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“ YOUNG ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD-FT. LAUDERDALE - KISLEV-TEVET 5777 Volume 9, Issue 4, December 2016 Edward Davis, Rabbi Yosef Weinstock, Associate Rabbi Maish Staiman, President DECEMBER 2016 Happy Chanukah! Permit No. 3329 No. Permit FT LAUD FL LAUD FT U.S. POSTAGE PAID POSTAGE U.S. Organization Nonprofit (upside down address and NEW bulk mail inditia) www.SelasPlace.com Yaakov Waldman Miami Beach Chocolates Realtor www.facebook.com/SelasPlace Residential & Commercial Brokerage Services ¼ page (954) 326 - 8080 [email protected] Renovated 4/2.5 with impact glass $589,000 6/3 Updated golf course home 5k SF $4,800 p/m 2/2 Fairways only $189,000 Additional neighborhood properties available Beachfront Realty, Inc. Hollywood’s Kosher NEWEST Adult Day Care Services David Goldberger, M.D. Assisted Living and Day Care Facility. One Block From Young Israel! 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It is a call for the sanctification in public of obligated in sanctifying God’s name and would provide God’s name. It is of interest to note the Mishnah Berurah equal tranquility to the departed. Yet he ultimately opposed comments that if one is standing in between two the establishment of these private minyans lest such minyanim, and one minyan is at Kedushah and the other innovation weaken other existing customs. For various minyan is at Kaddish, you are to respond to Kaddish. It reasons many rabbis concurred with him with some is a compilation of verses with Messianic overtones. A suggesting that women should perform other mitzvot toward person who says Kaddish is demonstrating in a mystical the merit of the deceased. way his ability to draw closer to God. There are variations of Kaddish: Half Kaddish, the Full Kaddish, the When a man loses his parent he enters a year-long Rabbinical Kaddish, and the “Orphan’s Kaddish.” The mourning period, reciting Kaddish for eleven months. Kaddish is instrumental in creating division lines in Furthermore he attains a priority in leading the services prayer. The Half Kaddish in particular is a divider from the Amud during the week. He is prohibited from separating Pesukei D’Zimra from Barchu and the leading the services on Shabbat and Yom Tov. This is blessings of the Shema. sometimes abused by mourners whose Hebrew is not up to par. Frequently I remind gabbaim that when a person loses Although we connect Kaddish frequently to his parent he becomes an orphan not a cantor. We are mourners and to death, there is no mention of death generally lenient in allowing a person to assume the Amud whatsoever in Kaddish. It is a statement of glorification and conduct the services even though his Hebrew is not the of God’s name. The first time that we see a connection best. The Kaddish is a very special prayer and it behooves between Kaddish and mourning is found in Massechet the congregation to make sure to be attentive and respond Sofrim in the 8th century where we see a connection to the Kaddish as it is being recited. In this way we also join between Kaddish to comforting mourners. Many early the mourner in honoring the deceased. We respectfully commentators never mentioned any connection between honor the mourner, and especially honor the Almighty. Kaddish and mourners, including the Rambam. There are early records mentioning how the tradition that There is much written as to why the Kaddish is recited depicts a young child saying Kaddish for a deceased only in Aramaic, and not in Hebrew. The Talmud (Sotah 33a parent somehow would allow the deceased to benefit and Tosfot Berachot 3a) states that angels do not from the recitation of Kaddish and avoid a judgement of understand Aramaic. Hence we recite it in a language they hell. Nevertheless, Rabbi Moshe Isserles asserted that it do not understand, thereby enabling us to spread its was preferable for a mourner to lead the services and message throughout God’s world, causing His Glory to be recite sacred blessings such as “Barchu” over reciting disseminated all over. If the angels would understand the Kaddish, which was initially created for minors who could Kaddish, they would be jealous of Israel saying a beautiful not fulfill that task of leading the services. (Y.D. 376:4) prayer. The ritual of the recitation of the Mourners Kaddish A simpler answer is that the Kaddish became such an was so strong that people would hire someone to important and impactful prayer at a time when the people perform this function. [Rabbi Abraham Besdin o”h told spoke Aramaic and not Hebrew. Therefore it was written in the story at a funeral about a man telling the rabbi that a language spoken by all Jews (especially during the he was hiring somebody not only to say Kaddish, but he Babylonian Exile). was hiring somebody to sit Shiva for him as well!] The Maharal of Prague explained that Kaddish Initially only one mourner was allowed to recite every achieves an exaltation of God which transcends the heights individual Kaddish, leaving detailed rules of priority as that angels can achieve with their Divine services. We well as pressure to add excessive additional Kaddish stress the unique loftiness of the prayer by saying it in a opportunities. Eventually, to avert this, the custom language that is specifically not associated with angels, as developed for all Mourners to recite Kaddish together on per our tradition. such occasions. We should make the effort to learn the translation of the In our time the question has been raised for decades Kaddish in the English while we recite it in Aramaic. about women saying Kaddish. In our synagogue women are allowed to say Kaddish, but we request that men say Kaddish at the same time. In the 17th century a father RABBI EDWARD DAVIS requested that his only child, a daughter, recite Kaddish for him at a special minyan made up of men in his home. Rabbi Yair Bachrach responded that on a technical level YOUNG ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD-FT. LAUDERDALE DECEMBER 2016 PAGE 5 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE SISTERHOOD MESSAGE I thought this was going to be an easy column to write. Avraham Avinu is our first “forefather” and yet, as far as All I needed to do was to compose a short few words parenting goes, we don’t have that much to go on. In fact, the to show appreciation to our part time staff, and our relationship between Avraham and Yitzchak doesn’t get much many volunteers. How difficult can that be? play in the Torah. The only time we ever see them speaking to each other is when Avraham is going off to sacrifice Yitzchak! Using some literary license, I am now in a situation Quite the bonding moment, right (no pun intended)? So here that my waste basket is overflowing with crumpled up we are, our first “father,” sharing a moment with his son, and sheets of paper, ripped in utter frustration from my suddenly, we get the only dialogue the Torah records between typewriter. I just don’t seem to be able to frame this the two of them. Yitzchak calls his father and Avraham replies right. Maybe that’s because there are so many people “Hineni – Here I am.” And then, once Yitzchak figures out that they are going to sacrifice something, he asks, “Where’s the who do so many diverse things for the shul that it’s animal that we are going to sacrifice?” And Avraham answers, difficult to summarize. Or maybe I’m just afraid that if “Hashem will provide it for us.” I start singling out people and the jobs that they do, I And that’s it. am certain to offend someone by leaving out recognition of their contribution. Our only time to see Avraham interact with Yitzchak and it’s just those two lines. Bit of a letdown, no? You’d think we’d get some Regardless, neither of those awesome Parenting 101 tips somewhere else, right? But no. reasons are ample enough to Two lines of dialogue and they aren’t that exciting. steer me away from recognizing and thanking The truth is, some people say that those two pieces of dialogue those who work behind the – “I am here” and “Hashem will provide” are actually the only parenting tips we need. They are the only two things a father scenes to make our needs to impart to his son (or daughter). Your child needs to congregation great. The know that you are here and that Hashem will provide. people behind the programs, Everything else, for the most part, is just icing on the proverbial initiatives and classes are the cake.