Temple Beth Or Bulletin – November

A VIEW FROM THE BIMAH November 2012 ~ Cheshvan/Kislev 5773 themes. Especially moving was the three addresses by local ministers, and “Taste of story of one participant who had been the singing of every verse of Judaism” reared in Judaism but whose life “America.” Interestingly, the program Was Delicious journey took him in different was held on the afternoon of This past month, over directions; here, he felt, he had finally Thanksgiving itself. several two-hour “come home.” In recent years, our joint services have sessions, I offered our The program would not have been been held only with the First United first “Taste of Judaism” nearly as successful, by the way, Methodist Church. These services program, or at least the without the magnificent way Katie have been meaningful and first such program during my tenure in Wetherbee managed it from beginning inspirational, and always followed by Montgomery. This program has to end. She deserves our thanks. a wonderful Thanksgiving reception, already reached some 90,000 persons The expenses for “Taste of Judaism,” invariably on the Tuesday evening across the country over the past 25 especially the advertising, were more preceding Thanksgiving. years; our program at Temple Beth Or than covered by a grant from the After discovering old programs added about 30 to that list. Union for Reform Judaism; we also describing a program with broader The experience was wonderful, received a secondary grant from the church sponsorship – temple bulletins certainly for me but by all reports as National Center to Encourage Judaism from the 1920’s also describe well for those who participated. in the Washington area, as well as Thanksgiving services with multiple Those who signed up – having heard donations from some of the churches participating – I suggested about the program through our participants. From every perspective, the addition of Church of the advertising, a major article in the in other words, this program was a Ascension. After discussion with Advertiser and through word of mouth real success. Rev. John Coleman there, and with – represented nearly a dozen different Rev. Lawson Bryan at First United Church of the Ascension to denominations, and included several Methodist, both dear colleagues and with Jewish ties somewhere in their Join Interfaith friends, we have agreed to move background. The group’s profile Thanksgiving Service ahead with tri-partite sponsorship. exactly matched the program’s criteria When I have time, I love exploring This year, we will be at FUMC on of identifying individuals or couples old archives and finding old historical November 20 at 7:00 p.m., and I will who have been curious about Judaism, documents. One such I came across is be preaching; next year, 2013, we will including some whose interest went in our Temple archives: the program convene at Ascension, and Rev. Bryan beyond curiosity or an academic of what might have been our first will be preaching, followed by a turn interest towards the possibility of Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, dated here in 2014. This year’s service conversion and eventual membership. November 30, 1899. Five promises to be magnificent, and I The sessions ranged over Jewish congregations participated: First hope we have a very substantial theology, history, texts, American Baptist Church; Central Presbyterian turnout to express our thanks, and our denominations, distinctiveness from Church; Court Street Methodist commitment (always appropriate at Christianity and other important Church, Dexter Avenue Methodist Thanksgiving) to share of what we have with those whose bounty is less. Saturday, November 10 Church and our own Kahl Montgomery. The Shabbat Morning Service Rabbi Elliot Stevens program, held at Beth-Or Saturday morning, (hyphenated in those November 10th, Rabbi days), was similar to Stevens will lead a Shabbat those of recent years, morning service. Service including beautiful choir will run from 9:30 – 11:15 hymns accompanied by a.m. and include Torah study and a light organ; a reading of the brunch. President’s Proclamation, Volume 161, Number 5 November 2012 ~ Cheshvan/Kislev 5773 Our President, Jamie Loeb is abroad and wishes all a happy Thanksgiving. Celebrating Our 161st Year In lieu of the usual President’s message is this reading. Maimonides' Ladder of Tzedakah – A Mitzvah for Thanksgiving The best forms of charity make the recipient self-sufficient. ELLIOT L. STEVENS, D. D., RABBI By Dr. Meir Tamari & Moses Maimonides David A. Baylinson, D.D., Rabbi Emeritus Excerpted from The Challenge of Wealth: A Jewish Perspective on Earning and Temple Beth Or Officers Spending Money. Copyright 1995 by Jason Aronson, Inc. Jamie Loeb ......................................President Diane Weil ......................................Vice-President: Programs The highest degree of charity - above which there is no higher—is he who Gracie Hanchrow ............................Vice-President: Finance strengthens the hand of his poor fellow Jew and gives him a gift or [an interest Morris Capouya ..............................Treasurer Susan Finklestein ............................Secretary -free] loan or enters into a business partnership with the poor person. Jenny Ives .......................................Immediate Past President [Interestingly, Maimonides within the internal allocation of this degree Board of Trustees proceeds from the lower rank to the higher. The loan is a higher form of Frances Capouya ............................Adult Education charity than is the outright gift since the poor are not shamed thereby (Rashi Micki Beth Stiller ...........................Cemetery on Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 63a), while the business partnership is more Bob Goldberg .................................Facilities praiseworthy than the loan or any other form of charity.] By this partnership Sam Kaufman .................................Long Range Planning Andy Weil ......................................Member at Large the poor man is really being strengthened as the Torah commands in order to Steve Clein ......................................Membership & Attendance strengthen him till he is able to be independent and no longer dependent on Philip Bernstein/Pete Ginsburg ......Men’s Club President the public purse. It is thus written, “Strengthen him [the poor person] so that Jarred Kaplan ..................................Religion School he does not fall [as distinct from the one who has already become poor] and Marlene Beringer ............................Ritual Susan Bernstein ..............................Sisterhood President become dependent on others” (Leviticus 25:35). Adam Finkelstein ...........................Youth & Scholarship [In modern terms, these are all charitable actions aimed at breaking the Temple Beth Or Staff poverty cycle and enabling the poor to establish themselves as independent Gina Friday .....................................Temple Administrator Terri Finkelstein .............................Religion School Director and productive members of society. For this reason, there is no halakhic Linda Smith ....................................L’Chaim League objection to the poor working while they are receiving their basic needs from Marlon Cotton ................................Maintenance Manager society. By the same standards, guidance regarding budgeting, financial Elizabeth French .............................Organist & Choir Director planning, consolidation of loans, and so forth, would be included in this Office Hours Monday CLOSED highest form of charity.] Tues., Wed. & Thurs. 11-4 Friday 11-2 A lower standard of charity is one in which the benefactor has no knowledge of the recipient and the latter has no knowledge of the individual source of 2246 Narrow Lane Road Montgomery, AL 36106 charity—matan b’seter [“giving in secret”]. This is practicing the mitzvah of (334) 262-3314 Tel (334) 263-5183 Fax charity for the sake of the mitzvah [since the benefactor has no benefit, social or egoistical]. Such charity is like the courtyard in the [ancient] Temple where Office: [email protected] the righteous used to place their donations secretly and the poor would benefit Rabbi: [email protected] www.templebethor.net from them in secret. Similar to this secret courtyard is the act of one who puts his money into the charity box [or funds]. Please call Gina Friday at 262-3314 to report any corrections or inaccuracies in the bulletin. Below this rank is the case where the recipient is known to the benefactor but the latter is unaware of the source of the charity. [Since the benefactor may When scheduling have, subconsciously, pleasure and a sense of power over the recipient, this calendar events detracts from his act and makes it less meritorious than the previous standard.] involving the Temple This is what the sages used to do when they would go in secret and place their it is important that you check dates with the gifts at the door of the poor. It is fitting to do this and meritorious in those Federation and the Temple for potential cases where the officials in charge of the communal charity do not behave conflicts within the Jewish community. Their righteously. number is 277-5820 and you can view the Where the recipient is aware of the source of the charity but the giver does not community calendar at know to whom the money is being given, the degree is lower [since the www.jewishmontgomery.org. recipient, knowing who gave him the money, feels beholden to him and ashamed in his presence]. Yet,

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