Candle Welcome to the DAT Minyan! Lighting (earliest) 4:28p Shabbat Yitro (latest) 5:17p February 15, 2020 - 20 Shevat 5780 Joseph Friedman, Rabbi | Mark Raphaely, President Havdalah 6:17p

Shabbat Schedule D’var Torah with Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (All services take place in the BMH-BJ Fisher The quintessential Jewish expression of thanks, gratitude and acknowledgment Hall, 560 S. Monaco Pkwy) is Baruch Hashem, meaning “Thank God,” or “Praise be to the Lord.” Please help make our prayer service more Chassidim say of the Baal Shem Tov that he would travel around the little towns and villages of Eastern Europe, asking Jews how they were. However poor or meaningful by refraining from talking during the service. troubled they were, invariably they would reply, Baruch Hashem. It was an instinctive expression of faith, and every Jew knew it. They might have lacked the FRIDAY learning of the great Talmudic scholar, or the wealth of the successful, but they believed they had much to thank God for, and they did so. When asked what he 5:15 pm: Mincha / Kabbalat Shabbat / Maariv was doing and why, the Baal Shem Tov would reply by quoting the verse: “You are holy, enthroned on the praises of ” (Psalm 22:4). So every time a Jew (Shema should be recited after 6:16 pm) says Baruch Hashem, he or she is helping to make a throne for the Shechinah, the SHABBAT Divine Presence. Parasha: Page 394 / Haftarah: Page 1154 The words Baruch Hashem appear in this week’s parsha. But they are not spoken by a Jew. The person who says them is Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law. Rejoining 7:50 am: Hashkama Minyan Moshe after the Exodus, bringing with him Moshe’s wife and children, and hearing from his son-in-law all that had happened in Egypt, he says, “Praise be to the Lord Our thanks to Ba’al Koreh Avi Wittlin for leining [Baruch Hashem], who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of in the Hashkama Minyan this Shabbat! Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians” (Ex. 18:10). 8:20 am: Daf Yomi Three people in the Torah use this expression – and all of them are non-Jews, people outside the Abrahamic covenant. The first is Noach: “Praise be to the Lord, 8:30 am: Tefillah Warm-up with Ellyn Hutt the God of Shem” (Gen. 9:26). The second is Avraham’s servant, presumed to be 9:00 am: Shacharit Eliezer, whom he sends to find a wife for Yitzchak: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Avraham, who has not abandoned His kindness and faithfulness to (Shema should be recited before 9:33 am) my master” (Gen. 24:27). The third is Yitro in this week’s parsha. Our thanks to Ba’al Koreh Nathan Rabinovitch Is this significant? Why is it that this praise of God is attributed to Noach, Eliezer for leining in the 9:00 am minyan this Shabbat! and Yitro, whereas from the Israelites, with the marked exception of the Song at the Sea, we seem to hear constant complaints? It may be simply that this is human Kiddush is generously sponsored by Tova Kawa nature: we see more clearly than others what is lacking in our lives, while others in memory of her father, Yekutiel Kawa, on his see more clearly than we do the blessings we have. We complain, while others yahrzeit wonder what we are complaining about when we have so much to be thankful for. That is one explanation. 3:55 pm: HS Boys’ Gemara Class with Nathan Rabinovitch will meet at the Rabinovitch home It is, though, possible that a more fundamental point is being made. The Torah is signalling its most subtle and least understood idea: that the God of Israel is the 4:15 pm: Shabbat Afternoon Learning with God of all humankind, even though the religion of Israel is not the religion of all Rabbi Friedman, whose topic will be, "Who are humankind. As Rabbi Akiva put it: “Beloved is humanity, for it was created in the the Tannaim - Part I?" image of God. Beloved is Israel, for they are called children of God.” 5:15 pm: Mincha followed by Seudah Shlisheet, We believe that God is universal. He created the universe. He set in motion the processes that led to stars, planets, life, and humanity. His concern is not limited to 6:17 pm: Maariv / Havdalah Israel. As we say in the prayer of Ashrei, “His tender mercies are on all His works.” You do not need to be Jewish to have a sense of reverence for the Creator or —————————————————— recognise, as Yitro did, His hand in miraculous events. It would be hard to find Weekday Schedule another religious literature that confers such dignity on figures who stand outside (Weekday services Sunday through Friday morning its borders. take place at DAT School, 6825 E. Alameda Ave.) This is true not only of the three notable figures who said Baruch Hashem. The

SHACHARIT Torah calls Avraham’s contemporary, Malkizedek, king of Shalem, a “Priest to God Most High.” He, too, blessed God: “Blessed be Avram by God Most High, Creator of Sunday: 8:00 am heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High who delivered your enemies into Monday and Thursday: 6:30 your hand” (Gen. 14:19-20). Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 6:35 am Consider also, the fact that the title of our own parsha this week, which contains the Ten Commandments as well as the most significant event in all of Jewish MINCHA/MAARIV history, the covenant at Sinai, carries the name of a non-Jew. What is more, immediately prior to the revelation at Sinai, the Torah tells us Sunday through Friday: 5:25 pm (Continued on Page 2) DAT Minyan is a dynamic and friendly Modern Orthodox synagogue for all ages and dedicated to meaningful personal spiritual development, community growth, youth involvement, Torah education, and Religious . DAT Minyan - 560 S. Monaco Pkwy., Denver, CO 80224 - 720-941-0479 - www.datminyan.org D’VAR TORAH CONTINUED

Rabbi Sacks (Continued from Page 1) how it was Yitro the Midianite Priest who taught Moshe how to organise the leadership of the people. These are remarkable expressions of spiritual generosity to those outside the covenant. Or consider Tishri, the holiest month of the Jewish year. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, as well as reading about the birth of Yitzchak, we read of how an angel came to the aid of Hagar and Yishmael. “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation” (Gen. 21:17-18). Yishmael was not destined to be a carrier of the covenant, yet he was rescued and blessed. On Yom Kippur, in the afternoon, after we have spent most of the day fasting and making confession, we read the book of Yonah, in which we discover that the Prophet uttered a mere five Hebrew words (“In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed”) and then the entire population – Assyrians, Israel’s enemies – repented. Tradition takes this as the model of collective repentance. On Succot we read Zechariah’s prophecy that in days to come all the nations will come to to celebrate the festival of rain (Zech. 14:16-19). These are three stunning examples of universalism. They do not imply that in the fullness of time everyone will convert to Judaism. Rather, that in the fullness of time everyone will recognise the one God, Creator and Sovereign of the universe. That is quite a different thing. This idea that you can stand outside the faith and still be acknowledged by people within the faith as someone who recognises God, is very rare indeed. Far more common is the approach of one God, one truth, one way. Whoever stands outside that way is Godless, unsaved, the infidel, unredeemed, a lower class of humanity. Why then does Judaism distinguish between the universality of God and the particularity of our relationship with Him? Answer: because this helps us solve the single greatest problem humanity has faced since earliest times. How can I recognise the dignity and integrity of the ‘other’? History and biology have written into the human mind a capacity for altruism toward the people like us, and aggression toward the people not like us. We are good, they are bad. We are innocent, they are guilty. We have truth, they have lies. We have God on our side, they do not. Many crimes of nation against nation are due to this propensity. Which is why Tanach teaches otherwise. Noach, Eliezer and Yitro were people of God without being members of Israel. Even the people of Nineveh became an example of how to heed a Prophet and repent. God blessed Yishmael as well as Yitzchak. These are powerful lessons. It is hard to think of a more compelling principle for the 21st century. The great problems humanity faces – climate change, economic inequality, cyberwarfare, artificial intelligence – are global, but our most effective political agencies are at most national. There is a mismatch between our problems and the available solutions. We need to find a way of combining our universal humanity with our cultural and religious particularity. That is what the Torah is doing when it tells us that Noach, Eliezer and Yitro said Baruch Hashem. They thanked God, just as we, today, thank God. God is universal. Therefore humanity, created in His image, is universal. But the revelation and covenant at Mount Sinai were particular. They belong to our story, not the universal story of humankind. I believe this ability to be both particular in our identity and universal in our commitment to the human future is one of the most important messages we, as Jews, have to deliver in the 21st century. We are different, but we are human. Therefore let us work together to solve the problems that can only be solved together. Shabbat shalom

This Day in Jewish History - 15 Feb / 20 Shevat  20 Shevat 2196 (1565 B.C.E.) - Jacob’s eighth son, Asher, is born to Zilpah, the maidservant of Jacob’s first wife, Leah. Jacob was the younger brother of Gad. After the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, when Joshua allocated territory to each of the 12 Tribes, the Tribe of Asher was assigned the western and coastal Galilee, one of the most fertile areas in Canaan. Asher became prosperous producing olive oil. According to some accounts, 20 Shevat is also the date of Asher’s passing (2073 – 1688 B.C.E.)  February 15, 1932 - Benjamin Nathan Cardozo, Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, is nominated by President Herbert Hoover to be an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Cardozo was selected to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. He was the second Jew in U.S. history to serve on the Supreme Court, preceded by Louis Brandeis. Cardozo remained on the Supreme Court bench until 1938.  February 15, 1984 - The Israeli film “Beyond the Walls,” a film directed by Uri Barbash and written by his brother Benny Barbash and Eran Preis, is released in Israel. The film tells the story of how an Israeli and a Palestinian prisoner group bond together against the unfair treatment by a security officer in the high security block of the Central Israel Service Jail. The film premiered in the U.S. on this same date in 1985 and was nominated that year for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.  February 15, 2013 - A synagogue in Siberia is among the 7200 buildings damaged when the Chelyabinsk meteor enters the earth’s atmosphere and explodes over central Russia. While no one was killed, nearly 15-hundred people receive non-direct injuries. Please help make our prayer service more meaningful by refraining from talking during the service. DAT MINYAN NEWS, EVENTS AND MILESTONES

 Happy “special” birthday to Fred Hirsch, and thanks to Fred and Pia for coming to Denver and celebrating with us!

 This year’s AIPAC Policy Conference takes place in Washington, DC, March 1 - 3, with a pre-conference Shabbaton February 28 - 29. To join the DAT Minyan delegation, contact AIPAC at www.aipac.org , or 202-639-5363 .

 As we have done in previous years, our DAT Minyan women are planning a daytime women’s Megilla reading on Tuesday, March 10th. To participate as a reader, or for more information, please contact Julie Lieber at [email protected] .

 Mazal Tov to Stuart Senkfor and Leslie Stewart who are the honorees for the Denver Jewish Day School Annual Dinner on March 18th!

 Consider volunteering to lein on Shabbat! The sign-up website is www.datminyan.org/laining. Slots are open from now through mid-March. Please contact Steve Hutt for questions and additional information. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS  The Rocky Mountain Chevra Kaddisha invites the community to its Annual Zayin Seuda, Monday, March 2nd, 6:30 pm at EDOS, 198 S. Holly St. Featured guest speaker is Rabbi Yehuda Amsel, Director of Community Relations at Yeshivas Darchei Torah in Detroit. Tickets for dinner and the speaker can be purchased at $25.00 per person by contacting Randy Zakroff,303 -549-1402. RSVP’s needed no later than February 24th.

 Looking for inspiration for the new decade? Join Ellyn Hutt for a unique women's spiritual journey to Israel from April 26- May 5th. The theme this year is 2020 Vision: The Strength and Resilience of Jewish Women. Contact Ellyn for more information at 720-232-3121 or [email protected] .

DAT Minyan acknowledges the following milestones* of our members this Shabbat and in the coming week:

Ilan Caplan, Stacey Gardner, David Gitler, Ruth Khalepari, Amalya Lubchansky, Aryeh Lubchansky, Yael Lubchansky, Mor Shapiro, Michael Stutzer

*These details were obtained from the DAT Minyan database, which contains information provided by our members when they joined. We apologize for any omissions or errors. For changes, please log on to your account and update the information as needed, or contact the synagogue office at 720-941-0479.

THANK YOU FOR INSPIRING FUTURE GENERATIONS WITH YOUR GENEROSITY We would like to thank our Legacy Society donors for investing in our You can add your name to this list with a legacy gift to the DAT future by naming the DAT Minyan with a gift in their will, trust, Minyan. To arrange for your gift or for more information about our retirement account or life insurance policy. Our Legacy Society Legacy Society program, please contact any of the following includes: Committee Members: Rob Allen, Sarah Raphaely or Steve Weiser.

Rob Allen

Marc and Melanie Avner Graeme and Irit Bean Myndie Brown Steve and Ellyn Hutt Nathan and Rachel Rabinovitch Mark and Sarah Raphaely Harley and Sara Rotbart Michael Stutzer Steve and Lori Weiser anonymous

Please help make our prayer service more meaningful by refraining from talking during the service. MORE DAT MINYAN NEWS AND EVENTS

Learning Opportunities @ the DAT Minyan ALERT REGARDING ISRAELI BELL PEPPERS FROM • Kitzur Shulchan Aruch: Daily, after Shacharit KING SOOPERS Bell peppers from Israel are being sold at • Daf Yomi Shiur (30 min): after Shacharit on Sun through King Soopers stores in Denver. They Fri , and 8:20 am on Shabbat CANNOT be used unless proper tithing (hafroshas terumos uma’asros) has been • Mishnayot: Daily, between Mincha and Maariv performed. It is generally prudent to be cognizant of • “Short & Sweet Talmud Class” (30 min-never longer): “country of origin” information on fresh and canned produce, due to these concerns. Wed, 9:20 am, DAT Minyan offices at BMH-BJ (men only)

JOIN OUR MINYAN ATTENDANCE CAMPAIGN Important Security Reminder

One of the foundations of the DAT Minyan has always been our daily morning and afternoon minyanim. In recent times, we For the safety and security of everyone attending the often find ourselves struggling to maintain the 10-men quorum we need for our daily services. Our commitment to our DAT Minyan, we ask that all children either be in members and to the community is to provide daily minyanim attendance at one of our childrens’ programs or with with the opportunity for anyone who needs to fulfill the obligation of saying Kaddish. To accomplish this, we needa parent AT ALL TIMES when in the building. Children commitments from our male members as to when they can may not be left unescorted to roam hallways or attend a daily minyan. If you have not already received a call from someone on our Ritual Committee asking you to make a attend BMH-BJ Shabbat and High Holiday programs minyan attendance commitment, you will. Please participate as vigorously as you can. Committing to even one service a and events unless accompanied by an adult. Thank week can make a huge difference! You can also sign up toyou for your cooperation in this matter. participate online at www.datminyan.org/makeaminyan .

Refuah Shelayma Please include the following names in your prayers. May each be granted a Refuah Shelayma. Names are kept on the list until the next Rosh Chodesh. Help us keep the list accurate by verifying the necessary details each month on the Cholim Document at https://goo.gl/aeyJG2. Bella bat Malka Michael ben Kay Eliyahu Chaim ha Cohen ben Sara Rifka Michel ben Leah Eliyahu Dovid ben Ita Sheiva Michoel Zisel ben Barbara Guy Chaim ben Rita Miriam Adina bat Sara Leah bat Simcha Miriam bat Sarah Leibel ben Harriet Mordechai ben Chaya Hannah Levick Yitzchak ben Bracha Raphael Lior ben Miriam Leya bat Sara Roshka bat Bryna Malka bat Mazel Tov Shmuel Aharon ben Jenny Mascha bat Rus Yonatan Leib Volf HaLevi ben Altahenya Mayer Benya ben Nechama Shulamit Mendel Ila ben Frida Miriam Yonatan Zeev ben Netaa YOUTH ANNOUNCEMENTS

Youth Group Program Guidelines 1. All children must be escorted to their appropriate group/room. 2. All children must stay with their group at all times. 3. All children must be picked up by a parent or adult relative. Children will not be allowed to leave with siblings. 4. Children that are not dropped off at groups must be supervised by their parent at all times. 5. A parent or appointed guardian must be present in the building the entire time that his/her child (ren) is/are in groups. 6. Rip boards, skateboards, scooters and the like may not be used in or around the building during shul hours.

Toy Donations to the Youth Program All teens are invited to join us for We accept new and like new toys, books and games. “Morning Motivation” this Shabbat, Please speak with Mor Shapiro at

[email protected] for further information. February 15th, 10:30 am in the Library

ATTENTION COLLEGE STUDENT PARENTS Do you have collegiates/yeshiva/ seminary kids coming home for Pesach? Would they be interested in giving a shiur over the Chag? If so, please contact Rabbi Friedman as soon as possible - Pesach will be here before you know it!

SHABBAT YOUTH GROUP PROGRAM SCHEDULE (subject to change)

3 yo - Kindergarten 1st-3rd Grade 4th-6th Grade 9:00 – 9:30 am Indoor Play 9:00 – 9:20 am Indoor Play 9:00 - 9:30 am Indoor Play 9:30 -10:00 am Outdoor Play 9:20 – 9:50 am Outdoor Play 9:30 - 10:05 am Outdoor Play 10:15 am Circle Time 10:00 am Davening 10:15 am Davening w/ R Estreicher Davening 10:20 am Kiddush Kiddush and Dvar 10:30 am Kiddush Parsha Torah Story Time, Games/ Games, etc Musaf, Parsha Free Play Clean Up and Pick Up Games, etc. Clean Up and Pick Up

Please help make our prayer service more meaningful by refraining from talking during the service. You are cordially invited to attend THE DAT MINYAN JOINS BMH-BJ FOR THIS YEAR’S PURIM SEUDAH