Fri., Dec. 4 Shacharit 7/8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Candle lighting 4:11PM Minchah 4:15PM

Transcription

1 The Jewish Center S H A B B A T B U L L E T I N NOVEMBER 27-28, 2015 PARSHAT VAYISHLACH 16 KISLEV 5776 EREV SHABBAT 4:13PM Candle lighting 4:20PM Minchah (The Max Stern Auditorium) SHABBAT 7:45AM Hashkama Minyan (The Max and Marion Grill Beit Midrash) Rabbi Israel Silverstein Mishnayot Class with Rabbi Yosie Levine will resume next week 9:00AM Shacharit (3 rd floor) 9:15AM Hashkama Shiur with Rabbi Joshua Strulowitz, Yaakov's Struggle Between Proactive and Reactive (5 th floor) Young Leadership Minyan will resume next week 9:21AM Sof Zman Kriat Shema 10:00AM Youth Groups, Under age 3, 3-4-year-olds and 5-6-year-olds: Geller Youth Center; 2 nd -3 rd graders, 4 th -6 th graders: 7 th floor Community Kiddush (The Max Stern Auditorium) WITH THANKS TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS: Hashkama Kiddush, Vivian & Matthew Lazar in memory of Mati's mother, Sylvia Lazar (Yona) Hashkama Kiddush, The Wagman Family in memory of Stanley Wagman Community Kiddush, Rachel Lurie in commemoration of the yahrzeit of her mother, Klara Markovitz 12:15PM Early Minchah (The Max and Marion Grill Beit Midrash) 2:45PM Bikkur Cholim/Bikkur in the Home (meet at 730 Columbus Avenue) 4:00PM Minchah (3 rd floor), Shabbat afternoon groups (5 th floor) Israel Friedman Daf Yomi 39 Melachot will resume next week Seudah Shlishit Speaker: Rabbi Dovid Zirkind, Brewing Controversy: Halachic and Historical Perspectives on the Starbucks Holiday Cup 5:13PM Shabbat concludes Sun., Nov. 29 Daf Yomi 7:45AM Shach 8:30AM Minchah 4:15PM DAILY SERVICES Mon., Nov Thurs., Dec. 3 Shacharit 7/8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Minchah 4:15PM Fri., Dec. 4 Shacharit 7/8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Candle lighting 4:11PM Minchah 4:15PM WOMEN'S TEHILLIM GROUP Monday, December 7 at 7:15PM. Contact Joyce Weitz for more information at SPECIAL CHANUKAH MAY AND SAMUEL RUDIN LECTURE FEATURING NIALL FERGUSON FROM REFUGEE TO THE WHITE HOUSE: HENRY KISSINGER AND THE AMERICAN JEWISH JOURNEY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 AT 8:00PM Niall Ferguson is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. Book signing to following the lecture. The JC is selling books online and will be selling books at the lecture for a special price of $20. This event is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. Please visit our website to register. NOVEMBER IS MEMBERSHIP MONTH AT THE JC Join Today It s Where You Belong Join by November 30 th and save 20% on dues Discount includes a 14-month membership, through the end of next December. To apply for membership, visit our website or pick up a form in the lobby. Questions? our Membership Committee co-chairs Naomi Goldman and Ron Shapiro at membership@jewishcenter.org. SIXTH ANNUAL TEEN VS. CLERGY BASKETBALL GAME SATURDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 19 AT 7:00PM Tired of seeing your clergy and officers looking like penguins in top hats waddling around the Bima? Come support the JC teens, Rabbis and officers in this all-star game and help raise money for our Youth Department. See the insert for more information. The Jewish Center - The Modern Orthodox Center for Jewish Life and Learning 131 W. 86 th Street, New York, NY

2 YOUTH DEPARTMENT S FALL INTO CHESED DINNER Thank you to everyone who attended the Youth Department s "Fall into Chesed" Shabbat dinner this past Friday. Two boxes of toys were collected for children in need. Our children celebrated their first Tot Shabbat with Devra Siedel. We heard amazing divrei Torah from Sophia & Ava Leibowitz, Gideon Marcus and Jessie Brenner. Parents enjoyed delicious food while children participated in a scavenger hunt, played sports and games and created edible menorot! It was a wonderful atmosphere and a great time was had by all. Thank you again to our committee: Deena Blanchard, Mindy Horowitz and Rona Steinerman. JEWISH CENTER S YOUNG PROFESSIONAL S SOCIAL ACTION FELLOWSHIP DEDICATES SHABBAT TO INCLUSION The Jewish Center Social Action Fellowship focused its programming for November on the subject of inclusion for people with social disabilities in Jewish life. In conjunction with the JCC Adaptations program, 15 of our fellows hosted a Friday Night dinner and game night at The Manhattan JCC for adults with a variety of social and intellectual challenges. The group bonded over familiar food and games, building new friendships and spending Shabbat together. Stay tuned for more opportunities to learn about Adaptations and ways to get involved in future events. YOUTH DEPARTMENT LIBRARY We are pleased to announce that the Youth Department Library has been revamped. Please visit The Max and Marion Grill Beit Midrash and begin reading. Thank you to all who generously donated towards this project. If you have any questions, please our Youth Directors, Jenn & Gaby Minsky. JC DELEGATION AT THE AIPAC POLICY CONFERENCE March in Washington, DC The AIPAC Policy Conference is the pro-israel community's preeminent annual gathering. The event attracts more than 16,000 community and student activists from all 50 states, and more than half of the Senate, a third of the House of Representatives and countless Israeli and American policymakers and thought leaders. Over three jam-packed days, Policy Conference participants choose from hundreds of informative sessions and participate in the pro-israel community's largest and most important advocacy conference. Tickets with The JC discount cost $399 per person. Register before December 31 to lock in this deal. Please visit our website to purchase your tickets. Only 20 tickets left. CELEBRATE CHANUKAH AT THE JC December 8 A Special Chanukah May and Samuel Rudin Lecture featuring Niall Ferguson December 10 Special Chanukah Outing with Rabbi Levine to the Global Citizen: The Architecture of Moshe Safdie exhibit December 11 Special Community Chanukah Oneg and Teen Girls Lounge with Erica Brown December 12 Shabbat with Erica Brown, musical Havdalah, and community candle lighting Daily community candle lighting following Minchah Special youth activities and Shabbat groups JEWISH CENTER UNIVERSITY FALL SEMESTER RUNS THROUGH DECEMBER 18 For more information visit our website or contact Rabbi Dovid Zirkind at dzirkind@jewishcenter.org DAILY (except Shabbat) Israel Friedman Daf Yomi with rotating JCU Faculty, 7:45AM MONDAY Timing is Everything: Studies in Mesechet Kedushin with Rabbi Dovid Zirkind, 8:00PM TUESDAY Nosh and Drash with Dr. Adena Berkowitz, 10:15-11:30AM Jewish History: Judaism in a Christian Empire with Rabbi Ari Lamm, 7:15PM (7 th floor) David, King of Israel Sadye and Henry Bayer Chumash Class with Rabbi Yosie Levine will resume on Thurs., Dec. 3 at 7:00PM WEDNESDAY Women of the Bible with Rabbi Yosie Levine, 11:00AM Parshah/Haftarah Round Table with Rabbi Daniel Fridman, 7:15-8:00PM Advanced Talmud Chabura with Rabbi Daniel Fridman, 8:00PM The Next Level with Rabbi Mark Wildes, 8:00PM SHABBAT Rabbi Israel Silverstein Mishnayot Class with Rabbi Yosie Levine, 8:30AM Hashkama Shiur with rotating JCU Faculty, 9:15AM Israel Friedman Daf Yomi with rotating JCU Faculty 39 Melachot with Rabbi Dovid Zirkind Parent-Child Learning with rotating JCU Faculty, check the bulletin for dates and times To sponsor Kiddush or Seudah Shlishit or a JC event, please contact Aaron at astrum@jewishcenter.org

3 UPCOMING EVENTS A CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION COURSE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BETH DIN OF AMERICA WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 AND THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17 FROM 8:00PM-9:30PM Each class is worth 1.5 ethics credits and costs $75. For session topics, teachers, and to register, please visit our website. SPECIAL CHANUKAH OUTING WITH RABBI LEVINE - GLOBAL CITIZEN: THE ARCHITECTURE OF MOSHE SAFDIE EXHIBIT TOUR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10 AT 11:00AM AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY MUSEUM The exhibition, which traces the trajectory of 2015 AIA Gold Medal Recipient Moshe Safdie s life and work over the course of his more than 50-year career, has been specifically updated for the National Academy presentation and features a new focus on projects devoted to issues of dense urbanism, together with an expanded section exploring the firm s recent and ongoing work across Asia. Among Safdie's most iconic works are Habitat 67, Yad Vashem's Holocaust History Museum and the Mamilla Centre and David's Village in Jerusalem. Tickets for members cost $10 and non-members costs $12. Visit our website to register. Capacity is limited; please register early. SPECIAL COMMUNITY CHANUKAH ONEG SHABBAT, DECEMBER 11 Join us for a community oneg featuring divrei Torah from our clergy and a musical performance by Cantor Chaim David Berson and Mo Kiss. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Details to follow. Please eliane@jewishcenter.org to RSVP. YACHAD SHABBATON SHABBAT, DECEMBER 18 The JC is proud to partner with Manhattan Day School and the Orthodox Union as they host their annual Yachad Shabbaton. Participants will join us for Kabbalat Shabbat followed by a communal Shabbat Dinner. Sponsorship and hospitality opportunities available. For more information and to get involved, contact dzirkind@jewishcenter.org. PERFORMANCE BY THREE UPPER WEST SIDE CANTORS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 AT 8:30PM AT THE JEWISH CENTER Don t miss this performance by Cantor Zevi Muller of West Side Institutional, Cantor Chaim David Berson of The Jewish Center and Cantor Yanky Lemmer of Lincoln Square Synagogue. Light snacks, sushi, wine and drinks will be served. Registration will open shortly. Please direct questions to Cantor Berson at cdberson@jewishcenter.org. SAVE THE DATE: SHABBAT OF SONG FEATURING SIX13 SHABBAT, JANUARY Be a part of this spirited Shabbat which will include lively services, a community Shabbat dinner, and musical Havdalah. YOUTH DEPARTMENT PROGRAMS & UPDATES For more information contact Jenn & Gaby Minsky at jennandgaby@jewishcenter.org. CHILDREN, JOIN US FOR ADON OLAM Children ages 2-6 are encouraged join on the bimah during the Cantor s recitation of Kiddush and then sing Adon Olam together. CHANUKAH PLAYERS PERFORMANCE SHABBAT, NOVEMBER 28 AND DECEMBER 5 Children in grades 1 and 2 are welcome to come and learn a Chanukah play which will be performed on December 5. Jenn if your child is interested in participating. BIRTHDAY KIDDUSH SHABBAT, DECEMBER 5 Celebrate your child's birthday by sponsoring Kiddush in his or her honor. TEEN GIRLS LOUNGE WITH ERICA BROWN EREV SHABBAT, DECEMBER 11 Details to follow. CLERGY VS. TEEN BASKETBALL GAME SATURDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 19 Come and cheer on your favorite rabbis as they are challenged by our youth players! Sponsorship opportunities available. Teens interested in playing should contact Gaby. See the insert for more information. LASER TAG SATURDAY NIGHT, JANUARY 9, 6:30PM - Ages 7 and up, 8:00PM - Teens This sport will keep kids active and engaged while promoting positive game play and teamwork. For prices, sponsorship information and to register, visit our website. COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS THANK YOU TO CSS We would like to once again thank CSS and our dedicated CSS members for providing the security for our synagogue this week. THANK YOU TO OUR USHERS Thank you to our ushers Johnny Glaser and Gilda Chodosh. JOIN ONE OF OUR MAILING LISTS Did you know that many of our committees have listserves? Would you like to join one of them? If so, either the committee chairs or visit our website s homepage o join a mailing list. SHELDON RUDOFF MEMORIAL LECTURE The Beth Din of America and the Orthodox Union invite you to the annual lecture on Tues., Dec. 1 at 8:00PM at The JC. The lecture will be given by Rabbi David Fohrman, Kan Tzipor: The Mystery of the Mother Bird. To register, info@bethdin.org. MUSICAL HAVDALAH SATURDAY NIGHT, DECEMBER 12 ERICA BROWN, JC COMMUNITY SCHOLAR, WILL JOIN US ON SHABBAT, DECEMBER To advertise or list an announcement in The Jewish Center Bulletin, please contact us at eliane@jewishcenter.org

4 Attrition and Ambush Noach Goldstein, William Fischman Rabbinic Intern For centuries Jews have celebrated the Ramban s מעשה אבות סימן insight into Sefer Bereshit that - the stories of Avraham, Yitzchak, and לבנים Yaakov portend what their descendants would experience throughout history - and there is no better example than Yaakov s desperate nighttime clash with the mysterious man, clearly supernatural and identified by Chazal as the guardian angel of Esav. The Ramban understands that Yaakov s victory signaled to his descendants how they would weather the terrible trials of the Exile. The enemy mounted an unprovoked attack on an isolated, vulnerable, and infinitely weaker Yaakov, who nevertheless overcame a harrowing injury to miraculously defeat his immortal opponent. Likewise, generation after generation of Jews would face unbearable blows from vastly stronger powers, and yet somehow would survive, heal, and pass on the national legacy of Israel to the next generation. No longer shall you be called Yaakov but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human and prevailed. We are told that Yaakov and the angel wrestled classically interpreted that the,"עד עלות השחר contest lasted through the night all the way until daybreak. In the Ramban s framework, this evokes the long night of exile, the seemingly endless struggle with an eye to a redemptive dawn hopelessly far off, and the divine vow that we would nevertheless emerge victorious. However, Samuel David Luzzato (Shadal), the 19 th century scholar of Padua, marshals a series of biblical proofs that עד עלות השחר should not be translated until daybreak, but rather at daybreak. 1 According to Shadal, the angel did not attack Yaakov in the dead of night, wrestling with him all the way until morning. Rather it was just as the sunlight struck, when an exhausted Yaakov finally tasted relief and safety, that the angel launched a ferocious blitz. The assault was sudden, unsuspected, and overwhelming. Both perspectives offer paradigms that are all too relevant to the challenge we have grappled with in our homeland over the past weeks and months. On the one hand, the struggle seems like an endless grind, day after day testing the limits of our perseverance with no clear solution in sight. And yet each new headline comes as a sudden, staggering blow, our creeping hope for quiet dashed by yet another devastating attack. Shadal also points out that Yaakov s injury was too severe for a human opponent to inflict. Even in the National Football League, a true hip dislocation is exceptionally rare. The blow was too great for a mortal to deliver, the pain should have been too unbearable for a mortal to endure, and the foe should have been too terrible for a mortal to overcome. But Yaakov did not draw only on mortal strength. Not for nothing do we call Hashem the אבות.מגן Divine support enabled Yaakov to become Israel, and has enabled B nai Israel to endure each ordeal from ancient Egypt to the Gush Etzion Junction. When Yaakov exits from his encounter with Esav we are told ויבא יעקב שלם and Ramban explains that just as Yaakov was healed from his trauma so would his descendants recover from theirs. Let us pray to experience that blessing speedily, in our time. 1 Two of Shadal s examples for "עד" meaning at are in fact in Sefer Bereshit: see 13:12 and 38:1. Clergy & Staff Yosie Levine Rabbi Dovid Zirkind Assistant Rabbi Chaim David Berson Cantor Daniel Fridman Resident Scholar Ari Lamm Resident Scholar Erica Brown Community Scholar Noach Goldstein William Fischman Rabbinic Intern Aaron Strum Executive Director Eliane Dreyfuss Glassman Director of Programming and Communications Jenn & Gaby Minsky Youth Directors OFFICERS Avi Schwartz President Andrew Borodach First Andrew Kaplan Mark Segall Rose Lynn Sherr Michael Jacobs Assistant Yaron Kinar Treasurer Len Berman Assistant Treasurer Miri Lipsky Secretary Phone Numbers Ilana Gadish Yoetzet Halacha Jewish Center Chevra Kadisha x555 UWS Mikvah Hatzalah Eruv Status x4

5 THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF CHANUKAH: A BRIEF OVERVIEW RABBI DOVID ZIRKIND Chanukah commemorates the spiritual and military victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks and Hellenized Jews. It begins on the eve of the 25 th of Kislev, corresponding (this year) to Sunday night, December 6, 2015 through Monday night, December 14, The following is a list of important laws to help fulfill the beautiful mitzvot of Chanukah in the optimal manner. LIGHTING THE MENORAH 1. Ideally, every member of the household, including younger children capable of understanding the concept of Chanukah, should light his or her own menorah. Married women may fulfill their obligation to light through their husbands, but may also light the menorah individually. 2. Those sleeping at the home of another over Chanukah should furnish their own Menorah and candles/oil. In the event that they cannot do so, they may join in the kindling done by the household members and should contribute a small amount of money to become a partner in the lighting. 3. Often, people are invited out for a Chanukah party, wedding or similar event into the evening hours. If they plan on returning home later in the evening, they should light at home even if the hour is late. A visitor away from home should light in the place where he is sleeping, even if all his or her meals are eaten elsewhere and even if one will arrive home late. 4. The menorah should be lit at tzeit hakochavim (nightfall) and should continue burning for 30 minutes. Tzeit hakochavim is approximately 42 minutes following sunset - for the week of Chanukah in New York City, at about 5:15PM. Ideally, one should not become involved in any activity within a reasonable amount of time before sunset, including eating, and it is preferable to daven Maariv before this time as well. 5. If one has to leave the house, it is permitted to extinguish the candles after they have burnt for half an hour after tzeit hakochavim. Upon returning, there is no need to rekindle the lights though it certainly is permitted to do so. If the flames die out before the proper amount of time has elapsed, they should be rekindled without any additional blessing. 6. In the event that one is unable to light at the optimal time, candles may be lit later, even if one arrives home after everyone has gone to sleep. There is no need to wake anyone up for candle lighting. 7. Shalom bayit is a paramount value in Halacha, and therefore it is permissible (and even encouraged) to delay lighting Chanukah candles until one s spouse arrives at home even if that will not take place at the halachically optimal time. 8. Traveling during Chanukah can present issues regarding lighting Chanukah candles, depending on when the travel takes place and for how long, to where and whether anyone is still at home. Each situation is unique, so if this applies to you, please contact the JC Clergy and we look forward to discussing it with you further. THE CANDLES AND THE BLESSINGS 1. All oils and candles are permitted for use in the Menorah; however it is preferable to light with olive oil, ideally with wicks made of cotton or linen. New wicks are not needed every night. If one is using store-bought olive oil, one should declare explicitly that it is not being used solely for Chanukah candles. Oil left over in the receptacles after the Menorah has been lit for the requisite amount of time may be thrown out, or used the next night. 2. The candle holders or oil receptacles should be positioned in one level and on a straight line. The lights are placed in the menorah from right to left before kindling and are lit from left to right. 3. Menorot may be kindled anywhere inside one s home. Optimally, they should face outside, or should be in one s doorway (inside or outside) opposite the mezuzah. Care should be taken in the placement of the Menorah, as it is forbidden to move it once it is lit. Safety should also be a paramount concern when it comes to candle lighting, so the menorah should not be placed on or near anything flammable, precarious or otherwise dangerous. EREV SHABBAT 1. On Erev Shabbat, there should be sufficient oil or candle-length, enough that the menorah can burn 30 minutes after nightfall. Because Shabbat is accepted when Shabbat candles are lit, one must light the Menorah before the Shabbat candles. 2. On Motzei Shabbat in shul, the Menorah is lit followed by Havdalah. In one s home, Havdalah is recited first, followed by lighting the Chanukah candles. PRAYERS 1. The prayer of הנסים Al /על Hanissim, is inserted in both the Shemoneh Esrai and Birkat Hamazon; in the event that it is omitted, one need not repeat either prayer. The Jewish Center 131 W. 86 th Street, New York, NY

6