The Shul B”H Weekly Magazine
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The Shul B”H weekly magazine Weekly Magazine Sponsored By Mr. & Mrs. Martin (OBM) and Ethel Sirotkin and Dr. & Mrs. Shmuel and Evelyn Katz A Home of The Lubavitcher Rebbe, May His Merit Shield Us A House of Torah, Prayer And Acts of Goodness Shabbos Parshas Vayechi Shabbos Chazak Teves 13 - 14 December 25 -26 Candle Lighting: 5:18 pm Shabbos Ends: 6:14 pm Over Tirty Years of Serving the Communities of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek and Surfside 9540 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Fl 33154 Tel: 305.868.1411 Fax: 305.861.2426 www.TeShul.org Email: [email protected] The Shul Weekly Magazine Everything you need for every day of the week Contents Nachas At A Glance Weekly Message 3 Thoughts on the Parsha from Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar The Shul Boys Mishmar Celebrating Shabbos 4-5 Schedules, classes, articles and more... Everything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience Community Happenings 6-7 Sharing with your Shul Family A Time to Pray 8 Check out all the davening schedules and locations throughout the week Inspiration, Insights & Ideas 9-14 Bringing Torah lessons to LIFE Get The Picture 15-20 The full scoop on all the great events around town In a woman’s world 21 Issues of relevance to the Jewish woman The ABC’s of Aleph 22-23 Serving Jews in institutional and limited environments. French Connection 24 Latin Link 25 Networking 26-28 Effective Advertising Numbers To Know 29 Contacts at The Shul Daily Study A complete guide to all classes and courses offered at 30 The Shul Get The Picture 31-32 The full scoop on all the great events around town Quotable Quote The birds and many of the land animals forbidden by the Torah are predators, while the permitted animals are not. We are commanded not to eat those animals possessive of a cruel nature, so that we should not absorb these qualities into ourselves – Nachmanides Thoughts on the Parsha from Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar Shabbos Parshas Vayechi Sending Judah to establish a Jewish Educational system prior to their settling there succeeded. This was a most important factor that was now validated. The Jewish people were to become part of the general And Yaakov lived in the land society where they would continue to be (except for less than a third of Egypt for 17 years”. It is of their history), until today. “noteworthy that our Rabbis interpret this text to mean that he Today we experience this dilemma as the latest Pew Organization lived his best years in Egypt. In fact, statistical study reports very disappointing information regarding the numerical value “gematria” of 17 the high rates of intermarriage among our young Jewish Millennials is the word “Tov” - “good” in Hebrew. and X generation, which are the maJority of the Jewish population Why were the best years of his life and are rapidly disconnecting and disappearing from Jewish identity. outside of the Holy Land? In Egypt, This result, according to the study, is reflected in their lack of Jewish his Journey would prove to be the education, lack of Jewish identity, lack of Jewish practice, birthrate beginning of a 210 year extremely even below the national standards, and with many considering bitter and difficult exile, referred themselves people of no religion or atheistic. to in the Torah as the source and the worst of all exiles. It is our Yet it is even in such circumstances where former barriers created by redemption from this horrible, anti-Semitism are eliminated opening the portals to secular society, catastrophic experience that is celebrated on the holiday of Passover. and after a Holocaust that murdered more than one-third of our Jewish people in an unprecedented genocide, that we continue to be From one very important perspective, it is precisely that environment influential, sustain our Jewishness, maintain our impact among the that in fact caused Yaakov to experience his best years. By Divine nations and, against all odds and statistical forecast, are coming back inspiration, he knew that his children would live in a series of to our spiritual and holy roots with a powerful tidal force. exiles where they would be impacted by insidious, dangerous and horrific conditions. Almighty G-d concealed from him the advent of It is those extraordinary ingredients that Jacob initiated, of the study redemption resulting in his knowing that his children would be in of Torah, performing of its commands, and living as Jews must live, exile for a long time, without the information of when they would be without changing our Jewish names, our Jewish dress-codes and our eternally redeemed by Moshiach. Holy language, that ensures our ability to continue eternally. That is what made our Father Jacob / Israel happy. He now was encouraged, Recognizing that reality, his greatest fear was the force of social knowing that he would live forever. “Just as our children live so do anthropological history that does not give a small minority, with we live.” unique lifestyles and cultures, a chance to exist for more than a few generations. They generally are completely eradicated or assimilated Let us make sure that we do whatever we can not to allow a single into the maJority environment. Going into Egypt with his entire one of our sacred family members to fall over the cliff and disappear family, he did not know how they would manage to live in a secular from our family. Particularly at this holiday season when secularity world among the most sophisticated and advanced society of that is so obvious and forceful, we need to reinforce our own beautiful epoch, and yet maintain their foundational connections to their holy culture and heritage and make it alive so that our children and those origin and source. He was uncertain whether they could succeed as around us feel the benefits of being a member of the House of Israel. a people apart, individual and unique, yet endowed with a particular Divinely ordained historical mission that required a systemic and It is with this knowledge that we are able to enter into next week’s necessary participation in the secular world. reading beginning the story of the exile in Egypt and our eventual Exodus. After 17 years, he saw his children grow and flourish under the most advanced and seductive alien circumstances which the Have a great Shabbos and a good week. Egyptian culture represented at that time. They lived in Goshen, the hierarchical epicenter of the capital city, and his son was Prime Minister of the land. Still they sustained their Jewishness on the highest standards. This made him feel comfortable, knowing that the way of life that was passed on from Abraham to Isaac to himself and to his children was a successful and adequate system to ensure that very special, beyond-natural ability to retain minority status while Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar remaining faithful to their mission and effective in their influence on those around them. 3 Celebrating Shabbos with our Youth Everything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience Torah Quiz Morah Malkie’s Yakira Leah’s Tot Shabbat Aleph Wonder Girls Ages: 1 - 3 Ages: 4 - 6 11:00 am - 12:00 pm 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Questions Montessori Classrooom 2 1. Why isn’t there a letter “Ches” or “Tes” in the names of the classrooom 2 Shevatim (the 12 tribes)? (Zohar) 2. Why are all Jews called “Yehudim” after Shevet Yehudah? (Bereishis Rabbah, Rashi) 3. Who did Yaakov think would be the future Moshiach? (Bereishis Rabbah) Itty’s Rochelle’s Last Week’s Answers: Pre Tween Girls Tween Girls 1. Iyov, the mysterious tzadik, was born when the Jews went to Grades: 2nd - 5th Grades: 6th - 8th Mitzraim, and he died when they were on their way out 210 years later. The saga of his life, Moshe related to encourage the Jews 10:00 am - 12:00 pm 10:30 am - 12:00 pm in Mitzraim. Moshe Rabenu authored the story of the righteous Iyov’s suffering to illustrate that although sometimes Tzadikim Classrooom 1 suffer, in the end they enjoy much happiness and blessings! (Gemorah Bava Basra 15a) 2. Yehuda burned the wagons that Pharaoh dispatched to pick up Yaakov, since they had pictures of avoda zara (idol worship) engraved on them. (Bereishis Rabbah 94:3) 3. Yosef ordered his brothers to bring Egyptian coffee to their father Yaakov. He said that it has a soothing effect to expel worry Mendel’s Sholom’s and anxiety. (Bereishis Rabbah 94:2) Junior Boys Hebrew School Ages: 4 - 8 Grades: 4th - 8th Prizes kindly sponsored by the Goldczer Family 10:00 am - 12:00 pm 10:00 am - 12:00 pm in loving Memory of Montessori 3 Aryeh Leib ben Zev Volf obm Mishnayos Ba’al Peh Shaykee’s Debbie’s Yosef’s After Mincha Davening With Dad Teen Girls Teen Boys Montessori 3 Grades: 9th - 12th GREAT PRIZES!!! Grades: 7th - 8th Grades: 9th - 12th 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Prizes kindly sponsored by the 10:30 am - 12:00 pm 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Goldczer family in loving memory of Teen Girls Room Aryeh Leib ben Zev Volf Obm Classroom 1 Haime Library 4 Celebrating Shabbos Everything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience Kiddush This Week: Kiddush this week is sponsored by Mr. Leon Gandelman in memory Shabbos Schedule of his son Yaakov ben Leon Leib obm. May his Neshama have an Aliya Candle lighting 5:18 p.m. Mincha / Kabbalas Shabbos 5:20 p.m.