Weekly Bulletin - Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue

Weekly Bulletin
Amalgamated Hebrew Men of England (1975)
100 Elder Street, Toronto ON M3H 5G7 | 416.633.3838
January 17, 2015 | 26 Tevet 5775
www.beby.org
Vaera
Hertz Chumash
Torah Reading pp. 232-244
Haftarah pp. 244-247
Etz Hayim Chumash
Torah Reading pp. 351-368
Haftarah pp. 370-373
TONIGHT! BEBY@60
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY GRANDPARENTS, AUNTS, UNCLES, PARENTS AND KIDS!
Magical Mentalist Evening with Mike D’Urzo!
Everyone’s invited to join the Youth Department as we celebrate BEBY@60!
Saturday January 17th, 7PM.
Join us for a family-friendly, all-ages evening of illusions, magic, and dessert
featuring renowned mentalist, Mike D’Urzo!
Supervised movie night for younger children.
The Sefer Haftarah Parasha is dedicated in
loving memory of our beloved parents,
Harry & Faye Friedman l”z
by Judith & Harold Bricks and Gary Friedman
At the door : Adults - $20 | Children under Bar/Bat Mitzvah - $12 | Family Max - $65
Visit our foyer windows to see the beautiful work of The Pomegranate Guild - on display now.
Services for Week of January 18th
Sunday .......................................... 7:30 & 8:30 am
Monday & Tuesday ....................... 7:15 & 8:15 am
Wednesday (Rosh Hodesh) ............ 7:00 & 8:15 am
Thursday & Friday ........................ 7:15 & 8:15 am
Sunday - Thursday ....................................5:10 pm
Friday evening...........................................5:10 pm
Shabbat Candle Lighting ...........................4:58 pm
Hashkama Minyan..................................... 7:30 am
Shabbat Services ........................................ 8:45 am
BEBY reserves the right to make copy & editorial changes.
DEADLINE THURSDAY NOON of each week.
Beyond that time we cannot guarantee that your
event will appear in the bulletin.
We regret any errors and omissions that may occur.
Please contact the office to make corrections.
Shabbat Study Group — 4:05 pm
Shabbat Mincha — 4:40 pm
Shabbat Ends — 5:52 pm
~ Seudah Shlisheet is sponsored by ~
Freddy & Mindy Jacobs, Victor & Ella Jacobs, Gloria & Michael Izraelski,
Rachael & Martin Zaretsky and Shirley & Garry Greenbaum and families in observance of
Yahrzeit for their mother, Sally Jacobs l”z
~ We extend our condolences to ~
Dorothy Raxlin and family on the loss of her husband, Irvin Raxlin l”z
ALLERGY ALERT!! Many of our members suffer from asthma or other breathing difficulties. Please
be considerate of those who are chemically sensitive to fragrances and other scented products
- your discretion in applying scented products when attending Shul is appreciated.
HALACHA (JEWISH LAW) prohibits the use of audible beepers, cell phones, electronic games
and any type of photographic equipment on Shabbat and Yom Tov.
We thank you in advance for your cooperation in preserving the sanctity of Shabbat.
Yasher Koach and thank you to our Shabbat Greeters!
WEEKLY PROGRAMMES
SHABBAT
TISH & TORAH - Rabbi Lipson leads learning sessions for the Parashat Hashavuah at
10:00 am in the Boardroom.
RABBINICS STUDY GROUP – Daf Ha’Shavua - The Weekly Page of Talmud. For
beginning or intermediate students, study the first Tractate of the Talmud known as
Masechet Berachot. “The primary focus of the tractate is the myriad ways in which a
Jewish person expresses his faith during his life.” 35 minutes prior to Mincha.
SUNDAY
FREE HEBREW READING CLASSES - LEVEL II WITH MICHAEL KINRYS: For those who
can slowly read Hebrew, this class will help them gain experience reading and
singing many of the daily and Shabbat prayers. Classes begin Feb 22 2015 at 9:15
am and run for six weeks. Call the office to register.
COMING
THE MARTY KESHEN CHESED COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU!
If you would like to volunteer with home and hospital visits, Shiva calls,
etc. please call the office and leave a message for Rochelle Kerzner
Committee Chair or email chesed@beby.org
SISTERHOOD KNIT/CROCHET AND CHAT GROUP. GOOD NEWS!
To make it easier for you to donate to us, you can now make donations
directly to the BEBY Chesed Knitters via the shul office. We are forever
thankful to the men and women who attend the morning minyans for their
generous donations - helping us to continue knitting baby blankets and hats
for the Soldiers. Join us at 10 am - every Monday morning!
JANUARY EVENTS & MORE
The KADIMA CENTRE: 2-3:30 pm. For info on student registration, contact Marcel
Cohen at 416.633.3838 or marcelcohen2003@yahoo.ca. More info available from
www.beby.org. We are looking for adults to volunteer who are compassionate,
patient and positive.
TANACH STUDY GROUP - 7:30 pm, January 18th, at the home of Paula & Jonathan
Miller, 23 Purdon Drive. Studying Bereisheit, Chapter 23.
MONDAY
MAH JONGG AT 12:00 NOON. All welcome. Call the office 416-633-3838 to join.
Donation of a Toonie. Refreshments served. FREE Mah Jongg Lessons! Call for info and
to register!
RABBI’S STUDY CLASS: PROBING THE PARSHA: A detailed study of a particular theme
emanating from the weekly Torah portion. Each theme is linked to an essay topic
found in the new book, The Observant Life - The Wisdom of Conservative Judaism
for Contemporary Jews. The book is encouraged but not required for participants.
Boardroom. 7:15 - 8:15 pm.
TUESDAY
SISTERHOOD STUDY GROUP - 10 - 11:30 am | Rabbis Morrison and Lipson alternate
weekly. Ask The Rabbi with Rabbi Morrison: Brief English responsa to modern
halakhic questions from the perspective of Conservative Judaism. Topics will cover
Bible, ethics, gender, interfaith, symbols, conversion, kashrut, lifecycle, holy day cycle,
women’s issues, theology, and more.
Rabbi Lipson’s Weekly Topic: Studying the Book of Shmuel (Samuel) and the Book
of Kings — Politics & Power in Biblical Israel.
FRUMBA - WOMEN’S CARDIO DANCE FITNESS - Sponsored by Sisterhood. 7:30 pm.
For information on upcoming class schedules and pricing, contact Bette at
frumbadance@gmail.com. Resumes: January 20th until February 24th.
WEDNESDAY
TALMUD CLASS WITH DR. AARON NUSSBAUM | 9:15 am. Chapel.
MAH JONGG AND RUMMIKUB HOSTED BY SISTERHOOD. Games begin at 12:30 to 3:30
pm. Donation of a Toonie. Refreshments served. Mah Jongg Games and Rummikub
games needed. If you have one to donate, contact the office. FREE Mah Jongg
Lessons! Call for info and to register!
SISTERHOOD PRESENTS ISRAELI FOLK DANCING WITH SHOSHANA FRANK. Beginners 7
pm • Intermediate/Advanced. 8 pm. $8.00 per class. Info? Call Shoshana Frank at
905.889.9419.
THURSDAY
NASH & DRASH 2015 - January 22, February 19, March 26 (Pre-pesach Nash & Drash
with the Cantor ), April 23 and May 21. $13 pp.
Please pick up a flyer or check our web site /facebook page for more information on our upcoming events.
THE LIBRARY ~10 am - 12 noon. Drop by and peruse our many fabulous new titles!
A Thread of Kindness by Leah Perl Shadlar; From Central Park to Sini by Roy
S. Neuberger.
Nash and Drash
Thursday, January 22nd
Girls’ Night Out - Challah Baking
Thursday January 22nd
Shabbat Shira Concert
Thursday January 29th
World Wide Wrap
Sunday February 1st
The Joy of Singing - Vocal Workshop
Sunday February 1st
Scotch Tasting with Dinner Pairings
Wednesday February 11th
Eli Rubenstein - Brunch
Sunday February 15th
Shabbat Shira Concert
with
Chazzans David Edwards & Alex Stein of Adath Israel
Accompanied by Band
Thursday January 29th at 7:30 pm
$18 pp. Dessert Reception following.
Tickets on sale now through the office or eventbrite.
Call the BEBY office to
purchase.
Proudly presented by
Adath Israel Congregation and
Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda
Synagogue
http://shabbatshiraconcert.
eventbrite.ca
AUDITIONS!
Calling all performers! Singers, Dancers, Musicians, Magicians!
Come on out and audition for 2 Open Mic Nites! Purim and Chol
Hamoed Pesach. This Sunday, January 18th. 4:30 pm Chazzan David’s Office. Be there!
CHAZZAN’S CORNER
Davening Class - Chazzan Edwards offers an informal,
hands on practical class - Monday evenings following
Mincha services.
FYI: Please be aware that in the event of a medical emergency, our Security Personnel are
EVENTS
YOUTH & YOUNG FAMILIES
BETH EMETH GREENING COMMITTEE
Junior Congregation
Shakin’ Up Shabbat!
One of the themes from Parsha Vaera:
We owe the earth respect. The land and water give us life and
sustain us, just as they did Moses.
What we can do this week to honour this:
• Patronize a neighbourhood, year-round farmers’ market
• Become acquainted with a local farmer.
every Shabbat at 10 am with a fun activity
led by Elie Morrison and Samara Gottesman
or by Omer Itzhak, our Shinshinit. New program with
lots of fun activities and games! See you there!
Sam Kotzer Shabbat & Festival Gan Program
Hilda Swirsky, RN, BScN, MEd, Chair,
hswirsky@hotmail.com or Fay Rakoff, rakoff@gmail.com
OPEN YEAR ROUND FOR NURSERY SERVICES.
10 am - 12 noon | BEBY Babies Room (lower level)
Structured weekly Shabbat programming
for children ages 1 through JK,
including Tefillot, songs, games, and healthy snacks.
NEW! JUST BOOKED!
THE BEBY Theatre Tour Group is off to see: CAROUSEL at the
Stratford Festival. Monday May 11th. Contact Miriam Crystal if you are
interested. Members: $105/ NM $110. Pick up a flyer in the shul.
SWEET CHARITY - NOW SOLD OUT!
The Joy of Singing | Vocal Workshop with
Dr. Robert Loewen
Sunday, February 1st
Sponsored by Beth Emeth Sisterhood and the Music Committee
Beginner Workshop: 10:00 - 10:45 a.m.
Experienced singers Workshop: 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Light refreshments will be available after the second workshop.
Maximum enrolment -18 singers per session. BEBY Members ~$15 |
NM ~ $20. RSVP with payment to the shul office by noon
Wednesday, January 28th.
BEBY Men’s Club & FJMC present:
Scotch Tasting & Dinner
Wednesday February 11th at 7 pm
Gourmet Dinner catered by Uptown and Scotch Tastings. FJMC
members & immediate family guests: $90 pp. NM $108. Purchase via
Eventbrite or through the shul office by February 4th.
http://bebyscotchtasting.eventbrite.ca
Continuing Ed presents:
Eli Rubenstein - Writer and Story Teller. Significant
Jewish Events in our Lifetime.
Sunday February 15th. 11:30 am
Join us for a delicious brunch and tales of Jewish Historical significance.
Arback Hall. $10 pp. RSVP to office by Thursday, February 12th.
YOUTH EVENTS
To book a Youth Kiddush please send an email to youth@beby.org.
PROGRAM INFO:
Men’s Club presents:
World Wide Wrap | Sunday February 1st
8:30 am services followed by complimentary breakfast. Call the office
to RSVP. No charge. This year more than ever, we must bind together
and be counted! We all count — men, women, teens, students and
lefties are all welcome to join in laying tefillin. Bring yourself, children,
siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren and friends and let’s tie
the generations together! Personal tefillin trainers will be on hand (and
head) to help.
Contact DALE at youth@beby.org or
call 416 633.3838 for MORE INFO or to
RSVP to any program.
PJ PLUS IS A PARENT (OR GRANDPARENT!) AND TOT
PROGRAM for 1.5 -3 years old. This 10 week program runs
Sunday mornings right here at Beth Emeth! Your first class is FREE!
9:30 - 10:45 am in the BEBY Babies Room. Winter session begins
January 25th. FREE TASTE of PJPLUS - This Sunday! Free Breakfast
& program. 9:30 - 10:30 am. Join us!
CHILLIN’ N’ CHOLENT FOR TEENS!
Calling all Beth Emeth Teens! Chillin’ n’ Cholent is back! Join us on
Saturday January 24 following services (approx 12:30 pm) in the
boardroom for Rabbi Lipson’s famous cholent (and other goodies!)
RSVP to Dale, 416-633-3838 x229 or email youth@beby.org.
ShinShinim Hangout with Teens! January 31st: Come out
for a delicious Israeli cooking night! Details - contact Dale.
Annual CCCS Winter Shabbaton Retreat! and Snow Tubing
Kitchener-Waterloo. For youth grades 6-8 AND 9-12. Cost: $118
and includes all food, accommodations at the Crowne Plaza Hotel,
and all activities. To register, please contact Dale Gold, youth@
beby.org for an application. February 20 - 22nd.
Café Shinshinim:
Join Omer for a lively bi-weekly program
covering a range of current topics. Next
program: Tuesday January 20th at 7:00 pm.
In honour of Tu B’shvat - If the trees could
Talk - A history of Israel through Trees.
Wanted...Vocalists!
We are looking to form a new singing group for both men
and women! If you love to sing for fun and enjoyment - and
want to participate, please contact barrycutler44@gmail.
com. All voices welcome! Musical selections will comprise
a blend of a secular and Jewish cultural tunes.
YIZKOR BOOK- 2015: If you wish to have your dedications
included in this year’s Yizkor Book, please call the
office and speak to Freda at 416.633.3838.
CPR trained. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to seek out their services.
VAERA
Taken from the Jewish Theological Seminary JTS - www.learn.jtsa.edu
LARGE PRINT
SIDDURIM
available.
Ask an usher.
After a long walk across the park on a Shabbat winter morning in New York City,
services concluded, guests assembled at an Upper East Side apartment. The host
of this particular Rabbinical School student gathering held the meal hostage. The
ransom was the answer to his question: “Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?
”The host had a group of well-educated, eager to answer, soon-to-be rabbis at
his disposal. From them, he wasn’t going to accept any rehearsed responses,
such as “God had to prove Himself to the Israelites.”Much to the students’ relief,
this trial was interrupted by the hostess, and the first course was served. It was
a meal unfinished, for even as we all said grace after the meal, we remained, as
our host, unsatisfied.
Va’era—“And God appeared to Moses”(Exod.
6:2)—God’s heart, as it were, is also hardened?
Or could it be, as the Midrash insinuates, that
God waited for the proverbial “last straw?
About eight years later, a friend who had been on the March of the Living—an
annual program that brings students to Poland to study the history and roots of
the Holocaust—shared an encounter he had in the woods outside of Tychochin.
There, he witnessed a monument erected in memory of all the town’s Jews who
were murdered by the Nazis and gathered into one grave. A story was recounted
about an SS guard who set an example for anyone who tried to run: he pulled
an infant from its mother’s grip only to make the child’s end on the trunk of the
nearest tree. I was reminded of the un-answered question of that dinner—of
hardened hearts, of oppression, of our people’s history.
Embedded in this narrative is a lesson about our
expectations of God, of man, and of ourselves.
Wednesday mornings
We learn that God needed us to be agents of
10 am - 12:30 pm
change, to show Him the brick, to speak out,
or
by appointment.
to involve ourselves in our own process. As the
Sefat Emet teaches in number of places (including, his comments on Exod. 2:23) regarding the
cadence of the Exodus story: hearing the Israelites’cry was the impetus for God
to enter our story with greater force. The cry is the hinge upon which the rest
of the story swings. God, as it seems, waits for us to be a partner and take steps
toward self-redemption.
We can offer a lot of opinions about the behavior of human beings. For instance,
we know that much stands in the way of a softened heart, including habituation of behavior, egotism, and callousness to suffering. Psychologically, we can
imagine, even understand, why so much blood and gore was required to get
Pharaoh’s attention.
But what can we say about the challenge of getting hold of God’s attention? Could
it be that up to the point of the opening words of this week’s Torah portion,
BEBY Continuing Education & Morasha present:
Jan 7 to Jan 28 - Rabbi Torczyner’s History of Jewish Publishing in four
classes, (including Church Censorship of Jewish Books, 16th Century Publishing
Wars, Classic Forgeries of Jewish Texts, 21st Century Jewish Publishing.)
10:00 -11:00 am at Beth Emeth.
If you are away and want to be included on the mailing list in order to receive
the audio, you can do so for $25.00. Pick up a registration form from the foyer.
Jan 7 to Feb 11 - Jerry Fink’s Classical Music and the Jews in six 90
minutes classes, (including the influences of Jewish Musical Composition,
History and Culture upon Western Classical Music; the Profound Effect of
Psalms, Lamentations, and the Song of Songs on Western Classical Music; the
Enlightenment and the Haskala; the “Jewish Liszt”, the “Jewish Paganini,” the
Cello Virtuosi of the 19th Century, Music of the Shoah, and more)
There will be slides and music played. The Feb 4 and Feb 11 sessions include a
light lunch. 11:15 am - 12:45 pm at Beth Emeth
Feb 25 to March 25 - Rabbi Torczyner’s Sociology and the Synagogue in
five classes, (including The Synagogue Kiddush, Creating a Society of Trust,
Communal Prayer, The Needs of the Many and the Needs of the Few, Splintering
Synagogues). 10:00 -11:00 am at Beth Emeth
If you are away and want to be included on the mailing list in order to receive
the audio, you can do so for $25.00. Pick up a registration form from the foyer.
Feb 25 to April 1 - York University Professor Emeritus, Barrie Wilson’s
Secrets of Early Christianity, The Lost Gospel in six classes. A Jewish
perspective on Early Christianity focusing on such questions as, How did early
Christians understand the Hebrew scriptures? Why do some Christians reject the
idea of a human, Jewish, married Jesus? How did the Christian scriptures come to
be? and much more. The course will use Prof Wilson’s recent international bestseller The Lost Gospel, as a way into the secrets of early Christianity including the
We would love to announce your BREAKFAST SPONSORSHIP
social, family, and political side of Jesus. 11:15 am - 12:15 pm at Beth Emeth.
right here in the weekly Bulletin! Whatever the occasion - birthdays,
anniversaries, births, graduations, and in memoriam.
For more information and to register, call Loretta Tanenbaum at 416-789-7400
Please call the office for information and to reserve.
or email rabtanenbaum@sympatico.ca. BEBY Members receive price discount.
*The Bulletin deadline is THURSDAY NOON of each week.
Flyers and registration forms available from the foyer.
Beyond that time we can not guarantee placement.
It makes us uncomfortable to think that God
would endure our suffering for even a short time.
It is maddening to think that God would wait as
long as God did. What could this delay in action
possibly come to teach us?
ROSEN JUDAICA
GIFT SHOP
Call Sonia Hendler
at 416 633.3838 x 224
Certificates and
Gift & Bridal Registry
Available too.
There is also a critical lesson to glean from this narrative about what not to do.
Let’s not wait until our hearts have been hardened and our behavior is callous.
The longer we sit with impassivity toward oppression, the harder it is to fight it.
Perhaps also, it is necessary to alter our expectations of the kind of justice we are
looking for from Heaven, and focus instead on being agents of justice through
our own early intervention—for ourselves and for others.
Maybe that is what Moses was trying to do when, upon seeing an Egyptian beating a Hebrew,“he turned this way and that way, but there was no man”(vayifen ko
vakho, vayar ki ain ish) (Exod. 2:12). Moses saw that there was no one around to
stand up to justice, cry out, address inequity, effect change. Moses boldly acted
and thus stirred the attention of God. But God needed more. If we can each
stand up for injustice, cry out, take a leap of action together—then maybe, we
too can make a place for the appearance of Mercy in this world.
Weekly Morning Simchas & Sponsorships
Ilene & Michael, Paula & Ira, Miriam & Arnold Kuchinsky and
families in observance of Yahrzeit for their mother,
Zelda Kuchinsky l”z
Rita Estrien in observance of Yahrzeit for her beloved husband and
daughter Stephen Estrien l”z and Barbara Meltz l”z
Gidon Grundland and Sam Grundland and families in observance of
the first Yahrzeit for father, grandfather and great-grandfather
Zvi Grundland l”z
Hashkama Minyan Sponsorships
Freddy & Mindy Jacobs, Victor & Ella Jacobs,
Gloria & Michael Izraelski, Rachael & Martin Zaretsky
and Shirley & Garry Greenbaum and families in observance of
Yahrzeit for their mother, Sally Jacobs l”z
Harold & Judith Bricks in observance of Yahrzeit for Judith’s mother,
Faye Friedman l”z
Now on Twitter too!
Read the weekly blog - penned by Rav Yitz!
http://drinkingwisdom.blogspot.com/
and like our FACEBOOK PAGE... go to
www.beby.org for more info.