Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue

Rabbi Mazel was a man known for his great asceticism. During all of his married life he would divert his eyes and not even look at any woman but his wife, who was known for her good deeds if not her physical endowments. After many years of married life his wife died and from that point on Rabbi Mazel retreated even further from the world, shutting himself in with his books and refusing to even take a walk in the park or enjoy any pleasures of the senses at all. He finally went to his reward at the age of 100.

There was a woman who had just purchased her first new computer. She set it up and turned it on but she couldn’t see anything on the screen so she called up the support service for help. “Have you plugged in both the screen and the computer?” asked the support desk. “Of course” said the woman, “I am not stupid.” “Have you connected the screen to the computer properly?” asked the support desk. “I think so” said the woman. “How can I check?” “If you look in the manual on page 5 there are instructions and a diagram that you can look at to show what the connections are. I suggest that you read the page and look at the diagrams.” “I can’t” said the woman in an exasperated voice.

Chaim had worked hard in the navy and rose to the rank of admiral commanding his country’s newest, largest, aircraft carrier. One foggy night he was on the bridge when a bright spotlight was spotted ahead. He ordered his radio operator to tell the ship ahead to turn 7 degrees west. “Sir” said the operator, “he says that we should turn 7 degrees east”. Swelled with pride and anger he responded “tell him that I am an admiral and that I order him to turn 7 degrees west !!!

As some of you will know I have just returned from celebrating the thirty third anniversary of my twenty seventh birthday with my family and at this time I took the opportunity to reread Tcherikover’s Hellenistic Civilization and the Jews.

Now is the month Elul, the time of spiritual preparation. We each seek to become the perfect Rabbi, full of knowledge, good deeds, humility and, most important of all, true repentance. But as there is no such perfect Rabbi, from whom shall we learn the secret of how to obtain this goal? Who can show us the path they themselves have not trodden?

I suggest we might start by examining words of wisdom from three of our fellows.

When is ish ..ish... and how do we keep it from becoming either ISH or -ish?

Don’t worry I will translate the above question into English, or at least Americanish.

I have recently become fascinated by the contradictory amount of emphasis indicated by the suffix ish. It can be a state of being so fundamental to our self-image as to inform every aspect of our lives. When I say that I am Jewish I am pointing out a part of my existence that is the core of my being. No ritual or process or experience is truly capable of changing this.

When is ish ..ish... and how do we keep it from becoming either ISH or -ish?

Don’t worry I will translate the above question into English, or at least Americanish.

I have recently become fascinated by the contradictory amount of emphasis indicated by the suffix ish. It can be a state of being so fundamental to our self-image as to inform every aspect of our lives. When I say that I am Jewish I am pointing out a part of my existence that is the core of my being. No ritual or process or experience is truly capable of changing this.

Mrs Hacker (referring to backbench MPs) But aren’t they underpaid in fact?

PM Jim Hacker – Underpaid? Backbench MPs? Darling being an MP is a vast subsidised ego trip. It is a job for which you need no qualifications, there are no compulsory hours of work, no performance standards, you get a warm room and subsidized meals for a bunch of self-opinionated windbags and busybodies, they only find that people take them seriously because they have the letters MP after their name. How can they be underpaid when there are about 200 applicants for every vacancy?

Oneg Shabbat for April 16th 2010

The speaker for our Oneg Shabbat on the 16th of April spoke about Tzedek’s work and some of the poverty-alleviation projects they support around the world.

Tzedek works with partners, projects and communities abroad, regardless of their race or religion, providing direct support to help local people so they can help themselves.

Tzedek seeks to raise awareness, educate and encourage Jews to recognise, understand and act on to their Jewish responsibilities concerning extreme poverty around the world.

A special meeting with Mrs Paula V. Edelstein took place at Sukkat Shalom Synagogue on March 10th. During her visit in London Paula wished as part of her program to be introduced to the Redbridge community.