INSIDE THIS ISSUE Around Beth Shalom ............................ 2-3 President’s Message .................................. 4 Cantor’s Notes.......................................... 5 CBS Religious School ............................... 6 Youth ........................................................... 7 Mazel Tov! .................................................. 8 Distinguished Speaker.............................. 9 Adult Learning & Programming ...................................... 10-11 Keruv ......................................................... 12 Library........................................................ 13 Calendar .................................................... 14 Israel Trip .................................................. 15 Sisterhood........................................... 16-17 Men’s Club .......................................... 18-19 Anniversaries/Birthdays ......................... 20 Milestones ................................................. 21 Donations ........................................... 22-23 Yahrzeits ............................................. 24-25 Advertisements ................................. 26-27 Shabbat Schedule & Candle Lighting ........................................ 28
Rabbi ................................................... Aaron Melman Cantor .................................................. Steven Stoehr Assistant Rabbi ..................................... Ari Averbach Executive Director ............................ Michael Garlin Dir. of Jewish Life & Learning ................................................. Leann Blue Director of Education ......................... David Barany Ritual Director .................................... Naomi Weiss Director of Youth Activities................ Matt Rissien Controller ......................................... Susan Karlinsky President .......................................... Larry Grossman Sisterhood President................................. Beth Sher Men’s Club President ............................Scott Rogoff USY President .............................................. Bari Sigal
Rabbi Emeritus .......................................Carl Wolkin Executive Director Emeritus ........................................Harvey Gold, FSA 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.
NOVEMBER 2015 • VOLUME 49, ISSUE 5 Rabbi Averbach
ABSOLUTELY AVERBACH
whole congrega!on interrupts the elegy and The Kaddish is a curious rite. It acts as says, “Amen.” “I have been there, I know punctua!on in our davvening – separa!ng one part of the service from the next – and your pain.” This is especially true in daily also acts as punctua!on in our lives. When minyan, where many of the regular a$endees have lost a loved one, and found someone close to us dies, we recite these such close connec!on and support, that words as the punctua!on to usher them they just keep coming, helping comfort the from this world to the next. rest of the community who is in need. At first glance, the Kaddish is an odd It makes me think of Jonathan Tropper’s choice to be used as the Jewish memorial novel, This is Where I Leave You, when the prayer. Nowhere does it men!on death, secular Foxman family goes to shul during nor does it even directly men!on God. A their shiva. mix of Hebrew and Aramaic, it speaks We read off the ancient vaguely of eschatology Hebrew words, with no idea of (the end of days) and “The Kaddish is a curious what they might mean, and a hope that the rite. It acts as punctuation in our davvening – the congrega"on responds redemp!on of all separating one part of the with more words that they humanity will happen service from the next – and don’t understand either. We soon. also acts as punctuation in are gathered together to Because it is an odd our lives.” speak gibberish to each other, blend of these two and you would think, in these languages, the godless "mes, that the experience would be transla!on can be dicey. For example, the eighth word, Kiruteh, if translated as Arama- empty, but somehow it isn’t. The congrega"on, these old friends and acquaintances ic, can make the first sentence mean “The world was created according to God’s will.” I and strangers, all respond, and for reasons I can’t begin to ar"culate, it feels like prefer to read the eighth word as Hebrew, as most of our liturgy is, so that the first line something is actually happening…I don’t feel any closer to my father than I did would allude to God crea!ng the world in friendship, to find partners in humanity. In before, but for a moment there I was comforted, and that’s more than I expected. this understanding, we are saying the Kaddish not for ourselves, but to comfort May the ancient words of our tradi!on and God because God has just lost a close the warmth of our community bring comfriend, a soul partner. The person reci!ng fort to all those who need it. And if you are Kaddish and God are sharing a precious able, it would be wonderful to see you help moment remembering someone special. bring solace to those who need it in our But even before that is the moment that daily minyan. means the most. A#er only four words (Yitgadal v’Yitkadash Shmeh Rabah), the