INSIDE THIS ISSUE Around Beth Shalom ................................ 2 President’s Message .................................. 3 Cantor’s Notes.......................................... 4 CBS Religious School ............................... 5 Youth ........................................................... 6 Mazel Tov! .................................................. 7 Adult Learning & Programming ......... 8-9 Keruv ......................................................... 10 Library........................................................ 11 Sisterhood........................................... 12-13 Calendar .................................................... 14 Fundraising & Development ................. 15 Men’s Club .......................................... 16-17 S.K.I.P. ........................................................ 18 Bima Flower Fund ................................... 19 Anniversaries/Leagrams......................... 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 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.
OCTOBER 2015 • VOLUME 49, ISSUE 4 Rabbi Melman
RABBI MELMAN’S MINUTES This is my favorite time of year. The he was asked by his friends how many lions he seasons begin to change. We, as human had caught. “None,” was his reply. “Isn’t that beings, have been thinking about change. a rather small number?” he was asked. “Not And while this is a very busy time for the when you are hunting lions,” he replied. synagogue, there is no better season for us as Too often we measure things in terms of Jews. We have a wonderful opportunity to numbers. “How many” is not the most recommit ourselves to God, to our families, important question that can be asked. It would our friends, our community, and most be more significant if we asked, “What did you importantly to our rich tradition and learn from your experience?” Or, “How have ourselves. The holidays don’t end on Yom you grown as a result?” We should not rely Kippur. We are blessed to celebrate hechag, solely on numbers to give us an answer. Too The Festival, the most joyous of holidays in often we think about quantity and not quality. the Jewish tradition, It is no different with Sukkot. the Jewish people. We The Talmud teaches us “It is not the number of are one of the fewest (in that there is a limit to the number) peoples in the deeds that we do in life height of a Sukkah. It world. In Moses’ but rather the quality.” may not be higher than farewell address to the 20 cubits. The reason is Children of Israel he that the Sukkah is supnotes that God did not posed to be a temporary structure, not some- choose Israel because we were the most thing that is permanent. It is a reminder of numerous of peoples, but because God loved what our ancestors built during their years of us. God saw in the Children of Israel - in our wandering in the wilderness. A large or elabo- patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - certain rate structure would suggest strength and qualities. The rabbis teach that when God permanence and would be inappropriate. reflected on the generation of the Flood (who There is a profound lesson in what seems to were destined to be destroyed because of their be a simple teaching. Too often we fool ourwickedness), God said, “How can I build a world selves into thinking that it is the size of things with such wicked material?” But when He that is important, that for something to be of envisioned Abraham, He said, “I have found a value it must be extremely large. The limit on rock on which to build a world.” the size of the Sukkah teaches us that it is not As we rejoice in our holiday season this year, size that determines value. The small and the let us remember the lesson that we are taught simple may be more meaningful than the large regarding the size of the Sukkah. It is not the and the complex. It is like the old saying that number of deeds that we do in life but rather sometimes, “good things come in small the quality. packages.” There is a story of a young man who went to Africa to hunt lions. When he returned home,