CONGREGATION MOGEN DAVID

9717 W PICO BLVD, LA, CA 90035 • 310.556.5609 • WWW.MOGEN-DAVID.ORG

RABBI GABE ELIAS, Senior Rabbi/Executive Director

NOEY JACOBSON, Cantor

RABBI YEHUDA MOSES, Rav Kehila, Sephardic Minyan

RABBI MICHAEL ABRAHAM, Assistant Rabbi/Hazan

Weekly Schedule SEPHARDIC MINYAN

Erev Shabbat

Mincha: 6:30pm

Candle lighting: 7:01pm

Shiur: 8:15am R’Moses

Shacharit: 8:45am

Teen Minyan: 9:30am

Mincha: 6:00pm, followed by Seudah Shlishit

7:00pm: SIR Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin

Arvit: 8:00pm

Havdalah: 8:04pm

Sunday

Shacharit: 8:00am

Mincha: 7:10pm

Mon & Thurs –Fri

Shacharit: 6:30am

Mon& Thurs

Mincha: 7:10pm

PESACH– see Sephardic Schedule

Erev Shabbat April 14

Shacharit: 6:30am

Mincha/Arvit: 6:30pm

Light Candles: 7:06pm

MEMBERS AND FRIENDS PLEASE JOIN US FOR EVENING WEEKDAY

MINCHA 7:10pm this coming week

Weekly Schedule ASHKENAZI MINYAN

Erev Shabbos

Mincha: 6:30pm

Candle lighting: 7:01pm

Mishna: 8:45am R’Elias

Shacharis: 9:00am

Teen Minyan: 9:30am

Mincha: 6:40pm w/ YICC

7:00pm: SIR Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin

Ma’ariv: 8:00pm

Havdalah: 8:04pm

Sunday

Shacharis: 8:00am

Mincha: 7:10pm

Mon & Thurs –Fri

Shacharis: 6:30am

Mon& Thurs

Mincha: 7:10pm

PESACH– see Ashkenazi Schedule

Erev Shabbos April 14

Shacharis: 6:30am

Mincha/Ma’ariv: 6:30pm

Light Candles: 7:06pm

AVY AZEROUAL, President

IMPORTANT HALALHIC TIMES

Earliest Talit & Tefillin

Last Time for Shema

Last time for Shacharis

Earliest time for Mincha

5:45am

9:43am

10:47am

1:27pm

THIS WEEK WE THANK OUR SPONSORS

Kiddush and Seudah Shlishit are sponsored by

Rabbi Elias in memory of his parents;

Kayla bat Avraham and Avraham Haim ben Yakov.

Teen Minyan Shabbat TAZV, is sponsored by Abraham & Mojgan Kashani

Please Help by Sponsoring or co-sponsoring

on a Shabbat of your choice

Consider sponsoring or co-sponsoring Kiddush or Seudah Shlishit in honor of a

Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, New Baby, any Simcha, New

Job, or to honor the Memory of a loved one; contact the office 310-556-5609.

CONDOLENCES

TO THE LOBODA FAMILY

on the loss of Moshe Chaim ben Tzvi Yehuda

Beloved husband of Rebecca

Beloved father of Michael Loboda,

Rosie Einhorn and Howard Loboda

LEVAYA/KEVURAH ISRAEL

Saturday visitations - 8:30-11:00pm

Minyanim: Sun-Shacharit- 8:30am & Mincha -7:05pm

Mon-Shacharit -7:00am; Visitations until 10:00am

”המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים

May the Omnipresent comfort them among all the

mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”

WELCOME to our Guests from Young Israel Century City

and SCHOLAR-in-RESIDENCE

RABBI DOVID BASHEVKIN SPEAKING AFTER MINCHA

SPONSORED BY YOUNG ISRAEL CENTURY CITY

APRIL 7— 13 , 2017 • 11—17 NISAN * 5777

TZAV SHABBAT HAHAGADOL

DVAR TORAH - SHABBAT HAGADOL- PARSHAT TZAV

The name of this week's Shabbat which precedes Pesach is Shabbat

Hagadol, The Great Sabbath. It is customary to for the rabbi to give a

drasha in the afternoon from a portion of the Haggadah beginning with

Avadim Hayinu and ending with the words "lechaper al avanotenu"

(Orach Chayim 430:1).

There was a time when one of the sages considered the possibility that it

was the duty of the Jew to relate the story of the exodus long before the

Seder night. The discussion is included in the Haggadah itself. "Could it

be that the story of the exodus should be read on the first day of the

month of Nisan -- that at the very beginning of the festival period one

ought to rehearse the narrative of yetziat mitzrayim?" The answer is no,

because it is said, "Thou shalt tell they son on that day." (Exod. 13:8). This

sentence implies that the Haggadah is to be recited on the anniversary

of the exodus. The sages, however, were still in doubt. Could it be that

the recitation ought to take place when it is still daytime -- to approxi-

mate the time when the Paschal lamb was offered in the Temple? Again

the answer was in the negative, for in the command to tell the story of

the departure from Egypt, the Torah uses the phrase baavur zeh --

"because of this." The word zeh is a demonstrative use and is therefore

used when one points one's finger at something. From this word it was

deduced that the Haggadah should be read at the time when there are

matzo and bitter herbs displayed at the seder table so that one will be

able to point at them when saying, "These are the symbols of Pesach

which remind us of the enslavement of our ancestors in the land of

Egypt." (Mechilta, Bo).

What a wonderful lesson this teaches us. It says that one cannot impress

a child by talk alone. The Haggadah must be supported by zeh, by a

demonstration of symbols, ceremonies, and deeds. Centuries ago our

rabbis deduced that the best way of learning is by practicing and

doing.

The Torah does not agree with cynics who say that words are

unimportant and that talk is cheap. On the contrary, it insists that there

are times when vehigadta (to tell, explain) is a meritorious act -- when it is

a mitzvah to talk. There is a time when we are urged to popularize an

idea and give prominence to an epic event in the history of a

people. But Judaism stipulates one condition. The Haggadah must be

punctuated with and illustrated by zeh. It must be accompanied by

deeds so that the Haggadah will not only be heard but will also be

munachim lefonecha -- "displayed before our eyes."

Parshat Tzav deals with the priestly sacrifice, both on behalf of the

priesthood and on behalf of Israel. The time honored sacrificial system

must have been very important for it satisfied ancient man's natural de-

sire to express tangibly his feelings of contrition and thanksgiving. When

the second Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem leaving no place for the

sacrifices to be administered, the sacrificial procedure was eliminat-

ed. The Sages continued the study and teachings of the sacrificial pro-

cedure in hopes of one day restoring them in the eventual third tem-

ple. Since then, the concept of prayer has replaced the sacrificial offer-

ings. The prayer that has survived and predominates today in Judaism is

the prayer of “giving thanks”. It remains as a healthy antidote for despair

and discontent. One day in the near future when Mesiach will arrive and

our temple will be rebuilt, our designated altars will be within each of us,

replenished by daily acts of human kindness and Tzedaka.

This week Young Israel Century City will join us and we will have our Shab-

bat Hagadol Drasha at 7pm given by Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin

This coming Monday night b'H we arrive at leil Pesach. But first, this

Shabbat is called Shabbat Hagadol, the Great Shabbat that precedes

Pesach. It was on this Shabbat before the Exodus that we Jews prepared

the lambs for slaughter. The lamb's blood of course identified the Jewish

homes when the first born of Egypt were killed. Since it marks the

beginning of the last chapter of Egyptian exile, the day is called the

Great Shabbat. This Shabbat became great not because Hashem

showed his mighty hand but because we exhibited our own courage

and became great. By renouncing Egypt and her Gods we aligned our-

selves with Hashem the one true God.

Subject: PARASHAT TZAV

There are only four of them in all of Chumash with one

in Parashat Tzav, and they are as unique in sound as they are in

meaning. Yet of all them, the "shalshelet" of this week's parasha

is the most intriguing. This "ta'am hamikra", musical note that

accompanied the text from Sinai, is associated with struggle,

dissonance and tension. Probably we are guided to see it just

that way due to its very first appearance in the Torah (Breishit

19:15). There the Torah explicitly describes the inner struggle that

Lot endures as he is being coaxed to leave Sodom by the very

angels that were sent to fetch him. In onomatopoeic form, "and

he hesitated" is sung with a shalshelet drawing out the word as

much as possible. Rashi further explains that facing the loss of all

his material wealth that he must leave behind gave Lot great

pause and he had to be forcibly pulled away from his house.

The salshelet next appears in (Breishit 24:12) by the prayer

offered by Eliezer, pleading with Hashem for clarity and

direction in choosing a wife for Yitzchak. Here chazal have told

us that indeed this mission was a test of his loyalty to Avraham

and his children. How Eliezer, having imbibed the practices and

thoughts of Avraham Avinu for a lifetime, would have loved

Yitzchak for a son in law! Thus his prayer was one of the penitent

who knew with his mind what he should say and yet his heart

was in another place altogether.

Yosef Hatzadik's refusal to comply with the advances of Potifar's

wife are marked with the third shalshelet (Breishit 39:8). Here

too, chazal understand that a struggle raged in the heart of

Yosef, one not at all apparent from the text itself. The manner

and intensity of the woman's interest that conceivably could win

him freedom and place him close to fulfilling his dreams created

unbearable duress. As we know, it was only the vision of his

father reminding him of the greatness that lay ahead that

doused the fires from within.

All of this makes it so hard to understand

the shalshelet of Parashat Tzav (8:23). Moshe is preparing the

ram that will complete the consecration services of the Mishkan.

After this korban, Aharon will take over and Moshe will return to

the role of a Levi and of course of national leader. It was only

during those initiating seven days that Moshe was allowed to do

the avoda of Aharon. Why the shalshelet?

No doubt Moshe was very conflicted about these korabnot. On

one hand the Mishkan was about to be established and the

redemption reach its zenith. The rift that the sin of the golden

calf introduced was about to be mended for all to see and the

availability of the shechina for our prayers was about to de-

scend. Yet for Moshe personally this korban brought home that

he would never again have the privilege to serve in

the Heichal and to bring various korbanot.

The shalshelet reminds us of that pain that he must have felt at

losing the opportunity for these mitzvot.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Yehuda Moses

KOLLEL & CLASSES

Daily Classes

SUN-FRI: Chok Le’Yisrael w/Haim Dayan

SUN@ 8:45am; Mon—Fri @7:30am

Weekly Classes

SUN:

Shiur: w/R’Adler following Shacharit

Guide to Belief: @9:30am w/David Sacks

MON:

Parsha Class: w/R’Elias @Pico Café 7:45am

TUES:

8:00pm The 613 Mitzvot w/R’Moses BEER & PIZZA (Men&Women)

WED:

12.00pm Lunch & Learn: Weekly Parsha w/R’Elias

9:00pm CLASS -R’Abraham

THUR:

Navi Shiur: 8:00pm w/R’Elias (in May)

Kollel Classes are Sponsored by Avy and Sandra Azeroual;

Dedicated in memory of ADA BAT HANNA AZEROUAL; and to

the memories of JACK E. GINDI and

ESKANDAR RASHIDI DOOST.

We offer the opportunity to sponsor a week of Kollel learning for $180 as a way to commemo-

rate a Yahrtzeit or Hazkarah, to celebrate a joyous

Simcha, or to help and support the Torah learning at our Shul. Please call or email the office

to choose a week to sponsor a class.

TZAV

COMMUNITY NEWS

Bnei Akiva Events: 4/8– NO SNIF til after Pesach! Save the Date - Bnei Akiva of

Los Angeles invites the entire community to our annual Yom HaZikaron/Yom

Ha'atzmaut Commemoration and Celebration on Monday May 1, 6:30pm at

Beth Jacob. Chag Kasher v'Sameach from Bnei Akiva! info, Eyal 310 220-1459

Lunch & Learn Resumes Wed April 26

JOIN RABBI ELIAS

WEDNESDAYS AT 12-NOON

WOMEN AND MEN WELCOME

FOR LUNCH AND LEARNING THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION

$ 5 INCLUDES LUNCH

NON-MEMBERS WELCOME CALL 310-556-5609

(R’Elias cont.)

We risked our lives in defying the Egyptians and

became worthy of redemption. A day was immortalized and a people

made eternal.

LeShana Habah B'Yerushalyim Habnuyah.

My family and I extend a warm and joyous greeting of Chag Kasher

VeSameach to our congregants and our friends.

Rabbi Gabe Elias

PLEASE HELP MOGEN DAVID SUPPORT

OUR COMMUNITY BY BEING GENEROUS

TO OTHERS LESS FORTUNATE THIS PESACH

SALE OF CHOMETZ

Please remember to arrange the sale of your

Chometz by Sunday, April 9h.

APRIL

• Aaron & Maricel Brownstein •

• Michael & Lisa Wolf •

• Reuben & Miri Robin •

APRIL 7—13

• Laurie Minc • Noah Jacobson •

• Michael Swarz • Michelle Hazani •

• Daniella Ryzman • Rose Katz •

• • • • • • • •

IN MEMORIAM: MAR 31— APRIL 6

• Ruth Aronowitz • Ida S. Kaufman •

• Ada G. Hirsch • Judge Sam S. Schwartz •

• Jerry Friedman • Sanford Kaye •

• E. Mickey Slotnick • John Bird • Samuel Fox •

• Helen Shuken • Jacob Shuken •

• Nathan Klodowski • Lucie Kolitz •

• Abraham Linderman • Zina Levine •

•Samuel Landau • Charles Steinman •

Please include the following names in your prayers,

So that each may be granted

REFUAH SHLEIMAH:

Mordechai ben Simcha • Reuven ben Goel •

Haim Menachem ben Hena Raizel • Baruch ben Sarah •

Baruch Pelech ben Chana • Adam Moshe Chaim Ben Olga•

Shimon Dov ben Shifra • Avraham Meir ben Batya •

Shalom ben Chana • Yitzchak ben Kalomeera •

Moshe Mordechai ben Rachel • Alfredo ben Petra •

Raphael Dovid ben Ella • Aaron Yosef ben Chana •

Yisrael Meir ben Esther • Ruven ben Raisel •

Yosef Shmuel Chaim ben Brana • Geula ben Avraham •

Benyamin Eliezer ben Malka • Yisrael ben Malka •

Ezra ben Adina • Edward Ben Adina • Shulum ben Gitel •

Lillian bat Miriam• Esther bat Chana • Matana bat Rachel •

• Sara bat Etta • Tzvia Nehama bat Chana Rochel •

Sarah bat Elka • Dafna bat Sima • Chana Ruhal bat Selma •

• Yona bat Pesiah • Rivka Devorah bat Chaya Sarah •

•Rochel bat Miriam • Chava Golda bat Rachel Leah •

• Silvia Neche bat Rosa • Rachel bat Chana •

Batya bat Rachel • Shifra bat Chaya Esther Esther bat Gital •

• Miriam bat Sarah • Chaya Rachel bat Simcha •

Bracha Ahava bat Chaya Hena • Rivkah bat Chemda •

• Bracha bat Nekadam Rina • Shayna bat Chave •

Neima bat Sara • Sara Chana bat Tziporah •

• Elana bat Rachel • Sima bat Sarah Gite•

•Rivka Devorah Brainah bat Avigyil Faiga •

Sara bat Rachel • Adina Bat Esther • Esther bat Adina •