:We wish Refuah Sh’lema to בייה jmagnet

Bela Davidson Howie Meyer Anice Stark Allan Fryman Joe Levitan Phillip Shadlesky Rose Rosenbaum Gerald Robinson Abe Swimmer Global Gathering of Holocaust Survivors, Descendants, Educators & Friends - Toronto marks the 75th anniversary Rosa Weisberg Ruth Leichner Morton Allen Cohen If you know Beth Radom members who would benefit from Clergy of liberation from the Holocaust at the end of the Second World 18 Reiner Road, Toronto, Ontario M3H 2K9 416-636-3451 War, and host Liberation75 at the Metro Toronto Convention outreach or should be part of our Refuah Sh’lema list, please

contact [email protected]. We assure you of confidentiality. Parshat Vayeshev Centre - May 31 through June 2, 2020. To REGISTER or ------December 21, 2019 23 Kislev 5780 LEARN MORE about Liberation75, its sponsors and With Reverence, We Honour The Yahrzeits Of: ------participating organizations VISIT www.liberation75.org Samuel Zelig Pelchovitz Lillian Pelchovitz

Torah: Page 141 Ch 37, V 1 ------Irvine Haber Late Father of Betsy Haber-Riesz : Page 144, Ch 37, V 34 Haftorah: Page 152 CHECK OUT BETH RADOM’S MUSEUM AND GALLERY and Marilyn Feldman ------Have you seen our new video display? It’s on our website! Johanna Appel-Prager Late Aunt of Carol Lithwick Today’s Congregational Kiddush will take place in the Does your family have things to add to this museum? We Morton Saxe Late Father of Edward Saxe and Belzberg Weisberg Social Hall on the lower level. appreciate donations of plaques, photos, paperwork, hand written Late Grandfather of Joshua Saxe ------letters, booklets, flyers, old landing papers – anything related to Sam Pasternack Late Brother of Patricia Weinstein the once thriving, Jewish, City of Radom. And of course we are Linda Verch Late Sister of Florence Lang looking for funding streams to expand the presentation space. Regina Goldstein Late Grandmother of Elana Ravas Contact Allan [email protected] for more information. Margaret Bloom Late Mother-In-Law of Abe Swimmer ------Jack Walman Late Board Member of Beth Radom A MINYAN HAS BEEN REQUESTED BY ------MEMBERS OF BETH RADOM Happy Birthday Wishes To: Tuesday, December 24 at 7:30am Sue Weisbart Devon Kreidstein Raphael Edery Arthur M. Black Members of Beth Radom in need of a minyan ------to say Kaddish should contact the Shul office Happy Anniversary Wishes To: at least a week or two in advance so arrangements can be Dr. Bill & Taffy Cass 52nd Anniversary made. Please show your appreciation to fellow members by ------sponsoring breakfast. 416-636-3451ext24. Special Occasion coming up? Send a Card! Please attend – it’s a Mitzvah! Support your fellow members and your Shul by dedicating a leaf ------on the Tree of Life, a Sim Shalom Siddur for sending a warm, ------Prayer For Healing thoughtful Beth Radom Donation Card. MAZEL TOV, HAPPY ,BIRTHDAY, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SPEEDY RECOVERY מִי שֶ בֵּרַ ך׃ אֲ בֹותֵּ ינו, Mi she berach avoteinu SYMPATHY or THINKING OF YOU! Call 416-636-3451x24 ------מְ קור הַבְרָ כָה לְאִ ּמֹותֵּ ינּו M'kor hab'racha l'imoteinu May the source of strength, who blessed the ones before us; OLUNTEERING at BINGO is FUN! Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing. If you are age 18 or older and interested in and let us say: Amen. volunteering, please contact the shul office. [email protected] or 416-636-3451x24 מִי שֶ בֵּרַ ך׃ אִ ּמֹותֵּ ינו ,Mi she berach imoteinu Our winter schedule can be viewed at מְ קוׄר הַבְרָ כָה לְ אֲ בֹותֵּ ינו M'kor hab'racha l'avoteinu www.bethradom.com/bingo.html# Bless those in need of healing with refuah sh’lema ------The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit, and let us say: Amen THE BLESSING FOR STUDY: בָ רּוְך אַתָ ה ה CANDLE LIGHTING & SERVICE TIMES: ------Barukh attah Adonai אֱ להֵּ ינּו מֶלֶ ך-הָעולָ ם Saturday, December 21 Shabbat ends at 5:33pm RABBI: Rabbi Dr. Geoffrey Haber [email protected] Eloheinu melekh ha-olam ראֲשֶ קִדְ שָ נּו בְמִ צְ ותָ יו Sunday, December 22 Light Chanukah Candle #1 after Sunset CANTOR: Jeremy Burko [email protected] asher qidshanu b'mitzvotav וְצִ ּוָנו לַ עֲסק בְדִ בְרֵּ י-תורָ ה .Friday, December 27 Light Candles at 4:29pm PRESIDENT / GABBAI: Mark Vernon [email protected] v'tzivanu la-asoq b'divrei Saturday, December 28 Shabbat ends at 5:38pm DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION: Cindy Kozierok [email protected] Praised are you Adonai, our God, eternal Sovereign of the Daily Minyan (M-F) begins at 7:30am; Sunday at 9:00am ADMINISTRATOR: Miriam Sharpe [email protected] Universe, Who sanctified us with [God's] commandments Shabbat Mornings – Service begins at 9:30am and enjoined upon us to study Torah.

“The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still both grammar and oftentimes emotional peaks and valleys in the partners in marriage, and the Torah is the marriage contract. We making little forward progress is because they haven't yet Torah narrative. The shalshelet is one of the rarest varieties of look in the Torah for the best guidance that we can muster in order come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, trope; so rare, in fact, that it only appears seven times in the entire to help our decision making, but ultimately, the Torah is not our and interfering with God's work within us. ” Torah. We’ve read two of them, so far in the , and partner, God is. sees in his situation that no matter what he - A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), American Christian pastor and author this week we will read the third in our parsha, Vayeshev. does, he will end up in jail. If he capitulates to ’s wife’s request, it will only be a matter of time before he is discovered, and Last week, in an effort to aid university administrations in The first use of the shalshelet in the Torah occurs in the story of if he doesn’t, she will accuse him anyway. Perhaps some people in supporting and protecting Jewish university students from hate, the destruction of the city of Sodom. The townspeople are this no-win situation would have given into their baser instincts, but discrimination and harassment, a new American policy by gathered outside the home of ’s nephew, , prepared Joseph sticks to what he knows is right. He makes a decision based executive order has effectively defined anti-Zionism as to rape and kill Lot’s family for their amusement. Oddly, the Torah on what he feels is the righteous thing to do, and trusts in God that antisemitism. Even amongst American Jews, the debate over says that Lot hesitates before leaving his home. The shalshelet the part he must play in Jewish history has already been laid before whether or not this move on behalf of the administration was a draws our focus to the Hebrew for ‘hesitate’, to put a spotlight on him. He has no control over the big picture, but he takes charge of good idea is highly controversial, and I must admit that I am also Lot’s fear and turmoil, and showing at the same time that there is his own actions. Joseph is in turmoil and has no options that will conflicted. On the one hand, it is long overdue that the kind of still a part of him that is sorry to leave his home. The second time affect his life, but the shalshelet points to Joseph’s agency over his perverse vitriol spouted by hate groups on campus that advocate the shalshelet is used is in the story of Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, own soul because sometimes when we are in turmoil, all we can do for the destruction of Israel is formally called out for what it is – who is sent to find a wife for . Isaac seems to be ambivalent is make decisions according to our conscience and have faith that antisemitism. It is about time that university administrations were about marriage, and so the duty falls on Eliezer to choose the God has the rest well in hand. empowered to reign in student organizations who discriminate woman who would become the future matriarch of the Israelite against Israelis and otherwise make student life for Jews nation. Eliezer speaks to God, asking for help on his mission, Shabbat Shalom, unbearable on campus. But on the other hand, in order to equate saying “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, grant me good --ChazJ anti-Zionism with antisemitism, the executive order defined fortune this day”. A shalshelet punctuates the Hebrew word for Judaism as both a religion and a nationality, thus leaning into the “saying”, as the exact words of Eliezer’s request to God are pre-existing anti-Semitic trope that Jews have a divided allegiance revealed. between Israel and the country in which they reside. Furthermore, This Shabbat, we find the third and final shalshelet in the book of the order is not going to stop any university campuses from holding Genesis, and of all places, it is found in the story of Joseph their annual Israel Apartheid Week activities, nor will it realistically encounter with Potiphar’s wife, whose sexual advances Joseph help any Jewish students who feel unsafe on campus, but only rebuffs, an act that ultimately lands Joseph in Pharoah’s prison. curb potentially discriminatory or anti-Semitic practices from The word that the shalshelet highlights is the Hebrew word for becoming policy, which, in fairness, most universities have under “refused” as Joseph refuses Potiphar’s wife’s advances. But what reasonable control. So, without making much of a meaningful emotional turmoil is there here? Shouldn’t we think that this would difference, I fear that this policy may potentially only lift the be an obvious and easy choice for Joseph? Traditional pendulum higher before it swings wildly the other direction when commentaries teach that the shalshelet in this place teaches that the US eventually votes in a very new and different kind of Joseph was indeed tempted by Potiphar’s wife, but that it took administration. great moral fortitude to refuse. While I do appreciate As Canadian Jews, we peer cautiously over to our neighbours to interpretations that paint Joseph’s character as less than perfectly the south, wondering what fallout, if any, there may be from this righteous (dare I say boastful and obnoxious), I feel that there is new policy. We know all too well that the escalating situation on more here that this particular shalshelet can teach us. our own college campuses is becoming a serious cause for The reality of life is that the right choices are not always so clear to concern, but is this the solution? If we’re aren’t sure yet, what is us. Sometimes when we seek to do good, our actions ultimately the cost of waiting before advocating for our government to enact end up causing more harm. Despite how much rigor and due a similar resolution? process may go in to our well-intended actions, the consequences If the Torah could answer this question for us, I imagine that the may not always be entirely foreseeable or within our power to text would be marked with a shalshalet. Used to convey a pivotal control. So what do we do? Judaism teaches that while we must emotional conflict, the shalshalet is one of the many trope symbols not rely on God to fight our battles for us, we must always aspire to that appear over or underneath each word in the Torah that be God’s partner, and to relinquish some semblance of control over indicates how the word should be chanted in order to convey our lives. In this way, God and the Jewish people are described as