| Contact Us Ohel Shalom Check out our new and improved website at ohelshalomchicago.org |
To determine if the Eruv is operational either click on the phone number link below, or call
1-773-74-ERUV-2 (743-7882) after 2pm every Friday afternoon or every Erev Yom Tov.
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Davening Times
Shabbat
Candle lighting
5:07 pm
Mincha 5:17 pm
Shacharit 8:15 am
Mincha 4:42 pm
Regular Weekdays
Shacharit
Sunday
7:45
Monday, Thursday
6:15 am
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
6:30 am
Mincha/Arvit
Sunday
-Thursday
5:17 pm
Late Arvit following Kollel
Sunday-Thursday
10:00 pm
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Regular Shiurim
Kollel
Open Seder
Sunday-Thursday
8-10pm
Rabbi Olstein
Parasha Shiur
Wed 8:30pm (Hebrew)
Thurs 8:00pm (English)
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Rabbi Yosef Asayag
Monetary Issues in Halacha
Shabbat Afternoon
45 min. Before Mincha (Hebrew)
Ateret Chaya
Simcha Hall
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Men and Women
Ner Foundation
Rabbi Raccah
Topic:
Parashat HaShavu'a
Wednesdays at 8:30pm
Personalities in the Bible
Motza'ai Shabbat at
7:30 pm
(winter)
BE"H THIS Motza'ai Shabbat
at 7:45
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| MEAL SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Seuda Shlishit
$100
Kiddush
$250
Breakfast Fund Day- $15 Week- $75 Month- $250 Year - $2400 Fish Fund $20 month Hamin Fund Monthly contribution |
| SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Chair Sponsors (127 sold - 133 left) $20 each New Set of Artscroll Talmud Yerushalmi $35.00 for Talmud Yerushalmi ONLY ONE LEFT FOR NOW Siddurim Shaarim Ba'Tifilla ($15.00 each) Chumash w/simanim ($20 each)
20 New Talitot
(4 sponsored - 16 left) $75.00 each |
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This Week at Ohel Shalom
Personalities in the Bible Shiur
This Motza'ai Shabbat,
February 18th
, Rabbi Raccah will BE"H be giving his FINAL Personalities in the Bible Shiur for this season, titled
"Rachel and Leah: Sisters and Mothers of Kings"
at
7:45 pm
in the Sha'arei Ezra Main Sanctuary. Note time change! Please join us.
Mazal Tov! Seruya Bar Mitzvah
The Kehillah is invited to join in the
Simcha of the Seruya family BE"H next Shabbat, Parashat Mishpatim, to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Avraham Chabakuk Seruya. See below for details.
Geshem Fund Appeal
Each week's newsletter contains a small section about the Geshem Fund - the Kehilla's Chesed Fund. This fund is administered by the Rabbi alone, and provides aid to members of our Kehilla who are facing financial challenges.
Over the last few weeks, the requests for aid have increased dramatically, both in the number of requests as well as the sums needed. Some of these requests have been for tenfold what has been given in the past. This unexpected spike has put a strain on the Geshem Fund
. The Geshem Fund holds no fundraising events, so funds are raised by the Rabbi alone. Please help us help others! Donations can be given to the Rabbi, any of the Kehilla officers or to the office
. If you make the check out to Ohel Shalom, be sure to note Geshem Fund in the Memo line
so that the funds will be properly allocated. Thank you!
UPDATE: The Rabbi wishes to thank all of those who have answered this appeal. Yet, even with the influx of these additional funds, the Geshem Fund is still experiencing an unusually high request surge.
Cleaning Out the Coat Closet
The time for organization and tidiness is long overdue! All personal belongings in the coat room
MUST BE REMOVED. Beginning in February, on the 18th of
each month, anything remaining after 30 days will be considered Hefker (ownerless) and will be donated
immediately. Let's all do our part to keep the Beit Hakinesset neat and welcoming.
Purim
Purim is on its way!! Keep watching this spot for more info!
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Personalities in the Bible Shiur Schedule
During the winter, in conjunction with the Ner Foundation, Rabbi Raccah delivers a series of Shiurim on Personalities in the Bible. BA"H this winter is the 19th season. The Shiurim are thought provoking.
The
final lecture of Rabbi Daniel J. Raccah's Personalities in the Bible series for this season, titled:
"Rachel and Leah: Sisters and Mothers of Kings", will be held
BE"H this Motza'ai Shabbat, February 18th, at 7:45 PM.
Note time change. Please join us.
1
October 29 בראשית
Beginning at 8 PM
2
November 26 חיי שרה
3
December 10 ויצא
4
December 17 וישלח
5
January 14 ויחי
6
January 21 שמות
7
January 28 וארא
8
February 11 בשלח
9
February 18 יתרו Beginning at 7:45
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This Week with the Sephardic Community Kollel
The Sephardic Community Kollel meets Sunday - Thursday nights from 8 - 10pm with a late Arvit at 10pm.
Here are some pictures from this week's learning:
See the Kollel newsletter for more pictures from this week's learning!
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Amazon Smile
Do you purchase items from Amazon? If so, you are in a perfect position to provide the Kehilla with much needed financial support with zero cost or additional effort from you, beyond following a few easy steps just one time.
Amazon has a philanthropic branch called Amazon Smile. All you need to do is sign up (no cost) and select our Kehilla as your charity of choice and Amazon will give the Kehilla 0.5% of all your eligible purchases! There are millions of eligible items.
Please take advantage of this opportunity
and sign up immediately.
Click
here to get started.
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The Geshem Fund
It has been very busy for the Geshem Fund. Significant sums of money have been distributed to dozens of people to help with rent, utilities, food and many other purposes. This has depleted the fund. Please help us help those in need.
Please open your hearts and your wallets and make checks out to the order of GESHEM FUND and give to Rabbi Raccah or put in the mailbox of the office or the shul and Ayelet will give it to Rabbi Raccah. As you thank Hashem for all that He has blessed you with, remember the less fortunate who are struggling and in desperate need of assistance. Thank you.
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Eruv Check-In
Is the Chicago Eruv up and operational for Shabbat? If you utilize the Eruv, it is your responsibility to check each week before Shabbat if it is up. There are now some new and easy ways to do this.
The Chicago Eruv has set up a website with this information, as well as other pertinent halachot and information about the eruv. The web address is
http://chicagoeruv.tripod.com/
You can call the hotline on Erev Shabbat after 2pm and listen to the recorded message or sign up to receive a weekly e-mail update on the status of the eruv.
Click here to sign up to have the eruv weekly email update sent directly to you!
To Determine if the Eruv is Operational either click on the phone number link here, or call 1-773-74-ERUV-2 (743-7882) after 2pm every Friday afternoon or every Erev Yom Tov.
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Kollel Korner of the Sephardic Community Kollel
Come learn with the Sephardic Community Kollel from 8:00pm to 10:00pm, Sunday through Thursday. Please contact the Kollel Coordinator,
Rabbi Yosef Olstein to arrange a learning partner or to receive information about the Kollel and its programs. Rabbi Olstein can be reached at 773-338-8046 or by email at
Sephardic Community Kollel.
Donations to the Kollel
Donations to the Kollel can also be made via credit card. Please call the shul at 773-465-5274 or email the Kollel for details.
Sponsor Learning in the Kollel
Our Rabbis tell us of the great power and merit associated with supporting Torah learning. To that end, consider sponsoring a night, a week or a month of learning in the Kollel. Examples of sponsorship purposes include: in memory of a deceased loved one for their Azkarah, to merit a Rifuah Shilamah, or to honor a loved one or friend. In addition to the great merit of supporting Torah in our community, your sponsorship will be marked with printed pages noting the intent of your support that are placed in stands on the tables in the Beit HaMidrash for the duration of your sponsorship period.
Here are the costs for the various sponsorships:
A night of learning - $52
A week of learning - $100
A month of learning - $400
The Kollel appreciates the following sponsors of learning:
A day of learning has been sponsored for
February 19-20 by Mrs. Yael Shiner in memory of
Shimon Rachamim ben Chana. May his Neshama merit an Aliyah.
A week of learning has been sponsored for
February 9-16 in memory of
Moshe Yaakov ben Raizel by his son Avraham. May his Neshama merit an Aliyah.
A week of learning has been sponsored for February 12-19 in memory of Bryna Biracha bat Bayleh Alteh by her son Akiva. May her Neshama merit an Aliyah.
A week of learning has been sponsored for February 19-26 by Mrs. Miriam Lobl in memory of her father, Shmuel ben Miriam and Yosef. May his Neshama merit an Aliyah.
A week of learning has been sponsored for February 19-26 by Julien Partouche in memory of his father, Nissim ben Avraham and Gamara Levana. May his Neshama merit an Aliyah.
A month of learning has been sponsored anonymously for the month of
February. The Kollel thanks the patrons for their generosity.
The Order of Improving a Dream
In the
previous Halacha
, we have explained that although there are dreams which are real, most dreams are not.
Nevertheless, since there are sometimes true elements in a dream, occasionally, one will have a bad dream and become distressed as a result. The following is the appropriate procedure for such an occurrence.
Firstly, if it seems to the individual who had the dream that the dream is not real and he is not concerned about it, one need not pay any attention to the dream and one may just tell himself that it is null and void. However, if one wishes to do something extra, one may perform the order of improving a dream, as follows:
If one has a bad dream and is distressed by it, one should consult with a Torah scholar fluent in these laws to see if there is anything to be concerned about regarding the dream. If one is still distressed because one feels that there is room for concern, one may perform the order of improving a dream. (The source of such an order being beneficial is because the outcome of the dream depends on its interpretation, as the Gemara [Berachot 55b] explains. Thus, since we tell the individual during the order of improving the dream that his dream was in fact good, this impacts the dream and indeed makes it better.)
One must come before three friends and tell them, "I have seen a good dream." The friends then respond, "It is good and it shall be good. May Hashem make it good and may Heaven decree seven times that it be good. It is good and it shall be good." The three friends then recite three verses to the individual that contain a language of "turning over", another three verses that contain a language of redemption, and another three verses that contain a language of peace. These verses can be found in the Gemara (Berachot 55b). This entire order, based on the teachings of the Ari z"l, can also be found in many Sephardic and Middle Eastern Siddurim.
It is customary that the individual who had the dream recite the statement "I have seen a good dream" three times and the three friends respond with the sentence "It is good and it shall be good etc." seven times. With regards to reciting the three verses of "turning over", the three verses of redemption, and the three verses of peace, it is customary that the dreamer recite the first verse and the three friends respond by reciting the remaining two verses. This custom is based on the words of the saintly Ari
z"l. The individual who had the dream must recount the dream to his three friends before they begin performing the order of improving the dream. After performing this order, they recite the following verse to him: "Go eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a good heart, for Hashem has already accepted your actions."
In many Siddurim, there is an abridged version of the order of improving dreams printed within Birkat Kohanim. Hagaon Harav David Yosef Shlit"a writes that this version is meant for one is who is unsure whether or not the dream is good or bad. However, one who feels that the dream is certainly a bad one should perform the complete order of improving dreams which we have discussed above. Similarly, there are some dreams that one must fast one day for. However, since such dreams are fairly uncommon, we shall not discuss them at length in this forum.
by Rabbi David Shamsi
The First Fast Food
The first Passover in Egypt, in contrast to all the other Passovers that came afterwards until today, Hashem commanded Bnei Yisrael to eat their Matza in a rush. Why? The question becomes even more problematic when we consider that Bnei Yisrael theoretically had the whole night to eat the Matza since they did not leave Egypt until the following morning.
R' Tzodok HaCohen of Lublin explains that when we first begin to serve Hashem, the moment we get the feeling that we want to return to Hashem, we have to act immediately. When we are immersed in the muck of the physical world, our minds don't work right. We're brainwashed from all the negative and false messages we've been hearing all of our lives from the media. In order to start serving Hashem, we have to act immediately, without deliberation. Only afterwards can we afford to slow down and think things through with minds that now work properly. Bnei Yisrael had to eat their Matzot in a rush specifically because it was their first Passover, the beginning of their service of Hashem. It was imperative for them to seize the moment.
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Feb. 18
- Last Personalities in the Bible Shiur - 7:45 PM
Mar. 12 - Purim Seuda
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COMMUNITY EVENTS
Free Tax Assistance
Tax season is once again right around the corner. Fortunately, the City of Chicago offers free tax preparation assistance to eligible working families to help you file your taxes and receive all of the deductions and tax credits to which you are entitled.
Families earning up to $55,000 or individuals earning up to $30,000 are eligible to take advantage of the City's free and confidential income tax assistance at 19 sites across Chicago. Volunteer tax preparers certified through IRS-approved training will assist them with federal and state income tax returns for the 2016 tax year. Most sites will be open until mid-April.
In addition to the tax filing assistance, the City will help you determine if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a benefit for working people who have low to moderate income. During the current tax season, eligible individuals and families with children can receive up to $6,896 in income tax credits, but many Chicagoans may not claim everything they are entitled to without the help of knowledgeable preparers.
For more information about how to access free tax assistance, please visit the City's tax assistance website at
www.TaxPrepChicago.org.
Property Tax Valuation Appeals
Rogers Park Township is currently open for property valuation appeals through the Cook County Assessor's Office. The assessment of your home is the most important factor in determining how much you will pay in property taxes, so if you feel your taxes are too high, this is your opportunity to potentially lower them!
There will be a workshop at Devon Bank, 6445 N. Western, this
Thursday, February 16, at 6:30 p.m. Experts will be on hand to teach you how the assessment process works and help you complete your appeal forms. Please bring your property tax bill in order to more efficiently file an appeal.
Rogers Park Township encompasses the area of the 50th Ward that is north of Devon. The appeals period is open from now until March 1. You can file an appeal at the workshop or online at the Assessor's website
here.
CAPS Safety and Community Watch Initiative
On Monday, The 24th District CAPS Office held a meeting to discuss the newly formed Community Watch initiative. Public engagement with the police is one of the best ways to keep our neighborhood safe.
If you were unable to attend, you can still participate in the Community Watch. Please contact the CAPS Office at (312) 744-6321 or
[email protected] to find out how you can pitch in.
On Wednesday, February 15, the police will be holding a special program where you can learn how to secure your property! The meeting will feature a presentation by the
"Keeping It Real" program, which features ex-criminals teaching you what burglars look for in a victim.
The Keeping It Real meeting will be held at
7 p.m. at
Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W. Lunt. For more information about either meeting, contact the 24th District CAPS Office.
Help a Family in Need
Many families struggle, but this family is collapsing beneath a combined weight of daily stressors and astronomical medical expenses. Drained of money, drained of hope, the parents forge ahead. Both are hard-working employees, and with tight budgeting, they can nearly cover their elevated basic expenses - but any extra need can become a catastrophe.
All of their children are diagnosed with ADHD, with a multitude of requirements. In addition to ADHD, one sweet child has also been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (ASD), a form of autism. This child needs numerous services, including a full-time shadow in school. Scheduled doctor visits, therapists and support group appointments for the family come to about ten appointments a regular week, with frequent trips back and forth to various offices. This is besides for other periodic and vital appointments.
Facing these difficulties and a grueling schedule, both parents are overwhelmed to the point of mental illness and heart failure. About thirty bottles of medication are dispensed to this family on a monthly basis.
Due to these myriad medical needs, it is crucial for the family to have a superior insurance plan to cover all the services, both in the mental and medical health fields. The state in which they live provides very few services for special need children. Insurance costs are exorbitant, while the deductibles and premiums just keep increasing every year.
This year, in order to save money long term, the family had to switch insurance plans in December. Their deductible of $7800 started in December, for a second 2016 deductible, and another $7800 needed to be paid in January for the 2017 deductible. The HSA funds that were meant to cover one deductible went to several root canals the family had last year, leaving only $3000 left to pay for the deductible. Due to all of the constant psychological and medical needs, this means that after all claims are submitted, the deductible will be close to fully met in December. This year it will cost the family nearly $14,000, of which $11,000 has yet to be raised.
However, there are so many other essential expenses that must be met. The child diagnosed with ASD needs to attend a special needs camp in the summer. Besides for giving some respite to the family, the experience gives him much-needed support. The cost of this camp, including traveling expenses and tips, equals $9,000. The same child needs braces in order to have healthy, presentable teeth. Another child in the family will also need braces, but with braces being about $5,000 per child, this seems like an impossible feat.
In addition, the precious child with ASD is becoming bar mitzvah this year. The parents would like this to be a memorable event, for they are not sure whether the boy will be able to get married. This might be the only simcha of his own that this boy ever experiences. Yet there is no money to cover even the cheapest bar mitzvah, let alone a decent wardrobe.
Tuitions are owed to the school because the parents cannot afford to pay.
The overall financial stress, as well as the multitude of crucial family needs, has sent the father to the hospital five times in the last six months. He has spent thirty days in the hospital over the past half a year, unable to cope with the stress, which is affecting him both physically and mentally.
PLEASE open your hearts and pockets and help this family in their crisis. In the merit of helping them regain financial and emotional stability, Hashem should ensure that you never have to beg money from other people.
Thank you very much.
Tizku L'mitzvos.
This campaign is endorsed by
Rabbi Efraim Friedman Rav of Mekor HaChaim
Rabbi Efraim Twerski Rav of Khal Chassidim
Donations can also be made via phone or check:
Congregation Khal Chasidim
c/o Rabbi Efriam Twerski - Chesed campaign
6634 N. Mozart St.
Chicago IL 60645
773-761-9883
Congregation Khal Chasidim is a 501(c)3 organization.
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