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Our Minyan Needs Your Help!
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KIDDUSH
Miriam & Harry Richman have made a contribution to today's kiddush in memory of Harry's mother, Bessie Richman.
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Mazal Tov!
Birthdays & Anniversaries
February 25th - March 3rd
Rose Jakoby
Rebecca Herzig
Arnold Insler
Jack Rosenthal
Nancy Schiff
Diane Sudakoff
Craig Barnett
Steven Cohen
Ira Smilovitz
Erika Krauss
Jordan Sarnoff
Irving & Selma Spielman
Marvin & Shirley Kochansky
Shahin & Fannie Zamanian Rad
Tuesday February 28th
Visiting Scholar Janet DiNardo White 1:00pm
Wednesday March 1st
On the Road with the Rabbi:
Eldridge Street Synagogue 11:30 am
Thursday March 2nd
Rabbi's Class 10:30 am
Visiting Scholar Rabbi David Fine PHD 12:45 pm
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Friday March 3rd
Bible Study 11:30 am
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This Shabbat
Tomorrow morning we remove and read from two Sifrei Torah for Shabbat Sh'kalim; it's the first of 4/5 special Shabbatot in the less than two months before Pesach. For me it's a reminder to stop buying
hametz products that I will never consume completely before April 10, to plan shopping trips and special orders, and to try and figure out when I'm going to clean and convert two kitchens. (I know, I know...it's also a very fitting reminder to take care of taxes well before April 15. How appropriate? Just read the description of Parashat Sh'kalim that appears at the very end of this Shab Sha!) I love Pesach, but that the preparations...not so much.
Thanks, once again, to all those who made it possible for me to take last Shabbat off, especially Dr. Harry Richman and Stephanie Stern-Protz who delivered the introductions and the D'var Torah, respectively.
Tomorrow afternoon at Minha (5:15 p.m.) we will be reading an open letter to President Trump, written by David Harris of the AJC, just a day before the President made his most direct remarks yet condemning anti-Semitism. In my opinion, he's still got a long way to go. And far worse than the words, or the swastikas, or the threats, are the images of the vandalized cemetery in Missouri. Just shocking...
And in two weeks, it's... Purim! I'm very pleased to inform you that Dinie Lowenstein will be returning to read the Megillah for us on Saturday night (this time with three little boys in tow), and that Dr. Avi Yacobi will be chanting the Megillah on Sunday morning, March 12 (8:30 a.m.). Many of you may not be aware that the requirement is to hear the Megillah twice: not just in the evening, but also on the morning of Purim. When Purim falls Saturday night/Sunday, as it does this year, that makes it infinitely easier! And remember; it's a mitzvah!
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AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC
March 26, 27, 28
I have purchased a block of registrations and it would be my pleasure to have you join me! So please contact me...
And if you can't see your way to the Conference in DC,
how about making your way to:
Congregation Bnai Yeshurun
641 West Englewood Avenue
Teaneck, New Jersey 07666
Given politicians' and government officials' schedules (whether they are from the US or abroad), the complete AIPAC schedule is not yet available. Last week, however, AIPAC did announce that Vice President Mike Pence will be addressing the attendees.
Please see these URLs for more details about the Conference, and call or email me with any questions about attending:
Last word on AIPAC for this week:
Why IS AIPAC's WORK SO IMPORTANT?
In a word:
BIPARTISANSHIP:
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Did you happen to see the
Time Magazine cover from February 20th? Its title, "Do The Democrats Matter," is especially notable. Less than eight years ago, the
Time cover featured the GOP elephant and the words "Endangered Species."
This contrast is a stark reminder of how fast things can change in Washington, and demonstrates why AIPAC remains commit
ted to our bipartisan principles. In order to keep Israel secure long-term, we must build relationships with members on both sides of the aisle. Israel's security is too important to risk on one party or the other, especially as the partisan pendulum in Washington can swing so quickly. Our commitment to bipartisanship is strategic and essential, in order to ensure that we can be effective no matter which party holds the majority.
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Two States? One State?
The revelation by former Obama administration officials of a secret meeting that took place a year ago in Jordan with Secretary of State John Kerry, several of the Sunni Arab states and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which the outlines of a seemingly reasonable plan for resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict were proposed, raises many, many questions, and perhaps answers one.
This plan appeared to give Israel (Netanyahu), just about everything that he's always been asking for. Yet he rejected it because he didn't feel he could sell it to members of his own party (and others in his coalition). If that's the case, then Bibi should just be honest and say that conditions in both the Palestinian camp and the Israeli camp are not conducive to a settlement at this time. Anything less makes Bibi a liar or a hypocrite.
And Bibi doesn't really have to worry: the Palestinians reportedly didn't like this plan, either!
On the other hand, one of my sources in Israel writes to me that "the reason Bibi turned the proposal down was that Kerry was imposing conditions that Israel was not prepared to accept. News media make it look like it's all Bibi's fault, but Kerry was apparently also stirring the pot." (And below you will find an article supporting that viewpoint, as well).
If the initial account is accurate, it also becomes clearer (to me, at least) why the Obama administration refused to veto last January's Security Council Resolution on the settlements, and why Secretary of State Kerry spent nearly 75 minutes lashing out at Israel in frustration.
It all sort of takes the air out of this editorial:
But....
Obama, Not Israel, Blocked Initiative for Regional Diplomatic Process
A senior Israeli diplomatic official said that the Americans wanted to "dictate terms" that were unacceptable to Israel.
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Anti-Semitism
Whatever you think of Vice President Pence, he seems to be everywhere and saying all the right things. (It is likely-but not certain-that I will speak about abortion this Shabbat and comment on Pence's remarks at the "March for Life" Rally held in DC at the end of January).
J.K. Rowling, the Imam of St. Louis, and Missouri's Jewish Governor have all voiced their concerns, preached unity
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BDS
The following headline might lead you to believe that the origin and interpretation of some archaeological finds could be disputed as supporting either Palestinian or Jewish/Israeli heritage. That is, emphatically, not the case. It is another sensationalized headline. The article reveals that because of concerns about boycotts of Israeli academic archaeologists who work in the West Bank (disputed territory), very often neither their names nor their finds are revealed publicly.
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The Middle East
The following headline might lead you to believe that the origin and interpretation of some archaeological finds could be disputed as supporting either Palestinian or Jewish/Israeli heritage.
That is, emphatically, not the case. It is another sensationalized headline. The article reveals that because of concerns about boycotts of Israeli academic archaeologists who work
I had an opportunity to hear Michael Singh (author of the next article) 2 years ago at AIPAC talking about the Iran deal. His mastery of details and his analysis was very impressive.
This article provides us with a theological/political insight into the differences between ISIS and Hamas:
Israel Shifts Anti-Terror Strategy in Age of ISIS
"When I see Berlin, Paris, and other European cities full of concrete barriers I'm taken aback, because it means the terrorists are winning. Look at Nablus: there aren't any barriers preventing access.
Experience has taught us in Israel that the fewer barriers you build and the more freedom of movement you give the local population, the more you empower those who want to live in peace and isolate the extremists"
Please keep in mind that
Israel's Energy and Water Minister, Dr. Yuval Steinitz, is one of Israel's most brilliant minds:
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Israeli Advances and Technology
A 111-year-old Israeli institution, the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design won a $50,000 prize for its work by and for those with disabilities. (And we will be reading about Bezalel
i
n Parashat Ki Tissa, in 3-weeks' time)
Apple Buys Israel's Facial Recognition Firm RealFace
360-Degree View from IDF Observation Balloon at Gaza Border
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What's So New About the New Israeli Shekel? Two Notes Feature Female Poets
Perhaps Leah Goldberg and Rachel Bluwstein (known just by her first name, Rahel) can inspire educators to teach Israel's rich history through the work of these storied poets
Dear Friends,
Precisely a year ago, on February 4th, 2016, Women of the Wall joined the "World Wide Wrap
" an event sponsored by the Federation of Jewish Mens' Clubs, in order to promote and encourage women who might be interested in laying tefillin.
It just so happened that this occurred four days after the historic cabinet vote to establish a new pluralistic prayer section at the Western Wall. Given the momentousness of the occasion, that day we had as many journalists and photographers as women at the Kotel learning how to lay tefillin.
Just as the eyes of the average Israeli are getting accustomed to seeing women davening with a tallit (many of them news pictures of us praying and/or being arrested,) on a rainy February day last year the Israeli press was for the first time flooded with photos of us laying tefillin.
This year, continuing our mission of empowering women to reclaim Jewish traditions which have been adopted by men, we set up a tallit-and-tefillin booth in Tel Aviv's market.
With a Chabad tefillin booth on our right and another on our left, targeting only men, we invited women to perform the ritual of wrapping themselves in a Women of the Wall tallit and laying tefillin, many for the first time. We were approached by about a hundred of women of all ages. I had the honor and the pleasure of accompanying almost thirty women as they wrapped themselves in a tallit for the first time in their lives. It was an emotional moment that connected them with many missed Jewish opportunities, in particular for those did not celebrate their bat mitzvah.
We would like to share some of these happy images with you.
 
 Yours, as always,
Anat Hoffman
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As a veritable airlift of artists is on its way to Israel, best efforts of Roger Waters and BDS appear to be in vain. They, like journalist Hunter Stuart (last week's Shab Sha!), discover a different Israel from the one portrayed by her detractors.
The Oscar-nominated short documentary tells the story of how a Holocaust survivor's violin made it into the hands of a 12-year-old immigrant in the Bronx
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Ganze Megillah: Avner Moriah
In celebration of Purim, The Laurie M. Tisch Gallery is pleased to exhibit the stunning, large-scale illuminated Scroll of Esther created by the well-known Israeli painter Avner Moriah. This Scroll of Esther tells the ancient story by mixing Persian, Indian, and Islamic art miniature style paintings with Italian Renaissance styling and contemporary humor, politics and sensibilities.
Ganze Megillah (Yiddish for "The Whole Story") will feature 18 framed illuminated manuscript on parchment, along with process drawings and video of the artists.
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Creative Action Network
Creative Action Network and the Anti-Defamation League are teaming up to invite artists to illustrate refugee stories from across time and geography. Maybe your family fled pogroms in Eastern Europe, from Nazism, from political oppression in Iran or the Soviet Union. Maybe you know someone who fled Uganda or other countries that persecute members of the LGBT community, maybe you are concerned about how many today have to flee extreme violence and persecution. No matter where refugees came from or their reason for fleeing, each story is unique--but connected. We hope to build a collection of pieces that rise above the noise and hateful rhetoric by humanizing the refugee experience.
Crowdsourced, creative campaigns that enlist artist and designers to create work around different ideas and causes. All designs that meet the requirements in their respective creative briefs will be published and made available for sale as prints and other merchandise. Artists retain ownership of their work but grant us permission to promote, license and sell it in exchange for 40% of the proceeds.
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TORAH Page 456, 523 HAFTARAH Page 1277
MISHPATIM
Following the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), a series of laws in concise form is given to the Israelites. These include regulations governing the master-servant relationship, capital offenses, bodily injury, and damage to property, negligence, theft, marital law, and treatment of the stranger, orphan, widow, debtor and animals. The application and effectiveness of these laws is dependent upon the integrity of witnesses and judges; their truthfulness and objectivity must be assured.
Mitzvot
regulating food and agriculture are also dealt with - first fruits and firstborn must be dedicated to God. Meat of an animal torn by beasts may not be eaten. The land must lie fallow every seventh year. Everyone - including servants - must rest on the Sabbath. Pilgrimage to the Sanctuary must be made on Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. A kid may not be boiled in its mother's milk.
The people enthusiastically accept God's laws. Moses, the priests and the elders witness a mystical vision of God's glory. God commands Moses to ascend Mount Sinai to receive the tablets on which the Ten Commandments are inscribed. While Moses remains on the mount for forty days, Aaron and Hur will govern the people.
SH'KALIM
This morning marks the first of five special Shabbatot that precede Passover. From the second Torah Scroll we read a passage describing the requirement for all males above the age of twenty to remit a half-shekel coin (hence the name
sh'kalim) -
a capitation "tax"
-
which was due annually on the first of Nisan. It became the custom to read this passage in the Synagogue on, or just before, the first of Adar as a reminder to the people that the half-shekel was due within one month.
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