S S November 13-14, 2015 2 Kislev 5776 P T Torah Reading - Page 124 Haftorah - Page 1137
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES Scholar In Residence Weekend Lewis Groner & Dr. Lawrence Schiffman and Beth Israel Youth Group (BIYG) See Page 4-5 for more information Saturday, November 14 Shacharit... 9:00 a.m. Shabbat Morning Sermon - The Blessings of Being From Omaha Shabbat Morning Class Schedule (page 7) Monthly Simcha Kiddush... 12:00 p.m. Insights on the Weekly Parsha... 4:00 p.m. Mincha & Seudah Shlishit... 4:30 p.m. Havdalah... 5:50 p.m. Lewis Groner in the home of Joel Alperson... 7:00 p.m. Big City v. Small City Judaism Is One Better for the Soul? BIYG (5th Grade & Older) Youth Lounge... 7:00 p.m. Sunday, November 15 Shacharit... 9:00 a.m. Bagels & Beit Medrash... 9:45 a.m. Scholar In Residence: Dr. Lawrence Schiffman... 10:00 a.m. Who Wrote the Bible: An Orthodox Response to Biblical Criticism BIYG (Youth of All Ages) Youth Lounge... 10:00 a.m. Shavua Tov Israel... 1:00 p.m. Monday, November 16 Shacharit... 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 17 Shacharit... 7:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 18 Shacharit... 7:00 a.m. Thursday, November 19 - Day of Learning Shacharit... 7:00 a.m. Women s Class... 9:30 a.m. Scholar s Club for 6th Grade... 3:30 p.m. Bible Quiz Review... 6:00 p.m. Avot U Banim... 7:00 p.m. Talmud Learning... 8:00 p.m. Friday, November 20 Shacharit... 7:00 a.m. Mincha/Maariv & Kabbalat Shabbat... 4:44 p.m. Candle Lighting... 4:44 p.m. 2
...Simcha Kiddush Sponsors: Beth Israel in honor of the visit of Lew Groner, Rabbi Raphael Groner, Glady Groner, Aviva Guttman and Matti Shicker; Eliad Eliyahu & Sara Ben Shushan in honor of Ittiel s 1st birthday; Jake & Susan Besser in honor of Jake s birthday; Eyal & Ruti Margalit s anniversary & in honor of Tal & Noam s birthdays; Jack & Bette Kozlen in honor of Bette s birthday, Jeff & Sharon Kirshenbaum in honor of Sharon s birthday; Toba Cohen-Dunning & Eric Dunning in honor of Toba s birthday Jr. Fall Convention / Grades 6-8 St. Louis, Missouri / November 20-22 Join kids from the Midwest for an unforgettable Shabbat experience. Speak with Rabbi Weiss for more information. Global Day of Jewish Learning Sunday, November 15 / 1-5pm Jewish Community Center Keynote Speaker - Dr. Ron Wolfson Breakout sessions with Joanie Latchow, Dr. Halla Kim, Dr. Moshe Gershovich, Dr. Curtis Hutt, Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, and Marty Shukert. Rabbinic Panel @ 4:15pm with Rabbi Steven Abraham and Rabbi Ari Dembitzer. Presented by the Center for Jewish Life. Shirley and David Goodman are delighted to announce the birth of their great grandson - Tzur Noam, son of Ya'el and Avi Margolin and the engagement of their grandson Avi Gluck to Oriya Turgemon. All these blessings took place in Israel just a little over a week ago. Thank you to David & Shirley for sponsoring and making the Shabbat Cake and the Day of Learning this week in honor of these two beautiful events. 3
November 13-14 - Lewis Groner A Rabbi s Son Returns to Omaha After nearly 50 years since last celebrating Shabbat at Beth Israel, Lew Groner, the son of Rabbi Benjamin and Rebbetzin Frances Groner, of blessed memory, returns to our shul as a scholar-inresidence November 13-14. He will share uplifting insights and entertaining anecdotes during a Shabbat entitled, A Rabbi s Son Returns Home. Rabbi Groner led Beth Israel in the 1950s and 60s when it had the largest membership of any synagogue in the city, and he was the first rabbi of the newly constructed shul on 52nd Street. Lew will reflect on growing up as the son of a distinguished Orthodox rabbi and what being from Omaha has meant to him, his parents, and his siblings. Friday, November 13 6 p.m. Shabbat Dinner Followed by Reflections on Life as a Rabbi s Son There will be a kids program and babysitting during the presentation. $12 adults, $6 children ages 4-12, free for children 3 and under. Dinner will include soup, chicken, vegetables, and dessert Reservations can be made on the website, calling the synagogue office, or using Shabbos cards. Saturday, November 14 Shabbat Morning Sermon - The Blessings of Being From Omaha Saturday, November 14 7 p.m. Reception & Presentation Big City v. Small City Judaism Is One Better for the Soul? at the home of Joel Alperson, 17051 Pasadena Ct Many thanks to Marty & Iris Ricks for sponsoring the Scholar-in-Residence weekend. Nov 15. 10 a.m. - Dr. Lawrence Schiffman Who Wrote the Bible: An Orthodox Response to Biblical Criticism Lawrence H. Schiffman is the Judge Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Director of the Global Institute for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies. He has served as the Chair of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Between 2011 and 2014, he served as Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Judaic Studies at Yeshiva University. 4
Saturday, November 14th at 7:00 p.m. 5th Grade and Older Youth Youth will meet downstairs with Yaakov & Shimmy for Movie Night & Pizza Youth of All Ages Sunday, November. 15th at 10:00 a.m. Youth will meet downstairs with Yaakov & Shimmy for Football, Foosball, & Fun Get your game face on for the Annual Thanksgiving Football & Learning! Thursday, November 26th 9:00 a.m. Shacharit 10:00 a.m. Football & Learning 5
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! The Rose Blumkin Jewish Home is in need of volunteers to lead Shabbat and holiday services. Please consider being a part of this program, providing this wonderful service for the residents. Contact the synagogue office for more info. A total of 37 Omaha teens will be traveling to Israel as part of the Omaha Teen Trip joining the Partnership2GETHER Teen Mega Mission! December 20, 2015 - January 1, 2016 All participating teens must attend study sessions with Eliad which will also include dinner. Study sessions dates and locations are as follows: November 18, 6-8pm at Beth El December 2, 6-8pm at JCC Beth Israel Sisterhood Gift Shop The gift shop has games, toys, and other items for weddings, babies, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, or just for yourself. Visit the Gift Shop anytime during synagogue office hours Monday - Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mikvah News For mikvah access, please contact Dani Shrago at (402) 333-6108. The community Mikvah is located in the Blumkin Home on the JCC campus. Everyone is asked to please give as much notice as possible. 6
In order to ensure the Shabbos Sheet is compiled, edited and printed on Friday mornings of each week all submissions are due by 10:00 a.m., Wednesday. CJKL S MLJLM C SNKOK The Youth of Beth Israel Part I Aleph Beit - All ages 10:00-10:30 in the Chapel Parsha and Midot - Ages 3-6 10:15-10:30 in the Social Hall Topics in Jewish Life - Boys, Ages 11 and older 10:00-11:00 in the Social Hall NEW Junior Congregation Children in grades 6 and younger 10:30-10:50 (Haftorah sermon) in the Chapel NEW During Haftorah and sermon, children sixth grade and younger will join Eliad and Rabbi Weiss for Junior Congregation in the beautiful new Youth Lounge. TePillah & Parsha - Girls, Ages 5-12 10:50-11:25 in the Teen Lounge Parsha and Life Lessons - Ages 6 and older 11:00-11:25 in the Chapel Tot Shabbat - Ages 3-6 10:50-11:20 in the playroom Advanced Parsha - Boys, Ages 13 and older 11:00-11:30 in the Social Hall The Youth of Beth Israel Part II 12:00pm Mishna L Neshamah - All ages (children under age 5 must attend with a parent) in the Sanctuary Teen Class - Grades 6 and up in the Social Hall MINYAN UPDATE To assure the scheduling of mincha/ maariv minyan times in advance, please contact the of)ice by the Wednesday of the week before the date. This allows the synagogue to include those times in the weekly schedule and also allow minyan attendees to adjust their schedules accordingly. 7
November Calendar at a Glance: November 20-22, Jr NCSY Shabbaton @ St. Louis November 26, Annual Thanksgiving Football Game Mark your calendar for the upcoming Scholar in Residence January 8-10 Rabbi Elchonon Zohn Get An Afterlife Sponsored by David & Shirley Goodman Shop Amazon and Help Beth Israel! Buy ANYTHING on Amazon - including Kindle books - and earn cash for Beth Israel Synagogue. Every purchase you make on Amazon that begins on the Beth Israel website will return a percentage of your purchase to the synagogue. The link is found on the Beth Israel website at www.orthodoxomaha.org. Register online for all Beth Israel events directly from the website. You can also pay for events now via credit card or bill your account directly. If you have any questions or need help please contact the synagogue ofkice. www.orthodoxomaha.org 8
Will not meet November 29th Caffe Ivrit with Eliad Eliyahu Shaliach Do you have basic skills in Hebrew and want to improve upon them? We have just the class for you! Join this class every Sunday at 2:30 pm at Beth Israel. Will not meet November 15th 9
Questions for the Torah Reading Answered before the Haftorah Reading 1. Why did Yitzchak love Eisav? 2. Besides the famous lentil soup, what else did Yaakov give to Eisav? 3. What was the name of the Kirst well that was dug that was not a point of contention with the locals? 4. What was the name of Eisav s wives? 5. Did Yaakov steal the birthright? 10
1st Aliya: Yitzchak is 40 years old (2088) when he marries Rivkah. After 20 years, Esav and Yakov are born. The Parsha jumps from their birth to Yakov's purchase of the 1st born rights from Esav at the age of 15. (2123 - the day Avraham died) 2nd Aliya: The Parsha returns to the story of Yitzchak and Rivkah and the famine which forces them to settle among the Plishtim. Yitzchak, like his father before him, has a moral confrontation with Avimelech, after which his Kields are uniquely prolikic and Kinancially successful. 3rd Aliya: Yitzchak's Kinancial success leads to jealousy with his Plishtim neighbors. He re-digs Avraham's wells, resulting in a confrontation with the Plishtim over water rights. He moves back to Beer Sheva. 4th Aliya: Hashem (G-d), in a dream, conkirms for Yitzchak the future of his children. Avimelech, the King of the Plishtim, and his General, Phicol, approach Yitzchak to make a peace treaty. 5th Aliya: The treaty between Yitzchak and the Plishtim is celebrated. The Parsha returns to the story of Yakov and Esav. Esav's marriage to two Canaanite women at the age of 40 (2148) brings disappointment to Yitzchak and Rivkah. In 2171, when Yakov and Esav are 63 and Yitzchak is 123, Yitzchak blesses Yakov and Esav. The Parsha details the duplicity of Yakov and Rivkah in fooling Yitzchak. 6th Aliya: Yitzchak blesses Yakov with spiritual and material gain, after which Esav returns to discover Yakov's plot. He receives his own blessing for material gain, and is determined to kill Yakov. Rivkah, fearful for Yakov's life, convinces Yitzchak to send Yakov to her brother Lavan in search of a shiduch - a wife. Yitzchak conkirms on Yakov the future of the Jewish nation before his departure to Lavan. 7th Aliya: Yakov departs for Padan Aram, and Esav marries the daughter of Yishmael. (his 1/2 1st cousin) Source: (torah.org) 11
WELCOME TO BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE We are delighted to welcome you to Beth Israel Synagogue. A passage from Deuteronomy 30:11-14 inspired the art work in the sanctuary. For this commandment that I command you today - it is not hidden from you and it is not distant. It is not in heaven, [for you] to say, Who can ascend to the heaven for us and take it for us so that we can listen to it and perform it? Nor is it across the seas, [for you] to say, Who can cross to the other side of the sea for us and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and perform it? Rather, the matter is very near to you - in your mouth and your heart - to perform it. The focal point of the sanctuary is the Menorah Window, which frames the Ark and is shaped in the form of the six branched candelabrum. To the right, brilliantly colored window has forms that reklect the heavens, while the left side depicts the seas. The message is completed in a frieze, the horizontal painting on wood mounted on the wall. The background of the frieze symbolically and abstractly represents the relationship between G-d and the people of Israel through the Covenant. The perochet, or curtain over the Ark, completes the symbolic composition, with an expression that intertwines the Torah and the letter Aleph, the Kirst letter of the Hebrew alphabet, of the Ten Commandments, and of G-d s name in Hebrew. As is traditional, the sanctuary has 12 windows, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. These windows contain the name of each tribe in Klowing, organic letters. The windows are located above the continued frieze, which includes two central texts of the revelation at Sinai - If you will keep my Covenant, you shall be precious to me, and You shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. This composition expresses the unity of Israel as the people stood together at Sinai and accepted the Torah. Beth Israel Synagogue strives to perpetuate the legacy of Torah Judaism in the modern world. Beth Israel welcomes all persons of the Jewish faith to join and accepts the diversity of practice and thought among its members. Toba Cohen-Dunning, President Rabbi Ari Dembitzer, Senior Rabbi Rabbi Yaakov Weiss, Assistant Rabbi Jeannie Nickels, OfKice Manager Leo Fettman, Cantor Emeritus 12604 PaciKic Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68154 (402) 556-6288 / www.orthodoxomaha.org