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Parshat Va’era Rosh Chodesh
Service Times Shabbat (Rosh Chodesh) Kabbalat Shabbat
16:25
(Candle Lighting)
16:25
Shacharit
09:00
Leining
10:00
Mincha followed by Seudah & Ma’ariv
16:25
Shabbat Ends
17:38
29 Tevet 5777 27 January 2017 Page No.s Artscroll Gutnick Hertz
Leining 318 372 232
Maftir 890 1062 696
Haftarah 1208 1489 944
Security team: Orange
Weekday Shacharit
Ma’ariv
Sun
09:00
19:30
Mon
07:00
19:30
Tues
07:00
19:30
Wed
07:00
19:30
Thurs
07:00
19:30
Fri
07:00
16:40
In this week’s parsha Hashem commands
required striking the ground, Moshe refused
16:40*
Moshe to bring the plague of blood to the
again to strike it, because the ground saved
* Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat
Egyptians, and start the painful process of
him by covering up the Egyptian taskmaster
Chayim Arukim
forcing Pharoah to let the Jews leave Egypt.
that he had killed in last week’s parsha.
Candle Lighting
Thought For The Week Being Grateful
to all those who have Yahrzeit this week as follows
He tells him that he should stretch his staff
28 January
over the River Nile, and strike the water,
The message for us is that if Moshe was
and this will start the transformation of
able to show such sensitivity to water and
water to blood.
dust which are not living beings, then how
שבת
Joanne Feldman
Father
Howard Hymanson Ruth Glass Estelle Glyn Susan Lentin Jonathan Ferster Stuart Ferster Warren Ferster Chaim Ferster Gary Simon Alain de Botton
Father Father Father Brother Mother Mother Mother Wife Mother Father
Irene Varley Basil Latter Jacqueline Luft Ian Buchalter Jeanette Abrahams Rabbi Portnoy
Mother Mother Mother Mother Mother Mother
Barbara Rosen John Blaskey Roger Blaskey Michelle Levy Jayna & Guy Levy
Father Father Father Husband Father
3 February 7 Shevat
Ivor Harris
Father
Similarly, it is Aharon who strikes the Nile
שבת
Paul Berman Gerald Berman
Father Father
when bringing about the second plague of
1 Shevat
Sun
29 January 2 Shevat
Mon
30 January 3 Shevat
Thurs
2 February 6 Shevat
Fri
4 February 8 Shevat
much more so do we have to be careful to However, when the plague eventually starts,
show gratitude and sensitivity to anybody
it is not Moshe who strikes the water, but
who does us even the slightest favour, even
rather his brother, Aharon. The famous
something as small as lending a pen or giv-
question is why did Moshe not listen to
ing us directions.
Hashem and do it himself? However big or small the favour or gesture, One answer is that since Moshe was saved
the correct thing to do is to say thank you,
by the River Nile as a baby, he would not be
and try and do something nice in return.
showing appropriate gratitude to the river
Rabbi Nick Kett
by striking it, and cursing it.
frogs. And at the third plague of lice, which
Shabbat Weather AM Sunny 8o High 3o Overnight Low
Parsha
S L E W
verview
JE
First Aliyah - 12 verses Hashem tells Moshe that He has heard the cries of the Children of Israel, and promises to free them from Egypt, to save them from slavery, to redeem them, and to bring them to Land of Israel. Second Aliyah - 15 verses The Torah tells us the names of the tribes and the family groups. Although we are told the names of all the tribes, the Torah really wants to focus on Aharon and Moshe. We also meet many of the Torah personalities that we will meet in later stories. Third Aliyah - 9 verses In this brief section, we read again about Hashem telling Moshe to speak to Pharoah, and Moshe being nervous about his speech impediment. Fourth Aliyah - 28 verses Hashem tells Moshe that when Pharoah asks for a sign that he has been sent by Hashem he should throw down his staff and it will become a snake. He also tells Moshe how to perform the plagues of blood and frogs. Fifth Aliyah - 12 verses Pharoah goes back on his promise to free the Jews, and Hashem sends the plague of lice. When this doesn’t work, He sends the plague of wild beasts.
U J F O
This week we will discuss some of the hidden facts about some of the plagues
It’s Worse Than You Think BLOOD Why did Hashem tell Moshe to go to the River Nile first thing in the morning while Pharoah was bathing? The answer is that Pharoah made everyone believe that he was a god, and gods never need the toilet. He would bathe in the Nile every day so that he could go to the toilet then. When the river was turned to blood, he couldn’t go in the water. Some people say the Torah tells us that he wet himself on the spot!
All non-Jewish water turned to blood. If a Jew gave an Egyptian water to drink, it would turn to blood as he poured it into his mouth!
Sixth Aliyah - 26 verses After the plague of wild beasts, Hashem sends a plague that kills the Egyptian livestock. After that, Hashem sends the sixth plague; boils.
Seventh Aliyah - 19 verses Hashem sends the last plague that is mentioned in this week’s parsha - the plague of hail. This was not ordinary hail; these were big, destructive balls of ice (with fire inside!) This plague is unique becuase Egyptians could avoid damage if they took everything inside!
FROGS
While over 2000 years are covered in the book of Bereshit, from this week’s parsha till the end of the Torah, less than 45 years will be covered!
M S I DA
Delve into the deeper side of Judaism
The plague of frogs began by one, supersized frog emerging from the River Nile. The Egyptians brought weapons and sticks with which to kill the monstrous frog. Instead of killing it, the massive frog spat out hundreds and thousands of other frogs. The more they the Egyptians tried to kill the frogs, the more frogs
would come out! They were everywhere, and the noise was absolutely deafening! LICE When Aharon struck the dust, lice appeared and infested the Egyptians and their animals. They pricked their bodies like needles and also filled the fields and settled on the crops. Pharoah called his magicians to also produce lice, but this time they failed. Although they had known how to convert a staff
They were forced to admit that this plague could only have come from the Finger of Hashem into a snake and water into blood, they did not succeed in creating lice by magic. They admitted to Pharoah that magic has no power over an object smaller than a barley corn, and they were forced to admit that this plague could only have come from the Finger of Hashem. The magicians therefore with-
drew an from then on no longer attempted to imitate Moshe’s wonders. HAIL The plague of hail began as a mere rain becuase Hashem hoped that the Egyptians would still repent for their actions. Eventually the rain was converted into a storm. Thunder crashed, lightning struck, and the earth quaked. Then huge hailstones rained down from Heaven, composed of blocks of ice and of fire, but the fire did not melt the ice, nor did the ice extinguish the fire. Hashem performed this miracle so that everyone could see Hashem’s greatness and control over nature. The hail broke entire trees and destroyed the crops even down to the deepest roots in the ground. All produce was destroyed except for the wheat and spelt which Hashem wanted to spare so that the locusts could devour it. 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
Parsha Stats Va’era is is the 14th of 54 sedras 2nd of 11 in Shemot Written on 221.8 lines in a Torah (ranks 16th) 121 verses - ranks 20th (4th in Shemot) 1748 words - ranks 15th (3rd in Shemot) 6701 letters - ranks 17th (3rd in Shemot)
HALE & DISTRICT WALKERS DATE FOR YOUR DIARY! Walk & Talk with Tony Woolf Exploring various listed buildings within the Hale & District Conservation Area For further information, contact Gillian Cohen on 07785 270 044
Tip #14 Speak To The Boss
TEFILLAH TIPS
If we think carefully about the implications of recognising Hashem as our Creator, and Director of everything that happens in the world, we will gradually become aware that each day, and in fact each moment, Hashem can ‘pull the strings’ for any singular experience to be positive and enjoyable, or G-d forbid the opposite.
The way we react to any given situation rests entirely on our shoulders, but we can train ourselves to use our praying time to ask Hashem to bring us positive and enjoyable challenges to help us grow, and even if Hashem deems it necessary to present us with struggles, we can ask Him to give us the strength and persistence to overcome.
Did You Know None of the 613 mitzvot are in this week’s Parsha. There is a clue to remember how many plagues are in today’s parsha, and next week’s parsha, Bo. Va’era is spelled וארא, and the numerical value of וand אis 7! Bo is spelled בא, which has a numerical value of 3! If you counted 18 parshiot (a third of the Torah) from Nitzavim in Sefer Devarim, to this week’s parsha, you would only find 5 of the 613 mitzvot! If you divided up the Torah into 3, starting with Bereshit, the breakdown would be: 94-290-229
Just For Fun Question: What was Moses’ favourite chocolate? Answer: Pharoah Roche.
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KING AHEAD COMMUNAL
In The Spotlight
EDUCATION
The BBM group have been studying the topic of Kashrut. This week, they got their hands dirty with an interactive session about what is needed to keep a kosher kitchen.
Rabbi Nick delivered two seminars about the Holocaust to over 120 students at Tauheedul Islamic Girls School in Blackburn, and over 100 students at St. Thomas More College in Denton.
Mazaltov to SAVE THE
DATES:
Two special events to mark our 40/30 celebrations: Sunday Afternoon 23rd July 2017 Celebratory Civic Service & Reception with guest of honour Chief Rabbi Mirvis (and Dignitaries).
The members of the Hale Daf HaYomi group on the completion of Masechet Bava Metzia. The Siyum will take place during Seudah Shlishit on Shabbat.
Kiddushim
Sunday Evening 10th September 2017 40/30 Anniversary Gala Dinner at Mere Golf & Country Club
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Formal invitations will follow. We look forward to sharing these landmark occasions with you.
4 February Unsponsored
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11 February Unsponsored