Congregation Beth El El--Atereth Israel Parshas Yisro Stone Chumash Haftarah Shema by Mincha Seudah Shlishis Shabbos ends: February 7, 2015 18 Shevat 5775 p 394 p 1154 9:25 am 4:45 pm Kehillah Konnections 5:50 pm Beth El Briefings Mazel Tov— to Norman Hartstone on his special birthday and thank you to Normie and his friends for sponsoring today's kiddush in his honor. Condolences to the Packer Family— on the tragic passing of Julia Packer, z’l, daughter of our cherished members Judy and Marvin Packer. Shiva will be observed at the Packer residence 949 Centre St. Newton Centre through early Monday morning February 9th. For shiva minyan schedule and sign up go to http://shiva.bethelnewton.org May Hashem console the entire Packer family among those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem. Middle School Musaf Minyan (M&M Minyan)— the M&M Minyan will continue this Shabbat at 10:45 am for 6th – 8th graders. The idea behind this Minyan is that it offers the children the opportunity to daven in the main Minyan and hear the Torah and Haftorah. Father/Son Learning— This popular program for boys in grades 1-8, co-sponsored by Congregation Beth El-Atereth Israel and Boston Kollel, will continue on Motzei Shabbat, February 7 at 6:45p.m. Please note new time. Rabbi Segal leads middle school learning (6th, 7th and 8th grades) with weekly sports related prizes (Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski jerseys). Thank you to Dena and Mark Salzberg for contributing the prizes for the Middle School program. Father/Son Grand Finale Sunday Evening February 8— there will be a grand finale celebration of this season’s Father/ Son Learning. The celebration will include the middle school grand raffle for Celtics tickets, a bicycle raffle, music and a kid friendly menu. Thank you to Barbara and Arnie Andler for contributing the Celtics tickets. Mother/Daughter Learning— This Sunday, February 8th, the mother daughter learning series continues, co-sponsored by Congregation Beth El Atereth Israel and the Kollel of Greater Boston. This will be a six part series of Mother-Daughter learning. Grades 1 through 4 will study with Dina Feldman Pirkei Avot. Grades 5 through 8 will study with Rabbi Segal Megillat Esther and its commentaries, exploring its depth and beauty. There will be prizes, raffles, and refreshments. The sessions will take place between 10:30 and11:45 on the following Sunday mornings: February 8 and 22. Beit Midrash and Rabbi Segal’s Shiur— The Beit Midrash program for men, co-sponsored by Beth El and the Kollel, and Rabbi Segal’s weekly Talmud shiur, will continue on Tuesday, February 10 at 8:00 pm & 8:45 pm respectively. Thursday Morning Class— Rabbi Segal’s Thursday morning class will take place at 11:00 am in the library. The class will cover various topics on the Parashat Hashavua. Bnei Akiva Snif— there will be no Bnei Akiva Snif this Shabbos. Mishloach Manot— we will be having Beth El’s Mishloach Manot program on Purim through which you can send Mishloach Manot to fellow shul members. See flier on the back cover for more details or contact Tanya Fischer. AIPAC Policy Conference— Join the Beth El delegation for this year's AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington D.C. March 1-3, 2015. It is a wonderful opportunity for our community to join with other synagogue delegations throughout the country in support of Israel. If you have any questions, please contact Jone Dalezman. JLIC Shabbat— on February 13-14, Beth El will be hosting a program by JLIC, a OU sponsored program for Orthodox students on college campuses. We will have with us Rabbi Menachem Schrader, JLIC Founding Director, Rabbi David & Ariel Pardo, JLIC Educators at Brandeis and Rabbi Yosi & Sheera Eisen, JLIC Educators at UMAS Amherst. The schedule is as follows: Community Tisch on Friday night at 8 p.m. with dvar Torah by Rabbi David Pardo; on Shabbos Day after Kiddush, a panel discussion about Orthodox Life on College Campuses including all the above JLIC educators; at Seudah Shlishit, a Dvar Torah by Rabbi Menachem Schrader. Super Bowl Raffle— Thank you to Mike Hirsh for arranging the super bowl raffle which raised $1,020 for the shul and to Dan Goldish for his technical assistance. Congratulations to Charlie Fine and Mark Fraenkel for guessing the final scores of the Super bowl raffle. Minyanim — February 8-14 A M P M Sunday 2/8 Monday 2/9 Tuesday 2/10 Wednesday 2/11 Thursday 2/12 Friday 2/13 Shabbos 2/14 7:00 am 8:00 am 6:30 am 6:40 am 6:40 am 6:30 am 6:40 am 7:45 am 9:00 am 5:00 pm 6:30 pm 6:30 pm Maariv only Maariv only 6:30 pm Maariv only 6:30 pm Maariv only Candle Lighting 4:55 pm Shema by: 9:21 am 5:05 pm 4:50 pm REGULAR CLASSES Mishnah Brurah Rabbi Segal Sunday: 1/2 hour before Shacharit (8:00 am) Halacha Yomi Rabbi Segal Daily, after Shacharit and between Mincha and Maariv Gemorah Mesechet Chullin Rabbi Segal Tuesday, 8:45pm Parshat Hashvuah Topics Related to Weekly Portion Rabbi Segal Thursday: 11:00 am Mishnayot: Seder Nezikin Rabbi Asher Shabbat morning Leeder 8:30 am Rabbi Leeder’s home Shabbat Morning Groups Youth Groups Toddlers-2nd grade 10:00am-end of Shul • Toddlers—1st Lower Level Classroom • Pre K– K—2nd Lower Level Classroom • 1st-2nd Grades—3rd Lower Level Classroom Youth Minyan 3rd-5th Grades 10:15-11:00am Chapel (in the basement) M&M Minyan 6th-8th Grades 10:45 a.m.—11:15 a.m. First Upstairs Classroom Interested in sponsoring a Youth Kiddush? Contact Shari Lederman at: [email protected] Please remember to remove all your trash from the Sanctuary! If you have any life cycle events that should be published in the Kishrei, please inform the shul office. Office Hours Monday-Thursday-9am-1pm Friday: 9:30am-1:30pm By Rabbi Avraham Fischer. A publication of the Orthodox Union in cooperation with the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center Parshat Yitro 18 Shevat 5775 - February 7, 2015 Revelation at Sinai is the fulfillment of Hashem’s plan for the people of Israel. Everything that occurred up to this point — from the descent to Egypt, the enslavement and oppression, the plagues, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the liberation — were all in preparation for the nation’s encounter with Hashem. After three days of purification, as the Divine Presence descends in fire to the top of the smoking, quaking mountain, the people are ready for their collective prophecy: And Moshe brought the people out from the camp to meet G-d, and they stood upright at the foot of the mountain… And the prophecy is heard: And G-d spoke all these words, saying: I am Hashem, your G-d, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves… (Shemot 19:17, 20:1-2). It was known from the beginning that this meeting would take place. While still in Egypt, And Moshe said to G-d, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the Children of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Because I shall be with you; and this is the sign to you that I have sent you; when you shall bring the people out of Egypt, you shall serve (TA’AVDUN) G-d on this mountain” (Shemot 3:11-12). But, how can the receiving of the Torah, in which the people were essentially passive, be regarded as the realization of you shall serve (TA’AVDUN) G-d? Indeed, says Ibn Ezra (in his long commentary), TA’AVDUN is not completely achieved until later (24:4-8), when Moshe writes down the laws, builds an altar, and the people offer sacrifices, followed by Moshe’s sprinkling blood upon the altar, reading the Book of the Covenant, and the people’s committing themselves to obey Hashem. Serving Hashem, as Godly call with commission and command.” Hashem’s initial communication to the prophet is more than just the contemplaHowever, most other commentaries untion of the mysterium tremendum; it is in derstand that the very receiving of the Torah is the actualization of TA’AVDUN. the form of a command, which establishes Rashi (3:12) emphasizes that Hashem did the nature of the prophetic experience. not rescue them from Egypt because they Hashem’s first address to Adam, and thus deserved it, but since “I have a great to the human race, is thing (consequence) for this taking out,” And Hashem G-d commanded the man, namely, because they are meant to resaying, “From every tree of the garden ceive the Torah. may you indeed eat; but from theTree of Ramban makes the point that Moshe was the Knowledge of Good and Evil you concerned lest the people would not fol- shall not eat of it . . .” (Bereishit 2:16-17). Hashem orders Noach low him to Canaan. Once they receive the Torah, however, they become commit- “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood . . .” (6:14). ted to Hashem, which is the service emHashem commands Avra(ha)m bodied in TA’AVDUN; this, in turn, will make the people committed to following “Go from your country and from your birthplace and from your father’s house and obeying Moshe (see 19:9). [This is the position adopted by Rambam in the to the land which I will show you” (12:1). The first recorded prophecy to Yitzchak is Laws of the Fundamentals of the Torah “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the 8:2.] land which I shall tell you of” (26:2). Yaakov translates his vision of the ladder Hirsch (Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, 1808-1888) anticipates the entire diffi- into commitment: And Yaakov vowed a vow, saying, “ . . . culty by translating TA’AVDUN ET this stone which I have set as a memorial HA’ELO-IM as “You shall become the servants of G-d.” shall become a house of G-d, and everything that You will give me I shall surely This will occur through receiving the Totithe to You” (28:20-22). rah. And, at the burning bush, Moshe is Heretofore, prophecy was the domain of charged: “Do not approach here. Remove your individuals. Now, for the first and only shoes from upon your feet, because the time in human history, an entire nation place upon which you stand is holy experiences prophecy. And, in this instance as in all others, the encounter with ground” (Shemot 3:5). Hashem — TA’AVDUN ET HA’ELO-IM — Thus mankind learns that Hashem makes takes the form of hearing the Divine Will demands and sets standards. expressed in the form of mitzvot, comRabbi Frimer continues: mandments. “A similar pattern confronts us as we examine the record of the Sinaitic stand. On This profound idea is developed by Rabbi Dr. Norman Frimer (1916-1993), this occasion, to be sure, not just select in his contribution to the 1966 book, The individuals are graced with the gift of prophecy. A whole community particiConditions of Jewish Belief: pates in a national divine-human meet“In almost every instance in the Pentateuch where the will of God directly con- ing. In fact, the revelation at Sinai itself, fronts man, the event of revelation is not entailing a second creation, gives birth to expressed merely as mysterious divine a new people of Israel and constitutes it presentness without content or specificity. at one and the same time as both faith Invariably the Torah associates the and nation. . . . Moshe had said to Pharaoh (8:23), means sacrifices and commitment. Rabbi: Gershon Segal 617-244-7233 X2 President: David Fisher 617-969-0713 Vice Presidents Sam Wald 617-558-9985 Judy Packer 617-964-6956 Jack Schuss 617-964-6024 Treasurer Ira Scharf Associate Treasurer Gary Lasman Recording Secretary Burt Leeds 781-983-6196 Associate Recording Secretary Kenneth Snow Corresponding Secretary Michael Hirsh 617-969-7713 Associate Corresponding Secretaries Sarah Okon Larry Speiser Financial Secretary Payson Greene Associate Financial Secretaries Arnold Andler Chairman of the Board Philip Levy 617-244-5863 Vice Chairmen Herbert Birnbaum 617-965-8235 COMMITTEE CHAIRS ADULT EDUCATION Judy Packer 617-964-6956 ANNUAL APPEAL 617-558-9985 Sam Wald BROTHERHOOD Norman Hartstone 617-244-4891 ERUV FAMILY TABLE Jane Hanser 617-965-8257 FUND RAISING Phillip Levy HISTORY Ken Snow 617-332-4273 HOLOCAUST COMMITTEE David Fisher HOUSING Payson Greene 781-444-7184 Burt Leeds 781-983-6196 ISRAEL SOLIDARITY TZEDAKAH FUND MEN’S CHESED Mike Hirsh 617-969-7713 NEW MEMBERS Tami Wald 617-558-9985 Eliana Vidan 617-965-0484 POLITICAL ACTION PROGRAMMING Amy Rosen 617-965-1297 SHABBAT & YOM TOV YOUTH GROUPS Shari Lederman, Shari Bloom PUBLICITY Debbie Schuss RABBINIC ADVISORY Arnie Andler 781-235-4444 RENOVATIONS Mark Salzberg 617-796-9029 RITUAL Nahum Vishniavsky 617-527-8462 WOMAN”S CHESED Sara Okon 617-964-7375 YOUTH Sherri Cohen 617-527-3624 Shari Lederman 617-969-4169 קהלת בית א־ל עטרת ישראל Cong . Beth El-Ateret h Is rael 561 Ward Street Newton Centre, MA 02459 Once again, however, the Torah does not describe this “invasion” of the Timeless into the timely, the Eternal into the momentary, merely in the universal terms of “Presence as power,” . . . not a call to some ineffable spiritual ecstasy or mystical union. It is boldly set forth in a detailed outline of daily living, seeking to interpenetrate every nook and cranny of experience with holiness.” Living a life in accordance with the commands of the Torah is the highest service to Hashem. It is living a life in response to prophecy.
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