June 4 2021 l 24 Sivan 5781
CONGREGATION BEIT T'SHUVAH WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Dear Congregants,

This week’s Torah portion, Sh’lakh L’kha, contains the story of the twelve spies who are sent to reconnoiter the land of Canaan, but as we know, the incident results in having to wander 40 years in the wilderness. (Spoiler alert: In the Torah, the Children of Israel never enter the Promised Land).
 
Recovery is a process. It is one that never ends, filled with ups and downs, good days and bad days, but always moving forward. “We are never cured…” the Big Book says, but “…what we have is a daily reprieve.”
 
We, at Beit T’Shuvah, continue to move forward and, one day at a time, we see what challenges and blessings G-d has put in front of us and continue our mission of bringing Torah and recovery to our community as we “trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.”
 
I will miss all of you this weekend. While Tala and I are up in northern California doing a wedding, Cantor Nate, the BTS Band, Rabbi Miriam, and Chaplain Adam will be celebrating Shabbat with you here on ZOOM.
 
I wish you an amazing weekend, filled with Torah and recovery, and a…..

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Micha'el Akiba
THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION
By: Rabbi Miriam Green Potok

In this week’s parashah, the Israelites get their first real taste of the Promised Land. Having survived slavery and come into liberation, having encountered God at Mount Sinai, having faced their own flaws as they tried to worship a golden calf, having come all this way, they are finally about to reach the culmination of their journey. The first people who forge ahead to scout the Promised Land see with their own eyes that it is a great land, rich in fruit, flowing with milk and honey. Despite all this, they are afraid. 
 
“The people who inhabit the country are very powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large,” they observe, first with seeming objectivity. Soon after, they begin to catastrophize - not about the land, but about themselves. “We cannot attack that people, for it is stronger than we! All the people in it are men of great size. We looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have looked to them” (from Numbers 13:28, 31-33).
 
The commentary in the Etz Hayim states plainly that this last phrase “conveys the essence of the scouts’ failure: that these..click here to read more.
SHABBAT THIS WEEK
SOBER BIRTHDAYS
We are still celebrating birthdays each week on Zoom!
To sign up to take a Sober Birthday cake at Beit T'Shuvah, click here.
SHABBAT SPONSORS
If you would like to sponsor shabbat at
Beit T'Shuvah, click here.
BTS THRIFT STORE CORNER
Shop, donate and share with your friends.
*Shipping available upon request*
 
BTS THRIFT STORE UPDATE
Come Visit Us!
The entire store is currently 75% off! Come before June 30th to find unique treasures while support Beit T'Shuvah!

For Hours and Location, go to https://btsthriftstore.com/
BAKED T'SHUVAH
Baked T'Shuvah's founder Jackie Elkins is licensed by the state and you can order the Baked T'Shuvah challah you know and love!
 
Pick up ONLY at BTS Fridays after 11AM. Must prepay. Order online here.
 
Available flavors: Plain, Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel or Raisin.
Orders need to be placed by Wednesday!
MAZEL TOV
to Marrisa Axelrod on the birth of her son Micah Moon on May 1 and to grandparents Nikki & Ivan Axelrod.

If you are interested in sending a beautiful tribute, please contact Development . You can also send a tribute online by Clicking Here. Beit T'Shuvah will promptly send a card to the family or friend you are recognizing. 
TRIBUTE DONATIONS
Tribute donations are a wonderful way of marking life cycle events for your loved ones and friends and supporting Beit T'Shuvah. 

Andrea Sossin-Bergman & Paul Bergman in memory of Sydney Sossin
Nancy & Dave Grant in honor of Lysa Harrison, for the kindness you showed towards our son
Reesa & Jerry Niznick in honor of Susie and Bruce Konheim's Anniversary


If you are interested in sending a beautiful tribute, please contact Development . You can also send a tribute online by Clicking Here. Beit T'Shuvah will promptly send a card to the family or friend you are recognizing. 
THIS WEEK'S SPOTLIGHT
Jeremiah Snyder

Jeremiah’s early life saw a lot of sudden changes. When he was four his parents split up and his mother moved him and his sister to California. He only saw his father during the summer and by age nine, he would spend these summers helping his father with his landscape business, pulling weeds and mowing lawns even though he could barely reach the steering wheel.

Shortly after moving to California, his mother fell in love and married a military man. For the rest of Jeremiah’s childhood he became an “army brat”, bouncing from military housing unit to military housing unit. Each time his stepfather was stationed somewhere new, his whole family would leave their jobs, their schools, and friends to follow him. “Until I heard the serenity prayer, I didn’t know what change was because my life was always changing,” Jeremiah explains...click here to continue reading.
BEIT T'SHUVAH GOES VIRTUAL
To stay up to date on all virtual programming and for more information go to www.beittshuvah.org/bts-events/virtual 
Jog-a-thon: The Social Distance
Whether you have been part of our Running 4 Recovery Marathon team in prior years, or have never even thought about running a single mile, now is the perfect time to get started.

Part fundraiser, part community event – one great time!

The Social Distance is Beit T’Shuvah’s approach to ensuring everyone can run/walk as a team while staying safe during the Covid-19 Pandemic and raise money to support Beit T’Shuvah!

For more info, e-mail Jillian or click here.
Beit T'Shuvah Magazine
The Beit T’Shuvah Magazine is now live! Produced by the brilliant minds at Creative Matters, our first-ever digital magazine features stories on the most important issues of our day, and answers questions like what it’s like to lose $125 million, how it feels to be handed a life sentence, and do you have to believe in God to get sober.
Read the magazine by clicking here and follow Creative Matters on IG @creativematters.agency
Amazon Smile
Beit T’Shuvah has raised nearly 3,000 through the Amazon Smile program to help save the lives of those suffering from addiction. Be a part of the movement and choose Beit T’Shuvah as your set featured charity on Amazon Smile by clicking the link below for all of your amazon purchases! Click here to shop through amazon smile.
Friday Night Services
Friday night services held via zoom at 6:30pm PT.

For Zoom link and more info, please click here.
BTS Sisterhood T-Shirts
Beit T’Shuvah Sisterhood T-shirts $30.

Multiple Colors Available!

Contact Dana Gache:
Phone: 3103516408
Beit T’Shuvah Custom Masks
Stay safe while supporting Beit T’Shuvah with masks custom made by Creative Matters. Perfect gifts for alumni, staff, residents, people in recovery or community members!

$10 per mask

Designs:
One Day At A Time
In This Together

Click HERE to order!
Alumni Process Group
Alumni Process group for residents who have left BTS during the pandemic.

Wednesdays at 12pm.


For Zoom link and more info, click here.
Pandemic Parenting
Whether your loved one is still in treatment or they have already moved on to the next chapter of their journey, we would like to provide a platform in which families get to talk about their shared experiences and wisdom.

This group is for families of our current and former residents.

For Zoom link and more info, please click here.
Saturday Morning Services
Saturday morning Prayer and Meditation at 10:30am PT.

For Zoom link and more info, please click here.
Spiritual Class
Come learn on Saturday mornings at 9:30am PT with Rabbi Micha'el Akiba.

For Zoom link and more info, please click here.
Sober Birthdays
We are still celebrating birthdays each week on our Shabbat Zoom.

To sign up to take a cake, please contact Jillian.
Life In Uncertain Times
Life in Uncertain Times: Coping Strategies Before, During, and After Corona. With Rabbi Joseph. Mondays from 12-1pm PT/3-4pm ET.

For Zoom link and more info, please click here.
CoVital
Wednesday through Friday at 9am PT. Join the Facebook group:

To Life
BTS community AA meeting: Thursdays at 7pm.

For Zoom link and more info, please click here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Past newsletters are now available online. Please click here to view.

For anyone that shops at Ralphs, please consider registering your phone with their community care program and select Beit T'Shuvah as your charity. 

For anyone that shops on Amazon, go to Amazon Smile and choose Beit T'Shuvah as your charity and a percentage of each purchase will be given back to us.

Direct line to make monetary donations is 310-280-3699 or visit our website