Welcome to the DAT Minyan! Shabbat Lech Lecha
October 28, 2017 - 8 Cheshvan, 5778 Joseph Friedman, Rabbi | David Fishman, President
Candle Lighting
Havdalah
5:46pm 6:44pm
Shabbat Schedule Please help make our prayer service more
meaningful by refraining from talking during the service.
FRIDAY
5:45 pm: Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv,
(Shema should be recited after 6:45 pm)
SHABBAT
Parasha: Page 54 / Haftarah: Page 1133
7:30 am: Hashkama Minyan
8:30 am: Tefillah Warm-up with Ellyn Hutt
9:00 am: Shacharit
Kiddush this week is sponsored by Graeme and Irit Bean in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their
son, Levi
3:30 pm: SHAWL, our women’s Shabbat study group, with guest presenter Julie Lieber on the topic “Arks and Towers: Two Experiments in Constructing Community”
4:20 pm: HS Boys’ Gemara w/ Nathan Rabinovitch at the Rabinovitch home
4:35 pm: Rabbi Friedman’s Shabbat Afternoon Class, with this week’s topic, “Making Prayer More Meaningful”
5:35 pm: Mincha, followed by Seudah Shlisheet
Seudah Shlisheet this week is sponsored by the shul, with a special siyuum by Gabriel Bean in
honor of his completion of Masechet Gittin
6:44 pm: Maariv / Havdalah
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Weekday Schedule
SHACHARIT Sunday: 8:00 am Monday — Friday: 6:35 am
MINCHA/MAARIV Sunday — Friday: 5:40 pm
DAT Minyan is a dynamic and friendly Modern Orthodox synagogue for all ages and dedicated to meaningful personal spiritual development, community growth, youth involvement, Torah education, and Religious Zionism.
DAT Minyan - 6825 E. Alameda Ave. Denver, CO 80224 - 720-941-0479 - www.datminyan.org
D’var Torah with Rabbi Wein
There is much comment and many different interpretations regarding the first two words of the second verse of this week’s Torah reading. The second word “lecha” – “for you” seems to be somewhat redundant in the construction of the sentence. Rashi therefore interprets it to mean “for your benefit and good.” The Lord instructs Abraham to leave his homeland and family located in Mesopotamia, in order to achieve the greatness that is inherent within him, as the forbearer of nations and the founder of the Jewish people.
There is an alternative interpretation of the use of this second word “lecha” in the verse that has always fascinated ue. Travel can be a very broadening and entertaining experience. The travel industry the world over is bourgeoning as people crave to visit unseen shores and exotic locations. So why would the travel of Abraham and Sarah from Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan be considered by Jewish tradition to have been such a challenging test of Abraham’s faith on the Almighty?
He simply was embarking on a travel experience and was one of many such travelers in his time and world. The answer lies in the fact that the word “lecha” implies permanence. Abraham, you are never going to return home to Mesopotamia again. You are not a visitor, a tourist, a traveler, but you are now a refugee, an alien, and a non-citizen.
And such a status in life is truly challenging and potentially dangerous. So, unlike the interpretation of Rashi, the word “lecha” has a certain ominous characteristic to it. Abraham and Sarah were to be truly challenged by this travel experience. They were not going on vacation.
Abraham’s descendants, the Jewish people, have shared this test and challenge with him over our long history. We always were insecure and homeless during the long night of our exile and dispersal. Even countries where Jews resided for centuries, such as Spain, Germany, Poland, etc., eventually no longer would accommodate our presence. We were always a positive part of any national society we found ourselves in but at the same time we were always the odd man out.
(Continued on page 2)
Learning Opportunities @ the DAT Minyan
• Kitzur Shulchan Aruch: Daily, after Shacharit
• Mishnayot: Daily, between Mincha and Maariv
• Wednesday Evening Class: returns November 22nd at 7:30 pm
(Continued on Page 2)
DAT MINYAN NEWS, EVENTS AND LEARNING
Please help make our prayer service more meaningful by refraining from talking during the service.
Mazal Tov to Levi Bean, parents Graeme and Irit, Grandparents Joe and Sandy Bean, Hilary Bean, Moshe and Pearly Miron and their entire family on Levi’s Bar Mitzvah.
Irit and Graeme welcome family from Israel, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle, New York and Florida. Their thanks to everyone for joining them today and they look forward to sharing each other’s שמחות in the future.
How were your Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur experiences in our temporary space at BMH-BJ? We’d appreciate your feedback. Please take part in our online survey, accessible at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HLR89JW .
Our condolences to Julie Lieber on the passing of her grandmother, Olga Lobi, last week in southern California. Baruch Dayan Emet. May her memory be for a blessing.
We are pleased to announce a special Scholar in Residence, Dr. David Pelcovitz, coming to our community next weekend, November 3-5. Dr. Pelcovitz is a renowned child psychologist and a highly sought-after lecturer with an inspiring speaking style punctuated by captivating stories and personal experiences. Sponsorship opportunities are available for this special weekend through our website, www.datminyan.org/kiddush . For more information please see the flyer on Page 4.
Our Wednesday night classes with Rabbi Friedman are coming back! Join us at 7:30 pm on November 22nd for our first class of the new season, when Rabbi Friedman presents “The REAL Chanukah Story — Part 1.”
Our Social Committee has put together a full calendar of events for the New Year! Be sure to SAVE-THE-DATE of Sunday evening, March 11th for our Annual Event. More information coming soon.
Minutes from last week’s meeting of the DAT Minyan Board are available for view online at https://images.shulcloud.com/395/uploads/Documents/BoardMinutes/Board-Meeting-10-18-17.pdf
Thank-you to all of those who contribute to our Shabbat services by signing up to help with our weekly leining. We remain in need of continued help with this, and all able-leiners are encouraged to please volunteer! Leining slots have been posted for the Shabbosim after the Chaggim until the end of the year. In addition, with a goal of expanding our roster of Haftarah readers, we have now opened up the weekly Haftarah portions for sign-up as well. The sign-up website is www.datminyan.org/laining. Please contact Steve Hutt for questions and additional information.
Looking for a way to make your donation to the shul really go the distance? We can use your Frequent Flyer miles to fly in our Scholars in Residence, saving the shul a great deal of money! Please contact the synagogue office to make a mileage donation.
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
As part of this weekend’s Shabbat Project, a special children’s program, “Light Up Your Week: Havdalah” is being held at BMH-BJ on Saturday night at 7:30 pm. Registration at TheJE.com/ShabbatProject.
Mazal Tov to Rabbi Yisroel Engel on his 60th birthday! The community is invited to kiddush in his honor this Shabbat at Bais Menachem.
Denver Academy of Torah High School will host prospective students and their parents for our Annual Open House, on Wednesday, November 1 at 7:00 pm at the Denver Academy of Torah High School. This evening is a fabulous and critical opportunity for students and families to get a sense of all that Denver Academy of Torah High School has to offer, including rigorous and supportive general and Judaic studies, experiential learning, varsity and junior varsity athletics, student clubs, and more. Please RSVP to [email protected] . If you are unable to make the Open House but would like to learn more about the Denver Academy of Torah High School please contact us at [email protected] .
Kehilas Bais Yisroel, the MB Glassman Synagogue, invites the community to a Hachnosas Sefer Torah on Sunday, November 5th, welcoming a new Sefer Torah! The festivities begin with a moving Torah Completion Ceremony followed by a lively procession through the streets with music, singing and dancing with the Sefer Torah to its new home at KBY. Letter writing begins with Mincha at 2pm at the home of Larry and Cindy Halpern, 210 S. Oneida St. The procession begins from the Halpern residence at 3pm. Be a part of the Mitzvah! Dedication opportunities are still available - www.baisyisroel.com/form/torah .
The Women’s Division of the Denver Community Kollel presents an inspiring video for women featuring Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi. The video, Cheshvan: The Shower of Blessings & Tears, will take place at the Halpern home, 210 S. Oneida St., on Tuesday, November 7th. Doors open at 7:45 pm, program at 8:00. Sponsored by Gabriela Gottlieb. $5 suggested donation to help cover costs of future presentations.
But somehow we were able to survive this enormous test and challenge because we always believed and knew that eventually we were going to go home. We prayed for it to happen and we struggled against all odds and enemies to make it happen. And in our time it has happened.
This belief of the return to Zion and Jerusalem sustained us in our darkest hours. It transferred us in our minds, though not in the minds of others, from the status of tolerated but unwanted aliens into mere visitors and sojourners who have a legitimate and permanent home elsewhere. This is the feeling I have every time I present my Israeli passport for inspection when I travel to a foreign destination. I am no longer a pariah, a refugee but merely a visitor, a tourist, perhaps even an honored guest. The children of Abraham have returned home.
Shabbat shalom — Rabbi Berel Wein
Rabbi Wein (Continued from page 1)
DAT MINYAN MEMBER MILESTONES
Please help make our prayer service more meaningful by refraining from talking during the service.
The DAT Minyan wishes to acknowledge the following milestones* of our members in the coming week:
*These details were obtained from the DAT Minyan database, which contains information provided by the members when they joined. We apologize for any omissions or mistakes. For corrections or additions, please log on to your account and update the information, or contact
the synagogue office at 720-941-0479.
Refuah Shelayma Please include the following names in your prayers. May each be granted a Refuah Shelayma. Names are kept on the list until the next Rosh Chodesh. Help us keep the list accurate by verifying the necessary details each month on the Cholim Document
at https://goo.gl/aeyJG2.
Avraham ben Yonita
Baruch Getzel ha Cohen ben Esther
Benyamin ben Bryna
Blooma Chana bas Esther Malka
Borukh ben Eydya
Bryna bas Menucha
Carmel ben Tirtza
Chaim Tuvia ben Dina
Chana Yetta bat Bryna
Chaya Chanah Elisheva Rivka bat Sarah
Chaya Orah bat Sarah
Devorah Leah bat Chanah
Dinah bat Chayala
Dovid ben Leah
Eliyahu Chaim ha Cohen ben Sara Rifka
Ephraim ben Henna
Eunice bat Sarah
Faige bat Sarah
Feigie bat Sarah
Gali bat Etel
Hadassh bat Fruma Rahel
Ilana Dintza bat Ita Mirrel
Kalia bat Miriam
Laizer ben Yaffa
Leah bat Helen
Leah bat Sarah
Leah Devora Kivitiya bat Chaya
Leya bat Sara
Lyudmila bat Roza
Malka bat Sarah
Menachem Mendel Dan ben Seryl
Menachem Yitzchak ben Yisraela
Michel ben Leah
Miriam Tova Chaya bat Chanah
Naftali Yisroel ben Yisraela
Nataniel ben Elisheva
Rachael bat Devorah
Raphael Yotam ben Efrat
Sara Chana bat Shaina
Sarah Shoshanna bat Sarah
Shaina Meryl bat Rivka
Shashi bat Batya Baila
Shifra Hadassah bat Chaya Leah
Shira Chana bat Sara
Shirley Hasia bat Devorah
Shlomo ben Penina
Shoshanna bat Liora
Shoshanna bat Smadar
Shoshanna Miriam bat Chanah
Shulamit Leah bat Chava
Tirtza bat Sarah
Tomas ben Galit
Tova bat Nechama
Tzvi Gershon ben Shaindel Shaina Raizel
Yaakov Mordechai ben Chana
Yaakov Roni ben Margolit
Yehuda Mordechai Shrage ben Roiza Feige
Yehudit bat Leah
Yisroel ha Cohen ben Hadassah
Yona Malka bat Pola
Ziporah Sarah Mirrel bat Miriam
This Day In Jewish History - Oct 28 / 8 Cheshvan 1685 — The first shul in the Americas, Brachah v’Shalom, is dedicated in Jodensavanne in the Dutch Colony of Suriname on
the northern coast of South America. Sephardic Jews, banished from Portugal in the 15th century, were the first to establish Suriname’s Jewish community when the English colonial government offered political autonomy to Jewish citizens. Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667, when the English traded it for New Amsterdam (now New York). Once bustling and vibrant, the Jewish community of Suriname has now dwindled to a population of only about 200 people.
1720 — The Churva Synagogue, is set ablaze by Arabs in Jerusalem, destroying all of its 40 Sifrei Torah. It is rebuilt in 1837, only to be destroyed again by Arabs in 1948. It was rebuilt and rededicated in 2010.
1922 — Benito Mussolini becomes Premier of Italy. Though initially pro-Zionist and on good terms with the Jewish population, he is later prodded by Hitler to adopt anti-Semitic policies.
1964 — By order of a resolution adopted at their 1964 General Convention, the Episcopal Church officially “rejects the charge of deicide against the Jews and condemns anti-Semitism.”
Haidi Demain, Mara Demain, Nili Fischer, Jonathan Fishman, Keren Gitler, Marsha Greenstein, Adam Moskowitz, Doug Thorner, Glenn Zazulia, Sheliya Zohari
Adam and Rachel Brown — 22 years Don and Marla Jacobson — 31 years
Mickey Barter — Tue., 10/31/17 (11 Cheshvan)
DAT Minyan proudly welcomes ...
Renowned Psychologist and Lecturer
Dr. David Pelcovitz
November 3-5, 2017 Shabbat Parshat Vayera Cheshvan 14-16, 5778
Friday, Nov. 3
D’var Torah Before Ma’ariv
Oneg at Jenna and Robert Wilkin
156 South Poplar Street 8:30 pm (new time)
Topic: “Nourishing Neshamas: Promoting Spirituality”
Shabbat Day, Nov. 4
Derasha After Mussaf & Seudah Shelishit
3:45-4:35 pm—SHAWL: “Managing Conflict at Home and Work: Jewish and Psychological Insights Regarding Anger Control”
4:35-5:25 pm—”Digital Relationships: How the Digital Revolution has Profoundly Changed
Our Relationships and Our Thinking”
Except where specified, all events at DAT Minyan. Schedule subject to change. For latest updates, check DATMinyan.org or Facebook.com/DATMinyan.
DAT Minyan—Rabbi Joseph Friedman, 6825 E. Alameda Ave., 720-941-0479
Biographical Highlights: Dr. David Pelcovitz holds the Gwendolyn and Joseph Straus Chair in
Psychology and Education at Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School where he also
teaches pastoral psychology courses . Before assuming his position on the faculty of Yeshiva
University, Dr. Pelcovitz was a clinical professor of psychology in psychiatry at New York Uni-
versity School of Medicine and director of psychology at North Shore University Hospital-
NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Pelcovitz has published and lectured extensively on a variety of
topics related to the psychological impact of trauma and loss, child and adolescent behavior
problems, parenting, and the impact of divorce and stress on children. His most recent book,
which he co-authored with his father, was “Life in the Balance: Torah Perspectives on
Positive Psychology” (Shaar Press).
Saturday Night, Nov. 4
DAT Minyan and Denver Academy of Torah Present a Melave Malka & Parents’ Forum
8:00 pm at DAT
“Setting Limits for Our Children in a Limitless World:
Technology, Drinking, Marijuana, and More"Followed by open Q&A
Sunday, Nov. 5
Breakfast and a Class 8:45 am at DAT
“The Funds, Faith, Family and Friends of Happy People:
What Do Judaism and Psychology Teach Us About What
Makes Us Happy?”
