March 23, 2007– Nisan 5, 5767
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Contents of the Shabbat O Gram:
(Click to scroll down)
Just the Facts (service schedule)
The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary
Required Reading and Action Items (links to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)
Announcements (goings on in and around TBE)
See photos of our TBE teens at our new USY website:
A Bravura Performance!
Check out www.tbe.org for more photos from last week’s scintillating Cantors’ Concert,
Plus Purim photos, Passover downloads, April’s Synaplex Schedule
and our extensive library of photo albums,
articles, sermons, info about the temple,
Shabbat-O-Grams and links to the Jewish world.
Quote for the Week
From Avraham Infeld, this week’s Community Scholar in Residence
I run summer camps for about 2,000 16-year old Israeli and American kids every summer. There I am, one Sunday morning with 150 handpicked Israeli teenagers. Yuppies. The 300 Jewish American kids arrive and I watch them all walk into the dining room together. I cannot tell who is who, they all look the same-wearing jeans, T-shirts, Nikes, Reeboks, and pierced body parts.
The Americans are from NFTY, the youth division of the Reform movement, and at the end of the meal, the American rabbi gets up and says - 'Alright kids, the birkat .' What we call birkat hamazon (prayer after meals). The American kids sing the birkat in Hebrew, in beautiful harmony. The Israeli kids sat there in total shock. They had never seen it, they had never heard it. They had no idea what it was. They had no idea what it was good for.
And they were the only ones who understood it!
Mark your calendar for something very special:
Passover festival services on days 2 and 7 this year will be held in unison with Temple Shalom of Greenwich
Day 2 will be in
Days 1 and 8 will be held here, as usual.
Children’s Service with Nurit will be held at 10:30 on days 1,7 and 8.
Candle lighting: 6:51 pm on Friday, 23 March 2007. For candle lighting times, Havdalah times, other Jewish calendar information, and to download a Jewish calendar to your PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/. To see the festivals of other faiths as well, go to http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/. The United Synagogue has updated its candlelighting information. To learn more, click here.
Friday Evening:
Kabbalat Shabbat: 6:30 PM – in the lobby
Tot Shabbat: 6:45 PM – in the Kindergarten Room (note different location!)
Shabbat Morning:
Service begins at 9:30 AM
MAZAL TOV TO JOELLE PEIKES, WHO BECOMES BAT MITZVAH THIS SHABBAT MORNING!
Children’s Services: 10:30 AM
Shabbat Mincha: 5:30 PM –
MAZAL TOV TO TESS LITCHMAN, WHO BECOMES BAT MITZVAH THIS SHABBAT AFTERNOON!
Our Torah Portion for Shabbat Morning
Parashat VaYikra – The Book of Leviticus begins
פרשת ויקרא
1: 4:27-31
2: 4:32-35
3: 5:1-10
4: 5:11-13
5: 5:14-16
6: 5:17-19
7: 5:20-26
maf: 5:24-26
Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21 - 44:23
If you liked Storahtelling, you’ll LOVE Storahtelling’s new weekly blog about the Torah portion Find it at http://storahtelling.blogspot.com/. ORT Navigating the Bible; Rashi in English; BibleGateway: Useful for comparing different translations: Note- this is a Christian site.
What’s Bothering Rashi (Bonchek) Each week, one example from the parashah is deconstructed. See a weekly commentary from the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet, at www.ujc.org/mekorchaim. Read the Masorti commentary at http://www.masorti.org/mason/torah/index.asp. University of Judaism, JTS commentary is at: http://www.jtsa.edu/community/parashah/. USCJ Torah
THE ENTIRE HEBREW BIBLE (AS WELL AS OTHER JEWISH SOURCES) CAN BE FOUND WITH SIDE-BY-SIDE TRANSLATION AT http://www.mechon-mamre.org/
100 Blessings: Download information about the grace after meals (see Birkat Ha-mazon explained in Wikipedia and in the Jewish Virtual Library) The actual prayer can be downloaded at Birkat Hamazon [pdf]
Morning Minyan
7:30 Weekdays, 9:30 Sundays
TO ENSURE A “GUARANTEED MINYAN” FOR THE DAY OF YOUR YAHRZEIT – GO TO THE ROSNER MINYAN MAKER AT WWW.TBE.ORG AND ALSO CONTACT ME AT RABBI@TBE.ORG.
We’ve had several people coming lately who are saying kaddish following recent deaths in the family. We want to make sure we have a minyan each day. Your presence any morning is greatly appreciated!
Passover Resources
(see Spiritual Journeys section below for more Passover material)
Download our TBE Sale of Hametz Form
My own Passover guide A Guide for the Perplexed
Keeping the Story Alive: Questions and Reflections for the Seder Table
COMMUNITY SEDER
Second Night of Passover
Tuesday, April 3 at 7PM
Click for more information
Those high school students wishing to attend services on Passover, April 3, 4, 9 and 10, may obtain an absentee letter for their school’s attendance office by contacting Ellen at 322-6901, ext. 308 or TempleSec@tbe.org.
Passover: Guided Learning from MyJewishLearning.com
Guided Learning presents the content for this section by level of depth, and offers you a specific order by which to read through the articles at each level. You can go directly to one of the four levels by clicking below, or take a quiz that will suggest the appropriate level for you based on your results. Or, you can opt to start at the Primer and work your way through all four levels of Guided Learning one by one. Quiz on Passover Level I: Primer Level II: Topical Overviews Level III: Deeper Explorations Level IV: Analysis & Interpretation
For a host of other Pesach links:
And finally…
Two nice links if you are interested in getting rid of the “hametz of the soul” http://hillel.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Passover/TO_Pesach_Home/Isaacs_Leaven_717/SpiritualHamezt_555.htm
http://www.rebgoldie.com/pesachrituals.htm
The
(occasionally)
Today we set my own rantings aside
in favor of some creative efforts and writings from our TBE family,
and beyond…
Our entire Jewish community has been enthralled this week by the message of our first community scholar in residence, Avraham Infeld. Some of his views are summarized in this essay, first published in 2001: We will Not Survive as a Nation Without a
I arrived in
Hebrew is vital to the Jewish people because the language is the way in which culture transfers itself from generation to generation. We Zionists lie when we say we took a dead language and turned it into a living language. It isn't true. We took a living language and turned it into a spoken language . Every rabbinical Responsa throughout the generations was written in Hebrew.
When a Jew tried to speak German it came out Yiddish. Why? Because there were certain things you could only say in Hebrew. When a Jew tried to speak Persian, it came out Persian-Hebrew, Spanish - Ladino, Arabic - Mugrabit. Hebrew as a conveyer of central concepts of Jewish life has always been essential to our lives.
---------------------------------
At my welcoming party in
Imagine the following conversation between myself and Bob. Bob, are you religious? He says 'God forbid.' Do you ever eat kosher? 'If there is nothing else available, I'll eat the stuff.' Do you ever keep Shabbat? 'No.' Do you ever pray? 'No.' Do you ever go to synagogue or temple? 'I go once a year to see the guys'. Are you religious? 'NO.' What is Judaism? 'A religion.' What are you? 'I am Jewish.' Great logic, right?
He could have done the same thing to me.
Do you ever keep Shabbat? 'At least once a week.' Do you ever pray? 'Three times a day.' Do you ever eat kosher? 'All the time.' Is Judaism a religion. 'NO way.' What are you? 'I am Jewish.'
Check out this creative startup project being
coordinated by TBE Member
Michael Swartz! It’s called
“Refunds For Good”
Read on!
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And check out this fantastic article on the latest Bar Mitzvah trends, by TBE’s Own Gabi Birkner, writing for the
Latest Philanthropy Trend: Giving Away Bar Mitzvah Gifts
BY GABRIELLE BIRKNER –
http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=50519
The latest movers and shakers on the philanthropy scene may now be in the middle of a game of freeze dance.
Teenagers celebrating their bar and bat mitzvahs have emerged as a major charitable force — with many giving away their monetary gifts totaling millions annually.
An eighth-grader who has severe nut allergies, Ian Callender, recently asked invitees to his James Bond-themed bar mitzvah party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to donate to the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute. The
Ian's family asked him to consider giving away his bar mitzvah money, and the youngster decided it should go to help other people with food allergies. "Every time I go to a restaurant, I have to ask, ‘Are there nuts in this?' and ‘Am I okay eating this?'" Ian, now 14, said. "It's been a major part of my life. I wanted to make my gift personal."
An Upper East Sider who relished his summers at sleep-away camp, Jacob Lewin, used his bar mitzvah money to establish a $15,000 summer camp scholarship fund, benefiting children with life-threatening illnesses. In advance of her bat mitzvah, Meredith Bilski of
Through a bar mitzvah philanthropy program called "Give a Mitzvah — Do a Mitzvah," 27 teenagers last year gave away a total of more than $400,000 to UJA-Federation of
In 2006, one local "Give a Mitzvah — Do a Mitzvah" participant raised $53,000, which paid for heating, cooking fuel, and warm clothing for impoverished, elderly Jews in St. Petersburg, Russia. Another collected $52,000 to fund outdoor adventure experiences for disabled teenagers in
Mitzvah is the Hebrew word for commandment, but also is used to connote a good deed.
Not all families follow the same model of bar mitzvah giving. Some pay into collective synagogue- or community-based funds — and give their bar and bat mitzvah-age children the precocious responsibility of making grants with that money. Such a fund was established last year at Ansche Chesed, a Conservative synagogue on the
"It's very easy for kids to get very big eyes, and say, ‘I'm going to buy the biggest iPod that ever was,'" the spiritual leader of Ansche Chesed, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, said. The synagogue's philanthropy projects teach youngsters that their coming-of-age ceremonies aren't about iPods or whatever loot their bar or bat mitzvah money can buy, Rabbi Kalmanofsky said. "It makes it, as the saying goes, a little less bar and a little more mitzvah — and I think that's a wonderful thing," he said.
A father of a child who recently celebrated his bar mitzvah, Hugh Pollack, said the focus on bar mitzvah philanthropy helps deflect attention from the lavish parties that so often mark the occasion. "Maybe after some of the excesses got people thinking, ‘Wait, we should really take a look at this," Dr. Pollack, whose son donated some of his bar mitzvah money to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, said.
Some teenagers are even using their bar or bat mitzvah money to set up 20-year charitable "Bnai Tzedek" endowments in their names. Each year, about 5% of that endowment is donated to a charity Jewish chosen by the teenager.
This endowment model of bar mitzvah giving was pioneered a decade ago by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. More recently, the Springfield, Mass.-based foundation, partnering with community-based Jewish groups, has helped establish 36 Bnai Tzedek programs in 26 states, and three Canadian provinces.
Even a decade ago, doing a volunteer project or giving away money wasn't de rigueur for youngsters celebrating their bar or bat mitzvahs, a Bnai Tzedek director, Valerie Gintis, said. "Now, it's not just about studying with a rabbi, and planning a party," she said. "Now, the mitzvah project has become part of the rite-of-passage — part of the ritual itself."
And speaking of “TBE’s own” in the journalistic field,
check out Sam Ginsburg’s column in the Pitt News:
“Hamas no better than school bully”
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunties
Beth El Cares
Cathy Satz (968-9191; csscounsel@yahoo.com)Cheryl Wolff (968-6361; cwolff@optonline.net)BETH EL CARES co-chairs
Mitzvah Project for Alex Rosenberg
My Bar Mitzvah project is to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald house is a “home away from home” for family members to stay when a child is in the hospital with a serious illness.
I will be doing this in two different ways. One is by making and selling buttons, with whatever design you would like on them (see samples above). The second is by collecting the metal caps on the top of cans which will then get turned into the Ronald McDonald fund to recycle in exchange for cash.
There are two ways you can help me with my project. One is by ordering 1” pins, which are one dollar each; email me at the address below and I can make custom designs for you. I will also leave a specially marked container by the office at the temple, as well as other places around town, where you can leave can tabs for me to turn in for cash.
Thank you in advance!
Alex Rosenberg
ANYONE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF WHERE TO ACQUIRE A BRAILLE TYPEWRITER – PLEASE CONTACT STEFFI BLOCH AT 322-4267
The Highest Level of Tzedakkah: Job Networking
Experienced MBA with solid background in Information Technology & Finance seeking position to use technical and analytical skills. Primarily interested in Finance and Investment industry. Skills and interests include Business Analysis, Business Process Re-engineering, Operations & Project Management, System Design and Enhancement and Business Modeling Concepts. I can vouch for this person being a real mensch. Contact me at rabbi@tbe.org if you can perform this great mitzvah of networking
Free Them Now
Ehud Goldwasser Eldad Regev Gilad Schalit
Kidnapped Israeli Soldiers
• Sign the petition at www.freethesoldiers.org
Pre-Passover Hametz Food Collection
As you clean your cupboards in preparation for Passover, please consider donating unopened boxes, bags and cans of hametz to a local food pantry. For your convenience, you can deposit those items in a box outside the Helen Golin Gift Shop, from March 22nd to 28th. We will then deliver the food to a local food pantry. Check your e-mail for more information.
There is a custom today to add the Imahot (Matriarchs) to the first blessing of the Amidah .
Is it permissible to do so according to Jewish law?
We’ve been following this egalitarian practice for a decade now, and it is a change with the backing of Conservative Halachic authorities - and the change has been incoropated into a number of Conservative prayerbooks. For an opposing view, see this recently released responsa from Rabbi David Golinkin of the Schechter Institute in
I have been impressed by the sincere desire to include the Imahot in the Amidah and to make the Amidah more relevant. The problem is not the goal but rather the method . The method of changing the beginning and ending of the Avot is contrary to halakhah , contrary to our liturgy and contrary to classical theology as explained above, and stems from the fact that the idea apparently originated with Jews who are not well-versed in Jewish law and in Hebrew. (24)
But there is an authentic way to insert changes and innovations into the Amidah and that is through the use of piyyutim . From the talmudic peorid onward, liturgical poets continually composed piyyutim in which they expounded the weekly portion and even related to contemporary events. (25) This approach was especially popular in the
Rabbi Dr. Einat Ramon , the Dean of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem , has composed such a piyyut and it is found in an Appendix to this teshuvah .(27) I hope that such piyyutim will be adopted by synagogues who wish to incorporate the Imahot into the Amidah in a halakhic and authentic fashion.
Appendix
A Piyyut about the Imahot
for Inclusion in the Avot Blessing
by Rabbi Dr. Einat Ramon
to be inserted after the words “l'ma'an shemo b'ahavah” :
Navo'ah oholei Sarah, Rivka, Rachel v'Leah.
Utehi gemilut hasdeihen lefaneinu b'khol eit u'v'khol sha'ah.
Translation:
Let us enter the tents of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. May their acts of loving-kindness be an example to us at all times.
Passover Journeys
Passover through Archaeology and Rare Documents
This interactive site features rare artifacts from the collection of the JTS Library, including Haggadah manuscripts from throughout history. Download them and bring them to your seder!
I give this one Four Stars –(or maybe four cups, or whatever)
And for those looking for Passover melodies from around the world, go to
http://www.piyut.org.il/cgi-bin/search.pl?lang=en&YearCicle=9&Tradition=&RulerComponents=yearcycles
Here are five different versions of Had Gadya!
Ashkenaz - Switzerland tradition, Yitzhak and Mordechai Brom performance |
From JewishFreeware.org
5767 / 2007 PASSOVER SEDER SONGBOOK: PDF
This is the newest 2007 "upgrade" of the Songbook for your Seder of more than 80 popular, parody and traditional songs in English, Hebrew and a few in Yiddish. A songbook for all ages.
5767 BASIC PASSOVER HAGGADAH: PDF
This very basic and brief Haggadah is intended for the most elementary Seder, perhaps for the less experienced leader or the family with young children. Download the PDF and print as needed. It does NOT have all the songs in the 5767 Seder Songbook, and I would encourage you to download the Seder Songbook and print it separately for your selective use.
NEW 5767 / 2007 HAROSET WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE: PDF
Haroset - no matter how you spell it is one of the very special treats for the Seder. Yet it is a very important part of the ritual - whether maror is dipped in it alone or the Hillel "sandwich." The ingredients have varied from the time of the Talmud and from country to country. Download as a PDF. For home or for schools. Read, eat and enjoy.
5767 / 2007 JEWISH FAMILY HEIRLOOM HAGGADAH: PDF
Every family has their own unique needs, interests and wants for their Passover Seder. Download this English PDF for Suggestions and Helpful Hints to create and tailor a Haggadah to make it maximally appropriate to your family. No more cut-and-paste with paper, xeroxes with funny lines and white-out, pictures that aren’t quite legible. In short, you can publish your own Pesah Haggadah for your Seder, and you can do so easily using desk-top publishing. In creating your own family Haggadah, you are also creating your own Family Heirloom, a treasury of memories for many years and generations to come. You use edition or you can “update” it as the family grows.
5767 / 2007 COMPLETE PASSOVER HAGGADAH (Davkawriter 6 Platinum edition)
This is the complete Haggadah and Songbook in Hebrew, English and Transliteration. Download into Davkawriter 6 for the maximum effect in Hebrew and English format support to edit your own Haggadah. Each section of the Haggadah has been separated to facilitate ease of editing.
5767 / 2007 COMPLETE PASSOVER HAGGADAH: PDF
This is the complete traditional Haggadah and an accompanying Songbook for your Seder. Download it as a PDF. Each section of the Haggadah and each Song has been separated such that you can edit for yourself from the PDF print-out the contents for your Seder.
5767 / 2007 COMPLETE PASSOVER HAGGADAH: .rtf Edition
This complete Haggadah and Songbook is available in an .rtf file that can be downloaded especially to an earlier Davkawriter edition, Mellel II for the MAC and also to any other wordprocessor for editing and printing. Each Seder section and Song is separate to facilitate editing your own Haggadah.
5767 / 2007 COMPLETE PASSOVER HAGGADAH: Davkawriter 3.0 and higher
This edition of the traditional Haggadah and the Songbook is available to those who have an earlier Davkawriter 3.0 and higher edition (but not Davkawriter 6). Download and then edit your own Haggadah.
And thanks to Lori Tobin for sending along this very cute Passover video,
“Manischewitzville”
http://one.revver.com/watch/193542
FIFTEEN WAYS YOU KNOW PESACH IS COMING TO
1. No alarm clock needed here-instead we have the clanging of the garbage trucks as they roll through the neighborhood every morning during the 2 weeks before Pesah to accomodate all the refuse from the furious Cleaning going on in every household. The day before the seder they make their rounds at least twice during the day.
2. Street scenes change every day according to what's halachically necessary: For the week before the holiday, yeshiva students wielding blow torches and tending huge vats of boiling water are stationed every few blocks and in the courtyard of every mikveh. The lines to toyvel(dunk) cutlery, kiddush cups and the like, start to grow every day, and, at the last minute, blow torches are at the ready to cleanse oven racks and stove tops of every last gram of hametz.
3. The day before the Seder, the yeshiva students are replaced by families using empty lots to burn the remainders of their hametz gleaned from the previous night's meticulous search. Street corner flower vendors do great business too.
4. Most flower shops stay open all night for the two days before Pesah, working feverishly to complete the orders for delivery to grace Seder tables.
5. Meah Shearim and Geula merchants generally run out of heavy plastic early in the week before Pesah. In a panic, I make an early morning run to the Mahaneh Yehuda market to successfully snap up a few meters of the handy material.
6. No holiday here is complete without a strike or two. Last year, the doctors came to agreement to end their month long walkout just hours before the start of Pesah and gas suppliers at Ben Gurion airport decided to use the opportunity to cause havoc to the plans of 200,000 Israelis who travel abroad for the holiday. A wildcat strike caused delays in arrivals and departures at the airport too.
7. Good luck if you haven't scheduled an appointment for a pre-Pesah/Omer haircut. You can't get in the door at most barber and beauty shops.
8. Mailboxes are full of Pesah appeals from the myriad of organizations helping the poor celebrate Pesah. Newspapers are replete with articles about selfless Israelis who volunteer by the hundreds in the weeks before the holiday to collect, package and distribute Pesah supplies to the needy.
9. The biggest food challenge to those of us ashkenazic, non-kitniyot (legume) eaters is finding cookies etc. made without kitniyot. But most years, many restaurants in the city stayed open offering special Pesah menus-most without kitniyot, to accommodate the largely Ashkenazic tourist population that used to be their bread and butter (matzo & butter?) This year, with the dearth of tourists, we may end up spending most meals at
home.
10. Since most of the country is on vacation for the entire week of Pesah, all kinds of entertainment and trips are on offer, despite the jihad being waged against us. Ads appear for everything from the annual Carlebach festival to a "Tour de Pesah" bicycle extravaganza at the
11. Pesah with its theme of freedom and exodus always evokes news stories about recent olim. Last year's focus was the Jewish community of
12. This just in: According to Israel's Brandman Research Institute study, 43 million people hours will be spent nationwide in Israel's cleaning preparations for Passover this year. How does that break down? Of those cleaning hours, 29 million are done by women and 11 million by men. Persons paid to clean do the remaining 3 million hours at a cost of
13. On erev Pesah, dozens of members of various movements intent on preserving our connection to the
14.
15. In the Galut (Diaspora), Pesah is observed...in
Pesach Potpourri
Check out this superb collection of Pesach customs and other background material, from Prof. David Golinkin at the Schechter Institute, at http://www.schechter.edu/pubs/insight34.htm. Here are some excerpts (but you really have to see the full article)…
The holiday of Pesah has been blessed with hundreds of laws. Indeed, almost one-sixth of Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayyim is devoted to the laws of Pesah. It has also been blessed with many well-known customs that have been discussed and debated by various scholars.
1. … Passing the Matzah
When Persian Jews reach the ha lahma paragraph the mula takes the three matzot shemurot wrapped in a white cloth in his fingers, chants ha lahma… kadesh u’r’hatz… The three matzot go down the line from hand to hand. Young and old, men and women – each person is required to recite ha lahma and kadesh u’r’hatz until each participant has done so.29
What is the source of this custom? Rabbi Elazar says in the Tosefta: “One grabs the matzah for the children so that they should not sleep”.30 The rishonim gave five different explanations for this passage. Maimonides’ explanation was codified in his code (Hametz Umatzah 7:3): ”… so that the children will ask questions. And one grabs the matzah from one hand to another and the like”. This interpretation was subsequently supported by Rabbeinu Manoah (ca. 1264) and quoted by the Meiri (ca. 1300).31
So it seems that the Persian custom reflects a literal understanding of Maimonides’ interpretation of Rabbi Elazar.
2. A Seder Plate on the Head
In 1985, Shemuel ben Hallal, an Israeli who stems from Morocco via Venezuela, told me that in his family they recite the sentence “bivhilu yatzanu mimitzrayim” - “In haste we left Egypt” three times before ha lahma. Then the person leading the seder walks around the table three times tapping the seder plate on the head of each participant, each time tapping harder. The children like to jump up in order to hit the seder plate with their heads.
As it turns out, this custom did not begin in Morocco in the twentieth century, but rather in Spain in the fourteenth century.32 The first evidence for this custom is in an illustration found in the Barcelona Haggadah (ca. 1350) in which a father is shown balancing the seder plate or basket of matzot on the head of one of his children.33
The Guadalajara Haggadah, which was printed in Spain ca. 1480, is the first known printed Haggadah. The instructions before ha lahma read: “v’nosin hake’arah al rashey hatinikot” - “and one lifts/carries the seder plate on/over the heads of the children”.34 The Hida, R. Hayyim Yosef David Azulay, visited Tunis in 1774. Rahamim, the servant of his host, took the seder plate and passed it three times over the head of each male participant. When he started to do the same to the women, the Hida told him not to, using a play on words based on Judges 5:30.35
Benjamin II mentioned above, described this custom among North African Jews, especially in Tunis, ca. 1853 and related that if a person did not have the seder plate passed over his head, “he believed that he would be unlucky for the rest of his life”.36 R. Alexander Levinson, an Ashkenazic Jew, visited the Jews of Omzav in the Sahara desert. When the eldest person touched his head with the seder plate, Levinson did not know what was happening. He jumped up and flipped the entire plate. When he saw that everyone was angry at him, he told them he had done so in order to remember the parting of the Reed Sea!37
R. Ya’akov Moshe Toledano describes the Moroccan custom in his Ner Hama’arav published in 1911,38 while Ida Cowen describes the same custom among the Jews of Izmir, Turkey in 1971.39 Indeed, it is common until today among the Jews of Libya, Morocco, Tunis and Djerba.40 What is the reason for this interesting custom?
R. Shemtob Gaguine asked some Moroccan rabbis in 1932. They replied that they believe that if they circle the seder plate around the heads of the participants, it can protect them from all harm and a long list of blessings will come upon them. R. Gaguine himself wrote that in his opinion the custom was meant to encourage the children to ask questions.41 Tuvia Preschel explains that R. Gaguine guessed correctly – in an indirect fashion.
The Talmud says (Pesahim 115b): “Why do we uproot the table? The house of R. Yannai said: so that children should notice and ask questions”. R. Moshe Pisanti supplies the missing link between the talmudic custom and the Spanish-North African custom in his Hukkat Hapesah, a Haggadah commentary published in
3. Haroset with an Earthy Flavor
R. Zidkiyahu ben Avraham writes in his Shiboley Haleket (
| I was aghast to see such madness. Maybe on Purim they will draw blood, in memory of the decree of death! But they need to change anguish to joy and bad to good! And this mistake stems from a scribal error in the Rashbam and Rashi to Pesahim (fol. 116a) where it says “and heres (clay) which they pound in memory of the clay”. And I checked in an old manuscript of the commentary which says: “And haroset which they pound in memory of the clay”. And this is undoubtedly correct, for this is a commentary on the words “haroset zekher latit” in the Talmud.45 |
The Bet David by R. Yosef Philosof (Salonika, 1740) reports that “in Salonika the elders testified that they used to put chopped calermini stone in the haroset”.46 The Hida, who quotes all of the above, concludes: “But it seems that this custom is not practiced in most towns”.47
During the American Civil War (1860-1865), a group of Jewish Union soldiers made a seder for themselves in the wilderness of West Virginia. They had none of the ingredients for traditional haroset available, so they put a real brick in its place on the seder plate!48
Finally, Shemuel ben Hallal informs me that his Moroccan uncle, who is a rabbi in
I do not believe that these customs are based on a scribal error in Rashi or Rashbam. Rather, this is an attempt to illustrate the slavery of the Israelites in
4. Parched Grain and Nuts
In the talmudic period, parched grain and nuts were the equivalent of candy and chocolate today. Thus the Mishnah in Bava Metziah (4:12), which lists unfair business practices, says that “a storekeeper should not distribute parched grain and nuts to children because he accustoms them to come to his store”.
This is the background for Rabbi Yehudah who says in a beraita (Pesahim 109a) that one distributes parched grain and nuts to children on Erev Pesah so that they should ask questions and not fall asleep.
The Talmud Yerushalmi (Pesahim 10:1, fol. 37b) adds that Rabbi Tarfon used to do so. This halakhah was codified by Maimonides (Hametz Umatzah 7:3 and Yom Tov 6:17-18). The Soncino Haggadah published in 1486 says that the seder plate must include parched grain and nuts “for the children so that they should ask questions and not fall asleep”.49 A modern equivalent would be to distribute candy or chocolate to the children so that they should not fall asleep.
Jewish and Israeli Links:
A great resource on all things Jewish: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/news.html
The best Jewish site for Jewish learning: www.myjewishlearning.com
THE MOTHERLODE OF ISRAEL-RELATED LINKS: http://www.israel.org/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00kj0
Israel Defense Force, http://www.idf.il/
Israel Government Gateway, links to Government Ministries, www.info.gov.il/eng
Israel Knesset, http://www.knesset.gov.il/
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, http://www.mfa.gov.il/
Israel Prime Minister’s
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, www.cbs.gov.il/engindex.htm
Israel Tourism Ministry, North America, http://www.goisrael.com/
Buy Israeli Products, http://www.israelexport.org/, http://www.shopinisrael.com/,
http://www.finefoodsisrael.com/
Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, www.tau.ac.il/jcss
Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, http://www.besacenter.org/
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, http://www.jcpa.org/
One Jerusalem, http://www.onejerusalem.org/
Twenty Facts about Israel
Myths & Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Jerusalem Archaeological Park, http://www.archpark.org.il/
Israel Info Center – Israel Activism Portal, www.israelinfocenter.com/
US White House, http://www.whitehouse.gov/
US State Department, http://www.state.gov/
US Senate, http://www.senate.gov/
US House of Representatives, http://www.house.gov/
THOMAS (search for US Legislation), thomas.loc.gov
United Nations Watch, http://www.unwatch.org/
Embassy of Israel – Washington, D.C., http://www.embassyofisrael.org/
Media-Related Links:
CAMERA, www.camera.org
Jerusalem Post, http://www.jpost.com/
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, http://www.jta.org/
Ha’aretz English Edition: www.haaretz.com
HonestReporting.com, http://www.honestreporting.com/
Independent Media Review and Analysis, http://www.imra.org.il/
Middle East Media Research Institue (MEMRI), http://www.memri.org/
Palestinian Media Watch, http://www.pmw.org.il/
Israel Insider, http://www.israelinsider.com/
Jewish World Review, http://www.jewishworldreview.com/
America’s Voices in Israel, http://www.americasvoices.net/
@The Source Israel, http://www.thesourceisrael.com/
Other Jewish Sites
Data JEM – an GEM for Jewish Education! Database for Jewish educational materials: http://www.datajem.com/visitor/IntroPage.asp
The best Jewish kids’ site on the Web is http://www.babaganewz.com/ , with games, virtual tours and “J-Pod” downloads, kids of all ages will LOVE it.
Another superb educational site is http://www.myjewishlearning.com/ -- you can be a self-taught “maven” on all things Jewish!
A Jewish Guide to the Internet: http://www.uscj.org/metny/bellmobj/jnet2.htm
On Jewish Vegetarianism and Animal Rights: http://jewishveg.com/schwartz/ (hey, you KNEW I’d put this one in)
How many Jewish hockey players are there? (None right now…there’s a lockout). Find out at http://www.jewishsports.com/
Glossary of Yiddish Expressions: http://www.ariga.com/yiddish.shtml )Please be patient, this page is farshtopt with information)
You can find an online Hebrew dictionary at http://milon.morfix.co.il/
Nice Jewish parenting site http://jewishfamily.com/
http://www.jewishgates.com/main.asp Jewish Gates is an amazing site, filled with material on Jewish history, ritual and culture.
Go straight to the linked index at http://www.jewishgates.com/fullindex.asp and go to town!
http://www.zipple.com/ The Jewish Super Site; a similar site is http://www.maven.co.il/ and my personal all-time favorite,
http://shamash.org/trb/judaism.html
The sourcebook for Jewish history (all periods) can be found at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/jewishsbook.html
Online Texts Related to Jewish History. All the primary sources “fit to print.”
Israel Campus Beat – to get all the latest information on
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary
Excerpts from Spencer Evans’ D’Var Torah on Parshat Vayakhel - Pekuday
In the spirit of where we are in the Jewish calendar, I would like to begin with a joke:
Q: Why do seagulls live near the sea?
A: Because if they lived near the bay, they would be called bagels.
Today is Shabbat ha-Hodesh – a new month is about to begin. The month that is ending, Adar, is considered one of our most joyous. In fact, The Talmud states, “When Adar begins, our joy increases.” –
But this new month that we announce today is even more joyous!
We have so much to look forward to:
- This Wednesday is literally the first day of spring. And the new month of Nisan is called the month of spring. It begins just one day earlier, on Tuesday.
- Also, the month of March is the month of spring training. The new baseball season is just two short weeks away – and I feel sorry for all the Yankee fans here today, especially Jarad, because you will be quite disappointed when the Mets win it all in October.
- Finally, we look forward to Passover, which is just a couple of weeks away.
So if in Adar we were commanded to be happy, with the coming of Nisan, now we can be especially happy.
And how do Jews express their happiness? Well, there’s always eating. And if eating doesn’t work, there’s always guilt. But most of all, Jews use humor to express their happiness!
In Adar, that was done with Purim jokes and costumes.
But in Nisan, we express our joy by eating matzah for a whole week! Isn’t that fun! A week of matzah is exactly what I would have in mind during a spring vacation. But there’s still something humorous about it. Like watching my dog devour a piece of matzah that I sneak to her under the Seder table, and then watching her try to clean her teeth with her tongue.
Humor has always been important to me. I even started my speech with a joke. All of my favorite shows are on Comedy Central. All my favorite movies are comedies, like Austin Powers, Zoolander and the Bird Cage, – and of course, the incredible Borat.
In fact, I plan to add a fifth question to the Seder this year: Why is Borat the all time best movie? Part of the reason is because the humor is so Jewish!
It makes fun of anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice by showing how ridiculous hatred can be. For example, Borat throws money at cockroaches because he thinks that the Jews shape-shifted. That scene was both funny and scary at the same time – scary because some people in this world actually believe those things.
Sacha Baron Cohen shows how people in America are very tolerant of such hatred – at one point Borat sings a song in a bar that is very offensive to Jews, but still he manages to get everyone else to sing along.
If only I could get Borat to come to my Seder, he would realize how much fun Jews can be – and also that we do eat a lot!
So I have lots of reasons to be joyous on this Shabbat ha-Hodesh, aside from this little thing that is happening here this morning – my bar mitzvah. I want to wish everyone a happy spring, a happy month – and happy Passover too!
For my mitzvah project, I’ve been volunteering at the
Excerpts from Lindy Fruithandler’s D’var Torah on Parshat Vayikra
As many of you know, I’m a real animal lover. It goes back to the very beginning of my life. I’ve been told that the second word I ever spoke was most likely “doggie.” Legend has it that I would be in the car and when we passed someone walking a dog, I would point my finger out the window and say, “doggie.” By the time I was five or six, I was asking for a dog. This was no disrespect to Fluffy the guinea pig, my first pet that didn’t live in a fish tank, but I really, really wanted a dog. I’m happy to say that my parents listened to me and my dream to own a dog came true…(PAUSE)…about four weeks ago. That’s when Rusty came into my life. He’s a Maltzu from the Stamford Animal Shelter. I now can’t imagine life without him – and it’s nice knowing that I was able to help out a homeless animal at the same time.
My portion talks a lot about animals who were not as fortunate as Rusty, because they were designated to be sacrifices. I’m glad Judaism doesn’t allow for animal sacrifices anymore. As much as I don’t like that system, my portion shows us how important animals were to people back then, (pause) maybe even more important than they are now. Back then, without animals, there couldn’t have been any worship. Our ancestors understood that animals have so much to teach us, about life and giving…and about meaning of sacrifice.
I know one animal who has really helped me in that respect. His name is
A few years ago, the people at the barn tried to retire him. He protested by refusing to eat. So they tried an experiment. They gave him an experimental lesson with a real light person, and he ate that night. Then they didn’t let him give a lesson the next day, and he didn’t eat that night. So they let him be ridden the next day, and he ate. When it became clear that this animal lived only to be able to give lessons, they allowed him to continue working. During camp last summer, I rode
As you can see, animals have a lot to teach us, especially about the meaning of sacrifice. And the more we learn about giving from them, the more we will be able to give TO them, and to one another.
One way that I show my desire to give is through my mitzvah project. I have collected money, as well as dog and cat items with a box here at the temple, to be donated to adopt-a-dog.
Some GOOD NEWS from
and other sources
Soccer Mania – Israel vs England
Perhaps the most important soccer match in recent years for
“This is potentially a killer match for either team should they lose on Saturday and the pressure on
After dropping points at home to
England are suffering from a few injuries, which has shown up the frailty of their squad and the lack of depth at their disposal. The weak areas are in attack and at full-back with only Wayne Rooney really international class in these positions. At full-back Ashley Cole,
Israel have their own answer to Rooney in teenager Ben Sahar, who is creating a lot of attention and will be the player to watch if gets a go at England's defence during the match, which could be watched by very few English supporters due to a worker strike in the country.
The preparations are favouring the home nation, but
More details:
PREVIEW-Soccer-Israel prepare celebration for embattled England
Israel to show teen spirit in England clash
Other good news
Israeli mini-UAVs being used by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan
A tiny unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by leading Israeli defense electronics companies Elbit is operational "and currently deployed in the global war on terror in Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan," the company said in a statement released this week ahead unveiling the UAV to the public at an air show in Australia. The Skylark, which can be carried, launched and operated by a single soldier, covers an area within a range of seven miles day or night, and can be used for both military and homeland security applications. More...
Technology | Israeli team pioneers direct communication between computers without the Internet
PhD students at the Technion, under the guidance of Professor Roi Friedman, have developed software called WiPeer which enables mobile and desktop computers to communicate directly with one another in a local area without any mediating factor, such as an Internet server. The software, which is available free on the Net, enables users to send messages, pictures, files, movies and games to one another wirelessly within a 100-300 yard radius. And they're not content with that breakthrough - now the researchers are developing cellular phone software which bypasses the cellular operator and will offer free calls to anyone within close proximity, such as a shopping mall, a school, or a sports stadium. More...
Profiles | Israeli social work professor lays down the groundwork for mental health
A former 60s hippie introduced Julie Cwikel to the term 'social epidemiology' when she was working on her doctoral thesis on how social networks affect health at the
Technology | Israeli discovery converts dangerous radioactive waste into clean energy
One man's garbage is another man's treasure. That's what the founders of Israeli company Environmental Energy Resources (EER) have discovered after inventing a reactor that converts radioactive and municipal waste into clean energy, glass and recyclable material for building roads, without a trace of pollution and at substantially lower prices than competing methods. With the need for safer hazardous waste disposal methods getting more critical, it's hardly surprising that EER already has an agreement already under its belt with the leading waste management company in the
Health | Israeli system turns contaminated water into drinking water - instantly
Israeli company Watersheer has developed an innovative new purification system which can instantly transform contaminated water into clean water. Ideal for stranded hikers, soldiers, or disaster victims who are unable to find a source of clean water, the tiny, cork size device can be plugged into virtually any size bottle, container or tap, and can purify up to 1,000 liters of water without being replaced. With an alpha version already available, the company expects to begin mass production in June. "The product we've developed is going to save lives," asserts Yossi Sandak, Watersheer's CEO. More...
Feasting on Israel’s fashion plate By KARIN KLOOSTERMAN
Good-bye
For over a decade, the two-day event at the end of the winter and summer seasons draws tens of thousands of women and men - celebrities and commoners alike - looking to upgrade their wardrobe. They also come to see and be seen mingling among the 120 different Israeli designers - some on the way up like Ido Recanati, and others well established and internationally successful such as Sigal Dekel.
Continue reading The Fashion Market…
And now, two signs that the Apocalypse is coming…
“I strongly believe that the Hooters concept is something that Israelis are looking for,” Ofer Ahiraz, who bought the Hooters franchise for
At Hooters, waitresses the company calls Hooters Girls serve spicy chicken wings, sandwiches, seafood and drinks.
Continue reading ‘DD’ for Effort Ahiraz…
Tired of Israelis who don’t know their dinner spoon from their soup spoon? Fingerbowls from saucers? Who can’t make a simple decorative napkin-holder for thanksgiving using only stock paper, an Exacto knife, and a pencil?
If you are, have no fear: Martha Stewart has come to the rescue. According to our friends over at Ice news, Martha Stewart’s website is now available in Hebrew, bringing millions of Israelis access to her experience in homemaking. The people of the Holy Land will now be able to surf her site, watch her videos, and learn all about the art of entertaining, decorating a home, and all of that stuff. I’m sure it won’t be long before every Israeli household has at least one set of homemade felt fine china protectors.
Probably… Check out the new Hebrew website here.
(For the English website, click here)
now for the rest
Prime source: Daily Alert of the
See also http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.672581/k.CB99/Home.htm
The New PA Government: Composition, Platform, and Implications
On March 17, 2007, the Palestinian Legislative Council ratified the establishment of a new national unity government. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh read out the new government's platform, which clearly reflects Hamas' ideology: no recognition of the right of the State of Israel to exist, adherence to "resistance" (i.e., violence and terrorism) as a "legitimate right" of the Palestinians, and a demand for the implementation of the "right to return" (i.e., the destruction of the State of Israel).
Prominent among the new government ministers are three independents who have replaced Hamas ministers. Foreign Minister Ziyad Abu Amro, a native of
See also The New Palestinian Government Still Hasn't Renounced Terror or Recognized Israel - Khaled Abu Toameh
There is no point in pouring millions of dollars on the "unity" government as long as it's not prepared to make a clear and firm commitment to halt terror and recognize Israel's right to exist. (Wall Street Journal)
Rice's Mideast Minefield - David Ignatius
Secretary of State Rice is signaling her willingness to meet with some members of the Hamas-backed PA "national unity government," even though the Israelis have publicly opposed such a move. The space she has opened between U.S. and Israeli positions is quite small, but as she prepares for another trip to the Middle East, Rice is sending the message that she is pressing ahead with her diplomatic efforts to broker the creation of a Palestinian state.
Theoretical Truce - Hillel Halkin
The new Palestinian government is to be treated as if it were really two governments, one a "good," pro-peace-with-Israel government that can be dealt with and one a "bad," anti-peace one that will continue to be boycotted. The prime minister of this government, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, continues to refuse to recognize Israel, has ruled out a permanent peace with it, and has expressed his hope and expectation that it will disappear one day. By joining forces with him on this basis, which it had pledged never to do, it is Fatah and its leader Mahmoud Abbas who have given in to Hamas, not vice versa.
A negotiated peace with the Palestinians is at the moment unattainable. The new Palestinian government could fall apart in a matter of months. But if it doesn't, or if Hamas remains in power in any case, Hamas has often spoken of a hudna, or Islamic truce, wi th
Hang Tough with Hamas - Editorial (
- On Tuesday, the
- The Bush administration rightly is drawing the line, however, in refusing to restore aid to the Palestinian Authority until Hamas satisfies the Quartet's conditions. And Hamas has not done so.
- In a speech last Saturday, the Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, defended "resistance in all its forms" even as Abbas was pleading with Palestinians to reject "all forms of violence." On Monday, a Hamas sniper shot and wounded an Israeli electric company worker near the
- Fortunately, an embargo on aid to the PA hasn't prevented humanitarian assistance from reaching Palestinians through organizations such as the UN's World Food Program. That fact makes it easier for the
MK Melchior: Alert Abbas to PA Textbooks - Haviv Rettig
"You can't have agreements while this kind of hatred is inculcated in the children," Knesset Education Committee Chairman Michael Melchior (Labor-Meimad) said on Tuesday after seeing new 12th-grade textbooks published by the PA. Melchior's statements followed a Palestinian Media Watch presentation at the Knesset showing Palestinian 12th grade textbooks teaching children in the PA that pursuing
The schoolbooks, the products of the official education arm of the PA, written by Fatah-appointed officials at the Center for Developing the Palestinian Curricula and published by the PA Ministry of Higher Education, are also used by schools in east Jerusalem that are under the jurisdiction of - and receive funding from - Israel's Education Ministry. According to Melchior, the report's findings indicate a trend from "a conflict over land, which can be resolved by partition, to an existential religious conflict that cannot be resolved." (
See also Report on Newest Palestinian Schoolbooks: "From Nationalist Battle to Religious Conflict" - Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook (Palestinian Media Watch)
Turkish Delegation Inspects Dig Near Temple Mount - Lilach Shoval
A seven-man team of Turkish experts arrived in
Palestinian Firebomber Killed
The
Palestinian Gunmen Carjack UN Vehicle in Gaza City
Four masked Palestinian gunmen carjacked a UN Relief and Works Agency vehicle driven by a Palestinian staff worker in
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of
"Talks" with PA Ready to Disappoint - Editorial
Those who want to reopen the aid spigot should remember that giving money directly to the terrorists running the PA has never made the suffering people on the
We're perplexed by the Western powers' need to engage in endless rounds of pointless "talks" when those talks inevitably lead to disappointment and violence, not peace. There's one, and only one, path to peace. The PA must recognize
Engaging Syria Won't Affect Iranian Nukes - Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror
The nuclear threat in
A Columnist's Blind Spot on Israel - David A. Harris
Nicholas Kristof is a respected New York Times columnist who earned acclaim for focusing our attention on the unfolding tragedy in
There's no partner because in the January 2006 elections the Palestinians elected Hamas, a terrorist group dedicated to
No Special Status: Israel Does Not Enjoy Any EU Preference
- Oded Eran (Ynet News)
- In 1994 a German visionary leader, Helmut Kohl, led the Council of the European Union to adopt a statement in the German city of
- Significant implementation of the Essen Declaration would only be possible if one of the following scenarios are realized, and some say both: First, that Turkey and the EU would reach the conclusion that Turkey would not be granted full membership in the EU, and the parties would agree on a "minus membership." This would include opening the EU's institutions, agencies and plans, currently only open to member states, to
- The second scenario entails achieving a diplomatic settlement regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are those in
- The possible and desired change would call for a structural change in the EU and a strategic change of thinking in
The writer is
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MYTH #257 [Update of #237]
"
FACT
In an effort to jumpstart the peace process, Saudi Arabia has resurrected the idea of negotiating with Israel on the basis of a formula outlined by then Crown Prince Abdullah in 2002. Abdullah’s ideas were revised and adopted by the Arab League as a peace initiative that offered Israel “normal relations” in exchange for a withdrawal to the 1967 borders and resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue.
In response to the renewed discussion of the plan in March 2007, Prime Minister Olmert expressed a willingness to talk about the Saudi initiative. When the plan was brought up a few months earlier, Olmert reportedly met secretly with a member of the Saudi royal family (Reuters, October 4, 2006). More recently,
For the plan to have any chance of serving as a starting point for negotiations, the Saudis and other Arab League members will have to negotiate directly with
As it is, this initiative is nothing more than a restatement of the Arab interpretation of UN Resolution 242. The problem is that 242 does not say what the Saudi plan demands of
In addition, Resolution 242 also says that every state has the right to live within “secure and recognizable boundaries,” which all military analysts have understood to mean the 1967 borders with modifications to satisfy
“There are some who have urged, as a single, simple solution, an immediate return to the situation as it was on June 4….this is not a prescription for peace but for renewed hostilities.” — President Lyndon Johnson, speech on June 19, 1967 |
The Arab plan calls for
The demand that Israel withdraw from “the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon” is at odds with the UN conclusion that Israel has completely fulfilled its obligation to withdraw from Lebanese territory.
The Arab initiative calls for a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem based on the nonbinding UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Today, the UNRWA says that 4.3. million Palestinians are refugees. The current population of
The refugee issue was not part of Abdullah’s original proposal and was added at the summit under pressure from other delegations. Also, it is important to note that Resolution 242 says nothing about the Palestinians and the reference to refugees can also be applied to the Jews who fled and were driven from their homes in Arab countries. Another change from Abdullah’s previously stated vision was a retreat from a promise of full normalization of relations with
The Arab demand that Israel accept the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital has been part of the negotiations since Oslo. Israel’s leaders, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have accepted the idea of creating a Palestinian state in part of those territories, and Israel has even offered compromises on the status of Jerusalem, but the Palestinians have rejected them all.
It is also worth noting that most of the Arab League nations have no reason not to be at peace with
This article can be found at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/exclusives.html#a62
Source: Myths & Facts Online -- A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Mitchell G. Bard.
To order a copy of the paperback edition of Myths and Facts, click HERE. Myths & Facts is also available in Spanish, German, French, Russian, Portuguese, Swedish, and Hebrew.
Come to the NEXT FILM in our Israel Cinema Series!
THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AT 8:00PM:
Passover Fever (1995)
A middle-class Israeli family has a reunion for Passover
and find themselves feasting on a smorgasbord of dysfunction
as they try to cope with their innumerable problems in this drama.
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE APRIL 7 SYNAPLEX SCHEDULE NOW!!!
» April Schedule
» April Teen Flyer
AND SAVE THE DATE OF APRIL 7
OUR NEXT SYNAPLEX SHABBAT
THE THEME OF THIS DAY-LONG PROGRAM WILL BE
“MATZAH AND MITZVAH”
FEATURING JEWISH JOURNEYS OF A LIFETIME …AND BEYOND
ADULT BAT MITZVAH
NO-HATE-BUT-HARMONY,
NESHAMA YOGA, MIND-BODY-SPIRIT BIKE RIDE, AND GOOD PASSOVER FOOD!
LEARNER’S, TRADITIONAL AND MEDITATIVE SERVICES;
SESSIONS ON
“THE ETHICS OF EATING,” NUTRITION, KEEPING KIDS HEALTHY,
RAISING YOUR ADULT CHILD;
COLLEGE-TALK FOR TEENS, CHESS, TOUCH FOOTBALL
A CHOCOLATE SEDER FOR THE KIDS!
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
LAST CHANCE TO RESERVE!!!!!
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Second Night Community Seder
Tuesday, April 3 at 7:00 PM
(Doors open at 6:45 PM)
Led by Rabbi Joshua Hammerman and Cantor Rachael Littman
Includes traditional Kosher Seder meal
Entertainment and activities for children throughout the evening
Please complete the reservation form below and send it with your check, payable to Temple Beth El, to Temple Beth El,
Reservation deadline is March 22, 2007 – we’ve extended it through the weekend!!!!!
DOWNLOAD THE FORM NOW AT OUR WEBSITE, www.tbe.org
Prices: Adults: $55, Children (3-12) $25, Children 2 and under free
Maximum Price per Family $175, Parents & Kids
Please check off choice of Entrée. Children’s meal will be Chicken Fingers
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Total Cost |
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If you have a child who would like to help with the younger children’s activities, please provide their names and ages: _________________________, _________________________, _________________________.
If you are able to volunteer please check off your preferences:
Clean Up |
| Serve |
| Children’s Activities |
| Clean Up |
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For more information please contact Steven Mayer at 203-316-9195; e-mail steve_mayer@mayerbenefits.com or Mark Plotzky at 203-359-2290; e-mail mark.plotzky@snet.net.
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Learning and Latte at Borders
featuring
This year’s topic:
“Moral Dilemmas for a World in Crisis”
Join us as we engage in friendly dialogue about some of the hot-button issues of the day.
Meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 7:30-8:30 PM, October-May
Topics (subject to last-minute adjustment to keep up with the headlines)
April 10 – What are different ways of imagining God in our traditions? How does God show love?
May 8 – What is the future of religion in
Support our
Invites you to a fun-d-raiser:
FAMILY
ICE SKATING
PARTY
SUNDAY APRIL 8th 2007
1:00pm – 4:00pm
$5 per person / $15 per family
Skate rentals available for $4.50 each
In order to reserve your place please fill out attached form by April 1st and send to the
Laser tag, mini golf, bowling, batting cages available at additional cost.
Kosher for Passover refreshments will be provided.
Questions? Email: lpomerance@optonline.net
The Rinks at
Located off
PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR:
FOR CHILDREN ENTERING KINDERGARTEN IN FALL 2007
Our kindergarteners and their wonderful teacher, Marlyn Agatstein, would like to invite you to visit their class. On Sunday, May 20, 2007, we will be opening our classroom and welcoming your family to come and share our classroom experiences with us. You will have the opportunity to explore our curriculum, sing with Nurit Avigdor, our music teacher, meet Karen Tobias, our creative art teacher, and cook delicious food for the holiday of Shavuot. This open house event will take place in the kindergarten room (lower level) at
We look forward to your joining us at 10:00 a.m. for two hours chock-full of fun activities. Feel free to bring the entire family with you!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call/e-mail
or Sheryl Young, our
Attention 2nd and 3rd graders!
EXPERIENCE RAMAH FOR THE FIRST TIME!
Camp Ramah in New England Presents:
RAMAH MINI-SESSIONS 2007
Mini-Session A: Wednesday, July 25 – Sunday, August 5
Mini-Session B: Tuesday, August 7 – Sunday, August 19
Y Come be a part of this incredible Jewish community for kids!
Y The Ramah Mini-Session is specifically designed for new campers.
Y It’s a chance for anyone currently in grades two and three to learn why so many people say that the summers they spent at Ramah changed their life.
Mini-Session campers get a taste of every aspect of the Ramah camping experience. Campers can choose from a wide variety of sports and programming options, including:
New adventure course, baseball, basketball, soccer, archery, tennis, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, photography, video, newspaper, boating, drama, nature, woodworking, and arts & crafts.
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT: www.campramahne.org
ph: (781) 449-7090 fax: (781) 449-6331
Camp Ramah, the camping arm of the Conservative Movement, has been providing Jewish children with a unique
recreational and educational program for 50 years. Each summer over 600 campers from the East Coast come to
Camp Ramah in New England for innovative, fun, and transformative Jewish camping experiences.
USY
USY Goes BOWLING!
Saturday, March 24th
8:30 p.m. Meet at
Pizza will be served.
10:30 p.m. Pick Up
Price: $15
Please bring a signed waiver with you to the event.
RSVP by Wednesday, March 21st by emailing edoecohen@gmail.com
** All USY events are now open to 8th graders
8th grades are welcome to continue to attend Kadima events as well.
May 5th or 6th -
June 3rd - Pool Party
We hope to see you at these events.
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to write me at edoecohen@gmail.com or call 917-348-9790.
All the best!
Edoe
Hey teens!
If you’re ready for a
new, hip, cool temple experience…
Come to
Teen Synaplex
Saturday, April 7th, 2007!
12:30–2:00 pm
Lunch with friends, with a performance by teen troupe
No Hate But Harmony
2:15–3:15 pm
Teen chat room on surviving high school and getting into the
college you want (hear from HS seniors)
3:20–4:30 pm
FOOTBALL (co-ed) or hear WWII survivors!
4:30 pm
Teen nosh (more food!)
Get ready to have an amazing time!
Bring all your Jewish friends!
No charge!
*CHUTZPA** according to the Funk & Wagnall's Standard Desk Dictionary " US slang meaning**:** brazen, effrontery, nerve, impudence, having gall, cheeky." The word is Hebrew in origin*
Bill Gates decides to organize an enormous session of recruitment for a chairman for Microsoft Europe. The 5000 candidates are all assembled in a large room. One of the candidates is Maurice Cohen, a little Parisian Jews of Tunisian background.
Bill Gates thanks all the candidates for coming and asks that all those who do not know *JAVA* *program language* rise and leave. 2000 people rise and leave the room. Maurice Cohen says to himself - I do not know this
language but what have I got to lose if I stay? I'll give it a try".
Bill Gates asks all the candidates that those who have never had *experience of team management of more than 100 people* rise and leave. 2000 people rise and leave the room. Maurice Cohen says to himself - "I have never managed anybody but myself but what have I got to lose if I stay? What can happen to me"? So he stays.
Then Bill Gates asks all the candidates who do not have "diplomas in advanced management* to rise and leave. 500 people rise and leave the room. Maurice Cohen says to himself - "I left school at 15 but what have I got to lose if I stay? So he stays in the room.
Lastly, Bill Gates asks all of the candidates who do *not speak the Serbo-Croatian language* to rise and leave. 498 people rise and leave the room. Maurice Cohen says himself - "I do not speak Serbo-Croatian but what the hell! - have I got anything to lose?" So he stays in the room. He finds himself alone with one other candidate - everyone else has gone.
Bill Gates joins them and says: "Apparently you are the only two candidates who speak Serbo-Croatian, so I'd now like to hear you both have a little conversation in that language!
Calmly Maurice turns to the other candidate and says to him: *Baroukh ata Adonai* ".
The other candidate answers: "*Elohenou melekh haolam*"
Previous Shabbat-O-Grams can be accessed directly from the archives on our web site (www.tbe.org)
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