KJ Bulletin Winter 2019

Winter I S S U E

THE UNIVERSALISM OF JEWISH PARTICULARISM

BY RABBI CHAIM STEINMETZ

THERE IS A JEWISH TRADITION DATING BACK TO THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH1 TO PRAY ON BEHALF OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. TODAY, MOST CONTEMPORARY SIDDURIM CONTAIN A TEXT KNOWN AS HANOTEN TESHUAH, WHICH IS A PRAYER ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT.

IN T HI S I S S U E RABBI CHAIM STEINMETZ

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RABBI ELIE WEINSTOCK

4

RABBI MEYER LANIADO

6

RABBI HASKEL LOOKSTEIN

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RABBI DR. JEREMY WIEDER

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IN THE COMMUNITY

14

CLASSES 21 HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

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WITHIN OUR FAMILY

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BNEI MITZVAH

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SCHEDULE OF SERVICES

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VO LU M E L X X X I X , N U M B E R 2 DECEMBER 3, 2019 | 5 KISLEV 5780

One of the earliest records of this prayer,2 in translation, is found in a 1655 pamphlet written by Mennaseh ben Israel entitled To His Highnesse the Lord Protector of the Common-wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland the humble addresses of Menasseh ben Israel, a divine, and doctor of physick, in behalfe of the Jewish nation. Jews had been expelled from England in 1290, and Menasseh ben Israel wrote this pamphlet, addressed to Oliver Cromwell, to advocate for their return.

Concerned that the Expulsion from Spain 160 years earlier might imply that Jews had been disloyal to the Spanish crown, Menasseh ben Israel offers proof of Jewish patriotism by quoting the Hanoten Teshuah prayer in English translation. He added that every Jewish community prays for the local government, even before praying for their own community.

Menasseh is engaging in what is called apologetics, in this case a defense 1 Jeremiah 29:7 2 See “Hanoten Teshua' The Origin of the Traditional Jewish Prayer for the Government,”

by Barry Schwartz, Hebrew Union College Annual, Vol. 57 (1986), pp. 113-120

of the Jews against accusations hurled at them. Apologetics is one of the recurring themes in Jewish History; and in the modern era, a fair amount of Jewish apologetics have been about loyalty and patriotism.

One powerful example of apologetics is a pamphlet printed by the Reichsbund jüdischer Frontsoldaten, The Reich Federation of Jewish Front-Line Soldiers, in 1920, detailing the Jewish sacrifices for Germany.

To the German mothers! 12,000 Jewish soldiers fell on the field of honor for the fatherland. Christian and Jewish heroes fought side by side and rest side by side in foreign land. 12,000 Jews were killed in action! Furious party hatred does not stop at the graves of the dead. German women, do not tolerate that a Jewish mother is scorned in her grief.3 Jews in Germany felt the pressure to prove themselves as patriots, and volunteered for front line duty in World War I in a far higher percentage 3 nypl.org/blog/2015/02/12/jews-and-wwi

2 than other Germans.4 Despite their sacrifices for Germany, anti-Semites accused them of disloyalty, and Jews had to write articles and books to prove their patriotism once again.

This is not unique to Germany; for hundreds of years, Jews in the Western world have had to prove their patriotism in the public arena, and then respond to bigotry and ignorance with apologetics and advocacy.

However, the centuries of apologetics have inverted the Jewish self-image.

They have left behind a legacy in which Jews spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about what other people want from us, rather than thinking about what we want for ourselves.

This inverted self-image can be seen in the over-emphasis of tikkun olam in the Jewish community. On college campuses and in other enclaves where universalism is valued more than patriotism, Jews now have to defend themselves against charges that they are too narrow and tribal. A tikkun olam theology offers the perfect apologetic argument against this accusation.

Instead of being tribal, Jews are emissaries of kindness, out to serve and save the world. For a Jewish community that has marinated in 300 years of apologetics, this is just another pivot in making ourselves understood by the people around us. The problem is that the demands of a tikkun olam ideology can clash with Jewish identity itself.

An excellent example of this is a public debate between Rabbis Danny Gordis and Sharon Brous during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. On the surface, it was a highly nuanced disagreement; both agreed on the importance of supporting Israel, and both agreed that the 4 Amos Elon, The Pity of It All: A Portrait of Jews In Germany 1743 – 1933, page 338

continued //

humanity of the Palestinians must be respected. Yet they had a very emotional disagreement, because those nuances speak volumes.

Rabbi Brous, the spiritual leader of Ikar in Los Angeles, wrote a congregational letter that said: I believe that the Israeli people, who have for years endured rocket attacks targeting innocents and designed to create terror, instability and havoc, have the right and the obligation to defend themselves. I also believe that the Palestinian people, both in Gaza and the West Bank, have suffered terribly and deserve to live full and dignified lives…. supporting Israel’s right to protect and defend itself does not diminish the reality that the Palestinian people are also children of God, whose suffering is real and undeniable.

Rabbi Danny Gordis of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem blogged a furious response to Rabbi Brous’s letter, in which he wrote: Universalism, Cynthia Ozick once noted, has become the particularism of the Jews. Increasingly, our most fundamental belief about ourselves is that we dare not care about ourselves any more than we care about others. Noble Jews have moved beyond difference ...

What I wanted to hear was that Rabbi Brous cares about my boys (for whom she actually babysat when we were all much younger) more than she cares about the children of terrorists. Especially this week, I wanted her to tell her community to love my family and my neighbors more than they love the people who elected Hamas and who celebrate each

time a suicide bomber kills Jews.

Is that really too much to ask?

It is no secret that on this question my sympathies are with Gordis.

Indeed, if your children got into a car crash with a drunk driver, would you run between the two hospital rooms to see how everyone in both cars were doing? There is a hierarchy of responsibilities, and there are times when you must focus on your family, and only on your family.

I would argue that Jewish solidarity is actually one of the better ways to improve the world.

To turn Cynthia Ozick's phrase on its head, the Jewish approach is “the universalism of particularism.”

But this does not mean that we should lightly dismiss Brous’s concerns.

The message of universalism is deeply embedded in the Torah.

Even at the Passover Seder, we pour drops of wine during the list of the plagues, to show sadness over the deaths of our enemies.

This universalism begins in the first chapter of the Torah, when the world was created without Jews. God created Adam and Eve, and from there, the world is meant to evolve into a universal society. (The prophetic visions of the Messianic era are also universalistic.) And even after rejecting humanity during the flood, the world is once again restarted as a single society, with the family of Noah.

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3 But then comes God’s third attempt to recreate humanity; and this time he leaves the rest of humanity in place, but chooses Abraham alone.

Abraham is tasked by God with creating a new nation, and this new nation will demand intense patriotism and solidarity. This choice is puzzling.

Doesn’t God love all of humanity?

And if Abraham’s descendants create a singular and segregated national identity, how are they going to change the rest of the world?

For contemporary readers, God’s choice to fix the world with a chosen nation sounds counterintuitive.

Tribalism is seen not just as spiritually inferior, but actually as a cause of conflict. The assumption is that every group that organizes into a strongly connected “us,” will always stand in opposition to others who are “them.”5 Tribal solidarity is now viewed with suspicion, and too many Jews contort themselves to fit a universal narrative.

I would argue that Jewish solidarity is actually one of the better ways to improve the world. To turn Cynthia Ozick’s phrase on its head, the Jewish approach is “the universalism of particularism.”

The Bible tells us that Abraham's name represents the fact that he is an “Av Hamon Goyim,” the “father of a multitude of nations.” But who are the multitude of nations? The 13th century Spanish commentary of the Ramban6 says it is a reference to the Jewish people themselves. The Jewish people is not one unitary tribe; even in biblical times there were the 12 tribes of Israel. And those tribes didn’t always get along with each other.

5 See Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them, by Joshua D. Greene, Penguin Publishing Group, 2013 6 Genesis 17:15

This reality remains throughout Jewish History. There are always multiple tribes, Jews from different countries with different ideologies.

In our own neighborhood there are Jews from Syria, Poland, Hungary, Morocco, Ethiopia and Germany; and there are Conservative, Orthodox, Reform and unaffiliated Jews, each with a different ideology and culture.

What is remarkable is how Jews can still feel a sense of solidarity with each other, no matter how different they are. Throughout history the multiple Jewish tribes have banded together, despite the dramatic differences between them.7 This international coalition of Jewish tribes is a reminder that you don’t have to be alike to be a family. The mission of Abraham’s children is to create one nation out of many tribes, and build a model of what the world could be. This is superior to a universalism which seeks to embrace exotic foreigners, but finds it difficult to connect with unenlightened kinfolk in the same country. Truly universal love does not neglect those who are closest to you, no matter how much you disagree with them.

This is why particularism is the Jewish way to universalism. First of all, because you are allowed to love your family more. But more importantly, learning how to embrace the various tribes of Israel is a perfect way to overcome tribalism.

The State of Israel represents not just the ingathering of Jews, but the ingathering of tribes from all over the world. While there is plenty of friction in Israel, what is remarkable 7 Yes, there has been more than enough division as well. But that actually proves the point; only a people deeply concerned about unity would constantly worry about divisions and infighting.

continued / /

is how these tribes have preserved this powerful sense of solidarity.

One story that I heard from Rabbi Sharon Shalom (an Ethiopian Rabbi and author), illustrates this quite well.

In the late 1970s, Sharon fled with thousands of other members of the Beta Israel community to the Sudan.

There, he was rescued as part of the Mossad’s “Operation Brothers.” The Mossad operated a beach resort called “Arus” as a front, and every few months would smuggle a group of Beta Israel children in the middle of the night to the beach. There, they were taken by Israeli commandos to a waiting boat that transported them to the Sinai.

Sharon remembers being hugged by a big Israeli commando, who carried him to the boat; and he remembers how the commando had tears in his eyes. Sharon was a young boy, and couldn't understand why the soldier would be crying. Now he understands.

But the story continues. A few years ago, he got a call from a member of the Mossad who had been the commander of the operation that took Sharon to Israel. The Mossad agent said that his daughter was getting married, and he wanted Sharon to be the rabbi at the wedding.

At the chuppah, everyone had a good cry; the Rabbi, the Mossad commander, and the bride and groom.

These were the tears of a big family reunion, a reunion that brought together Jews from around the world.

These tears are transformative. They reflect a Jewish commitment to connect with other Jews, no matter how different and distant; and they are a model of how the entire world can transcend their own differences.

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4

STRENGTHEN OUR CORE: COME TO SHUL!

BY RABBI ELIE WEINSTOCK

I RECENTLY TRIED PILATES. PILATES IS A PHYSICAL FITNESS SYSTEM DEVELOPED IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY BY JOSEPH PILATES WITH THE GOAL OF STRENGTHENING THE BODY’S CORE AND IMPROVING COORDINATION AND BALANCE. WHAT IS THE CORE? Here’s an excerpt from the Harvard Medical School website: Think of your core muscles as the sturdy central link in a chain connecting your upper and lower body. Whether you're hitting a tennis ball or mopping the floor, the necessary motions either originate in your core, or move through it…In fact, a strong, flexible core underpins almost everything you do.

Whether one tries Pilates or other methods, the body needs a strong core.

In truth, every organization or initiative has a core: their fundamental mission, their core competencies. Like the body’s core, the more that an organization can strengthen its core, the better off it is in all areas of function.

There is a lot that goes on at KJ. There are services and Torah classes; programs for youth and senior citizens (and everyone in between); chesed activities and pro-Israel advocacy; and so much more.

At its core, however, a synagogue is a “makom tefilah,” a place for prayer.

Historically, the earliest synagogues were identified as houses of prayer.

Greek inscriptions from the third century B.C.E. in Alexandria refer to proseuchai, prayer houses. The archaeological remains of a building on the Aegean island of Delos contain inscriptions to Theos Hypsistos - highest God - and the word proseuche. The building dates to the first century B.C.E. and is apparently the earliest known synagogue in the world. In the Diaspora, far from the Temple, it makes sense for an alternative to develop, a place that could bring together Jews for worship.

After the destruction of the Temple, the synagogue became a primary site for Jewish communal life and worship.

Prayer is the core of the shul, so we must look to our roots and seek to strengthen our core.

Prayer is an amazing opportunity. It allows for a dialogue with the Almighty.

It affords us the opportunity to think about others, and to think differently about ourselves. It allows us to consider priorities and values that are expressed in the Siddur, and gives us a chance to focus our minds and express our own personal hopes and aspirations. Tefilah grounds us, while it also allows us to soar heavenward at the very same time.

So how can we strengthen our core? How can we make prayer more meaningful for

St r e n g t h e n Ou r C o r e : C o m e t o S h u l ! / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

ourselves and our community?

Here are a few suggestions: • Come! I know many of us already do attend services. Let’s not forget there are two opportunities to come every single day. Maybe come on Rosh Chodesh or for Chanukah or when there’s a bris! Maybe we can come a little earlier to experience more of the prayer service itself.

• Try to increase our attention and intention (kavvanah) to the prayer service and participate more by singing with the Chazan. Praying in shul can sometimes make us feel like

5 spectators, and it is not always fun

The best part of all is that, at KJ,

to just watch the action on the bima.

we have a service that meets each

This can be especially true for women,

person’s needs! We have the Main

and we may be more comfortable

Synagogue service, a Kesher Minyan,

at some KJ services than others.

Nevertheless, each of us – man, woman, and child – has a role to play as part of the tzibbur, the prayer community, and the shul is strengthened by every person’s attendance.

Prayer is the core of the shul, so we must look to our roots and seek to strengthen our core.

• Try a Friday night or Shabbat mincha service. These are two, compact opportunities for a powerful dose of prayer and inspiration.

Kabbalat Shabbat features beautiful singing and is a perfect way to welcome Shabbat. Shabbat mincha provides praying and Torah reading in just 20 minutes! (Plus Seudah Shlishit follows if you’re hungry.)

• Bring family to shul with you. If prayer is our congregation’s core, we are stronger when our spouses, children, and loved ones are in shul with us. (Don’t forget to invite people who might appreciate our Beginners Service or KJB Minyan!) Think of the many ways our core is enhanced with this participation. We have the chance to walk to and from shul and catch up with each other. We teach our children

Beginners Service, KJB Minyan, Kesher Minyan, Tefillah Together for parents and children, Teen Minyan,

HAVE A HALAKHIC QUESTION? Rabbi Steinmetz | rcs@ckj.org Rabbi Weinstock | ravelie@ckj.org Rabbi Laniado | rml@ckj.org

a Women’s Tefillah Group, and even Hashkamah Minyan if you want to wake up early to daven and learn.

• Make KJ services more welcoming for others. Each of us can positively impact the davening in various ways.

We can focus on the prayers and avoid any conversation that can distract others and take away from the dignity of the service. We should remember that we don’t have a permanent claim to any seat and not to ask or tell people to move (even if we think we’re doing it nicely) if they’re sitting where we normally sit.

We can greet the people we sit near and make sure they know the page.

Thank God, KJ is in very good shape.

We do so much for which we can be very proud. At the same time, we can never forget that our core, comprised of opportunities to come together in

LEARN TO DAVEN LIKE A BA’AL TEFILLAH

prayer, needs to be maintained, and

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein’s

each of us has a role to play in that.

10 Nusach recordings,

So let’s think about our role in the “Prayer Pilates” and identify the exercises which work for us. By strengthening our core, we will be in a healthier position to make our shul, our souls, our families,

designed to help people learn how to be a shaliach tzibbur at daily services, Shabbatot, holidays, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur & selichot around the year, are available free of

and our community stronger.

charge at ramaz.org/nusach.

We ensure the Jewish future by passing

(Shoutout to Rabbi Yosef Weinstock,

There is no better time than

on the tradition of prayer to the next

my brother, of Young Israel of

generation. All this is accomplished by

Hollywood, Florida, for some of

bringing someone to shul with you!

the ideas in this article.)

what it means to come to shul to daven.

continued / /

now to avail yourself of this wonderful opportunity!

St r e n g t h e n Ou r C o r e : C o m e t o S h u l ! / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

6

2,000-YEAR-OLD MIRACLE: #RELEVANCY

BY RABBI MEYER LANIADO

IMAGINE YOU ARE MATTITYAH OF THE HANUKKAH STORY. IT IS THE YEAR 166 BCE, AND AS YOU SIT AROUND THE SHABBAT TABLE WITH YOUR FAMILY, ENJOYING YOUR MEAL, THERE'S A LOUD KNOCK AT THE DOOR. YOU OPEN THE DOOR TO FIND A GREEK GENERAL WHO ADDRESSES YOU AS YOU STAND WITH YOUR FAMILY BEFORE THE ASSEMBLED COMMUNITY AND SAYS: Be the first to sacrifice to Zeus. If you do, you and your children will be honored with the title of Friends of the King, and you will be rewarded with silver, gold, and many gifts (Maccabees 1 Chapter 2).

How would you respond? The choice is either to be ‘friends of the king,’ gaining title, position, wealth and power, or to give up all of that to hold onto something you find even more valuable, the tradition, law, and vision of your ancestors, the Jewish people.

Recognize that if you refuse to follow the Greek general’s orders to sacrifice to the Greek god, you are refusing an order of the king, and will surely be put to death. It is an all or nothing decision, a make or break moment, not solely for you, but for your family and all of those watching. If you sacrifice to the Greek god, you will sacrifice all that your forefathers have stood for, but if you do not, you will have signed your own death sentence.

What is the decision that you will make? Mattityah takes the opportunity to make a bold speech before his family and all of the people: My children, my relatives, and I will continue to keep the covenant that God made with

our ancestors. With God's help, we will never abandon his Law or disobey his commands. We will not obey the king's decree, and we will not change our way of worship in the least (Maccabees 1 Chapter 2).

He declares with absolute confidence, that not only will he, Mattityah, remain loyal, committing his life to the cause of his forefathers, but so will his immediate, and extended family.

When Mattityah finishes his speech and a Jew approaches the pagan altar to sacrifice a pig to the Greek deity, Mattityah draws his swords, as do family members who are standing beside him, and they kill the apostate Jew along with the Greek general and his soldiers. Mattityah then proclaims: “If anyone is zealous for the laws of his country, and for the worship of God, follow me (Josephus Antiquities XII 6)!” He runs to the hills with his family and all those dedicated to Torah. They prepare themselves to fight, against all odds, for the freedom to practice Torah and misvot, and to re-establish proper worship of God in the Beit haMiqdash.

Mattityah, being a traditional Jew, views the scenario he is in through the eyes of the Tanakh and so, he models his behavior after Moshe’s actions at

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the golden calf. When Moshe saw the nation worshipping the golden calf, he took action and proclaimed: “Whoever is for God, come to me (Shemot 32:26).” Moshe then directs these Jews to draw their swords and fight against those who have desecrated the name of God by worshipping the golden calf. The similarity in his phraseology and action speaks to the fact that the scenarios are similar. The fight was not solely with the Greeks.

Jews turned on their own from God to prostrate before foreign deities.

This was a fight for the future of humanity, a civil war about whether secular society should enlighten the darkness of Jewish life or if Judaism should be the light unto the nations.

In the Hanukkah story, there was a split in the nation. A civil war between Jews who valued Torah and those who felt that Judaism and Jews practicing it were a hindrance to their joining the ‘enlightened’ Greek community.

So, the latter group sought the help of the Greeks to further their aim by eradicating Jewish law and life.

7 During the second century under Antiochus III, prior to Mattityah’s encounter with the general, Jewish life in the Temple was supported by the Greeks. The Greeks paid for the sacrifices in the Temple, paid for its maintenance, offered tax benefits for Temple supplies, and for those who worked within it (Josephus Antiquities XII 3 140-145 also note Maccabees 2 3:1-3). Additionally, Antiochus III made it illegal, according to Greek law, to desecrate certain Torah laws. Suppression of Jewish law and cessation of proper Temple worship was initiated by Jews.

At that time there appeared in the land of Israel a group of traitorous Jews who had no regard for the Law… became so enthusiastic… they went to the king and received from him permission to follow Gentile customs (Maccabees 1 1:13-15).

Since the Greek law allowed for the rule of Torah law in the land of Israel, these Jews sought approval and protection from Antiochus IV to desecrate it.

They then went further, bribing their way to the position of High Priest at the Temple, ending the “existing royal concessions,” and shifting the worship in the Temple from Jewish ritual to pagan ritual. The books of Maccabees and Josephus tell us that it was this group of Jews who requested to build the Gymnasium in Jerusalem, and that “they hastened to take part in the unlawful proceedings…” When it was time for the games, these priests would leave their Temple service, drop their vestments, and take part in the arena (Maccabees 2 1:7, 3:10-15, Josephus Antiquities XII 5 1 240-242).

Menelaus the High Priest, and Jason the High Priest before him, led the efforts and “compelled his nation to transgress their own laws” (Josephus Antiquities XII 9 and Maccabees 2 5).

These ‘traitorous’ Jews were very successful in almost completely eradicating Judaism. When Mattityah’s family finally retook the Temple to reestablish Judaism as the law of the land in 165 BCE, there was no Menorah to light (Talmud Bavli Avoda Zara 43, Menahot 28b and Rosh haShanah 24b). The Temple was in disarray, robbed of its vessels from years before, at least since 169 BCE (A Different Light: The Big Book of Hanukkah, pg.

57). The message of Hanukkah really comes into focus when we zoom out of the scene of finding the flask of oil and recognize the environment within which Mattityah arose from the suburbs, along with his family, to ensure the continuation of Judaism.

This was a fight for much more than finding pure oil for the Menorah or being freed from an oppressive army.

This was a fight for the future of humanity, a civil war about whether secular society should enlighten the darkness of Jewish life or if Judaism should be the light unto the nations.

Mattityah and his family wanted to re‑establish the model society envisioned by the Torah and prophets.

They firmly believed that Judaism had the best model for how to run society with a political, economic and legal system and it was our role to be a mamlekhet kohanim veGoy kadosh, a model nation, lighting the way for how others can also build their societies (Shemot 19:6 and Yeshayahu 49:6, 60:3). This was articulated well in Mattityah’s speech to his sons on his deathbed, as he reiterated what they were fighting for, he said it is “to recover your ancient form of government… (Josephus XII 6)” Mattityah imbued his family, his bayit, with this vision and knew it penetrated their very being. That is why he was able to say with such confidence to the general that not continued / /

only won’t he prostrate before the idol, neither would his immediate family nor his extended family. His son Judah continued to embody and impart this message (Josephus XII 7).

After the war, those that sided with Mattityah and his family lit a victory symbol outside their homes, showing their bayit’s allegiance to that ideology, thereby making it clear what they and their household stood for. This is the message encoded in the misva of the lighting of the Hanukkah lamp. It is the reason the misva of Hanukkah lighting is specifically ner ish uBeito, one light for each bayit, each household. Unless there were two main entrances, in which case, one would have to light at both mipenei heHashad, in case of suspicion.

Unfortunately, the infighting amongst Jews continued post the rededication of the Temple since there were still Jews who despised the Torah’s model society. The symbolism of the light at one’s entrance, lit specifically at twilight, was meant to show that one’s home, one’s family, was aligned with Mattityah and his family, celebrating their triumph (Midrash Pesikta Rabati 2:1, Megillat Antiochus and Talmud Bavli Gittin 57). The hashad, suspicion upon not seeing a light at one’s entrance, was that one’s family was not aligned with Mattityah and his family.

This battle continues today, with many viewing Torah and misvot as ‘backward,’ ‘antiquated,’ or even ‘immoral,’ in light of ‘modern’ ethics and ‘philosophy.’ So, the question is not whether or not we have the freedom to practice religion, it is whether or not we care to see its value to our lives, our families and the world. So, without the sword against our neck, without the Greek general towering over us, what do we choose?

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8

TOWARD A POSITIVITY BIAS

BY R A B B I H A S K E L L O OK ST E I N | H IG H HOL I DAY 5 7 8 0 S E R MON

I ONCE CALLED THE LATE EFFIE PROPP, A BELOVED MEMBER OF KJ WHO WAS IN HIS 80S AND HAD LOADS OF MEDICAL ISSUES, AND I ASKED HIM: “HOW ARE YOU, EFFIE?” AND HE ANSWERED, FIRMLY: “I’M IN GREAT SHAPE FOR THE SHAPE I’M IN.” I WAS FASCINATED BY HIS RESPONSE, BECAUSE, IN A CLEVER WAY, HE ACTUALLY ARTICULATED A PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE. “I may have problems, and struggles but, on the whole, I’m happy and I’m positive.”

The Psalmist expressed this positive attitude as follows:

‫ברוך ה׳ יום יום ועמס לנו הא־ל‬ ‫ישׁועתנו סלה‬ “Blessed is God who loads goodness upon us and who is our salvation.”

This is a way of looking at the world and it was exemplified best by the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l in everything he did and said. The Rebbe had a positivity bias according to Rabbi Mendel Kalmanson in a book published just days before the Rebbe’s 25th yahrzeit last June. He articulated this positivity bias in his inaugural address on a cold wintry night in 1951. He began with a quote from The Song of Songs:

‫באתי לגני אחותי כלה‬ “I have come into my garden, my beloved” says God to Israel. In 1951, in the shadow of the Holocaust, in the impoverished and tenuous conditions of an infant State of Israel, and in the crisis of assimilation of American Jewry, the Rebbe looked at the world and referred to it as God’s garden!

When you and I look at the world today, do we see it as a wasteland or a wonderland? As a desert or as an oasis? As a troubled, dangerous and intimidating place or as God’s garden?

The Rebbe, who, on the surface, lived a life of great hardship, chose to see his world as a garden. This was his default position and he came to it out of choice.

Seeing life with a positivity bias is a matter of choice, not circumstance.

It derives from perspective, not place. For the most part, it’s not the events of our lives that shape us, but rather the meaning we assign to those events. In other words, if we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change. In this case, perception is reality.

Rabbi Kalmanson reminds us that the Rebbe did not live a life of peace and privilege which led him to a positivity bias. On the contrary, he lived through pogroms, the killing fields of World War I, a typhus epidemic, a refugee crisis, the persecution and forced exile of his father whom he never saw again after he was taken away, the Bolshevik Revolution, World War II, the carpet bombing of Warsaw and the brutal murder of his grandmother, brother and numerous other relatives at the hands of the

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Nazis. And, perhaps the most painful of all, he lived his entire life childless.

How could such a man maintain a positivity bias? How could he see his world as God’s garden?

He once answered that question to a friend. He said that he wasn’t by nature an optimist. He said: “I worked on myself to (always) look at things in a positive light; otherwise, I could not have survived.”

Let me now digress. Reading this confession in Kalmanson’s book reminded me of a passage in Rabbi Soloveichik’s Ish Ha-Halakha (Halakhic Man). He asks there how his grandfather, Reb Chaim Brisker, the greatest Talmid Chacham of his day, also became an extraordinary ba’al chesed. And he answers that Reb Chaim once told someone that he wasn’t kind or caring by nature. He had to work on himself to become a ba’al chesed.

So, you see, we all have choices.

There is no determinism in our nature.

Being kind, or cruel or indifferent, is a choice. Looking at life negatively, or positively, is also a choice.

The greatest of our people worked on themselves and changed. So can we. This is one of the positivity messages of the Yamim Nora’im.

9 So, how can we develop our own positivity bias? Let us cite, briefly, three methods advocated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

The First Method Focus on what we have, not on what we are missing. The Rebbe teaches all of us that lesson in a response to a letter from a man in a difficult situation, who writes that throughout his life he never experienced any good.

It seems that you do not sense the contradiction in your letter.

For a man whom God has blessed with a wife and children, to say that he has never seen any good, is ungrateful to an alarming degree…Hundreds, even thousands, of people pray every day to be blessed with children and would give everything they own to have a single child but have not as yet merited this… But you, the recipient of this blessing, which it seems came to you without you having to especially pray for it, don’t recognize the wealth and happiness in the blessings you have, and you write twice in your letter that you have never experienced any good.

It is worth recalling that the Rebbe himself never had children and so he deeply understood this particular pain on a personal level. He was therefore in a unique position, not just spiritually but existentially, to point out the magnificent blessing that this man had received, and that he was taking for granted.

Too often, we fail to keep the good things in our life at the forefront of our mind; we focus instead on the difficulties and the disappointments which preoccupy us.

What do we look for first in the daily newspaper or listen for on radio and TV? Killings, famous people failing, accidents, crimes – all the negative things. The media people know this, so they pander to our worst instincts.

Everybody is angry, yelling, blasting away on social media, protesting.

We have to sit back and count our blessings and look for the good in our world and not focus on the negative.

Ivy Bernard Levi, a Ramaz alumna and a KJer from birth, eulogized her 98-yearold grandmother recently; a woman who was widowed twice in her life and who had all kinds of hardships. She opened her eulogy with these words: The most important trait Mema embodied was her positivity and resilience, which I view as one, because with this combination, she lived a beautiful and happy life, no matter what challenges she faced. To me, that is one of the greatest qualities a person can have. Mema always moved forward and was present and enjoyed her life. She appreciated every little detail of what she had. She felt she had everything she needed and wanted, and couldn’t imagine more. Having such a happy, energetic, loving, warm and very present Grandma was the absolute best gift.

Here was a lady who was determined to live with a positivity bias, focusing on what she had and not on what she was missing.

A Second Method Express verbally our gratitude for what we have that is good in our lives: ‫הכרת הטוב‬.

The Rebbe drew from Jewish ritual to respond to someone who complained about his life. He wrote as follows: continued / /

I read (your letter) with great shock. If you pay attention to the simple meaning of the eighteen morning blessings, in which you bless God at the beginning of every day, you will see that you have been blessed with all of them. In addition, you have been blessed with good health, good parents, good education, a good community, a good profession, a good livelihood, and more. If so, what is the justification for your complaints?!

Hakarat ha-tov, expressing gratitude to God for all the things we might otherwise take for granted, creates positivity and happiness in our lives. Every day we acknowledge our blessings: We can see.

We have nice clothing.

We can move our limbs.

We can stand up.

We can walk around.

The Rebbetzin once asked the Rebbe what was his favorite prayer.

He responded: Modeh Ani!

‫מודה אני לפניך מלך חי וקים שׁהחזרת בי‬ ‫נשׁמתי בחמלה; רבה אמונתך‬ I thank you O Eternal King, for you have restored my soul to me in mercy; great is your faithfulness.

This prayer, which we say upon awakening, doesn’t even have God’s name in it. But it is a clear expression of gratitude to the Almighty for the gift of life and it is our first act of the day – an inspiration for looking at our lives with positivity.

A Final Method Respond to hardship with positive action. When something bad happens to us, try to respond with something good.

T o w a r d A P o s i t i v i ty B i a s / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

10 It transforms our focus from the negative to the positive.

recover. I wonder if part of his recovery was perhaps due to his positivity bias.

One of the best examples of which many of us know, is KJ member Alan Brown whose life was dramatically altered when he was hit by a wave and in an instant became a quadriplegic.

Anyone under such circumstances could have descended into a deep reactive depression. Instead, Alan has devoted his productive life to helping people cope with spinal cord injuries. He is the poster person for the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

Together with Jamie Lassner, he has now organized a non-profit to help promote the work of Access Israel, an organization which helps create conditions for handicapped Israelis to lead as normal a life as possible. Inspired by Alan, Jamie is leading in February an expedition of wounded IDF troopers to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, 20,000 feet above sea level, to show them that their injuries and traumas do not mean an end to meaningful living.

A third example: A young woman, severely challenged by illness, is so productive in scientific research and so positive about herself and her ability to create and discover, that she wrote the following under the heading: “Learning to Live with Adversity.”

A second example: A prospective chatan from a KJ family was about to finalize the purchase of an engagement ring for his kallah. He had to decide among three choices. As he was about to leave for the jeweler, his boss came to deliver the bad news that his group in the firm was being excessed and that he was now unemployed.

His first thought was: I’m going to choose the most beautiful and the most expensive ring of the three to reflect the sparkle in my kallah’s eyes.

In doing so, he turned a negative disappointment into a positive act of thoughtfulness and celebration. This young man is a living miracle. A few years ago he was in an auto crash and he almost did not survive. He went through years of surgeries and rehab to continued //

In making meaning, I am forced to literally redesign the dictionary, to redefine happiness, wellness, and so much more. The world resonates with perspective.

Walks can be journeys, moving can be wellness, disease can set the stage for an unexpected, unscripted, yet magnificent life.

My world echoes with the hum of something I call bliss, which I will define and redefine ad infinitum, forever undaunted.

At the bottom of the page is a picture of the writer with a brilliant smile on her face. The smile of one with a positivity bias.

Now, for an important disclaimer: there are times when things are so bad that only the heroic can have a positivity bias. We should not expect it, nor suggest it. The Talmud says: “Do not comfort the mourner when the body of his relative has not yet been buried.” That is the time for a supportive presence, and empathetic words. Comfort and consolation can come later. There will be a time when one can say: “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it was”; but that time is not always now.

We conclude our analysis of the positivity bias with an observation.

The Rebbe almost never ended a meeting or a letter or a farbrengen or a drasha on a down note. Always up and positive. He was reflecting a

T o w a r d A P o s i t i v i ty B i a s / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

long-standing Jewish practice. If a Haftarah, or a Megillah or a chapter from the Psalms ends on a down note, we either repeat an earlier verse or read the first verse of the next chapter.

The best example is Eicha on Tisha b’Av which ends with the verse ‫כי אם מאוס‬ ‫“ מאסתנו‬For You O God, are disgusted with us; ‫ קצפת עלנו עד מעוד‬You are furious with us.”

But we don’t end Eicha on that note.

Instead, we repeat the previous verse:

‫השיבנו ה' אליך ונשובה חדש ימינו כקדם‬ Return us to You, O God, and we will come back. Renew our days as of old.

The most positive message is to end everything on a high. Let everyone leave happy and positive. And so, please join me in concluding our service by singing together, Adon Olam asher malach.

FOR INFORMATION ON MANHATTAN KOSHER ESTABLISHMENTS VISIT ckj.org/kosher_restaurant_list

KJ SYNAGOGUE MEMBERSHIP BE A PART OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE ckj.org/kjmembership Contact KJ Executive Director Leonard Silverman at 212-774-5680 or lss@ckj.org

11

“IT IS NOT IN THE HEAVENS”: A FORMULA FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH B Y R A B B I D R . J E R E M Y W I E D E R | S H A B B AT PA R A S H AT B E R E I S H I T 5 7 8 0

TYPICALLY, WHEN I DELIVER A SERMON, I SEEK PRIMARILY TO INSPIRE HEARTS WITH AN ETHICAL OR MORAL CHALLENGE. BUT THIS MORNING, UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, I WISH TO MAKE AN APPEAL FOR AN OLD AND VENERABLE JEWISH INSTITUTION. I HAVE GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR YOU. The good news: I’m not asking you to write any checks. The bad news: I will be asking you for something much more valuable and precious – your time.

At the end of Parashat Nitzavim, which we read immediately before Rosh haShanah, the Torah tells us:

‫כי המצוה הזאת אשר אנכי מצוך היום‬ ‫לא נפלאת היא ממך ולא רחוקה היא – לא‬ ‫בשמים היא‬ For this mitzvah (commandment) which I am commanding you today is neither too hard nor far away from you. It is not in the heavens … (Deut 30:11-12) The last part of this quote is one of the major philosophical underpinnings of Rabbinic Judaism – the Torah was given once and never again, and no prophet can come and add or subtract from Torah or Halakhah, because God no longer gives prophecy with respect to law. We do not believe in any kind of continuous revelation.

Rather, the interpretation of Torah has been given over to the Hakhmei hamesorah, the Sages of each generation to interpret, with genuineness and integrity, as they deem appropriate.

This is the foundational Rabbinic interpretation. In context, however, the text speaks to another issue.

The entire verse reads as follows:

‫לא בשמים היא לאמר מי יעלה לנו‬ ‫השמימה ויקחה לנו וישמיענו אותה‬ ‫ונעשינה‬ It is not in the heavens that you might say, “Who will go up to the heavens and retrieve for us and make us hear it so that we might do it.”

The Torah is not in heaven, that we might therefore assert our inability to grasp, comprehend or acquire its knowledge because it is so far away.

Rather, the Torah concludes the section:

‫כי קרוב אליך הדבר מאד בפיך‬ .‫ובלבבך לעשותו‬ For the matter is very close to you – in your mouths and in your hearts – to do it. (ibid. 30:14) The Torah here has given us a roadmap of sorts, perhaps even the keys to the castle, for spiritual growth, in this case the study and the acquisition of the knowledge of Torah. The summer issue of Moment Magazine included a symposium in which a wide variety of Jewish figures were asked: “What are the five must-read books to be an educated Jew”? I will return to this question, or more accurately to my answer, later, but for the moment I would note that the Torah here is telling us not “what,” but rather “how.”

There are a number of midrashic passages that attempt to define what it means that the Torah “is not in heaven.” I think that each one teaches us a central lesson about growth in Torah, or, for that matter, any kind of meaningful growth in our lives.

1) The Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 8,6) states in the name of the Amoraic sage Shmuel:

‫אין התורה מצויה באסטרוגלין שאומנותם‬ ‫ אמרו לו לשמואל והרי אתה‬,'‫בשמי‬ ‫ אמ' להם לא‬,‫אסטרוגולוס וגדול בתורה‬ ‫הייתי מביט באסטרוגוליא אלא בשעה‬ ]‫ אימתי [בשעה‬,‫שהייתי פנוי מן התורה‬ ‫ם‬.‫שהייתי נפנה לבית המים‬ The Torah is not found amongst astrologers whose profession is in the heavens. They said to Shmuel: “But you are an astrologer and [also] a giant in Torah?” He said to them: “I only study astrology when I am unable to study Torah, that is when I am in the water closet.”

What is the intent of this passage with respect to “astrologers” and what was Shmuel’s response? I would suggest to you that those who seek out astrology are those who are looking for shortcuts in dealing with issues that actually require hard work and difficult choices. They are the ones who always pursue the latest trick –

" It i s N o t i n t h e H e av e n s " : A F o r m u l a f o r Sp i r i tu a l G r o w t h / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

12 the “magical” solution. When Shmuel was asked about his astrology, he responded that he studied it only when he couldn’t study Torah, but otherwise he was busy advancing his spiritual pursuits the old fashioned way – hard work. There is a difference between consulting an alternative healer instead of a doctor and consulting an alternative healer when modern medicine offers no solution. The former is usually foolish – in the case of the latter, there may be nothing to lose.

The lesson here: Genuine spiritual growth is a product of extensive investment of effort, not shortcuts.

2) Another midrash (ibid.) tells us:

‫ר' אחא אמ' אינה בגסי הרוח שהן עולין‬ ‫ והיכן היא שכונה? באותן‬,‫למעלה‬ ‫ם‬.‫שעושין עצמן לא‬ R. Aha says: “It is not found in the arrogant, who place themselves above all. Where does Torah dwell? In those who makes themselves as ‘nothing.’”

R. Aha teaches us that growth in Torah is inseparable from good character.

Another midrash implies a similar idea:

‫ א"ר חנינא היא וכל‬... ‫לא בשמים היא‬ ‫כלי ענותנותה וצדקתה ועבדותה‬ .‫םומתן שכרה‬ R. Hanina said “[Torah came down from heaven - ] it and all of its accoutrements – humility, justness and industriousness, as well as the reward for doing so.”

R. Hanina informs us that those who study Torah gain other things as well – character development (as well as reward). One can infer from this that Torah study is supposed to breed good character, and conversely that if Torah study doesn’t stimulate such improvement, it isn’t real Torah study. continued //

The lesson here: Genuine Torah study and religious growth are intertwined with and inseparable from character refinement.

3) Finally a midrash (ibid. 8,3) tells us:

‫ הה"ד ראמות‬,‫ד"א כי המצוה הזאת‬ ,‫לאויל חכמות בשער לא יפתח פיו‬ ‫ רבנין‬,‫מהו ראמות לאויל חכמות‬ ‫ הטפש הזה נכנס לבית הכנסת‬,‫אמרי‬ ,‫ורואה אותן שעוסקין בתורה‬ ‫והוא אומר להם היאך אדם למד‬ ‫ אומרים לו תחלה‬,‫תורה תחלה‬ ‫קורא במגלה ואח"כ בספר ואח"כ‬ ‫ משהוא‬,‫בנביאים ואחר כך בכתובים‬ ‫גומר את המקרא שונה בתלמוד‬ ,‫ואח"כ בהלכות ואח"כ באגדות‬ ‫ אומר בלבו אימתי‬,‫כיון ששומע כך‬ ,‫ וחוזר מן השער‬,‫אני לומר כל זאת‬ ‫ א"ר ינאי‬.‫הוי בשער לא יפתח פיו‬ ,‫ לככר שהוא תלוי באויר‬,‫לה"ד‬ ‫ ופקח‬,‫טפש אומ' מי יכול להביאו‬ ‫ מביא‬,‫אומ' לא אחר תלה אותו‬ ‫ כך כל‬,‫סולם או קנה ומוריד אותו‬ ‫ אומ' אימתי אקרא‬,‫מי שהוא טפש‬ ‫ ומי שהוא פקח מהו‬,‫כל התורה‬ ‫ שונה פרק אחד בכל יום ויום‬,‫עושה‬ ,‫עד שמסיים את כל התורה כולה‬ ‫אמ' הקדוש ברוך הוא לא נפלאת‬ ‫ לפי שאין‬,‫ ואם נפלאת היא‬,‫היא‬ ‫ הוי כי המצוה הזאת‬,‫אתה עסוק בה‬ This is what it is written in Proverbs, “Wisdom is too lofty for the fool, in the gate he does not open his mouth”; The Rabbis say this means that the fool enters the Synagogue and sees them studying Torah and asks: “How does one study Torah initially?”

They say to him that first one reads in the megillah, then in the Sefer [Torah] then in the Prophets and then the Writings.

When he finishes Scripture, he studies Talmud, then Law and then the Midrash. When he hears that he says to himself, “When will I ever study all of this?” and leaves the “sha`ar” and this is what the verse “In the gate he does not open his mouth” means.

R. Yannai says: To what can this be compared? To a loaf of bread that is hanging high in the air.

The fool says, “Who can possibly reach it?” The insightful one says, “Didn’t somebody get it up there?” He brings a ladder or a pole and gets it down. So too, one who is foolish says, “when will I ever be able to study the entire Torah?” What does the insightful one do? He studies one chapter every day until he completes the entire Torah. Thus God says, “It is not too hard for you and if it is, that is because you are not engaged with it.

The lesson here: The acquisition of Torah knowledge, and for that matter any other kind of meaningful spiritual or personal growth, while it may appear daunting, is simply the product of steady, continuous effort over a long period of time. One does not become knowledgeable in Torah by cramming, i.e. through an extremely intense engagement over a short period of time. There is a famous story (Avot deRabi Natan 6) of the great Sage R. Akiva who was an ignorant forty‑year‑ old shepherd who couldn’t even read the aleph-bet. He noticed a rock with a hole in it and wondered how the hole was made. Others explained to him that the hole was the product of years and years of slow dripping water. R. Akiva used that as his inspiration to begin his Torah studies at an advanced age, and the rest of his life story is well known. We may not be R. Akiva, but we can certainly draw the same inspiration that he did to become more literate and learned Jews.

In sum then, the Torah is teaching us that: 1) There are no shortcuts to genuine growth.

2) Religious and spiritual growth is meaningless if it is not accompanied by the refinement of character.

" It i s N o t i n t h e H e av e n s " : A F o r m u l a f o r Sp i r i tu a l G r o w t h / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

13 3) Meaningful growth can only be achieved through sustained and steady effort over an extended period of time.

One should always complete the sedrah along with the community – reading it twice and the translation once.

This last lesson is the principle underlying the Daf Yomi, for which we will be celebrating later today the completion of the fifth order of the Talmud. In just over two months, we will celebrate the completion of the entire Talmud – seven and one half years of daily commitment. Standing at the bottom of the mountain, it appeared as a mountain taller than many Everests; but those who put their heads down and climbed a small amount day after day, can no longer even see the bottom of the mountain, they are tantalizingly close to the summit.

It might best be described as the private individual’s obligation of kri’at ha-torah, the community’s obligation to publicly read the Torah – i.e. just as the community must publicly read the Torah, every individual must read the weekly sedrah twice along with the Aramaic translation of Onkelos or the commentary of Rashi.

This movement has spurred many other “yomi” movements – such as the Mishnah yomit – but all share the same basic principle: Rome wasn’t built in a day, but if you lay one or two bricks every day over a long period of time, you can build a magnificent edifice.

I began this sermon by mentioning that I would, uncharacteristically, be making an appeal on behalf of a long-established institution. That institution is not made of bricks and mortar, nor is it virtual. Rather, it is a “halakhic institution.” Those who contribute consistently to this institution continuously reap enormous dividends. But it is an institution that requires a regular commitment, on a daily, or at least weekly, basis.

The institution is known in halakhic literature as shenayim mikra ve-ehad targum. The Talmud in the tractate of Berakhot (8a), which is cited in the Shulhan Arukh (Orah Hayyim 285:1), the Code of Jewish Law, records what is, as far as I am aware, the only specific obligation of Torah Study:

‫לעולם ישלים אדם פרשיותיו עם הציבור‬ ‫ם‬.‫שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום‬ continued / /

Doing Daf Yomi may be beyond the capacities – either educational or time-commitment – of many of us, but I don’t think the same is true for shenayim mikra. It seems to me unlikely that there is a man or woman in this synagogue who is not capable of engaging in this course of learning.

The midrash (VaYikra Rabbah 9,3) tells a story of a well-dressed man whom R. Yannai met in the street. He invited the man into his home to dine and during the course of the meal discovered that the man was completely ignorant in Jewish learning. Upon completion of the meal R. Yannai asked his guest to lead the birkat hamazon, the Grace after Meals, but the man demurred because apparently he didn’t know that either.

R. Yannai inquired if his guest would recite the Grace if R. Yannai fed him the words, to which the man agreed. R. Yannai told him to repeat, “A dog ate of the bread of Yannai.” The man, enraged, grabbed R. Yannai by the collar and said to him, “You have my inheritance – give it to me.” R. Yannai, quite frightened, asked him what inheritance he was talking about. The man told him, Torah tzivvah lanu Moshe, morashah kehillat Ya`akov – Moses commanded us Torah, an inheritance of the community of Jacob. The guest said to R. Yannai, it doesn’t say morashah kehillat Yannai but morashah kehillat Ya`akov.

That gentleman had an excuse – apparently, his father had not taught him Torah, nor to read Hebrew, and there were no books in the vernacular from which he could study independently – so he asserted that R. Yannai owed it to him to teach him. We, however, are blessed with unimaginable resources – an absolute embarrassment of riches. Our morashah has been committed to writing for centuries.

For those for whom the Hebrew of chumash is mostly inaccessible, there are countless Jewish translations into English, and even when it comes to Rashi, there are quite a number of readily available, in-print, translations.

We are beginning the Torah reading cycle anew, as we do every year, and this presents the perfect opportunity to become a member of this venerable institution – no financial commitment requirement, just a regular contribution of your time.

One of the basic pillars of our community and our continuity is Jewish (or I would call it Torah) literacy. Were you to ask me which five books I would say every educated Jew should know – I suppose you know what my answer is.

The five books of Moses. And the way to achieve literacy in them is through shenayim mikra ve-ehad targum.

So I appeal to you as we begin the new Torah year – make this one of your causes. On a weekly basis complete the sedrah: Sit down to read it (out loud) by yourself, study with your spouse, your children or even your grandchildren. Because as the Torah tells us, lo ba-shamayim hi – it is not in the heavens. But rather ki karov eilekha hadavar me’od be-fikha u-bilvavekha la`asoto. Torah literacy is readily accessible – to read with our mouths and place in our hearts.

Shabbat Shalom.

" It i s N o t i n t h e H e av e n s " : A F o r m u l a f o r Sp i r i tu a l G r o w t h / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

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In the C O M Welcome!

Inaugural Concert Welcoming

CANTOR CHAIM D OVID BERS ON

Kehilath Jeshurun warmly welcomes the following new members who have joined the Congregation between the printing of the last Bulletin, September 3, and this Bulletin, which went to press on December 2: Efrat Aharonovich Lenore Feder and Michael Altman Jamie Stern and Jonathan Arbisfeld Zakai Ben-Chaim Buchler Sir Colin Callender Gail and Craig Dushey Madelaine and Shai Ellberger Rosemarie and Joseph Esmail Sara and Farzin Farokhzadeh Lauren and Jeremy Friedman Dena and Daniel Fromm Jennifer and Gabriel Gershowitz Judy and Ira Gomberg Bat-Ami and Zvi Gordon Francesca and Jonathan Gordon Vanessa and Noam Haberman Penina and Moshe Halak Deborah Hasin Talya Levi and Joshua Kahan Naomi and Jack Kassin Lisa Kaufman Bosi and Yaron Kinar Rachel Haber and Ari Mentzel Margalit and Jason Moche Carole and Michael Nimaroff Menucha Parry Robyn and Ross Radusky Karen Rosenthal Richard Samuelson Melodie and Michael Scharf Rifki Zable and Yoni Slonim Elisheva and Harris Sokoloff Shlomit and Eran Tromer

On Motzei Shabbat, November 16, KJ officially installed its new Cantor, Chaim Dovid Berson, at an Inaugural Concert. Cantor Berson was joined by musical guests Cantors Azi Schwartz, Senior Cantor of Park Avenue Synagogue; Mo Glazman, Senior Cantor of Congregation Emanu-El; KJ’s own Hazzan Dr. Benjamin Zalta and the Ramaz School Choir.

Together and individually they enthralled a sold‑out crowd in KJ’s Main Synagogue, performing an eclectic mix of liturgical and modern Hebrew music, as well as an amusing number called “Being a Cantor” which humorously bemoaned the life of a cantor.

Cantor Berson also introduced his own rendition of the Tefillah l’Shlom Medinat Yisrael which may prove to be a contender to the tune currently sung at Shabbat musaf services!

The evening was thoroughly enjoyed not just by KJ members but by a wide swath of the greater Jewish community, as well. The audience was sorry for the evening to end and all were left looking forward to the next concert.

ERUV HOTLINE For information regarding the weekly status of the Manhattan Eruv, call the ERUV HOTLINE 212-874-6100, ext. 3 (Recorded Message)

I n t h e C o m m u n i ty / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

Honoring Rabbi Lookstein Rabbi Haskel Lookstein was honored by Met Council with the Lifetime of Chesed Award at their Fall Gala on November 19. Over $600,000 was raised that evening, and all the proceeds will benefit the organization’s network of 40 kosher food pantries across New York.

15

MMUNITY

KJ MEN’S CLUB UPCOMING KIDDUSH DISCUSSIONS COORDINATED BY MEN’S CLUB PRESIDENT DR. MARK MEIROWITZ DECEMBER 7

Corey Johnson, Speaker of NYC City Council.

DECEMBER 14 Amotz Eyal,

CEO of TPS - Israel’s News Agency - dedicated to reporting the truth from the scene where news is happening in Israel, speaking on Telling the Actual News from Israel: The Story of TPS News Service.

JANUARY 4 Ed Randall,

baseball sportscaster on WFAN and the founder of Fans4theCure, which is dedicated to the issue of prostate cancer awareness and education, and KJ member Dr. David Wise, Assistant Professor, Prostate Cancer medical Oncology, Department of Urology, Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center.

JANUARY 11 Karen Blatt and Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez, respectively co-Executive Director and Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment in the NYS Assembly, speaking on Census 2020: Stand Up, Be Counted.

JANUARY 18 Shoshana Bryen, Senior Director of the Jewish Policy Center in Washington, DC, speaking on Iran as the Root of all Evil in the Middle East.

JANUARY 25 Sylvia Barack Fishman, Editor, HadassahBrandeis Institute Series on Gender and Jewish Women;

Emerita Professor of Contemporary Jewish Life and Culture, Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University speaking on Jews in America and Israel: Living in Two Different Worlds.

FEBRUARY 8 KJ member Dr. Nick Gura, speaking on How Did We Go from the Holocaust to the State of Israel: Was It Divine Intervention?

Lunch & Learn PRO GRAM

Hosted by Donna Silverman, and preceded by Yiddish Shmoozers with Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz at 11:30 AM, this group meets on Wednesdays at noon at 125 East 85th Street.

SPRING S CHEDULE DECEMBER 11 – Janie Schwalbe

FEBRUARY 15 Benjamin

Anthony, founder of Our Soldiers Speak. This nonfor-profit NGO provides briefings and analysis on the realities and challenges faced by the Israel Defense Forces in asymmetrical combat situations.

FEBRUARY 22 KJ member Israel Max

speaking on The Importance of Water Politics in the Middle East.

FEBRUARY 29 KJ member Dr. Lisa Young, nutritionist, speaking on Shabbat Superfoods!

Visit ckj.org/mens_club to learn more.

18 – Rabbi Elie Weinstock

JA N UA R Y 8 – Karen Lerman 15 – Gil Kahn 22 – Israel Max 29 – Joey Zimet

F E B RUA R Y 5 – Efrat Cohen 12 – Martin Kaufman 19 – Israel Max 26 – Andrea Shwartz

M A RCH 4 – Rabbi Elie Weinstock 11 – Gil Kahn 18 – Israel Max

FRIDAY NIGH T F E B R UARY 28T H , 2020 Join Shabbat Across America at KJ for the largest Shabbat experience hosted by any one congregation in the US. Last year over 700 participants attended!

Be an ambassador for Shabbat Across America 2020.

To reserve as a table host or for more information email Rabbi Kraus at rdk@ckj.org.

continued / /

25 – Riva Alper

APRIL 1 – Rabbi Elie Weinstock

Two Minute Torah with Rachel Kraus Hover your phone over the QR code with your camera app to join this Whatsapp group with weekly pre-Shabbat parsha insights!

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Save These Upcoming 2020 Dates!

FEBRUARY 7-8 Samuel S. Silverstein Shabbaton Community Together Dinner & Shabbat of Song featuring Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson

FEBRUARY 1 Seymour Propp Memorial Lecture with Anton Gunn following Shabbat morning services

FEBRUARY 28 Shabbat Across America

MARCH 1-3 AIPAC Policy Conference

MARCH 27-28 Yachad Shabbaton

APRIL 1 148th Annual Synagogue Meeting at 7:30 PM

APRIL 3-4 Suzanne & Dr. Norman Javitt Annual Synagogue Shabbaton Featuring Rabbi Steven Weil

YOETZET HALAKHAH

KJ Sisterhood

Your KJ Sisterhood Fall Programing Began 5780 With Overwhelming Participation In Our Events!

C H A L L A H & L’ C H A I M

In September, our “Fall Preview” enabled us to mingle, socialize, get to know our members and make new friends. We were inspired by Rachel Kraus, the leaders of Sisterhood’s Caring Committees, and Met Council’s Leah Schecter, while engaging in a meaningful holiday Chesed project and enjoying wine and cheese. It was an impactful evening of introduction to KJ/Sisterhood volunteer opportunities.

UP COMING EVENTS

Thursday // February 27 // 7:30 PM Chairs: Gail Propp & Sharon Dane An inspirational guest speaker joins us as we measure, mix, knead, and customize our own challahs along with the “Challah Girls.” This Sisterhood event celebrates the life and legacy of Marsha Dane Stern, who is remembered as a staunch Zionist, a supporter of Jewish causes, and an educator.

SEPHARDIC CO OKING CLASS

Wednesday // March 18 // 7:00 PM Chairs: Nicole Sardar & Lexie Rishty Savor a delicious evening with Chef Sarah Hannan as she demonstrates the art of Sephardic cooking. Plan on enjoying a tasting of her Middle Eastern fare, and bringing home her tasty recipes.

THE SISTERHO OD S P R I NG LU NCH E ON Sunday // May 17 // 11:00 AM

Join with the women of our community as we celebrate, with gratitude, the year’s accomplishments and greet the summer season. Most especially, we will bestow the Gertrude Lookstein Award for exemplary commitment in fostering the mission of Sisterhood to an honoree from our community.

On October 29, “An Evening of Dialogue with author Dani Shapiro and Rabbi Lookstein” enchanted a packed Heyman Auditorium as they intensely discussed her book Inheritance. It’s not too late to purchase a copy of this extraordinary memoir. Visit ckj.org/sisterhood to get your copy.

At November’s program, “Let’s Move as One,” we had a blast dancing to Israeli, Latin, and Pop music as the Zumba aficionados and the curious came to enjoy this energetic workout with master instructor Lynda Levy.

In December our annual Chanukah Boutique wowed the community with its wide array of unique jewelry, clothing, toys, gifts, menswear and much more while supporting local entrepreneurs and businesses.

Contact us at sisterhood@ckj.org!

For questions regarding Jewish family law and women’s health, contact KJ’s Yoetzet Halakhah Julia Baruch at 929-274-0628 or

jb.yoetzet@gmail.com

continued //

Enjoy // Get Involved // Connect With Our Community!

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Recapping Kesher Events Fall 2019 K ESHER K IC KOFF K IDD U SH // Kesher was off to a bang

with an exciting and packed Kickoff Kiddush in the Ramaz Middle School Gym. At the Kiddush, Kesher debuted its first line of shul swag—“Give Kesher a Shot” shot glasses and personalized KJ Bags (anyone interested in purchasing a KJ bag should contact Caroline Bryk at caroline.lobel@gmail.com. A portion of proceeds will go to KJ).

K ESHER COO K ING EVEN T // On November 14, Monica Borowick led an exciting Israeli themed cooking class, which was hosted by Lexie Rishty, at which Kesher men and women learned how to whip up delicious dishes and drinks and enjoyed the dishes together while getting to know each other better. Thank you to our committee members: Lenore Brachot, Rebecca Chubak, Shirlee Gordon and Tani Gordon.

K ESHER P RESEN T S G U YS NIGH T O U T: WHIS K E Y TAS T ING

K ESHER SHO P P ING EVEN T AT ALICE

On November 21, several dozen Kesher bros enjoyed an educational and culinary experience, learning about the great centers of modern whiskey distillation: Scotland, Japan and the United States. Paired with curated refreshments, the evening yielded much camaraderie (and not a few missed work appointments the next morning!).

AND OLIVIA TO B ENEFI T AMI T

20% of proceeds from the evening were donated by A&O to AMIT. Thank you to Jen Bernstein for hosting this amazing event.

K ESHER SHEMINI AT Z ERE T L U NCHEON // With 194 adults and 65 children in attendance, this was the best attended luncheon yet! Participants enjoyed a delicious lunch in the beautiful sukkah of the Ramaz Middle School, while children enjoyed special programming in the gym led by KJYD. Thank you to Ashley Buterman and Dena Fromm, our committee members, for all their hard work.

Upcoming Events Winter 2019-20 DEC 1 5 , 2 019 // Chanukah Event for Families JAN 4 , 2 02 0 // Kesher Wellness Event

JAN 2 5 , 2 02 0 // Grandparents/Special Person Shabbat

pedagogic value of the Sephardic tradition’s emphasis on communal prayer readings. The Sepharadim displayed incredible facility with the Hebrew language and could spot-read with great speed, accuracy and fluency in a way that is rare among Ashkenazim. What a treat!”

Sephardic Programming Fall 2019 LAYL HOSHANAH RAB BAH // Members

of the broader KJ Family – Sepharadim and Ashkenazim alike – bonded over the ancient Sephardic tradition of reciting aloud all 34 Chapters of the Book of Deuteronomy the night before Hoshannah Rabba, as a way of affirming the centrality of Torah study to a Jew’s identity. The reverential aspect of the experience was balanced by its social camaraderie, topped by delicious cuisine from both cultural traditions.

MEN ' S HI K E // The KJ Sephardic Minyan had a wonderful time on a hike with Rabbi Meyer Laniado!

GIVING T HAN KS // KJ and Ramaz families, led by

As KJ Executive Director Leonard Silverman remarked: “It is amazing to see in ordinary balabatim (worshipers) the

continued / /

Rabbi Meyer Laniado and the women of KJ Sephardic, showed gratitude to our local fire department by delivering home-cooked food and dessert for Thanksgiving.

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A TRUE SHALIACH TZIBBUR

BY LOUIS MENAGED

I have been privileged to know Dr. Benjamin “Benny” Zalta for almost 30 years. While some may call him a hazzan, I believe the term Shaliach Tzibbur is more appropriate; as Benny has devoted himself to be a messenger; a representative of his people, before Hashem.

A chazzan is expected to have a beautiful voice. A Shaliach Tzibbur should be learned, pious, modest, respected by all, and have a deep love of his congregation.

Benny has always had those qualities, and more.

The Jews of Syria were oppressed and denied exit under the government of Hafez Al Assad. In 1986, Benny fled Syria and arrived in New York, alone, at the age of 17.

I first met Benny at the Sephardic Services of Fifth Avenue Synagogue. A friend told me he had heard the minyan was led by an extraordinary, young hazzan. It was Benny, who had been “discovered” by Charles Cohen A”H who, along with Dr. Albert Harary, Ikey Haber, Ralph Anzaroot and Maurice Silvera, laid the groundwork for the Sephardic community we have in Manhattan today. With his entire family still unable to leave Syria, the synagogue community became his family in America. He grew up and matured among us. At the time, he was a pre-med student at Yeshiva University, and he worked his way through Yeshiva University and Albert Einstein Medical College, as a Hazzan. Benny did it all, leading Shacharit, Musaf, as well as reading the Torah with drama, feeling, and precision.

At times he even gave shiurim during Seudah Shelishit.

Those who know Benny well, recognize that he, and the concept of time, are not well acquainted. They tried to keep Benny on a schedule, written on the Tevah, so we wouldn’t run “late”. I remember walking with Benny in Central Park with him passionately explaining to me that his job was to talk to Hashem on behalf of the congregation. How could he watch the clock and be a Shaliach, at the same time?

In our minyan, as we still wrestle with timing, we often just shrug our shoulders and say, “Let Benny be Benny.” continued //

When we moved into the Chapel, Benny was at first upset that the Tevah was at the front of the room, off to the right.

He asked me if it could be moved to the center of the room, as he said he wanted to pray from within the congregation, not up front. All of you surely notice, that throughout the prayers, Benny is constantly turning around, urging us to sing together, to be a unit praying as one. His love for the kahal is obvious, as he urges us to take solos, and greets old friends from over the years, the young and old, Besever Panim Yaffot, with a special kindness and genuine warmth.

Benny never does anything halfway. Whether it is a packed house for Kol Nidre, 10 or 11 people on a cold Kabbalat Shabbat in the winter, or 40 days of Selichot at 6 am, Benny only goes all in, at 100% effort, with all his energy.

An hour before Sukkot, Benny called me to apologize that he couldn’t make it for Arbit. Earlier in the day, he had run into a fence playing tennis, suffering multiple fractures in his arm, lacerations on his face, and stitches above his eye. He had just returned from the emergency room. In true fashion, Benny showed up the next morning, arm in a sling; battered, bruised and medicated. He proceeded to lead us through an amazing Shacharit , a rousing Hallel, and even pinch hit by reading Torah for us when we realized we were short on readers. Needless to say, he did Musaf as well. As Ray Chalme put it: “Benny is a warrior”. We call him the “heart and soul of the minyan.”

When Benny reads the Asseret Hadiberot (Ten Commandments) on Shavuot, you can just about hear the Thunder and Lightning, and when reading the Splitting of the Red Sea, you can feel the fear, drama and relief of the miraculous rescue. Every Shacharit is a new experience, with our understanding of the prayers deepened by the melodies and precise phrasing. A congregant told me that he enters the room as one person, and feels he becomes another, as his Neshama is transformed as we move through Shacharit.

One Shabbat, Rabbi Lookstein came downstairs to pray with us beginning at Shacharit. I had a perfect seat behind the Rabbi. As Benny soared through Nishmat and progressed through Shacharit, the Rabbi started keeping beat on his legs and soon was clapping to Benny’s melodies. At the end of Shacharit, he walked over to Benny, gave him a hug and told us the following. “A great voice is a gift from Hashem. The manner in which Benny combines the voice, with the deep understanding of the words he is uttering, and his mission as the Shaliach Tzibbur, is rare indeed. I hope you appreciate what you have.”

We do. Thank you, Benny.

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Hakarat Hatov from Sephardic Minyan Hazzan Dr. Benny Zalta At the conclusion of Sephardic services on Shabbat Chol haMoed Sukkot, October 19, 2019, Hazzan Dr. Benny Zalta delivered the following remarks just prior to a Kiddush held in his honor to mark his liturgical and spiritual contributions to the Sephardic Minyan community that he helped found.

‫אודה ה' בכל לבב בסוד ישרים ועידה‬ I thank G-d with all my heart in the midst of this honorable community.

Dear Rabbis, committee members, ‫קהל קדש‬.

community before Hakadosh Barukh Hu and to inspire the community toward Hakadosh Barukh Hu. I hope that I have succeeded in some small measure.

‫כי לא על עצמי בלבד אני מתפלל כי בעד‬ ‫כל הקהל הקדש הזה‬ It is not only for my sake I am praying but on behalf of this entire holy congregation.

I would like to take a moment to thank each of you for sponsoring kiddush in my honor today. I am privileged and honored to be part of this wonderful community.

The weight of responsibility did not diminish within me over the past 31 years of service. This sense of awareness has actually grown over the years as I have accumulated more Torah knowledge and more importantly, as I have gotten to know this Kahal Kadosh.

I’m also humbled by the opportunity you have granted me to be your ‫שליח‬ ‫( צבור‬representative), and this is what I would like to focus on for a moment.

It started many years ago in Syria. I still remember the mural in my grandfather’s synagogue in Damascus facing the Bima. It said:

To be a Shaliach Tzibur, as I was taught, is to constantly be aware of who I represent and to try to convey a pure ‫תפילה‬, an authentic prayer before the King of Kings, ‫מלך מלכי המלכים הקב"ה‬.

However, it goes both ways: to be an emissary of the community is also to try to inspire the hearts and minds of the people towards the service of the One and only Creator of all.

What is ‫ תפילה‬our sages asked?

‫תפילה היא עבודת הלב‬ Prayer is the service of the heart.

With that in mind, a strong sense of responsibility permeates the bones of the Chazan. As we have prayed on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,

‫דע לפני מי אתה עומד‬ A specific constant reminder: Know before whom you stand.

I was barely 15 years old when I was asked to be ‫ שליח צבור‬for the first time.

Now, more than 35 years later, I still see that same mural every single time I stand here to pray with all of you. ‫ דע לפני מי אתה עומד‬.

My first post as a Chazan here in Manhattan was in September, 1989 at the Sephardic services of Fifth Avenue Synagogue. From the small Jewish enclave in Damascus to one of the most affluent and diverse Jewish communities in Manhattan.

My role and responsibility remained the same however – to represent the continued / /

I have watched this community grow from a handful of dedicated and honorable individuals, to whom all of the Syrian synagogues owe their very existence, into a blossoming, sizable and vibrant community.

But that is only half of the story.

The bigger and more wholesome part of the story is US, right here at KJ. Deborah and I are so proud and privileged to be part of this welcoming, warm and dynamic community. It is a true wholesome Jewish family.

Each of the 12 tribes of our ancient ancestors had its own flag, identity, traditions and customs, and yet they all merged to form one entity.

‫עם אחד בלב אחד‬ One nation with a single heart.

We are a living example of ‫עם אחד בלב‬ ‫אחד‬.

A beautiful bouquet of flowers, each with its own color and aroma.

So are we here at KJ, part and parcel of this magnificent metaphorical mosaic, which is just as much a part of me as the literal mosaic in my grandfather’s synagogue all those years ago.

I could not be more proud and privileged to be part of this community.

Thank you for providing me this opportunity. Thank you for honoring me.

And thank you for being who you are.

‫שבת שלום‬

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ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL PROJECT ORE

THANKSGIVING PROGRAM

On Sunday, November 24, the annual UJA@KJ Thanksgiving volunteer program was hosted at Project ORE. This program has become an annual tradition. There were many families who join every year, and many new families as well.

We served a delicious, Kosher pre‑Thanksgiving meal to seniors at Project ORE. The seniors refer to this program as the highlight of their year and they enjoy the opportunity to spend time with the community.

Especially around the holidays, volunteer opportunities like these really help to shed light on the particular challenges facing New York’s neediest. Together, UJA@ KJ is committed to raising awareness, running volunteer projects, and developing relationships in order to help improve the lives of those in need.

For more information, please contact UJA@KJ chairs Danielle Auerbach, Megan Englander, Marilyn Zarabi, or UJA@KJ staff person Becca Newman at newmanb@udafedny.org or 212-836-1267.

KJ Youth Programs

We leaped into the new year with nonstop fun and exciting programs. From High Holiday Camp servicing over 250 children, to Sukkah Hops, a blowout Simchat Torah celebration, and Noah’s ark parked at our door, the fun didn’t stop! We can’t wait for you to join us on the rest of this exciting adventure. See you there!

TEFILAH TOGETHER Grades 3-7 December 14, January 11, February 29, March 28

FAMILY SEUDAH SHLISHIT & HAVDALAH Families with children ages 5 & younger January 4

REMEMBERING KRISTALLNACHT On November 7, beloved KJ member and Holocaust survivor, Esther Peterseil, was interviewed by her daughter, KJ member Dorothy Tananbaum, as a vehicle to talk about her experiences during the Holocaust. Her talk, entitled From Strength to Strength - A Loss of Innocence and a Story of Survival, is an inspiring personal account of survival.

One of eight children, Esther was born in Bendzin, Poland, in December 1921. She was deported to the ghetto of Bendzin/Sosnowiec in 1942 and then to Birkenau in August of 1943. After being forced into the death marches in the winter of 1945, she was liberated in July of that year in Neustadt-Glewe, Germany. There were audible gasps from the audience during her talk as she described the brutal treatment she endured under the Nazis.

With anti-semitism on the rise, Esther's inspiring story of survival and courage felt all the more important. The standing ovation following her talk was a testament to her and her family. We are blessed to have her in our midst and fortunate to have been able to hear her story firsthand.

TOT SHABBAT DINNER

Families with children ages 5 & younger January 10

FAMILY FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER Grades 1-4 February 21

CHALLAH BAKE December 12: Grades 3-4, January 23: Grades 1-2

HAVDALAH ON ICE January 11

PRE-PURIM PARTY

SHABBATONIM

Families with children ages 5 & younger

December 14: Grades 3-4, January 25: Grades 1-2

March 9

HAVDALAH PARTY Grades 1-6

PURIM CARNIVAL

January 4, February 8

continued //

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March 10

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SUNDAYS

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

FOLLOWING

8:15 AM

8:30 AM

8:30 AM SERVICES

Parsha Foundations

Dr. William Major Memorial Advanced Shiur in Talmud Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder December: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 January: 5, 12, 26 February: 2, 9, 16, 23 March: 1, 8, 22, 29

Rabbi Elie Weinstock

Parashat haShavua for Women Rabbi Haskel Lookstein

6:30 PM

6:30 PM

Jewish Letters

Crash Course in Hebrew Reading Sara Rosen

Through the Ages Rabbi Yossi Weiser

MONDAYS

7:00 PM

8:30 AM

Rabbi Meyer Laniado

Exploring Jewish Thought Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz 7:00 PM

For the Love of God

7:15 PM

Spring: Starting March 4 7:30 PM

Prayerbook Hebrew Sara Rosen Spring: Starting March 4

What a Parsha!

9:30 PM

Rabbi Yossi Weiser

Contemporary Halakhic Issues Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz

Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) Gifts of the Jews

8:00 PM

Rabbi Elie Weinstock

Bamidbar with Rashi

Starting January 27

Martin Kaufman

The Book of

THURSDAYS 8:30 AM

Kings One: David and Batsheva, The Finale Dr. Shera Aranoff Tuchman 7:00 PM

Meaningful Jewish Living Rabbinical Staff ckj.org/mjl

CONNECT ckj.org/weeklyclasses

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Holiday H I G

CHANUKAH BEGINS SUNDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 22 Chanukah celebrates the miracles of the spiritual and military victories of the Maccabees against the Hellenist tyrants that imposed anti-religious rule and desecrated the Holy Temple in 165 BCE. The 25th of Kislev was the day the Maccabees entered the Temple following the battle and wanted to restart the Holy Service that had ceased under the foreign rule. The Maccabees found only one day’s supply of oil that they could use to rededicate the Menorah. Yet that tiny flask lasted until they were able to create new, pure oil – a delay of eight days.

many adopting the custom of using olive oil-based lamps).

On Saturday night, the candles are lit after Havdalah.

The victory established Jewish religious and political sovereignty in Israel during the second Temple times.

This miracle of Jewish independence had not been seen since the destruction of the First Temple and the assassination of the then-governor, Gedalyah.

LIGHTING THE CANDLES

Primarily, we celebrate Chanukah with spiritual expressions: (1) lighting candles in commemoration of the miracle of the rededication of the Temple, (2) singing Hallel in praise of God’s deliverance from our enemies, and (3) adding Al Ha-Nisim in our prayers of thanksgiving in recognition of both aspects of the miracle of Chanukah. We also have physical pleasures and celebrations by having (4) special foods, (5) gift giving, and even (6) parties.

THE CANDLES The prevailing custom is for each member of the family to light his or her own menorah which will have as many candles as that night of the holiday plus the shamash. Since the Chanukah candles are to commemorate the Menorah of the Temple, we apply the same rules to both: the candles and their flames become holy and as such cannot be used for any other purpose. With the exception of the shamash, we cannot read by their lights or use them to light another candle.

TIME FOR LIGHTING Candles must be lit after nightfall (about 40 minutes after sunset) and burn for at least a half-hour. On Friday afternoon, Chanukah candles should be lit before Shabbat candles, and should be of a type that will last over an hour (this leads to H o l i d ay H i g h l i g h t s / / K E H I L AT H J E S H U R U N B U L L E T I N

CANDLE ARRANGEMENT The candles are set from the right side of the menorah as the candle lighter faces it. The menorah should be placed in an area where it will not need to be moved after being lit. Safety is also a major concern, so please do not leave the home with the candles unattended.

The lights are lit from left to right – starting with the newest candle first. We begin by lighting the shamash, then we say the blessings: (1) ner shel Chanukah, (2) she-asa nisim, and on the first night we add (3) shehecheyanu. Once the blessings are said, we light the first candle and begin singing the songs Hanerot Hallalu – which explains the reasons for the ceremony – and Maoz Tzur which describes all the salvations wrought by God for the Jewish People.

PUBLICIZING THE MIRACLE We light the menorah so we can publicize the miracle to as many people as possible. We start with our own family but we often place the menorah in the window to proclaim our belief to others. Moreover, we publicize the miracle by singing the complete Hallel in the morning service and by adding Al Ha‑Nisim in our daily Shemoneh Esrei and in Birkat ha-Mazon.

MATERIAL PLEASURES In addition to the spiritual nature of the holiday, we have added, in later times, the physical pleasures of special foods (latkes, jelly donuts), gift-giving (never a bad idea, especially Jewish books), and parties (that serve as a means for fellowship and for publicizing the miracle).

Chanukah is a time when we should renew our commitment and devotion to God. The brave Maccabees who risked their lives for religious freedom should serve as a model for us to celebrate those freedoms and our joy in service to God.

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GHLIGHTS

GIVE THE PRESENT OF BEING PRESENT

BY RABBI ELIE WEINSTOCK

Have you seen a recent cartoon that explains the Chanukah miracle in contemporary terms? It shows a father standing before the family Chanukiah and holding a cell phone while explaining to his befuddled children, “The cell phone only had enough battery power for one day but it lasted eight days…”

It’s funny because it’s true.

We can better appreciate what it’s like to have just a little bit of fuel last for a long time through the analogy of our cell phone batteries. Who among us doesn’t know what it’s like to be searching frantically for a charger or an outlet as the “Battery Low” message appears on the screen?

We’re spending too much time looking at our screens!

Now, screens and devices aren’t all bad.

Don’t know the answer to a question?

Google is there with an instantaneous

answer. At the same time, all of this screen time means less time for reality.

be fully focused on one another and the Chanukah lights surrounding us!

While the scientific data is still evolving, we are well aware of the negative effects of too much time spent on screens and not enough spent living in the moment. I found it particularly ironic that when I wrote an article online about the subject, the pop-up ad was for a new T-Mobile phone!

The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) states:

That’s why I found this headline and initiative very appropriate: “This Chanukah, Go Screen Free for 30” (See the full article at ou.org/ life/holidays/this-chanukahgo-screen-free-for-30/.)

The idea is to put away the phones and avoid screens for, at least, the first 30 minutes after kindling the Chanukah lights. The 30 minutes comes from the minimum time the candles must remain lit to fulfill the mitzvah.

Each night, after lighting the candles, we proclaim: “Ein lanu reshut l'hishtameish bahem ela lir'otam bilvad” we have no permission to use the candles for mundane purposes. Their only purpose is to be watched. How awesome would it be if the only thing we do after lighting the candles is to

Spread the Light by making a Chanukah Donation to the KJ Benevolent Fund ckj.org/pay The needs in our community are great.

Help us help others in need.

Donate Generously.

continued / /

‫תנו רבנן מצות חנוכה נר איש וביתו‬ The mitzvah of Chanukah is for there to be a light kindled for oneself and one’s household.

Often, this teaching is the jumping off point for the discussion of how, while the mitzvah requires only one candle, we light more to fulfill the obligation in a more ideal fashion – mehadrin min ha-mehadrin. I suggest we focus our attention on those three little words – near ish u’veito. The mitzvah of Chanukah is fulfilled when we focus our attention on the family.

This can be why, even though the ideal is to place the candles near the window, where they can be seen by those outside, the Talmud (ibid.) concludes:

‫מניחה על שלחנו ודיו‬ It suffices to light the Chanukah lights on the table.

The most fundamental way to celebrate Chanukah is to focus – really focus – on those around us, those sitting around the table. That’s plenty.

It is not easy to set aside our connection to the wonders of the internet, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and the other portals for information. I know from experience.

At the same time, the greatest present we can give ourselves this Chanukah is to try and be more present – more fully present – for all the great things going on around us.

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PURIM: THE JEWISH WAY TO REJOICE // MARCH 9 -10, 2020

chaos, but we see God’s intervention especially in those events that go beyond human power. The holiday of Purim is, as a result, a holiday where we in the Diaspora learn how God interacts and communicates within the hidden.

THE HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAY

WHAT IS PURIM? Purim, the holiday on the 14th of Adar, is one of the happiest days of the Jewish calendar. The Talmud (Taanit 29b) states, “When Adar begins we increase in joy” because Adar and Purim are hallmarks of God’s salvation of the Jewish people.

Even though Purim is not a Torah holiday, there is a Biblical book (The Scroll of Esther) which details the action of the holiday and the history of the events. Being of Biblical level gives the holiday a great deal of importance and authority.

MESSAGE OF THE HOLIDAY Purim is a festive day because God rescued us from our enemies. Yet, as seen in the ancient work Megillat Taanit, there were hundreds of days of the year that were considered minor festivals of thanksgiving. Only two, Purim and Chanukah, were applied to all Jewish communities at all times because their inherent messages were considered all encompassing.

Tradition teaches us that Purim is about how God rescues the Jews in the Diaspora- where God needs to operate in a hidden manner with hidden miracles. A popular lesson about the name Megillat Esther is that the word Esther means “hidden” (like hester panim) and Megillah means “revealed.”

Hence Megillat Esther is the “revelation of what’s hidden.”

God is hidden in the Megillah; the story is a set of confounding coincidences that appear to be catastrophes until the critical turnabout when the Jews emerge mighty and victorious. God’s name is not mentioned in the Megillah, but God’s invisible touch is active throughout.

The name of the holiday, Purim, comes from the Persian word for randomness: pur. Our enemies used a lottery (purim) to determine the date for the Jewish extermination.

In the earthly realm, our enemies see randomness and continued //

THE STORY OF ESTHER The story of Esther takes place while the Jews lived in the Persian empire, during the exile of 70 years (circa 366-355 BCE). The main characters are: Mordechai (rabbi, hero), Esther (his cousin, becomes queen of Persia), Achashverosh (king of Persia, easily swayed to either side), and Haman ym”sh (from Amalek; hates Jews, tries to commit genocide).

ACTION OF THE MEGILLAH The life for the Jews in exile is precarious. Achashverosh holds a party where he kills his wife in response to her insolence. The king then searches for a new queen and chooses the youthful Jewess Esther who was counseled by her uncle Mordechai. Later on, Haman is insulted that Mordechai does not pay him proper respect and Haman convinces Achashverosh to allow him to kill all the Jews.

Haman chooses the date of warfare by rolling dice (which are called pur in Aramaic, see above). He rolls the date of the 13th of the month of Adar. Mordechai hears of the plot and impresses upon Esther to plead with the King to spare her people. At first she refuses, for fear of her life, but then she risks everything to appeal to the king. The appeal is successful, Haman is thwarted, and the favor of the king is such that he allows Esther’s people, the Jews, to fight back on the 13th of Adar. We were able to fight back so successfully that we created a holiday on the day afterwards as a remembrance of God’s miraculous salvation that worked behind the scenes.

HOW WE COMMEMORATE AND CELEBRATE SHABBAT ZACHOR The Shabbat preceding Purim (this year, March 7, 2020) is called Shabbat Zachor. We choose this Shabbat to observe the commandment to remember the evil of the nation of Amalek who are central to Purim as well. In Exodus 17:8-16, we read about their terror war against the Jewish people when they attacked us without mercy. The command in Deut. 25:17-19 states: “Remember what Amalek did to you, on your way as you departed from Egypt... you shall obliterate the memory of Amalek, you shall not forget.” According to most authorities, it is a Torah level commandment to hear this portion read in synagogue.

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25 TA ANIT ESTHER // 13 TH OF ADAR The day preceding Purim is a thematically connected fast day.

The 13th of Adar is mentioned in the Megillah as the day chosen by Haman to destroy the Jewish people. We fast in memory of the war that took place on that day and, like the fast of the first born, we use the fast to recognize our salvation. (cf. Esther 9:31). Taanit Esther is unlike the other fasts of the Jewish calendar, insofar that it is a day of thanksgiving and not sadness.

CUSTOMS OF THE FAST DAY The “half-shekel” is donated at the afternoon service (in commemoration of the half-shekel census, cf. Exodus 25:11-16, we use the half currency of the realm, e.g. three half-dollars.)

The money is used for communal funds and synagogue repair.

We go straight from the fast to the Megillah reading - only eating after we have fulfilled that mitzvah.

PURIM // 14 TH OF ADAR Work is not forbidden on Purim, but we also have no tachanun, eulogies or fasting; a mourner displays no outward signs, like on Shabbat. There are a number of commandments to fulfill on Purim (that apply equally to men and women): NIGHT Megillah: The sages tell us we must hear every word of the Megillah reading. Please help others fulfill this mitzvah by following the instructions of the community leaders as to when to cease noisemaking.

DAY Megillah: The obligation is both at night and during the day. We cannot hear two at night or two during the day to count for the whole holiday.

Mishloach Manot: Sending gifts of food to friends: Two foods to one person is the minimum. The foods must be ready-to-eat.

Matanot l’evyonim: Gifts of money to the poor. Two coins to each of two poor people. Money can be collected ahead of time with the intention that it will be dispensed on Purim day. We have a special collection in synagogue for this purpose.

Seudah: Festive meal with rejoicing. Invite family and friends to your home or join our catered community celebration.

Intoxication: We are enjoined to drink intoxicating spirits on Purim. Many authorities limit the drinking to the seudah, and even then, the command is just to drink a bit more than we are used to. In no fashion should we become so intoxicated that we would harm ourselves or others.

Special Prayers: We add Al Ha-Nisim to our Shemonah Esrei and to Birkat Hamazon. Yet, we do not say Hallel on Purim. Three reasons are given for the lack of Hallel. The first is that the Megillah acts as Hallel; the second is that the miracle of the day occurred secretly and outside the land of Israel; the third is that (in the words of the Talmud): “We are still servants to Achashverosh.”

PURIM CUSTOMS During the readings of the Megillah, we fulfill the commandment to “blot out” the name of Amalek by making loud noises whenever Haman’s name is read aloud.

Historians tell us that the custom started when people would write Haman’s name on the soles of their shoes and then stamp their feet during the Megillah reading. Nowadays, we use groggers: specially made continued / /

noisemakers. Another custom is to recite a few specific verses aloud as a congregation before the reader recites them. We read aloud four verses: 2:5, 8:15, 8:16, 10:3 and the list of the ten sons of Haman, 9:7-9.

Another widespread custom is to wear costumes, while some authorities hold that Yom Tov clothing should be worn (because it is called a Yom Tov in Esther 9:19). Costumes are to depict the “hiddenness” of the miracle of Purim, and also to heighten the “turnabouts” of the day.

SHUSHAN PURIM // 15 TH OF ADAR Any city with walls since the time of Joshua celebrates Purim one day later, on Adar 15. The Megillah relates how the war against our enemies lasted one day later in the city of Shushan.

Nowadays, Shushan Purim only applies to Jerusalem (although a few other cities in Israel have taken on both days as a longstanding custom, e.g. Akko, Yaffo, Tiberias). May you have a healthy, happy, freilichen Purim!

December 22 - 29th One Hundred Homes of Light Share the light of Chanukah with f riends, families, and neighbors!

Share your #ChanukahSelf ie n Facebook or Twitter using o t he tag #ChanukahSelf ie.

Learn more @ ckj.org

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PURIM SCHEDULE 5780 MONDAY, MARCH 9 FAST OF ESTHER Youth Pre-Purim Party

MONDAY, MARCH 9 | 500 PM - 630 PM For children in Nursery through 2nd Grade accompanied by an adult.

Featuring hamantaschen decorating, make-your-own grogger and many more exciting activities!

Fast begins

6:05 AM

Fast ends

7:28 PM

Shacharit in Rohr Chapel

6:50 AM

Mincha in Falk Auditorium

6:30 PM

Maariv followed by Megillat Esther

7:20 PM

in multiple locations: Main Synagogue Falk Auditorium (Adults Only, Quiet Reading)

In the 8th Floor Nakash Gymnasium, concluding with pizza in the Heyman Auditorium at 6:00 PM. No Charge. Siblings welcome.

RSVP ckj.org/youthpurim

Riklis Social Hall (Women Only) N akash Gymnasium (Parents & Toddlers Reading)

Beginners Megillah Reading

8:30 PM

SEPHARDIC SERVICES

Youth Carnival

TUESDAY, MARCH 10 | 1100 AM - 200 PM

Mincha in Rohr Chapel

6:30 PM

Arbit & Megillah Reading in Rohr Chapel

6:50 PM

(Children Welcome) Megillah Reading (no frills)

6:50 PM

in Middle School Beit Midrash

All ages Ramaz Middle School Order pay-one-price wristband at ckj.org/purimcarnival

TUESDAY, MARCH 10 PURIM DAY Morning Services in Main Synagogue 7:00 AM & 9:30 AM each followed by Megillah Reading, then breakfast in the Heyman Auditorium

SEPHARDIC SERVICES Morning Services in Rohr Chapel

6:30 AM & 9:00 AM

each followed by Megillah Reading Mincha in Rohr Chapel

LOCATION KEY 114 EAST 85TH STREET Falk Auditorium | Middle School Beit Midrash (L1)

continued //

6:45 PM

125 EAST 85TH STREET Main Synagogue | Rohr Chapel | Riklis Social Hall Heyman Auditorium | Nakash Gymnasium

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Within Our F A M I LY BIRTHS MAZAL TOV TO

Michael and Talia Abramson upon the birth of baby girl, Yael Esther.

Lauren and Ari Ackerman upon the birth of their daughter, Simona Liza.

Danielle and Jason Amirian upon the birth of a daughter, Julie (Turan). Mazal Tov to the proud KJ grandparents Sarah and Mark Tarnofsky.

Ruth and Ray Brenner upon the birth of a granddaughter, Lily Clara (Liana Gittel), born to their children Arielle and Adam Brenner.

Anna and Dr. Jonathan Cohen upon the birth of a son, Allen Henry (Henoch Reuven). Mazal Tov to the proud grandparents, Jessica Gribetz and the late Dr. Allen Gribetz.

Geraldine and Jeremie Cohen upon the birth of their son, Lior (Tzemach).

KJ Director of Communications and Programming Esther and Chaim Feierman upon the birth of their daughter, Adeline Sydney (Adira).

Jessica and Lewis Gibofsky upon the birth of their son, Reid Mayer (Yaakov Baruch). Mazal Tov as well to proud KJ grandparents Karen and Allan Gibofsky.

Ira Gober upon the birth of a grandson, Ezra Jerome (Yosef Ezra) born to his children, Rachel and Benjamin Gober.

THREE MODERN MIKVEHS IN OUR COMMUNITY

Karen Blatt and Ari Hirt upon the birth of a grandson.

Gabrielle and Sam Houri upon the birth of their son, Emanuel Moshe Zaki.

Alex and David Hollander upon the birth of their son.

Talya Levi and Josh Kahan upon the birth of their twin sons, Oliver Noah (Ilan Noach) and Jacob Lev (Boaz Lev).

Shelley and Martin Kaufman upon the birth of a grandson, Michael Edward (Menachem), born to their children Emily and Sam Shron. Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ great grandmother, Hannah Low. Diana and Ariel Kwacz upon the birth of their daughter, Sophie Anne (Ruth Batsheva.)

Suri and Dr. David Landerer upon the birth of a daughter, Bayla.

Regina Lazare upon the birth of a grandson, Kyle Noah (Noach), born to her children, Tamara and Seth Lazare.

Diane Nissenbaum and Brent Herbst upon the birth of their and daughter, Cassandra Claire (Chava Rachel).

Shireen and Alfred Ohebshalom upon the birth of a granddaughter born to their children, Julia and Avi Abadi.

Eleanore Reznik upon the birth of her first great grandchild, Liam David (David Zev) born to her grandchildren Matthew and Jen Beller of Riverdale.

Deborah and David Rifkin upon the birth of a son, Leo Arthur (Aryeh Alter). Mazal Tov to proud KJ grandparents Gabriela and Jack Shnay.

Mazal Tov to Jennifer and Jeff Roth upon the birth of a grandson, David Basil (David Binyamin), born to their children, Lea and Sam Roth.

Karen and Gabe Slotnick upon the birth of their son, Reuben Jack (Shabtai Yisrael).

Samantha Francis and Dr. Matthew Spiegel upon the birth of a baby boy, Reuben Morris (Reuven Moshe). Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ grandmother, Gwen Francis.

Ralou and Ronald Stern upon the birth of a grandson, Rafael Eliyahu, born to their children Sarah and Joshua Stern. Mazal Tov as well to the baby’s proud great grandparents, Mrs. Mahin Aryeh & Jane Stern Lebell and Don Lebell.

Roselyn Weitzner upon the birth of a great granddaughter, Jamie Sophie (Tova Aderet), born to her grandchildren Esther and Josh Goldstein.

Judy and Dr. Phil Wilner upon the birth of a granddaughter, Kayla Tova, born to their children Gabi and Chaim Grushko in Tel Aviv.

Joanne Zablud and George Poolman upon the birth of their daughter.

May these children grow up in the finest tradition of Torah, chupah, and maasim tovim.

5 East 62nd Street just off 5th Ave // 212-753-6058 419 East 77th Street between 1st & York Ave // 212-359-2020 234 West 74th Street between Broadway & West End Ave // 212-579-2011

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BNEI MITZVAH MAZAL TOV TO

Penny and Dr. Roy Feldman upon the Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter, Mina Tsipora.

Esther Messeloff upon the Bar Mitzvah in Israel of her grandson, Alexander Messeloff. We recall fondly at this time the memory of the late Jonathan Messeloff. Alex is the son of Wendy and Dan Messeloff of Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Ruth and Dr. David Musher upon the Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter, Tali Brenner, in Chevy Chase, MD. Miera and Alan Rechtschaffen upon the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Ronit. Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ grandfather, Rabbi Manfred Rechtschaffen.

Judy Tanz upon the Bar Mitzvah of her grandson, Eli Leo Slomovitz, son of PJ Tanz.

ENGAGEMENTS MAZAL TOV TO

Alison and Sylvain Bergfeld on the engagement of their son, Jacob, to Racheli Weiss, daughter of Debbie and Dr. Robert Weiss of Manhattan.

Dr. Carolyn and Orrin Feingold on the engagement of their son, Jared Feingold, to Talia Raikin, daughter of Belinda and Dr. Steven Raikin of Lower Marion, PA. Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ grandfather, Dr. Leonard Feingold.

Sarita and Ben Greszes upon the engagement in Israel of their granddaughter, Juliana Gershbaum, from Raanana, to Ami Tobin, from Bet Shemesh. Juliana is the daughter of Drs. Michele and David Gershbaum, and Ami is the son of Dodi and Marc Tobin.

Carol and Jeffrey Kaufman upon the engagement of their son, Michael Kaufman, to Ariana Wiener, daughter of Paulette and Arthur Wiener of Manhattan Beach, New York.

Fran Margolin (Finkelstein) upon her engagement to Craig Bondy of Manhattan.

Alissa and Howie Shams upon the engagement of their daughter, Hannah, to Joshua Silverman.

May their weddings take place in happiness and blessing.

MARRIAGES MAZAL TOV TO

Drs. Edith Gurewitsch Allen and Robert Allen upon the marriage of their stepdaughter and daughter, Leora Allen, to Andrew Hyatt, of Fairfax Virginia.

Sharon & Elie Gindi, and Judy & KJ Board President David Lobel, upon the marriage of their children, Jack Gindi and Alexandra Lobel.

Pamela and Adam Emmerich upon the marriage of their daughter, Sarah, to Shail Sturm, son of Dr. Judy Sturm and Simon Sturm of Toronto.

Jessica and Allen z”l Gribetz and Sheila and Alan Greenberg upon the occasion of the marriage of their children, Nina Gribetz to Dr. Marc Greenberg.

Judy and Dr. Marty Grumet upon the marriage of their son, Duvi, to Daniella Papier, the daughter of Julie and David Papier of Teaneck.

Elisa Septee Lunzer and Jay Lunzer upon the marriage of their son, Aaron, to Sofi Gotlib, daughter of Malka Cohen and Kerry Gotlib of New York.

May the newlywed couples be blessed to build homes faithful to the traditions of the Jewish people.

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MILESTONES C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O

Doina and Dr. Larry Bryskin upon their 50th wedding anniversary.

Barrie Modlin upon celebrating his 75th birthday.

Leah and Barrie Modlin upon their 50th wedding anniversary.

COMMUNAL HONORS C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O

Fran Brown and her sons, Alan, Daniel and Steven, for receiving the Christopher Reeve Spirit of Courage Award at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s A Magical Evening Gala where Benjy Brown’s legacy was honored and remembered.

Rabbi Daniel and Rachel Kraus upon being honored by MaTaN with the Young Leadership Award at their 30th Anniversary Gala. Our treasured, 50year KJ Member, Susie Eisenstat, was also honored that same night with MaTaN’s Founder’s Award.

Jackie Marcus upon her recognition in the September issue of The National Law Journal as a trailblazer for equality.

Scott Shay upon being honored by the Forum On Law Culture & Society on September 23, at their program A Conversation with Scott Shay.

DEDICATE Members of the Congregation and others are invited to honor a friend or relative, celebrate a milestone event, or memorialize a loved one by dedicating Chumashim ($75 each) or Siddurim ($50 each). Call Riva Alper at 212-774-5670 for more information.

29 refurbishment of their Main Sanctuary.

PROFESSIONAL/PERSONAL CONDOLENCES OUR CONDOLENCES TO ACHIEVEMENTS C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O

David Berman upon being recognized

by The Jerusalem Post for his positive impact on South African society's future generations, by promoting the game of chess.

Beckie Cohen, daughter of Sherry and Neil Cohen, upon being elected to serve as President of the Jewish Students Organization at Johns Hopkins.

Elie Hirschfeld, upon being appointed to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, whose mission is to obtain from foreign governments their assurance that cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe that are associated with USA heritage such as the Holocaust - will be protected and preserved.

Audrey Trachtman upon taking the helm as AMIT’s national president.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O

Kayla and Elias Lebovits upon their graduation from Harvard Business School. Mazal Tov as well to KJ parents Ellen & Rob Kapito and Judith & Dr. Pinkas Lebovits.

Linda Esses upon the passing of her mother, Arleen Cohen.

Dr. Taryn Fishman Bolnick upon the passing of her sister, Glenda Shasho.

Susan Hirschfeld upon the passing of her mother, Judith Aronson.

Larry Kassman upon the passing of his father, Jeffrey Kassman.

David Mark, upon the passing of his mother, Dr. Frances ("Tzippy") Okun Mark.

Amnon Shalhov upon the passing of his father, Shalom Shalhov.

Vida Mantel, upon the passing of her mother, Farang Shahery.

Rabbi Elie Weinstock upon the passing of his grandmother, Beverly Weinstock.

IN MEMORIAM J. MICHAEL FRIED // A loyal and supportive member of KJ for over three decades, his primary synagogue of affiliation and association was our sister synagogue, Congregation Orach Chaim, where he was extremely active.

There, as an effective - though quiet leader, J. Michael was the leading force behind the magnificent restoration and

Create an Enduring Legacy While Receiving A Lifelong Revenue Stream Please consider participating in the Congregation’s Endowment and Planned Giving Program, through which you can create an enduring legacy of active participation in KJ through a Charitable Gift Annuity that pays handsomely.

Contact Leonard Silverman at 212-774-5680 or lss@ckj.org to learn more.

continued / /

He and Janet were very proud of their daughters, Rachel and Miriam, who are both treasured Ramaz School alumnae, and their children, who are all attending Day Schools. J. Michael and Janet manifested their ongoing commitment to Jewish education by endowing a scholarship fund at Ramaz in memory of their respective families, and in so doing, are making it possible for future generations to benefit religiously and spiritually and intellectually as their own children were benefitted.

We miss this wonderful friend and very passionate Jew. J U DI T H P RICE // A beautiful woman

– inside and out, Judith was a strong, caring, and compassionate role model for everyone who knew her. Married to Arnold for 55 years, she was a local leader of Hadassah in Queens and modeled for her family and friends the importance of always giving back. A strong woman, Judith fought until the end and had an extra seven years to spend with her loved ones. Her greatest legacy is her family. Her daughters, Lynne Frenkel of Stamford, CT, and our member, Robyn Price Stonehill, are both Ramaz alumnae, having commuted daily from Queens. Her five grandchildren, Jared, Andrew, Brooke, Emma and Jordana, were the light of her life and each is a graduate of Jewish Day School or still attending.

May they be comforted among all those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.

ORDER MAIN SYNAGOGUE MEMORIAL PLAQUES FOR LOVED ONES Contact KJ Comptroller Sy Yanofsky at 212-774-5620 or sy@ckj.org.

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Bnei M I

KJ LAUNCHES FATHER/SON BAR MITZVAH PROGRAM In an effort to bring students and fathers together to meaningfully prepare for Bar Mitzvah, KJ has launched a new Bar Mitzvah program. Fathers and sons in the KJ/Ramaz community are invited to participate in five experiential programs to explore what it means to come of age in Judaism.

Led by the KJ Rabbis, students will be exploring Tefillin, Chesed, Shabbat, Torah learning, and Prayer. The first session, a visit with Rabbi Kraus to Rabbi Pincus, a sofer in Brooklyn, was followed by dinner at Wolf and Lamb, attracted over 20 fathers and sons. Upcoming programs include a Met Council Chesed Day, a Seudah Shlishit, a visit to Yeshiva University, and a lesson about prayer with Cantor Berson.

If you're interested in learning more about the program, please contact Rabbi Weinstock at ravelie@ckj.org.

SYLVI A RA AB Mazal Tov to Katia and Mitchell Raab upon the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Sylvie. Sylvie will read the Chanukah maftir and Haftarah and from Parashat Miketz at a Women’s Tefillah Service at Congregation Yedidya in Jerusalem on Shabbat Chanukah morning, December 28th. Sylvie will give a D’var Torah on the Haftarah for Shabbat Chanukah. Sylvie is in sixth grade at the Ramaz Middle School.

J O S E P H K AT Z Mazal Tov to Jane and Robert Katz upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Joseph, who will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on January 4, 2020, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun. He will read Parashat Vayigash and the accompanying Haftarah. He will also deliver a D'var Torah on his Torah portion. Joseph is a seventh grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

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J O S E P H H E R S H KOWI T Z Mazel Tov to Karen and Michael Hershkowitz, upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Jojo, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on Shabbat morning, March 7, at which time he will read Parashat Tetzaveh and deliver a D’var Torah. Jojo is a 7th grade student at SAR Academy.

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T Z VA H

Mother-Daughter Bat Mitzvah Class We are pleased to offer a special mother-daughter Bat Mitzvah program that will be taught by Rachel Kraus, KJ’s Director of Community Education.

The program, developed by MaTaN, The Sadie Rennert Women's Institute for Torah Studies, provides an opportunity for mothers and daughters to meaningfully engage with Jewish learning and experiences. The course focuses on women in Jewish history and aims to connect us with our past in order to help understand our future.

Each lesson will involve text learning (with sources in Hebrew and English), dynamic discussions and activities, and each mother-daughter pair is guided to work on their own Bat Mitzvah project. No previous Hebrew or Jewish knowledge is necessary.

The classes will meet in the Ramaz Lower School. It is being offered to girls in 5th grade and their mothers so we can be sure that all students will complete the course before their Bat Mitzvah. The cost for this program is $150. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

This course has been the hallmark of Bat Mitzvah preparation in our community, and it is a treasured learning and bonding experience for mothers and daughters.

You can register online at ckj.org/batmitzvah or contact ravelie@ckj.org for more information.

The program will include 7 Sundays of interactive learning beginning Sunday morning, January 26 at 9:30 AM, and 3 experiential sessions – a challah bake, a Seudah Shlishit/musical havdalah and a Chesed Day.

SCHEDULING YOUR FAMILY’S BAR OR BAT MITZVAH If you are making a Bar or Bat Mitzvah at KJ between September 2020 and June 2021, please contact Riva Alper in the synagogue office at 212‑774‑5670

to reserve specific rooms for your services, celebratory meals/kiddushim, and other functions.

If your child attends Ramaz, and whether or not you are a member of KJ, Riva Alper must be notified directly of your plans.

Reserving a date with Ramaz does not imply that it is reserved at KJ.

continued / /

JOIN THE KJ ONLINE COMMUNITY Visit ckj.org & click Join our Email List!

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32 KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN CONGREGATION KEHILATH JESHURUN

212-774-5600 | ckj.org

Non-Profit U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEW YORK, N.Y. PERMIT NO. 2200

CONGREGATION KEHILATH JESHURUN 125 EAST 85TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10028-0928

SYNAGOGUE OFFICIALS Haskel Lookstein.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rabbi Emeritus Chaim Steinmetz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Senior Rabbi Elimelech Weinstock.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rabbi Meyer Laniado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Rabbi Rabbi Daniel Kraus & Rachel Kraus. . . . . . . . . . . .

Directors of Community Education Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Scholar-in-Residence Chaim Dovid Berson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cantor Dr. Benjamin Zalta.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hazzan Leonard Silverman. . . . . . . . Executive Director

OFFICERS OF THE CONGREGATION David Lobel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President Elias Buchwald. . . . . . . . . . Senior Vice President Jonathan Wagner.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vice President Dr. Nicole Agus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2nd Vice President Sidney Ingber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3rd Vice President Wendy Greenbaum.. . . . . . . 4th Vice President Dr. Larry Baruch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Secretary Robert Schwartz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treasurer David Sultan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Treasurer Morris Massel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Secretary Evan Farber.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Financial Secretary JJ Hornblass.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recording Secretary Eric Gribetz. . . . . . . . . Administrative Secretary

LIVING PAST PRESIDENTS Fred Distenfeld Chaim Edelstein Eric Feldstein Stanley Gurewitsch Joel Katz

AFFILIATE PRESIDENTS Sharon Garfunkel. . . . . President, Sisterhood Roberta Stetson. . . . . . . President, Sisterhood Dr. Mark Meirowitz. . . . . . . . . . Pres., Men’s Club Caroline Bryk.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President, Kesher Liora Schulman.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President, Kesher Ariel Stern. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . President, Kesher

OFFICE STAFF Riva Alper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Administrator Dina Farhi.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Assistant Esther Feierman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Communications and Programming Menucha Parry. . . Director of Member Affairs Aryana Bibi Ritholtz. . . . . . . . . . . . . Youth Director Freddie Rodriguez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Superintendent Sy Yanofsky.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comptroller

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Please email riva@ckj.org or call 212-774-5670.

In preparing the Bulletin, we welcome all KJ members’ announcements of communal, academic and professional achievements. Please email riva@ckj.org or mail it to the synagogue, marked “ATTN: KJ Bulletin”

SHABBAT SCHEDULE DEC

WEEKLY PARASHA

CANDLE LIGHTING

FRIDAY EVENING SERVICES

SEPHARDIC FRIDAY EVENING SERVICES

SHABBAT AFTERNOON SERVICES

SHABBAT ENDS

6-7 13-14 20-21 27-28

Vayetze Vayishlach Vayeshev Miketz-Chanukah

4:11 PM 4:11 PM 4:13 PM 4:17 PM

4:25 PM 4:25 PM 4:25 PM 4:30 PM

4:10 PM 4:10 PM 4:10 PM 4:15 PM

4:05 PM 4:05 PM 4:10 PM 4:15 PM

5:08 PM 5:09 PM 5:12 PM 5:16 PM

Vayigash Vayechi Shemot Va'era

4:23 PM 4:30 PM 4:37 PM 4:45 PM

4:35 PM 4:45 PM 4:50 PM 5:00 PM

4:20 PM 4:30 PM 4:40 PM 4:45 PM

4:20 PM 4:25 PM 4:30 PM 4:40 PM

5:21 PM 5:28 PM 5:36 PM 5:43 PM

Bo Beshalach Yitro Mishpatim/Shekalim Terumah

4:54 PM 5:03 PM 5:11 PM 5:20 PM 5:28 PM

5:10 PM 5:15 PM 5:25 PM 5:35 PM 5:40 PM

4:55 PM 5:00 PM 5:10 PM 5:20 PM 5:30 PM

4:50 PM 4:55 PM 5:05 PM 5:15 PM 5:20 PM

5:51 PM 5:59 PM 6:07 PM 6:15 PM 6:22 PM

Tetzaveh/Zachor Ki Tisa/Parah Vaykhel-Pekudei/HaChodesh Vayikra

5:36 PM 6:43 PM 6:51 PM 6:58 PM

5:50 PM 6:45 PM 6:45 PM 6:45 PM

5:35 PM 6:45 PM 6:45 PM 6:45 PM

5:30 PM 6:35 PM 6:40 PM 6:50 PM

6:30 PM 7:37 PM 7:44 PM 7:52 PM

Tzav/HaGadol

7:05 PM

6:45 PM

6:45 PM

6:35 PM

8:00 PM

JAN

3-4 10-11 17-18 24-25

FEB 31-1 7-8 14-15 21-22 28-29

MAR 6-7 13-14 20-21 27-28

APR 3-4

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES MORNING SERVICES

SEPHARDIC SERVICES

EVENING SERVICES

Sunday Mornings

8:30 AM

Sunday Mornings 8:15 AM

Dec 3-19

4:25 PM

Feb 2-6

5:10 PM

Mondays & Thursdays

7:15 AM

Monday - Friday

7:00 AM

Dec 22-Jan 2

4:30 PM

Feb 9-13

5:20 PM

Rosh Chodesh

6:50 AM

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Fridays 7:30 AM Rosh Chodesh Weekdays

7:00 AM

Shabbat Mornings

9:00 AM

Jan 5-9

4:40 PM

Feb 16-20

5:30 PM

Jan 12-16

4:45 PM

Feb 23-27

5:35 PM

Jan 19-23

4:55 PM

Mar 1-5

5:45 PM

Jan 26-30

5:05 PM

Mar 8-Apr 7

6:45 PM

DATES TO REMEMBER THURS, NOV 28

Thanksgiving Service at 8:30 AM

SUN-FRI, DEC 23-27 & MON, DEC 30

Chanukah Service at 7:10 AM

WED, DEC 25

Morning Service at 8:30 AM

WED, JAN 1

Morning Service at 8:30 AM

SUN, JAN 7 Fast of the 10th of Tevet Fast Begins at 6:08 AM Morning Service at 6:50 AM Afternoon Service at 4:20 PM Fast Ends at 5:19 PM

MON, JAN 27 Rosh Chodesh Shevat Morning Service at 7:00 AM

MON, FEB 10

Tu B’Shevat Services at 8:30 AM

TUES-WED, FEB 25-26

Rosh Chodesh Adar Morning Service at 7:00 AM

MON, FEB 17

Morning Service at 8:30 AM For Purim Schedule see page 26