Saturday 9 am., 4:45 p.m.; Monday-Friday 7
a.m., Monday-Thursday 6 p.m.; Sunday and legal holidays
9 a.m.; Sunday 4:45 p.m. Haftorah, Marty Price.
DOR CHADASH - U. OF MICH.
U-M Hillel; 1429 Hill St., Ann Arbor 48104, (734) 769-0500.
Rabbi: Jason A. Miller. Co-chairs: Rebecca Murow, Perry
Teicher. Egalitarian Carlebach-style service 5:30 p.m.
Fridays. Monthly Shabbat moming service. Monthly
Shabbat Mincha-Seudah Shlishit. Check Web site for times
vvvvw.umhillel.org
ISAAC AGREE DOWNTOWN
SYNAGOGUE
1457 Griswold, Detroit, 48226, (313) 961-9328. Chazan:
Cantor Usher Adler. Baal Kriah: Rabbi Howard Marcus.
Cantorial soloist: Neil Barns. Ritual director: Dr. Martin
Herman. President: Dr. Ellen Kahn. Services: Saturday 8:30
a.m. also the second Friday of every month at 7 p.m.
CONGREGATION SHAAREY ZFDEK
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 5 p.m.; Friday 5
p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m., 4:45 p.m.; Sunday 8:30 a.m. B'nai
mitzvah of Joshua Steven Stemberg and Rebecca Devora
Sternberg, children of Robin and Jeffrey Sternberg.
Havdalah bar mitzvah of Jonathan Schloner, son of
Michelle and William Schloner. Thanksgiving Day services,
Thursday, Nov. 25, 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 5 p.m.; Friday 5 p.m.; Saturday 9
lowing inscription was discovered after
the war: "I believe in `thesun even when
it is not shining; I believe in love even
when not feeling it; I believe in God
even when He is silent."
Second, we pray for the capacity to
transform our sorrow into sources of
greater sensitivity and helpfulness. Some
make of sorrow a prison and enclose
themselves within it. Our sorrows should
become a bridge to the pain of others,
enabling us to grow in understanding
and humanity. We should pray for the
breadth of view that will redeem our
grief of anger and cleanse it of rebellion.
Upon every life, there will come a
time when the shadows will lengthen
and the darkness will gather. Blessed is
he who has taught himself to pray in the
dark. In the midst of travail, he will find
faith and be granted greater wisdom and
compassion. Out of his pain, he may yet
see, as did Jacob, a glimpse of future
generations.
Conversations
How important is it to affirm one's
faith when things seem "dark"?
How would you interpret the Baal
Shem Tov's words, "When God
wants to punish a man, He
deprives him of his faith"?
a.m., 4:45 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day servic-
es, Thurs. Nov. 25, 9 a.m.
TEMPLE ISRAEL
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 congre-
gation 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 celebrations,
holidays, year round programming, children's education.
Summer programming for downstate visitors.
GROSSE POINTE JEWISH COUNCIL
(313) 882-6700. Rabbi: Nicholas Behrmann. Cantodal
soloist: Bryant Frank.
JEWBILATION
P.O. Box 130014, Ann Arbor, 48103, (734) 996-3524 or
995-1963. Rev. Lauren Zinn. Services: Friday 6:15, follow-
ing dinner. Jewish Roots with Interfaith Wings holds bi-
monthly Shabbat dinner, services, kids' programs, family
school and Hebrew school for all ages.
ORTHODOX
AGUDAS YISROEL MOGEN
ABRAHAM
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: