MIZRACHI MATTERS SHABBAT VAYETZE
Friday, 27 November (11 Kislev)
This week’s newsletter is sponsored in loving memory of on her Yartzeit this Shabbat by her family ע"ה Noemi Weiss Shabbat Candle Shabbat Candle Lighting: 7:00-7:05pm Lighting: 8:05pm Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 27 November 28 November 29 November 30 November 1 December 2 December 3 December 4 December 11 Kislev 12 Kislev 13 Kislev 13 Kislev 14 Kislev 15 Kislev 16 Kislev 17 Kislev 1. Beit Yehuda 2. Kehillat Ohr David 3. Beit Midrash (Beit Haroeh Shabbat Morning) 4 . Bnei Akiva 5 . Elsternwick 6 . Midrashah 7 . Goldberger Hall Dawn 4:41am 4:41am 4:41am 4:41am 4:40am 4:40am 4:40am 4:40am Tallit & Tefillin 4:52am 4:52am 4:51am 4:51am 4:50am 4:50am 4:50am 4:49am Sunrise 5:53am 5:53am 5:53am 5:53am 5:52am 5:52am 5:52am 5:52am 9:30am 9:30am 9:30am 9:30am 9:30am 9:30am 9:30am 9:31am (גר״א) Sh'ma Earliest Mincha 1:45pm 1:45pm 1:46pm 1:46pm 1:46pm 1:47pm 1:47pm 1:48pm 6:52pm 6:53pm 6:54pm 6:55pm 6:55pm 6:56pm 6:57pm 6:58pm (גר״א) Plag HaMincha Sunset 8:23pm 8:24pm 8:25pm 8:26pm 8:27pm 8:28pm 8:28pm 8:29pm Night/Shabbat Ends 9:09pm 9:10pm 9:12pm 9:13pm 9:14pm 9:15pm 9:16pm 9:17pm
DAF YOMI Pesachim 6 Pesachim 7 Pesachim 8 Pesachim 9 Pesachim 10 Pesachim 11 Pesachim 12 Pesachim 13 Via Zoom 8:15am 8:45am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am Rina Pushett Kew Shiur Rabbeinu Bachye Lunch and Learn “Following in the Parsha Shiur Emunah Shuir Sefer Shmuel for women R’ Danny Mirvis Footsteps of our R’ Danny Mirvis Series 6:00pm R’ Danny Mirvis 1:00pm Fathers” 8:00pm Speaker: “(Trying to) Truly 9:30am Gemara B’Iyun 11:00am Parasha Shiur SHIURIM Dr. Michal Understand Tzurba Shiur Speaker: Rabbi (Ivrit Kala) Via Zoom Kaufman Rashi” shiur for Communal Shiur R’ Yehoshua Arieh Berlin R’ Yehoshua 6:00pm students & young R’ Yehoshua Asulin Gary’s Gemara Asulin adults Asulin 7:30pm Shiur 8:45pm R’ James Kennard 8:30pm Parsha HaShavua 8:30pm 8:30pm Ladies Tanach Shiur with Yeshivah Style
Rav Kook's "The Shiur R’ Leor Broh Shiur with Generation" Dr. Michal 8:30pm R’ Yehoshua Shiur with R’ Kaufman Asulin Yehoshua Asulin 9:00pm 8:15pm 8:30pm MISHNAH Keilim Keilim Keilim Keilim Keilim Keilim Keilim Keilim YOMIT 26:7-8 26:9-27:1 27:2-3 27:4-5 27:6-7 27:8-9 27:10-11 27:12-28:1
Stretching & Mizrachi Strengthening after Committee Corona with Gloria Meeting – 8:00pm Blau – 9:30am (see flyer) EJC’s “7 Continents; EVENTS 7 Jewish Experiences” Series Speaker: Dr. Rabbi Shalom Sharon 8:00pm
Rosanna Leibler, Gloria Blau Jan Marosi Carol Rothschild Renata Gilbert, (Mother) (Mother) (Mother) Hanna Friedman, Robert Ruth Gershov, Eva Nossbaum, Slonim and Marion Slonim & YAHRZEITS Martha Wise Leonie Nossbaum (Sister) (Father) Rita Tugendhaft Theddy (Mother) Nossbaum (Husband)
Mizrachi Matters can now be found on the Mizrachi website at http://mizrachi.com.au/mizrachi-matters/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MizrachiMelb
We wish a hearty Mazal Tov to:
Laura and Jonathan Posniak on the birth of a son. Mazal Tov to his grandparents: Rosslyn & Brian Rubin and Melanie & Derek Posniak. Mazal Tov to his great grandparents: Irene Rubin and Sonia & Reuben Mond
BAR & BAT MITZVAH ANNIVERSARIES: Mark Epstein, Eitan Schachna, Shmuli Wenig, Daniel Bierenkrant, Yehonatan Dodge, Michael Slonim, Ariel Elbaum, David Waysman
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Saturday: Ezra Jaffe, Ilan Kraus, Benjamin Lazar (HBD), Elliot Blau (HBD) Sunday: Ariel Elbaum, Jacob Epstein, Sharona Lindell (HBD) Monday: Doron Gold, Jacob Weinmann, Rachel Gottlieb (HBD) Tuesday: Shmuli Wenig, Yvonne Korbl, Ezra Jaffe (HBD) Wednesday: Michael Granek (HBD)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: Saturday: Simone & Jonathan Wenig Monday: Adina & Ian Waller Tuesday: DL & Jeremy Gold Wednesday: Hayley & Leslie Jaffe and Yedida & Michael Lewis Thursday: Pninah & Robert Lissauer and Tamara & Michael Bruce
Child Safety at Mizrachi Mizrachi takes the safety and wellbeing of all its members with the greatest of importance. Included in this are our efforts to ensure that we create and maintain an environment in which we can rest assured that our children are safe and looked after and one in which the children themselves know this to be the case. To ensure these goals are met Mizrachi has developed, and continuously works to implement, a set of Child Protection Policies designed and tailored to the specific nature of our community and its activities. For full details please CLICK HERE. Please note that these documents are “live” and subject to regular review and updating. If you have any concerns about issues related to the safety and wellbeing of children in and around our community or have any questions about these policies, please contact the Child Safety Officer on 8317 2520.
If you have an occasion or milestone event that you would like to be mentioned in Mizrachi Matters, please email it to [email protected] by 12:00pm on Thursdays
בס"ד USER-FRIENDLY SHIUR GUIDE
SIMPLY CLICK ON THE SHIUR AND BE TAKEN STRAIGHT THERE DAILY PROGRAMS
Daf Yomi | 9.00am (SUN) / Mishna Yomit 8.30am (Mon - FRI) / R' Doodie Bankier R' Yirmi Goldschmiedt SUNDAY Kew shiur - SEFER (Trying to) Truly SHmuel | 6.00Pm Understand Rashi | 8.30pm R' James Kennard MONDAY Rabbeinu bachye 9.30am R' Danny Mirvis Tzurba Communal Shiur Ladies Tanach 8.30pm Shiur 9.00Pm R' Yehoshua Asulin TUESDAY Dr. Michal Kaufman Lunch and Learn | 1.00Pm Gemara B'Iyun | 7.30pm R' Danny Mirvis R' Yehoshua Asulin parsha shiur | 8.30pm student shiur | 8.30pm R' Leor Broh R' Yehoshua Asulin Password: 613 WEDNESDAY Following in the Footsteps of Gary's gemara Shiur our Forefathers | 11.00Am 8.30pm THURSDAY Chaburah | 7.30Pm parsha shiur Ivrit kala | 8.45pm 8.00pm followed Dr. Michal Kaufman by R' Yehoshua Asulin R' Danny Mirvis
For further information about any of these shiurim or assistance with Zoom please contact the Mizrachi Office (8317 2504 / [email protected])
Join the WhatsApp group where Motti and Yisca share a Jewish/ Israeli song and some inspo each week!!
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בס"ד Mizrachi at the Movies
PRESENTS "An American Pickle"
Date: Monday 14 December Time: 4.00pm / 6.30pm / 9.00pm Cost: $20 per person (incl. free popcorn)
To register please go to https://forms.gle/pU1LuA8KU1hKBmN3A Please contact R' Mark ( 0422 718 026 / [email protected]) for further details
From the Gush Rav Moshe Taragin Vayeitzei - Serving Religion for Thanksgiving
Modern-day democracies have transformed civilization by introducing innovative and powerful ideas, both about our personal lives as well as about the type of society we aim to establish. Overwhelmingly, the values of democracy harmonize with traditional Jewish religious values. Without question, the most indispensable value of democracy for Jews, is the principle of freedom of religion. For the first time in two millennia, Jews have been allowed – under the protective eye of modern democracy- to freely worship our G-d and practice our rituals without fear of persecution or reprisal. Additionally, by guarding basic human rights, democracy preserves the dignity of human life in general – a sacred value within Judaism. Man is G-d's masterpiece and the dignity of the human condition must be upheld as a tribute to G-d's "investment". Democracy also delivers a bold social vision: by allocating political authority through popular elections, democracy hopes to craft a more equal and fair society. This vision of a "level society of equal citizens" reflects the Torah's mandate to craft a society of justice and ethical behavior. The many overlaps between democratic values and religious values has inspired Jews to overwhelmingly embrace the concept of democracy, actively participate in the democratic process, and deeply engage in the general culture of democracy. This week Americans will celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. This holiday enshrines numerous principles of democracy and morality. The values of Thanksgiving feel almost religious or sacred and Jews across the religious spectrum deeply identify with this holiday and its cultural practices. At its root, Thanksgiving is founded upon the value of gratitude and of acknowledging the assistance we received on the road to our triumphs and successes. Famously, the Rabenu Bachye an 11th century Spanish thinker, identified gratitude as the gateway to all religious thought and experience. Entitled people view their good fortunes as deserved and rarely sense their dependency on outside factors or the generosity of others; it is difficult for them to express gratitude to others. Their success is merely a "cashing in" on their natural license. Stalin once wrote that "gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs"; certainly a moral degenerate and mass murderer such as Stalin would disdain the trait of gratitude. By contrast, humble and modest individuals appreciate the fragility of the human condition and the underlying state of dependency under which we all operate. Admitting our dependency heightens our reliance upon G-d and intensifies our faith in G-d. Additionally, on an interpersonal plain, gratitude helps us better treasure our success and hopefully more freely share them with others. Entitlement often leads to greediness while gratitude pries open the doors of selfishness and egocentrism. On Thanksgiving people aren’t just grateful for personal prosperity; many also express gratitude for modern democracies in general. From its inception, the United States was a modern experiment in building a "city on the hill". Consequently, the success of this experiment has ripple effects across the globe, validating the value of democracy. Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to be thankful that we live in our world of relatively enlightened forms of government.
Beyond the trait of gratitude, Thanksgiving is pivoted upon the value of family; traditionally families convene to celebrate this holiday. Sadly, the professional and cultural stressors of the modern world often afflict healthy family life. Life in our pressure- cooker known as the modern "city" tense and frazzled and the reassertion of family value on Thanksgiving is crucial. This "Thanksgiving" message about family also resonates deeply for Jews who have perennially consecrated the family setting as site of sanctity and service of G-d.
By highlighting these numerous quasi-religious values, Thanksgiving and its life-affirming values, reminds us of the enduring power of Judaism to enrich the human condition and ennoble our lives. Thanksgiving can help us better appreciate the manner in which our religion improves our station in life. Is that all? Do we embrace religion solely because of the "human value" it offers? Do we only embrace the service of G-d because it improves the human condition? In addition to improving our lives, religion is meant to be transcendent – an encounter with a higher being on His terms. Judaism is a thrust into a higher realm- a leap into Heaven in ways which can't be articulated or justified solely for their human value. Perhaps the most iconic image of the entire book of Bereishit appears in this week's parsha: a ladder, anchored to earth but scaling the Heavens while angels ascend and descend. Have we pruned this ladder, retaining the lower rungs which are riveted to earth but cropping the upper tiers which penetrate the Heavens? Have we succeeded too well in anchoring religion to earth while amputating the steps of the ladder which are meant to catapult us to Heaven? Have we lost the transcendence of Judaism? In many ways our generation has been guilty of leveling or grounding religion. In the wake of the Holocaust G-d seemed distant and fearsome. Additionally, the rapid technological changes of the post WWII world cast religion as ossified and irrelevant in a bristling new world of transportation, communication, science and space travel. Responding to these dual challenges- a G-d who felt distant and religion which seemed detached from our world– we reformed the way people viewed Judaism by redefining religion as beneficial to our lives and enriching to human interest. After all, Judaism could provide meaning, values, nobility, moral behavior, community, purpose, vision and family life. Judaism and Torah study were showcased as a manner to fill the void in our modern lives, to reinforce family bonds, and to catalyze robust communal life. Judaism would heighten our moral conduct and improve our married life. In short, we dragged Judaism down from the Heaven and firmly fastened it to this world and to our human lives. Thankfully, we were highly successful and Judaism became popular and religious ambition more widespread. However, we paid a steep price as religion became an endless Thanksgiving meal! What have we lost in this process? Have we lost the moments of transcendence- when we take leave of this world and search for something higher and something beyond? Has our entire language of Judaism been converted into mundane human terms? Does the term 'avodas Hashem'- literally serving G-d without personal human resonate as loudly as the agenda of tikkun ha'olam– the prospect of employing Judaism to redeem the world at large? Do we think of Heaven and dream of angels, or are we trapped in the human sphere? Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to ponder the "human value" of Judaism and the supplementary values of modernity – each of which advances human progress. Parshat Vayetze reminds us not to flatten Judaism and to walk up the entire ladder until we reach the Heavens and encounter G-d in His sphere.