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Hale Shule’s New Look Newsletter
Parshat Bereshit
27 Tishrei 5776 10 October 2015
Service Times Shabbat (Mevarchim) Kabbalat Shabbat
18:10
(Candle Lighting)
18:10
Shacharit
09:00
Leining
10:00
Mincha - followed by Seudah & Ma’ariv
18:00
Shabbat terminates
19:14
Page No.s Artscroll Gutnick Hertz
Ma’ariv Only
Sun
09:00
19:30
Mon
07:00
19:30
Tues
06:45
19:30
Wed
06:45
19:30
Thur
07:00
Fri
07:00
19:30
time on the internet can make you anti-
friends, feels that his unique experiences
17:55*
social. We trust, of course, that our com-
separate him from others. This existential
munity e-letter has the opposite effect,
loneliness is what forces us to commune
inspiring you to increase your involvement
with our Creator by opening our hearts
in the activities of our Kehilla.
and praying to the One who truly under-
17:55
to all those who have Yahrtzeit this week as follows Louise Kaye Kitty Joseph Andrea Flax Michelle Green
Mother Husband Father Father
Mark Davies Joy Polak
Father Father
13 October 30 Tishrei
Debbie Hilton
Father
Wed
Norman Luft Reuben Berg Stuart Marks
Father Father Father
Mon
12 October 29 Tishrei
Tues
14 October 1 Cheshvan
Thurs
Father
15 October 2 Cheshvan
Jill Silver
Fri
Michael Rappaport Gordon Rosenthal Eliott Cohen
Mother Father Mother
Ronald Polak Tessa Frieslander
Father Father
16 October 3 Cheshvan
שבת
17 October 4 Cheshvan
Rabbi Portnoy A lonely person, even when surrounded by
Chayim Arukim
11 October 28 Tishrei
1130 1372 21
Studies tell us that spending too much
Candle Lighting *Kabbalat Shabbat
Sun
2 2 2
You’ll Never Walk Alone
Weekday Shacharit
Leining Haftarah
Mazeltov Arron Ferster on the occasion of his aufruf and forthcoming marriage to Anna Pearce. Shelly & Stuart Ferster and Chaim Ferster on the occasion of Arron & Anna’s forthcoming marriage.
stands us. Jews need to connect themselves. Other religions may encourage lone meditation
Jewish life is about striking the bal-
and seclusion, but Judaism requires us
ance between communing with Hashem
to gather together to daven, to help one
and playing our part in the community.
another, and to build community. Many
Knowing when it is not appropriate to talk
of our mitzvot are impossible to fulfil in
in Shule, how best to comfort a mourner,
isolation. As Hashem said – in this week’s
or who would appreciate a phone call or
parasha - before He created the second
a Shabbat invitation – it’s a constant
person, Eve, “It is not good for man to be
balancing act that I’m sure we in Hale can
alone”.
achieve.
In his essay “The Lonely Man of Faith”, Rav Soloveitchik distinguishes between being alone and being lonely. Aloneness means lacking love and friendship; this is an
Shabbat Weather
entirely destructive feeling. Loneliness, on
AM Partly Cloudy
the other hand, is an awareness of one’s
17o High
uniqueness.
7o Overnight Low
Parsha
verview
First Aliyah - 34 verses The account of creation. Day 1: Light and dark Day 2: Heavens and firmament Day 3: Land and seas Day 4: Sun, moon and stars Day 5: Fish, insects and birds Day 6: Land animals and humans Day 7: Shabbat Second Aliyah - 16 verses Restatement of creation, focusing on Gan Eden, the formation of Adam, Adam’s dominance over nature, and his first prohibition: eating from the Tree of Knowledge - Good and Evil. Third Aliyah - 27 verses The serpent entices Eve to eat from the Tree, followed by Adam. They are punished along with the serpent. Fourth Aliyah - 21 verses Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, prompting a redefinition of Man’s role in this world and their (our) relationship with G-d. Kayin and Hevel are born, Kayin kills Hevel. Kayin is punished, and his lineage is presented. Fifth Aliyah - 8 verses Torah mentions more descendants of Kayin and the skills that they introduced to the world. Sixth Aliyah - 24 verses The lineage from Adam through Sheit to Noach is presented, with the age of the father at birth, and each person’s age at his death. These numbers help us construct the first part of our timeline. Although many sons and dauvghters are born, only one representative of each generation is named. Adam lived for 930 years and then died. Seventh Aliyah - 16 verses The lineage continues to describe the birth of Noah, and his sons Shem, Cham and Yefet. The parsha concludes with the world deteriorating morally, and G-d’s decision to destroy the world and save Noah.
FUN FACT Parshat Bereshit covers 1,536 years, and the world is only 5,776 years old!
S L E W
JE
M S I DA
U J F O
Delve into the deeper side of Judaism This week we focus on stories that discuss the existence of Hashem
The Reality of the Creator The emperor Hadrian asked Rabbi Yehoshua, “Does the world have a master?” “Certainly,” replied Rabbi Yehoshua. ”Did you think the world exists without an owner? Hashem is the Creator of heaven and earth.” But Hadrian persisted. “If this is true, why doesn’t he reveal Himself a few times a year so that people should fear him?” “That would be impossible,” replied the Rabbi, “for it says (Exodus 33:20), ‘No man can see Me and live’.” “I don’t believe that,” argued Hadrian angrily. “No one can be so great that it is impossible even to look at him!” Rabbi Yehoshua left. Later, at noontime, he returned and asked the Emperor to step outside. “I am ready to show you Hashem!” he announced. Curious, Hadrian followed him to the palace garden. “Look straight up into the sun. There you will discover Hashem!” said Rabbi Yehoshua.
“What?” exclaimed Hadrian, bewildered. “Do you know what you are saying? Everyone knows that it is impossible to look directly into the sun at noon!” Rabbi Yehoshua smiled. “Note your own statement! You admit that no one can gaze at the sun’s full strength when it is at its zenith. Yet the sun is only one of Hashem’s servants, and its glory
Can you not clearly tell that Hashem made the world? is only one millionth of a fraction of Hashem’s splendour. How then do you expect people to be able to look Him? Yet He promised that the day will come when He alone will be exalted and His greatness will be accepted by all!” A heretic once asked Rabbi Akiva, “Who created the world?” “Hashem”, replied Rabbi Akiva.
“Prove it,” demanded the heretic. Rabbi Akiva told him to come back the following day. When the man returned on the following day, Rabbi Akiva asked him, “What are you wearing?” “A robe”. “Who made it?” “The weaver.” “I don’t believe you! Prove it,” demanded Rabbi Akiva. “That is ridiculous. Can’t you tell from the fabric and design a weaver made this garment?” said the man. “And you - can you not clearly tell that Hashem made the world?” After the heretic left, Rabbi Akiva explained to his students, “Just as a house was obviously built by a builder and a garment obviously sewn by a tailor, so was the world obviously made by a Creator!” Based on ‘The Midrash Says’ by Rabbi M. Weissman
SHABBAT
Parsha Stats
In two weeks time Jews from all around the world will join together for one memorable Shabbat
Bereshit is the 1st of 54 sedras 1st of 12 in Bereshit Written on 241 lines in a Torah (ranks 9th) 146 verses - ranks 8th (5th in Bereshit) Doors open at 6.00pm. Starts at 7.00pm
Here is a taster of what is happening in Hale that weekend
1931 words - ranks 8th (5th in Bereshit) 7235 letters - ranks 11th (5th in Bereshit)
Did You Know There is only one (positive) mitzvah mentioned this week (“Be fruitful and multiply”). The oldest man in the world, whose age is written explicitly in the Torah, was Metushelach (969 years).
QA &
Adam was supposed to live for 1000 years. Hashem showed him all the future generations to be born. When Adam saw that King David should have died at birth, he gave him 70 years of his life. King David lived to the age of 70, and Adam lived for 930 years. Read through the Parsha in English and find answers to the questions. LOLLIPOPS WILL BE AWARDED TO ANYONE WHO READS THROUGH IT, AND TELLS RABBI NICK THE CORRECT ANSWERS!
On which day were fish created? How many rivers flowed from the Garden of Eden? Can you name them? What sacrifices did Cain and Abel bring? How many generations were there between Adam and Noach? What were the names of Noach’s sons? What species of tree was the Tree of Knowledge?
Just For Fun Question: How do we know that cricket was created on the first day? Answer: Because the Torah says “In the Big Inning!”
KING AHEAD
L
In The Spotlight Arron Ferster and Anna Pearce
SHABBAT UK
YOUTH For more details on all events visit www.halehype.com or contact youth@hale-community.org.uk
BEYOND HALE EDUCATION
The UK Jewish Film Festival 2015 will be in Manchester, 8-22 November.
All regular Adult Education programmes continue as normal
For further details, please visit www.ukjfmcr.com
Relevance Shiur
Cheshire Friends of ALYN invite you to ‘Shopping, Mooching, Coffee & Catch Up’.
Can we pray for an ill person to die? Learning Halacha from a maid With Renowned Educator Nechama Atlas Monday 12th October - 8.30pm At the home of Craig and Rebecca Lewis 7 Dobb Hedge Close, WA15 0AT For more information please contact Craig Lewis - 07967 809 065
Tuesday 10th November - 12.30pm-7.30pm Wednesday 11th November - 9.00am-5.00pm •
Suka Style Fashion Boutique • • Jewellery by Deanne • • Linen Loft • • Funky Readers • • And much more •
Motley Bank, South Downs Rd, Bowdon, WA14 3HB
If you would like to sponsor an edition of ‘Something For Everyone’, in honour of a simcha or for a yahrtzeit, or for any reason, please contact the Shule office on 0161 980 8846 or admin@hale-community.org.uk
Stuart and Shelley Ferster celebrate Arron’s aufruf: Arron met his bride-to-be, Anna at a Fed awareness function at the St Pancras Hotel in London less than two years ago. Within a year of meeting, they were engaged and are now excited about starting married life in Brondsbury. They live very busy and interesting lives - Anna is a trainee solicitor and Arron is a TV producer working on programmes such as QI and Through The Keyhole. Anna’s family are also from Manchester, and the hosts are very pleased to be welcoming her parents, Juliette and Andy, and Anna’s grandma, Ruby Gold to Hale Shule this week. Shelley and Stuart also feel very blessed to be able to share this simcha with Shelley’s mother, Clair Sacks, and Stuart’s father, Chaim Ferster, as well as with guests from London and Israel. The wedding will be on the 18th October at a venue on the Wirral.
Kiddushim 10 October Shelley & Stuart Ferster 17 October Rabbi Nick & Shira Kett 24 October Unsponsored