shabbos parshas vayakhel - pekudeiparshas hachodesh ... pdf /03...2017/03/24 · the shul weekly...

The Shulweekly magazine

Weekly Magazine Sponsored By Mr. & Mrs. Martin (OBM) and Ethel Sirotkin

and Dr. & Mrs. Shmuel and Evelyn Katz

Over Thirty Six Years of Serving the Communities of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek and Surfside 9540 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Fl 33154 Tel: 305.868.1411 Fax: 305.861.2426 www.TheShul.org Email: [email protected]

B”H

Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel - PekudeiParshas Hachodesh

Shabbos ChazakShabbos Mevarchim

Adar 26 -27March 24 - 25

CANDLE LIGHTING: 7:16 PMSHABBOS ENDS: 8:08 PM

Rosh Chodesh NissanTuesday, March 28

Molad - New MoonMonday, March 277:04 (10 chalakim) PM

Weekly MessageThoughts on the Parsha from Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar

Celebrating ShabbosSchedules, classes, articles and more... Everything you

need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience

Community HappeningsSharing with your Shul Family

A Time to PrayCheck out all the davening schedules and locations

throughout the week

Kiddush BankThe investment with a guarenteed return

Inspiration, Insights & IdeasBringing Torah lessons to LIFE

Get The PictureThe full scoop on all the great events around town

Meyer Youth CenterThe full scoop on all the Youth events around town

In a woman’s worldIssues of relevance to the Jewish woman

French Connection Reflexions sur la Paracha

Latin LinkReflexion Semanal

Networking Effective Advertising

Numbers To Know Contacts at The Shul

Daily Study A complete guide to all classes and courses offered at

The Shul

Get The PictureThe full scoop on all the great events around town

The Shul Weekly MagazineEverything you need for every day of the week

Contents3

Nachas At A Glance

“And to the Jews was light, happiness,

joy and prestige” (Esther 8:16).

“Light” is Torah, “happiness” are the

festivals, “joy” is circumcision and

“prestige” is tefillin

– Talmud, Megillah 16b

Quotable Quote

4 - 5

6 - 7

8

9

10- 17

18 - 23

24- 26

27

28

29

30 -32

33

34

The Shul Hebrew School keeping

things exciting in school

and out. Games, learning and

Birthday home visits

35-36

3

Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel - Pekudei

This Shabbos, the 27th of Adar when we will be blessing the month of Nissan, strikes

a very poignant cord deep, deep in my conscious and subconscious. On this day 25 years ago, I remember distinctly the moment of where I was, what I was doing, what I was thinking and where I was heading. We just heard the shocking news on my car phone. While at the Ohel/ burial place of the previous Rebbe, his saintly father-in-law, the Rebbe had

suffered a stroke of extremely serious, critical proportion.

At that moment there was a dramatic and radical readjustment of life as we knew it. Heretofore we had been privileged to have an interactive, physical, intellectual, emotional, human, conscious and transcendent relationship with our Rebbe, the leader of the generation. From that moment on, though the deep and inseparable connection continued on spiritual levels, emotional levels, transcendent levels, spiritual levels and even in some instances with physical gestures some understood and some not, a very cardinal factor in the dynamic relationship of Rebbe/Chasid was definitely taken from us.

It was quite a devastating realization that became even more pronounced as time went on and reached its apex of darkness on the third of Tammuz almost 1 1/2 years later when the Rebbe’s Soul departed from his physical being.

That particular powerful interaction can only be real and re-experienced at the time of resurrection when we will see the Rebbe again.

Still, G-d does not leave His children orphaned from a leader of that caliber that leaves an irreplaceable vacuum. There must be a way to somewhat compensate that enables us to maintain and sustain the unconditional level of commitment to the Rebbe’s causes, mission and allegiance to his directives.

The Rebbe’s last formal talk was on Shabbos when we read the portion of Vayakhel, a small section of which he personally edited prior to his stroke that Monday evening. The underlying message in the talk was the centrality of Jewish unity, brotherhood,

oneness and negation of separateness and fragmentation. That is our strength and power.

When the previous Rebbe suffered a stroke during his last years, our Rebbe said that his not being physically able to communicate any longer through speaking did not mean that his message ceased. It meant that his followers and Chassidim must now speak on his behalf.

On this Shabbos, when we bless the Month of Miracles and the Month of Redemption, we must take this mission seriously and start being the mouth and communication mechanism for the Rebbe’s vital message for our generation to prepare for Moshiach now.

The sin qua non to “get it done” “over the top” is through the love of G-d, the love of Torah and the love for every Jew.

Let’s get it done!

Have a great Shabbos, wonderful week and miraculous month.

Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar

Thoughts on the Parshahfrom Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar

Stories of LifeBased on letters and talks of the Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson

By Tzvi Freeman

Life does not tell stories. People do.

Life provides raw materials. Raw enough for us to look back and construct at least two versions of our autobiographies—one a dungeon, the other a palace.

This is the greatest kindness the Master of Life has given us: He has placed His own pen in our hands, so that we may enjoy the dignity of a palace constructed

by our own design.

Likutei Sichot, vol. 14, pg. 162; Maamar Ki Tisa 5716.

4

Weekly Riddle

Shmuely'sTeen Boys

Grades: 9th - 12th

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Haime Library

Shaykee’sDavening With Dad

Grades: 7th - 8th

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Montessori 3

Mendy's Hebrew School

Grades: 4th - 8th

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Sholom'sJunior Boys

Grades: 1 - 4

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Classroom 1

Basya'sTween Girls

Grades: 6 - 8

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Tehila'sPre Tween Girls

Grades: 4 - 5

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Classrooom 4

Elisheva Adouth's Aleph Wonder Girls

Grades: 1 - 310:00 am - 12:00 pm

Classrooom 2

Celebrating Shabbos with our YouthEverything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience

Morah Malkie’s Tot Shabbat

Ages: 1 - 411:00 am - 12:00 pm

Montessori classrooom 2

Debbie’sTeen Girls

Grades: 9th - 12th

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Teen Girls Room

Questions:1) What type of coin, mentioned in this parsha, is mentioned only one other time in the Torah (and where)?

2) Of all the precious metals collected for the Tabernacle, which had the largest amount?

3) What precious stone appears three times on the clothing of the High Priest?

Answers from last week:1) Betzalel ben Uri, the artisan in charge of building the Tabernacle, and his assistant, Aholiav ben Achisamech, appear in this parsha for the first time (Exodus 31:2, 6).

2) The tablets of the Ten Commandments were written “with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18). In parshas Va’erah, the magicians of Egypt declare that the plague of lice displays “the finger of God” (Exodus 8:15).

3) At the end of the parsha, Moshe wears a masveh on his face after speaking with the people (Exodus 34:33). The Golden Calf is called an “egel masecha” (a molten calf) (32:4), and later the Jews are warned not to make any “elohei masecha” (molten gods) (34:17).

RIDDLE RULESAnswers to the riddles can be given to Sholom

Loebenstein any time over Shabbos. The first child to give a correct answer to each of

the questions will win an INSTANT prize!

5

Kiddush This Week: Kiddush this week is available for sponsorship.

Farbrengen This Week:The Shabbos Mevarchim Farbrengen is sponsored in honor

of The Rebbe, the Leader of our generation, the Shluchimof the Rebbe and the supporters of the Shluchim.

Shalosh Seudos This Week:Shalosh Seudos this week is available for sponsorship.

kiddushim at The ShulPlease help us to provide our weekly Shabbos Kiddush and Shalosh Seudos by becoming a sponsor. Or join the Kiddush Bank by becoming a Partner ($770 annually ) or Patron ($360 anually)

Lighting 7:16 p.m.Mincha 7:15 p.m.

Eruv Information

We would like to emphasize that every Erev Shabbos, individuals should call the Eruv Hotline to make sure

that the Eruv is operational. The number to call is 305- 866-ERUV (3788).

The Eruv message is recorded approximately two hours prior to candle lighting. Surfside:

The Eruv in Surfside now includes the walking paths along the beach. Pushing strollers and

carrying is permitted on the paths, but not beyond the path or onto the beach.

Bal Harbour: The Eruv in Bal Harbour included the inner (western) walking path only. The pier at Haulover Cut is not included.

To pay your annual dues visit: www.miamibeacheruv.com

the caterer for this week’s kiddush and Shalosh seudos is

Food Art

Celebrating Shabbos Everything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience

Shabbos ScheduleEarly Shabbos minyan: 6:00pmCandle lighting 7:16 p.m. Mincha / Kabbalas Shabbos 7:20 p.m.Hashkama Minyan recital of entire Tehillim 6:00 a.m.Shabbos Day Hashkama Minyan 7:15 a.m. Recital of the entire book of Tehillim 7:30 a.m.Tanya / Hayom Yom 8:50 a.m.Shacharis (Morning Services) 9:00 a.m.Children’s Programs 10:00 a.m.Upstairs Minyan 10:30 a.m.30 Minutes of Tanya: Classroom #1 +/- 12:00 p.m.With Mrs. Vivian Perez (for Women) After DaveningKiddush 12:00 p.m.Farbrengen in honor of Shabbos Mevarchim 1:00 p.m.Daf Yomi 6:20 p.m.Men’s Shiur 6:20 p.m.Women's Shiur 6:20 p.m.Shalosh Seudos for Boys 6:20 p.m.Mincha 7:05 p.m.Shabbos Ends / Ma’ariv & Havdalah 8:08 p.m.Weekly Video of The Rebbe

Sephardic Minyan Friday Evening Mincha / Kabbalat Shabbat 7:05 p.m.

Shabbat Day Shacharit 9:00 a.m.Mincha 7:05 p.m.Shabbos Ends / Arvit & Havdalah 8:08 p.m.

The following dates are available for sponsorship:

Kiddush Shalosh Seudos April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 March 25, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

If you wish to become a sponsor, please speak with Stacyat 305-868-1411 ext 313 or email [email protected]

6

27 Adar Ms. Noa Dror27 Adar Dr. Raymond Failer27 Adar Mrs. Miriam Halperin27 Adar Mr. Shlomo Kamhazi27 Adar Mr. Jack Osman27 Adar Ms. Nicole Esther Segal27 Adar Mrs. Janet Spitz27 Adar Mr. Jack Taplin27 Adar Mrs. Pnina Wuensch28 Adar Mr. Daniel Chocron28 Adar Ms. Hanna Colonomos28 Adar Ms. Judy Kawa28 Adar Mr. Aviv Kordich28 Adar Mrs. Jessica Levison28 Adar Mr. Jeffery Weiss29 Adar Mr. Mario Berry29 Adar Mrs. Batya Lipskar29 Adar Mrs. Janice Lipton29 Adar Mrs. Dana Werner1 Nissan Mrs. Luisa Behar1 Nissan Mr. Danny Benoliel1 Nissan Mr. Eli Bouhnik1 Nissan Mrs. Helene Gassner1 Nissan Mr. Israel Kopel1 Nissan Mr. Levi Yitzchok Rosenblum2 Nissan Mr. Eliyahu Adouth2 Nissan Mr. Barry Barouk2 Nissan Mrs. Lillian Tabacinic2 Nissan Ms. Shoshana Wolf3 Nissan Mrs. Judith Adouth3 Nissan Mr. Nelson Berman3 Nissan Ms. Shandy Davis3 Nissan Mr. Jacob J. Givner3 Nissan Mr. Gary Retelny3 Nissan Ms. Judie Weinbach4 Nissan Ms. Ludivine De Vitton4 Nissan Mr. Larry Dekelbaum4 Nissan Mrs. Bahee Salver4 Nissan Mr. Jonathan Sher4 Nissan Ms. Devyn Yerushalmi


Birthdays

Kid’s Birthdays

Yahrtzeits

27 Adar Chaya Benichou27 Adar Menachem Mendel Rubinstein28 Adar Sofia Biton28 Adar Mia Gottesman28 Adar Ari Wolff29 Adar Yinon Melamed1 Nissan Esther Laoui2 Nissan Jonah Izhak Delgado2 Nissan Benjamin David Givner2 Nissan Shaina Basya Knight3 Nissan Chava Batya Gewirtz4 Nissan Mendel Waks

AnniversariesMr. & Mrs. Russell & Ronalee GalbutMr. & Mrs. Shmuel & Racheli FriedmanRabbi & Mrs. Yehuda & Raizel Marrus

27 Adar Leah bas Esther obm Grandmother of Ms. Lydia Hasson27 Adar Yosef ben Chaim HaCohen obm Father of Mrs. Nily Falic27 Adar Yerachmiel ben Yaakov Dov obm Father of Mr. George White27 Adar Yisroel Elimelech ben R’Aryeh Leib obm Father of Mr. Aryeh Rubin27 Adar Etta bas Shaul obm Mother of Mr. Richard Moore27 Adar Miriam obm Mother of Mr. Jorge Raul Pack28 Adar Moshe ben Zalman Mendel obm Son of Ms. Sheila Elias Taplin and Brother of Mr. Jack Taplin28 Adar Leibel ben Shmuel obm Uncle of Mr. Alan Lipton28 Adar Freda Rivi obm Mother of Dr. Robert Freedman29 Adar Mordechai Yaakov ben Avraham Chaim obm Husband of Mrs. Sarah Libke Caplin1 Nissan Chana bas Yosef obm Mother of Mr. Lawrence Jaffe1 Nissan Tzvi ben Moshe obm Father of Mr. Morris Tuchman2 Nissan Rechel Rappaport obm Mother of Rabbi Ezzy Rappaport2 Nissan Sarah obm Mother of Mr. Guido Fraiman

CondolencesOur heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Laura Shainbaum on the passing of her dear Father, Yechiel Avraham ben Yeshua, obm. May his dear soul be bound with the Eternal Bond of Life. The funeral will take place in Montreal on Friday, March 24. May Hashem console Laura and her family among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Notice of no-gun/weapon policy

The Shul has designated the entire facility to be a Gun and Weapon Free School Zone.

Carrying a firearm or other weapon onto Shul and/or school grounds is a third degree felony. Any violators of this policy are subject to strict enforcement by revocation of membership privileges, immediate notification to police,

arrest and prosecution.

Thank you for your cooperation.

7


Thanks To Our Donors

Refuah ShleimahIf you have a health update on anyone listed please contact The Shul. We would like to keep

the listing current and remove names of people who have recovered.

Ms. Danielle AbrahamMr. & Mrs. Chanoch AlperovitzMr. & Mrs. Yankie AndrusierMr. & Mrs. Steve AzoulayDr. & Mrs. Bernard BaumelBay Harbor International Realty, Inc.Mr. & Mrs. Baruk BenamranMr. & Mrs. Jacob BengioMr. & Mrs. Max BenolielDr. & Mrs. Ivan BerendMr. & Mrs. Gabriel G. BerenfusMrs. Estela BerryMr. & Mrs. Mordechai BistritzkyMr. & Mrs. Avi BittonMs. Marjorie BlendenDr. & Mrs. Stephen BrennerRabbi & Mrs. Menachem BrodMr. Uri BublilMr. & Mrs. Andrew BurgerRabbi & Mrs. Betzalel CamissarMr. Charles DahanMr. & Mrs. Eli DominitzMr. & Mrs. Ezriel DuchmanMr. & Mrs. Zalman DuchmanMr. & Mrs. Shalom EdelkopfMr. & Mrs. Craig EdelsteinMr. & Mrs. Bernard EnglardDr. & Mrs. Raymond FailerFalic Family FoundationMr. Kyle FaroMr. Oscar FeldenkreisMr. & Mrs. Mitchell FeldmanMr. Alejandro FetermanMr. & Mrs. Harvey FinkelMr. & Mrs. Jonathan FishMr. Leon GandelmanMr. & Mrs. Sagi GengerMr. Daniel GielchinskyMr. & Mrs. Jacob J. GivnerMr. & Mrs. Joseph GoldbrennerMr. & Ms. Ighal GoldfarbMr. Berel GolombMr. & Mrs. Sam GreenwaldMs. Renee M. GrossmanMs. Lydia HassonMr. Irving HoineMr. & Mrs. Marvin JacobMr. & Mrs. Manuel JaimovichMr. & Mrs. Paul JaimovichRabbi & Mrs. Alexander KallerMs. Shay KardonskiMr. & Mrs. Shlomi KatanMs. Madelyn KattanDr. & Mrs. Shmuel KatzMr. & Mrs. Jordan KavanaRabbi & Mrs. Baruch KnightMr. & Mrs. Jacky KoenigDr. & Mrs. Richard KofflerMr. & Mrs. Leon KopelMr. & Mrs. Mordechai Korf

Mr. & Mrs. Shimon LaberMr. & Mrs. Rachmiel LekachMr. Shmuel LevinskyMr. & Mrs. Brent LevisonMr. & Mrs. David LichterMr. & Mrs. Schneur Zalman LipskarRabbi & Rebbetzin Sholom D. LipskarRabbi & Mrs. Zalman LipskarMr. & Mrs. Morris A. MarcusDr. & Dr. Raul MitraniMr. Jose MorelMs. Vivian NaimerMr. & Mrs. Yehuda NeubergerMr. & Mrs. Isser NewMr. & Mrs. Stephen OpertMr. Arthur OsmanMr. Stanley B. PriceMs. Engel RamirezRabbi & Mrs. Ezzy RappaportMr. & Mrs. Edward RosengartenMs. Edith RothMr. & Mrs. Aryeh RubinMr. & Mrs. Isaac SalverDr. & Mrs. Michael SalzhauerMr. & Mrs. Jaime SchapiroRabbi & Mrs. Moshe SchneiderRabbi & Mrs. Dov SchochetRabbi & Mrs. Obadia M. SchochetMr. & Mrs. David SchottensteinMr. & Mrs. Robert SchottensteinMr. Shiftan ShagabaevMr. & Mrs. Fred ShainbaumMr. & Mrs. Irwin ShapiroMr. & Mrs. Lawrence E. SheftelMr. & Mrs. Marc SheridanMr. & Mrs. Arnaud SitbonMr. & Mrs. Jaime SlomianskiMr. & Mrs. Daniel SragowiczMr. Isi SteinMs. Suzanne SteinmetzMr. Javier StolovistkyMr. & Mrs. Matthew StrassbergStreet Holes, Inc.Mr. Michael TabacinicMr. & Mrs. Moris TabacinicMr. & Mrs. Kalman TalanskyMr. & Mrs. Sion TesoneRabbi & Mrs. Shmuel TevardovitzMr. & Dr. Morris TuchmanMr. Jack VaronDr. & Dr. Jesse VinerMr. & Mrs. Richard WasersteinMr. & Mrs. Daniel WienerMr. & Mrs. Jeffrey WolfMr. & Mrs. Lenny WolfeRabbi Aryeh WuenschMr. Jose YankelevitchMr. & Dr. Joseph ZazonMr. & Mrs. Sergio Zelcer

MENMoshe Avraham ben Tziporah RivaChaim ben Pnina Gabriel ben EstherEber Avraham ben Fruma EstherShmuel ben Sarah PerlYosef ben EdwinaAvrohom ben FeigelMordechai David ben Esther RaizelYedidya Chaim Raphael ben ElanaYehuda ben Chaya SaraShimon Yitzchak ben Leah RochelRoi ben OrlyChaim Tzvi Hirsch ben Guttel

WOMENLeah Rochel bat SarahMiriam bat Risha RaizelDana Ella bas Devorah HindeChana bas ShoshanaShifra bas ChayaIlana bas Shaina RochelChava bas Elka MenuchaChaya bas RachelFayge bas ChayaMiriam Leah bas Helen

Adar Light & PowerWe sincerely thank the following members and supporters of The Shul

for donations received between 03/14/17 and 03/20/17We apologize for any errors or omissions that we may have made.

Light & Power and Wine for Kiddush & Havdalah forthe month of Adar is Kindly Sponsored by

Mr. & Mrs. Yaakov and Rivkah Saidof in loving memory of Yaakov’s mother,

Simcha bat Shlomo, obm

and by Mr. & Mrs. Eli and Jane Freund in loving memory of Eli’s mother,

Marta Tzipora bas Noach, obm.

“Those who establish Synagogues for prayer and those who come there to pray, those who provide lights for illumination, wine and grape juice for kiddush and havdalah, food for the wayfarers and charity for the needy, and all those who occupy themselves faithfully with communal affairs - may The Holy One, blessed be He, give them their reward, remove them from all sicknesses, heal their entire body, pardon all their sins, and send blessing and success to all their endeavors,

together with all Israel their brethren; and let us say Amen.”

Volunteers NeededAfter every Kiddush and event, The Shul donates the

left over food to organizations or families in need.

We are looking for volunteers to help collect and

wrap the food.

If you would like to help please contact the

Mashgiach, Mordechai Olesky after the Kiddush.

Community service hours will be awarded.

8

A Time to PrayDavening schedules and locations throughout the week

Evening Kolel Schedule - Monday and Thursday 8:45 -9:30 pmMon & Thurs 8:45 - 10:00 pm Evening Community Kolel Chavrusah

Daily Learning Schedule at The Shul6:45 -7:15 am Derech Mitzvosecha Foundational Chassidic Discourse R’ Zalman Lipskar

8:10 am Daf Yomi R’ Dov Schochet8:45 am (approx) Halacha Sephardic Custom R’ Shimshon Tzubeli10:15 - 11:00 am Maamorim Maamor of the Rebbe R’ Shea Rubinstein

Daily Chumash & Tanya after every Minyan

Shacharis Minyanim (mon - Fri)Main Minyan 7:15 7:30 9:00

Sephardic Minyan 8:00

Sunday Shacharis MinyanimMain Minyan 8:00 am 9:00 am

Sephardic Minyan 9:00 am

Sunday Mincha /Maariv Minyanim

Main Minyan 7:20 pmLate Maariv 10:00 pm

mincha / Maariv Minyanim (mon - Thurs)Main Minyan 2:00 pm Early Mincha 7:20 pm 10:00 pm

Sephardic Minyan 7:20 pm Following

Halachic TimesBased on times for March 29

Alot Hashachar / Dawn 6:02 amEarliest Talit & Tefillin 6:33 amNetz Hachamah / Sunrise 7:15 am(Earliest Amidah)Latest Shema 10:18 amZman Tfillah 11:20 amChatzot / Midday 1:25 pmEarliest Mincha 1:57 pmPlag HaMincha 6:22 pmShekiah / Sunset 7:36 pm(preferable latest time for Mincha)Tzeit Hakochavim / Nightfall 8:00 pm(Earliest preferable Ma’ariv)

Times taken from www.chabad.orgPlease note that during the week times may vary by a minute or two.

To our beloved Soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces, courageously protecting and defending Eretz Yisroel. We pray

for you and all of the soldiers safety and well being daily.Dan Shlomo ben Eliyahu

Benyamin Aharon Ben Jeniya Gila RutJonathan ben Aliza Sher

Michael Shmuel ben Eliezer EliyahuAmir Herzel ben Dvora Dorry

Eitan Gabriel Ben Karine Cecile

If anyone would like to send us the name of a soldier in the IDF we would love to add them.

9

Kiddush BankThe Investment with a Guaranteed Return

Kiddush Bank 5777Our very special thanks to the following Partners & Patrons whose contributions will help us to

cover some of the costs of the un-sponsored Kiddushim and Farbrengens in the coming year.

Partners - annual contribution of $770:

Mr. Arnold Lewis CohenMr. & Mrs. Boruch and Yonit Duchman

Mr. Daniel GielchinskyMr. & Mrs. Edward and Pauline Kopelman

Dr. & Mrs. Gene and Sandra MotelesMr. & Mrs. Temuri and Maya NanikashviliRabbi & Mrs. Ezzy and Malka Rappaport

Patrons - annual contribution of $360:

Mr. Bernard WernerMr. & Mrs. Nelson and Rochelle Berman

PLEASE BECOME A MEMBER OF OUR KIDDUSH BANK AND HELP MAKE SHABBOS AND YOM TOV

BEAUTIFUL FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

The Shortfall for 5776 was over $13,500

Become a member of our 5777 Kiddush BankPlease call the shul!

10

Friday - Adar 26With three instruments of service - love of G-d, love of Torah and love of Israel - must young students of Torah approach their Avoda in the vineyard of the L-rd of Hosts, to bring the hearts of their brothers closer to observing practical mitzvot and to designating regular time for Torah study. They must do this without paying any attention to the affliction of factions. The absolute truth is that the heart of Israel is a wellspring, a source of living waters, and there is a “covenant” with effort and publicity - that they shall never be fruitless.

Shabbos - Adar 27My father said: Truth is the middle path. An inclination to the right, to be overly stringent with oneself and find faults or sins not in accord with the truth, or an inclination to the left, to be overly indulgent, covering one’s faults or being lenient in demands of avoda out of self-love - both these ways are false.

Sunday - Adar 28In the sh’ma before retiring (p. 118): On Shabbat and Festivals we do not say Ribono shel olam or lam’natzei’ach. But we do say them on other days that tachanun is not said. After the three paragraphs of sh’ma, add the word “emet.” Ya’alzu is said once. Hinei and y’varech’cha are said three times. In tikun chatzot do not say lam’natzei’ach...b’vo on days tachanun is omitted.

Monday - Adar 29In responding to l’chayim there are two versions:

(a.) L’chayim tovim ul’shalom, “for good life, and for peace.” The reason for this blessing is that the first time drinking wine is mentioned in the Torah, there were undesirable results. “Noach began etc.” also, the Tree of Knowledge was a grapevine. Therefore we extend the blessing that this wine be for a good life.

(b.) The Maggid of Mezritch used to respond

l’chayim velivracha. Once at a farbrengen, the Alter Rebbe responded l’chayim velivracha. After the farbrengen Chassidim discussed this expression, which they heard then for the first time. One chassid proposed: Since “When wine enters, the secret comes out,” which in avoda signifies that the emotions are revealed, we need a b’racha for this; the expression is l’chayim velivracha, and “livracha” may be read, leiv racha, a sensitive heart.

The Tzemach Tzedek commented: Such an interpretation could be proposed only by a chassid who has davened and labored in avoda for thirty years.

Tuesday - Nissan 1My father instructed his brother-in-law, R. Moshe Horenstein, a kohein, to say Yehi ratzon after the nassi, noting that even a kohein or leivi must say it, for it is related to ibur.

Wednesday - Nissan 2Yahrzeit of my father the Rebbe, (R. Sholom Dovber) who passed away on Saturday night, 2 Nissan 5680 (1920), in Rostov, and is interred there.

The first maamar he (R. Sholom Dovber) delivered after the passing of his father (the Rebbe Maharash) was on the second day of Chol Hamoed Sukot 5643 (1882), beginning Keter yitnu l’cha etc. The last public maamar in his lifetime was delivered at the Purim repast 5680, beginning Reishit goyim Amalek...keitz sam lachoshech.

Thursday - Nissan 3Hoshi’einu is said after the Song of the Day on weekdays, Shabbat, Festivals, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Among my father’s regular Torah-study sessions: A parsha of Chumash with Rashi daily; reciting Tanach by heart - a chapter each of Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim; a chapter of Mishnayot; a regular session in profound study of Gemara - two folio pages weekly, another in rapid study of Gemara - three pages daily; a session of study of the Jerusalem Talmud; a regular period for Codes, but not daily. During the course of the year he would conclude the entire Midrash Raba, “borrowing” from the long sedrot and “repaying” on the shorter ones.

Friday - Nissan 4The avoda of laymen has two categories:

1) Avoda with self: When actually at work, in a free moment in his store, for example, he should study a Mishna or two, or a chapter of Tanya. He should commit some Torah to memory - for example, Chumash, Mishna, Tehillim, Tanya, so that he will be able to review these while in the marketplace, the street or wherever.

2) Avoda with another: When discussing business, he should turn the conversation towards introducing a story with content, and seek some reason or opportunity to stimulate the other to study Torah, or to do similar activities.

Hayom YomIn the winter of 1942, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneersohn, of righteous memory, gave his son- in-law, the future Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, the task of compiling an anthology of Chasidic aphorisms and customs arranged according to the days of the year.

The calendar was entitled Hayom Yom. In describing this work Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak wrote: …”A book that is small in format…but bursting with pearls and diamonds of choicest quality.” “A splendid palace of Chasidism.” True to these words, Hayom Yom

has become a beloved classic work and a source of daily spiritual sustenance.

Inspiration, Insights & IdeasBringing Torah lessons to LIFE!

11

A Cover-Up of Biblical ProportionsBy: Rabbi YY Jacobson

The Truth, the Whole Truth and…

Harry gets stopped by a police car. When the police officer gets to his car, Harry says, “What’s the problem officer?”

Officer: You were going at least 65 in a 50mph zone.

Harry: No sir, I was going 50.

Wife: Oh Harry, You were going 70.

Harry gives his wife a dirty look.

Officer: I will also give you a ticket for your broken brake light.

Harry: Broken brake light? I didn’t know about a broken brake light!

Wife: Oh Harry, you’ve known about that brake light for months.

Harry gives his wife a really dirty look.

Officer: I am also going to book you for not wearing your seat belt.

Harry: Oh, I just took it off when you were walking up to the car.

Wife: Oh Harry, you never wear your seat belt.

Harry turns to his wife and yells, “Shut your mouth!”

Officer turns to the woman and says, “Madam, does your husband talk to you this way all the time?”

Wife: “No, only when he’s drunk…”

Smooth or Problematic?In the Torah, the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)—culminated in the Torah portion of this week Vayakhel-Pekudei—is presented as a seamless flow of command, collection, and finally, construction. G-d commands Moses, Moses presents the people with the plans, the people respond over-enthusiastically, donating more than necessary (for the first and last time in Jewish history…), and all Moses has to do is tell them when to stop. The construction goes ahead according to

plan, and in no time at all—six months in total (compare that with construction nowadays)—the Mishkan is up and ready to function.

However, the student of Midrash—the Talmudic and Midrashic commentary to the Torah, transmitted orally throughout the generations till transcribed—makes aware of the “politics” behind the events. It was anything but smooth. The Midrash tells us, shockingly, that there were those who suspected Moses of pocketing funds and they insolently demanded that Moses make an accounting for every ounce of every item. Moses conceded to their demands and humbly presented a detailed account of every “dollar” collected for the grandiose “building campaign.”

The Midrash also tells us that Moses actually forgot what he did with some of the silver, and the rumors began circulating… The Rabbi is driving a new BMW… Who paid for his cruise to the Bahamas… How did he manage to buy the 2 million dollar home for his daughter? How can he afford such a grandiose wedding?... Did you see his new kitchen?… Till Moses reminded himself that he used them for hooks on the pillars in the Tabernacle, and the Jews calmed down.

There was another obstacle in the process. There were times—the Midrash tells us—when Moses struggled with understanding G-d’s directions, and G-d had to show him a detailed vision of what He wanted. Once, during the formation of the Menorah, the sages relate, that too did not work. Moses completely gave up and G-d had to make the menorah Himself.

Then the Sanctuary was completed much earlier than expected, and it had to remain idle for three months.

When the time came for the actual erection of the Mishkan, they again ran into a glitch: No-one could succeed in lifting the walls. Even collectively, it was impossible. Imagine the anti-climax, the fear that all was in vain. At the end, Moses miraculously lifted the beams alone.

Yet all of these parts of the story are completely ignored in the biblical text itself. There are a few tantalizing hints, but overall, the story presented in the Torah is one of a holistic, pure,

and ideal experience. No glitches, no politics, no accusations, no problems; a perfectly smooth ride.

One wonders how do we reconcile the biblical and oral traditions? If the Midrashic traditions are presenting what happened, why are these details ignored in the biblical text? Is the Torah trying to brush over the disturbing truths? Is the Torah teaching us to repress uncomfortable facts; to ignore the real story, to make believe everything is “perfect” when in fact it’s far from it? And if so, why did the Rabbis in the Midrash “ruin the party” and “spill the beans”?

Creation Cover-UpsThis is not the only incident with this birthmark. We find this tendency twice more.

The opening of Genesis records eloquently but concisely the facts of creation and it sounds like a pretty smooth sailing. “In the beginning G-d created heaven and earth…” Over the next six days, a universe is formed. The Talmud and the Midrash, however, tell us that even G-d ran into some seemingly unexpected delays and had to make some serious alterations. Each of the six days presented another challenge. For starters, the Midrash relates that the attribute of Truth opposed creation, and G-d had to cast Truth away in order to create our universe. The sages also relate that G-d attempted to create the world with the quality of Judgment and was forced to retract to Mercy when He saw that the world could not handle it. Then: He created light on the first day, hoping it would serve all of creation, but it was too great and luminescent and He deemed it useless (and had to stow it away as a reward for only the truly meritorious.) Next: On the second day, he constructed heaven and separated higher waters from lower waters. According to the Midrash, the lower waters “revolted” and are still weeping about their rejection.

Next: On the third say, G-d designed trees with edible branches, but the trees disobeyed and produced only edible fruit. Next: On the fourth day, the sun and the moon were created to be equals, the moon complained that “two kings cannot serve with one crown,” and hence the luminaries were altered as the moon was diminished.

PARSHA MESSAGES


12

Next: On Thursday, G-d created the fish, including the Leviathan. Then, realizing that if the Leviathan would procreate, it would spell the end of the planet, He killed the partner of the Leviathan. Next: On Friday, when He wished to create man, the angels in heaven complained it would be a fatal mistake. Indeed, shortly Adam and Eve were created they disobeyed G-d commandment to refrain from eating the Tree of knowledge.

Yet, none of these “glitches” or “issues” are recorded explicitly in the actual biblical text. There it is as smooth a process as can be. How can we make sense of this shocking discrepancy?

Even more perplexing is the fact that following the six days of creation, the Torah sums it all up with these stunning words:

And G-d saw all that He made and it was very good.

Very good? Really? Each day brought another headache, another melt down, and another crisis. What makes it so good?

The Second Cover UpThe Tanach describes glowingly and in minute detail the materials and construction and dedication of the First Temple built in Jerusalem without the hint of a glitch. Yet the Midrash adds the “problematic” information: During construction they hit a underground spring that threatened to flood the entire world; at what was to be the climactic finale, the entering of the Ark to the Holy-of-Holies, the gates refused to open against all efforts.

According to the Midrash, the entire dedication of the First Holy Temple was heavily delayed, because the night before King Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh and he slept in! It was his mother, Bat Sheba, who had to enter his bedroom, wake him up and chastise him for over sleeping on the day the Temple was to be dedicated.

We are left with a striking enigma: The biblical text ignores the disturbing details. Then the rabbis come and share with us “the rest of the story.” Why?

What Is Your Story?The answer is a crucial and profound lesson in life. The Torah is not trying to hide anything (a general pattern in Torah is it tolerates no cover ups, for anybody), and that is why the

Sages felt comfortable exposing all of the details. Rather, the Torah is telling us that when one develops a proper perspective at his or her life, the problems do not always deserve to be mentioned. Not because they don’t exist, but because they don’t define the story of our lives, and therefore we can decide not to make them part of the story.

In each of these three series of events—creation of the universe; construction of the Sanctuary and the Jerusalem Temple—something awesomely cataclysmic and earth-shattering is occurring. The infinite fuses with the finite; the impossible becomes possible, Man meets G-d and G-d meets Man. Out of cosmological emptiness and infinite Divinity creation develops; something-ness is made out of nothingness. G-d “squeezes” his omnipotence and omnipresence into a Mishkan (sanctuary) of a few square cubits, into a building of stone, into the heart of mortal man.

This, then, is THE story; this is what happened. The bumps on the road, true as they may be, do not constitute the story, not because they didn’t happen, but because they are not what really happened; they should not, they cannot, obscure or even dampen the majestic power and beauty of the events.

The Torah is teaching us how to live. Life is tough. The really important things are even tougher. To raise and support a family requires strength and courage. To build a good marriage is often taxing and difficult. To develop a relationship with G-d may be frustrating and lonely. Many things will not work out as we hoped they would. We face adversity, grief and loss. There are inevitably times of pain and heartbreak. There are quarrels and squabbles, moments of anger and setbacks. We must confront depression, illness, mental challenges, financial stress, and spiritual confusion.

But we have the choice not to make them THE story of our lives. Sure, raising children is challenging, but when you gaze into the loving and trusting eyes of your child—that is THE miracle of existence, not the challenges leading toward that moment. When you connect to your spouse in a truly meaningful way, in a moment of real camaraderie and respect—that is the miracle of love playing itself out in your life. A bad day at work, hours of frustration in running your business, all melt

away before the power of something so much greater, so much more real—your growth as a human being and your ability to help others with your money and your experience.

We must look at our lives and ask what is the real story happening here? Is my life a story of hardship and struggle, or am I part of something incredible: I am building a home for G-d; I am constructing a fragment of heaven on planet earth; I am building a Jewish family, a loving marriage; I am helping people; I have the privilege of studying Torah, of spreading Torah, of doing a mitzvah, of inspiring others to light up the world. This is my story; this is my life. The other parts are of course also true, and deserve to be acknowledged as such, much as the Midrash acknowledges the other side of the story with creation, the Mishkan and the Temple. I must deal with every challenge and I must attempt to repair it, but I cannot allow it to become THE STORY.

Here we have the origin of what is known today as Narrative Therapy many thousands of years ago. Each of us has the choice to define and reframe the story of our lives.

When I wake up in the morning, I know that I have fifty things to do today, most of them are not fun; some are difficult and frustrating. But that is not THE story. The real story is captured in the words a Jew says the moment he or she opens his eyes: “Modeh ani lefanecha… shehechezarta bi nishmasi…” I am alive; G-d gave me back my soul for another day. Gevald! How awesome is that. I can now talk to G-d face to face, learn Torah, pray, share my heart and love with another human being, give charity, and become an ambassador for love, light and hope. I can embrace an aching soul, and touch a bleeding heart. Now that’s a life!

Yes, I got to pay my bills, I have to deal with headaches, I need to catch the bank, I have to fix my garage, I need to call my son’s principle, I have to pick up the cleaners, I need to go to the dentist, and I need to pay back the loan. But do not let that become the story of your life. Stay focused on the real story – that at every moment you can construct a home for G-d in your corner of the world and bring redemption one step closer.


13

Little MoonsBy Yossy Goldman

Veteran or novice: whom do you choose? Let’s say

that you are the coach of a sports team, and you have accomplished stars on your roster, but they’re approaching their sell-by date. Then

you have some budding talents waiting on the sidelines to get a shot at proving themselves. Which do you pick? You want to win this game, so perhaps you’re safer sticking with the experienced professionals. On the other hand, you want to build a team for the future. So whom do you choose?

On the Shabbat leading into the Jewish month of Nissan, there is a special Torah reading known as Hachodesh (Exodus 12:1–20). The reading begins with how G-d commanded Moses and Aaron concerning the Jewish calendar: “This month shall be the head of the months for you.” Moses and Aaron are instructed that the start of each month—Rosh Chodesh—should be determined by the new moon, and that ours would be a lunar calendar.

Should we not rather consecrate the month on the fifteenth of the lunar month, when the moon is full?According to the Midrash, quoted by Rashi, Moses had a difficulty with the precise definition of the “new moon.” So G-d explained it to Moses by showing him exactly what the new moon looked like in the sky. Hachodesh hazeh, “this month,” literally means “this new [moon].” “This you shall see and sanctify,” Moses was told: this is the type of moon that will tell you when to proclaim and sanctify Rosh chodesh, the new month.

Why, in fact, do we sanctify the moon when it is “new,” a mere sliver in the sky? Should we not rather consecrate the month on the fifteenth of the lunar month, when the moon is full, an impressive sphere of celestial proportions?

Indeed, there are two kinds of moons. There is the big, full moon of the middle of the month. But then, as we go into the second half of the month, that moon will start waning, and then it will diminish from view until it is completely

out of sight. The full moon is one day away from being “over the hill,” and from there on it’s downhill all the way until the end of the month. Whereas the new moon, small as it may be, represents growth. It may be tiny now, but it will grow nightly in the sky until it becomes full and resplendent. And so G-d says to Moses: I want you to sanctify the small moon; this little moon is pleasing in My eyes. “This you shall see and sanctify,” the small, new moon that will very soon loom large in your eyes.

Our sages tell us that “Israel is likened to the moon.” Ours is a lunar calendar because we are a lunar people. The Jewish people, too, have a history of waxing and waning, of ups and downs. And just like the two moons, so are there two types of Jews. There is the full Jew, rich in knowledge and practice, but content and complacent, perhaps somewhat fat and lethargic. This Jew is committed to his faith, perhaps has been his entire life, but he is on the verge of a decline. He is about to start waning, because he is tired and uninspired. He knows it all, he’s been there and done it all, and—like Humpty Dumpty—is sitting on top of the wall just waiting for a fall.

And then there is the fledgling Jew, the little new moon that has just emerged from the darkness. He is still tiny, but he has just discovered the beauty and truth of Judaism. This Jew is geared for growth, poised for prominence and ready for takeoff. He is still very much a novice, his knowledge still minute; but he is inspired, excited and passionate about his newly found faith.

So which Jew will we count our months by? Who will shape our future? Will it be the old, tired veteran who is too old to change and just about ready to retire? Or will it be the new Jew who, though inexperienced, is still longing to learn and ready for renewal and rebirth?

Personally, I’ve always been inspired by the new Jew. I get a kick out of seeing that eager, open mind brimming with questions, finding fascinating things I took for granted. To me the new Jew represents hope and optimism, freshness and promise.

G-d told us to count our months by the small new moon. May I humbly suggest that it is the “new Jew” who will illuminate our world and make G-d count.

Three Divine Echoes: Singularity, Plurality and OnenessFrom the teachings of Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch

Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is one (“echad”) - Deuteronomy 6:4

We usually think of the cosmic struggle in terms of good versus evil. But according to the Kabbalists, good and evil are but spinoffs of unity and divisiveness. G-d is the ultimate oneness, and everything G-dly in our world bears the stamp of His unity. Evil, simply stated, is the distortion of this oneness by the veil of divisiveness in which G-d shrouds His creation.

Creation, as described in the teachings of Kabbalah, is an evolution from the utterly singular to the plural and dichotomous. The entirety of existence originates as the divine yen to create—a desire as singular as its Conceiver. But latent in this desire is also another face of the divine—the infinite possibilities implicit in G-d’s unlimited potential. Thus, the singular desire for creation gives birth to our plural world, a world whose immense detail and complexity bespeak the infinite potential of its Creator.

None of this, in and of itself, is the negative


Parshas HaChodesh Bais NissanYahrzeit of the Rebbe Rashab

14

phenomenon we call evil. Yet the seeds for evil are here. Plurality begets divisiveness, and divisiveness begets conflict. As long as a plural reality still echoes its singular source, divisiveness will not take root and spawn strife; but with the development of each particular entity in the diversity of creation into a self that is distinct of the cosmic whole, divisiveness/strife/evil rears its head.

Dissecting LifeHow does one restore the divine unity to a fragmented world? By delving even further into its plurality.

For such is the paradox of life: the more something is broken down to its particulars, the more we uncover opportunities for unity.

Take, for example, two physical substances. Your five senses perceive them as different and unconnected; but place them under a microscope and you will discover that they are comprised of similar components—they might even share an element or two. The deeper you delve, descending to the molecular, atomic, and subatomic levels, the more unanimity you will find—and the more ways you will discover to harness these diverse substances toward a singular end.

Or take two nations. On the surface, their goals and aspirations run counter to each other, giving rise to conflict and strife. But dissect these goals, item by item, and you will inevitably find areas in which they overlap and complement each other. This common ground may cover but five percent of each nation’s collective will, but a beachhead of harmony has been achieved. Delve deeper yet, and this beachhead can be expanded. Explore the inner workings of each individual of each nation’s millions, and the countless particulars of each individual’s will, and additional areas of common interest and mutual dependency will come to light. The differences will remain, but instead of fueling strife, they will serve as the building blocks of harmonious coexistence.

Thus we introduce a new factor into the cosmic equation: harmony. We evolve from the ultimate singularity to plurality to diversity, but diversity need not disintegrate into strife. Instead, the diversity can be further dissected into the ingredients of harmony—a harmony that mirrors the singularity out of which the entire process was born.

The InvestmentA harmonious world, however, does more than reflect the tranquil singularity of its origins; it reaches beyond it to uncover a new, hitherto unexpressed, face of the divine reality. Life on earth is more than the endeavor to come full circle, to undo creation by restoring its primordial unity. The descent from singularity into diversity is an investment, and (like any self-respecting investor) G-d expects to realize a profit from His outlay. The profit is harmony, which is a deeper, truer expression of the divine unity than the pre-creation singularity.

If there is one phrase that encapsulates the Jewish faith, it is the Shema, the verse recited by the Jew every morning and evening of his life, and the last words to issue from his dying lips: “Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is one.” But why, ask our sages, does the verse employ the Hebrew word echad (“one”) to connote G-d’s unity? The word “one” can also be used to refer to something that is one of a series (as in “one, two, three . . .”), or to something composed of several components (as in “one loaf of bread,” “one human being,” “one community”). G-d’s unity transcends such “oneness,” as Maimonides states in the opening chapter of his Mishneh Torah. Would not the Hebrew word yachid (“singular,” “only one”) have been more appropriate?

But singularity is a challengeable oneness, a oneness that may be obscured by the emergence of plurality. As we have seen, when G-d’s infinite potential is expressed in the countless particulars of a diverse creation, this results in a concealment of His oneness. The life-endeavor of the Jew is to effect a truer expression of G-d’s oneness—the oneness of echad. Echad is the oneness of harmony: not a oneness which negates plurality (and which plurality therefore obscures), but a oneness that employs plurality as the implement of unity.

Three Divine EchoesUltimately, the unknowable, indefinable essence of G-d transcends and embraces both singularity and plurality. Neither description—by virtue of its being a description—can be attributed to Him; nor can either be dis-attributed to Him, since, ultimately, a dis-attribution would be as much a definition (that is, the identification of areas to which His reality does or does not extend) as an attribution.

So our reality cannot—indeed, no reality can—express His quintessential truth. But it can express certain elements of it, elements His truth includes by virtue of its non-definitive all-inclusiveness. Three such elements find expression in the various stages of creation:

a) G-d’s singularity—expressed in the featureless, objectless reality that precedes, transcends and pervades creation.

b) His infinite potential—expressed in the vastly particular world He created.

c) The divine harmony we manifest by effecting a synthesis and unanimity of purpose in G-d’s diverse creation.

Of the three, harmony is the deepest expression of G-d’s truth. For its echad-oneness embraces the polar phenomena of singularity and plurality, expressing the truth that the divine reality cannot be confined to either mode of being.

When man, confronted with a fragmented and strife-torn world, responds by extracting the potential for harmony implicit therein, he elevates creation beyond its surface plurality, beyond even its singular origins, fashioning it into a model of the quintessential unity of its Creator.


Advice for Life from Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch

DestinyWherever you may find yourself – whether for an extended period of time, a short stay, or even a brief stopover – know that there is a divine objective waiting for you to accomplish in this place. In this location you are meant to recite a blessing or pray—and since the creation of the world this place is waiting for you to arrive and

recite that blessing or pray.

15

Customs for the month of Nissan

In Temple times the sages instituted that the orators should expound about the holidays from 30 days before they began. So they

would begin discussing the holiday of Pesach directly following Purim. The reason for this is because all the Jews had to make a pilgrimage for the three festivals, during which they would be obligated to bring sacrifices. In order to prepare them for this obligation, and to have the necessary animals, they would start speaking 30 days before the holiday.

Although the original intent is no longer relevant, the custom continued to be observed. And the sages would use this pre-festival period to teach their students the various laws of each holiday. This was important, so when the holiday arrived they would have the requisite knowledge to celebrate properly. They would also utilize the Shabbat before the holiday to give a crash course to the entire community about the basic Halachot of the upcoming festival. The primary purpose of these lessons was to learn the laws and not to have esoteric talks about the nature and purpose of the holiday.

Today, when all of the laws are available in Sefarim (books) there is no longer a requirement to teach them, rather every individual is obligated to learn them on their own. Every person is expected to become proficient in the laws by the time the holiday arrives.

Aside from the above, Moses instituted that during each festival the story of the holiday be taught to the community. So on Pesach the rabbi must expound on the story of the Exodus, on Shavuot the story of revelation and on Sukkot the protection Hashem afforded us in the desert.

During the month of Nissan there is a custom not to say Tachnun. As we have the festival of Pesach and the first 12 days of the month were holidays when the princes brought the inaugural offerings, it is considered to be a month of celebration. Included in this is a custom to not offer eulogies or prayers for the deceased, except if it is for a noted scholar and they were not yet buried.

There is also a custom not to have a fast day during this month. Even those that have a custom to fast on a Yartzeit (the anniversary of a parents passing), do not do so if it is during the month of Nissan. The exceptions are that firstborns fast on Erev Pesach (unless they join a meal of a Mitzvah) and a bride and groom on their wedding day may fast as well.

There is a long standing Jewish tradition for each community to provide “the flour of Pesach”, that is special guarded flour for the poor to use to make Matza. Who was obligated to contribute to this fund, and who was able to take from it depended on various factors. Was the person living in the city for a year, 30 days? When they came did they intend to settle or move on? Regardless today the custom is for all to give according to their ability and to help the needy of the community. Furthermore, it is no sufficient to provide the poor with the Matza they need rather it is incumbent to provide all of their holiday needs. If we are willing to spend on a holiday, ostensibly to strengthen our relationship with Hashem, we cannot forget the needy among us.

We have a custom starting from Rosh Chodesh Nissan to recite the daily “Nasi” prince. The Torah relates in detail the prince who offered the inaugural offerings from the first day of Nissan until the 12th. We recite each prince along with their offering every day, followed by a short prayer. On the 13th day of Nissan we recite the paragraph corresponding to the Menorah, which relates to the tribe of Levi.

Unless there is great need we refrain from condemning or placing any bans during this month.

From the day before Pesach until the last day of Pesach we do not say the Mizmor L’Todah psalm. As this offering contained Chametz and Chametz is forbidden during these times.

As we prepare ourselves during this holy month of Nissan, a month of miracles, may Hashem provide the ultimate Nes, the coming of Moshiach

It Once Happened

Getzel Shlomo was his name. He was a pauper, one of those beggars who roamed the town of Harki, going from door to door, asking for

alms. If anyone pitied him and handed him a coin, and even if they didn’t, his only response was “Shma Yisrael,” and the townspeople were sure he was incapable of uttering any other words. He was regarded as an imbecile, a half-wit, who occasionally passed through their lives like a shadow and then was thought about no more.

The begger’s young son, Chaim Shmuel grew up, it seemed, with little help from his parents. When it was time for his Bar Mitzva, a local, kindhearted teacher taught him how to read and don tefilin with the blessings. When the boy reached the age of fourteen, he left Harki to strike out on his own to try to make his fortune in another town where he wouldn’t be known as “The begger Getzel Shlomo’s son.”

Life was not easy for him, but he was honest and hardworking, and he eked out a living doing handy-work. After ten years, he married the daughter of a local villager and settled down.

During that time, Getzel Shlomo continued his daily rounds of the householders of Harki. And throughout all the years no one ever heard him say anything more than the two words, “Shma Yisrael.”

Now, Getzel Shlomo was very old, and he sensed that he was about to die. He called the members of the Chevra Kadisha (the Jewish burial society) to come to him and hear his last request. The men entered the bare room where Getzel Shlomo lay on a wooden pallet.

“My friends, I would like to ask you the favor that you carry out my final wish and bury me in the poorest section of the cemetery at the beginning of a new row. I am very sorry to say that I have no money to pay for the burial, but at least I have saved you the trouble of bringing water to wash my body,” and he pointed to the corner of the room where a barrel of water stood.

The Chevra Kadisha members were astounded. Getzel Shlomo could actually speak! They had obviously been wrong about him. He was not the imbecile they all had taken him for. Then, Getzel Shlomo handed one of the gravediggers a basket and said, “Please be sure to bury this with me.”


Halacha of The WeekBy Rabbi Shusterman Stories With Soul

16

The gravediggers gathered around the basket, curious to discover what it might contain. Looking inside, they saw a pile of papers. “Maybe it’s Getzel Shlomo’s literary works,” one joked, and loud chuckles broke out from the others in the crowd.

When, a short while later, they returned to Getzel Shlomo’s room, they found him lying with closed eyes, reciting his last prayers. He then arranged himself and drew his last breath.

The Rabbi of Harki, who always made it a point to attend all funerals, whether of the great or the small, asked that he be notified of the time of Getzel Shlomo’s funeral. When the Rabbi arrived, the sexton showed him the basket of papers and told the Rabbi that the deceased had wished to be buried with them. Was it allowed? The Rabbi’s astonishment could be seen on his face as he flipped through the papers. They contained a meticulous accounting of every penny Getzel Shlomo had collected over all the years. The tiny figures told how he had collected money and then distributed it to the poor of Harki. Getzel Shlomo had performed the demeaning work of begging to spare others from suffering the shame of begging.

The Rabbi looked up at the crowd and declared, “Getzel Shlomo is a hidden Tzadik and he must be accorded the honor which is his due.” The Rabbi himself undertook to recite the Kaddish until the dead man’s son could be located.

It was only after two years that Chaim Shmuel heard of his father’s death and discovered that his father had been a hidden Tzadik. It was then that he returned to Harki together with his family. He continued working very hard to earn his daily bread, but he never complained of his difficult lot. And he never thought of capitalizing on the growing reputation of his saintly father.

One person, though, took a particular interest in Chaim Shmuel, and that was the Baal Shem Tov. Soon after Chaim Shmuel returned to Harki, the Baal Shem Tov instructed his followers there to take him under their wing. He informed them that the son of the Tzadik possessed a very lofty soul and was destined for great spiritual and material riches.

Under the loving tutelage of the Chasidim, Chaim Shmuel began to advance in his study of Torah. He also became very successful in business and it wasn’t long before he became one of the greatest philanthropists in Harki, as well as a well-respected scholar.

Making Matzah and Memories at Historic Bakery in Kfar ChabadNot only does it churn out shmurah matzah in bulk, it educates thousands of Israeli schoolchildren every yearBy Menachem Posner

Prior to Passover 1950: The village of Kfar Chabad in central Israel had been settled just months earlier by a group of hardy survivors

of Stalinist oppression and Nazi destruction.

While most of the villagers worked the land and raised livestock—eking out a living from Israel’s sacred soil—some residents took it upon themselves to explore a new avenue: a matzah bakery that would produce the very best handmade matzahs from shmurah flour, which had been guarded from contact with moisture from the time of harvest.

Although its original purpose was primarily to supply the village with matzah, the bakery quickly attracted a large following from around Israel and beyond. They were drawn by its adherence to the highest standards of matzah production under the careful guidance of the village rabbi, Rabbi Zalman Garelik.

In fact, residents tell of how the fourth Belzer Rebbe—Rabbi Aaron Rokeach, of righteous memory—would come to bake matzahs there. Since the streets were not yet paved, Chassidim would carry the venerable sage in a chair over the bumpy roads to the matzah bakery.

Another regular visitor was the renowned halachist (commentator and decisor of Jewish law) Rabbi Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz, of righteous memory, known as the Chazon Ish, who would come to bake matzahs for his personal use.

The Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—encouraged the founding and continued function of the bakery, which he saw as an ideal source for shmurah matzah all across the globe. He once told the bakery’s founder, Rabbi Yosef Perman, that “every Jewish seder table should have shmurah matzah from Kfar Chabad,” advising him on many aspects of the production and marketing of the matzahs.

Sure enough, matzahs were soon being shipped to Europe, North America and even Australia. And, of course, the matzahs had become a Passover staple within Israel as well. In fact, old records show orders for many tons of matzah from the Ministry of Defense and other clients.

In 1954, four years after the Kfar Chabad bakery’s founding, the Rebbe launched a global shmurah matzah initiative to create awareness and promote observance of the holiday. This year, an estimated 4 million hand-baked shmurah matzahs will be distributed by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. In addition, millions of Passover guides in 17 different languages will educate people on the meaning and practices of the holiday.

A Taste of the Visitor’s CenterIn time, the Kfar Chabad bakery expanded and modernized. In the late 1970s, the late Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi—who had succeeded Garelik as rabbi of the village—instituted the use of stainless-steel surfaces for the matzah-baking, something that was viewed as an innovation. The Rebbe—referring to himself as “a small chemist”—supported his decision, saying it did not pose a risk of making the matzahs leaven and was the cleaner, better way to go.

In the early 1980s, Perman sold the bakery to Rabbis Yaakov and Zalman Stambler. The brothers took it upon themselves to enlarge the factory, allowing for significantly more output in keeping with an ever-increasing demand. It also allowed them to streamline the baking process, reportedly allowing the bakers to produce finished matzahs faster than any other bakery in Israel. (After all, speed is essential to the production of matzahs.) It is also the largest such bakery in Israel.

Other unique measures taken were the regular changing of the baker’s uniforms and other tools, as well as using extreme heat to purge the “redler” (hole-making apparatus) every 18 minutes, thus ensuring that no dough possibly remains long


Recently In The News

17


enough to become chametz (leaven).

Since the 1960s, the bakery had also taken on another important function. It had become an educational center, where thousands of Israeli schoolchildren come to learn about the process of matzah-baking and the holiday of Passover in a program known as “Matzah LeTalmid” (“Matzah for Student”).

All through the 1960s and ̀ 70s, tens of thousands attended yearly. But with the new bakery in place, there was capacity for many more people to visit.

By 1986, Kfar Chabad magazine reported that a record 28,000 children had been through the bakery that year alone, with as many as 3,500 visiting in a single day during the pre-Passover season.

Before entering the bakery itself, the kids learn the difference between chametz and matzah, that every Jew must eat an olive-sized portion of matzah at the seder, and that the flat matzah symbolizes humility.

Every step of the way serves as another opportunity for education. For example, when the children wait to see how fast the fully baked matzahs emerge from the oven, they don’t simply count; instead, they recite a quick Torah passage.

A full-fledged visitor’s center now includes a model bakery where the kids roll and bake their own matzahs using authentic equipment. A trip to the matzah bakery has become de rigueur for middle- and elementary-school-age children—and even preschoolers—from across the country.

Adults go, too, including public officials. In the years since the bakery’s establishment, only two years after the founding of Israel, officials from across the nation’s public spectrum—from political newcomers to prime ministers and presidents of almost every party—have visited the bakery and

taken home hand-made shmurah matzahs for their Passover seder. Just before Passover 2014, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the bakery, experiencing what hundreds of thousands of kids and grownups have enjoyed before him.

“Every year, for decades, I have been getting shmurah matzahs from Chabad,” said the premier last spring in the Chassidic village of Kfar Chabad in Israel, “but this is the first time that I actually got to make it myself.”

********

500 at Virginia Tech Rally: ‘We Love Our Jewish Neighbors’A dark incident at a campus Chabad is countered with light in a small Virginia town

An estimated 500 people from in and around Blacksburg, Va., gathered at Virginia Tech late Monday afternoon to stand against

hate. The solidarity rally was held two days after anti-Semitic flyers—100 of them, with hand-drawn swastikas—were thrown on the grounds of Chabad’s Librescu Jewish Student Center on Shabbat.

Some held signs that said “We love our Jewish neighbors” (with a red heart where the word “love” should be). Others sported school colors, T-shirts with Hebrew writing, and logos from their fraternities and sororities. Students mingled with senior citizens and small children, who stood there to show that hate would not be tolerated in their town of roughly 42,000 people.

First-year student Leor Clark, 19, had an immediate reaction when she heard about the flyers: “I was angry that there were people out there who thought that way,” she told Chabad.org

“The turnout was amazing,” says the native of Alexandria, Va., just outside Washington, D.C. “There were hundreds more than I expected, and it was incredible to see the support that we, as a Jewish community, had in such a remote town.”

She took part “because as a Jew, it’s important not to hide who I am and the culture I have to share. I shouldn’t be afraid to be Jewish anywhere, and this rally was the perfect show of solidarity among Jews, and other religions and cultures alike.”

Of the 33,000 students at the university, about 1,200 are Jewish, according to Rabbi Zvi Yaakov Zwiebel, co-director of the campus Chabad House with his wife, Chanie.

Chabad at Virginia Tech was named after Holocaust survivor Liviu Librescu, a 76-year-old professor at the school who sacrificed his own life to save his students during a deadly shooting attack on April 17, 2007.

The flyers were discovered less than 24 hours after the rabbi announced an April 24 program to mark the 10th anniversary of Librescu’s death, featuring a talk by another Holocaust survivor, Rabbi Nissen Mangel. The rabbi immediately informed police, walking to the station since it occurred during the Jewish Sabbath. An investigation is underway.

“The way to combat darkness is with light,” said Zwiebel at the rally, to rousing applause. “We don’t fight darkness with darkness; we fight darkness with light.” Noting that the Jewish holiday of freedom, Passover, will be held in a few weeks, the rabbi noted that as a response to what has happened, Chabad of Virginia Tech will host the largest Passover seder in its history.

A fundraising campaign has been launched with a goal of raising $25,000 to assist the effort.

Joining students and community members, who signed a large banner that read “Hokies Stand Together,” were various university and local government officials.

“The perpetrators of this crime hoped to divide us, but they have only succeeded in uniting us,” stated Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands at the rally. “Coming together is a very positive thing,” he continued, adding that he had learned more about the Jewish community in two days that he’d ever known before.

18

Get the PictureThe full scoop on all the great events and classes around town

19

Are you a Shul Partner?

Are you ready to move to a higher level of participation?

Contact: Brian Roller 305.484.6044

Mitch Feldman 786.556.5425Shimon Laber 312.608.0804Koby Saidof 917.669.2722

B”H

Hashem’s Minyan.......Malchut....................Nosi.........................Hashem’s Name..........Yesod.......................Sholom.....................Lamed Lamed Vavnik.............Geulah.......................Keter Torah.................Chessed......................Chai...........................

$100,000 annually $54,000 annually $36,000 annually $26,000 annually $18,000 annually $13,600 annually $10,000 annually $10,000 annually $7,200 annually $5,400 annually $3,600 annually $1,800 annually

THE SHUL IS GROWING & WE NEED YOUR HELP!

a true partner according to the Torah is not one that has a separate part of a whole, but rather, one who has an undivided part in every aspect.


20


21


CERTIFICATE AUTHORIZING THE SALE OF CHOMETZ

Please return this form early, as responsibility cannot be accepted for forms received after

Monday, April 10, 2017 at 11:00 a.m.

**I / WE, ___________________________________________________________________________________

(PLEASE PRINT)

Hereby authorize Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar to dispose of/sell all Chometz that may be in my (our) possession

wherever it may be – at home, at my (our) place of business, or elsewhere – in accordance with the requirements

of Jewish law as incorporated in the special contract for the sale of Chometz.

Residence address:___________________________________________ Apt. #___________________

City____________________________________ State _________ Zip __________

Telephone # ___________________________________________

***Area where Chometz and utensils are stored:_______________________________________________

Business address: __________________________________________Suite#_____________________

City____________________________________ State _________ Zip __________

*** Area where Chometz and utensils are stored: _____________________________________________

*Signature (s) _________________________________ Date___________________________________

_________________________________ Date___________________________________

**Husband and wife, specify names. *** Use separate sheet or back of this sheet if you need more space.

22


23


8TH DAY PRE GAME CONCERT INTERACTIVE INFLATABLESCOMMEMORATIVE T-SHIRTGLATT KOSHER PASSOVER BBQ Tickets & Info:

305.504.8440

PassoverAtThePark.comPROJECT OFFLORIDA MARLINSCHABAD FLORIDA

FEATURING

TH

UR

SD

AY APRIL

13VS.

at the

24

Meyer Youth CenterThe full scoop on all the Youth events and classes

25


26


27

In A Woman’s WorldIssues of relevance to the Jewish Woman

Women’s Mikvah:Please call Mrs. Devorah Failer for an

appointment: 305-866 1492 or 305-323-2410

Please Note: Shabbos & Yom Tov visits must be Prepaid

Weekly ClassesMondayWomen’s Study Group Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 8:30 - 10:00 pmAt the home of : Please call The Shul for details

TuesdayPrayer Class Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 9:15 - 10:15 am1111 Kane Concourse Suite 618

Tanya Class In Spanish Mrs. Vivian Perez 2:00 - 2:30 pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

Torah Portion In Spanish Mrs Vivian Perez 2:30 - 3:45 pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village WednesdayMorning Torah Class Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 10:00 - 11:00 amThe weekly portion - Women’s PerspectiveHaime Library

Tanya Class in English Mrs. Vivian Perez 1:00 - 3:00 pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

The Shul Sisterhood

Who we are...The Shul Sisterhood organizes all of The Shul’s programming and classes geared toward women in the community. Our objective is to bring women of all ages and backgrounds together to learn, laugh, experience, and rejuvenate their mind,

body and soul. Meet new friends,relax and get inspired!

If you would like to be a part of The Shul Sisterhood,

please call 305. 868.1411

Shabbat ThoughtShabbat belongs to each

and every one of us. Tell a friend about candle lighting. Give her what

is already hers.

Light A Candle

Say a Prayer

Share The Light

28

Le 40ème travailComprendre Chabbatpar Yanki Tauber

Un peintre s’incline vers sa toile, la considérant avec attention. Un écrivain se penche sur son clavier. Un sculpteur trace de fines lignes dans

la pierre. Chaque coup de pinceau, chaque touche de clavier enfoncée, chaque grattement de ciseau est exécuté dans la plus grande concentration car l’artiste investit son âme dans son geste.

Cependant, à intervalles réguliers, l’artiste se recule. Il redresse son dos, relaxe ses membres, parfois même recule de quelques pas afin d’apprécier son œuvre d’un autre point de vue. Il désengage ainsi son âme de son travail pour le considérer de l’extérieur. Une longue minute durant, il se tient là, détaché, parfois même distant. Puis il se replonge dans son travail.

Imaginez que vous voudriez inscrire toute la sagesse du monde dans un document unique. Un document qui serait suffisamment compact pour pouvoir être recopié à la main de manuscrit en manuscrit, transporté facilement de lieu en lieu et transmis de génération en génération pendant des millénaires. Comment le feriez-vous ?

Bien sûr, vous choisiriez vos mots avec la plus grande minutie, afin de tirer avantage des significations multiples que certains d’entre eux peuvent revêtir. Vous construiriez vos phrases de sorte qu’elles puissent être lues de différentes façons, chacune porteuse d’un message. Vous emploieriez des métaphores pour raconter une histoire à l’intérieur d’une histoire, une loi à l’intérieur d’une loi, une idée dans une autre idée. Si vous attribuiez une valeur numérique à chaque lettre et rendiez certaines lettres interchangeables avec d’autres, alors chaque mot de votre document serait un code (en vérité une série de codes) pouvant véhiculer d’autres niveaux de sens. Vous pourriez aussi introduire des allusions dans la forme même des lettres, dans les ornements calligraphiques et dans la forme des espaces entre les lettres, les mots et les paragraphes. Enfin, vous exploiteriez le contexte et la juxtaposition pour transmettre encore plus d’informations.

C’est ce que la Torah fait dans la Paracha de Vayakhel en introduisant le commandement de se reposer le Chabbat au milieu des instructions relatives à la construction du Michkan (le sanctuaire portatif qui servit aux Enfants d’Israël lors de leurs pérégrinations dans le désert). Les lois du Chabbat occupent des centaines de pages dans le Talmud et des dizaines de milliers de pages de commentaires et d’ouvrages halakhiques. Dans le livre de l’Exode, toutefois, elles sont condensées dans quelques courtes phrases. Une source majeure des lois du Chabbat réside dans

l’association que la Torah établit entre le Chabbat et le Michkan.

« Pendant six jours le travail sera fait, mais le septième jour sera saint pour vous, un Chabbat (« cessation » de travail) de Chabbats en l’honneur de l’Éternel. » (Exode 35, 2) Le terme que la Torah emploie pour « travail », melakha, signifie en fait « un travail créatif ». C’est la raison pour laquelle arroser une plante constitue un travail prohibé le Chabbat, alors que déplacer des meubles dans une même pièce n’en est pas un. Le Talmud énumère « quarante moins une » (c’est-à-dire trente-neuf) catégories de tels travaux créatifs, depuis « planter » et « labourer » jusqu’à « faire un nœud » et « allumer un feu ». Chacune de ces 39 catégories englobe de nombreuses actions dérivées (par exemple, arroser une plante est une toladah ou « dérivée » de l’action de planter).

De quelle façon le Talmud établit-il cette liste ? En examinant les sortes de « travaux créatifs » exécutés lors de la fabrication du Michkan. Et, concernant le Michkan, la Torah est exceptionnellement précise. Plus de douze longs chapitres sont remplis d’instructions détaillées sur la forme et la construction des différents éléments du sanctuaire : ses 48 panneaux muraux, ses 69 piliers, ses 165 socles, ses 26 tapisseries, ses 169 crochets (dont 59 en or, 60 en argent et 50 de cuivre) et ses différents « ustensiles » : l’arche d’alliance, la Ménorah, la table du pain de proposition, l’autel extérieur et l’autel intérieur, etc. D’autres chapitres décrivent l’assemblage du Michkan à chaque étape dans le désert, puis son démontage jusqu’au prochain campement. En juxtaposant les lois du Chabbat à celles du Michkan, la Torah définit que le « travail » interdit le Chabbat est celui qui est mis en œuvre dans l’édification du Michkan.

Les maîtres du ‘Hassidisme ajoutent un troisième paramètre à cette équation.

Le Midrache souligne que lorsque la Torah statue que « Pendant six jours le travail sera fait, mais le septième jour sera saint pour vous, » elle ne se contente pas de commander de cesser le travail le Chabbat. Elle nous ordonne également que le travail soit fait pendant six jours. Travailler pendant la semaine est une mitsva, au même titre que cesser de travailler le Chabbat est une mitsva.

Ainsi, en nous contant l’histoire du Michkan avec tous ses détails, la Torah délivre trois enseignements :

1. Les détails du Sanctuaire que les Enfants d’Israël construisirent dans le désert.

2. La définition du « travail » défendu le Chabbat.

3. Une définition et une description de la vie : pourquoi sommes-nous là ? Quel est notre rôle dans ce monde

? Dans quel « travail créatif » D-ieu souhaite-t-Il que nous nous engagions au cours des six jours de la semaine ? La réponse est : dans la construction d’un Michkan, une demeure pour D-ieu, fabriquée en modelant les objets matériels qui deviennent des « ustensiles » à même de contenir et d’exprimer la bonté et la perfection de leur Créateur.

Vous voulez savoir comment faire de votre vie une « demeure pour D-ieu » ? Tout est contenu dans ces derniers chapitres du livre de l’Exode, à l’intérieur des descriptions des matériaux, de l’architecture et de l’artisanat mis en œuvre dans la construction du Michkan.

Le Chabbat, cependant, nous interrompons ce travail. Le Chabbat serait-il un temps en dehors de la vie ? D’une certaine manière, oui, car nous cessons alors le travail créatif de la vie. Et malgré cela, le Chabbat est aussi une partie intégrante de ce travail. Tout comme il est nécessaire pour l’artiste de prendre du recul par rapport à son œuvre afin d’en conserver une vision d’ensemble et ne pas se perdre dans les détails, lorsqu’il s’agit de « faire une demeure pour D-ieu dans le monde matériel », il est également indispensable de faire chaque semaine un intermède spirituel pour ne pas perdre de vue le motif global de notre interaction avec cette matérialité à partir de laquelle nous édifions cette demeure.

C’est là que réside la signification profonde de cette curieuse expression talmudique que nous avons mentionnée plus haut : « quarante travaux moins un. » Pourquoi ne pas simplement dire qu’il y a « trente-neuf travaux » défendus ? Nos Sages expliquent que le quarantième travail est « le travail du Ciel » que nous accomplissons le Chabbat.

L’édification du Michkan implique concrètement quarante catégories de travail créatif : les trente-neuf modes d’action constructive dans le monde matériel que nous pratiquons au cours des six jours de la semaine et que nous cessons le Chabbat, auxquels s’ajoute le travail spirituel du Chabbat lui-même. Ce quarantième travail requiert la cessation des trente-neuf autres, car il consiste à s’extraire de la création du Michkan de la semaine et à la sublimer. Néanmoins, il constitue un composant indispensable de notre tâche de faire une demeure pour D-ieu dans nos vies matérielles.

French ConnectionReflexions sur la Paracha

Vivre avec la paracha

Thursdays at 12.00 in the Haime LibraryClasses alternate between the following teachers:

Dr. Hanna BaroukRabbi Amar

Rabbi FrankforterRabbi Gansburg

FOR WOMEN ONLY

Classes

29

El Día DespuésPor Yossy Goldman

Hace algunos años las Naciones Unidas realizaron la Conferencia Internacional de Desarrollo Sostenido, en Johannesburgo. La

Conferencia fue un gran éxito. Uno se pregunta, sin embargo, si todas las maravillosas decisiones y resoluciones que fueron adoptadas fueron implementadas alguna vez. En otras palabras, ¿fueron ellas mismas sostenibles?

Regularmente se sugieren buenas ideas y proyectos adecuados. La pregunta es, ¿salen de la mesa de diseño? Y si lo hacen, ¿cuánto duran? ¿Qué grado de permanencia disfrutan?

Moisés reunió la asamblea de los Hijos de Israel —estas son las palabras de apertura de la Parashá Vaiakhel. Rashi nos dice que ese día de asamblea fue el día después de Iom Kipur. Moisés descendió del Monte Sinaí en Iom Kipur trayendo el mensaje del perdón de Di-s por el pecado del Becerro de Oro. Al día siguiente reunió al pueblo y les ordenó construir el Santuario.

¿Por qué es importante saber que fue el día después de Iom Kipur?

Quizás porque mientras en Iom Kipur todos son santos, el desafío es ser santo después de Iom Kipur. Es relativamente fácil ser santo en el día más santo del año. La prueba de fe es mantener nuestro buen comportamiento en los días y semanas que siguen a la imponente y sagrada experiencia. ¿Seguiremos inspirados o nuestro entusiasmo se desvanecerá inmediatamente después de Neilá? ¿Cuántas sinagogas están llenas al máximo en Iom Kipur y luchan por un minian a la mañana siguiente?

Un hijo dice kadish por su padre o madre fielmente —durante la semana de Shiva. ¿Y luego? O quizás viene regularmente a la sinagoga y recita el kadish los 11 meses completos. Y al día siguiente se fue.

Y no sólo se trata de la sinagoga, es también la vida. ¿Qué ocurre después de la luna de miel? ¿O el primer aniversario? ¿Tenemos la responsabilidad y la perdurabilidad para seguir a largo plazo?

Mucha gente se siente inspirada en un momento u otro. A lo largo de los años he visto cientos de hombres y mujeres pasar por una fase de dedicada vida judía sólo para verlos caer en sus viejos hábitos y formas de vida. Y no se debe a que su compromiso decae, sino porque ellos no implementan un programa sostenido para que ese compromiso prospere.

Tomen el Shabat. Una persona experimenta el real sentido del Shabat por primera vez en su vida. Luego

una y otra vez, hasta que deciden que realmente quieren esto para ellos. Es tan calmo, tan espiritual y tan especial. Así que se comprometen a cuidar el Shabat. Comienzan a ir a la sinagoga cada sábado. Sólo hay un problema. Viven a tres kilómetros de la sinagoga que los inspiró. Muy bien, no es imposible caminar tres kilómetros; mucha gente lo hace todos los días para mantenerse en forma. Así, mientras ellos están en las alturas espirituales, funciona, pero la realidad es que esto es simplemente no sostenible. Si no se mudan cerca de su sinagoga favorita, algo se romperá.

Recuerdo una pareja que fue tan lejos como para comprar un departamento cerca de la sinagoga y se mudaban cada fin de semana. Lo lograron por un tiempo, pero aun esto no fue sostenible. Se convirtió en un molesto shlep tener que mudarse cada viernes y volver cada sábado por la noche. No duró.

Por lo tanto este es un llamado para no sólo mantener el momento de nuestra inspiración espiritual sino para dar pasos prácticos para hacerlo. Para tener éxito a largo plazo, debemos tener un plan pragmático; un programa realista, factible y alcanzable que nos lleve hasta el final. De otra manera, Di-s no permita, nuestros fervientes sentimientos del momento pueden convertirse en un éxito pasajero.

Que estemos lo suficientemente inspirados para asegurarnos que nuestra inspiración dure.

********

Una base de AmorPor Shlomo Yaffe

Los materiales para la construcción del santuario portátil que había en el desierto, el mishkan, provinieron de las donaciones voluntarias del

pueblo judío. Cada uno aportó de acuerdo con sus posibilidades y con la generosidad de su corazón.

Sin embargo, los adanim, las “bases” sobre las cuales descansaban las paredes verticales del mishkan, sus cimientos, vinieron de otra fuente. Tres de ellas fueron confeccionadas con la plata aportada por los judíos, como parte de la contribución obligatoria que debían realizar, un total de medio shekel por persona. (El shekel era una medida de peso pequeña estándar que se utilizaba para pesar el oro, la plata y el cobre con fines monetarios). Tanto ricos como pobres, motivados o desmotivados, felices o a regañadientes, cada judío tuvo que dar exactamente la misma cantidad.

El mishkan, la construcción que “alberga” la presencia Divina, representa la totalidad del pueblo judío. Toda

la nación y, a su vez, cada individuo en particular, es un santuario para la presencia de Di-s.

Todos tenemos diferentes niveles de habilidad, oportunidad y compromiso. Todos tenemos fortalezas y debilidades en cada una de estas áreas. En nuestra vida, construiremos y sostendremos el Santuario del Judaísmo de diferentes formas, todo dependerá de las circunstancias que podemos controlar y de aquellas que no podemos controlar. Sin embargo, los cimientos de este edificio, las bases de plata cuidadosamente alineadas al suelo que soporta la estructura del santuario, están construidas sobre la base de la constancia, que es la misma para todos en cada etapa de su vida.

“Plata” en hebreo, kesef, también, significa “anhelo” y “amor”. Lo único que todos los judíos deben tener en todo momento es amor incondicional por el otro.

Sin importar las diferencias que existan entre nosotros, la base para construir un lugar donde more Di-s en nuestro mundo es un recordatorio de la igualdad y del valor irreemplazable y fundamental de cada judío en nuestra misión como pueblo. No debemos ver a ningún judío como un ser marginal ni tampoco podemos catalogar a ningún judío como irremediablemente desconectado de sus raíces. No podemos permitir que cuestiones de comportamiento e ideología opaquen la necesidad de apoyarnos los unos a los otros, cualquiera sea nuestra necesidad.

Es por este motivo que hablamos del amor como un anhelo, kesef. Debemos permitirnos ser atraídos los unos a los otros por la fuerza y el deseo de unidad, que son más poderosos que las fuerzas que tienden a separarnos.

Latin LinkReflexion Semanal

Parasha de la Semana

Clases y EventosPorcion Semenal

Rabbi Shea RubinsteinLunes 8:45 pm - 9:45 pm

Orden de rezos diarios y su significado mistico

(Para Mujeras)Sra. Vivian Perez

Martes 1:45 pm - 3:00 pm198 Park Dr. Bal Harbour

Por favor llamar al 305.213.3202para confirmar

Kolel EspanolRabbi Shlomi Halsband

Miercoles 8:30 - 10:00 pmDomingo 8:30 - 10:00 pm

Sra. Vivian PerezJueves 11:00 am -12:30 pm

Chabad of Aventura21001 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura

30

NetworkingEffective Advertising

PAID ADVERTISEMEnTS DO NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENTS BY ANY RABBIS OR THE SHUL. THE SHUL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REjECT ANY AD SUBMITTED.

PLEASE READ ONLY AFTER SHABBOS

CITADEL REALTY, LLC.Raquel Sragowicz Cell: 305.588.2481 Email: [email protected]

Bay Harbor: Riva Waterfront- 3 BD/ 3.5 BH#504 2,347 SQFT, All decorated by Artefacto. $1,580,000#302 2,785 SQFT, Amazing views through-out $1,690,000

RentalsSurfside- 2BD/2B 795 SQFT, $1,800/M UnfurnishedAventura Place- 1 block to Chabad Synagogue: 3BD/2B 1500 SQFT $2300/M Unfurnished

Lincoln Residence. Brand New Jerusalem Condominium. Pre-Construction Dis-count Prices. 2 blocks from Waldorf-Astoria. 20min walk to Kotel. Est. to be ready in 2018 From $930,000 to $4,250,000 (900sq ft to 2500 sq ft not including balcony). Includes parking + storage. Low Maintenance Fees.

Allen DavoudpourLicensed Associate Real Estate Broker

M. 917.279.7925 | [email protected]

WE ARE ACTIVE IN BOTH NEW YORK AND FLORIDA

AND HAVE BUYERS FOR YOUR PROPERTY

1111 LINCOLN ROAD, 805, MIAMI BEACH FL, 33139. 305.695.6300 © 2016 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.

We grossed $40+ Million in sales in 2016Put our connections & expertise to work for you!

SARAH SHERIDANGlobal Real Estate AdvisorONE I Sotheby’s International Realty305-527-6888SSheridan@OneSothebysrealty.comwww.SarahSheridan.com

Bay Harbor Islands-

Totally renovated single family Mimo home. 4/3.5 with two offices, basket ball court and pool on corner lot. Reduced to $2,095,000

1361 96th Street- SFH 10,000 sq ft Lot w/ approved plans to build a 5600 6/6.5 pool home, or build your own vision. Priced right at $1,049,000

1111 Kane Concourse, 6th floor Office Condo for Sale- 1231 sq ft w/ 3 parking spaces/ Reduced to $559K

Bal Harbour:

The Palace Unit 16E: Exclusive Direct Ocean Facing 3690 sq ft 3/3.5 condo with Cabana. $4,190,000

Bal Harbour “101” Unit 1009- Large SW facing 3/3.5 condo in desirable newly renovated bldg. Over 3300 sq ft/under $700/sq ft. Asking $2,299,000

Balmoral- All redone 2/2 with Ocean views. 19th fl. $928KBalmoral for Rent- Large Corner 2/2.5 w/1968 sq.feet. Asking $5500

Plaza Bal Harbour, Unit 710- Completely remodeled 1/1 w/gourmet kitchen and S. facing. Reduced to $499K

Surfside:

Champlain North- Direct Ocean front views form this 2300+ sq/ft beauty. Low floor, all redone. Priced right at $1,390,000

Call us for more avialability & preconstruction opportunities. Our offices are conveniently located in Bay Harbour

SILVIA OLIVERA P.A.Global Real Estate Advisor

ONE I Sotheby’s International Realty786-303-0262

[email protected]

31



PAID ADVERTISEMENTS DO NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENTS BY ANY RABBIS OR THE SHUL. THE SHUL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REjECT ANY AD SUBMITTED.

32



PAID ADVERTISEMENTS DO NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENTS BY ANY RABBIS OR THE SHUL. THE SHUL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REjECT ANY AD SUBMITTED.

305-672-1230

Baum & Company, C.P.A.Certifie Public Accountants

1688 Meridian AvenueSuite 504Miami Beach, FL 33139

[email protected]

Joel Baum, CPAJ

Call Today, Repair Today!

Cracked Screen?

We Come To You!!!

786.277.4882AY Computers

PASSOVER 2017 ON THE BEACH

Across from chabad Bal harbour/sufside area 2 Bedroom 2 Bath sleeps 6

Swimming pool/gym [email protected]

201-568=0051

33

Board of TrusteesAmbassador Isaac Gilinski - ChairmanSimon FalicSidney FeltensteinMatias GarfunkelJaime GilinskiMax GilinskiSaul GilinskiSam Greenberg

Abel Holtz Mike IzakAlberto KamhaziShmuel Katz M.D.Rabbi Sholom D. LipskarLazer MilsteinMichael PerezClaudio StivelmanMorris Tabacinic

Albert Pollans - PresidentJaime Gilinski David LichterRabbi Sholom D. LipskarMonroe Milstein - Treasurer

Mitchell Feldman - ChairJanice BarneyJoel Baum CPAMax BenolielDovid DuchmanSteven M. DunnMaurice EgoziVelvel Freedman

Bruce GelbDaniel GielchinskyEvelyn KatzRabbi Sholom Dovber Lipskar Rabbi Zalman LipskarRyan ShapiroMarc SheridanEric P. Stein

Rabbi Rabbi Sholom Lipskar Ext 311Associate Rabbi Rabbi Zalman Lipskar Ext 345Rabbi’s Executive Assistant Ms. Lydia Hasson Ext 311Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 305.992.8363JLAC / Adult Ed/ Singles Rabbi Shea Rubinstein Ext 342CYS College / Kolel Rabbi Dov Schochet 305.790.8294Accounting Mrs. Geri Kelly Ext 341Controller Mrs. Janice Barney Ext 318Office Manager Ms. Stacy Waxman Ext 313Events / Office Assistant Ms. Milena Liascovitz Ext 328Youth Director / Dinner Mrs Devorah Leah Andrusier Ext 329Youth Director Rabbi Shaykee Farkash Ext 329Operations / Maintenance Rabbi Shlomi Katan Ext 319Reception / Accounts Payable Mrs. Mindy Natoli Ext 0Mikvah Mrs. Devorah Failer 305.323.2410Pre-School Mrs. Chana Lipskar Ext 325Sephardic Minyan Chazan Shimshon Tzubeli 305.865.4205 Hebrew School / Editor Mrs. Aurit Katan 786.382.9006Hashkama Minyan Mr. Lazer Milstein 305.349.3040Mashgiach Mr. Mordechai Olesky 786.262.9115

Foundation Trustees

Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Contacts at The Shul 305.868.1411

Numbers to know

Shul Gaboim

Mr. Andrew RothMr. David Portnoy

Rabbi Henry EichlerMr. Ettai Einhorn

Mr. David Ben-ArieMr. Seth Salver

Mitch Feldman – PresidentEric Stein – Vice PresidentJoel Baum CPA – TreasurerRabbi Zalman Lipskar – SecretaryDevorah Leah AndrusierEli DominitzMaurice EgoziHenry EichlerDaniel GielchinskyJacob GivnerNicole Katz KavanaGregory Levine

Rabbi Sholom D. LipskarRebbetzin Chani LipskarLazer MilsteinOrit OsmanBrian RollerYaacov SaidofDavid SchottensteinDaniel ShapiroDaniel SragowiczCynthia SteinMichael TabacinicJose Yankelevitch

34

Daily StudyA complete guide to all classes and courses offered at The Shul

DAILY CLASSES

Derech Mitzvosecha 6:20 - 6:50 amPHL 101 PHL-301 PHL-501 Rabbi Z. Lipskar

Daf Yomi 7:45 - 8:45 amTXT-220 Rabbi Dov Schochet

Chok L’Yisrael - Sephardic 8:45 amReb Shimshon Tzubeli

Chassisdic Discourses 10:15 - 11:00 am PHL-322 PHL-510 Rabbi S. Rubinstien

Community Kollel (Men) 8:00 - 9:30 pm(Monday & Thursday) LAW-154Shul Rabbis & Kolel

SUNDAY

Daf Yomi 9:00 amTXT 220 Rabbi Dov Schochet

Tanya - Sichos 8:00 - 10:00 pmPHL-322 Rabbi Shlomo Haltzband

MONDAY

In Depth Chumash 1:30 pmTXT-110 Rabbi Dov Schochet

Insights to our Daily Prayers (Spanish) 8:45 - 9:45 pmPHL-120 Rabbi S. Rubinstien

Women’s Study Group 8:30 - 10:00 pmTXT-110 Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar

At the home of Please call The Shul for details

TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

Senior Torah Academy 12:00 - 1:00 pmPirkei Avot ETH-101 Rabbi Dov Schochet

Women’s Tanya Class (Spanish) 2:00 - 2:30 pmPHL-120 Mrs. Vivian Perez

198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

Women’s Torah Portion Class (Spanish) 2:30 - 3:45 pmTXT-110 Mrs. Vivian Perez


Women’s Morning Torah Class10:00 - 11:30 amTXT-110 Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar

In Depth Tanya Class (Men & Women)11:30 - 12:30 pmPHL-320 PHL-501 Rabbi Sholom Lipskar

Tanya Class - English 1:00 - 2:00 pmPHL-120 Mrs. Vivian Perez


Spanish Kolel - Chassidus 8:00 - 10:00 pmPHL-301 Rabbi Shlomo Haltzband

Parsha (Men & Women)11:15 am - 12:00 pmTXT-501 Rabbi S. Rubinstien

Senior Torah Academy (Men & Women)12:00 - 1:00 pmTXT-120 Rabbi Dov Schochet

(Main Sanctuary) Book of Judges - Years 2780 -2835

French Class12:00 pm Haime Library

Women’s Tanya Class (Spanish) 11:00 am - 1:00 pmPHL-320 Mrs. Vivian Perez

Chabad of Aventura, 21001 Biscayne Blvd

NUMERIC CODES INDICATE CYS COLLEGE COURSES

VISIT WWW.CYS-COLLEGE.ORG FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

ALL CLASSES LOCATED AT THE SHUL

UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED

shabbos parshas vayakhel - pekudeiparshas hachodesh ... pdf /03...2017/03/24 · the shul weekly...

Documents