g n i h t e Som e n o y r e v for E
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Parshat Shemot 20 Tevet 5776 1 January 2016
Service Times Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat
15:40
(Candle Lighting)
15:40
Shacharit
09:15
Leining
10:15
Artscroll Gutnick Hertz
Mincha follows kiddush Shabbat terminates
16:59
Ma’ariv
17:15
Weekday
Leining Haftarah
Page No.s
292 344 206
1146 1398 225
Thought For The Week
Shacharit
Ma’ariv Only
Sun
09:00
19:30
Mon
07:00
19:30
When Pharoah’s daughter Batya finds the
The current wave of new terror in Eretz
Tues
07:00
19:30
Wed
07:00
19:30
baby Moshe crying in his basket in the
Yisrael has made me concerned that daily
Thur
07:00
19:30
bulrushes, she identifies him as a ‘naar’
exposure to the televised suffering of oth-
Fri
07:00
15:50*
– a boy – rather than a baby, and as one
ers can sometimes make us numb to their
of the children of the Hebrews. Our com-
pain. We must struggle to maintain our
mentator Rashi interprets these strange
own sensitivity and to help our children to
words to mean that on some level she
care about the plight of other people.
Candle Lighting
15:50
*Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat
Chayim Arukim
to all those who have Yarzheit in the coming week as follows שבת
Hilary Black Paul Cohen
Mother Father
3 January 22 Tevet
Estelle Glyn
Mother
Mon
Tony Woolf Peter Woolf
Father Father
Patricia Alex
Father
Jacqueline Mond David Marsh Mavis Marsh Denise Marsh Simon Margolis
Father Father Husband Father Mother
Harvey Rosenfield Ben Solomons
Mother Brother
2 January 21 Tevet
Sun
4 January 23 Tevet
Tues
5 January 24 Tevet
Wed
6 January 25 Tevet
Thurs
7 January 26 Tevet
A Matter Of Life and Death
recognized Moshe’s unusual maturity and sensitivity.
We must all learn to feel both the pain and joy of our people Klal Yisrael and of all
When a baby cries he usually communi-
humanity around the world through the
cates his own need for food and com-
ravages of war, poverty and starvation as
fort. Only as we mature do we become
well as on a more local level, attuning our-
attuned to the suffering of other people.
selves to the needs of those in our own
Rashi teaches us that Moshe Rabeinu was
community who are unwell or in need of
an unusual child who felt and communi-
other types of chesed.
cated the suffering of his people. We see this again later when he intervenes in a fight between a Jew and an Egyptian, and
Rabbi Joel Portnoy
between two Jewish men, and is forced to flee for his life.
Shabbat Weather AM Rainy 9o High 5o Overnight Low
Parsha
verview
First Aliyah - 13 verses Pharoah starts to afflict the Israelites and impose slave labour upon them, thus preventing them from multiplying. When that doesn’t work, he instructs the midwives to kill all Hebrew sons. However, they were righteous, and they defy Pharaoh’s order. Second Aliyah - 7 verses Pharaoh then commands the Egyptians to cast all newborn males into the Nile. Moses is born. His mother hides him in a waterproof basket and floats him down the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter takes the child as her own, but his mother ends up nursing him. Third Aliyah - 6 verses Moses is raised in Pharaoh’s palace. One day he sees an Egyptian striking a Hebrew. Moses kills the Egyptian. As a result, Moses is compelled to flee. He escapes to Midian and marries Zipporah, the daughter of Yitro. They give birth to a son, Gershom. Back in Egypt, the plight of the Israelite slaves worsens. Fourth Aliyah - 17 verses While working as a shepherd, Moses encounters Hashem at the Burning Bush. Hashem tells him He has seen the Israelites’ afflictions, and has decided to bring them out of Egypt. Fifth Aliyah - 8 verses Hashem informs Moses that he will be His messenger to bring about the redemption, even with Pharoah’s refusal. He gives Moses three miracles to perform to prove that he was sent by Hashem. Moses protests that he is not suited for the role, and Aaron is assigned to be his spokesperson. Sixth Aliyah - 27 verses Moses returns to Egypt with his wife and two sons. He meets Aaron and the Elders, and performs the miracles for them. Seventh Aliyah - 6 verses Moses approaches Pharoah to present Hashem’s demands, but he mocks him, and increases the workload in response. This paves the way for the 10 plagues.
to Pharoah refers n tio na e ‘th as us re of Israel’, befo at th ew kn we even me a co be d ul wo we nation!
S L E W
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M S I DA
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Delve into the deeper side of Judaism This week we focus on our Forefather’s outlook on life
Final Requests An emperor’s daughter was banished to a foreign country,and there she married a peasant. Since she was in low spirits, the good-hearted young husband decided to try every possible means of cheering her up. When she was about to enter their new home in the village for the first time, he had matters carefully prearranged. He furnished their cottage neatly, he filled the chests and cupboards with blouses, scarves and trinkets for her, and he arranged that a meal of sausages, potato salad, and beer be brought there. He even paid the village musician to play just outside their window. The husband introduced his wife to the cottage, and they sat down to the meal. The husband contentedly chewed his food while listening to the music. He did not immediately realise that his wife was not sharing his bliss. On the contrary, she seemed depressed. The husband asked her, “What is the matter? Is the sausage not sufficiently spicy, or are you not satisfied with the beer? And don’t
you enjoy the heavenly music?” At these words, the wife almost burst into tears, but she refused to reply. She did not tell him her thoughts. How could he understand the delights of her youth, never having experienced himself the royal lifestyle, or even seeing her palace? How could he envision the daily banquets in her father’s palace where the cooks
How can a Jew yearn for the Redemption if he is unaware of the glory of his past? would continually surprise her with new and sophisticated delicacies, where the tables would boast the rarest, most exotic fruits? In comparison, even the best of the coarse peasant food was repulsive to her. What did he know about elegant robes? About the beautiful palace chambers, where servants would hasten to do her bidding? She could still hear the music which the royal orchestra would play on festive occasions,
while the music of this village musician insulted her trained ears. A Jew who is content and comfortable in exile resembles the peasant described above. He thinks that life has no greater joy than potato salad and beer. How can a Jew yearn for the Redemption if he is unaware of the greatness and glory once enjoyed by, and subsequently lost to our people? Only by studying Torah are we able to visualise the great splendour and nobility of our past. The Temple was termed ‘the joy of the entire earth’. The sight of the open miracles which occurred there would infuse a Jew with a sense of closeness to Hashem. A Jew who does not learn Torah cannot mentally recapture our past and is thus unaware of the ultimate ideal state of existence of the Jewish people.
Based on ‘The Midrash Says’ by Rabbi M. Weissman
If you would like to share your words of wisdom, please submit your article of no more than 500 words to nick@hale-community.org.uk
Forging a Connection
TEFIL
LAH
TIPS
Some ideas based on Rabbi H. Kleinman’s book, ‘Praying With Meaning’
The Power Of Habit - Part 2 Last week we remarked that until we understand the fact that it is our prayers that draw Hashem’s response into our lives and our world, we may struggle to have the motivation we need to seriously work on changing our prayer habits. A further paradox revolves around the misconception that changing our situations through prayer involves ‘changing Hashem’s mind’. Should we not just accept what happens to us, knowing that Hashem only acts for our benefit? And if we are not trying to change Hashem’s mind, what are we actually trying to do?
QA &
One of the popular answers to this question is that we are not trying to change Hashem’s mind. We are trying to change ourselves. The act of sincere prayer lifts our souls higher; it makes us into better, more elevated, more spiritual people. We become more worthy receptacles for Hashem’s bounty. This can be understood in the following way: A small child asks his father for an electric drill. The father refuses to give him the drill. Is the father evil? His child wants something; surely he must give him what he wants? A responsible father will not grant this
request because he knows that the child will start drilling all over the house! At this point, an electric drill is not the best thing for the child. Therefore, he buys him a toy drill, to at least give him some kind of experience and enjoyment. When the boy is older, and has demonstrated to the father that he will use the tool wisely, then the father will surely give him the drill with the greatest pleasure. As we develop our prayers we develop ourselves, and become more fitting recipients for what we ask for; health, wealth, a loving family, peace, knowledge, etc.
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!
What were Pitom and Raamses? What does the name ‘Moshe’ mean? How many daughters did Yitro have? Which miracles did Hashem instruct Moshe to perform?
Parsha Stats Shemot is the 13th of 54 sedras 1st of 11 in Shemot Written on 215.2 lines in a Torah (ranks 18th) 124 verses - ranks 15th (2nd in Shemot) 1763 words - ranks 14th (2nd in Shemot) 6762 letters - ranks 43rd (2nd in Shemot)
Did You Know The parsha starts with the letter ‘vav’, (meaning and), to emphasise that the birth of the Jewish nation in the book of Shemot, is linked to foundations laid by the Avot in the book of Bereshit. Moses’ parents wished to separate rather than kill a potential male child. Miriam insisted they stayed together, as they would otherwise be preventing the birth of future daughters too. The Egyptians knew when Moses was due, but he was born 3 months earlier, which meant his mother could hide him at home for the first 3 months.
Just For Fun Question: Who was the greatest businesswoman in the Torah?
What was Moshe’s and Aharon’s first request? What were Shifra and Puah’s real names?
Answer: Pharoah’s daughter. She went down to the Nile, and returned with a prophet.
Answers:
1. Storage cities. 2. “I drew him from the water”. 3, Seven. 4. Staff turning to a snake, Hand turning leperous, Water turning to blood. 5. To leave Egypt for a week. BONUS: Yocheved and Miriam
L
KING AHEAD
EDUCATION
YOUTH
In The Spotlight Gigi Weiss a”h The unveiling for Mrs Gigi Weiss a”h will take place on Thursday 7th January, at 2.15pm, at Phillips Park Cemetery. Gigi worked with the South Manchester community for over 20 years. In the earlier years she was the headteacher at the then South Manchester Teenager Centre. Latterly, she worked with the Hale community. She was a very popular teacher in the Partners in Torah programme, and is fondly remembered by those who learnt with her.
Adult Education programmes close for the winter break on Wednesday 23 December and will resume on Sunday 3 January
For more details on all events visit www.halehype.com or contact youth@hale-community.org.uk
BEYOND HALE Cheshire Friends of Alyn present A premiere theatre production .... Take a trip down memory lane for a great night out, music by all the old faves, Choreography by Arlene Phillips. We have a block booking of the best seats for The Premiere night.. The Opera House, Manchester Tuesday May 17th 2016 £40pp including Cheshire Friends Goodie Bags. Tickets very limited and only on sale until 8th Jan, so secure yours now. Contact cheshirefriendsofalyn@gmail.com 07976276777 For tickets.
If you would like to sponsor an edition of ‘Something For Everyone’, in honour of a simcha or for a yahrzeit, or for any reason, please contact the Shule office on 0161 980 8846 or admin@hale-community.org.uk
She was also a beloved attendant and co-ordinator at the South Manchester Mikva, ensuring that local women could always have a private and meaningful experience at any time. Even as her health worsened, she insisted on continuing as the ‘Mikva Lady’, and when that became impossible, she maintained her role as the Mikva Co-ordinator until she passed away. In addition to her unveiling, a Sefer Torah is being dedicated in her memory. The details of this celebration can be found on the adjacent flyer. Tehei Zichra B’rucha.
Kiddushim 2 January Unsponsored 9 January Gillian & Tony Raynes 16 January Unsponsored