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Page 18 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE November 21, 1986 Synagogue Directory Candle Lighting Time: 5:14 p.m. Ahavath Achim (Conservative), 600 Peachtree Battle Ave., N.W., 355-5222. Arnold Goodman, rabbi; Dr. Harry H. Epstein, rabbi emeritus; Marvin Richardson, asst, rabbi; Isaac Goodfriend, cantor. Daily services, 7:15 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Fri day, 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.; Saturday 8:35 a.m., Minha, 7:30 p.m. (followed by kiddush); Sunday, 8:30 a.m., 6 p.m. Anshe S’Fard (Orthodox), 1324 North Highland Ave., N.E., 874-4513. Label Merlin, president; Nathan Katz, rabbi. Satur day, 9 a.m. (followed by kiddush). Atlanta Hillel (Non-denominational), Drawer A, Emory Uni versity, Atlanta 30322, 727-6490. Zvi Shapiro, rabbi; Dr. Aaron Shatzman, program director. Friday, 6 p.m. (followed by dinner, Oneg Shabbat). Beth David (Reform), Meeting at 869 Cole Dr., Lilburn, But ton Gwinnett United Church of Christ. Mailing address, P.O. Box 865, Snellville 30278, 662-4373. Student Rabbi Daniel Schiff. Harry Bloch, cantor. Friday, 8 p.m.; Call for Sun day/Hebrew school hours; bar/bat Mitzva classes available. Beth Jacob (Orthodox), 1855 LaVista Rd., N.E., 633-0551. Emanuel Feldman, rabbi; Han Daniel Feldman, asst, rabbi- educational director. Daily morning minyan, Monday and Thursday, 6:50 a.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 7 a.m.;. Daily evening minyan, 5:30 p.m. (Class in Halacha nightly between Mincha and Ma’ariv); Friday 5:30 p.m.; Shabbat morning, 8:30 a.m. (followed by kiddush); Shabbat evening, 5:10 p.m. (Talmud group one hour prior to Minha, followed by Shalosh Seudot); Sunday, 8 a.m. (followed by breakfast). Beth Shalom (Conservative), 3147 Chamblee Tucker Rd., 458- 0489. Leonard H. Lifshen, rabbi, 451-9414 (h). Friday, 8 p.m., followed by Oneg; Saturday, 9:30 a.m., (followed by kiddush). Beth Tefillah 5065 High Point Rd., 843-2464. Rabbi Yossi New. Friday, 6:15 p.m.; Saturday, Torah discussion, 9 a.m., service 9:30 a.m. Kiddush will follow. B'nai Israel (Reform), P.O. Box 383, Riverdale, 30274, 471- 3586. Meeting at Christ Our Hope Lutheran Church, 2165 Hwy. 138, Riverdale. Student Rabbi Debbi Pipe-Mazo. Fri day, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m., services and religious school. Hebrew school, Wednesday. B’nai Torah (Traditional), 700 Mt. Vernon Hwy., Atlanta, 30328, 257-0537. Juda H. Mintz, rabbi. Morning services, Monday and Thursday, 6:50 a.m.; Sunday, 9:30 a.m.; evening services, Tuesday and Wednesday, 6 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday morning, 8:45 a.m. Kiddush follows Friday and Sat urday services. Shabbat evening Minha, Shalosh Seudot, Hav- dalah begin at the candlelighting time of the week. Etz Chaim (Conservative), 1190 Indian Hills Pky., Marietta, 30067, 973-0137. Shalom Lewis, Rabbi. Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Torah study, 10:15 a.m.; Monday and Thursday, 7 a.m. Jewish Home 3150 Howell Mill Rd., N.W., 351-8410. Nathan Becker, chairman. Religious Committee. Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. Relatives and friends of residents are welcome. Kehillat Chaim (Reform), Office: 141 W. Wieuca Rd., N.W., Suite 202-A. Atlanta, 30342, 252-4441. Harvey J. Winokur, rabbi. Friday, Northwest Unitarian Congregation, 1025 Mt. Vernon Hwy., 8:15 p.m. Kol Emeth (Reform), P.O. Box 71031, Marietta, 30007-1301, 3822 Roswell Rd., Suite 6, Marietta, 30062. Steven Lebow, rabbi. Friday, 8 p.m.. Chestnut Ridge Christian Church, 2663 Johnson Ferry Road. For information, call Marsha Friedberg, 973-3533. Or VeShalom (Sephardic), 1681 North Druid Hills Rd., N.E., 633-1737. S. Robert Ichay, rabbi. Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8:45 a.m.; Sunday, 8:30 a.m. Reform Jewish Students Committee, Drawer A, Emory Uni versity 30322, 727-6496. Beth Fleet, director. Shabbat service, 6 p.m. Nov. 21 and Dec. 5, Turman. Shearith Israel (Traditional), 1180 University Dr., N.E., Atlanta, 30306. 873-1743. Judah Kogen, rabbi. Weekday Minha, Sunday, Thursday, 5:40 p.m.; Weekday mornings, Monday, 6:50 a.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 7 a.m.; Thursday, 8:30 a.m.; Friday night, 5:15 p.m., Saturday, 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. (followed by Minha and Havdalah); Sunday, 9 a.m. Temple Emanu-EI (Reform), 1580 Spalding Dr., Dunwoody 30338, 395-1340. Barry R. Friedman, rabbi. Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. Temple Sinai (Reform), 5645 Dupree Dr., N.W., 252-3073. Philip N. Kranz, rabbi; Sid Gottler, Cantor. Friday, 8:15 p.m. (except Novembcr-May, when first Friday of the month is at 7:30 p.m.); Saturday, 10:30 a.m. The Temple (Reform), 1589 Peachtree Rd., 873-1731. Alvin Sugarman, rabbi; Samuel Weinstein, assoc, rabbi. Friday, 8:15 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Yeshiva High (Orthodox), 1745 Peachtree Rd., N.W., 873- 1492. Rabbi Herbert Cohen, dean. Weekday services, 8 a.m. at the AJCC: Minha, 2:10 p.m. Community Beit Midrash meets at Beth Jacob Synagogue Sunday-Thursday, 8 p.m. United Jewish Congregation of Rockdale-Newton (Tradition al): Services at 7 p.m. Friday evenings, at Oxford College Chapel. iiMtittiiiomimtiH SIILOMO RISKIN Shahbat slialom EFR AT, Israel: If we trace the course of events from the birth of Ishmael to the death of Abra ham, we may discern a possible blueprint for the history of the Jewish people down to this very day as we sit embroiled in a struggle of biblical proportions with the Arabs. It begins with the marriage of Abram and Sarai. At first they were not blessed with children. Sarai suggests to Abram that he take as a second wife, her ser vant, Hagar the Egyptian. “Per haps I will be built up through her,” Sarai says, intending to adopt the child. But the minute Hagar becomes pregnant, Sarai complains to her husband that Hagar despises her. She’s your maid, responds Abram, do whatever you want. So “Sarai dealt harshly with her,” Scrip ture continues—and Hagar flees, and an angel of the Lord finds Hagar by a fountain in the wil derness and promises her the world, as it were. “I will greatly multiply your seed—and they shall be too many to count.” Name the baby Ishmael, the angel says, “because the Lord has heard your affliction.” Concludes the commentator Nachmanides, “Sarah our mother acted sinfully in ill-treating Hagar, and also Abram in permitting it; therefore, God heard her afflic tion and gave her a son who became the ancestor of a fero cious race that was destined to deal harshly with the descend ants of Abram and Sarai.” Exactly what kind of a son will it be? Says the text, “...a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him...” Says Rashi, “He will love the desert and hunt animals.” Says the Ibn Ezra, “He will be free among men and will attempt to be victorious over all with his brute strength, with his force.” And yet, “He will dwell in the face of all his brethren,” says the angel, meaning that the seed of his brothers and his own seed will one day dwell together. That’s the vision before Ish mael is born. What happens after? Abraham and Sarah become the parents of Isaac and although Sarah is happy at the birth of her son, the joy is marred by the mockery Ishmael is making of her family. “Banish this slave- Vayera woman and her son,” Sarah im plores her husband. God tells him to listen to his wife, and so Abraham takes some bread and a jug of water and gives it to Hagar, who now leaves the house of Abraham a second time. She and the boy wander in the desert of Beer Sheba, but since it seems to her that Ishmael will die, she stays a distance away from him, unable to bear the torture of watching his slow death. Fortu nately, however, an angel of the Lord calls out to Hagar from the heavens. What is with you, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. God has heard the sound, the voice, the cry of the child where he is. It’s a story that seems to fore shadow one of the most difficult incidents in the Bible—the almost unexplainable request that God makes of Abraham only one chapter later, in this week’s portion. “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offer ing...” Commentaries throughout the ages have wrestled with the significance of God’s command and have attempted to explain how a God of love and compas sion could request from his faith ful servant Abraham that he take that son for whom he had longed so greatly and bind him to the altar. The narrative parallels between the binding of Isaac and the expulsion of Ishmael are clear. Just as an angel of God calls out to Hagar from the heavens and promises that Ishmael will live, so, too, at the conclusion of the story of the binding of Isaac comes a deus ex machina, an angel of God calling out at the last moment from heaven, “Don’t extend your hand against the child.” And just as at the end of Hagar’s agony there is a blessing for Ishmael and his descendants, at the end of the binding of Isaac there’s a blessing for Isaac and his seed. Hence, among the myriad of interpretations for the story of the binding of Isaac, I would add the possibility that God’s com mand to Abraham comes as a punishment. Not as a punish ment for having banished Ish mael— because God Himself re sponded to Sarah’s desire by telling Abraham to listen to what ever she says—but as a punish ment for sending Hagar and Ish mael out of his house with merely a loaf of bread and a jug of water and not with “gold and silver,” as the Midrash suggests he should have given. In response to the uncharac teristic stinginess of Abraham toward Hagar and Ishmael, caus ing her to watch her beloved son suffer to the brink of death, God forces Abraham to raise his knife and watch his truly beloved son bound at the altar, ready to die. If it may appear that my inter pretation tends to be too sympa thetic toward Ishmael, especially in the light of what his descend ants have done to Isaac’s, a pow erful Midrash seizes the words “God has heard the voice of the lad where he is" and depicts a trial opening up in heaven at that moment. The question before the heav enly court is: Should God hearken to the cry of Ishmael or ignore it? The life of the lad hangs in the balance. Argues the prosecuting angel before the Almighty, don’t listen to Ishmael’s cry. Look at what the children of Ishmael will do later to the children of Isaac. Let Ishmael die now! Responds the Almighty, that’s not how I operate. What’s happening to Ishmael at this moment? Is he crying sincerely right where he is now? Has he truly repented? If so, then no matter what the future holds in store, his death is not warranted. And so the angel says to Hagar, “Rise and lift up the lad, and strengthen your hand in his because 1 will make of him a great nation.” Later, “Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good ripe age, old and contented...” Isaac and Ish mael, his children, buried him, says Rashi, quoting the Midrash, and “he allowed Isaac to walk before him in the funeral proces sion. Abraham was contented because he saw both of his chil dren reunited with Ishmael yield ing to the greater leadership of Isaac while at the same time remaining a great nation, with even 12 princes as his progeny, paralleling the 12 tribes of the Children of Israel. It is, I believe, a picture of the future, a prayer of hope beyond today’s headlines. Organizations Na’Amat USA Golda Meir Chapter The Golda Meir Chapter of Na’Amat USA will host an Oneg Shabbat at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at the home of Mrs. Edward (Gertrude) Krick. Max Robkin will review the book “The Jewish Connection” by M. Hirsch Goldberg. Hostesses for the luncheon are Lil Cohen, Pearl Hacker, Ger- tude Krick and Sophie Wilson. For reservations and more in formation, call Mrs. Krick, 875- 5713 or Mrs. Cohen, 938-7797. Members and friends are invited. * * * Women’s ORT North Suburban Chapter Members of the North Subur ban OR I Chapter are again spon soring and staffing the Music Box Cart at Perimeter Mall. The cart, located on the upper level at the top of the escalator, is open during mall hours through Dec. 31. A wide variety of music boxes are available for all-occasion gifts. Jewelry boxes and wooden orna ments are also for sale. Chairpersons are Carol Brull and Sherrie Eisman. All proceeds will go to support the vocational, technical and scientific education programs of ORT.