Temple Beth-El
Gary Thompson Meet
Gary is our new maintenance team member. Gary is from New York and moved to St. Pete years ago. He lives with his husband, Louie, and his 15 yearold chihuahua mix “ puppy, ” Brennan. Gary loves baseball , swimming , and hanging around at home. If you see Gary, feel free to introduce yourself.
We Remember... May their memory be a blessing and a lesson for how we can live our lives.
Renee Appelbaum
Diane Berni
Sam Cohan*
Morris David Cohen
Jerry DeGennaro
Harold Englander*
Jack Feist*
Benjamin Feldman
Anton Friedman*
Max N. Fuldauer
Lloyd Gottesman
Yahrzeits Shabbat Spotlight the
Pearl Kahn*
Caroline Kichler
Sol Lane
Freda Langbein*
Jud Lassner
Howard Lichterman
Jay M. Lieberman*
Louis Lobovits
Leo London*
Lewis Moyer*
Anita Newman
Albert Quillen Perry
George D. Reingold*
Anna Roffenbender
Ted Roseman
Sylvia Rosen
Mel Rosenberg
Mabelle Silver
Cecil Solomon*
Minnie Van Straaten*
Jennie White*
Gladys Wides*
Jack Young*
*Denotes plaque in Memorial Alcove
We’d love to hear from you!
Reach out to us with any questions.
Amy L. Morrison - Rabbi 727-347-6136 - RabbiMorrison@TempleBeth-El com
Tracy Nash - Bookkeeper 727-347-6136 - Bookkeeper@TempleBeth-El.com
Tara O’Donnell - Early Childhood Center Director 727-350-5885 - Tara@TempleBeth-El.com
Josh Gamson - Director of Teen & Youth Engagement 727-347-6136 - Josh@TempleBeth-El.com
Tovah Feld - Communications & Engagement Coordinator 727-347-6136 - Tovah@TempleBeth-El.com
Allison Fowler - Executive Assistant to Rabbi 727-347-6136 - Allison@TempleBeth-El.com
Bobby Gerry - Maintenance Coordinator 727-347-6136 - Maintenance@TempleBeth-El.com
Mike Shapiro - Temple President 727-347-6136 - President@TempleBeth-El.com
Eikev
7:12-11:25
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison & Joyce Liu
23, 2024
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison
A Special Message from Announcements
Moses recounts in this week’s Torah portion the 40-year journey that the Israelites traversed through the desert. “Remember the long way that God has caused you to travel in the wilderness…it was to test you by hardships to truly know your faith.”
Life is full of many challenges that we are asked to face each and every day. Many of these hardships are external such as natural disasters, changes in jobs, issues with our health and more. However, there are also those stumbling blocks that are internally driven that keep us from getting to where we want to go and/or who we want to be
The latter, our perceived and sometimes debilitating notions of self, is where Judaism reminds us that we were given autonomy by God and that the decisions we make for our own lives are up to us and not divinely prescribed. We have more control in facing our obstacles than I think we ever give ourselves credit for.
There is a Sufi parable that reads:
Shibli asked, Who guided you in the Path?
He said: A dog One day I saw him, almost dead with thirst, standing by the water’s edge
Every time he looked at his reflection in the water he was frightened and withdrew, because he thought it was another dog Finally, such was the necessity, he cast his fear and leaped into the water and the ‘other dog’ vanished
He himself, it turned out, had been his own barrier keeping him from what he sought.
At that moment I understood that I, myself, was the obstacle, and it vanished!”
This Shabbat, I ask you to dig deep inside of yourselves to see if maybe the reason you feel stuck or trapped on a very long journey has to do with your internal fears, low sense of self, or inability to accept who you are (and who you aren’t)
Remember the dog and his reflection Could it actually be possible that you are the one in your own way? What do you need to remind yourself so, you too, can leap into the waters of your life and remove those stumbling blocks on your journey through the wilderness?
Sunday, Aug. 25
8:45am - Brotherhood Schmooze 9:30am - First day of Religious School
Wednesday, Aug. 28
10:45am - Book Club - Sembler Family Library
Friday, Aug. 30
5:30pm - Early Oneg 6pm - Erev Shabbat Service
Upcoming Events
If you are new to Temple Beth-El, welcome!
OPEN COMMUNITY CREATES ENGAGING & DIVERSE JEWISH PATHWAYS
Located in St Petersburg on Florida's beautiful west coast, Temple Beth-El is a Reform Jewish congregation that has served this area since 1928 and is focused on strengthening relationships and making connections We are a welcoming Reform community for Jewish and interfaith households to experience an uplifting and joyful sense of belonging as we seek to connect our members with each other and the greater community and world around us.
Enjoy and have a Shabbat Shalom!
Torah Portion
Moses tells the Israelites that if they follow God's laws, the nations who now dwell across the Jordan River will not harm them. (7:12–26)
Moses reminds the people of the virtues of keeping God's commandments. He also tells them that they will dispossess those who now live in the Land only because they are idolatrous, not because the Israelites are uncommonly virtuous Thereupon, Moses reviews all of the trespasses of the Israelites against God. (8:1–10:11)
Moses says that the Land of Israel will overflow with milk and honey if the people obey God s commandments and teach them to their children. (10:12–11:25)
Relax! God put the wiggle in children. Don’t fee you have to suppress it in our sanctuary or chapel
Sit towards the front where it is easier for your little ones to see and hear what is happening on the Bima. They tire of seeing the backs of other’s heads.
Quietly explain our rituals and sing or clap when appropriate Children learn liturgical behavior by copying you
If you need to leave services with your child, do so, but please come back.
Remember that the way we welcome children in synagogue directly affects the way they respond to coming to synagogue, to God, to one another Let them know that they are welcome in this house of worship, here, at Temple Beth-El
