Temple and Synagogue Listings Sponsored by
Spirituality
Tern ► le Israel
TORAH PORTION
Synagogues from page B7
Services: Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.
the first Saturday of the month.
Secular Humanistic
Temple Emanu-El
The Birmingham Temple
14450 W.10 Mile, Oak Park, 48237, (248)
967-4020. Rabbi: Joseph P. Klein. Cantor:
Darcie Sharlein. Services: Friday 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:30 a.m.
Temple Israel
5725 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield, 48323,
(248) 661-5700. Rabbis: Harold S. Loss,
Paul M. Yedwab, Joshua L. Bennett, Marla
Hornsten, Jennifer T. Kaluzny. Cantor:
Michael Smolash. Cantorial soloist: Neil
Michaels. Minyan Monday-Thursday 7:30
a.m.; Friday 7:30 p.m.; Saturday 10:30
a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. Friday, Shabbat Under
the Stars with the Temple Israel All-Stars.
Wedding blessings for Lauren Jacobs and
David Weiner; Johanna Politzer and Steven
Lezell; Nicole Leff and Marc Moss. Baby
naming of Alexis Samantha Gitler, daughter
of Stella and Howard Gitler.
Temple Kol Ami
5085 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield, 48323,
(248) 661-0040. Rabbi: Norman T. Roman.
Rabbi emeritus: Ernst J. Conrad. Soloist:
Tiffany Steyer. Services: Friday 6 p.m.;
Saturday 10:30 a.m.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
1924 Coolidge, East Lansing 48823, (517)
351-3570. Rabbi: Amy Bigman. Rabbi
Emeritus: Morton Hoffman. Cantorial solo-
ist: Pamela Schiffer. Services: Friday 8 p.m.
(7 p.m on the second Friday of the month),
Saturday 9 a.m.
Temple Shir Shalom
3999 Walnut Lake, West Bloomfield, 48323,
(248) 737-8700. Rabbis: Dannel Schwartz,
Michael L. Moskowitz, Daniel Schwartz.
Cantorial soloist: Penny Steyer. Services:
Friday 8 p.m. Saturday 10:30 a.m.
U-M Reform Chavurah
1429 Hill St., Ann Arbor 48104, (734) 769-
0500. Regular Friday evening services
through the school year. Co-chairs: Shayna
Liberman, Stefanie Albowitz, Edi David,
Rebecca Kamil. Reformchairs07@umich.edu .
2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, 48108-
2301, (734) 975-9872. First Friday Shabbat
observances, adult programs, pre-school.
Sunday school, b'nai mitzvah program, High
Holiday observances.
Jewish Parents Institute
JCC, 6600 W. Maple, West Bloomfield,
48322, (248) 661-1000. Director: Marilyn
Wolfe. Alternative cultural Jewish celebra-
tions; secular bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies;
adult programming; cultural Sunday school
from nursery through teen.
Sholem Aleichem Institute
28690 Southfield, Suite 293, Lathrup
Village, 48076, (248) 423-4406. President:
Alva Dworkin. Holiday observances; Friday
night oneg Shabbat; cultural events.
Workmen's Circle Arbeter Ring
JCC, 15110 W. Ten Mile, Oak Park, 48237,
(248) 432-5677. President: Arlene Frank.
Michigan district director: Ellen R. Bates-
Brackett. Secular and cultural holiday
observances. Shabbes potlucks, bar/bat
mitzvahs, educational and cultural pro-
gramming. Welcoming community, Jewish/
Yiddish culture, social justice.
Sephardic
Keter Torah Synagogue
5480 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield,
(248) 681-3665. Chazan: Ben Zion Ben
Shimon. Services: Friday at candlelighting.
Saturday 9 a.m., 5:45 p.m. Monday and
Thursday 6 a.m.; Thursday 9:15 p.m.
Wiwi David
Congregation Shir Tikvah
3900 Northfield Parkway, Troy, 48084,
(248) 649-4418. Rabbi: Arnie Sleutelberg.
Services: Friday 7:45 p.m.; Saturday 10
a.m. Saturday, Aura Ahuvia will assist with
services.
Renewal
P.O. Box 251574, West Bloomfield, 48325,
(248) 855-5007. Cantor: Ben-Zion Lanxner.
Services: Saturday 9 a.m. at Hadassah
House, 5030 Orchard Lake, W. Bloomfield.
Minyans
Fleischman Residence
Pardes Hannah
2010 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, 48104,
(734) 213-8374. Rabbi: Elliot Ginsburg.
Affiliation: Alliance for Jewish Renewal.
Services: Friday night, monthly. Shabbat
morning second and fourth Saturday each
month — led by rabbi and group leaders.
August 28 • 2008
Jewish Cultural Society
Traditional
Reform/Renewal
B8
28611 W.12 Mile, Farmington Hills, 48334,
(248) 477-1410. Rabbi: Tamara Kolton.
Services: Friday 7:30 p.m.; monthly family
service 7 p.m. Saturday 9:30 a.m. Shabbat
study. Sunday school, b'nai mitzvah pro-
gram, holiday observances. Rabbi's tish
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
.114
6710 W. Maple, West Bloomfield, 48322,
(248) 661-2999. Rabbi: Avie Shapiro.
Sunday-Thursday abbrev. Minchah: 10 min.
before sunset, followed by Maariv. Friday-
Saturday, Minchah 5 p.m.; Maariv 6:10 p.m.;
Saturday-Sunday, 9:15 a.m. Call to confirm.
Yeshivat Akiva
21100 W.12 Mile, Southfield, 48076, (248)
386-1625. During school year, services at
7:30 a.m.; 2:40 p.m. Community is invited.
No Greater Love
Shabbat Mevarechim; Parshah Reeh:
Deuteronomy 11:26 16:17; I Samuel
20:18-42.
-
y
ou hate me! I know you hate
promise you made to yourself when
me! If you really loved me,
you were young? You didn't forget. But
you would let me do what I
now you are a parent and, as such, real-
want to do!"
ize that our parents were correct and
Do these words sound familiar?
raised us properly.
We sometimes hear them from the
As we mature and create our own
mouths of our children, and we bite our
families, we appreciate our parents
tongues, thinking to ourselves: "Hate you? more and more. And this memory
If I didn't love you so much, I wouldn't
helps to develop our relationship with
bother; allowing you to do what you want God. The roles are double-sided: We are
would be so much easier."
adults to our children, and at the same
King Solomon in his great wisdom
time we are children to God and can't
(Proverbs 13:24) said, "One
see the whole picture. Thus,
who withholds the rod,
we can't appreciate how God
hates his child." What do
comprehends all possibilities
the ancient king's words
and has chosen the very best
have to do with the portion
option for us.
this week?
What God has decreed may
A most important verse
not be convenient or pleasant.
in this week's Torah portion
Likewise, our children don't
(Deuteronomy 14:1) states:
always find our decisions to
"You are children to the
their pleasing.
1
Lord your God:' Here God
The Eben Ezra said a curi-
tells us a remarkable fact.
Rabbi
ous thing. He said that "God
We are His children and His
Avraham
loves us more than a father
relationship to us is that of
Cohen
loves his son!' How could he
a father and mother to a
Special to the
know this and state it as a
son. This is also the reason
Jewish News
fact?
that all of us are brothers
The answer to this question
and sisters. We have the same Father.
forces us to contemplate the essence of
Let's look at the rest of the verse.
God. Our sages explain that God is pure
"Therefore, don't cut yourselves and
goodness and love. Solely from this divine
don't pull out your hair over a person
goodness did He create man.
who has died?'
As loving as a human being may be,
What is the connection between the
His love can't be entirely selfless. But
fact that we are God's children and not
God who has no "self" can love others
cutting and pulling our hair out over a
completely; and He does: Each and
person who has died?
every one of us, without exception. God
The Eben Ezra explains this beautifully cannot do otherwise.
as follows: "Now that you know that you
If we can recall the principle of God's
are children to God and that He loves you selfless love for His children, we will be
even more than a father loves his son,
comforted greatly when life inevitably
don't panic when something seemingly
afflicts us. [1]
terrible happens. Everything that God
does derives from His love and ultimately Avraham S. Cohen is director of the Weiss
is for your benefit. And even if you don't
Partners in Torah program at Southfield-
understand how that could be — just
based Yeshiva Beth Yehudah.
as children often don't understand the
actions of their parents, yet trust them
Conversations
— so, too, should you trust in God's
Has it ever happened that you were
goodness
sure your parents were wrong, but
Obviously we don't hate our children.
in the end they turned out to be
Quite the opposite is true. We force our
right? How did you react? Based
children to face consequences for their
on the above, how can I change my
actions because we love them.
perspective when something goes
How many times have you repri-
wrong?
manded your child, contradicting a