greengate jewish enter pesach 2017 / 5777 - mmaemmae.org/pdfs/2017-pesach.pdf · service before...

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah

Greengate Jewish Center

Pesach 2017 / 5777

7000 Rockland Hills Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21209

410-653-7485 www.mmae.org Fax 410-653-7187

Message from Rabbi Yerachmiel Shapiro

In Every Generation

The exquisite sweetness of spring might be a bit tem-

pered this year. The vividness might not be as vivid and

the joy might not be as complete. This is not because we

didn’t have a real winter, which can always increase the

longing for spring, but because we live in an increasingly

complex world. It’s harder and harder to see a clear light

at the end of the tunnel - a landmark which would be the

goal (or at least the next stop) of our nation’s jour-

ney. The ship is sailing (perhaps a ship of fools) but it’s

unclear to which destination. That alone I could live

with. Maybe it’s always been this way. What seems new

to me are the expressions of Antisemitism popping up

more and more frequently around our country. Ceme-

tery desecrations, bomb threats, and swastika’s carved on

shuls seem to be a weekly occurrence. What are we to

think? How many people out there in America hate

Jews? What percent of the people we pass by in the

street?

There is a meditation I say each morning - Hareini

Mikabel Aly Mitzvat Assei shel v’Ahavta l’Raiacha

Kamocha - “I accept upon myself the mitzvah to love

everyone I see”. Suddenly, I feel naïve to have thought

that all the people I see out in the world probably like me

as much as I like them. The loss of this innocence is

painful and sad. At the same time, I’m filled with

resolve. I will never back down and my kippah will not

leave my head.

Continued on Page 3

Message from Rabbi Joel Dinin

The exodus from Egypt was the begin-

ning of a journey. Now that our people,

the Israelites, were free from one selfish

egotistical ruler concerned only with

making his name great, Pharaoh, the Israelites were now

presented with a new King, the King of Kings, God.

But things were very different with the God of the Isra-

elites. The people had a choice to follow God, to make a

two way mutual covenant. God had shown, through all of

the plagues and miracles, that he valued his people and

would do anything for them.

The Maharal of Prague, Rabbi Loew, 16th c., shares a

beautiful tradition that the world was created with 10

statements (Let there be light, etc.) just like the world

was unmade with 10 plagues. The events of the exodus

from Egypt led to a new kind of creation or recreation, a

relationship built on love and trust for God’s children of

Israel. This was done with another set of 10, the 10

commandments.

Simply put, God showed love, mercy, and trust in His

people to make the right decision, to accept the Torah

with its focus on justice, fairness, kindness, and holiness.

That sounds like a great deal!

After all of the challenges the Israelites faced as slaves,

with this new loving God, life should have been easy,

yes? Not at all!

The people, so used to being slaves, told what to do,

coddled, were finally free to think for themselves, and

that was terrifying! The destiny of the Israelites was for

the first time in history, in the hands of the Israelites!

Continued on Page 3

April 2017 / Nisan 5777

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 9 / 13 Nisan

Shacharit 9:00 am

Minchah/ Ma’Ariv 7:00 pm

Search for Chometz 7:45 pm

10 / 14 Nisan Siyum/Shacharit

7:00 am

Minchah/Ma’Ariv 6:00 pm

7:21 pm

11 / 15 Nisan

Pesach 1st Day

Shacharit 8:45 am


8:22 pm

12 / 16 Nisan

Pesach 2nd Day Shacharit 8:45 am


Yom Tov ends

8:23 pm

13 / 17 Nisan Shacharit 7:00 am




7:25 pm


Shabbat ends 8:26 pm



7:27 pm

17 / 21 Nisan

Pesach 7th Day

Shacharit 8:45 am


8:28 pm

18 / 22 Nisan

Pesach 8th Day Shacharit 8:45 am

YIZKOR 10:30 am


Yom Tov ends

8:29 pm







7:32 pm


Shabbat ends 8:33 pm

Schedule of Services

Search for Chometz Sunday, April 9 7:45 pm

Last time to eat Chometz Monday, April 10 10:45 am

Last time to burn Chometz Monday, April 10 11:45 am

Yizkor Tuesday, April 18 10:30 am

Pesach ends Tuesday, April 18 8:29 pm *

* You may eat personal Chometz after 9:00 pm (by which time Rabbi Shapiro will have

re-purchased the Chometz).

Siyum for the Firstborn

Services for the first-born males will take place on Monday, April 10 at 7:00 am to express thanks for the fact that the Hebrew first-born sons were spared from the 10th plague when the first-born Egyptian sons were slain. Those present participate in a study period which follows Shacharit services. Breakfast (Seudat Mitzvah) will be served, thereby becoming exempt from the fast. Many children are often at the service before going to school. Services begin at 7:00 am and are completed by 8:15 am.

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(Candlelighting times listed next to candle)

There are free copies of the Orthodox Union Guide to Passover for 2017

available in the shul lobby. This guide provides all the information

needed to prepare your home and lists the foods that are “Kosher for

Passover”.

From Rabbi Yerachmiel Shapiro

Continued from front cover

In the Pesach Haggadah we read:

“This is what stands for our fathers and for us. Not just

in one generation did they try to annihilate us. Rather, in

every generation they rise up to annihilate us, and The

Holy One Blessed Is He saves us from their hands.”

This small teaching, which I’ve repeated and learned

with my family twice each year around the Seder table,

gives me strength. Nothing is new under the sun. There

were and always will be people who hate us, but we can

trust that just as God saved our people from Egypt and

buried our pursuers, so too, will our enemies fail.

A further reading of this passage has an even more pro-

found message for me. This statement is the introductory

paragraph to the telling of the Jewish story in the Hagga-

dah. I think we could argue that it is by the telling of the

Haggadah year after year - an amazing ritual representing

the passing down of our traditions from generation to

generation, that the Jewish people have survived. We are

partners in saving ourselves. Though anti-Semites might

try to destroy us physically, God promises to save, but it is

only by the passing of our tradition that we can save our-

selves from spiritual destruction.

In other words, keep passing down our traditions with

pride. Celebrate Pesach with joy and zeal as it represents

our spiritual survival as a nation. Only by our embrace

and acceptance of Judaism will the anti-Semites truly

fail. Am Yisroel Chai - we are not going anywhere. Have

a Happy Pesach!

With tremendous love and respect,

Rabbi Yerachmiel Shapiro

From Rabbi Joel Dinin

Continued from front cover

But, they weren’t alone! They had God’s Torah and

protection. Wherever they went, God’s wisdom, God’s

support, was with them. God spent 40 years preparing the

nation, not wandering for no reason, but rather becoming

a people ready to conquer and cultivate a new land!

The greatest act of love God did for his people was to

give them the tools to thrive as a free nation bound only

by mercy, reason, and acts of loving kindness.

For my two years here at MMAE (Let me be clear - I

was NOT a slave here), I have been protected, supported,

and loved by this community. With mentorship from Rab-

bi Shapiro, President Jeff Forman, and Executive Director

Brenda Burgan, as well as the many leaders and congre-

gants in this shul, I have been given the tools and the

confidence to go with my family into a new land, new

communities, to cultivate and inspire others as I have been

inspired here.

Just as the Israelites in the Torah, I came here with a

purpose, to become a stronger and more independent

rabbi, but also to learn from the warmth, kindness, and

love that define the “Torah” of this shul. For that, I and

my family are grateful. MMAE was my Mt. Sinai, and

wherever my journey takes me, wherever my Land of

Israel is, I know that the wisdom I gained at MMAE will

guide me throughout my life.

The Dinin family wishes everyone a happy, kosher and meaningful Pesach!

Messages from our Rabbis

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Are you an MMAE MINYANAIRRE ?

There is always room for more members in this much valued and

very important club.

It’s FREE and you perform a GREAT mitzvah each time you attend.

Join us Monday-Friday at 7:00 am and/or Sunday-Friday at 7:00 pm.

BYOK The end days of Pesach, Monday, April 17

and Tuesday, April 18 is BYOK (Bring Your Own Kiddush)

Bring KOSHER FOR PASSOVER UNOPENED goodies to share on the Kiddush table.

All treats should be brought to the shul NO LATER THAN Friday, April 14 by Noon.

MATZAH NEEDED If you have extra matzah, and want to

donate some to MMAE for our seder, we would be very grateful. Deadline to drop

off matzah will be Friday, April 7th.

Messages from our Officers

From Bob Meyerson, Chairman

Celebrating and rejoicing in the age old tradition of

Passover is our favorite time of the year. Even with

all the preparation and work involved, it still makes it

all worth it. Having to share it all with family and

friends at the Seder and remembering our history, as

well as our level of observance, bring it all into

focus. Seeing all this continue from the past, now the

present, and for future generations, including our

twin grandchildren, and the new addition last sum-

mer, makes it all worth it. Making this the most

meaningful holiday is always first and foremost for

all of us.

We all hope and pray that this will be a time for

peace, here, and in Israel. So go and enjoy the mat-

zah and more. I know Marilyn and our family will.

A Zeisen Pesach to one and all. “Chag Kasher v’

sameyach”.

From Jeff Forman, President

Pesach is the holiday with which we have a love/

hate relationship. We love to anticipate the coming

of Pesach (and the springtime it portends) and we

love to prepare our houses and kitchens for this

holiday. We love to get together with our family and

friends for the seder and for a hearty meal filled with

stories and laughter, but by the middle of the week,

we hate eating matzoh and we can’t wait for Pesach

to end already.

When you think about it, Pesach is no different

than many things in life. The chase is more exciting

than the catch, but we can get so much more out of it

if we focus on the real lesson of the holiday and what

our ancestors - those who turned us into the Jewish

people - were going through. Our mild

discomfort with having to focus on what we can eat

and what we can’t eat really pales in comparison.

At this time of year, with the joys of the holiday

upon us, it is important to remember our shul

community and how we, as a congregation, can help

those who need us the most. I think of those we have

lost along the way. I think of the congregants who

come to minyans every day to remember and honor

lost loved ones who will no longer be at their

seders. I think of those who could use a kind word,

a smile, or a hug.

Let’s do what we can to make this a meaningful

holiday for one and all. Let’s spread the excitement

of this holiday for the whole week and bring that

excitement to everyone we encounter.

Joan and I wish you good health and a ziesen

Pesach.

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SAFETY FIRST For your safety and the safety of everyone in our shul, please note the closest exits to be used in the event of an emergency. Emergency exits are indicated by lighted green EXIT signs throughout the building.

THANK YOU - A special thank you to all the volunteers who help during the year with mailings, in the office, seat sales, attending minyans and services, food service, everyone invested in one or more of our affiliate groups, etc. Your help is greatly appreciated. If you would like to be on the volunteer list, please call the office. There is always something to do. Fragrances - In respect to our members who suffer from allergies, which can result in headaches, asthma, and other res-piratory problems, please limit your use of perfume or cologne in shul.

Rabbi Shapiro’s and Rabbi Dinin’s

Discretionary Funds

A contribution to the Discretion-ary Fund allows Rabbi Shapiro and Rabbi Dinin to help those in need or address difficult situations im-mediately. It also enables new programs and ideas to enhance what we offer to our congregation and community. Often, speakers and classes, books and materials, programs and commemorations are funded through the Discre-tionary Fund in order to avoid a financial burden on our operating budget. Your contributions “in honor of” or “in memory of” are always appropriately acknowl-edged. If you appreciate some-thing that the synagogue and/or staff have done, a contribution to the Discretionary Fund enables more to be done for the benefit of all. Think of the Discretionary Fund when you think of saying, “thanks for a job well done”.

Both Rabbi Shapiro and Rabbi Dinin have a Discretionary Fund for their use.

Call the shul office if you would like to make a donation.

Website Donations Did you know that you could go to www.mmae.org and make a do-nation to the shul for any reason? You can even make a payment on your account. Simply go to our website and click the “DONATE” button. Fill in the information and we will take it from there. Daily reports are emailed to our office.

Help Support MMAE and the Rabbis - “I Didn’t Know That”

Donations to MMAE that Will Not Cost You a Cent

Help our shul in a simple and FREE way. Just bring in your used ink cartridges. We get $2 in Staples rewards credit per cartridge and as a non-profit, we can turn in 20

per month. That’s $40 worth of FREE office supplies each month! Drop them

off in the office. Thanks!

Consider Buying Your Cards from MMAE

Remember MMAE when you need to send a card. Our cards are only $5, including postage, and are tax deductible!! We have cards for Mazel Tov, Speedy Recovery, Thinking of You, Birthday, Purim, Chanukah, Sympathy, New Year’s, and Pesach.

Simply call the shul office and tell us the name and address of where you would like the card sent, and we will take care of it. You don’t have to run to the card store and you don’t have to worry

if you have a stamp. We do it all for only $5.

Amazon Smile If you shop at Amazon, be sure to go to smile.amazon and select Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah as your charity of choice. We receive a percentage for all shop-ping done through the “Smile” program and it doesn’t cost you any extra. So, remember us when you shop on Amazon.

Weddings, Parties, Hall and Room Rentals

at MMAE

Beautiful wood laminate floors and 5 beautiful chandeliers in the banquet hall; beautiful furniture and flooring in the main lobby; modern furniture and flooring in the Chapel; and a beautiful newly renovated Youth Room, an out-side gazebo - see for yourself the beauty MMAE can add to your simcha.

Call the office and ask about our prices for weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies and parties, Bris and Baby namings, special birthdays, family reunions; you name the simcha and we are here and ready to help whether you want a small event in the Kiddush Room or a big event in the Banquet Hall. We offer affordable, discounted rates for members.

MMAE Kiddush Birthday Club

Become a member of our new, “MMAE Kiddush Birthday Club”. Simply make a donation of $18, or $1 for every year of your life, before the first of the month of your birthday. Everyone who makes a donation will be listed on the first Shabbat of the month, and you will receive a special Shabbat birthday blessing from the Rabbi on that Shabbat morning. For info or questions, contact Iris Friedman at 410-484-2287.

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Rabbi’s Chumash Class Wednesdays, 10:00 am-12:00 pm at MMAE - Join Rabbi Shapiro for a weekly Torah Study. This year we will cover the Parsha with the commentary of the Hertz Chu-mash, Pirkey Avos, Psalms, and the Talmud Tractate Megillah.

Rabbi’s Talmud Group Mondays at 8:30 pm at Rabbi Shapiro’s home, 14 Ruby Field Court, 21209 - We will study trac-tate “Taanis”, which is filled with Jewish law, history, stories, and the ethics of Rabbinic Judaism’s Founding Fathers. Everyone is welcome.

Jewish Spirituality and Kabbalah

Wednesdays at 12:00 pm at MMAE - Sonny Melrose will facili-tate a discussion of Jewish spiritu-ality and Kabbalah based on as-sorted topics from writings and teachings of Kabbalah masters; creation, formation, family, the desert, and Israel.

Book Club The Book Club usually meets on the third Thursday at 11:00 am at MMAE, led by Devorah Brooks. Members of the Book Club decide on the monthly book, film, or activity. For more information, please call the shul office at 410-653-7485.

Facebook

If you are on Facebook, make sure to join MMAE at, “Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah” and friend Yerachmiel Shapiro.

Haftorah Recitals Those gentlemen who wish to recite a Haftorah please contact Zalman in the shul office.

Shabbat Youth Activities Babysitting (through age 4) With Gloria and Ariella from 10:30am - 12:30 pm in the Ginsberg Youth Room. Camp Shabbos (ages 4-7) With Rabbi Dinin from 10:30am - 11:45 am in the Chapel.

Rabbi’s Services Please call our office if a visit from a rabbi is requested. Simchas are more special when shared with your rabbi. A visit from the rabbi to someone in the hospital could really brighten their day or pro-vide much needed comfort. Unfortunately, we also deal with sorrow and the loss of a loved one. Our rabbis can console and provide spiritual comfort at this sorrowful time.

MMAE’s Kiddush Patron of the Month

This monthly Kiddush Patron al-lows our Kiddush committee to serve beautiful communal lunches every Shabbat. The joy and togetherness is so powerfully felt by all. If you or your business have the means to support this endeavor, please contact Rabbi Shapiro. The Patron will have the message of their choice promi-nently displayed in the weekly bulletin.

Learning & More

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New Membership Info

Join now and receive FREE membership through July 1st, and FREE High Holiday seats in the Banquet Hall for the first year.*

New member rates beginning on July 1st are:

Married Couples/Families: $275 Single person: $150 Single parent with children: $225 * If you have never been a MMAE member.

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

KIDDUSH Iris Friedman 410-484-2287

Saralee Jacobson 410-241-0467

BROTHERHOOD Jerry Trager, President

410-409-4410 [email protected]

GOLDEN CIRCLE Mona Gudis, President


SISTERHOOD Marlene Resnick, President

410-358-1314

SOCIAL CLUB Paulette Pollack, President


UNITED HEBREW CEMETERY 3901 Washington Blvd. Halethorpe, MD 21227

Our Board of Directors wish everyone a happy Pesach.

Allan Diener President

Larry Dobres Cemetery Manager

For information about purchasing lots, please call 410-242-1444.

Discounts for MMAE members.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In Eternal Memory

Memorial takes on a new meaning when the names of your beloved departed are

permanently displayed in our synagogue.

Please consider dedicating a plaque to remember your beloved and to perpetuate

the family name.

Please call the office at 410-653-7485.

Plaques are $400 each.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Pet Memorial Board

You can memorialize your be-loved pets on this board for only $100. If you are interested in hav-ing your pet’s name included on this unique board, please call the office.

Important Jewish Dates to Remember Monday, April 24

Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day

Monday, May 1 Yom HaZikaron

Memorial Day for fallen Israeli soldiers

Tuesday, May 2 Yom HaAtzmaut

Israel’s Independence Day

Yom Hashoah at MMAE Shabbat, April 22

MMAE will be commemorating Yom HaShoah with a special presentation during Shabbos ser-vices. A member of the MMAE family will be sharing their experi-ence from a recent visit to Ausch-witz and other camps in Europe. PLEASE CONSIDER A BEQUEST TO

MMAE IN YOUR WILL

You can continue to show your support even after you have passed on by leaving a bequest in your Will to MMAE. Leaving a be-quest from your estate is one way that you can ensure that the great work done by your shul can con-tinue into the future. When we leave a legacy to our shul, we are expressing our hopes for the next generation as those who came before us did. We have several attorneys who have volunteered to help you write or change your Will so that you can add a gift to MMAE as a lasting show of your devotion to MMAE and its good work. Please contact Rabbi Shapiro to discuss this critical and worthy display of love and sup-port.

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BROTHERHOOD The annual Brotherhood Shabbat is planned for Shabbat, June 17th. If you would like to participate, con-tact Ron Mukamal at 410-602-2839.

GOLDEN CIRCLE Join the Golden Circle on Wednes-day, May 24th for their bi-annual trip to Maryland LIVE Casino. Details will be available soon.

Save the date: Wednesday, April 26th the Golden Circle will be having a luncheon and a program at MMAE. More details soon.

SISTERHOOD MMAE Sisterhood presents: A book and author evening with award winning authoress Ellen Brazer, "The Wandering Jew; My Journey into Judaism" on Tuesday evening, May 23, 2017, 7 PM., at MMAE. There will be a Champagne and Dessert Reception. All are wel-come. Couvert is $15.00 per person. Invites will be forthcoming.

Save the date: Tuesday, June 13th the Sisterhood is planning a trip to Lancaster for a musical show at the American Music Theater and shop-ping. More details soon.

SOCIAL CLUB Join the Social Club for a trip to the new casino at MGM National Harbor on Sunday, May 7th. Cost per per-son is $35. Leaving MMAE at 9:00 am. Ride the circulator bus all day for only $5 throughout National Har-bor and the outlets. For reservations and info, contact Betty Hyman at 410-484-8657. Save the date: Saturday night, No-vember 11th for a Big Band Dance.

TRANSFER (SALE) OF CHOMETZ

In order to conform with the Laws of Passover, it is necessary to dispose of all chometz that one has on his premises. This is done by making arrangements with the Rabbi for the sale to a non-Jew before 11:30 am, Monday, April 10, 2017. Rabbi Shapiro will act as the agent for all who authorize him to do so. Please call 410-653-7485 or visit the office, in order to com-plete this vital Mitzvah. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT THAT THIS BE DONE. (See “Sale of Chometz Authorization” below). Chometz should not be eaten until the chometz is re-purchased, Tuesday night, April 18, 2017, at 9:00 pm. Please be careful about buying from a store that has not “Sold its Chometz”. It is customary to contribute to the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund when submitting this form. Funds are used to help people with Passover purchases.

SALE OF CHOMETZ AUTHORIZATION DELEGATION OF POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR SALE OF CHOMETZ

Know ye, that I, the undersigned, empower and permit Rabbi Yerachmiel Shapiro of Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation, 7000 Rockland Hills Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21209, to act in my place and stead, and on my behalf to sell all Chometz (Leaven) and all products containing even the smallest percentage of Chometz possessed by me knowingly, as defined by the Torah and Rabbinic Law, and to lease all places wherein the above mentioned products owned by me may be found, especially in the premises located at

Home Address _____________________________________________________

Business Address (elsewhere)_________________________________________

Rabbis Shapiro has the full right to sell and lease the above as such transactions as he deems fit and proper for such time as he chooses. The authority which is hereby given is meant to be in conformity with the Torah and Rabbinic Laws and Regulations, and also to be in accord-ance with the laws of the State of Maryland, and of the United States of America. To this I do hereby affix my signature on this ______ day of ___________, 2017. Signature _________________________________________ (To sell your Chometz, mail this completed and signed contract to the shul office. This contract must be received no later than 11:30 am, Monday, April 10, 2017). You can also fax it to 410-653-7487, or drop it off in the shul office.

IT IS APPROPRIATE TO ATTACH A CONTRIBUTION TO THE RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND FOR PASSOVER USE.

Non-Profit Org.

US POSTAGE PAID

Baltimore, MD Permit No. 22

MOSES MONTEFIORE ANSHE EMUNAH Greengate Jewish Center 7000 Rockland Hills Drive Baltimore, Maryland 21209

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

HAVE YOU . . .

* contributed to the Matzah Fund, * arranged for the sale of Your chometz, * attended the Fast and Feast of the First Born males * searched for your chometz, * planned to attend services on both evenings of the seder and Passover mornings

MAOT CHITTIM “WHEAT MONEY” (Matzah Fund)

It is a mitzvah to collect funds before Passover to be given to needy families to help purchase Passover products. If you are able to give an extra few dollars to this

worthwhile cause to help the needy among us, please send a check to the MMAE Matzah Fund. Your generous contribution will be very much appreciated.

greengate jewish enter pesach 2017 / 5777 - mmaemmae.org/pdfs/2017-pesach.pdf · service before...

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