The Jewish Center at Your Table March 13, 2021 • 29 5781 • Shabbat Mevarchim • Parshat Hachodesh • Vayakhel-Pekudei SHABBAT SCHEDULE ANNOUNCEMENTS Erev Shabbat MAZEL TOV 5:20PM Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Géraldine & Stephen Rutenberg on the birth of a baby boy. 5:41PM Candle lighting 5:50PM Minchah at the JC Lyat Salomon on her marriage to Jacob Hara.

Shabbat THANK YOU TO OUR GRAB-N-GO SPONSORS: 9:30AM Shacharit at the JC Miriam Gutwein in commemoration of the first Yahrzeit of Alex Klein, 9:08AM Sof Zman Kriat Shema Avraham Shmuel ben Aryeh Leib. 9:45AM YL Susan & Arthur Degen 5:45PM Minchah at the JC in memory of Arthur's father, Robert J Degen, Yechiel 6:42M Shabbat Concludes Dov Ben Avraham Gershon. 7:10PM Virtual Havdallah

*Please note registration and ap- UPCOMING EVENTS proval are required to join us in Kosher Food Drive- Drop off in The JC lobby. person. March 1st-April 5th

A special thank you to our Covid- 4th Annual Masbia Chesed Event 19 Task Force. Cooking with Bryan Gurka, Executive Chef & General Manager - Milt's BBQ for Check out our COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Page on the Jewish Cen- the Perplexed - Benefiting Masbia ter website. Please email batshe- Sunday, March 14th 12:00PM [email protected] if you need (see page 2 for complete list of sponsors) assistance. Visit jewishcenter.org to register for all upcoming events and classes!

PRE -PESACH LEARNING ON ZOOM Shabbat Hagadol Drasha Virtual Tour of the Ancient Egyptian Rabbi Yosie Levine Art Collection at the MET with Elana A History of Disagreement Kaplan- Museum Educator, MET The Seder's Commentary on those who see the Sunday, March 21st at 7:30PM World Through a Different Lens Thursday, March 18th at 8:00PM on Zoom Jewish Center Annual Pre-Pesach Sponsored by Clergy Pearls for the Seder Vivian & Bernard Falk and Family Monday, March 22nd at 7:30PM

Join Rabbi Levine, Rabbi Buechler, Ora The Seder in Unpacked: Weinbach and Rabbi Rabinovitch for The Transformative & Tumultuous inspiring insights into the Seder with music by First and Second Centuries Chazzan Jon Green. Rabbi Elie Buechler Monday, March 15th at 8:00 PM Ma’ot Chittim Help us help others enjoy and find meaning in The Jewish Journey Haggadah: the Passover holiday. Help our needy Jewish Connecting the Generations brothers and sisters observe Passover with Dr. Adena Berkowitz dignity, in their homes by fulfilling the mission Wednesday, March 17th at 8:00PM of Ma’ot Chittim, “money for wheat” by sending in a generous donation. Make your check payable to the Rabbi Dr. Leo Jung Pre-Pesach Kashering at The JC Memorial Fund and mail it to The Jewish Sunday morning , March 21st Center office. Register by March 14th. Register at jewishcenter.org Register for all classes at jewishcenter.org.

The Jewish Center - The Modern Orthodox Center for Jewish Life and Learning 131 W. 86th Street, New York, NY 10024 • www.jewishcenter.org • 212-724-2700 Dr. Yosie Levine The Irony of Shabbat Rabbi Rabbi Yoni Rabinovitch, William Fischman Rabbinic Intern Eliezer Buechler Assistant Rabbi As Pesach approaches, I am reminded of the of melacha, and of work in general. It is incorrect to remarkable medrash about how the plague of frogs believe that the 39 melachot are inherently forms of Ora Weinbach took place. The medrash relates that there was desecration. Rather, Shabbat is the root Community Educator originally just one enormous toad. However, as the of , of holiness, throughout the rest of the Egyptians hit the reptile in hopes that it would week. By abstaining from work on Shabbat, we inject Yoni Rabinovitch depart, the creature miraculously spawned new the potential into those very same activities to be William Fischman progeny in response to each strike until Egypt was sources of kedushah and spirituality for the rest of Rabbinic Intern swarmed with frogs. Sometimes, our greatest efforts the week. Aaron Strum have the exact opposite effect of what we were Executive Director trying to accomplish. With that perspective, it now becomes crystal clear why the melachot of Shabbat are patterned after Batsheva Leibtag There is a similar irony which we can glean from the labors performed to build the mishkan. When Director of Vayakhel, this week’s parsha. Vayakhel begins with God required the Jewish people to refrain on Programming and the command to Moshe to build the mishkan and its Shabbat from the same activities which were used to Communications vessels, and the parsha then transitions with the construct the mishkan, those melachot were properly command for us to keep Shabbat. From the elevated to the lofty plane they needed to be in Sarah Cromwell juxtaposition of these two topics, our sages learn that order to create our greatest spiritual edifice. Youth Director the same creative activities which were necessary for the mishkan define what constitute the With this new outlook on the nature of the work we OFFICERS 39 melachot, the categories of forbidden creative do during the week, a new peculiarity arises – this Andrew Borodach labor on Shabbat. time in our own behavior. It is not uncommon that we President

will make it home just in time for Shabbat and begin Mark Segall At first glance, this correlation between the work in working the moment that it is completed. But when we First Vice President the mishkan and the work on Shabbat is counter- compromise the quality of our Shabbat by rushing in intuitive. After all, the 39 melachot on Shabbat are at the last possible moment and rushing out at the Naomi Goldman Vice President ways to desecrate and to profane. Is it not bizarre first possible moment, we fall into the same trap that that those same melachot should be derived from the the Egyptians did when they struck the single frog. By Amy Latkin creation of the mishkan, the pinnacle of sanctity and utilizing every last second of our workweek, we think Vice President holiness?! that we are maximizing our accomplishments. But the Scott Black Shabbat-mishkan connection teaches that the more Treasurer The answer, Rav Mayer Twersky points out, is that we savor and enhance Shabbat, the greater will be this peculiarity is actually meant to teach a our genuine productivity during the rest of the Aliza Herzberg Assistant Treasurer fundamental perspective on the nature week. Michael Jacobs Assistant Treasurer ISRAEL UPDATE Thank you to all of our sponsors for the March 12, 2021 4th Annual Masbia Chesed Event Scott Fisher Major Bipartisan Statement Urges Comprehensive Secretary Rachel Stone & Mr. Rabbi Robert & Approach to Iranian Threats Robert Bernstein Virginia Bayer Hirt LOCAL RESOURCES AIPAC commends the 140 representatives—70 Democrats and 70 Penina Blazer Mindy & Ami Yoetzet Halacha Republicans—who sent a letter to Secretary of State Blinken Rachel Wolf & Horowitz Shiffy Friedman urging that any agreement or set of agreements with Iran must Andrew Borodach Adira Hulkower [email protected] 646-598-1080 comprehensively address the full range of threats that Iran poses Lisa & Jacob Elisheva & Ira Kalfus to the region. Representing a major bipartisan affirmation of the Buksbaum Rona & Ira Kellman need for a broad, strong Iran policy, the letter was initiated by Jewish Center Elana Kaminetzky & Liora Kelman Reps. Anthony Brown (D-MD) and Michael Waltz (R-FL). Citing Iran’s dangerous behavior, the representatives maintain that any Brian Cohen Rachel Lurie 212-724-2700 x555 agreement or set of agreements with Iran must address three core Rochelle Cheifetz Dana Markow tenets: “their nuclear program, their ballistic missile program, and Gilda & Irving Shira Orenstein UWS Mikvah their funding for terrorism.” The representatives express bipartisan Chodosh Reva Rapps 212-579-2011 resolve in supporting a comprehensive approach toward Iran: “As Edward Chubin Barbara & Guy Reiss Democrats and Republicans from across the political spectrum, we Rebecca Eis Rose Lynn Sherr & Hatzoloh are united in preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon and Gitty Flamenbaum Stanley Solson 212-230-1000 addressing the wide range of illicit Iranian behavior.” Naomi Goldman Shira Silton & David Our synagogue partners with AIPAC, America’s pro-Israel lobby, Ruby & Joseph Wildman Manhattan in educating our community on issues affecting the U.S.-Israel Gottlieb Jennifer Silver For a current map, relationship. We encourage you to learn more by contacting Becca & Dovid Grant Silverstein visit eruv.nyc AIPAC at (202) 639-5200 or by visiting www.aipac.org. Herman Leora Sperber Aliza Herzberg Yakov Wieder