6930 Alpha Road / Dallas, Texas 75240-3698 / 972-661-1810 / FAX 972-661-2636 JUNE/JULY 2007 SIVAN/TAMMUZ/AV 5767 VOLUME 42 NO. 1 THE BEST WAY TO BEAT THE HEAT IS TO SUMMER WITH SHALOM There’s plenty of fun under the sun at Temple Shalom. We’re pulling out all the stops in order to grow our temple family by offering a summer full of boredom busters. We encourage you to bring at least one non-affiliated family or friend to these great events: TOT SHABBAT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME - JUNE 8 and AUGUST 10 A dinner and Shabbat service geared to preschool-age children. Services start at 6:00pm, followed by dinner at 6:30pm. June 8th will be at Temple. Watch your e-mail for details and location for August 10. GIRLS NIGHT IN – JUNE 14 Come at 7:15pm to enjoy cocktails, light hors d’oeuvres and an enlightening Rosh Chodesh discussion celebrating the Power of a Woman at the home of Rivka Arad. Open to any unaffiliated women and Temple Shalom members. Please RSVP to Rivka by June 7 at 972-661-1362 or [email protected]. SUMMER SPLASH CHARDONNAY SHABBAT – JUNE 29 This service starts at 6:30pm followed by an Oneg Shabbat featuring wine and appetizers. HAVDALAH & MOVIE BLOCKBUSTER BASH – JULY 7 and AUGUST 4 Grab your friends and family and make your way to the Temple for a special Havdalah service at 6:45pm and then stay for a family-friendly movie. The concession stand will be open to serve you popcorn, snacks and beverages. MINI-MITZVAH DAY - JULY 22 A fun way for the entire family to make a difference in our community. More details still to come! We look forward to seeing you as we Let Shalom Shine In! SHABBAT SERVICES Adult Choir FRIDAY FRIDAY June 1 June 29 Returns from break th Beha’alotecha Balak, Numbers 22:39 – 25:9 July 17 at 7:30pm 6:30PM Service – Epstein Chapel Chadonnay Shabbat 6:30PM Service – Epstein Chapel SATURDAY followed by Wine & Appetizers Oneg Temple Shalom June 2 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel SATURDAY Volunteers of the Year Bar Mitzvah of Harrison Joseph June 30 006-007 Son of Larry and Ruth Joseph 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel At our annual congregational 10:30AM – Sanctuary Bat Mitzvah of Arielle Epstein meeting this past May, Carolee Blumin Shabbat Service Daughter of Robert and Susan Epstein 10:30AM - Sanctuary and Kay Krause were recognized as FRIDAY Shabbat Service volunteers of the year. June 8 5:00PM – Epstein Chapel Carolee joined Temple Shalom in Shelach Lecha Bar Mitzvah of Mose Gumble January, 2004. It didn’t take her long to Numbers 15:8-41 Son of Skip and Markita Gumble get totally involved. She made friends, Tot Shabbat joined Sisterhood, and was soon seen FRIDAY 6:00PM Service – Epstein Chapel almost daily working at the garage sale. Dinner – July 6 6:30PM Social Hall She has shared her culinary talents by Adult Service Pinchas, Numbers 28:16 – 30:1 coordinating the food for membership 6:30PM – Epstein Chapel 6:30PM Service – Epstein Chapel committee events and providing a good SATURDAY SATURDAY portion of it. She has also chaired the June 9 July 7 Sisterhood Circle of Service Tea and 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel seldom declines when asked to help. Service Service A long time member of Temple 6:45PM Havdalah & Movie Blockbuster 5:00PM - Sanctuary Shalom, Kay is well-known to Bash – Chapel & Social Hall Bar Mitzvah of Justin Crystal you because of her energy and Son of Jay and Diane Crystal FRIDAY perseverance. She frequently walks FRIDAY July 13 into the office and asks if there is June 15 Matot-Masei anything she can do. She has helped Korach, Numbers 17:25 – 18:32 Numbers 33:50 – 36:13 with mailings and is a stalwart on the 6:30PM Service – Epstein Chapel 6:30PM Service – Epstein Chapel Caring Community committee. She SATURDAY organized the weekend with Rabbi SATURDAY July 14 June 16 Richard Address and visits sick 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel 10:30AM – Sanctuary congregants. Service Bat Mitzvah of Sierra Weiss-Cox Our congregation is truly blessed Daughter of Karen Weiss and Jim Cox FRIDAY to have them as members, and even 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel July 20 more blessed that they choose to Shabbat Service Devarim dedicate their precious time to serve Deuteronomy 2:31 – 3:22 our temple. FRIDAY 6:30PM Service – Epstein Chapel June 22 Chukat, Numbers 19:1 – 20:21 SATURDAY 6:30PM Service – Epstein Chapel July 21 Temple Shalom’s 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel SATURDAY Service Membership Committee June 23 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel FRIDAY Welcomes You Bat Mitzvah of Shira Stevenson July 27 to Our Congregation! Daughter of Va’etchanan Elba and Janet Stevenson Deuteronomy 5:1 – 7:11 Call us to find out how 6:30PM Service – Epstein Chapel 10:30AM – Sanctuary you can get involved. Shabbat Service SATURDAY July 28 Meredith Marmurek, Chair BABYSITTING is available 10:30AM – Epstein Chapel 972-964-1922 for ages 1 yr. – 5 yrs. at all Service Friday Evening Services All Regular Friday Services are [email protected] Except Tot Shabbat. followed by a lovely Oneg Shabbat. Page June/July 007 I Was Just Thinking... As we have finished celebrating been the One to whom the Jewish people have prayed and commemorating the Shavuot and connected to since the days of Abraham. I believe holiday; the holiday we celebrate that God is the ultimate Parent, commanding us to live to commemorate the Giving of in accordance with the Truth as revealed to the Jewish Torah at Mt. Sinai, it is a season people through Torah, and through the subsequent holy and a moment to reflect on texts of our tradition as they become apparent in every important themes of Jewish life. generation. I experience God’s presence daily in the I wish to share thoughts I have fulfillment of mitzvot but most clearly in the relationship- about my Jewish world in the ing in which I am blessed to be able to do each day. In the hopes that perhaps, this summer, familiar paradigm of describing God with the attributes of you might do the same and that “all knowing, all powerful and all good,” I have come to your summer will be filled with thoughtful and meaningful believe that God is, in fact, all knowing and all good, but moments of Godly connection. The text in the center of not all powerful. God simply cannot prevent the evil that my comments here, are meant to be the central guiding befalls each of us and, like a good Parent, cries with us text. The paragraphs that follow are my commentary. when we are in pain. Just as we as parents are unable I believe that God revealed Torah to the Jewish people to prevent the hurt in the lives of our families, so too is at Mount Sinai. The word Torah means “teaching” and God unable, but He nonetheless continues to nurture, there can be no teach and support doubt that God and us to allow us to Moses attempted to Shimon haTzaddik said, “The world is sustained by three continually grow in teach the tattered things: by Torah, by worship and by loving deeds.” (Pirke our humanity. God group of Hebrew Avot 1:2) Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said, “The world helps to sustain my slaves how to be is sustained by three things: by truth, by justice, and by world. a nation called peace.” (Pirke Avot 1:18) Rabbi Andrew M. Paley said, As a child and “Yisrael” “the ones “My world is, in part, sustained by three things, by well into my twenties, who struggle with God, by Torah and by Israel. I never challenged God.” What the Israel; her policies, Torah describes in her positions, her its unfolding saga promises. I have is at once a quasi-historical account of a certain people come to understand her complexities and I have a more and the revelation of undeniably and critically important mature and ever evolving relationship with her. I believe truths which transcend time and space. The stories of that Israel the people and Israel the land belong together. the Torah are my family stories. I do not know whether I believe the ancient connections to the land helped to they are factual; it is beside the point. It may be an bring about the possibility of a people rooted both in time interesting exercise to attempt to discover these facts, and in space. Since the days of Abraham, the Jewish but Torah is trying to do something far more significant. people has identified itself as connected to Israel the Torah is trying to help us to hear God’s voice. It is only land, and some have felt it the best place to live out through the careful and methodical study of it that we God’s commands. I believe it to be the destiny of the really experience its magnitude. At each turn of the Jewish people to work toward the creation of a State of biblical page we must engage the text on an emotional Israel for all Jews everywhere, where every Jew can live level, to react to it. Then we must ask ourselves one very out their Judaism freely and creatively, where the people important question, “WHY did we react that way?” It is of all faiths and beliefs can experience their truths, and only when we hold Torah up to our souls as a kind of that the completion of that dream will only strengthen a mirror, penetrating our body armor and getting to our the Jewish communities all over the world.