Friday

6:15 PM

Shabbat Evening Services

In person and live-streamed

Saturday

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Services

followed by Kiddush Luncheon

In person and live-streamed

Saturday

10:30 AM

Children's Services

Sunday

9 AM

Shul School

with special Chanukkah programming

Sunday

9:15 AM

Minyan with Men's Club

followed by breakfast

In person and available on Zoom

COVID-19 UPDATE

Our Health Committee update as of December 7, 2022 is as follows:



'Tis the season for respiratory viruses . . . A "tridemic" of COVID, influenza, and RSV is currently upon us. As a result, we strongly encourage you to stay up to date with your COVID and flu vaccines. Bivalent COVID boosters are available for those ages 5 years and older. Flu vaccine is available for those ages 6 months and older.  Please visit vaccines.gov to find a location near you.  We also encourage frequent handwashing and wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces. And if you are feeling sick, please stay home to help reduce the transmission of virus to others. Zay gezunt! Be well!

Please click HERE to read our guidelines in full.

The relationship between the Roman empire and the Jewish people living in Israel two thousand years ago might be best summarized by Tevye’s “blessing” in Fiddler on the Roof – “May G-d bless the czar, and keep him far away from us.” Roman rulers of Israel, appointed by the emperor, generally ranged from the merely corrupt and incompetent to the venal and vindictive. 

Nevertheless, there are stories about positive, affirmative relationships between the sages and various emperors. One such example – perhaps the most prominent – is that between Rabbi Judah the Prince (c. 200 CE) and Antonius Pius. I take these stories to be fanciful, since rabbis of antiquity were about as likely to meet with emperors as modern day rabbis are to meet with presidents (no, I haven’t met any). They do, however, reflect a certain attitude toward the Roman rulers, and also describe the proper approach Jews should take in their dealings with their overlords. 

In this week’s portion, Vayishlach, Jacob prepares to meet his brother Esau after twenty years. Their parting two decades earlier was hardly amicable, with Esau threatening to kill Jacob. In order to prevent bloodshed, Jacob seeks to appease his brother with gifts. He sends these through his messengers, instructing them to say, “Thus says your servant, Jacob, I stayed with Laban and remained until now.” (Genesis 32:5).  The locution is striking – after all, Jacob is now a powerful man, with two primary wives, two co-wives, eleven sons, a daughter and numerous flocks and herds. Why should he assume a posture of subservience?

The sages, in the 5^th century CE midrash Bereshit Rabbah, see it as a model for dealing with a ruling authority. Consider this passage:

Judah the Prince once directed Rabbi Afes to write a letter in Judah’s name to Emperor Antonius. Rabbi Afes wrote: “From Judah the Prince to our Sovereign the Emperor Antonius.” Judah read the letter, tore it up, and wrote: “From your servant Judah to our Sovereign the Emperor Antonius.” Rabbi Afes protested that Judah treated his honor too lightly. Judah replied that he was not better than his ancestor, who once sent a message saying: “Thus says your servant Jacob.” (Genesis 32:5, above)

In other words, the sages realized that living under Roman rule was far from ideal. There were many compromises which had to be made, and as the events of the first and early second centuries CE demonstrated, one had to pick one’s (literal and figurative) battles carefully. Life could be anywhere from merely frustrating (high taxes) to catastrophic. No less a figure that Rabbi Judah the Prince, one of the most important of the Talmudic rabbis (he has a street in Israel named after him), was chosen to represent the idea that sometimes you have to sacrifice a little dignity for the greater good of the Jewish people. It was vital to bless the Roman emperor – and keep him far away from us.



- Rabbi Scott Hoffman

Parashat Vayishlach

Torah: Genesis 32:4 - 33:20

Maftir: Genesis 33:18-20

Haftarah: Obadiah 1:1-21

The Torah reading for this week is in the panel above. If you do not have a Chumash at home, you can find it on the link below. We are reading Triennial Year 1, but you might like to read the full portion (“Full Kriyah”).

Our Shabbat brochure with yahrzeits and simchas for this week is attached. You might wish to take special notice of those who are sick, and take a moment to direct your thoughts towards them.

Thank you to all those listed below who performed the mitzvah of supporting our community this past week.