INSIDE THIS ISSUE President’s Message.................................. 2 Hineynu ....................................................... 3 Armed Forces ............................................ 4 Israel Trip .................................................... 5 50th Anniversary ....................................... 6 Scholar-In-Residence................................ 7 Q&A CBS Staff........................................... 8 Lox Box ....................................................... 9 Youth/Young Family Programming….10 B’nai Mitzvah ............................................ 11 School ........................................................ 12 Keruv ......................................................... 13 CBS U/Adult Education ......................... 14 HAZAK ..................................................... 15 Sisterhood........................................... 16-17 Men’s Club .......................................... 18-19 Purim .................................................... 20-21 Birthdays/Anniversaries ......................... 22 Milestones ................................................. 23 Yahrzeits ............................................. 24-25 Donations ........................................... 25-29 Ads ........................................................ 30-31 Service Times ........................................... 32
Rabbi ................................................... Aaron Melman Cantor ..................................................Steven Stoehr Assistant Rabbi ..................................... Ari Averbach Executive Director ............................ Michael Garlin Director of Jewish Life & Learning ................................................. Leann Blue Director of Education .......................... Stacy Ybarra Ritual Director ............. Cantor Raquel P. Gershon Director of Youth Activities................ Matt Rissien Controller ......................................... Susan Karlinsky President ......................................... Debbie Solomon Sisterhood President..........................Leatte Gelfeld Men’s Club President ................................. Dan Sher USY President ................................ David Zelkowitz
Rabbi Emeritus .......................................Carl Wolkin Executive Director Emeritus .................................... Harvey Gold, FSA z’l Director of Education Emeritus ................... Rabbi Sander J. Mussman, RJE SHALOM INFO Shalom is published monthly by Congregation Beth Shalom, 3433 Walters, Northbrook, Illinois 60062-3298 for the exclusive use of its members and staff. All material contained herein is the property of Congregation Beth Shalom.
FEBRUARY 2018 • VOLUME 58 ISSUE 58
FEBRUARY 2018 • VOLUME 58 ISSUE 28 Rabbi Averbach
RABBI AVERBACH’S REVELATIONS
While reading Spook, I was gifted Rabbi Levy's book, this one a spiritual quest for the soul. I was taken aback at the similarities of these two works. A big difference is that Rabbi Levy has no need for physical proof; nothing that has Perhaps you have heard of the to be written in a university paper to conBaader-Meinhof phenomenon. If not, you vince her about the soul's existence. Soon might hear of it again soon. It is the after her father was murdered, she felt his (poorly-named) circumstance where you soul within hers, and it has been guiding happen to stumble across the same thing her these past four decades. Then she multiple times in a brief span. Maybe you encountered a letter written from Albert learn a new word, and then three other Einstein to Rabbi Robert Marcus about people use that word in the course of the the scientist's firm belief in a soul (though week. Or everyone's talking about the he doesn’t use that word, per se). This same TV show that you had never heard beautiful book (available in the CBS liof. brary) explores the ways to be in touch For me, it happened this week with our own soul, and how it mingles with books. I was given two books by two with the souls of others. very different people, but they both hapThere are those who need pen to be on the same theme. The first proof, something tangible to let them book is Spook: Science Tackles the Afknow that something is real. There are terlife by Mary Roach; the second is Einthose who can feel it within, who simply stein and the Rabbi: Searching for the know the truth. Neither is wrong. Mary Soul by Rabbi Naomi Levy. I have read Roach is doing her due diligence, as she two other non-fiction books by Mrs. understands the world through science. Roach, and really enjoy the humor she But at least she is on the journey. I hope injects into every situation. Spook is we all continue on that journey to enabout the scientific exploration as to whether there is a soul. She traces centu- counter the soul. ries and cultures to gauge how the researchers try to prove that the soul exists. From proving reincarnation in remote Indian villages, to providing evidence of a tangible soul in 19th century séances, to weighing the soul in tuberculosis clinics (it purportedly weighs 21 grams), humans have been trying to pinpoint the exact parameters of the soul. While Mrs. Roach loves her travels and the knowledge she accrues, she is disappointed that no one yet has proven the existence of a soul (though one current study looks promising to her...).