WEEKLY MAGAZINE

B”HTHE SHUL

The Shul - Chabad Lubavitch - An institution of The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson (May his merit shield us)Over Thirty five Years of Serving the Communities of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek and Surfside

9540 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Fl 33154 Tel: 305.868.1411 Fax: 305.861.2426 www.TheShul.org Email: info@TheShul.orgwww.TheShul.org Email: info@TheShul.org www.theshulpreschool.org www.cyscollege.org

SHABBOS PARSHAS VAYETZEIKISLEV 8- 9

DECEMBER 6 - 7 CANDLE LIGHTING: 5:11 PM

SHABBOS ENDS: 6:06 PM

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SCHOLARS, RABBIS AND SCIENTISTS

THE SHUL WEEKLY MAGAZINEEVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK

QUOTABLE QUOTE

When you see the donkey of your enemy collapsing under its load, and are inclined to desist from helping him, you

shall surely help along with him.

– Exodus 23:5

NACHAS AT A GLANCE CONTENTS

Weekly Message: 3Thoughts on the Parsha - Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar

Celebrating Shabbos: 4 - 5Schedules, classes, articles & more... Everything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience

Community Happenings: 6 -7Sharing with your Shul Family

Inspiration, Insights & Ideas: 8 - 19Bringing Torah lessons to LIFE

A Time to Pray: 20Check out all the davening schedules and locations throughout the week

In a Woman’s World 21Issues of relevance to the Jewish woman

Get The Picture 22 -29The full scoop on all the great events around town

French Connection 30 Reflexions sur la Paracha

Latin Link 31 Reflexion Semanal

Networking 32Effective Advertising

Numbers To Know 33Contacts at The Shul

Daily Study 34A complete guide to all classes and courses offered at The Shul

Get The Picture 35 - 36The full scoop on all the great events around town

VIOLINS OF HOPE - HONORING THE SIX MILLION JEWS WHO PERISHED WITH POWERFUL TRADITIONAL COMPOSITIONS PLAYED BY LEADING

PREMIER MUSICIANS.

SMICHA STUDENTS FROM AROUND MIAMI STUDY FOR THEIR RABBINICAL ORDINATION AT THE SHUL

JLI - WORRIER TO WARRIOR WITH RABBI DOV SCHOCHET

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This week’s Torah portion begins the first real exile/galut of the Jewish

People. Yaakov, the third of our Patriarchs who is also named Israel, Father of the Tribes, and the Patriarch who is the direct ancestor of the Family of Israel, is forced to leave his home, his father’s environment, the holy place where he is raised, and to run for his life. The destination,

though also with family, is fraught with real danger, even to the extent of his life and his family being threatened. Laban’s environment to some degree was not much better than the environment of Eisav who had vowed to kill Jacob. As we read in the Haggadah of Passover, Laban wanted to uproot the entire Family of Israel. Laban’s place was spiritually corrupted, morally and ethically degenerate, and filled with idol worship.

Jacob sets out on this path with nothing but a staff in his hand. Eliphas, at the direction of his father Eisav, chased down Jacob and vowed to kill him. Only by giving up everything that he had and explaining to Eliphas that one who has nothing is considered as if one is dead, did Eliphas then allow him to stay alive, literally purchasing his life.

As Jacob sets out on this path of exile, about which he later says to Pharaoh, “the years of my life were few and very difficult”, he prays to Almighty G-d, asking him to guard over him and to take care of all of his needs. Almighty G-d promises that He will never forsake Jacob and He will always be with him.

This entire episode that we begin to read, and which eventually culminates in the exile of Egypt when the Jewish People were afflicted by Pharaoh, is the story of our exiles throughout history.

The first exile is the descent of the soul into the physical body. The soul, connected to Almighty G-d in a pristine holy state of transcendence and ecstatic spiritual experience, is forced by Almighty G-d to come down into this physical world and to be dressed in a physical body, otherwise referenced in the Zohar and the Tanya as the “skin of the snake”. There the soul is constantly met by arduous

challenges: – challenges of a materialistic, hedonistic world to the proper development of the Jewish holy soul; challenges in the simple sustenance of our being, to make a living; challenges of relationships; and challenges of the various inclinations that try to seduce us by the animalistic nature of our physicality. Then come the geographic physical exiles i.e. Egypt, Rome, etc.

As we read the events of Jacob’s life and the daunting tests that he confronted in the sojourn of his life’s experience, we recognize that it is only in this difficult space that we achieve our highest level aspirations and the goals that are set for us by Almighty G-d.

It is in the house of Laban that the Tribes of Israel are born. It is in the environment of Laban that Jacob amasses an enormous amount of wealth. It is in this seeming descent into exile that G-d promises Jacob the Holy Land and actually puts all of Israel under his head so that he can be assured that one day it will be the habitation of his children. It is at the outset of this treacherous journey that Jacob dreams about the special ladder that stands from earth to heaven, allowing the Jew to connect the lowliest experience to the loftiest ideals, to literally be a bridge between heaven and earth, which is the special function of the Jew.

It is in this environment where Jacob realizes and recognizes that G-d’s angelic forces protect him throughout his ordeals and that angels accompany him at all times enabling him to realize his potential. It is in this physical world that the soul achieves its ultimate objective and reaches an even higher level than prior to coming into this world.

As we look around us and realize a world faced with all kinds of difficulties and serious matters that may seem to inhibit our growth and movement and at times are like barriers that we have no way of overcoming, we can ultimately achieve, through our difficulties, success in a manner that we would never have hoped or planned for. It is through the darkness that we see a light much brighter than the light we had prior to the darkness. It is through exile that we experience the highest levels of our upcoming redemption.

Wishing you a great Shabbos and a good week.

Rabbi S Lipskar

THOUGHTS ON THE PARSHA FROM RABBI SHOLOM LIPSKAR

SHABBOS PARSHAS VAYETZE

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Teen Boys

Grades: 9th - 12th

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Sephardic Shul

Zalmen RosenfeldDavening With Dad

Grades: 7th - 8th

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Montessori 3

Menashe NewPre-Tween Boys

Grades: 5 - 6

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Haime Library

Mendel ShurYouth BoysGrades: 1 - 4

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Montessori 3

Chayale LipskarTween Girls

Grades: 6 - 8

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Back Office

Sara Fraida KatanPre Tween Girls

Grades: 4 - 5

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Montessori 1

Chaya Mushaka Lipskar

Aleph Wonder Girls

Grades: 1 - 310:00 am - 12:00 pm

Montessori 2

Morah Malkie’s Tot Shabbat

Ages: 0 - 311:00 am - 12:00 pm

Back of Women’s Section

Kaylee AndrusierTeen Girls

Grades: 9th - 10th

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Teen Girls Room

Tanya AndrusierTot Shabbat 2

Pre1 - K10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Back of Women’s section

PARSHA IN PICTURESTest your Parsha knowledge. Can you tell the story of the parsha

using the pictures below

CELEBRATING SHABBOS WITH OUR YOUTHEVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR AN “OVER THE TOP” SHABBOS EXPERIENCE

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KIDDUSH THIS WEEK: Kiddush this week is sponsored by

Reb Aryeh Leib in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Shloimy Rubinstein.

SHALOSH SEUDOS THIS WEEK: Shalosh Seudos this week is available for

sponsorship.

KIDDUSHIM AT THE SHULPlease help us to provide our weekly Shabbos Kiddush and Shalosh Seudos by becoming a sponsor. Or join the Kiddush

Bank by becoming a Partner ($770 annually ) or Patron ($360 anually)

Next Week: Shabbos Parshas VayishlachCandle Lighting 5:13 p.m.Mincha 5:15 p.m.

Eruv Information We would like to emphasize that every Erev Shabbos, individuals should call the Eruv Hotline to make sure

that the Eruv is operational. The number to call is 305- 866-ERUV (3788). The Eruv message is recorded approximately two hours prior to candle lighting. Surfside:

The Eruv in Surfside now includes the walking paths along the beach. Pushing strollers and carrying is permitted on the paths, but not beyond the path or onto the beach.

Bal Harbour: The Eruv in Bal Harbour included the inner (western) walking path only. The pier at Haulover Cut is not included.

To pay your annual dues visit: www.miamibeacheruv.com

The caterer for this week’s Kiddush and Shalosh Seudos is Food Art

CELEBRATING SHABBOS EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR AN “OVER THE TOP” SHABBOS EXPERIENCE

SHABBOS SCHEDULECandle lighting 5:11 p.m. Mincha / Kabbalas Shabbos 5:15 p.m.

Shabbos Day Hashkama Minyan 7:15 a.m.Tanya / Hayom Yom 8:50 a.m.Shacharis (Morning Services) 9:00 a.m.Children’s Programs 10:00 a.m.Upstairs Minyan 10:30 a.m.Kiddush 12:00 p.m.Daf Yomi 4:00 p.m.Men’s Shiur 4:00 p.m.Women’s Shiur 4:00 p.m.Shalosh Seudos for Boys 4:00 p.m.Mincha 5:00 p.m.Shabbos Ends / Ma’ariv & Havdalah 6:06 p.m.Weekly Video of The Rebbe

Sephardic Minyan Friday Evening Mincha / Kabbalat Shabbat 5:10 p.m.

Shabbat Day Shacharit 9:00 a.m.Mincha 5:00 p.m.Shabbos Ends / Ma’ariv & Havdalah 6:06 p.m.

The following dates are available for sponsorship:

Kiddush Shalosh Seudos Dec 14, 21, 28 Dec 7, 14, 21, 28

If you wish to become a sponsor, please speak with Milena

at 305-868-1411 ext 328 or email milena@theshul.org

WEEKLY DAVENING SCHEDULE ON PAGE 30

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9 Kislev Mrs. Devorah Leah Andrusier9 Kislev Dr. Bernard Baumel9 Kislev Ms. Tehila Moore9 Kislev Ms. Vicki Rachel Moteles9 Kislev Mrs. Cynthia Stein10 Kislev Mr. Arie Abraham10 Kislev Ms. Tziporah Gheblikian10 Kislev Mrs. Nechama Faigie Stern11 Kislev Mr. Jonathan Attias11 Kislev Mr. Arthur M. Gellman11 Kislev Ms. Lauren Kaufman11 Kislev Mr. Yosie Lipskar11 Kislev Mr. Richard Moore11 Kislev Mrs. Dinah Shapiro11 Kislev Ms. Natalie Speyer11 Kislev Ms. Miriam Lea Sussman12 Kislev Mr. Jimmy Mitrani12 Kislev Mr. Bentzy Shemtov13 Kislev Ms. Emily Klimberg13 Kislev Mr. Tom Rosen14 Kislev Mr. Avi Yonah Cohen14 Kislev Mr. Brandon Cohen14 Kislev Mr. Gabriel Gilinski14 Kislev Ms. Perla Gilinski14 Kislev Ms. Maya Rubin15 Kislev Mrs. Soriya Daniella Cohen15 Kislev Mrs. Rivky Duchman15 Kislev Ms. Lesley Spodek

BIRTHDAYS KID’S BIRTHDAYS

YAHRTZEITS

9 Kislev Chana Necha Diamont9 Kislev Yona Amelie Groisman9 Kislev Chaya Necha Schottenstein10 Kislev Eva Blumstein10 Kislev Nina Schottenstein11 Kislev Batya Braindyl Tevardovitz12 Kislev Chasha Rivka Danzinger13 Kislev David Saka15 Kislev Musya Schochet

9 Kislev Bezalel Binyamin ben Eliezer Pesach obm Son of Mr. & Mrs. Lazer Milstein9 Kislev Sholom Aharon Levitin obm Father of Mr. Eli Levitin9 Kislev Ita bas Aron obm Mother of Mrs. Cipora Fraiman9 Kislev Chaya bas Mordecai obm Mother-in-law of Mrs. Ethel Meril Sirotkin9 Kislev Rachel bas Baruch obm Mother of Mrs. Chana Weinbaum10 Kislev Golda bas Binyamin Yosef obm Aunt of Mr. Harold Tripp11 Kislev Abraham Getzler obm Grandfather of Mr. Andrew Septimus11 Kislev Yehuda ben Shlomo obm Brother of Mrs. Dana Werner11 Kislev Hanania bar Mazaltov Bouhadana obm Brother of Mr. Isaie Bouhadana11 Kislev Moshe Nysen Eltes obm Son of Ms. Vivian Naimer12 Kislev Nachum ben Yaakov obm Father of Mr. Brian Lotkin12 Kislev Nosson Berel ben Mordechai obm Son of Mr. Martin Sirotkin obm 12 Kislev Chasia obm Mother of Mr. Shmuel Levinsky13 Kislev Frida obm Mother of Mr. Michael Mordechai Smulevich13 Kislev Zvi Hersh obm Father of Mrs. Cecilia Knoll13 Kislev Chana Hinda bas Mayer obm Mother of Mr. Isaac Sredni14 Kislev Miriam bas Pinchas obm Mother of Mr. Michael Weiss Sister of Mr. Avrom Chaim Zelmanovitch15 Kislev Yaakov ben Abraham Chaim obm Husband of Mrs. Chana Weinbaum15 Kislev Osher ben Harav Mordechai Tabac obm Father of Mr. Leon Jakobs

ANNIVERSARIESMr. & Mrs. Daniel & Arielle Rosenberg

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGSSHARING WITH YOUR SHUL FAMILY

Mazal Tov to Mr. & Mrs.Jordon and Michelle Wachtel on the birth of a daughter. May they raise her to Torah, Chupah and Ma’asim Tovim and have much nachas from her.

Mazal Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Shea and Dobie Rubenstein on the Bar Mitzvah of their son Shloimy. May they continue to raise him to Torah, Chupah and Ma’asim Tovim and have much nachas from him.

Mazal Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Danny and Gaby Shapiro on the birth of a son. May they raise him to Torah, Chupah and Ma’asim Tovim and have much nachas from him. Mazal tov also to the grandparents, Mrs. Janie Shapiro and Mr. & Mrs. Mandy and Pam Yachad.

Mazal Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Oded and Diana Ben Arie on the birth of a grandson born to their children, Aliza and Yehuda Beilin. Mazal Tov also to the Great grandmother, Mrs. Rosita Boruchin. May they see him raised to Torah, Chupah and Ma’asim Tovim and have much nachas from him.

MAZAL TOV

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REFUAH SHLEIMAHIf you have a health update on anyone listed please contact The Shul. We would like to

keep the listing current and remove names of people who have recovered.

KISLEV L IGHT & POWERLight & Power and Wine for Kiddush &

Havdalah for the month of Kislev is Kindly Sponsored by

Mr. & Mrs. Matis & Ronit Blisko

In honor of the Bar mitzvah of our son Shmulie

and our daughters Shana, Goldie and Malkie

We are so proud of all of you!

“Those who establish Synagogues for prayer and those who come there to pray, those who provide lights for illumination, wine and grape juice for kiddush and havdalah, food for the wayfarers and charity for the needy, and all those who occupy themselves faithfully with communal affairs - may The Holy One, blessed be He, give them their reward, remove them from all sicknesses, heal their entire body, pardon all their sins, and send blessing and success to all their endeavors,

together with all Israel their brethren; and let us say Amen.”

THANKS TO OUR DONORSWe sincerely thank the following members and supporters of The Shul

for donations received between 11/26/19 and 12/02/19We apologize for any errors or omissions that we may have made.

Mr. Gabriel AmmarMr. & Mrs. Yankie AndrusierMr. & Mrs. Nadav Ben-ChetritMr. & Mrs. Isaie BouhadanaMr. & Mrs. Michael ElchadifMr. & Mrs. Bernard EnglardMr. & Mrs. Judah J. EpsteinMr. Morris GadMr. Daniel GielchinskyMr. & Mrs. Jacob J. GivnerMr. & Mrs. Diego GoldfarbMr. Berel GolombMr. & Mrs. Levi GreenMr. & Mrs. Sam GreenwaldMr. & Mrs. Salomon GrosfeldMr. & Ms. Morris J. KaplanMr. Farag KatriMr. & Mrs. Menachem KurantMrs. Pola LekachMr. & Mrs. Moshe Shlomo LermanMr. Nussan LevinskyMr. & Mrs. Brian LotkinMr. Martin LustgartenMr. & Mrs. Asher MamaneMr. & Mrs. Alexander MatzMr. & Mrs. Eliezer Nerenberg

Mr. & Mrs. Isser NewMr. & Mrs. Jack OsmanMr. & Mrs. Samuel OstrowiakMr. & Mrs. Joseph PerelisMr. & Mrs. Shlomo PeretzMr. Ari PropisMr. & Mrs. Edward RosengartenMr. Andrew RothRabbi & Mrs. Dovi ScheinerMr. & Mrs. Mark SchnappMr. & Mrs. Shea SchneiderMr. & Mrs. David SchottensteinMr. Jeremy SchwalbeMr. & Mrs. Fred ShainbaumMr. & Mrs. Ryan ShapiroMr. & Mrs. Bentzy ShemtovMr. & Mrs. Jordan WachtelMr. Jack WaksalMr. & Mrs. Ezzy WassermanMr. & Mrs. Moises WertheimerMr. Joseph WerzbergerRabbi & Mrs. Aryeh WuenschMs. Belinda ZaretMr. & Mrs. Sergio ZelcerMr. & Mrs. Adam Ziefer

MENYehonatan HaLevi ben MalkaEliezer ben SarahAharon ben BeylahMeyer Eliezer ben SarahMenachem Mendel ben SaraYehoshua ben TamaraIsaac Gilbert ben Nelly EstherBentzion ben Nomi Rachel MargaliteEber Avraham ben Fruma EstherShlomo Yaakov ben Chaya Sarah RochelChaim Zelig Ben EidelAri ben Na’amaTzvi Yitzchak ben ChayaAryeh Leib ben Sura HenyaRafael Maya ben SolAaron ben TamarRaphael Moshe ben MiriamMeyer Yankev ben Chaya EtelAlexander ben Esther RaizelRafael Moshe ben SarahMoshe ben ZoilaChaim Tzvi Hirsch ben Guttel

WOMENEsther Yocheved bas Raizel BrachaShima Leah bas GittelSarah Libke bas BaileChana Bayla bas MashaRina Chaya Miriam bas Leah BrachaGenya Baila bas GiselaMalka Tziril bas Devorah DinaSonia Simcha bat SultanaTzipora Pnina bas SlavaFeige bas KrandelTziporah Pnina bas SlavaChaya Miriam Yehudit bat ChavaClara bat CorinaRivka bat ShoshanaMiriam bat Risha RaizelDana Ella bas Devorah HindeChana bas ShoshanaIlana bas Shaina RochelChava bas Elka MenuchaChaya bas RachelFayge bas ChayaMiriam Leah bas Helen

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGSSHARING WITH YOUR SHUL FAMILY

CONDOLENCESOur heartfelt condolences go out to Ana & Michael SaruskiJudy & Craig Blinderman and Sara & Rick Schermer on the passing of their beloved father, Jose Morel, obm. May his dear soul be bound with the Eternal Bond of Life. May the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to Mrs. Brocha Reich on the passing of her dear husband R’ Tzvi Yitzchak (Herschel) Reich obm. May his dear soul be bound with the Eternal Bond of Life. May the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

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Shabbat, 9 KislevRespect for Boundaries[Laban said to Jacob,] “I will not cross over to you beyond this mound, and you will not cross over to me beyond this mound and this monument.” Genesis 31:52As opposed to a solid wall, a mound is a collection of unconnected stones, signifying that the separation between Laban and Jacob would not be absolute. Spiritually, this means that Jacob was not erecting an impenetrable barrier between himself and the realm of Laban. He would continue to enter Laban’s realm for the “business” of harnessing the sparks of holiness that reside there, but he would do so while remaining detached from the negative influences of Laban’s philosophy of life.

Similarly, the conceptual “mound” that we must erect to distinguish between ourselves and the mundane world around us must be left semi-permeable. Although we must cross that mound in order to conduct our business of sanctifying the material world, we at the same time must remain immune to its negative aspects.

Sunday, 10 Kislev

Selfless Prayer[Jacob began his prayer], “I am no longer worthy, due to all the acts of kindness and trustworthiness that You have done for me, Your servant.” Genesis 32:11

Although Jacob was certainly aware of his many merits, he was also able to rise above natural human shortsightedness and realize how infinitely indebted we are all to G-d. With this perspective, Jacob humbly assumed that his merits were insufficient to deserve G-d’s protection. Therefore, he petitioned G-d to save him and his family not on account of his own merits – although he was indeed worthy – but out of His pure kindness.

Following Jacob’s example, whenever we ask something of G-d, we too should appeal solely to His kindness and compassion. If we ask for assistance based on our worthiness – and we all certainly possess many merits – G-d’s response will be limited to the extent of our worthiness. But when we humbly disregard our worthiness, demonstrating that we, like Jacob, have risen above our natural shortsightedness, G-d will respond with blessings that transcend the natural order.

DAILY WISDOMInspiring insights on the Torah

Monday, 11 Kislev

Elevating the Material World[The angel said to Jacob,] “No longer will it be said that your name is Jacob, but Israel.” Genesis 32:29

The name “Israel” did not replace Jacob’s original name but complemented it. It expressed a new, loftier status that he was now granted. Whereas “Jacob” had to struggle with Esau to secure Isaac’s blessings, these blessings were now granted to “Israel” openly by Esau’s guardian angel.

Jacob’s two names represent the two ways in which we interact with the world. Sometimes the material world or our own materialistic tendencies can get in the way of our Divine consciousness or mission in life; we must then, like “Jacob,” struggle to reveal the Divinity that underlies the material world. At other times, the world can be used as a means to enhance Divine consciousness or fulfill our Divine mission; at such times, our challenge, like “Israel,” is to use these opportunities both to bring the world to a higher level of Divine consciousness and to promote our own spiritual growth.

Tuesday, 12 KislevThe Rectification of Esau[Jacob] prostrated himself seven times as he approached his brother. Genesis 33:3Jacob acknowledged those qualities of Esau’s that were superior to his own, and understood that in order to bring the world to its ultimate destiny, it was necessary to combine Esau’s strengths with his own. At the same time, Jacob understood that he – and not Esau – would have to be the one to oversee this synthesis in order for it to work. Due to his faithful devotion to the study of the Torah, Jacob was the one who possessed the breadth of vision and knowledge of G-d’s will necessary to harness the raw, untamed power of Esau. Jacob hoped that he could impress Esau enough to submit to his leadership if he would appease him with a lavish gift, acknowledging his superior strengths, and inform him that he had proven himself capable of raising a righteous family, outwitting the crafty Laban, and amassing a sizeable fortune.When it became clear that Esau was not ready to cooperate, Jacob understood that harnessing Esau’s strengths would be a long and difficult process. This union of Esau’s superior strength and Jacob’s wisdom will be the defining characteristic of the Messianic future, and is therefore the key to ushering it in. Indeed, our undying devotion to the Torah and its commandments ever since Jacob’s time has largely refined the power of Esau, and we are now at the threshold of the final, Messianic Redemption.

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Wednesday, 13 Kislev

Maintaining Focus[Jacob said to Esau,] “Let my master please go on ahead of [me,] his servant . . . [and wait there] until I reach [you,] my master, at Sei’ir.” Genesis 33:14

Jacob alludes here to Esau’s future transformation in the Messianic Era – “until I reach my master [Esau] at Sei’ir.” Jacob’s approach to Esau teaches us how to neutralize the potential hostility of the “Esaus” we encounter during our exile:

If we fall prey to the external comforts of exile and feel subservient to the rulership of “Esau,” our attitude becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – our exile starts to truly rules us. To neutralize Esau’s power, we must see past the façade of exile to its inner purpose, which is to enable us to prepare the world for the Messianic Era. At that time, “Esau” will be subdued and transformed. By viewing the long adventure of exile as a journey toward Sei’ir, focusing on our ultimate goal, “Esau” is rendered harmless even during the exile.

Thursday, 14 Kislev

Modest ExposureDinah went out to observe the girls of the region. Genesis 34:1Dinah’s intention was to convince the women of Shechem to adopt the righteous ways of Jacob’s family. Although it appears that she was hardly successful, her efforts were not entirely in vain. Although having the residents of Shechem circumcise themselves was partly a ruse to weaken them, their assent indicated that they agreed to be spiritually refined to a certain degree. Their circumcision refined their society somewhat, including the women. And indeed, the women and children were taken captive, most of them becoming servants in Jacob’s household and thereby absorbing Jacob’s values and morals.

Dinah’s behavior teaches us that women who are blessed with unique talents that enable them to influence others should utilize those talents not just to build their home and family; they should also use them to draw the hearts of their fellow women to the Torah and its ways of goodness and kindness.

Friday, 15 Kislev

The Power of AltruismRachel died and was buried on the road leading to Efrat. Efrat is also known as Bethlehem. Genesis 35:19

We are taught that Rachel chose to be buried in Bethlehem, rather than in Hebron with the other patriarchs and matriarchs. She foresaw that the Jewish people would pass by Bethlehem many centuries later when they were driven out of the Land of Israel following the destruction of the first Temple. At that time, after the patriarchs tried but failed to appease G-d, Rachel argued that just as she had not been jealous of her sister Leah when she became Jacob’s wife, G-d should not be “jealous” of the idols the Jews had worshipped. G-d accepted her argument, and proclaimed: “Because of you, Rachel, I will return the Jewish people to their homeland.”

It is Rachel’s self-sacrifice and devotion that evoke G-d’s promise to redeem us, despite our misdeeds and shortcomings.

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It is one of the great visions of the Torah. Jacob, alone at night, fleeing from the wrath of Esau, lies down to rest, and sees

not a nightmare of fear but an epiphany:

He came to a certain place [vayifga bamakom] and stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream. He saw a ladder resting on the earth, with its top reaching heaven. G-d’s angels were going up and down on it. There above it stood God . . .

Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “G-d is truly in this place, but I did not know it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d; this is the gate of heaven.” (28:11-17)

On the basis of this passage the sages said that “Jacob instituted the evening prayer.” The inference is based on the word vayifga which can mean not only, “he came to, encountered, happened upon” but also “he prayed, entreated, pleaded” as in Jeremiah 7:16, “Neither lift up cry nor prayer for them nor make intercession to Me [ve-al tifga bi].”

The sages also understood the word bamakom, “the place” to mean “G-d” (the “place” of the universe). Thus Jacob completed the cycle of daily prayers. Abraham instituted shacharit, the morning prayer, Isaac minchah, the afternoon prayer, and Jacob arvit, the prayer of nighttimes.

This is a striking idea. Though each of the weekday prayers is identical in wording, each bears the character of one of the patriarchs. Abraham represents morning. He is the initiator, the one who introduced a new religious consciousness to the world. With him a day begins. Isaac represents afternoon. There is nothing new about Isaac – no major transition from darkness to light or light to darkness. Many of the incidents in Isaac’s life recapitulate those of his father. Famine forces him, as it did Abraham, to go to the land of the Philistines.

He re-digs his father’s wells. Isaac’s is the quiet heroism of continuity. He is a link in the chain of the covenant. He joins one generation to the next. He introduces nothing new into the life of faith, but his life has its own nobility. Isaac is steadfastness, loyalty, the determination to continue. Jacob represents night. He is the man of fear and flight, the man who wrestles with G-d, with others and with himself. Jacob is one who knows the darkness of this world.

There is, however, a difficulty with the idea that Jacob introduced the evening prayer. In a famous episode in the Talmud, Rabbi Joshua takes the view that, unlike shacharit or minchah, the evening prayer is not obligatory (though, as the commentators note, it has become obligatory through the acceptance of generations of Jews). Why, if it was instituted by Jacob, was it not held to carry the same obligation as the prayers of Abraham and Isaac? Tradition offers three answers.

The first is that the view that arvit is non-obligatory according to those who hold that our daily prayers are based, not on the patriarchs but on the sacrifices that were offered in the Temple. There was a morning and afternoon offering but no evening sacrifice. The two views differ precisely on this, that for those who trace prayer to sacrifice, the evening prayer is voluntary, whereas for those who base it on the patriarchs, it is obligatory.

The second is that there is a law that those on a journey (and for three days thereafter) are exempt from prayer. In the days when journeys were hazardous – when travellers were in constant fear of attack by raiders – it was impossible to concentrate. Prayer requires concentration (kavanah).

Therefore Jacob was exempt from prayer, and offered up his entreaty not as an obligation but as a voluntary act – and so it remained.

The third is that there is a tradition that, as Jacob was travelling, “the sun set suddenly” – not at its normal time. Jacob had intended to say the afternoon prayer, but found, to his surprise, that night had fallen. Arvit did not become an obligation, since Jacob had not meant to say an evening prayer at all.

There is, however, a more profound explanation. A different linguistic construction is used for each of the three occasions that the sages saw as the basis of prayer. Abraham “rose early in the morning to the place where he had stood before G-d” (19:27). Isaac “went out to meditate [lasuach] in the field towards evening” (24:63). Jacob “met, encountered, came across” G-d [vayifga bamakom]. These are different kinds of religious experience.

Abraham initiated the quest for G-d. He was a creative religious personality – the father of all those who set out on a journey of the spirit to an unknown destination, armed only with the trust that those who seek, find. Abraham sought G-d before G-d sought him.

Isaac’s prayer is described as a sichah, literally, a conversation or dialogue. There are two parties to a dialogue – one who speaks and one who listens, and having listened, responds. Isaac represents the religious experience as conversation between the word of G-d and the word of mankind.

Jacob’s prayer is very different. He does not initiate it. His thoughts are elsewhere – on Esau from whom he is escaping, and on Laban to whom he is travelling. Into this troubled mind comes a vision of G-d and the angels and a stairway connecting earth and heaven. He has done nothing to prepare for it. It is unexpected. Jacob literally “encounters” G-d as we can sometimes

PARSHA MESSAGES SHABBOS PARSHAS VAYETZE

ENCOUNTERING G-D By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

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CAN G-D BE STOLEN?By Levi Avtzon

If there is a single sentence in the Torah that resonates with me, it’s one said by a most deceitful character who also happened to be the uncle and father-in-law of our patriarch Jacob.

After working in his father-in-law’s shepherding business for 20 years, Jacob decided to leave Charan (Iraq) and bring his large family to join his parents in the Holy Land. He consulted with his wives and made plans to leave clandestinely to avoid familial drama and financial wrangling.

Just before leaving, Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel, who desperately wanted her pagan dad to move closer to the monotheistic beliefs that she and her family had come to cherish, decided to do some forceful outreach: She stole his idols with plans to dispose of them later on.

Through his network of confederates, Laban found out about their departure and quickly caught up to the slow-traveling caravan. The following morning (after a dream where G-d warned him not to mistreat his son-in-law) Laban confronted Jacob face to face. Laban presented his grievance, and Jacob had the opportunity to present his case.

While presenting his side of the story, Laban accuses Jacob, “And now that you’ve chosen to leave because you miss you father’s home, why did you steal my gods?”

Unaware of Rachel’s act, Jacob denies it forcefully.

Can you steal a god? What a strange concept.

The very fact that one can steal an idol shows the pettiness of ascribing supernatural powers to figures of stone and metal. How can a deity fit into a box?

Indeed, the Midrash tells us that when Jacob’s children heard their grandfather’s accusation, they were pained and said, “We are embarrassed and ashamed by this grandfather who claims that his gods were stolen.”

Let’s take this story and make it personal: Have we deified things which can fit on a camel or be stolen from us? Money, fame, power, pleasure, superficial aspirations?

We all worship something. The question is whether the object of our adulation is Jacob’s version of G-d or Laban’s.

Can the principles we hold dear be stolen? Can true morality be snatched from a person?

Historically, one of the greatest prides of the Jewish people has been that no matter what our haters did to us, no matter how many of our possessions were stolen, no matter how much blood was spilled, they could never take away our G-d. No Nazi or crusader could confiscate or kill Him. That is the miracle of Jewish history. Our Jewishness is unstealable.

Laban telling Jacob about his stolen god is a moment of true historical irony. There was Jacob, traveling with his Jewish family to the Holy Land to build

encounter a familiar face among a crowd of strangers. This is a meeting brought about by G-d, not man. That is why Jacob’s prayer could not be made the basis of a regular obligation. None of us knows when the presence of G-d will suddenly intrude into our lives.

There is an element of the religious life that is beyond conscious control. It comes out of nowhere, when we are least expecting it. If Abraham represents our journey towards G-d, and Isaac our dialogue with God, Jacob signifies G-d’s encounter with us – unplanned, unscheduled, unexpected; the vision, the voice, the call we can never know in advance but which leaves us transformed. As for Jacob so for us, it feels as if we are waking from a sleep and realising as if for the first time that “G-d was in this place and I did not know it.” The place has not changed, but we have. Such an experience can never be made the subject of an obligation. It is not something we do. It is something that happens to us. Vayfiga bamakom means that, thinking of other things, we find that we have walked into the presence of G-d.

Such experiences take place, literally or metaphorically, at night. They happen when we are alone, afraid, vulnerable, close to despair. It is then that, when we least expect it, we can find our lives flooded by the radiance of the divine. Suddenly, with a certainty that is unmistakable, we know that we are not alone, that G-d is there and has been all along but that we were too preoccupied by our own concerns to notice Him. That is how Jacob found G-d – not by his own efforts, like Abraham; not through continuous dialogue, like Isaac; but in the midst of fear and isolation. Jacob, in flight, trips and falls – and finds he has fallen into the waiting arms of G-d. No one who has had this experience, ever forgets it. “Now I know that You were with me all the time but I was looking elsewhere.”

That was Jacob’s prayer. There are times when we speak and times when we are spoken to. Prayer is not always predictable, a matter of fixed times and daily obligation. It is also an openness, a vulnerability. G-d can take us by surprise, waking us from our sleep, catching us as we fall.

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a nation of monotheists who would go through three millennia of expulsions and thefts and still have their G-d in their hearts. And there was Laban, who was worried about the god in his pocket.

But, in a sense, the infinite Creator can be stolen.

We all know people who have lost their interest in G-d and Judaism. Someone (or something) is stealing their (connection to) G-d.

That is unnatural. We are “believers children of believers.” Faith is in our DNA. And yet, in so many of our brothers and sisters, that faith isn’t surfacing. And the question we must ask ourselves is, why? Why is G-d being stolen? What well-intentioned mistakes are we making that are pushing our siblings away?

The good news is that G-d can never truly be stolen, and Judaism will never disappear. It can only go into hiding. We can help it come back into the light.

Every child, teen, or adult whose Judaism shines brightly is a win that deserves celebration. And every child, teen, or adult whose connection is waiting to be ignited is a call for the rest of us to do what we can to reveal the light within.

This is the pivotal challenge of our time: To reveal the beautiful connection between Jacob’s G-d and Jacob’s children.

mother of Israel, buried on the way to Ephrath so that when her children go into exile she can pray for them (Genesis Rabbah 82:10):

So says the L-rd: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not. So says the L-rd: Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the L-rd; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. And there is hope for your future, says the L-rd; and the children shall return to their own border. (Jeremiah 31:14–16)

Self-Actualization Through CouplehoodThe twin expressions of couplehood – the loving relationship and the child-rearing partnership – highlight two human aspects that relate to the essence of the connection between a man and a woman. The first Creation story describes a relationship whose purpose is procreation: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28), while the second portrays the intimate relationship as a value in itself: “It is not good that the man should be alone…and [he] shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:18, 24).

The stories of Rachel and Leah are a testament to the tragedy inherent in relationships that only contain one of the two elements. This explains the blessing given to Ruth and Boaz by the crowd at their wedding: “May the Lord make the woman that is coming into your house like Rachel and like Leah, both of whom built the house of Israel” (Ruth 4:11). The community wishes upon the couple a relationship that combines both aspects. As my students have pointed out to me, the blessing is indeed fulfilled in Ruth: she is loved by Boaz and her offspring includes King David (her

LOVE OR CHILDREN?By Yakov Nagen

One theme in Vayeitzei is couplehood. Jacob’s relationships with Rachel

and Leah differ fundamentally from one another. Rachel is Jacob’s beloved; Leah the mother of his children. The tragedy of the story is that each wife wants what her sister has; Rachel yearns for children, while Leah pines for Jacob’s love: “And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or else I die’” (Genesis 30:1). But even when Rachel gives birth to a son, she does not feel fulfilled. Instead, as Joseph’s name signifies, she can only gaze into the future, hoping for a second son: “And she called his name Joseph, saying, ‘The L-rd add to me another son’” (Genesis 30:24). The fulfillment of that wish comes at the price of her life: “And it came to pass, as her soul was departing – for she died – that she called his name Ben-oni” (Genesis 35:18).

Leah’s story is a mirror image of Rachel’s, a fact evident in the names she gives her own children:

And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the L-rd has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” …And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi…. And Leah said, “G-d has endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she called his name Zebulun. (Genesis 29:32, 34; 30:20)

Ultimately, Rachel and Leah attain only in death the things they yearn for in life: Leah is buried alongside Jacob in the Cave of the Patriarchs, while Rachel is considered the

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great-grandson). A relationship encompassing both elements generates a state of oneness, in which each element deepens the other and fuses with it: on one hand, the outward-facing, creative life partnership – birthing and raising children – generates a profound intimacy between the partners; on the other, just as children enrich the love between the partners, so the parents’ love contributes to their children. There is no greater gift for a child than to grow up with parents who love each other.

Couplehood: Traveling an Inner WorldAspirations for a life of meaning are challenged more than anything else by the difficulty of maintaining a loving, growing relationship. We all long for a relationship in which we can experience our love as a power that unites us as one flesh, as one vision. Love is the key to go beyond ourselves. The yearning, in a romantic relationship, is for two to become one. Physical intimacy fulfills one aspect of the yearning; a second is actualized through having and raising children. Yet, many couples are plagued by the feeling that they are emotionally incapable of attaining the significant intimacy that they aspire to.

Hedy Schleifer, a couples’ therapist and expert in the Imago method, highlights a misconception underlying the power struggles that prevent couples from deepening their relationships: both

partners know that, as a couple, “we are one,” but sometimes each partner mistakenly thinks, “that one is me.” Just as ego can form a barrier between the individual and G-d, a false model of couplehood can drive a wedge between two partners in a relationship. The capacity to maintain a relationship that is supportive, respectful, and conducive to growth depends on recognition of the fact that, as a couple, “we are two.” If I am to grow in the relationship, I must accept and learn my partner’s language and visit their inner world, thus building our “one” out of the meeting of our two worlds. Schleifer teaches us that in order to create a common space that facilitates a true encounter, both partners must learn to diminish themselves and recognize the existence of the other: another whose purpose is not to serve or enlighten me; another who exists independently; another who is whole. A couple that experiences such a complete relationship, where ego does not come between the partners, can transpose that model to the relationship with G-d. When we make room, the focus is no longer on us alone or on G-d alone, but rather on the meeting between us; we open ourselves fully to the recognition that “surely the L-rd is in this place, and I knew.”

THE MITTELER REBBE

The 9th of Kislev (which this year falls out on Shabbat) is the birthday and yartzeit of the Mitteler Rebbe,

Rabbi Dov Ber of Lubavitch. Although he was only 54 years old at the time of his passing, it is considered auspicious when a righteous person passes away on his (Hebrew) birthday, in fulfillment of the verse “The number of your days I will fulfill.” As is known, Moses was 120 when he passed away on his birthday, about which our Sages commented: “The Holy One, Blessed Be He, fills up the years of the righteous from day to day.” When a righteous person departs this world on the same day he was born, it emphasizes that his service of G-d was “full” and complete on the material as well as the spiritual plane.

The following day, the 10th of Kislev, is also celebrated in Chabad circles, as it marks the date in 1826 when the Mitteler Rebbe was released from prison. Accused of illegally channelling funds to the Holy Land, the Mitteler Rebbe refuted all the charges against him (proving that all monies went directly to the poor) and demonstrated that the documents used to implicate him had been forged. Indeed, the Mitteler Rebbe so impressed the authorities that the informer who had slandered him was told to “stop barking like a dog.”

It is said that on the Shabbat afternoon when word came that the Rebbe would be freed, he was in the midst of delivering a Chasidic discourse on the verse “You are One.” (The Mitteler Rebbe was permitted to deliver Chasidic discourses to 50 of his Chasidim twice a week even while imprisoned as his doctor had informed the authorities that this was literally what kept him alive.)

May the Mitteler Rebbe’s holiday of redemption lead to the ultimate holiday of Redemption of the entire Jewish people, with the immediate revelation of our Righteous Moshiach.

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4 POWERFUL INSIGHTS FROM THE REBBE ON PARSHAS VAYETZEI

Descent for the Purpose of AccentIn the 28th chapter of Genesis, the Torah recounts Jacob’s departure from the Holy Land, where he had spent the first half of his life immersed in the “tents of learning,” and his journey to Haran. In Haran, Jacob worked for twenty years in the employ of his conniving uncle, Laban, in the midst of a corrupt and debased society. Throughout it all, Jacob remained true to G-d and man, serving Laban honestly, he prospered materially, amassing considerable wealth. In Haran, Jacob also married and fathered eleven of the twelve sons who were to yield the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jacob’s journey to Haran is the story of every soul’s descent to earth. The soul, too, leaves a spiritual idyll behind—an existence steeped in divine awareness and knowledge—to struggle in the employ of a “Laban” in a Haran environment. For the material state is a nefarious deceiver, accentuating the corporeal and obscuring the G-dly, confusing the soul’s priorities and perpetually threatening its virtue. But every soul is empowered, as a child of Jacob, to make this a “descent for the purpose of ascent,” to emerge from the Haran of material earth with its integrity intact and its memory true.

Indeed, not only does it return with its spiritual powers galvanized by the challenge, it is also a “wealthier” soul, having learned to exploit the forces and resources of the physical world to further its spiritual ends. Most significantly, in its spiritual state the soul is perfect but childless; only as a physical being on physical earth can it fulfill the divine mitzvot, which are the soul’s progeny and its link to the infinite and the eternal.

SheepThis week’s Torah reading, Vayeitzei, is glutted with sheep: Laban’s sheep and Jacob’s sheep; white sheep, and dark sheep. Jacob arrives in Haran, and the first sight to greet him is that of several flocks of sheep congregated around a sealed well; the second is his future wife, Rachel—the name is Hebrew for “sheep”—shepherding her father’s sheep. Soon Jacob is a shepherd himself, caring for sheep, receiving his wages in sheep, breeding sheep with special markings, dreaming of sheep, amassing a fortune in sheep, and finally leading his flocks back to the Holy Land where he will present his brother Esau with a huge gift comprised largely of . . . sheep.

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, he who shepherds [me] among the roses” (Song of Songs 2:16). The voice of this verse, explains the Midrash Rabbah, is that of the community of Israel, speaking of her relationship with G-d. “He is my shepherd, as it is written (Psalms 80:1), ‘Shepherd of Israel, hearken’; and I am His sheep, as it is written (Ezekiel 34:31), ‘And you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture’” (Midrash Rabbah on this verse).

The sheep’s dominant trait is its docility and obedience. The child obeys his father, but does so out of an appreciation of his father’s greatness; the sheep does not obey for any reason—it is simply obedient by nature.

Being a Jew means studying the divine wisdom (revealed to us in His Torah), developing a passionate love and reverent awe for G-d, and teaching His wisdom and implementing His will in an oft-times hostile world—all of which require the optimal application of our mental, emotional and assertive powers. But the foundation of it all, the base from which all these derive and upon which they are all predicated, is our simple commitment to G-d—a commitment that transcends reason and emotion.

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4 POWERFUL INSIGHTS FROM THE REBBE ON PARSHAS VAYETZEI

Prayer in the EveningThis week’s Torah reading describes how our Patriarch Jacob, fleeing his brother Esau, left his home and went to Haran. It was a lonely journey. As night fell, he “encountered the place.” Our Sages interpret the word vayifga, translated as “encountered,” as a reference to prayer. There Jacob stopped to pray. In danger and lacking personal resources, he entreated G-d and asked for His assistance. With this prayer, he instituted the obligation of evening prayers each night. Abraham had instituted the morning prayers; Isaac, those of the afternoon. And with this prayer, Jacob established the obligation to pray at night.

There is a great difference between praying during the day and praying at night. During the day, the sun is shining. The light and brightness of the physical setting is representative of its spiritual backdrop. Day refers to times and situations where G-dliness is apparent. That’s when Abraham and Isaac prayed.

Jacob, by contrast, prayed at night, metaphorically, when G-dliness is hidden and one must combat darkness.

The difference reflects the spiritual mission that the patriarchs carried out. Abraham and Isaac were concerned primarily with drawing down holiness and spreading G-dly light. They were associated with “the day”; they lived in a setting of holiness and their divine service involved amplifying and spreading that light. Jacob, by contrast, went down to Haran, a place whose very name indicates that it aroused G-d’s fury and wrath.

This goal cannot be achieved through man’s efforts alone. For according to nature, darkness is in direct opposition to light, light does not brook darkness, nor darkness light. How can darkness be transformed into light? By tapping an infinite G-dly power that knows no limitations, a source of energy above both light and darkness. Therefore, when night falls and Jacob confronts his mission, he reaches to G-d in prayer, asking Him for assistance in transforming darkness into light.

Physical ObjectsThe Torah portion of Vayeitzei details Yaakov’s 20-year stay in Laban’s house. During this time he was involved in tending Lavan’s sheep, as Yaakov himself testified: “With all my might I served.”

Still, it was specifically during this period that he enjoyed his greatest successes, moreover, it was expressly with Laban that Yaakov merited to father the Jewish tribes, establishing the House of Israel.

How was it that Yaakov attained such spiritual success not during a time of concentrated Torah study, but while a laborer in Laban’s household?

The purpose of the spiritual service of the Jewish people in general is to purify and refine this physical world. This is accomplished through studying Torah and performing mitzvos with physical objects, doing all things “for the sake of Heaven,” and thereby sanctifying the physical world so that it becomes a fit vessel for G-d’s sanctity. At the conclusion of this service — with the arrival of Moshiach — the entire world shall be a “dwelling place” for G-d.

This also explains why, throughout Jewish history, most Jews have been primarily engaged in earning a living rather than in Torah study: Transforming the world into a dwelling place for G-dliness is accomplished primarily by interacting with it and making it holy.

This is also why Yaakov’s spiritual and material success, and his founding of the House of Israel, was accomplished in the house of Laban in Haran — a place that evoked “Divine wrath” — and during a time when he could not concentrate on Torah study. For the “dwelling place” is established by descending into the lowest of levels and transforming even them into holiness.

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wait until the person is fully healed, or as healed as they can get, and then make the blessing.

When we make this blessing, it is proper to say it in front of a Minyan of which two of the members are Torah scholars. this is the reason we make the blessing following the reading of the Torah for then these conditions are usually met. We are also supposed to make the blessing by the third day from when the person became obligated. At times these priorities can be in conflict, if a person returns from a journey Monday afternoon the third day will be Wednesday, but the first available Torah reading will be Thursday. Many have the custom in this case to wait for the Torah reading even though three days will have passed, however the Alter Rebbe holds that making the blessing in the first three days takes priority.

A woman is also obligated to make this blessing but the requirement to make it in front of a Minyan is problematic, for it could be considered immodest. Some have the custom that a Minyan comes to the woman’s house and she makes the blessing in front of them. Alternatively, she can make the blessing from the Ezrat Nashim as long as ten men can hear her. (If her husband has to make the blessing, he can make it for both of them, otherwise someone not obligated in the blessing cannot make it for someone who is.) The general custom is that a woman does not make this blessing, but after childbirth or other such events they go to Shul and respond to Barchu which is equivalent to the praising of Hashem of the HaGomel blessing.

The recognition of thanks is critical to who we are. By saying thank you as we go through life, we are sensitive to the fact that life isn’t just random events, but the hand of Hashem is present. Living with this truth makes us more appreciative and gives us the proper frame of reference necessary in the fulfilling of our purpose in this world.

Saying Thanks

When Leah’s fourth son is born, she calls him Yehuda, proclaiming “Now I must

thank Hashem”. Rashi explains that prophetically she knew there would be four wives and 12 sons. On average each wife would bear 3 sons, and now that she had her fourth, more than expected, she felt a duty to say thank you. This is a lesson in gratitude, when we expect something it is hard to be grateful. However, when we recognize that what we are receiving is a gift from Hashem, we become “Yehudim”, naturally thankful for the kindness bestowed on us.

While in a general sense saying thanks is integral to being Jewish, we are called Yehudim which means to acknowledge with gratitude, there are also times when thanks are specifically called for. Besides for our daily Modeh Ani and Modim, there are certain events that happen that require us to make a special thanksgiving blessing to Hashem, the Birkat Hagomel, the blessing recognizing the kindness Hashem bestows upon us.

In the times of the Temple when one experienced an event that called for thanksgiving, they would bring a sacrifice called the Todah, the thanksgiving offering. Today we cannot bring sacrifices we therefore make a blessing in its place. It is still appropriate for the person to study the portion of the Torah that discusses this sacrifice in accordance with the teaching of the sages that one who studies the laws of a specific sacrifice it is as if they have brought it.

The Talmud says there are four that must say thanks, based on verses in Psalms, one who crosses a sea safely, one who crosses a desert safely, one who is released from prison and one who recovers from an illness. There is a general debate between the Sephardic and Ashkenaz authorities if this blessing is limited to these four events or these are just general categories of people who must give thanks. The

Ashkenaz authorities argue that any time one emerges from a dangerous situation, it calls for this blessing.

Today when travel has changed and many of the concerns of travelling through a desert etc no longer apply there is some debate when the blessing should be made. One of the reasons desert travel was considered dangerous was the likelihood of getting lost or ambushed, when one travels by train or there is a main road both of those concerns are ameliorated. Similarly, when one is traveling through a river or small sea, or even in the ocean but next to the shore and not actually traversing it, there is an argument to be made that the blessing is not required for there is no serious danger.

With air travel there are many customs. Some make the blessing every time they travel by air even if they are not crossing an ocean etc., others argue that traveling through the air is not like travelling on the ground and the blessing is never required. The general custom is to make the blessing when flying over an ocean. Some explain that this custom is supported by certain comments we find in early sources regarding the requirement of this blessing when traveling by boat. When traveling by boat it is explained that because in one moment the boat can sink, the person is in danger, the same would obviously apply to a plane. Similarly, some explain that we make the blessing when travelling by boat because we are travelling in a place not meant to be inhabited by humans, the same would apply to air travel as well.

If a person is making multiple stops in their journey, they only make the blessing when reaching their final destination.

When a person recovers from an illness there is a debate when is the appropriate time to make the blessing. Some argue that as soon as the person is not bedridden and is no longer in a critical state, even if they have some lingering effects, they can make the blessing. However, the custom is to

HALACHA OF THE WEEKBY RABBI DOV SCHOCHET

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STORIES WITH SOUL

YechidutFrom the writings of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch

During one of his journeys, Rabbi DovBer of Lubavitch stopped at an inn near the city of Smargon. It was

summer, the weather was pleasant, and the Rebbe decided to stay for a week.

When Rabbi DovBer’s decision became known, many people from the Smargon area converged at the inn, wishing to be received by the Rebbe and to consult with him. The Rebbe began to receive each one in turn, in a private audience known as yechidut.

A few days later, while hundreds of people still crowded the courtyard waiting to be received, the Rebbe suddenly stopped the yechidut and locked his door.

His chassidim assumed that the many visitors of the past few days had tired the Rebbe, and that he had taken a short break to recoup his strength. But after half an hour the Rebbe’s secretary, Reb Zalman, emerged from the Rebbe’s room extremely distressed, his eyes red from weeping, and whispered a few words into the ears of the leading chassidim who had accompanied the Rebbe on his journey. These chassidim became greatly alarmed, their faces turning red and white and red again, and a wave of horror spread through the crowd. All were at a loss as to what had happened.

An hour or two later, several of the elder chassidim entered the house and listened at the Rebbe’s door. They heard

the Rebbe pouring out his soul, weeping and saying chapters of Psalms from the depths of his holy heart. Some of them fainted in distress. No one had an inkling as to what might have caused the Rebbe, in the middle of an ordinary weekday, to interrupt the yechidut and to be moved to such heart-wrenching prayers. Soon the distressing news seeped out to the anxious crowd, which broke up into groups and began to tearfully recite Psalms.

When the Rebbe finished reciting Psalms, he began to prepare for the afternoon minchah prayers. But he was so weakened from his earlier efforts that he was forced to first rest in bed for over an hour to recover his strength. Then he prayed minchah in the manner that is customary during the Ten Days of Repentance.

After minchah the Rebbe came out to the courtyard, seated himself on the platform which had been prepared for him, and delivered a lengthy discourse on the verse, “Wall of the daughter of Zion, let flow a tear as a stream.” The Rebbe spoke of how tears cleanse the soul of harmful words and thoughts, and expounded on the merit of saying words of Torah and Psalms. The discourse greatly moved the audience, and reverberated throughout the Chabad chassidic community. Years later, chassidim remembered that day.

The next day the Rebbe was very weak and confined to his bed, but on the day after he resumed the yechidut. Still, no one knew what had so greatly distressed the Rebbe and caused his

fervent prayer and address.

Rabbi Pinchas of Shklov, who had accompanied the Rebbe on this journey, was among the distinguished Chassidim yet in the time of the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi. A few days later, Rabbi Pinchas asked the Rebbe what it had all been about.

A great sadness descended upon the Rebbe. Then he said: “When a chassid enters into yechidut, he reveals to me the inner maladies of his soul, each on his own level, and seeks my assistance to cure his spiritual ills. To help him, I must first find the same failing—be it in the most subtle of forms—within my own self, and strive to correct it. For it is not possible to direct someone else in cleansing and perfecting his character unless one has himself experienced the same problem and undergone the same process of self-refinement.

“On that day,” continued the Rebbe, “someone came to me with a problem. I was horrified to hear to what depths he had fallen, G-d forbid. Try as I might, I could not find within myself anything even remotely resembling what he told me. But Divine Providence had sent this man to me, so I knew that somewhere, somehow, there was something in me that could relate to his situation.

“And then it occurred to me that it must be something embedded so deep within me that it was way beyond my conscious reach. The thought shook me to the very core of my soul, and moved me to repent and return to G-d from the depths of my heart.”

Rabbi DovBer of Lubavitch (1773-1827)

Rabbi DovBer of Lubavitch was born in Liozna, White Russia, in 1773, on the 9th of Kislev. His father was the founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi. Rabbi DovBer assumed the leadership of Chabad upon his father’s passing in 1812. In 1813 he settled in the town of Lubavitch, which was to serve as the movement’s headquarters for

the next 102 years.

In 1826 he was arrested on charges that his teachings threatened the imperial authority of the Czar, but was subsequently exonerated. The day of his release—10 Kislev on the Jewish calendar—is celebrated by the Chabad

Chassidic community as a “festival of liberation.”

Among the students and scholars of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi DovBer is known for his unique style of “broadening rivers”—his teachings are the intellectual rivers to his father’s wellspring, lending breadth and depth to the principles

set down by Rabbi Schneur Zalman.

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RECENTLY IN THE NEWSORPHANED IN MUMBAI, MOSHE HOLTZBERG CELEBRATES HIS BAR MITZVAH FAMILY AND FRIENDS GATHERED IN ISRAEL ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOR A GALA AFFAIR

Moshe Holtzberg, who was orphaned in the Mumbai Chabad center massacre that

took the lives of his parents 11 years ago this week, was called to the Torah for the first time in his hometown of Afula, Israel, on Shabbat and celebrated his bar mitzvah on Sunday evening at a gala affair in Kfar Chabad, surrounded by friends and family, including the grandparents who raised him and the nanny who saved his life.

During the celebration, Moshe delivered the classic Chassidic discourse recited at Chabad bar mitzvahs, flanked by his grandfathers, who along with Moshe were then hoisted onto the shoulders of members of the cheering crowd. Smiling ear to ear, Moshe also danced to the musical performance of Simche Friedman and was serenaded soulfully by entertainers Motty Steinmetz, Ishay Ribo and Avraham Fried.

Later in the evening, a stirring video was played showing Moshe at the gravesites of his parents on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, voicing a pledge to them to walk in their footsteps.

The couple, Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were murdered along with four of their guests at the Nariman (Chabad) House they directed in terrorist attacks that swept through Mumbai beginning Nov. 26, 2008. More than 170 people in all were killed in the widely publicized attacks that spanned several locations in the city. The bullet-ridden and otherwise thoroughly ravaged multi-story Chabad institution was refurbished and then reopened in 2014 by Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries Rabbi Israel and Chaya Kozlovsky in their predecessors’ memory.

Relatives were keeping the festivities

mostly private, but made a public request for pictures and stories of the many children who were named for “Gabi” and “Rivky” in the aftermath of their demise, and planned to present a bound volume to Moshe, containing what they receive, as a bar mitzvah gift. “The organizers really appreciate participants’ cooperation and wish nachas [‘pleasure’] and only joy to all,” the family said in a statement.

Moshe has grown up with more visibility than most boys his age due to the widely publicized deaths of his parents in the line of duty and the dramatic story of his own rescue. A two-day siege of the center was witnessed via international cable broadcasts and television.

After the tragedy, Moshe moved to Israel to live with his maternal grandparents, Rabbi Shimon and Yehudit Rosenberg of Afula, who were joined at the celebration by the bar mitzvah boy’s paternal grandparents, Rabbi Nachman and Freida Holtzberg of New York.

He was in the limelight again last January when he traveled to Mumbai for the first time since the terrorist attacks, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to help unveil a memorial exhibit honoring the Holtzbergs.

On the occasion of the bar mitzvah, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a letter of congratulations, saying: “As you make this important transition and cross a significant landmark in the journey of life, the courage of [nanny] Sandra [Samuel] and prayers of the people of India will continue to bless you for a long, healthy and successful life.” In addition, he received congratulatory notes from Netanyahu and from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Life of a Young Chabad ChassidIn other ways, Moshe has led the life of a typical youngster within the Chabad Chassidic movement in Israel. His days are spent learning Torah, Talmud, halachah and Chassidic texts, particularly the teachings of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, and regularly takes part in his yeshivah’s mivtzoim programs, going out with classmates to inspire and enable others to do mitzvahs, like putting on tefillin.

Like his peers, Moshe diligently immersed himself in preparations for his bar mitzvah over the past year. As per Chabad tradition, the addition of a Chassidic discourse is learned, often memorized and then presented at the bar mitzvah. First recited by

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Rabbi Shalom Dovber Schneerson, the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, at his own bar mitzvah in the 1870s, the mystical treatise among other points talks about how G-d himself in a figurative sense does mitzvahs in response to every mitzvah performed by a Jew akin to putting on tefillin. It includes the idea that while inside the tefillin of a Jew the oneness of G-d is declared through inclusion of the Shema prayer, the so-called tefillin of G-d declares the oneness of the Jewish nation.

His classmates from the Torah school in Migdal HaEmek, where Moshe studies, traveled in a specially hired bus on Sunday to attend the bar mitzvah party, said Rabbi Asi Harel, a father of one of the boys. “It took place in Kfar Chabad in the big banquet hall because everything, rightly so, they do for Moshe is big,” he told Chabad.org.

More festivities were planned for Monday afternoon at the Western Wall plaza with live music, dancing and further celebration.

It appears that in his studies and his general demeanor, despite his traumatic beginnings, Moshe takes after his father, a two-time elementary-school champion at memorizing sections of the Mishna and second-place winner of an international talmudic competition held in Jerusalem during his high school years.

“I don’t know him that well, but I see in shul that he is a very well-behaved and well-educated child,” said Rabbi Eliav Benattar, who co-directs Chabad on Campus in the Jezreel Valley with his wife, Devorah, and lives in Afula. “You can see that he inherited a lot from his parents, who should be remembered with a blessing.”

MIRACLE MINYAN IN OMAHAby Ashira Weiss – Lubavitch.com

“Hey Rabbi, getting ready for takeoff at Newark. Found four other Jewish guys on board. Think we can get a minyan?” At 4:00 A.M. last Monday, Moshe Rosenblatt pressed send on the text, turned his phone off and settled in for

the three-hour flight to Omaha, Nebraska.

When Rabbi Mendel Katzman, Chabad representative to Nebraska, saw this request, he sent out messages to his community members. Weekday services at Chabad of Omaha are slated for 7:00 A.M. In addition to notifying community members of a time-change to allow for the travellers’ arrival, the rabbi wanted to make sure another four guys would show up to make up the requisite ten.

Rosenblatt, in the mourning year for his mother who passed away a few months ago, tries to pray with a minyan daily so he can recite Kaddish in her memory. For Kaddish to be recited a quorum of ten adult Jewish men must be present. This sometimes proves difficult when the New Jersey-based CEO of Sienna Healthcare travels, as he often does, to oversee the senior homes his company owns.

But by 9:00 A.M. that morning, in Omaha, Nebraska, there were twenty guys assembled, including the five travelers from New Jersey.

One of them was Ben, a former marine who was raised Christian and only recently discovered that his maternal grandmother is a Holocaust survivor, and thereby his Jewish identity, it was his first time participating in a minyan. He was called to the Torah and the crowd celebrated his impromptu bar mitzvah.

Local resident Jim saw the text from Rabbi Katzman, “You’re a godsend,” he messaged the rabbi. “Today is my mother’s yahrzeit.”

A young Jewish Costa Rican musician was travelling through town with his band members on their way from Denver to Minneapolis. He looked up Chabad before arriving and had spent Sunday night at the Chabad House. He delayed his onward journey so he could take part in the minyan, a rare treat while he is on the road.

A spread of refreshments was set out, and following the service the group sat down to toast the bar mitzvah and this group of unique individuals who gathered to form an improvised minyan in a city in mid-America. “This service is but one realization of the Rebbe’s oft-quoted “and you will be gathered one by one,” from Isaiah,” said Rabbi Katzman.

Jake* arrived for his 10:00 A.M. meeting with the rabbi to find the Chabad House abuzz with the energy of the event that was just winding down. Jake a leader and activist in the Omaha community says this dedication to the individual is one of the things he particularly appreciates about Chabad.

As he recently shared with Rabbi Katzman, “Your focus is not just on the general needs of us as a community, but on the unique experience of each individual.”

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A TIME TO PRAYDAVENING SCHEDULES AND LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK

EVENING KOLEL SCHEDULE - MONDAY AND THURSDAY 8:45 -9:30 PMMon & Thurs 8:45 - 10:00 pm Evening Community Kolel Chavrusah

DAILY LEARNING SCHEDULE AT THE SHUL6:20 -6:50 am The Rebbe’s Maamorim Chassidic Discourse R’ Zalman Lipskar

7:45 am Daf Yomi R’ Dov Schochet8:45 am (approx) Halacha Sephardic Custom R’ Shimshon Tzubeli10:15 - 11:00 am Maamorim Maamor of the Rebbe R’ Shea Rubinstein

DAILY CHUMASH & TANYA AFTER EVERY MINYAN

SHACHARIS MINYANIM (MON - FRI)Main Minyan 6:50 7:30 9:00

Sephardic Minyan 8:00

SUNDAY SHACHARIS MINYANIMMain Minyan 8:00 am 9:00 am

Sephardic Minyan 9:00 am

To our beloved Soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces, courageously protecting and defending

Eretz Yisroel. We pray for you and all of the soldiers safety and well being daily.

Menachem Mendel ben Chaya LeahDaniella Malka bat Natanya

Menachem Mendel ben AuritEden Chana bat Karine Cecile

Benyamin Aharon ben Jeniya Gila Rut

If anyone would like to send us the name of a soldier in the IDF we would love to add them.

HALACHIC TIMESBASED ON TIMES FOR DECEMBER 11

Alot Hashachar / Dawn 5:40 amEarliest Talit & Tefillin 6:12 amNetz Hachamah / Sunrise 6:57 am(Earliest Amidah)Latest Shema 9:33 amZman Tfillah 10:26 amChatzot / Midday 12:13 pmEarliest Mincha 12:41 pmPlag HaMincha 4:28 pmShekiah / Sunset 5:30 pm(Preferable latest time for Mincha)Tzeit Hakochavim / Nightfall 5:56 pm(Earliest preferable Ma’ariv)

Times taken from www.chabad.orgPlease note that during the week times may Vary by a minute or two.

MINCHA / MAARIV MINYANIM (MON - THURS)Main Minyan 2:00 pm Early Mincha 5:15 pm 10:00 pm

Sephardic Minyan 5:15 pm Following

SUNDAY MINCHA /MAARIV MINYANIM

Main Minyan 5:15 pm

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IN A WOMAN’S WORLDISSUES OF RELEVANCE TO THE JEWISH WOMAN

Women’s Mikvah:Please call Mrs. Devorah Failer for an

appointment: 305-866 1492 or 305-323-2410

Please Note: Shabbos & Yom Tov visits must be Prepaid

The Shul Sisterhood

Who we are...The Shul Sisterhood organizes all of The Shul’s programming and classes geared toward women in the community. Our objective is to bring women of all ages and backgrounds together to learn, laugh, experience, and rejuvenate their mind,

body and soul. Meet new friends,relax and get inspired!

If you would like to be a part of The Shul Sisterhood, please call 305. 868.1411

MondayWomen’s Study Group Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 8:30 - 10:00 pmAt the home of : Mrs. Evy Eichler 146 Camden Drive Bal HarbourTuesdayPrayer Class Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 9:15 - 10:15 am1111 Kane Concourse Suite 618

Tanya Class In Spanish Mrs. Vivian Perez 10:45 am -12:00 pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

WednesdayMorning Torah Class Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 10:00 - 11:00 amThe weekly portion - Women’s PerspectiveHaime Library

Tanya Class in English Mrs. Vivian Perez 1:15 - 3:00 pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

Thursday

Women’s Tanya Class – Spanish – Mrs. Vivian Perez

Call Vivian for details – 305.213.3202

WEEKLY CLASSES

CARROT AND APPLE LATKES By Jaime Geller

INGREDIENTS

4 carrots (about 2 cups), peeled and shredded

2 Granny Smith apples (about 1 cup), unpeeled and

shredded

Juice of ½ lemon

½ cup matzo meal

1 egg

½ teaspoon ground dried ginger

½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

1. In a large bowl, combine carrots, apples, lemon juice, matzo meal, egg, ginger, and salt. Stir well to combine.

2. In a large skillet, heat canola or grape seed oil over medium-high heat. Scoop ¼-cup of batter and carefully place in oil. Flatten to about ½-inch thick with a spatula. Repeat to form 4 more latkes in the pan, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook 4 to 6 minutes on one side. Flip and cook 4 to 6 minutes more or until golden brown on both sides.

3. Transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet; repeat with remaining batter.

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Garder l’équilibreSavoir faire un choixpar Tali Loewenthal

La relation entre une personne donnée et les autres membres de la société exige souvent un

talent particulier : savoir garder l’équilibre. Il y a mes besoins et ceux des autres. Il y a des exigences personnelles et des impératifs universels. Cet aspect des choses est soulevé dans la discussion que mènent nos Sages à propos d’un aspect étonnant de la paracha de cette semaine.

La paracha relate les mariages de Jacob aux deux filles de son oncle Laban. Jacob proposa de travailler pour Laban sans rémunération pendant sept années. Alors il épouserait Rachel, la fille la plus jeune. Quand, finalement, arriva le jour du mariage, Laban le trompa et lui donna à la place sa fille aînée, Léa. Quand Jacob découvrit ce qui s’était passé et s’en plaignit, Laban avança comme excuse que la fille la plus âgée devait se marier avant la plus jeune.

Que devait faire Jacob ? Laban suggéra qu’après la semaine de festivité à l’occasion du mariage de Léa, l’on organiserait une seconde cérémonie au cours de laquelle Jacob épouserait Rachel. Puis il travaillerait sept nouvelles années pour s’acquitter de la seconde dot. Ce fut accepté. Jacob avait maintenant épousé ses célèbres femmes, Rachel et Léa, les mères du Peuple Juif.

Cependant, nos Sages ont soulevé un problème. La Torah interdit à un

Juif d’épouser deux sœurs. Comment fut-il possible que Jacob se prêtât à un acte interdit par la Torah ? L’on peut répondre, bien sûr, que la Torah n’avait pas encore été donnée. La loi particulière interdisant à un homme d’épouser deux sœurs n’avait pas encore été révélée au Mont Sinaï et ne s’appliquait donc pas à Jacob.

Le problème que pose cette explication est que, selon nos Sages, Abraham, Isaac et Jacob observaient concrètement toutes les lois de la Torah, qu’ils connaissaient par intuition spirituelle.1 Dans ce cas, comment Jacob put-il épouser deux sœurs ?

Une réponse qu’apporte le Rabbi de Loubavitch à cette question nous aide à comprendre la question de l’équilibre dans la vie. Le Rabbi explique que l’observance des lois de la Torah par Jacob était quelque chose qu’il avait personnellement choisi de s’imposer à lui-même, comme expression de sa proximité

avec D.ieu. En revanche, la promesse qu’il avait faite à Rachel de l’épouser était, à son égard, une promesse absolue, l’expression d’un engagement de portée et de sens universels.

Quand Jacob découvrit qu’il avait été berné et avait épousé Léa, il avait l’option de se maintenir dans son exigence personnelle, aux dépens d’un principe universel. Il aurait pu dire à Rachel : « Je suis désolé, je ne peux pas tenir ma promesse parce que, à présent, il m’est interdit de t’épouser... » Toutefois, il décida de faire abstraction de sa rigueur personnelle pour pouvoir accomplir sa promesse.

De cette décision, explique le Rabbi, nous devons tirer des enseignements sur la manière d’agir dans notre génération. Dans certains cas, nos exigences personnelles peuvent nous détourner de la nécessité universelle de faire du bien à autrui. On pourrait, par exemple, préférer étudier le Talmud avec un érudit plutôt que d’enseigner le Aleph-Beth à un Juif analphabète. Qu’est-ce qui est plus important, plus essentiel ?

Il est des circonstances où une action courageuse est nécessaire pour garder l’équilibre dans nos responsabilités et répondre aux besoins profonds d’autrui. Et c’est par ce sens d’équilibre et de priorité que nous suivons réellement l’exemple de Jacob.

FRENCH CONNECTIONREFLEXIONS SUR LA PARACHA

Vivre avec la paracha

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¿Qué tan Piadoso debo ser?Por Yanki Tauber La enseñanza en esto es que algo santo también puede apestar. Usted podría realmente ser un tipo piadoso, pero si la gente tapa sus narices que cuando usted camina cerca, algo está haciendo mal...

Según la ley de la Torá, el primogénito de un animal kosher doméstico debe traerse como ofrenda al Templo Santo en Jerusalén. Incluso cuando las condiciones no lo permiten (como es el caso desde hace 1900 años, desde la destrucción del Templo) el animal del primogénito retiene su status sagrado y está prohibido comerlo o hacer uso de él en ninguna forma. En los villorrios judíos de Europa criar ganado o cabras era una práctica común, estos animales corrían sueltos, metiéndose en todos lados y haciendo estragos en general. Como no podían lavarse ni esquilarse, su hedor era realmente insoportable.

La enseñanza en esto es que algo santo también puede apestar. Usted podría realmente ser un tipo piadoso, pero si la gente tapa sus narices que cuando usted camina cerca, algo está haciendo mal. En palabras de uno de los grandes sabios de la historia judía, Rabino Judá HaNasi: “¿Cuál es el camino correcto que una persona debe elegir? Lo que es armonioso para él y armonioso para su compañero también.”

En el capítulo 29 del Génesis nosotros leemos de los matrimonios de Iaacov con Lea y Rajel.

Iaacov se enamoró de Rajel, la más joven de las dos hijas de su tío Labán. Labán acuerda darle a Rajel en matrimonio a cambio de siete años de trabajo. Iaacov mantiene su parte del pacto, pero Labán lo engaña: la novia bajo el velo dada a Iaacov es la hermana mayor de Rajel, Leá, y Iaacov sólo lo descubre a la mañana siguiente. Labán accede en permitirle casarse con Rajel; también, a cambio de otros siete años de pastorear sus rebaños.

Tener más de una esposa era práctica común en los tiempos bíblicos, y permitido bajo la ley judía, hasta que una ordenanza rabínica lo prohibiera hace aproximadamente mil años. Pero la Torá prohíbe expresamente casarse con dos hermanas. Aún cuando se ordenaron las leyes de la Torá oficialmente al pueblo judío en el Monte Sinaí muchos años después de los matrimonios de Iaacov, el Talmud nos dice que Abraham, Isaac y Iaacov ya observaban los preceptos de la Torá incluso antes de que se decretara en Sinaí. ¿Entonces, por qué Iaacov se casó con dos hermanas, contrariamente al código de conducta de la Torá?

Esta pregunta se la hacen muchos comentaristas de la Torá, y se dan explicaciones interesantes e innovadoras. El Rebe de Lubavitch discute algunas de estas explicaciones, alza algunas objeciones legales a cada una de ellas, y explica profunda y simplemente: Iaacov se casó a Rajel porque le había prometido que lo haría.

Conducirse con una conducta moral, explica el Rebe, es noble y

deseable—con tal de que involucre sacrificio sólo de su parte. Pero si su conducta piadosa también impone privaciones y sufrimiento en otros, debe preguntarse entonces: ¿qué derecho tengo de aspirar a un mérito espiritual mayor a expensas del otro?

No casarse con Rajel, después de que ella esperó siete años en la promesa de una vida juntos, le habría causado insulto y una herida dolorosa. (Divorciarse de Lea tampoco hubiera resuelto el problema—la prohibición de la Torá de casarse con dos hermanas también aplica si fuera hermana de la ex-esposa). Aun cuando Iaacov no estaba obligado a obedecer la prohibición bíblica de casarse con dos hermanas, no tenía ningún derecho de aceptar para él una serie de valores si fuera a expensas de otro ser humano.

¿Qué tan piadoso debería ser? Tan piadoso como pueda. Con tal de que sea sólo usted quién esté pagando el precio.

Clases en EspanolPorcion Semanal

Rabbi Shea RubinsteinLunes 8:45 pm - 9:45 pm

Tanya( Women) Mrs. Vivian Perez

Martes 10:45 am - 12:00pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

Jueves 11:00 - 12:00 Call Vivian for details - 305.213.3202

Analisis de distintos temas basados en la Perasha Rabbi Shlomi Halsband

Miercoles 8:30 - 10:00 pmDomingo 8:30 - 10:00 pm

LATIN L INKREFLEXION SEMANALParasha de la Semana

Clases y Eventos

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BOARD OF TRUSTEESSidney Feltenstein - ChairmanMichael BliskoSimon FalicMatias GarfunkelAmbassador Isaac Gilinski Jaime GilinskiMax GilinskiSaul GilinskiSam GreenbergAbel Holtz

Mike IzakAlberto KamhaziShmuel Katz M.D.Leo KryssRabbi Sholom D. LipskarLazer MilsteinMichael PerezRyan ShapiroClaudio StivelmanMorris Tabacinic

Albert Pollans - PresidentJaime Gilinski David LichterRabbi Sholom D. LipskarMonroe Milstein - Treasurer

Steven M. Dunn - ChairDevorah Leah AndrusierJanice BarneyJoel BaumMaurice EgoziHenry EichlerMitchell FeldmanDaniel GielchinskyJacob J. Givner

Evelyn KatzRebbetzin Chani LipskarRabbi Sholom D. LipskarRabbi Zalman LipskarOrit OsmanMarc SheridanDaniel SragowiczCynthia SteinEric P. Stein

Rabbi Rabbi Sholom Lipskar Ext 311Associate Rabbi Rabbi Zalman Lipskar Ext 345Rabbi’s Executive Assistant / CYS Ms. Lydia Hasson Ext 311Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 305.992.8363JLAC / Adult Ed/ Singles Rabbi Shea Rubinstein Ext 342CYS College / Kolel Rabbi Dov Schochet 305.790.8294Accounting Mrs. Geri Kelly Ext 341Controller Mrs. Janice Barney Ext 318Events / Office Manager Ms. Milena Liascovitz Ext 328Director of Events and Marketing Mrs. Devorah Leah Andrusier Ext 313Youth Director Rabbi Shaykee Farkash Ext 329Operations / Maintenance Rabbi Shlomi Katan Ext 319Reception Mrs. Mindy Natoli Ext 0Mikvah Mrs. Devorah Failer 305.323.2410Pre-School Director Mrs. Chana Lipskar Ext 325Sephardic Minyan Chazan Shimshon Tzubeli 305.865.4205 Hebrew School / Editor Mrs. Aurit Katan 786.382.9006Hashkama Minyan Mr. Lazer Milstein 305.349.3040Mashgiach Mr. Mordechai Olesky 786.262.9115

FOUNDATION TRUSTEES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

CONTACTS AT THE SHUL 305.868.1411

NUMBERS TO KNOW

SHUL GABOIM

Mr. Andrew RothMr. David Portnoy

Rabbi Henry EichlerMr. Ettai Einhorn

Mr. David Ben-ArieMr. Seth Salver

Steven M. Dunn - PresidentMitchell Feldman - Vice PresidentRabbi Zalman Lipskar VP DevelopmentEric P. Stein - TreasurerJoel Baum - Financial TreasurerDovid Duchman - SecretaryCarolyn BaumelMax BenolielBoruch DuchmanVelvel FreedmanEli FreundBruce GelbIghal GoldfarbSam GreenwaldJerrod M. Levine

Rabbi Sholom D. LipskarAlexander MatzLazer MilsteinEzzy RappaportEliott RimonBrian RollerSeth SalverRyan ShapiroMichael TabacinicDavid Wolf

38

DAILY STUDYA COMPLETE GUIDE TO ALL CLASSES AND COURSES OFFERED AT THE SHUL

DAILY CLASSES

The Rebbes’ Maamorim 6:20 - 6:50 amPHL 101 PHL-301 PHL-501 Rabbi Z. Lipskar(Men Only)Daf Yomi 7:45 - 8:45 amTXT-220 Rabbi Dov Schochet(Men Only)Chok L’Yisrael - Sephardic 8:45 amReb Shimshon Tzubeli

Chassisdic Discourses 10:15 - 11:00 am PHL-322 PHL-510 Rabbi Shea Rubinstien(Men Only)Community Kollel (Men) 8:00 - 9:30 pm(Monday & Thursday) LAW-154(Men Only)

SUNDAY

Daf Yomi 9:00 amTXT 220 Rabbi Dov Schochet(Men Only)

Tanya - Sichos 8:00 - 10:00 pmPHL-322 Rabbi Shlomo Haltzband(Men Only)

MONDAY

In Depth Chumash 1:30 pmTXT-110 Rabbi Dov Schochet(Men and Women)

Insights to our Torah Portion (Spanish) 8:45 - 9:45 pmPHL-120 Rabbi Shea Rubinstien(Men and Women)

Women’s Study Group 8:30 - 10:00 pmTXT-110 Rebbetzin Chani LipskarAt the home of: Mrs. Evy Eichler 146 Camden Drive Bal Harbour

TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

Purposeful Prayer 11:00am - 12:00 pmTXT-101 - Rabbi Shea Rubinstein(Men and Women)

Tanya Class In Spanish ( Women) 10:45 am - 12:00pmPHL-120 Mrs. Vivian Perez 198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

Senior Torah Academy 12:00 - 1:00 pmPirkei Avot ETH-101 Rabbi Dov Schochet(Men and Women)

Parsha (Men & Women)11:15 am - 12:00 pmTXT-501 Rabbi Shea Rubinstien

Senior Torah Academy (Men & Women)12:00 - 1:00 pmTXT-120 Rabbi Dov Schochet(Main Sanctuary) Book of Judges - Years 2780 -2835

Women’s Tanya Class (Spanish) 11:00 am - 12:00 pmPHL-320 Mrs. Vivian Perez Call Vivian for details - 305.213.3202

NUMERIC CODES INDICATE CYS COLLEGE COURSES

VISIT WWW.CYSCOLLEGE.ORG FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

ALL CLASSES LOCATED AT THE SHUL

UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED

Megillot - Men and Women 8:45 -9:30amTXT 121 Studies in the five MegillotRabbi Dov SchochetWomen’s Torah Class 10:00 - 11:30 amTXT-110 Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar Chassidic Discourses (Men & Women)11:30 - 12:30 pmPHL-320 PHL-501 Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar or Rabbi Zalman LipskarTanya Class - English 1:15 - 3:00 pmPHL-120 Mrs. Vivian Perez198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour VillageSpanish Kolel - Chassidus 8:00 - 10:00 pmPHL-301 Rabbi Shlomo Haltzband - (Men only)