What's the Spiel? - Shabbat Mevarchim

Parshat Eikev teaches us a profound lesson in developing a healthy religious personality vis-a-vis our relationships with God. According to our parsha, “For the Lord, your God – He is the God of the powers and the Lord of the lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, Who does not show favor and Who does not accept a bribe” (Devarim 10:17). It seems that God is expressing two things by this powerful statement. First, that God is above and beyond everything, and second, that God’s nature is not human nature because He is God. These words imply that even for human judges – the most upright and trusted members of society – people charged with maintaining fairness, blind justice and upholding the law, the temptation yet exists to accept bribes. In other words, because we are human, mere flesh and blood, we are susceptible, even the most moral and ethical among us, to act in ways which contradict our own standards of morality and ethics. God, however, is not like this. God is the Judge of judges. One cannot bribe God. What does that mean? How do these words impact our own sense of religiosity, and our relationships with God?

According to the Sforno, the words, “Who does not accept a bribe,” means, “[God] will not reduce the punishment for a transgression because of the merit of a mitzvah which the sinner performed…And all this teaches us that if we sin, we cannot rely on any merit to save us from punishment – except perfect repentance.” The Sforno sounds harsh, but let’s try to understand what he is really saying. God is the perfect Judge. Thus, we are accountable for every action, for every mitzvah and yes, for every transgression we make. If and when we transgress, we cannot think to ourselves, “But what about all of the good things I’ve done? Doesn’t that count for something? Don’t my good deeds factor into my judgement?” The answer, according to the Sforno, is no, because our sins and our merits stand alone. This leads to a larger question of how do we serve God? What should our relationships be like with Him? We cannot think that serving God, having a relationship with Him, can be accomplished by “bribing” Him – in essence, asking Him to look the other way regarding a sin because of a mitzvah. There is no trade-off. This idea is illustrated by the words of the Prophet, who proclaims, “What need have I of all your sacrifices?...I have no delight in lambs and goats” (Yishayahu 1:11). This does not mean that God does not desire our sacrifices, our Shabbat observance or any other mitzvot. It means that God does not want us to use them as ways to ingratiate ourselves to Him so that He would overlook the transgressions we have committed in order to gain His favor.

We cannot bribe God. The only way to undo a transgression is, as the Sforno says, through perfect repentance. Once we understand that God is our True Judge, and holds us accountable for everything, once we understand that two rights don’t make up for one wrong, we can better understand how we can relate to the Almighty, and develop a healthy relationship with our Creator.

This Shabbat, let us reflect on the ways that God judges us as our True Judge. Let us consider our ways, and what’s more, our attitudes and approaches to our relationships with God. By understanding our accountability, we can open up lines of spiritual communication with God in more sincere and meaningful ways. May we all come to this higher level of understanding, so that all of our actions are deliberate and purposeful, and our abstentions from transgressions are as critical as our performance of mitzvot.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Rabbi Dan

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Schedule of Services

at B'nai Abraham

We encourage everyone to daven privately when unable to attend services. Use the private time to connect to Hashem. Public prayer definitely adds to our prayer experience. Yet we also have the capacity to create a profoundly meaningful private experience with the Divine. Let us seek such an experience in the coming days.

Friday Night

Candle Lighting

No later than 7:50 PM

Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat

7:30 PM

Shabbat Morning

Shacharit

9:00 AM

Youth Service

10:30 AM

Shabbat Afternoon/Evening

Mincha

7:40 PM

Maariv/Havdalah

8:45 PM

Sunday

Shacharit

8:30 AM

Weekday Services

Monday - Friday Shacharit

7:05 AM

CTI Announcements

Dear CTI Family,

Great news! Rabbi Dan’s classes will resume this Tuesday, August 23^rd. Please note, the Friday morning class, “Mishne Torah k’Seder,” will be suspended until further notice. However, the Take Your Tanakh Series will continue according to the usual schedule! Don’t miss our Tuesday evening class (7:00pm) on The Book of Judges, and our brand-new Wednesday morning class (8:15am) on The Book of Jonah! It’s a whale-of-a-tale…and good spiritual prep for Yom Kippur!

Classes will be $36 per month or $200 for six months for non-members and $18 per month or $100 for six months for associate members. Free for members in good standing.

All classes are available on Zoom.

As a service to the wider community, the Orthodox Union has researched various online platforms and has organized, collected and curated many key resources in one centralized location for your convenience. Please visit together.ou.org for a wide range of information covering the following areas: Adults, Leadership, Parenting, Seniors & Elders, Technology, Torah and Youth. Check back at together.ou.org as updates will occur regularly.

Visit tiferetaustin.org for more information on how to join these exciting classes:

TYT Tuesday Night

The Book of Judges

Tuesday 7:00pm

The Book of Judges teaches us about unexpected and underestimated spiritual and political leadership. Prior to the establishment of the Jewish monarchy, the nation was constantly enmeshed in fighting foreign enemies, spiritual and moral backsliding, oppression, as well as tribal in-fighting. It was a vicious cycle. The Judges came about in order to resolve these political, spiritual and moral issues and to set the people on the right track. Who were the Judges of Israel? How were they chosen, and why? While names like Shimshon, Devorah, Gidon and Yeftach may be familiar, their stories, complex personalities and murky legacies require a great deal of study. In this brand new TYT series, we will explore the life and times of the Judges of Israel – who they were, what they did, and what their contributions to Jewish history are all about. You won’t want to miss out on learning about these early leaders of the Jewish people, whose stories and personalities are as captivating as their contributions to the Jewish people are timeless.

TYT Wednesday Mornings

The Book of Jonah

Wednesday 8:15am

Come and join the TYT community and learn about the most "successful" Prophet in Jewish history, Jonah! Who was Jonah? Why did he seek to evade his spiritual responsibilities? Did he really think he could run away from God? What were his motivations, fears and concerns? Is his story literally true, or metaphorical? Is there even room in Judaism to read Biblical texts as metaphorical? If so, which texts, and why? In this class, we will explore the life and times of Jonah...and the whale, and come to a better understanding of his mission and why he features so prominently on the holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur. You really don't want to miss out on a thorough "deep dive" into what is perhaps the most imaginative and enthralling book in the Tanakh! So join us at 8:15am on Wednesdays to find out more about this essential Prophet, whose lessons are as complex as they are eternal.

Questions? Suggestions? Interested in Volunteering? Please contact our Committee Chairpersons.

Finance Committee: Larry Smith

Fundraising Committee: Daniel Ledeen

Bylaws Committee: Jay Rubin

Education Committee: Sarah Wander

Membership Committee: Alana Pompa

Chesed Committee: Lynn Kane

Kiddush Committee: Henna Tatham

Ritual Committee: Eric Shapiro

For those new to the community, check out this introductory video

featuring Rabbi Dan and a few of our wonderful CTI community members!

Birthdays

Reuven Robbins on August 20

Camille Kress on August 22

Anniversary

Marshall & Sandra Sack on August 20

If you have any birthdays or anniversaries you would

like to add, please update your profile on our website.

Yahrzeit Remembrances

Sarah Levine Weinberg, Mother-in-law of Daniel Rosenberg,

on Saturday 23 Av

Esther Green, Mother of Judy Liebowitz, on Sunday 24 Av

Celia Peyser, Grandmother of Beth Shapiro, on Thursday 28 Av

Edward W. Smith, Father of Larry Smith, on Friday 29 Av

May their souls be bound up in the bond of life.

If you have a Yahrzeit that you would like the congregation to acknowledge, or if you have a correction that needs to be made, please update your profile on our website.

DONATIONS

Thank you to our anonymous donors.

Thank you to Amnon Orent for his aliyah donation.

Thank you to Arthur Altman for his aliyah donation.

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Refuah Shelayma to:

Allene Novy-Portnoy; Hannah Bassa bat Sarah Osnat
Avshalom ben Hannah Bassa
Cindy Newman
Janet Goldberg; Shayna Masha bat Chasha Mina
Ken Friedman
Rebecca Millner; Rivkah bat Shoshana
Sheina Ruchel bat Henya Leah
Tzvi David ben Rivka Golda
Yoel Simcha ben Chaya Risha
Sulta bat Nedgma
Zvi Aharon ben Bayla
Yaira bat Sarah
Tamar bat Chaya
Ilana bat Gheita
HaRav Avram Meir ben Eli Yosef v'Shira Chanah.
Rabbi Harold Liebowitz, Ha Rav Chaim Alter ben Necha.
Baruch Akiva Ben Rivka
Miriam bat Helen
Rivka Michal bat Sarah Chana
Lori Garza
Yisroel Natan ben Sarah
Masha Gitil bas Chaya Yita
Allen Levinson; Avraham Yitzchak ben Gittel

Shoshana bat Yocheved
Miriam bat Rachel v'Mordechai
Alta Shoshana bat Shulamit
Meir Psachia ben Tziril
Geni Berman Abitbol
Beilya Golda bat Leah
Yosef Yehoshua ben Sarah
Jonathan Malawer (Yosef ben Bracha)
Bowie Alarcon
Fivel ben Sarah HaLevi
Adam ben Chanah
Rafael ben Sheindal Leah
Aharon Asher ben Chaya Naomi
Esther Malka Fraida bat Serel Chaya Raiza
Kalev Boaz Chai ben Aliza
Esther Reva bat Malka
Avraham ben Rut
Peter Janson, Fievel ben Devorah
Sheva Eva bat Bella.
Dorit Iken, Dorit Chana bat Orah
Moshe ben Rut
Shulkah Malka bat Tziporah
Yehudit bat Sara
Chandal bat Basia
Shmuel Dovid bat Malka
Anthony Ben Devorah
Shayna Leah bat Yehudit

Wishing all Cholei Yisrael a Refuah Shlayma.

Dear Tiferet Friends,

If you placed a name on the Refuah Shelayma list and G-d willing the person is well,

please let us know. Also, if you have a friend or family member who needs

prayers for healing, again please let us know at [email protected]

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