Mazel tov to Sophie Infield on the birth of a great granddaughter, Aliza Shoshana, to Ari & Deena, joining older brother Yehoshua Binyamin.

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1 בס ד נא לא לדבר בשעת התפילה PLEASE NO CONVERSATION DURING SERVICES שבת פרשת פינחס SHABBAT PARSHAT PINCHAS 24 TAMUZ/JULY 30 Haftorah is Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 (beginning the the "Three Haftorot of דפורענותא שלש Punishment"). We bless the month of Av. Don t say אב הרחמים or מלא.א-ל We say Avot. at Mincha. Chap. 1 of Pirkei צדקתך צדק FRIDAY NIGHT MINCHA - 7:00 PM CANDLE LIGHTING - 7:57 PM TZAIT - 9:00 PM SATURDAY CHUMASH SHIUR - 8:00 AM SHACHARIT YOUTH - 8:20 AM SHACHARIT MAIN - 8:45 AM LAST KRIAT SHEMA - 9:27 AM MINCHA - 7:40 PM SHKIA - 8:14 PM MAARIV/HAVDALAH - 8:59 PM WEEKDAY DAVENING INFORMATION Sunday (7/31) Monday (8/1) Tuesday (8/2) Wednesday (8/3) Thursday (8/4) Friday (8/5) Earliest Talit 4:55 AM 4:56 AM 4:57 AM 4:58 AM 4:59 AM 5:01AM Shacharit 8:15 AM 6:15 AM 6:25 AM 6:25 AM 6:15 AM 6:00 AM Gedolah 1:38 PM 1:38 PM 1:38 PM 1:38 PM 1:38 PM 1:38 PM Mincha - Maariv 7:50 PM 7:50 PM 7:50 PM 7:50 PM 7:50 PM 7:00 PM Shkia 8:13 PM 8:12 PM 8:11 PM 8:10 PM 8:08 PM Tzait 8:58 PM 8:57 PM 8:56 PM 8:55 PM 8:53 PM Mazel tov to Sophie Infield on the birth of a great granddaughter, Aliza Shoshana, to Ari & Deena, joining older brother Yehoshua Binyamin. לתורה חופה ומעשים טובים BULLETIN INFORMATION TO REQUEST A BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENT (BY 7:00 PM WEDNESDAY) OR DEDICATE A BULLETIN FOR $36 ($54 W/PHOTO), SEPLOTNICK@GMAIL.COM. CONGREGATION AHAVAT ACHIM SADDLE RIVER ROAD FAIR LAWN, NJ The Molad for Av is Wednesday, Aug. 3, 1:12 PM & 2 Chalokim. Rabbi Ely Shestack President Aryeh Brenenson "1

2 Kiddush Information Kiddush cleanup for the month of July is Sonnenblick, Spier, Stock, Strich, Vann, Wechselr, Weinraub, Wigod, Winchester, Wolfson, Zarabi, Zezon, Agress, Banner, Baron Kiddush setup for this Shabbat is Eisman, Strich, Bernstein Kiddush setup for next Shabbat is Greenbaum, Wechsler, Heller To sponsor a Kiddush ($1000/$613/$318 plus scotch) send an to gplotnick@aol.com. ע ה Gita Cooperwasser Youth Program No Youth Groups! Have a great summer! Sisterhood Book Club Sisterhood Book Club will next read Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand. Details to come! Upcoming Events Aug. 1- Sisterhood Planning Meeting, 8:00 PM, at Shelly Winchester s house, Angelo Terr. Aug. 6 - Kiddush sponsored by the Weinraubs in honor of Leron s Auf Ruf and upcoming wedding to Allison Montal Sept New Rebetzin Tea Nov. 6 - Mitzvah Day (10 AM - Noon) Feb Yachad Shabbaton March 11 - Michael Riskin Bar Mitzvah Adult Education CHUMASH CLASS - Shabbat morning before Shacharit. Numbers & Info ERUV UPDATE By Only. To subscribe, fairlawneruvsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. MIKVAH At Shomrei Torah, weekdays 9:00 PM 10:30 PM, Motzei Shabbat from 11/4 hours after Shabbat ends for 1.5 hours. Kaylim Mikvah: Sunday 10 AM-3 PM FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ groups/ahavat.achim/ Mah Jong Next Mah Jong will be July 30 at 4:00 PM at the home of Eita Latkin. The Three Weeks (From the Ezras Torah Luach) בין" The period between the Seventeenth of Tamuz until after Tisha B'Av is called 1:3) between the straits (based upon the verse in Lamentations "המצרים because of the multiple tragedies that have occurred to the Jewish people throughout the ages during these three weeks. Among the worst of the tragedies are the destruction of both Holy Temples, the end of Jewish Sovereignty for almost 2,000 years, and the exile from Eretz Yisroel. The custom is for us to manifest some signs of mourning during this period. Therefore, we do not make weddings or take haircuts during these three weeks. Because it is a time of national שהחיינו (so as to avoid the Bracha שהחיינו catastrophe, we do not make the Bracha we do not eat a new fruit [unless that fruit would be unobtainable afterward] or,שהחיינו purchase an expensive article of clothing that would require the Bracha during these three weeks [the custom is to make the Bracha on Shabbat]. The Nine Days (Adapted from the Ezras Torah Luach) In addition to the rules for the Three Weeks (above), from Rosh Chodesh Av (starting Thursday night, August 4) until after Tisha B'Av we refrain from washing ourselves with warm or hot water. Only those who are feeble, extremely sensitive, or who must do so for medical reasons may wash with warm or hot water. We do not launder clothing until after Tisha B'Av. We do not wear clothing that was laundered before Rosh Chodesh, except on Shabbat. We do not drink wine or eat meat of any kind, with the exception of the feeble, sickly, or ill, who may eat poultry. We may eat meat and drink wine on Shabbat or while attending a Seudat Mitzvah, such as a Brit or the completion of a Tractate of Talmud. You can help Ahavat Achim's finances and it won't cost you a cent! Just make your regular Amazon purchases via this link: smile.amazon.com/. After a one-time set up designating Congregation Ahavat Achim of Fair Lawn as your preferred charity, nothing more for you to do except make your regular Amazon purchases. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Ahavat Achim. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. Shirley Vann has dedicated this week s Covenant & Conversation (used with permission of. ע ה the Office of Rabbi Sacks) in memory of her beloved mother Necha bat Yitzchok "2

3 IN AV WE REMEMBER... NAME HEBREW DATE CANDLE EVENING OF DEDICATOR RELATIONSHIP Joseph Harcsztark 1 July 16 Marcelle Harcsztark Husband Ella Horwitz 9 July 24 Mrs. Hanna Lewinson Mother Joseph Teitelbaum 11 July 26 Joyce Sperling Father Ella Cahn 13 July 28 Audrey Bickel Great Aunt Sidney Smedresman 13 July 28 Steve Smedresman Uncle Abraham Graber 19 August 3 David Graber Father Rose Pinchas 20 August 4 Naomi Graber Mother Andrew Staub 20 August 4 Gloria Epstein Father Sidney Sperling 22 August 6 Dr. Arnold Sperling Father Helene Bonnie Amrani 22 August 6 Neil Amrani Mother Gertrude Cooperwasser 23 August 7 Seymour Wigod Aunt Frieda Jaffe 24 August 8 Sophie Infield Friend Celia Levine 25 August 9 Naomi Levine Mother in Law Celia Levine 25 August 9 Kenny Levine Grandmother Claire Diamond 25 August 9 Lisa Eis Mother Hetti Jacobs 29 August 13 Stacey Finkelstein Grandmother Dave Molever 29 August 13 Lori Garfunkel Grandfather SUPPORT YOUR SHUL Donate a Sefer, etc. The shul has Siddurim & Machzorim ($36) and Chumashim ($54) available to be donated. Please contact Jeff Safier at rjsafier@optonline.net for details. Yahrzeit Plaques Memorialize a loved one and receive written notice of upcoming yahrzeit every year. In addition, your loved one s name will be mentioned during the public Yizkor we recite on Yom Kippur and in the Bulletin. Plaques are $300 for members and $350 for non-members. For more information, contact Sophie Infield at Scrip Scrip is available from Men s Club. David at dmgarfunkel@gmail.com. Pay using Paypal (treasurer@ahavatachim.org) or use Discover, MasterCard or Visa - treasurer@ahavatachim.org for details. Mishebayrach If you ve made a Mishebayrach you ve pledged to give Tzedakah on behalf of those for whom you asked Hashem's blessing. Contributions to the shul are appropriate and can be made via Paypal to treasurer@ahavatachim.org, or via MasterCard, Visa or Discover by sending info to Steve Winchester (contact him at treasurer@ahavatachim.org). If by check indicate on its face Aliyah Donation. David Schwitzer ע ה Social Hall Please contact Ben Lang at bmmnpl@aol.com to book the David Schwitzer ע ה Social Hall for an event or special occasion. $250 per simcha (members) / $500 paid in advance for nonmembers, plus the cost of any additional clean up (plus a $150 security deposit refunded when the social hall is returned in the condition it started in). Private caterers must be approved in advance by the Rabbi. "3 Sisterhood & Men s Club Please contact Elliot Greene at egreene@acm.org to join the Men s Club. To join Sisterhood, please contact Shelly Winchester at sewinchester58@gmail.com. Honoraria Contributions to acquire honoraria in memory or honor of a loved one are welcome. The available Honoraria list will be provided upon request by contacting Steven Plotnick at seplotnick@gmail.com. Mitzvah Cards Want mitzvah cards, contact Eita Latkin at or parentsof3@aol.com. Cost is $3 per card. Also can be ordered in bulk - ten cards for $25, which you send out yourself privately. SUPPORT YOUR SHUL

4 MISCELLANEOUS Rabbi s Office Hours Coming soon! Ahavat Achim Membership/Hospitality Please contact Arnie at aspier@verizon.net for details on membership. For Shabbat hospitality contact Melanie at mkwestel@gmail.com. Bikkur Cholim/Chesed Committee If someone needs a visit/ assistance, contact Sara Levine at saralevine06@gmail.com or Mary Lisa Katter at kenkatter541@gmail.com. Speak to Sara to join the committee and offer assistance in the manner that s most conducive to your schedule. Personal Announcements Various life cycle events related to members are announced in the shul s weekly bulletin (e.g., births, bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings and deaths), and the bulletin acknowledges travel to/from Israel for study. We also welcome new members and those who ve moved into the community and express interest in our shul. Other personal announcements generally are not appropriate for inclusion in the bulletin, except as part of the bulletin s dedication (a $36 cost - $54 with photo). Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Shirley Vann has dedicated this week s Covenant & Conversation (used with permission of the. ע ה Office of Rabbi Sacks) in memory of her beloved mother Necha bat Yitzchok "4

5 Moses Disappointment Pinchas 2016 / 5776 Hidden beneath the surface of parshat Pinchas the sages uncovered a story of great poignancy. Moses, having seen his sister and brother die, knew that his own time on earth was coming to a close. He prayed to God to appoint a successor: May the Lord, God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd. There is, though, an obvious question. Why does this episode appear here? It should surely have been positioned seven chapters earlier, either at the point at which God told Moses and Aaron that they would die without entering the land, or shortly thereafter when we read of the death of Aaron. The sages sensed two clues to the story beneath the story. The first is that it appears immediately after the episode in which the daughters of Tzelophehad sought and were granted their father s share in the land. It was this that triggered Moses request. A Midrash explains: What was Moses reason for making this request after declaring the order of inheritance? Just this, that when the daughters of Tzelophehad inherited from their father, Moses reasoned: the time is right for me to make my own request. If daughters inherit, it is surely right that my sons should inherit my glory. The second clue lies in God s words to Moses immediately before he made the request for the appointment of a successor: Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go up this mountain of Abarim and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was... Moses Disappointment 1! Pinchas 5776

6 The italicised words are seemingly redundant. God was telling Moses he would soon die. Why did He need to add, as your brother Aaron? On this the Midrash says: this teaches us that Moses wanted to die the way Aaron did. The Ktav Sofer explains: Aaron had the privilege of knowing that his children would follow in his footsteps. Elazar, his son, was appointed as High Priest in his lifetime. To this day cohanim are direct descendants of Aaron. Moses likewise longed to see one of his sons, Gershom or Eliezer, take his place as leader of the people. It was not to be. That is the story beneath the story. Aaron had the privilege of knowing that his children would follow in his footsteps. To this day cohanim are direct descendants of Aaron. Moses likewise longed to see one of his sons take his place as leader of the people. It was not to be. It had an aftermath. In the book of Judges we read of a man named Micah who established an idolatrous cult in the territory of Ephraim and hired a Levite to officiate in the shrine. Some men from the tribe of Dan, moving north to find more suitable land for themselves, came upon Micah s house and seized both the idolatrous artefacts and the Levite, whom they persuaded to become their priest, saying, Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn t it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man s household? Only at the end of the story are we told the name of the idolatrous priest: Jonathan son of Gershom son of Moses. In our texts the letter nun has been inserted into the last of these names, so that it can be read as Menasheh rather than Moses. However, the letter, unusually, is written above the line, as a superscription. The Talmud says that the nun was added to avoid besmirching the name of Moses himself, by disclosing that his grandson had become an idolatrous priest. How are we to explain Moses apparent failure with his own children and grandchildren? One suggestion made by the sages was that it had to do with the fact that for years he lived in Midian with his father in law Jethro who was at the time an idolatrous priest. Something of the Midianite influence re-appeared in Jonathan three generations later. Alternatively there are hints here and there that Moses himself was so preoccupied with leading the people that he simply did not have time to attend to the spiritual needs of his children. For instance, when Jethro came to visit his son-in-law after the division of the Red Sea, he brought with him Moses wife Tzipporah and their two sons. They had not been with him until then. The rabbis went further in speculating about the reason that Moses own sister and brother Aaron and Miriam spoke negatively about him. What they were referring to, said the sages, is the fact that Moses had physically separated from his wife. He had done so because the nature of his role was such that he had to been in a state of purity the whole time because at any moment he might have to speak or be spoken to by God. They were, in short, complaining that he was neglecting his own family. A third explanation has to do with the nature of leadership itself. Bureaucratic authority authority in virtue of office can be passed down from parent to child. Monarchy is like that. So is aristocracy. So are some forms of religious leadership, like the priesthood. But charismatic authority in virtue of personal qualities is never automatically handed on across the generations. Moses was a prophet, and prophecy depends almost entirely on personal qualities. That, incidentally, is why, though kingship and priesthood in Judaism were male prerogatives, Moses Disappointment 2! Pinchas 5776

7 prophecy was not. There were prophetesses as well as prophets. In this respect Moses was not unusual. Few charismatic leaders have children who are also charismatic leaders. A fourth explanation offered by the sages was quite different. On principle, God did not want the crown of Torah to pass from parent to child in dynastic succession. Kingship and priesthood did. But the crown of Torah, they said, belongs to anyone who chooses to take hold of it and bear its responsibilities. Moses commanded us the Torah as an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob, meaning that it belongs to all of us, not just an elite. The Talmud elaborates: Be careful [not to neglect] the children of the poor, because from them Torah goes forth Why is it not usual for scholars to give birth to sons who are scholars? R. Joseph said: so that it should not be said that the Torah is their inheritance. R. Shisha, son of R. Idi said: so that they should not be arrogant towards the community. Mar Zutra said: because they act highhandedly against the community. R. Ashi said: because they call people asses. Rabina said: because they do not first utter a blessing over the Torah. In other words, the crown of Torah was deliberately not hereditary because it might become the prerogative of the rich. Or because children of great scholars might take their inheritance for granted. Or because it could lead to arrogance and contempt for others. Or because learning itself might become a mere intellectual pursuit rather than a spiritual exercise ( they do not first utter a blessing over the Torah ). However, there is a fifth factor worthy of consideration. Some of the greatest figures in Jewish history did not succeed with all their children. Abraham fathered Ishmael. Isaac and Rebecca gave birth to Esau. All twelve of Jacob s children stayed within the fold, but three of them Reuben, Shimon and Levi disappointed their father. Of Shimon and Levi he said, Let my soul not enter their plot; let my spirit not unite with their meeting (Gen. 49:6). On the face of it, he 1 was dissociating himself from them. Nonetheless, the three great leaders of the Israelites throughout the exodus Moses, Aaron and Miriam were all children of Levi. Solomon gave birth to Rehoboam, whose disastrous leadership divided the kingdom. Hezekiah, one of Judah s greatest kings, was the father of Menasheh, one of the worst. Not all parents succeed with all their children all the time. How could it be otherwise? We each possess freedom. We are each, to some extent, who we chose to become. Neither genes nor upbringing can guarantee that we become the person our parents want us to be. Nor is it right that parents should over-impose their will on children who have reached the age of maturity. Judaism places parenthood, education and the home at the heart of its values. One of our first duties is to ensure that our children know about and come to love our religious heritage. Often this is for the best. Abraham did not become an idolater like his father Terach. Menasheh, the archetypal evil king, was grandfather to Josiah, one of the best. These are important facts. Judaism places parenthood, education and the home at the heart of its values. One of our first duties is to ensure that our children know about and come to love our religious heritage. But sometimes we fail. Children may go their own way, which is not ours. If this happens 1 Note however that Rashi interprets the curse as limited specifically to Zimri descendant of Shimon, and Korach, descendant of Levi. Moses Disappointment 3! Pinchas 5776

8 to us we should not be paralysed with guilt. Not everyone succeeded with all their children, not even Abraham or Moses or David or Solomon. Not even God himself. I have raised children and brought them up but they have rebelled against Me (Is. 1:2). Two things rescued the story of Moses and his children from tragedy. The book of Chronicles (1 Chron. 23:16, 24:20) refers to Gershom s son not as Jonathan but as Shevual or Shuvael, which the rabbis translated as return to God. In other words, Jonathan eventually repented of his idolatry and became again a faithful Jew. However far a child has drifted, he or she may in the course of time come back. However far a child has drifted, he or she may, in the course of time, come back. The other is hinted at in the genealogy in Numbers 3. It begins with the words, These are the children of Aaron and Moses, but goes on to list only Aaron s children. On this the rabbis say that because Moses taught Aaron s children they were regarded as his own. In general, disciples are called children. We may not all have children. Even if we do, we may, despite our best endeavours, find them at least temporarily following a different path. But we can all leave something behind us that will live on. Some do so by following Moses example: teaching, facilitating or encouraging the next generation. Some do so in line with the rabbinic statement that the real offspring of the righteous are good deeds. 2 When our children follow our path we should be grateful. When they go beyond us, we should give special thanks to God. And when they choose another way, we must be patient, knowing that the greatest Jew of all time had the same experience with one of his grandchildren. And we must never give up hope. Moses grandson returned. In almost the last words of the last of the prophets, Malachi foresaw a time when God will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. The estranged will be reunited in faith and love. 2 Rashi to Gen. 6:9. Moses Disappointment 4! Pinchas 5776