בס״ד SHAAREI ORAH NEwSlEttER The Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck • 1425 Essex Road, Teaneck NJ, 07666 • 201-833-0800 • www.sephardicteaneck.org Zmanim & Services Rabbi Haim Jachter PARASHAT VAYECHI DECEMBER 22, 2018 Personal Reminiscence of Hacham Ben Zion from Loree Cohen of Englewood, New Jersey Friday Night A number of weeks ago we described the great contribution made by Hacham Shir Hashirim 4:05 pm Ben Zion Abba Shaul to contemporary Sephardic Jewry. this prompted Mrs. Loree Candle Lighting 4:13 pm Cohen of Englewood, New Jersey to describe her family's moving interactions with this Minha 4:15 pm great man. Mrs. Cohen husband, Mr. Elazar (Elie) Cohen and his family had a longtime relationship with Hacham Ben Zion which Mrs. Cohen describes below. followed by Kabbalat Shabbat / Arvit Rav Abba Shaul, his family and the Cohen family all lived in the neighborhood Shabbat Morning of Bet Israel along Rehov Shmuel HaNavi. Life was precarious in this neighborhood prior to the Six Day War, as it straddled the border with Jordan. This neighborhood is Shaharit 8:30 am where so many of the great Rabbis of that generation were raised, such as Rav Ovadia Latest Shema 9:36 am Yosef, Rav Baruch Ben Haim of Brooklyn, Rav Cohen from Panama, Haham Tzadka Minha 4:00 pm and many more. Today the Mir Yeshiva flourishes in this neighborhood. Rav Manzour Arvit 4:59 pm who attended my grandson Zachary's Bar Mitzvah still lives and his Yeshiva is located Havdala 5:09 pm Parent Child Learning 7:00 pm there. He told us that this neighborhood is built over where the ashes of Korbanot where taken from the Beit HaMikdash. Weekly Schedule The father of Rav Ben Zion Abba Shaul and my father-in-law Binyamin with a Shaharit few others formed the Kehillah Ohel Rahel that is still operated by the Abba Shaul Sunday 7:45 am family. This is where Rav Abba Shaul delivered his weekly Derasha on Shabbat for many years. This is where my brother law, the legendary Hazan Yaacov Cohen learned Mon/Thu 6:20 am the Tefilla that he brought to Englewood. Tue/Wed/Fri 6:30 am The families were very close. When my husband Elie was born, Rav Abba Minha/Arvit Shaul told Elie's father that since his uncle Elazar had no children, Elie’s father should Sunday 4:10 pm name this son for him. This is why Elie is named Elazar! Over the years we would visit Rav Abba Shaul when we traveled to Israel. On two occasions when Rav Abba Shaul came to America we had the privilege of hosting him at our house in Englewood together with his son, wife and oldest grandson. I took them shopping to Alexander’s Department store that was then located in Paramus. I remember how he wanted his wife Hadas to buy a few dresses (like a sweater dress so that she would be warm). I remember the the extreme Kavod/honor that he showed to her. This occurred approximately in 1980. Rav Abba Shaul was so humble that he did not want people to stand for him. When he would attend the Beit Kenesset he would wait for the point when everyone was already standing. Only then would he enter the room. He never sought honor; he desired only to study Torah. My son Ben and daughter Kiki had the great honor to spend Shabbat with Rav Abba Shaul at his Jerusalem home but this occurred after he had already suffered a stroke and was not verbal. My son Ben took him down the steps in a wheel chair with his grandson Benzion to take him to Tefillah. Still today we remain in touch with many members of the Abba Shaul family. When my son Isaac studied in Israel for the year, one of his teachers was the nephew of Rav Abba Shaul. Our connection with the Abba Shaul family is one of the most special memories of our family! Congregation Shaarei Orah is an inclusive kehillah, all are welcome regardless of edah or level of observance. בס״ד SHAAREI ORAH NEwSlEttER The Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck • 1425 Essex Road, Teaneck NJ, 07666 • 201-833-0800 • www.sephardicteaneck.org Announcements Mazal Tov on the birth of a baby boy to Sarah and Mashiah Benson, brother and sister-in-law of Malkie and Peter Benson, Carla and Payam Benson and Ben Benson. Sheyirbu Semahot B'Yisrael! Mazal tov to Marcy Goldstein and Eran Bellin on the birth of a granddaughter, Talah Naomi, to Judah and Rivkah Bellin. Mazal Tov to big brother Ben. Shaarei Orah is partnering with TEAM Shabbos which is a national movement taking place on Shabbat Parashat Veyhi, December 22, 2018, addressing important end-of-life issues and encouraging our community to take appropriate action. Rabbi Jachter will be discussing this during his morning drasha. For more information on TEAMShabbos visit their website at TEAMShabbos.org. Kiddush this Shabbat is sponsored by the kiddush fund. Thanks to all who contribute to the kiddush fund. To donate please visit https://www.sephardicteaneck.org/form/kiddush-fund-donation.html. Seudah shelisheet this Shabbat is sponsored by Abby & Hanan Zarfati in memory of Hanan's grandfather, Hananya ben Yaakov and Abby's father Yaakov Emunathel ben Yehuda Leib. Parent Child Learning this week is sponsored by Elisheva and Laurent Cohen. Thank you to the Kiddush Fund for sponsoring Kiddush last week, thank you to Rebecca and Elliot Anapolle for sponsoring Seudah shelisheet last week, and thank you to Daisy and Alberto Attar for sponsoring parent child learning last week. Happy Birthday to Eitan Chechik (Dec 25), Eliyahu Nissim Cohen (Dec 21), Hallel Cohen (Dec 21), Abraham Esses (18 Tevet), Pacey Hornblass (16 Tevet), Benjy Leibowitz (Dec 25), Shoshana Leibowitz (18 Tevet), Eithan Levin (13 Tevet), Ilan Levy (Dec 21), Josiah Pinto (19 Tevet), Elad Shushan (Dec 25) & Sarah Stein (Dec 23). Come and participate in our wonderful classes. See details below. Shaarei Orah Inaugural Dinner SAVE THE DATE: Dear Members and Friends, It is our pleasure to announce that the Inaugural Shaarei Orah Dinner will take place on Sunday, March 10, 2019, at 5:00pm at Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, New Jersey. We are very excited to recognize the exceptional dedication and meaningful contributions of our Honorees and Awardees. Our Dinner is also an opportunity to celebrate the past, present and future of our wonderful Synagogue and Sephardic community. We hope you will join us in expressing our gratitude to our outstanding Honorees and Awardees and to celebrating Shaarei Orah as the center of the Sephardic community in Teaneck. We look forward to personally greeting you on March 10, 2019! RSVP to the dinner here: sephardicteaneck.org/dinner2019. For more information please contact [email protected]. Congregation Shaarei Orah is an inclusive kehillah, all are welcome regardless of edah or level of observance. בס״ד SHAAREI ORAH NEwSlEttER The Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck • 1425 Essex Road, Teaneck NJ, 07666 • 201-833-0800 • www.sephardicteaneck.org A Story – The King and Macaw Parrots Dvar Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin Once upon a time, there was a king who had gone to visit neighboring Before Jacob's death, the Torah tells us: kingdoms. He was gifted a pair of baby Macaw Parrots by the king of the last kingdom where he was visiting. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever "And Ya'akov (Jacob) called to his sons, and he said, seen. So, upon returning to his kingdom, he called for a bird trainer and asked him 'Gather together and I will tell you what will befall you in the end of to train macaw parrots. days' " (when the Jewish people will be redeemed from galus/exile) Genesis 49:1. The king also arranged a place in the palace garden for the parrots. He often looked at them from his palace window. As time passed, one day the trainer What did Ya'akov mean when he used the phrase "Gather came to the palace and informed the king that though one of the parrots was flying together"? majestically high in the sky, the other one was not moving from its branch since the day it had arrived. When Ya'akov told his sons to gather together he meant Upon hearing this, the king summoned trainer and healers from the that they should have achdus, unity amongst themselves. Only when nearby kingdoms. They all tried their best but couldn’t make the parrot fly! He there is unity among the descendants of Ya'akov can there be even asked his courtiers to try to find a way to make the parrot fly, but they all redemption. If there is not yet unity, it is not yet time for redemption. failed. The parrot was not moving from his branch at all. Finally, after trying everything, the king thought that maybe he needs someone who may be more With this we can understand what Yosef's brothers meant familiar with natural habitat. He asked his courtier to get a farmer from the when they said to him later on (Genesis 50:16-7) that before countryside and take him to the parrot to see if he can understand the problem with Ya'akov's death he requested that Yosef forgive them. Nowhere in the parrot. the Torah is it recorded that Ya'akov asked Yosef to forgive his brothers. However, the commentary of the Shaloh tells us that the The next morning, the king was thrilled to see the parrot flying high answer can be seen in our verse where Ya'akov asks the brothers to above the palace gardens.