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From the Study of Rabbi Kaye: “No Easy Answers.” » PAGE 3 also inside… Infant Program Adult B’nei Mitzvah High Holiday Information SPARKING … and more! Positive Jewish Identities Back to School with August 2019 Tammuz-Av 5779 Breman Education Center » PAGE 6 v. 80 | no. 11 1589 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 404.873.1731 | Fax: 404.873.5529 the-temple.org | [email protected] Follow us! SCHEDULE: AUGUST 2019 thetempleatlanta @the_templeatl FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 7:30 PM Reform Movement Shabbat Kehillat Chaim, 1145 Green St., Roswell, GA 30075 NO SERVICES AT TEMPLE * LEADERSHIP&STAFF SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 9:00 AM Torah Study Clergy 10:30 AM Chapel Worship Service Rabbi Peter S. Berg, Lynne & Howard Halpern Senior Rabbinic Chair FRIDAY, AUGUST 9 Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus 6:00 PM Shabbat Worship Service Rabbi Samuel C. Kaye 7:00 PM Meditation – Room 34 Cantor Deborah L. Hartman Rabbi Steven H. Rau, RJE, Director of Lifelong Learning SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 Rabbi Lydia Medwin, Director of Congregational 9:00 AM Torah Study Engagement & Outreach 9:30 AM Mini Shabbat Rabbi Alvin M. Sugarman, Ph.D., Emeritus 10:30 AM Bat Mitzvah of Arden Aczel Officers of the Board FRIDAY AUGUST 16 Janet Lavine, President 6:00 PM Shabbat Worship Service Kent Alexander, Executive Vice President 7:00 PM Meditation – Room 34 Stacy Hyken, Vice President Louis Lettes, Vice President SATURDAY, AUGUST 17 Eric Vayle, Secretary 9:00 AM Torah Study Jeff Belkin, Treasurer 10:30 AM Chapel Shabbat Worship Service Janet Dortch, Executive Committee Appointee FRIDAY, AUGUST 23 Martin Maslia, Executive Committee Appointee Billy Bauman, Lynne and Howard Halpern Endowment 6:00 PM Shabbat Worship Service with House Band Fund Board Chair 7:00 PM Meditation – Room 34 8:00 PM The Well Leadership Mark R. Jacobson, Executive Director SATURDAY, AUGUST 24 Sarah Shinsky, 9:00 AM Torah Study Weinberg Early Learning Center Director 10:30 AM B’nei Mitzvah of Ari and Jolie Levy Staff FRIDAY, AUGUST 30 Katie Bass, Communications and 6:00 PM Shabbat Worship Service Marketing Coordinator 7:00 PM Meditation – Room 34 Melinda Brackin, Accounting Manager Judy Cole, Pianist SATURDAY, AUGUST 31 Amy Cox, Accounting Assistant 9:00 AM Torah Study Tena Drew, Membership Manager 10:30 AM Bat Mitzvah of Raya Leibowitz Lonnie Fitzgerald, Maintenance Team Elizabeth C. Foster, Family & Teen Educator * No Services at Temple. Yahrzeits can be read on Saturday or change date. Nalo Grant, Clergy Administrative Assistant Our Yartzeit list will be read at Kehilat Chaim as well. Amy Helman-Darley, Development Manager Audrey Henderson, WELC Assistant Director Summer Jacobs, Engagement Coordinator TORAH&HAFTARAH: Renaldo Lockwood, Maintenance Team Heather McKerley, Accounting Assistant & AUGUST 3: Matot-Masei Facilities Maintenance Coordinator Numbers 30:2-36:13 Jacqueline Morris, Education and Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4 Engagement Associate Dianne Ratowsky, Administrative Assistant AUGUST 10: Devarim to Rabbi Peter S. Berg Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22; Isaiah 1:1-27 Joya Schmidt, Engagement Administrative Assistant AUGUST 17: Vaetchanan & Tour Coordinator Adele Sheftel, WELC Administrative Assistant Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11; Isaiah 40:1-26 Laurie Simon, Engagement Coordinator AUGUST 24: Ekev for Special Events Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25, Isaiah 49:14-51:3 Bethany Smith, Youth Education Coordinator Captain Eddie Smith, Head of Security AUGUST 31: Re’eh Marjorie Vaughn, TBRS Administrative Assistant Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17; Isaiah 54:11-55:5 Rita Zadoff, Donation & Event Coordinator 2 | The Temple FROM THE STUDY OF RABBI SAM KAYE About Rabbi Kaye: Rabbi Samuel Kaye is the Assistant Rabbi at Temple, and joined the clergy team in July 2018. He was ordained in June of 2018 at Hebrew Union College- No Easy Answers Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati Ohio where he also earned a Masters occasion I receive emails and phone calls from strangers who want one thing from of Arts in Hebrew Letters. O N me: “Rabbi, I need you to tell me what the Bible has to say on x,y, or z.” Often During his time as a student they’ll follow this up with something like “I need you to know that I’m not Jewish.” or “I’m he served congregations and organizations in Cincinnati, an atheist but…” My response is almost always the same “I’m happy to help you, but I need New York, Toronto, West you to know that there aren’t easy answers when it comes to understanding the Torah.” Virginia, Kentucky and Those of you who spend time with me--or any of our wonderful clergy--in our classes South Dakota. or at Torah study, already knew that. But I will admit that it is a rather strange statement Rabbi Kaye was born and for a rabbi to make. After all, the Torah is full of perfectly clear statements, commands, and raised in Denver, Colorado. During his education at stories. How could I possibly say that there are no easy answers when it comes to Torah? Allegheny College he Well one perfect example was a program that we had at the Temple on Shavuot regarding developed an interest the giving of tzedakah. To whom do we give first? To our family or our community? To in history, philosophy fellow Jews? To Israel? To small American Jewish communities or to brilliant Jewish and religion. Rabbi Kaye completed the Pardes startups that need our help? To those who need it most? To those who can make the biggest Institute for Jewish Studies splash for the least investment or to those who need a huge influx of resources for a vital year program before project? Giving charity is “simple”, but Torah doesn’t have any easy answers. attending Rabbinical And here I want to be exceptionally clear; I said easy answers. Not “no answers” at all. School and has served as In Torah giving is commanded, justice is demanded, love and hope are modeled and faith a fellow at the iCenter. is nurtured; but there is never a promise of an easy path or a clear direction. This can be Connect with Rabbi Kaye: frustrating, if God asks us for our best selves… then why doesn’t God tell us how to be our [email protected] best selves in simple terms? 404.873.1731 Two thousand years ago the ancient rabbis also voiced this concern. The great Rabbi Yannai attempted to explain the issue with a midrashic story. He said that the Torah was not given in a clear cut manner, rather every time that God spoke to Moses, the Holy One would give 49 reasons why a rule was just and 49 reasons why it was problematic. Moses quickly grew frustrated with God and said “Master of the universe, how will anyone ever know what to do if there are 49 reasons for everything and 49 reasons against it?” God’s response was simple “Go with the wisdom of the majority!” Let the wisdom of generations, the soul of the community, and the compassion of your leaders bring you to the right answer: that way even if there are those who disagree you will know that you are still following in my ways. It’s a lovely story that reinforces our need for constructive conversation, plurality of perspectives, and for holding multiple truths simultaneously. It’s also a reminder that we can’t allow “not having the full picture”, “needing a clear answer”, or a “lack of consensus” to dictate or paralyze our actions in this world. Justice must still be sought, charity must still be given, kindness must still be shown, and love must still illumine the world: even when there are no clear answers. Rabbi Sam Kaye August 2019/5779 | 3 HIGH HOLY DAYS 5780 at IMPORTANT HIGH HOLY Kever Avot Services “The Graves of Our Ancestors” DAY INFORMATION Sunday, October 6 The High Holy Days are just around the corner! Please let 11:00am @ Crestlawn Cemetery us know if you have not received your mailings regarding 1:00pm @ Arlington Memorial Park schedules, usher volunteers, childcare, and membership status. We are continuing our custom of Kever We want you to enter the holiday season on a sweet note! Avot (The Graves of Our Ancestors) for our members. This service is held Erev Rosh Hashanah – Sunday, September 29 on the Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sunday, Rosh Hashanah Day 1 – Monday, September 30 October 6. We will offer separate services at Crestlawn Cemetery Rosh Hashanah Day 2 – Tuesday, October 1 and Arlington Memorial Park. It will be a time for us to confront Erev Yom Kippur – Tuesday, October 8 our own mortality, and it will help each of us face the future with Yom Kippur – Wednesday, October 9 serious intent and purposefulness. Yizkor High Holy Day Food Drive & Wednesday, October 9 If you would like the name(s) of your loved one read at Yizkor Help Unload the Truck Services, they passed away during last year, and the service was Sunday, October 13 @ 1:00pm not performed by one of our Temple rabbis, or the service was The Temple is a founding sponsor of the Midtown Assistance out of town, please call The Temple office 404-873-1731. Center (MAC). MAC is a non-profit organization that has provided emergency assistance to the working poor of Midtown and All Babies Born since last Downtown Atlanta since 1986. As always, we continue to collect food on the High Holy Days in order to meet the critical hunger needs in Rosh Hashanah our community. This expression of our unwavering commitment to We would like to celebrate the birth of any new life during our Rosh social justice is a part of our proud Temple tradition.