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YESHIVA MIZRACHI COMMUNITY
PARSHAT BALAK 16 Tammuz |25 & 26 June
Mazeltov
Shabbat Times To Hillel and Helena Hurwitz on the birth of a granddaughter born to Leor and Cindy in Israel.
Candle-lighting 17:08 Motzei Shabbat
18:00 Condolences
To Felicia, Avrom, Zev, Persha and Rael on the passing of their beloved husband and father, Julius Krengel. Contact details To Michelle Hummel, wife of Marc Hummel, on the passing of her 011 485 3624 [email protected] father Rodney Mehl. Condolences to Isabel Mehl and Charlene Meltz, the Mehl and Meltz families and the Hummel family.
We wish much comfort and strength to the families at this very difficult time.
Announcements
This Shabbat we bid farewell to Sandra Rubin and Lara and Shira Osrin who will be the first of the Osrin's to be making Aliyah this week, as well as Avital Kabatznik who will also be making Aliyah. We wish them a klitah ne'imah and much success and happiness on their Aliyah.
We wish the Chitiz family a wonderful first Shabbat back in Israel. They have arrived safely and are settling in well.
Messages from the Rabbi’s:
Rabbi Altman
Dearest Chevra
No period of time in the year invokes our troubling nature more forcefully than the period of the Three Weeks which will begin with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz on Sunday morning. On this tragic day in history 5 terrible things happened to us as related in the Mishna: 1. Moses broke the two tablets of stone on Mount Sinai 2. The daily tamid offering ceased to be brought 3. During the Roman siege of Jerusalem, the city walls were breached, leading to the destruction of the Second Temple on Tisha B'Av 4. Prior to Bar Kokhba's revolt, Roman military leader Apostomus burned a Torah scroll 5. An idol was erected in the Temple
Whilst it is school holidays for us, we should remember that these three weeks mark an inauspicious time, but like any difficult time, it is also a time of opportunity; a time when we can take the difficult and learn from it, take the sadness and learn to appreciate joy, confront our fears and find courage, recognize hurt and discover new ways to heal it. The truth is that whilst during the Three Weeks Hashem seems distant, He is never far. He wants our bond to be strong and He wants us to reconnect. Rav Norman Lamm relates the tradition that upon breaching the walls of the Beit Hamikdash, the Romans found the Cheruvim, the Cherubs on top of the Aron HaKodesh, facing each other, a pose they held when Bnei Yisrael was obedient to God. It was expected that at this time of destruction they would turn their faces away from each other. So why were they facing each other? Rabbi Lamm explains that the attachment between two people is always strongest just before they part. As the end of an era of relationship draws near, all the emotion, passion, hope and joy that defined that relationship at its onset returns – in abundance!
This is what Hashem was teaching us. He wants this time to be a rekindling of the passion that brings us close, lifts us and burns with holiness.
So yes, this is a time of distance from our Father in Heaven. We are exiled from Him – but not alienated. The Divine love for Israel has not expired. It is that and that alone that accounts for our continued existence to this day. Certainly “with a great love hast Thou loved us” – for though we are banished, we need but call to Him and He will answer. Like a wise parent, the Almighty may punish, even expel, but never ceases to love His child! And we as the children never cease to love our Father!
May these three weeks bring healing, companionship and connection for us all.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Shabbos and a meaningful fast on Sunday.
Rabbi Jonny and Natalie Altman.
Rabbi Friedman
Nicholas Winton was a hero who saved hundreds of children during the Holocaust; he passed away at the age of 106. Winton was a London stockbroker in 1938 when a friend of his convinced him to visit Czechoslovakia and see the refugee camps. Winton worked hard through dangerous situations to raise money to bring Jewish children to London. In total he saved 669 children. What was most remarkable was that he told nobody about what he did, including his wife. Fifty years later, his wife discovered his scrapbook and asked him about it and he gave a general explanation, but didn’t make much of it. His wife decided to pursue it with a Holocaust historian and since then, books have been written, movies have been made, and Winton has been honored with numerous awards. There are a number of lessons that we can learn from this story, including: You Never Know What Kind of Impact You can Make - We are often in situations where we participate in part of an event and never really see the end result. Even a simple hello to someone on the street or a chat with someone in a waiting room has the potential to impact generations of people. There are always things going on behind the scenes that we may never find out about. Consider that if the Torah didn’t record the story of Balak and Bilam, the Jewish people may have never known that he tried to curse them and ended up blessing them. The whole story took place “behind the scenes.” In 1988, unbeknownst to Winton, the BBC filled a room of people who owe their lives to Winton, and with Winton in the front row asked those who owe their lives to Winton to stand. Can you imagine what that moment was like?
Never underestimate the impact of a special gesture, especially during these difficult times.
Let’s reach out, your impact can be ever-lasting!
Have a wonderful Shabbat, Rabbi Alon and Dani Friedman
Yahrtzeits
Hebrew Name Relationship Date English Date Sandra Lampert Father 16 Tammuz Shabbat 26 June 2021 We Ilana Singer Husband (Louis) 16 Tammuz Shabbat 26 June 2021 Jackie Gien Sister 16 Tammuz Shabbat 26 June 2021
Lilian Sandler Husband 16 Tammuz Shabbat 26 June 2021
Hilary Green Father 16 Tammuz Shabbat 26 June 2021 Liora Leslie Father 16 Tammuz Shabbat 26 June 2021 Daniel Singer Father 16 Tammuz Shabbat 26 June 2021 Tali Gritzman Father 16 Tammuz Shabbat 26 June 2021 Annette Urison Father in law 17 Tammuz Sunday 27 June 2021 Shyphra Finkelstein Father in law 17 Tammuz Sunday 27 June 2021 Roslyn Bourgstein Father 18 Tammuz Monday 28 June 2021
Rhona Maisels Father 18 Tammuz Monday 28 June 2021
Jonny Egdes Father 19 Tammuz Tuesday 29 June 2021 Mervyn Lifshitz Mother 19 Tammuz Tuesday 29 June 2021 Martin Chaitowitz Father 20 Tammuz Wednesday 30 June 2021 Jack & Rhoda Belitzky Daughter 20 Tammuz Wednesday 30 June 2021 Allyson Kowensky Brother in law 21 Tammuz Thursday, 01 July 2021 Louis Aronowitz Father 22 Tammuz Friday, 02 July 2021 Mervyn Serebro Son 22 Tammuz Friday, 02 July 2021
Simon Litvin Father 22 Tammuz Friday, 02 July 2021
Abraham Zalk Father 22 Tammuz Friday, 02 July 2021 Lillian Sandler Mother 22 Tammuz Friday, 02 July 2021 Jill Bilchitz Mother 23 Tammuz Shabbat, 03 July 2021
We would like to wish all those having Yahrzeits over this period a long life and may the souls of their beloved ones have an Aliya. Please inform us if we do not have your Yahrtzeit on our list Reminders