March 23, 2007–
Nisan 5, 5767
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Contents
of the Shabbat O Gram:
(Click
to scroll down)
Just
the Facts (service schedule)
The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities
The
Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary
Required Reading and Action Items (links
to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)
Announcements (goings on in and around
TBE)
See photos of our TBE teens at
our new USY
website:
A Bravura Performance!
Check out www.tbe.org for more photos from last
week’s scintillating Cantors’ Concert,
Plus Purim photos, Passover
downloads, April’s Synaplex Schedule
and our extensive library of
photo albums,
articles, sermons, info about
the temple,
Shabbat-O-Grams and links to
the Jewish world.
Quote for the Week
From Avraham Infeld, this week’s Community Scholar in
Residence
I run summer camps for
about 2,000 16-year old Israeli and American kids every summer. There I am, one
Sunday morning with 150 handpicked Israeli teenagers. Yuppies. The 300 Jewish
American kids arrive and I watch them all walk into the dining room together. I
cannot tell who is who, they all look the same-wearing jeans, T-shirts, Nikes,
Reeboks, and pierced body parts.
The Americans are from NFTY, the youth division of
the Reform movement, and at the end of the meal, the American rabbi gets up and
says - 'Alright kids, the birkat .' What we call birkat hamazon (prayer
after meals). The American kids sing the birkat in Hebrew, in beautiful
harmony. The Israeli kids sat there in total shock. They had never seen it,
they had never heard it. They had no idea what it was. They had no idea what it
was good for.
And they
were the only ones who understood it!
Mark your calendar for something very special:
Passover festival services
on days 2 and 7 this year will be held in unison with Temple Shalom of
Greenwich
Day 2 will be in
Days 1 and 8 will be held
here, as usual.
Children’s Service
with Nurit will be held at 10:30 on days 1,7 and 8.
Candle lighting: 6:51 pm on Friday, 23 March 2007. For candle lighting times, Havdalah
times, other Jewish calendar information, and to download a Jewish calendar to your
PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/. To see the festivals of other faiths as
well, go to http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/. The United Synagogue has updated its
candlelighting information. To learn more, click here.
Friday Evening:
Kabbalat Shabbat: 6:30 PM
– in the lobby
Tot Shabbat: 6:45 PM
– in the Kindergarten Room (note different location!)
Shabbat Morning:
Service begins at 9:30 AM
Mazal Tov to JOELLE PEIKES, WHO
BECOMES bAT MITZVAH THIS SHABBAT MORNING!
Children’s
Services: 10:30 AM
Shabbat Mincha: 5:30 PM
–
MAZAL TOV TO TESS LITCHMAN, WHO BECOMES BAT MITZVAH THIS
SHABBAT AFTERNOON!
Our Torah Portion
for Shabbat Morning
Parashat VaYikra – The Book of Leviticus begins
פרשת ויקרא
1: 4:27-31
2: 4:32-35
3: 5:1-10
4: 5:11-13
5: 5:14-16
6: 5:17-19
7: 5:20-26
maf: 5:24-26
Haftarah: Isaiah 43:21 - 44:23
If
you liked Storahtelling, you’ll LOVE Storahtelling’s new weekly blog
about the Torah portion Find it at http://storahtelling.blogspot.com/. ORT
Navigating the Bible; Rashi
in English; BibleGateway:
Useful for comparing different translations: Note- this is a Christian site.
What’s
Bothering Rashi (Bonchek) Each week, one example from the parashah is
deconstructed. See a weekly commentary from the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet, at www.ujc.org/mekorchaim. Read the Masorti commentary at http://www.masorti.org/mason/torah/index.asp. University of Judaism,
JTS commentary is at: http://www.jtsa.edu/community/parashah/.
USCJ Torah
THE ENTIRE
HEBREW BIBLE (AS WELL AS OTHER JEWISH SOURCES) CAN BE FOUND WITH SIDE-BY-SIDE
TRANSLATION AT http://www.mechon-mamre.org/
100
Blessings: Download information about the grace
after meals (see Birkat
Ha-mazon explained in Wikipedia and in the Jewish
Virtual Library) The actual
prayer can be downloaded at Birkat
Hamazon [pdf]
Morning Minyan
7:30 Weekdays, 9:30 Sundays
TO ENSURE A “GUARANTEED MINYAN” FOR
THE DAY OF YOUR YAHRZEIT – GO TO THE ROSNER MINYAN MAKER AT WWW.TBE.ORG AND ALSO CONTACT ME AT RABBI@TBE.ORG.
We’ve had several people coming lately
who are saying kaddish following recent deaths in the family. We want to make sure we have a minyan
each day. Your presence any morning is greatly appreciated!
Passover Resources
(see Spiritual Journeys section below for more Passover
material)
Download our TBE Sale
of Hametz Form
My own Passover guide A Guide for the Perplexed
Keeping the
Story Alive: Questions and Reflections for the Seder Table
COMMUNITY SEDER
Second Night of Passover
Tuesday, April 3 at 7PM
Click for more information
Those high school students wishing to attend services on Passover,
April 3, 4, 9 and 10, may obtain an absentee letter for their school’s
attendance office by contacting Ellen at 322-6901, ext. 308 or TempleSec@tbe.org.
Passover: Guided
Learning from MyJewishLearning.com
Guided Learning
presents the content for this section by level of depth, and offers you a
specific order by which to read through the articles at each level. You can go
directly to one of the four levels by clicking below, or take a quiz that will suggest
the appropriate level for you based on your results. Or, you can opt to start
at the Primer and work your way through all four levels of Guided Learning one
by one. Quiz
on Passover Level
I: Primer Level
II: Topical Overviews Level
III: Deeper Explorations Level
IV: Analysis & Interpretation
For a host of other Pesach links:
And finally…
Two nice links if you are interested in getting rid of the
“hametz of the soul” http://hillel.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Passover/TO_Pesach_Home/Isaacs_Leaven_717/SpiritualHamezt_555.htm
http://www.rebgoldie.com/pesachrituals.htm
The
(occasionally)
Today we set
my own rantings aside
in favor of
some creative efforts and writings from our TBE family,
and
beyond…
Our entire
Jewish community has been enthralled this week by the message of our first
community scholar in residence, Avraham Infeld. Some of his views are summarized in this
essay, first published in 2001: We will Not Survive as a Nation Without a
I arrived in
Hebrew is vital to the
Jewish people because the language is the way in which culture transfers itself
from generation to generation. We Zionists lie when we say we took a dead
language and turned it into a living language. It isn't true. We took a
living language and turned it into a spoken language . Every rabbinical Responsa
throughout the generations was written in Hebrew.
When a Jew tried to
speak German it came out Yiddish. Why? Because there were certain things you
could only say in Hebrew. When a Jew tried to speak Persian, it came out
Persian-Hebrew, Spanish - Ladino, Arabic - Mugrabit. Hebrew as a conveyer of
central concepts of Jewish life has always been essential to our lives.
---------------------------------
At my welcoming party in
Imagine the following conversation between myself and Bob. Bob, are you
religious? He says 'God forbid.' Do you ever eat kosher? 'If there is
nothing else available, I'll eat the stuff.' Do you ever keep Shabbat? 'No.'
Do you ever pray? 'No.' Do you ever go to synagogue or temple? 'I
go once a year to see the guys'. Are you religious? 'NO.' What
is Judaism? 'A religion.' What are you? 'I am Jewish.' Great
logic, right?
He could have done the same thing to
me.
Do you ever keep Shabbat? 'At least once a week.' Do you ever
pray? 'Three times a day.' Do you ever eat kosher? 'All the time.' Is
Judaism a religion. 'NO way.' What are you? 'I am Jewish.'
Check out this
creative startup project being
coordinated by
TBE Member
Michael
Swartz! It’s called
“Refunds
For Good”
Read on!
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And check out
this fantastic article on the latest Bar Mitzvah trends, by TBE’s Own
Gabi Birkner, writing for the
Latest Philanthropy Trend: Giving Away Bar Mitzvah Gifts
BY
GABRIELLE BIRKNER –
http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=50519
The latest movers and shakers on the
philanthropy scene may now be in the middle of a game of freeze dance.
Teenagers celebrating their bar and bat
mitzvahs have emerged as a major charitable force — with many giving away
their monetary gifts totaling millions annually.
An eighth-grader who has severe nut
allergies, Ian Callender, recently asked invitees to his James Bond-themed bar
mitzvah party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to donate to the Jaffe Food
Allergy Institute. The
Ian's family asked him to consider giving
away his bar mitzvah money, and the youngster decided it should go to help
other people with food allergies. "Every time I go to a restaurant, I have
to ask, ‘Are there nuts in this?' and ‘Am I okay eating
this?'" Ian, now 14, said. "It's been a major part of my life. I
wanted to make my gift personal."
An Upper East Sider who relished his
summers at sleep-away camp, Jacob Lewin, used his bar mitzvah money to
establish a $15,000 summer camp scholarship fund, benefiting children with
life-threatening illnesses. In advance of her bat mitzvah, Meredith Bilski of
Through a bar mitzvah philanthropy program
called "Give a Mitzvah — Do a Mitzvah," 27 teenagers last year
gave away a total of more than $400,000 to UJA-Federation of
In 2006, one local "Give a Mitzvah
— Do a Mitzvah" participant raised $53,000, which paid for heating,
cooking fuel, and warm clothing for impoverished, elderly Jews in St.
Petersburg, Russia. Another collected $52,000 to fund outdoor adventure
experiences for disabled teenagers in
Mitzvah is the Hebrew word for commandment,
but also is used to connote a good deed.
Not all families follow the same model of
bar mitzvah giving. Some pay into collective synagogue- or community-based
funds — and give their bar and bat mitzvah-age children the precocious
responsibility of making grants with that money. Such a fund was established
last year at Ansche Chesed, a Conservative synagogue on the
"It's very easy for kids to get very
big eyes, and say, ‘I'm going to buy the biggest iPod that ever
was,'" the spiritual leader of Ansche Chesed, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky,
said. The synagogue's philanthropy projects teach youngsters that their
coming-of-age ceremonies aren't about iPods or whatever loot their bar or bat
mitzvah money can buy, Rabbi Kalmanofsky said. "It makes it, as the saying
goes, a little less bar and a little more mitzvah — and I think that's a
wonderful thing," he said.
A father of a child who recently celebrated
his bar mitzvah, Hugh Pollack, said the focus on bar mitzvah philanthropy helps
deflect attention from the lavish parties that so often mark the occasion.
"Maybe after some of the excesses got people thinking, ‘Wait, we
should really take a look at this," Dr. Pollack, whose son donated some of
his bar mitzvah money to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, said.
Some teenagers are even using their bar or
bat mitzvah money to set up 20-year charitable "Bnai Tzedek"
endowments in their names. Each year, about 5% of that endowment is donated to
a charity Jewish chosen by the teenager.
This endowment model of bar mitzvah giving
was pioneered a decade ago by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. More recently,
the Springfield, Mass.-based foundation, partnering with community-based Jewish
groups, has helped establish 36 Bnai Tzedek programs in 26 states, and three
Canadian provinces.
Even a decade ago, doing a volunteer
project or giving away money wasn't de rigueur for youngsters celebrating their
bar or bat mitzvahs, a Bnai Tzedek director, Valerie Gintis, said. "Now,
it's not just about studying with a rabbi, and planning a party," she
said. "Now, the mitzvah project has become part of the rite-of-passage
— part of the ritual itself."
And speaking of “TBE’s own” in the journalistic field,
check out Sam Ginsburg’s column in the Pitt News:
“Hamas no better than
school bully”
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunties
Beth El Cares
Cathy Satz (968-9191; csscounsel@yahoo.com)Cheryl Wolff (968-6361; cwolff@optonline.net)BETH EL CARES co-chairs
Mitzvah Project
for Alex Rosenberg
My Bar Mitzvah
project is to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald
house is a “home away from home” for family members to stay when a
child is in the hospital with a serious illness.
I will be doing
this in two different ways. One is by making and selling buttons, with whatever
design you would like on them (see samples above). The second is by collecting
the metal caps on the top of cans which will then get turned into the Ronald
McDonald fund to recycle in exchange for cash.
There are two
ways you can help me with my project. One is by ordering 1” pins, which
are one dollar each; email me at the address below and I can make custom
designs for you. I will also leave a specially marked container by the office
at the temple, as well as other places around town, where you can leave can
tabs for me to turn in for cash.
Thank you in
advance!
Alex Rosenberg
ANYONE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF WHERE
TO ACQUIRE A BRAILLE TYPEWRITER –
PLEASE CONTACT STEFFI BLOCH AT 322-4267
The Highest Level of Tzedakkah: Job Networking
Experienced MBA with solid background in Information Technology &
Finance seeking position to use technical and analytical skills. Primarily
interested in Finance and Investment industry. Skills and interests include
Business Analysis, Business Process Re-engineering, Operations & Project
Management, System Design and Enhancement and Business Modeling Concepts. I can vouch for this person being a real mensch. Contact me at rabbi@tbe.org
if you can perform this great mitzvah of networking
Free Them Now
Ehud Goldwasser Eldad Regev Gilad Schalit
Kidnapped Israeli Soldiers
• Sign the petition at www.freethesoldiers.org
Pre-Passover
Hametz Food Collection
As you clean your cupboards in preparation for Passover, please consider
donating unopened boxes, bags and cans of hametz to a local food pantry. For your convenience, you can deposit
those items in a box outside the Helen Golin Gift Shop, from March 22nd
to 28th. We will then deliver
the food to a local food pantry.
Check your e-mail for more information.
There is a custom today to add the Imahot (Matriarchs) to
the first blessing of the Amidah .
Is it permissible to do so according to Jewish law?
We’ve
been following this egalitarian practice for a decade now, and it is a change
with the backing of Conservative Halachic authorities - and the change has been incoropated
into a number of Conservative prayerbooks.
For an opposing view, see this recently released responsa from Rabbi
David Golinkin of the Schechter Institute in
I have been impressed by the sincere desire to include the Imahot in the Amidah and to make the Amidah more relevant. The problem is not the goal but rather the method . The method of changing the beginning and ending of the Avot is contrary to halakhah , contrary to our liturgy and contrary to classical theology as explained above, and stems from the fact that the idea apparently originated with Jews who are not well-versed in Jewish law and in Hebrew. (24)
But
there is an authentic way to insert changes and innovations into the Amidah
and that is through the use of piyyutim . From the talmudic peorid
onward, liturgical poets continually composed piyyutim in which they
expounded the weekly portion and even related to contemporary events. (25) This
approach was especially popular in the
Rabbi Dr. Einat Ramon , the Dean of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem , has composed such a piyyut and it is found in an Appendix to this teshuvah .(27) I hope that such piyyutim will be adopted by synagogues who wish to incorporate the Imahot into the Amidah in a halakhic and authentic fashion.
Appendix
A Piyyut about the Imahot
for Inclusion in the Avot Blessing
by Rabbi Dr. Einat Ramon
to be inserted after the words “l'ma'an
shemo b'ahavah” :
Navo'ah oholei Sarah, Rivka, Rachel
v'Leah.
Utehi gemilut hasdeihen lefaneinu b'khol eit
u'v'khol sha'ah.
Translation:
Let us enter the tents of Sarah, Rebecca,
Rachel and Leah. May their acts of loving-kindness be an example to us at all
times.
Passover
Journeys
Passover through Archaeology
and Rare Documents
This interactive site
features rare artifacts from the collection of the JTS Library, including
Haggadah manuscripts from throughout history. Download them and bring them to your
seder!
I give this one Four Stars
–(or maybe four cups, or whatever)
And for those looking for Passover melodies from around the world, go
to
http://www.piyut.org.il/cgi-bin/search.pl?lang=en&YearCicle=9&Tradition=&RulerComponents=yearcycles
Here are five different versions of Had Gadya!
|
Ashkenaz - Switzerland tradition,
Yitzhak and Mordechai Brom performance |
From JewishFreeware.org
5767
/ 2007 PASSOVER SEDER SONGBOOK: PDF
This is the newest 2007 "upgrade"
of the Songbook for your Seder of more than 80 popular, parody and traditional
songs in English, Hebrew and a few in Yiddish. A songbook for all ages.
5767
BASIC PASSOVER HAGGADAH: PDF
This very basic and brief Haggadah is
intended for the most elementary Seder, perhaps for the less experienced leader
or the family with young children. Download the PDF and print as needed. It
does NOT have all the songs in the 5767 Seder Songbook, and I would encourage
you to download the Seder Songbook and print it separately for your selective
use.
NEW
5767 / 2007 HAROSET WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE: PDF
Haroset - no matter how you spell it is one
of the very special treats for the Seder. Yet it is a very important part of
the ritual - whether maror is dipped in it alone or the Hillel
"sandwich." The ingredients have varied from the time of the Talmud
and from country to country. Download as a PDF. For home or for schools. Read,
eat and enjoy.
5767
/ 2007 JEWISH FAMILY HEIRLOOM HAGGADAH: PDF
Every family has their own unique needs,
interests and wants for their Passover Seder. Download this English PDF for
Suggestions and Helpful Hints to create and tailor a Haggadah to make it
maximally appropriate to your family. No more cut-and-paste with paper, xeroxes
with funny lines and white-out, pictures that aren’t quite legible. In
short, you can publish your own Pesah Haggadah for your Seder, and you can do
so easily using desk-top publishing. In creating your own family Haggadah, you
are also creating your own Family Heirloom, a treasury of memories for many years
and generations to come. You use edition or you can “update” it as
the family grows.
5767
/ 2007 COMPLETE PASSOVER HAGGADAH (Davkawriter 6 Platinum edition)
This is the complete Haggadah and Songbook
in Hebrew, English and Transliteration. Download into Davkawriter 6 for the
maximum effect in Hebrew and English format support to edit your own Haggadah.
Each section of the Haggadah has been separated to facilitate ease of editing.
5767
/ 2007 COMPLETE PASSOVER HAGGADAH: PDF
This is the complete traditional Haggadah
and an accompanying Songbook for your Seder. Download it as a PDF. Each section
of the Haggadah and each Song has been separated such that you can edit for
yourself from the PDF print-out the contents for your Seder.
5767
/ 2007 COMPLETE PASSOVER HAGGADAH: .rtf Edition
This complete Haggadah and Songbook is
available in an .rtf file that can be downloaded especially to an earlier
Davkawriter edition, Mellel II for the MAC and also to any other wordprocessor
for editing and printing. Each Seder section and Song is separate to facilitate
editing your own Haggadah.
5767
/ 2007 COMPLETE PASSOVER HAGGADAH: Davkawriter 3.0 and higher
This edition of the traditional Haggadah
and the Songbook is available to those who have an earlier Davkawriter 3.0 and
higher edition (but not Davkawriter 6). Download and then edit your own
Haggadah.
And thanks to Lori Tobin for sending along this very cute Passover video,
“Manischewitzville”
http://one.revver.com/watch/193542
FIFTEEN WAYS
YOU KNOW PESACH IS COMING TO
1. No alarm clock needed here-instead we have the
clanging of the garbage trucks as they roll through the neighborhood every
morning during the 2 weeks before Pesah to accomodate all the refuse from
the furious Cleaning going on in every household. The day before the
seder they make their rounds at least twice during the day.
2. Street scenes change every day according to what's
halachically necessary: For the
week before the holiday, yeshiva students wielding blow torches and tending
huge vats of boiling water are stationed every few blocks and in the courtyard
of every mikveh. The lines to toyvel(dunk) cutlery, kiddush cups and the
like, start to grow every day, and, at the last minute, blow torches are
at the ready to cleanse oven racks and stove tops of every last gram of
hametz.
3. The day before the Seder, the yeshiva students are replaced by families
using empty lots to burn the remainders of their hametz gleaned from the
previous night's meticulous search. Street corner flower vendors do
great business too.
4. Most flower shops stay open all night for the two days before Pesah, working
feverishly to complete the orders for delivery to grace Seder tables.
5. Meah Shearim and Geula merchants generally run out of
heavy plastic early in the week before Pesah. In a panic, I make an early
morning run to the Mahaneh Yehuda market to successfully snap up a
few meters of the handy material.
6. No holiday here is complete without a strike or two. Last year, the
doctors came to agreement to end their month long walkout just hours before the
start of Pesah and gas suppliers at Ben Gurion airport decided to use the
opportunity to cause havoc to the plans of 200,000 Israelis who travel abroad
for the holiday. A wildcat strike caused delays in arrivals and
departures at the airport too.
7. Good luck if you haven't scheduled an appointment for a pre-Pesah/Omer
haircut. You can't get in the door at most barber and beauty shops.
8. Mailboxes are full of Pesah appeals from the myriad of organizations helping
the poor celebrate Pesah. Newspapers are replete with articles about
selfless Israelis who volunteer by the hundreds in the weeks before the holiday
to collect, package and distribute Pesah supplies to the needy.
9. The biggest food challenge to those of us ashkenazic,
non-kitniyot (legume) eaters is finding cookies etc. made without
kitniyot. But most years, many restaurants in the city stayed open
offering special Pesah menus-most without kitniyot, to accommodate the largely
Ashkenazic tourist population that used to be their bread and butter
(matzo & butter?) This year, with the dearth of tourists, we may end
up spending most meals at
home.
10. Since most of the country is on vacation for the
entire week of Pesah, all kinds of entertainment and trips are on offer,
despite the jihad being waged against us. Ads appear for everything
from the annual Carlebach festival to a "Tour de Pesah" bicycle
extravaganza at the
11. Pesah with its theme of freedom and exodus always evokes news stories about
recent olim. Last year's focus was the Jewish community of
12. This just in: According to Israel's Brandman Research
Institute study, 43 million people hours will be spent nationwide in Israel's
cleaning preparations for Passover this year. How does that break down?
Of those cleaning hours, 29 million are done by women and 11 million by
men. Persons paid to clean do the remaining 3 million hours at a cost of
13. On erev Pesah, dozens of members of various movements intent on preserving
our connection to the
14.
15. In the Galut (Diaspora), Pesah is
observed...in
Pesach
Potpourri
Check out this superb
collection of Pesach customs and other background material, from Prof. David
Golinkin at the Schechter Institute, at http://www.schechter.edu/pubs/insight34.htm. Here are some excerpts (but you
really have to see the full article)…
The holiday of Pesah has been blessed with hundreds
of laws. Indeed, almost one-sixth of Shulhan Arukh Orah Hayyim is
devoted to the laws of Pesah. It has also been blessed with many well-known
customs that have been discussed and debated by various scholars.
1.
… Passing the Matzah
When Persian Jews reach the ha
lahma paragraph the mula takes the three matzot shemurot
wrapped in a white cloth in his fingers, chants ha lahma… kadesh
u’r’hatz… The three matzot go down the line from
hand to hand. Young and old, men and women – each person is required to
recite ha lahma and kadesh u’r’hatz until each
participant has done so.29
What is the source of this custom? Rabbi Elazar says in the Tosefta: “One
grabs the matzah for the children so that they should not sleep”.30
The rishonim gave five different explanations for this passage.
Maimonides’ explanation was codified in his code (Hametz Umatzah
7:3): ”… so that the children will ask questions. And one grabs the
matzah from one hand to another and the like”. This interpretation
was subsequently supported by Rabbeinu Manoah (ca. 1264) and quoted by the
Meiri (ca. 1300).31
So it seems that the Persian custom reflects a literal understanding of
Maimonides’ interpretation of Rabbi Elazar.
2.
A Seder Plate on the Head
In 1985, Shemuel ben Hallal, an Israeli who stems from Morocco via Venezuela,
told me that in his family they recite the sentence “bivhilu yatzanu
mimitzrayim” - “In haste we left Egypt” three times
before ha lahma. Then the person leading the seder walks around
the table three times tapping the seder plate on the head of each
participant, each time tapping harder. The children like to jump up in order to
hit the seder plate with their heads.
As it turns out, this custom did not begin in Morocco in the twentieth century,
but rather in Spain in the fourteenth century.32 The first evidence
for this custom is in an illustration found in the Barcelona Haggadah (ca.
1350) in which a father is shown balancing the seder plate or basket of matzot
on the head of one of his children.33
The Guadalajara Haggadah, which was printed in Spain ca. 1480, is the first
known printed Haggadah. The instructions before ha lahma read: “v’nosin
hake’arah al rashey hatinikot” - “and one lifts/carries
the seder plate on/over the heads of the children”.34
The Hida, R. Hayyim Yosef David Azulay, visited Tunis in 1774. Rahamim, the
servant of his host, took the seder plate and passed it three times over
the head of each male participant. When he started to do the same to the women,
the Hida told him not to, using a play on words based on Judges 5:30.35
Benjamin II mentioned above, described this custom among North African Jews,
especially in Tunis, ca. 1853 and related that if a person did not have the
seder plate passed over his head, “he believed that he would be
unlucky for the rest of his life”.36 R. Alexander Levinson, an
Ashkenazic Jew, visited the Jews of Omzav in the Sahara desert. When the eldest
person touched his head with the seder plate, Levinson did not know what
was happening. He jumped up and flipped the entire plate. When he saw that
everyone was angry at him, he told them he had done so in order to remember the
parting of the Reed Sea!37
R. Ya’akov Moshe Toledano describes the Moroccan custom in his Ner
Hama’arav published in 1911,38 while Ida Cowen describes
the same custom among the Jews of Izmir, Turkey in 1971.39 Indeed,
it is common until today among the Jews of Libya, Morocco, Tunis and Djerba.40
What is the reason for this interesting custom?
R. Shemtob Gaguine asked some Moroccan rabbis in 1932. They replied that they
believe that if they circle the seder plate around the heads of the
participants, it can protect them from all harm and a long list of blessings
will come upon them. R. Gaguine himself wrote that in his opinion the custom
was meant to encourage the children to ask questions.41 Tuvia
Preschel explains that R. Gaguine guessed correctly – in an indirect
fashion.
The Talmud says (Pesahim 115b): “Why do we uproot the table? The house of
R. Yannai said: so that children should notice and ask questions”. R.
Moshe Pisanti supplies the missing link between the talmudic custom and the
Spanish-North African custom in his Hukkat Hapesah, a Haggadah
commentary published in
3.
Haroset with an Earthy Flavor
R. Zidkiyahu ben Avraham writes in his Shiboley Haleket (
|
|
I was aghast to see such
madness. Maybe on Purim they will draw blood, in memory of the decree of
death! But they need to change anguish to joy and bad to good! And this
mistake stems from a scribal error in the Rashbam and Rashi to Pesahim (fol.
116a) where it says “and heres (clay) which they pound in memory
of the clay”. And I checked in an old manuscript of the commentary
which says: “And haroset which they pound in memory of the
clay”. And this is undoubtedly correct, for this is a commentary on the
words “haroset zekher latit” in the Talmud.45 |
The Bet David by R. Yosef Philosof (Salonika, 1740)
reports that “in Salonika the elders testified that they used to put
chopped calermini stone in the haroset”.46 The
Hida, who quotes all of the above, concludes: “But it seems that this custom
is not practiced in most towns”.47
During the American Civil War (1860-1865), a group of Jewish Union
soldiers made a seder for themselves in the wilderness of West Virginia.
They had none of the ingredients for traditional haroset available, so
they put a real brick in its place on the seder plate!48
Finally, Shemuel ben Hallal informs me that his Moroccan uncle, who is a rabbi
in
I do not believe that these customs are based on a scribal error in Rashi or
Rashbam. Rather, this is an attempt to illustrate the slavery of the Israelites
in
4.
Parched Grain and Nuts
In the talmudic period, parched grain and nuts were the equivalent of candy and
chocolate today. Thus the Mishnah in Bava Metziah (4:12), which lists unfair
business practices, says that “a storekeeper should not distribute
parched grain and nuts to children because he accustoms them to come to his
store”.
This is the background for Rabbi Yehudah who says in a beraita (Pesahim
109a) that one distributes parched grain and nuts to children on Erev Pesah
so that they should ask questions and not fall asleep.
The Talmud Yerushalmi (Pesahim 10:1, fol. 37b) adds that Rabbi Tarfon
used to do so. This halakhah was codified by Maimonides (Hametz Umatzah
7:3 and Yom Tov 6:17-18). The Soncino Haggadah published in 1486 says that the seder
plate must include parched grain and nuts “for the children so that they
should ask questions and not fall asleep”.49 A modern
equivalent would be to distribute candy or chocolate to the children so that
they should not fall asleep.
Jewish and Israeli Links:
A great resource
on all things Jewish: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/news.html
The best Jewish
site for Jewish learning: www.myjewishlearning.com
THE MOTHERLODE OF
ISRAEL-RELATED LINKS: http://www.israel.org/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00kj0
Israel Defense Force, http://www.idf.il/
Israel Government Gateway, links to Government Ministries, www.info.gov.il/eng
Israel Knesset, http://www.knesset.gov.il/
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, http://www.mfa.gov.il/
Israel Prime Minister’s
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, www.cbs.gov.il/engindex.htm
Israel Tourism Ministry, North America, http://www.goisrael.com/
Buy Israeli Products, http://www.israelexport.org/, http://www.shopinisrael.com/,
http://www.finefoodsisrael.com/
Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, www.tau.ac.il/jcss
Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, http://www.besacenter.org/
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, http://www.jcpa.org/
One Jerusalem, http://www.onejerusalem.org/
Twenty Facts about Israel
Myths & Facts: A Guide to the
Arab-Israeli Conflict
Jerusalem Archaeological Park, http://www.archpark.org.il/
Israel Info Center
– Israel Activism Portal, www.israelinfocenter.com/
US White House, http://www.whitehouse.gov/
US State Department, http://www.state.gov/
US Senate, http://www.senate.gov/
US House of Representatives, http://www.house.gov/
THOMAS (search for US Legislation), thomas.loc.gov
United Nations Watch, http://www.unwatch.org/
Embassy of Israel – Washington, D.C., http://www.embassyofisrael.org/
Media-Related Links:
CAMERA, www.camera.org
Jerusalem Post, http://www.jpost.com/
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, http://www.jta.org/
Ha’aretz English Edition: www.haaretz.com
HonestReporting.com, http://www.honestreporting.com/
Independent Media Review and Analysis, http://www.imra.org.il/
Middle East Media Research Institue (MEMRI), http://www.memri.org/
Palestinian Media Watch, http://www.pmw.org.il/
Israel Insider, http://www.israelinsider.com/
Jewish World Review, http://www.jewishworldreview.com/
America’s Voices in Israel, http://www.americasvoices.net/
@The Source Israel, http://www.thesourceisrael.com/
Other Jewish Sites
Data JEM – an GEM for Jewish Education! Database for
Jewish educational materials: http://www.datajem.com/visitor/IntroPage.asp
The best Jewish kids’ site on the Web is http://www.babaganewz.com/ ,
with games, virtual tours and “J-Pod” downloads, kids of all
ages will LOVE it.
Another superb educational site is http://www.myjewishlearning.com/
-- you can be a self-taught “maven” on all things Jewish!
A Jewish Guide to the Internet: http://www.uscj.org/metny/bellmobj/jnet2.htm
On Jewish Vegetarianism and Animal Rights: http://jewishveg.com/schwartz/
(hey, you KNEW I’d put this one in)
How many Jewish hockey players are there? (None right
now…there’s a lockout).
Find out at http://www.jewishsports.com/
Glossary of Yiddish Expressions: http://www.ariga.com/yiddish.shtml
)Please be patient, this page is farshtopt with information)
You can find an online Hebrew dictionary at http://milon.morfix.co.il/
Nice Jewish parenting site http://jewishfamily.com/
http://www.jewishgates.com/main.asp
Jewish Gates is an amazing site, filled with material on Jewish history,
ritual and culture.
Go straight to the linked index at http://www.jewishgates.com/fullindex.asp and go to
town!
http://www.zipple.com/ The Jewish Super Site; a
similar site is http://www.maven.co.il/ and my personal all-time
favorite,
http://shamash.org/trb/judaism.html
The sourcebook for Jewish history (all periods) can be found at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/jewishsbook.html
Online Texts Related to
Jewish History. All the primary
sources “fit to print.”
Israel Campus Beat – to get all the latest
information on
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Commentary
Excerpts from Spencer
Evans’ D’Var Torah on Parshat Vayakhel - Pekuday
In
the spirit of where we are in the Jewish calendar, I would like to begin with a
joke:
Q:
Why do seagulls live near the sea?
A: Because if they lived near the bay, they would be called bagels.
Today
is Shabbat ha-Hodesh – a new month is about to begin. The month that is ending, Adar, is
considered one of our most joyous.
In fact, The Talmud states, “When Adar begins, our joy
increases.” –
But
this new month that we announce today is even more joyous!
We
have so much to look forward to:
- This
Wednesday is literally the first day of spring. And the new month of Nisan
is called the month of spring.
It begins just one day earlier, on Tuesday.
- Also,
the month of March is the month of spring training. The new baseball season is just
two short weeks away – and I feel sorry for all the Yankee fans here
today, especially Jarad, because you will be quite disappointed when the
Mets win it all in October.
- Finally,
we look forward to Passover, which is just a couple of weeks away.
So
if in Adar we were commanded to be happy, with the coming of Nisan, now we can
be especially happy.
And
how do Jews express their happiness?
Well, there’s always eating.
And if eating doesn’t work, there’s always guilt. But most of all, Jews use humor to
express their happiness!
In
Adar, that was done with Purim jokes and costumes.
But
in Nisan, we express our joy by eating matzah for a whole week! Isn’t
that fun! A week of matzah is exactly what I would have in mind during a spring
vacation. But there’s still
something humorous about it. Like
watching my dog devour a piece of matzah that I sneak to her under the Seder
table, and then watching her try to clean her teeth with her tongue.
Humor
has always been important to me. I even started my speech with a joke. All of my favorite shows are on Comedy
Central. All my favorite movies are
comedies, like Austin Powers, Zoolander and the Bird Cage, – and of
course, the incredible Borat.
In
fact, I plan to add a fifth question to the Seder this year: Why is Borat the
all time best movie? Part of the
reason is because the humor is so Jewish!
It
makes fun of anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice by showing how
ridiculous hatred can be. For
example, Borat throws money at cockroaches because he thinks that the Jews
shape-shifted. That scene was both
funny and scary at the same time – scary because some people in this
world actually believe those things.
Sacha
Baron Cohen shows how people in America are very tolerant of such hatred
– at one point Borat sings a song in a bar that is very offensive to
Jews, but still he manages to get everyone else to sing along.
If
only I could get Borat to come to my Seder, he would realize how much fun Jews
can be – and also that we do eat a lot!
So
I have lots of reasons to be joyous on this Shabbat ha-Hodesh, aside from this
little thing that is happening here this morning – my bar mitzvah. I want to wish everyone a happy spring,
a happy month – and happy Passover too!
For
my mitzvah project, I’ve been volunteering at the
Excerpts from Lindy
Fruithandler’s D’var Torah on Parshat Vayikra
As
many of you know, I’m a real animal lover. It goes back to the very beginning of my
life. I’ve been told that the
second word I ever spoke was most likely “doggie.” Legend has it that I would be in the car
and when we passed someone walking a dog, I would point my finger out the
window and say, “doggie.”
By the time I was five or six, I was asking for a dog. This was no disrespect to Fluffy the
guinea pig, my first pet that didn’t live in a fish tank, but I
really, really wanted a dog.
I’m happy to say that my parents listened to me and my dream to
own a dog came true…(PAUSE)…about four weeks ago. That’s when Rusty came into my
life. He’s a Maltzu from the
Stamford Animal Shelter. I now
can’t imagine life without him – and it’s nice knowing that I
was able to help out a homeless animal at the same time.
My
portion talks a lot about animals who were not as fortunate as Rusty, because
they were designated to be sacrifices.
I’m glad Judaism doesn’t allow for animal sacrifices
anymore. As much as I don’t
like that system, my portion shows us how important animals were to people back
then, (pause) maybe even more important than they are now. Back then, without animals, there
couldn’t have been any worship.
Our ancestors understood that animals have so much to teach us, about
life and giving…and about meaning of sacrifice.
I
know one animal who has really helped me in that respect. His name is
A
few years ago, the people at the barn tried to retire him. He protested by refusing to eat. So they tried an experiment. They gave him an experimental lesson
with a real light person, and he ate that night. Then they didn’t let him give a
lesson the next day, and he didn’t eat that night. So they let him be ridden the next day,
and he ate. When it became clear
that this animal lived only to be able to give lessons, they allowed him to
continue working. During camp last
summer, I rode
As
you can see, animals have a lot to teach us, especially about the meaning of
sacrifice. And the more we learn
about giving from them, the more we will be able to give TO them, and to one
another.
One
way that I show my desire to give is through my mitzvah project. I have collected money, as well as dog
and cat items with a box here at the temple, to be donated to adopt-a-dog.
Some
GOOD NEWS from
and other sources
Soccer Mania
– Israel vs England
Perhaps the most important soccer match in
recent years for
“This
is potentially a killer match for either team should they lose on Saturday and
the pressure on
After
dropping points at home to
England
are suffering from a few injuries, which has shown up the frailty of their
squad and the lack of depth at their disposal. The weak areas are in attack and
at full-back with only Wayne Rooney really international class in these
positions. At full-back Ashley Cole,
Israel
have their own answer to Rooney in teenager Ben Sahar, who is creating a lot of
attention and will be the player to watch if gets a go at England's defence
during the match, which could be watched by very few English supporters due to
a worker strike in the country.
The
preparations are favouring the home nation, but
More details:
PREVIEW-Soccer-Israel prepare celebration for
embattled England
Israel to show teen spirit in England clash
Other good news
Israeli mini-UAVs being used by US forces in
Iraq and Afghanistan
A tiny unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by leading Israeli defense
electronics companies Elbit is operational "and currently deployed in the
global war on terror in Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan," the company said in
a statement released this week ahead unveiling the UAV to the public at an air
show in Australia. The Skylark, which can be carried, launched and operated by
a single soldier, covers an area within a range of seven miles day or night,
and can be used for both military and homeland security applications. More...
Technology
| Israeli team pioneers direct communication
between computers without the Internet
PhD students at the Technion, under the guidance of Professor Roi Friedman,
have developed software called WiPeer which enables mobile and desktop
computers to communicate directly with one another in a local area without any
mediating factor, such as an Internet server. The software, which is available
free on the Net, enables users to send messages, pictures, files, movies and
games to one another wirelessly within a 100-300 yard radius. And they're not
content with that breakthrough - now the researchers are developing cellular
phone software which bypasses the cellular operator and will offer free calls
to anyone within close proximity, such as a shopping mall, a school, or a
sports stadium. More...
Profiles
| Israeli social work professor lays down the
groundwork for mental health
A former 60s hippie introduced Julie Cwikel to the term 'social epidemiology'
when she was working on her doctoral thesis on how social networks affect
health at the
Technology
| Israeli discovery converts dangerous
radioactive waste into clean energy
One man's garbage is another man's treasure. That's what the founders of
Israeli company Environmental Energy Resources (EER) have discovered after
inventing a reactor that converts radioactive and municipal waste into clean
energy, glass and recyclable material for building roads, without a trace of
pollution and at substantially lower prices than competing methods. With the
need for safer hazardous waste disposal methods getting more critical, it's
hardly surprising that EER already has an agreement already under its belt with
the leading waste management company in the
Health
| Israeli system turns contaminated water into
drinking water - instantly
Israeli company Watersheer has developed an innovative new purification system
which can instantly transform contaminated water into clean water. Ideal for
stranded hikers, soldiers, or disaster victims who are unable to find a source
of clean water, the tiny, cork size device can be plugged into virtually any
size bottle, container or tap, and can purify up to 1,000 liters of water
without being replaced. With an alpha version already available, the company
expects to begin mass production in June. "The product we've developed is
going to save lives," asserts Yossi Sandak, Watersheer's CEO. More...
Feasting
on Israel’s fashion plate By
KARIN KLOOSTERMAN
Good-bye
For over a decade, the two-day event at the
end of the winter and summer seasons draws tens of thousands of women and men -
celebrities and commoners alike - looking to upgrade their wardrobe. They also
come to see and be seen mingling among the 120 different Israeli designers -
some on the way up like Ido Recanati, and others well established and
internationally successful such as Sigal Dekel.
Continue reading
The Fashion Market…
And now, two signs that the Apocalypse is
coming…
“I strongly believe that the Hooters
concept is something that Israelis are looking for,” Ofer Ahiraz, who
bought the Hooters franchise for
At Hooters, waitresses the company calls
Hooters Girls serve spicy chicken wings, sandwiches, seafood and drinks.
Continue reading
‘DD’ for Effort Ahiraz…
Tired of Israelis who don’t know
their dinner spoon from their soup spoon? Fingerbowls from saucers? Who
can’t make a simple decorative napkin-holder for thanksgiving using only
stock paper, an Exacto knife, and a pencil?
If you are, have no fear: Martha Stewart
has come to the rescue. According to our friends over at Ice news, Martha
Stewart’s website is now available in Hebrew, bringing millions of
Israelis access to her experience in homemaking. The people of the Holy Land
will now be able to surf her site, watch her videos, and learn all about the
art of entertaining, decorating a home, and all of that stuff. I’m sure
it won’t be long before every Israeli household has at least one set of
homemade felt fine china protectors.
Probably… Check out the new Hebrew
website here.
(For the English website, click here)
now for the rest
Prime source: Daily Alert of the
See also http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.672581/k.CB99/Home.htm
The
New PA Government: Composition, Platform, and Implications
On March 17, 2007, the Palestinian Legislative Council ratified the
establishment of a new national unity government. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh
read out the new government's platform, which clearly reflects Hamas' ideology:
no recognition of the right of the State of Israel to exist, adherence to
"resistance" (i.e., violence and terrorism) as a "legitimate
right" of the Palestinians, and a demand for the implementation of the
"right to return" (i.e., the destruction of the State of Israel).
Prominent among the new government ministers are three
independents who have replaced Hamas ministers. Foreign Minister Ziyad Abu
Amro, a native of
See also The
New Palestinian Government Still Hasn't Renounced Terror or Recognized Israel
- Khaled Abu Toameh
There is no point in pouring millions of dollars on the "unity"
government as long as it's not prepared to make a clear and firm commitment to
halt terror and recognize Israel's right to exist. (Wall Street Journal)
Rice's
Mideast Minefield - David
Ignatius
Secretary of State Rice is signaling her willingness to meet with some members
of the Hamas-backed PA "national unity government," even though the
Israelis have publicly opposed such a move. The space she has opened between
U.S. and Israeli positions is quite small, but as she prepares for another trip
to the Middle East, Rice is sending the message that she is pressing ahead with
her diplomatic efforts to broker the creation of a Palestinian state.
Theoretical Truce - Hillel Halkin
The new Palestinian government is to be treated as if it were really two
governments, one a "good," pro-peace-with-Israel government that can
be dealt with and one a "bad," anti-peace one that will continue to
be boycotted. The prime minister of this government, Hamas leader Ismail
Haniyeh, continues to refuse to recognize Israel, has ruled out a permanent
peace with it, and has expressed his hope and expectation that it will
disappear one day. By joining forces with him on this basis, which it had
pledged never to do, it is Fatah and its leader Mahmoud Abbas who have given in
to Hamas, not vice versa.
A negotiated peace with the Palestinians is at the moment
unattainable. The new Palestinian government could fall apart in a matter of
months. But if it doesn't, or if Hamas remains in power in any case, Hamas has
often spoken of a hudna, or Islamic truce, wi th
Hang
Tough with Hamas - Editorial (
- On Tuesday, the
- The Bush administration rightly is
drawing the line, however, in refusing to restore aid to the Palestinian
Authority until Hamas satisfies the Quartet's conditions. And Hamas has
not done so.
- In a speech last Saturday, the Hamas
prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, defended "resistance in all its
forms" even as Abbas was pleading with Palestinians to reject
"all forms of violence." On Monday, a Hamas sniper shot and
wounded an Israeli electric company worker near the
- Fortunately, an embargo on aid to the
PA hasn't prevented humanitarian assistance from reaching Palestinians
through organizations such as the UN's World Food Program. That fact makes
it easier for the
MK
Melchior: Alert Abbas to PA Textbooks - Haviv Rettig
"You can't have agreements while this kind of hatred is inculcated in the
children," Knesset Education Committee Chairman Michael Melchior
(Labor-Meimad) said on Tuesday after seeing new 12th-grade textbooks published
by the PA. Melchior's statements followed a Palestinian Media Watch
presentation at the Knesset showing Palestinian 12th grade textbooks teaching
children in the PA that pursuing
The schoolbooks, the products of the official education arm of
the PA, written by Fatah-appointed officials at the Center for Developing the
Palestinian Curricula and published by the PA Ministry of Higher Education, are
also used by schools in east Jerusalem that are under the jurisdiction of - and
receive funding from - Israel's Education Ministry. According to Melchior, the
report's findings indicate a trend from "a conflict over land, which can
be resolved by partition, to an existential religious conflict that cannot be
resolved." (
See also Report on Newest Palestinian
Schoolbooks: "From Nationalist Battle to Religious Conflict" -
Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook (Palestinian Media Watch)
Turkish
Delegation Inspects Dig Near Temple Mount - Lilach Shoval
A seven-man team of Turkish experts arrived in
Palestinian Firebomber
Killed
The
Palestinian
Gunmen Carjack UN Vehicle in Gaza City
Four masked Palestinian gunmen carjacked a UN Relief and Works Agency vehicle
driven by a Palestinian staff worker in
Global
Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of
"Talks"
with PA Ready to Disappoint -
Editorial
Those who want to reopen the aid spigot should remember that giving money
directly to the terrorists running the PA has never made the suffering people
on the
We're perplexed by the Western powers' need to engage in endless
rounds of pointless "talks" when those talks inevitably lead to
disappointment and violence, not peace. There's one, and only one, path to
peace. The PA must recognize
Engaging Syria
Won't Affect Iranian Nukes -
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror
The nuclear threat in
A
Columnist's Blind Spot on Israel
- David A. Harris
Nicholas Kristof is a respected New York Times columnist who earned
acclaim for focusing our attention on the unfolding tragedy in
There's no partner because in the January 2006 elections the
Palestinians elected Hamas, a terrorist group dedicated to
No Special
Status: Israel Does Not Enjoy Any EU Preference
- Oded Eran (Ynet News)
- In 1994 a German visionary leader,
Helmut Kohl, led the Council of the European Union to adopt a statement in
the German city of
- Significant implementation of the
Essen Declaration would only be possible if one of the following scenarios
are realized, and some say both: First, that Turkey and the EU would reach
the conclusion that Turkey would not be granted full membership in the EU,
and the parties would agree on a "minus membership." This would
include opening the EU's institutions, agencies and plans, currently only
open to member states, to
- The second scenario entails achieving
a diplomatic settlement regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There
are those in
- The possible and desired change would
call for a structural change in the EU and a strategic change of thinking
in
The writer is
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MYTH
#257 [Update of #237]
"
FACT
In
an effort to jumpstart the peace process, Saudi
Arabia has resurrected the idea of negotiating with Israel
on the basis of a formula outlined by then Crown
Prince Abdullah in 2002. Abdullah’s ideas were revised and adopted by
the Arab
League as a peace
initiative that offered Israel “normal relations” in exchange
for a withdrawal to the 1967 borders and resolution of the Palestinian refugee
issue.
In
response to the renewed discussion of the plan in March 2007, Prime Minister Olmert
expressed a willingness to talk about the Saudi initiative. When the plan was
brought up a few months earlier, Olmert
reportedly met secretly with a member of the Saudi royal family (Reuters,
October 4, 2006). More recently,
For
the plan to have any chance of serving as a starting point for negotiations,
the Saudis and other Arab League members will have to negotiate directly with
As
it is, this initiative is nothing more than a restatement of the Arab
interpretation of UN
Resolution 242. The problem is that 242 does not say what the Saudi plan
demands of
In
addition, Resolution 242 also says that every state has the right to live
within “secure and recognizable boundaries,” which all military
analysts have understood to mean the 1967 borders with modifications to
satisfy
|
“There
are some who have urged, as a single, simple solution, an immediate return to
the situation as it was on June 4….this is not a prescription for peace
but for renewed hostilities.” —
President Lyndon Johnson, speech on June 19, 1967 |
The
Arab plan calls for
The
demand that Israel withdraw from “the remaining occupied Lebanese
territories in the south of Lebanon” is at odds with the UN
conclusion that Israel has completely fulfilled its obligation to withdraw
from Lebanese territory.
The
Arab initiative calls for a just solution to the Palestinian
refugee problem based on the nonbinding UN
General Assembly Resolution 194. Today, the UNRWA
says that 4.3. million Palestinians are refugees. The current population of
The
refugee issue was not part of Abdullah’s original proposal and was added
at the summit under pressure from other delegations. Also, it is important to
note that Resolution 242 says nothing about the Palestinians and the reference
to refugees can also be applied to the Jews who fled and were driven from their
homes in Arab countries. Another change from Abdullah’s previously stated
vision was a retreat from a promise of full normalization of relations with
The
Arab demand that Israel accept the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West
Bank and Gaza
with East
Jerusalem as its capital has been part of the negotiations since Oslo.
Israel’s leaders, including Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert, have accepted the idea of creating a Palestinian state in part of
those territories, and Israel has even offered compromises on the status of Jerusalem,
but the Palestinians have rejected them all.
It
is also worth noting that most of the Arab
League nations have no reason not to be at peace with
This
article can be found at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/exclusives.html#a62
Source:
Myths
& Facts Online -- A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Mitchell G.
Bard.
To
order a copy of the paperback edition of Myths and Facts, click HERE.
Myths & Facts is also available in Spanish, German, French, Russian,
Portuguese, Swedish, and Hebrew.
Come to the
NEXT FILM in our Israel Cinema Series!
THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AT 8:00PM:
Passover Fever
(1995)
A middle-class Israeli family has a reunion for
Passover
and find themselves feasting on a smorgasbord of
dysfunction
as they try to cope with their innumerable
problems in this drama.
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THE THEME OF THIS DAY-LONG PROGRAM WILL BE
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…AND BEYOND
ADULT BAT
MITZVAH
NO-HATE-BUT-HARMONY,
NESHAMA YOGA, MIND-BODY-SPIRIT BIKE RIDE, AND
GOOD PASSOVER FOOD!
LEARNER’S, TRADITIONAL AND MEDITATIVE
SERVICES;
SESSIONS ON
“THE ETHICS OF EATING,” NUTRITION,
KEEPING KIDS HEALTHY,
RAISING YOUR ADULT CHILD;
COLLEGE-TALK FOR TEENS, CHESS, TOUCH FOOTBALL
A CHOCOLATE SEDER FOR THE KIDS!
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
LAST CHANCE TO RESERVE!!!!!
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Second
Night Community Seder
Tuesday,
April 3 at 7:00 PM
(Doors
open at 6:45 PM)
Led by Rabbi Joshua
Hammerman and Cantor Rachael Littman
Includes traditional Kosher
Seder meal
Entertainment and activities
for children throughout the evening
Please
complete the reservation form below and send it with your check, payable to
Temple Beth El, to Temple Beth El,
Reservation
deadline is March 22, 2007 – we’ve
extended it through the weekend!!!!!
DOWNLOAD THE
FORM NOW AT OUR WEBSITE, www.tbe.org
Prices: Adults: $55,
Children (3-12) $25, Children 2 and under free
Maximum
Price per Family $175, Parents & Kids
Please
check off choice of Entrée. Children’s meal will be Chicken
Fingers
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Chicken |
Eggplant |
Cost |
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Total Cost |
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If you have a child who would like to help with the
younger children’s activities, please provide their names and ages: _________________________,
_________________________, _________________________.
If you are able to volunteer please check off your
preferences:
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Clean Up |
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Serve |
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Children’s Activities |
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Clean Up |
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For more information please contact Steven
Mayer at 203-316-9195; e-mail steve_mayer@mayerbenefits.com
or Mark Plotzky at 203-359-2290; e-mail mark.plotzky@snet.net.
.
Learning and Latte at Borders
featuring
This year’s topic:
“Moral Dilemmas for a World in Crisis”
Join us as we engage in friendly dialogue about some of
the hot-button issues of the day.
Meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 7:30-8:30
PM, October-May
Topics (subject to last-minute adjustment to keep
up with the headlines)
April 10 – What are different ways of imagining God
in our traditions? How does God show love?
May 8 – What is the future of religion in
Support our
Invites you to a fun-d-raiser:
FAMILY
ICE SKATING
PARTY
SUNDAY
APRIL 8th 2007
1:00pm
– 4:00pm
$5 per
person / $15 per family
Skate rentals
available for $4.50 each
In order
to reserve your place please fill out attached form by April 1st and
send to the
Laser
tag, mini golf, bowling, batting cages available at additional cost.
Kosher
for Passover refreshments will be provided.
Questions?
Email: lpomerance@optonline.net
The Rinks at
Located off
PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR:
FOR CHILDREN ENTERING KINDERGARTEN IN FALL 2007
Our
kindergarteners and their wonderful teacher, Marlyn Agatstein, would like to
invite you to visit their class. On Sunday, May 20, 2007, we will be opening
our classroom and welcoming your family to come and share our classroom
experiences with us. You will have the opportunity to explore our curriculum,
sing with Nurit Avigdor, our music teacher, meet Karen Tobias, our
creative art teacher, and cook delicious food for the holiday of Shavuot. This
open house event will take place in the kindergarten room (lower level) at
We
look forward to your joining us at 10:00 a.m. for two hours chock-full of fun
activities. Feel free to bring the entire family with you!
If
you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call/e-mail
or
Sheryl Young, our
Attention 2nd
and 3rd graders!
EXPERIENCE RAMAH
FOR THE FIRST TIME!
Camp Ramah
in New England Presents:
RAMAH MINI-SESSIONS 2007
Mini-Session A: Wednesday, July 25
– Sunday, August 5
Mini-Session
B: Tuesday, August 7 – Sunday, August 19
Y Come be a part of this incredible
Jewish community for kids!
Y The Ramah Mini-Session is
specifically designed for new campers.
Y It’s a chance for anyone
currently in grades two and three to learn why so many people say that the
summers they spent at Ramah changed their life.
Mini-Session
campers get a taste of every aspect of the Ramah camping experience.
Campers can choose from a wide variety of sports and programming options,
including:
New
adventure course, baseball, basketball, soccer, archery, tennis, volleyball,
ultimate frisbee, photography, video, newspaper, boating, drama, nature,
woodworking, and arts & crafts.
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR
WEBSITE AT: www.campramahne.org
ph:
(781) 449-7090 fax: (781) 449-6331
Camp Ramah, the camping arm
of the Conservative Movement, has been providing Jewish children with a unique
recreational and educational
program for 50 years. Each summer over 600 campers from the East Coast
come to
Camp Ramah in New England
for innovative, fun, and transformative Jewish camping experiences.
USY
USY Goes BOWLING!
Saturday, March 24th
8:30 p.m. Meet at
Pizza will be served.
10:30 p.m. Pick Up
Price: $15
Please bring a signed waiver with you
to the event.
RSVP by Wednesday,
March 21st by emailing edoecohen@gmail.com
** All USY events are now
open to 8th graders
8th grades are welcome to
continue to attend Kadima events as well.
May 5th or 6th -
June 3rd - Pool Party
We hope to see you at these events.
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to write me at edoecohen@gmail.com
or call 917-348-9790.
All the best!
Edoe
Hey
teens!
If
you’re ready for a
new, hip,
cool temple experience…
Come to
Teen Synaplex
Saturday,
April 7th, 2007!
12:30–2:00
pm
Lunch
with friends, with a performance by teen troupe
No Hate
But Harmony
2:15–3:15
pm
Teen chat
room on surviving high school and getting into the
college
you want (hear from HS seniors)
3:20–4:30
pm
FOOTBALL
(co-ed) or hear WWII survivors!
4:30 pm
Teen nosh
(more food!)
Get ready to have an amazing time!
Bring all your Jewish friends!
No charge!
*CHUTZPA** according to the Funk
& Wagnall's Standard Desk Dictionary " US slang meaning**:** brazen,
effrontery, nerve, impudence, having gall, cheeky." The
word is Hebrew in origin*
Bill Gates decides to organize an enormous session of recruitment for a
chairman for Microsoft Europe. The 5000 candidates are all assembled in a large
room. One of the candidates is Maurice Cohen, a little Parisian Jews of
Tunisian background.
Bill Gates thanks all the
candidates for coming and asks that all those who do not know *JAVA*
*program language* rise and leave. 2000 people rise and leave the
room. Maurice Cohen says to himself - I do not know this
language but what have I got to lose if I stay? I'll give it a try".
Bill Gates asks all the candidates that those who have never had
*experience of team management of more than 100 people* rise and leave.
2000 people rise and leave the room. Maurice Cohen says to himself - "I
have never managed anybody but myself but what have I got to lose if I stay?
What can happen to me"? So he stays.
Then Bill Gates asks all the candidates who do not have "diplomas
in advanced management* to rise and leave. 500 people rise and leave the room.
Maurice Cohen says to himself - "I left school at 15 but what have I got
to lose if I stay? So he stays in the room.
Lastly, Bill Gates asks all of the candidates who do *not speak the
Serbo-Croatian language* to rise and leave. 498 people rise and leave the
room. Maurice Cohen says himself - "I do not speak Serbo-Croatian but what
the hell! - have I got anything to lose?" So he stays in the
room. He finds himself alone with one other candidate - everyone else has
gone.
Bill Gates joins them and says: "Apparently you are the only two
candidates who speak Serbo-Croatian, so I'd now like to hear you both have a
little conversation in that language!
Calmly Maurice turns to the other candidate and says to him:
*Baroukh ata Adonai* ".
The other candidate answers: "*Elohenou melekh haolam*"
Previous
Shabbat-O-Grams can be accessed directly from the archives on our web site (www.tbe.org)
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