HOLIDAYS

A YEAR LATER, SHAVUOT BLOOMS AT KJ

No one needed to be reminded of how Shavuot was spent last year. The community was exceptionally grateful to be able to come back to shul and gather together to celebrate z’man matan Torateinu.

KJ partnered with sister Synagogue Orach Chaim and presented an outstanding Tikkun Layl program with Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Rabbi Ben Skydell, Rabbi Meyer Laniado, Rabbi Daniel Kraus, and KJ Officer Morris Massel. The KJ Youth Department had activities galore for the kids. In addition to youth groups there was an ice cream party, a bubble show, and candy bags for all. We were also treated to some wonderful divrei Torah, in the main synagogue, as you will read below:

DIVREI TORAH

CALEB GRANT, GRADE 7 Shavuot is the holiday of receiving the Torah and the holiday of the harvest. But why is this holiday so special? We received the Torah and that is a lot, but what is the symbol? Every holiday has a symbol. Chanukah has a chanukiah, Pesach has matzah, Sukkot has a sukkah, but what symbol does Shavuot have? Shavuot has the bikkurim, the first of the fruits.

And why did we have to wait 49 days to receive the Torah? Did we not deserve it? Did God have second thoughts? The answer is no. We wait, because during those 49 days we are supposed to grow as human beings. Because the Torah is so holy, until we grow as Jews, we do not deserve it.

Additionally, the Torah uses the word ןחיו which is singular (Israel camped at the base of Har Sinai). This is the first time the Torah used the singular in talking about the Jewish people. Why is that? Unity.

While the Jewish people may have different opinions on almost any topic, like politics...which we can all relate to, there is one thing that unites the Jewish people: the Torah. One can go into any Shul around the world and while the tunes may vary or the siddurim may be slightly different, the Torah we read is always the same and הרות ןתמ is what we celebrate on Shavuot.

Unity, and being as one, is key to the Jewish people, to its survival and to Israel’s survival. The Jewish people come from different places, may look different or learn in different types of schools, but the Torah and Israel unites us. In these troubling times, we must all stand together with Israel and pray for peace and the coming of the mashiach.

Thank you and Chag Sameach.

BENJAMIN LEWITTES (GRADE 3) AND JONATHAN LEWITTES (KINDERGARTEN) Jonathan explained: We eat dairy on Shavuot because Jews did not have the laws of how to schecht (slaughter) meat. Also, the gematriah of chalav is 40, and Moshe went up to Har Sinai for 40 days.

Benjamin continued: On Shavuot we learn about lessons that have eternal significance. That means that they last forever and they are even all connected!

King David was one of the greatest kings the Jews ever had.

He was kind and holy but he was supposed to die when he was born. Adam was the first man in the world, and God showed him everything in the future. Adam was supposed to live 1,000 years. When he saw that King David was going to die the day he was born Adam gave him seventy years of his life. So, Adam lived till 930 and King David lived until he was seventy.

On Shavuot we read about Ruth. She was a really great person. She was so kind that God rewarded her with the kindest, most wonderful grandson, King David! And to connect it even more, King David was born and died on Shavuot, seventy years apart.

THE SHEMIS: MAYA (GRADE 6), SIVAN, (GRADE 3) - EITAN (KINDERGARTEN) Why do we read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot? There are three reasons. First, we read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot because it takes place in the harvest season. Ruth and Naomi went to Beit Lechem in the beginning of the harvest season. Ruth picked the wheat from Boaz’s field and shared it with Naomi. And Shavuot is a holiday about celebrating the harvest and offering the first fruits, or “bee-koo-reem,” to God.

Second, when Ruth converts to Judaism, she accepts all the laws of Judaism and commits herself to Judaism. On Shavuot, the Israelites received the Ten Commandments. Just like Ruth, they accepted Judaism and all its laws when they got the Ten Commandments. Ruth put all her belief in God when she converted and so did Bnei Yisrael when they received the Torah on Mt. Sinai.

The third lesson is one of the main lessons of the Torah: the importance of Chesed, or doing acts of loving kindness. For example, helping people in need by donating your time or tzedakah. In the Book of Ruth, we see examples of loving kindness, like the way Ruth did not abandon Naomi and helped find her food to eat.

What better book is there for Shavuot, the holiday when we celebrate receiving the Torah, than a book about a woman who acted in ways the Torah wants us all to act??? CHAG SAMEACH!

ARIELLE WISE, GRADE 2 My name is Arielle Wise.

This year I was curious to know why do we only eat dairy on Shavuot.

The Chafetz Chaim explains that before Bnei Israel received the Torah, Bnei Israel was not forced to follow the laws in the Torah, which includes Shechita and Kashrut. Since all of their meat pots and dishes now had to be made kosher before use, they chose to only eat dairy food.

But I had a question about this – if the reason is that they did not have time to prepare meat in a kosher way, then why do we eat dairy. Couldn’t we also eat Pareve – like vegetable or beans?

The Magen Avraham explains that milk is special because it is a sign of birth and a bright future. After all, milk is the first food for a newborn baby!!

When they received the Torah, Bnei Israel were celebrating a new way of life and a bright future! And what better way to celebrate than to only eat foods made from the sign of new life, milk!

I wish all of you a Chag Sameach and a bright future!

EDEN WISE, GRADE 4 This year, while learning about Shavuot, the question I had was why do we read Megilat Ruth on Shavuot? After all, nothing about the Bikurim, Matan Torah, learning all night, or eating cheesecake comes up in that story at all!!

Rabbi Zeira teaches that Megilat Ruth was included in Tanach to teach us the greatness of the reward for Chesed. Because of the kindness that Ruth showed Naomi, she was rewarded by having David Hamelech in her family.

But this still does not explain why we read this Megilah on Shavuot? To answer this question, we must look at the two major ways that Shavuot differs from Pesach and Sukkot:

1. Shavuot is the end of a process that starts with Pesach

2. Shavuot is the holiday that is most tied to Eretz Yisrael

I can read the Pesukim about this but we don’t have all night. Well, actually we do, but whatever!

Hashem freed Bnei Yisrael from Egypt so that they could prepare themselves to receive the Torah, which made them a Holy Nation. Shavuot, the end of this process, is the day where we remind ourselves of our goal to enter Israel and build a holy society. Caring for the poor and loving the convert are the most important ways to do this. The story of Boaz and Ruth shows that Bnei Yisrael reached a point where they had built a holy society and were deserving of having David Hamelech.

We are proud of the society created by our brothers and sisters in Israel, and we hope that they will soon be rewarded with Peace. Chag Sameach!

HOLIDAYS

HOLIDAYS

SUKKAH DINNER

UNDER THE STARS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 7:00 PM

RSVP: CKJ.ORG/KJBSUKKAH

YOM KIPPUR ATTIRE

MEN: This Kol Nidre Night and Yom Kippur Day dress up by wearing a white kitel.

They may be purchased at a moderate price at Judaica Classica by Doina.

PLEASE CALL 212-722-4271 TO PLACE YOUR ORDER.

KJ BENEVOLENT FUND

DEAR KJ FAMILY:

AUGUST 13, 2021

Every year we appeal to our family before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to ask all of us to support the KJ Benevolent Fund. If ever there were a year in which the Benevolent Fund needs strengthening it is this year when so many in our family and outside of it are in serious need of help.

We feel that this is just like a Passover Relief Appeal in which Jewish law says, you are either on the receiving end or the giving end: If you don’t need to receive, you have an obligation to give.

As you will recall, we are supporting people in this community who used to be very generous donors to the Benevolent Fund and who now need the Fund’s support. Because of the pandemic, there are more this year. We also need to respond to the needs of others beyond our community and in Israel. We very much want to be able to say yes when called upon by people who need and deserve our help.

Please, therefore, be as generous as you possibly can. Send in your gift to the KJ Benevolent Fund by check, or online at ckj.org/pay using the pulldown donation bar to select Benevolent Fund, or in any way which enables you to perform a great mitzvah before the great High Holy Day season.

May we all be inscribed and sealed for a year of health, happiness, safety and peace.

Sincerely,

Chaim Steinmetz Haskel Lookstein Roy Feldman Meyer Laniado Daniel Kraus

CHANUKAH BEGINS SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 28

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.

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.

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, this year after 5:06 pm each evening of Chanukah, 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 many adopting the custom of using olive oil-based lamps). On Saturday night, the candles are lit after Havdalah.

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.

Lighting the Candles 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 HaNisim 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.