Shabbat Newsletter - December 22, 2023

Security Reminder: Please be aware that due to security concerns, we are, for the time being, implementing a new security protocol in which we will require Photo ID

from non-members or unfamiliar faces joining us for services. We hope you understand and join us in prayer as we observe and celebrate Shabbat.

Health Reminder: With the return of Winter, also comes the return of rising numbers of Covid, flu, and RSV in our community. If you are feeling ill, please consider staying home and participating in services online to protect those around you, especially the more susceptible members of our Congregation.

This coming week, Shir Chadash will host one of its most fun programs of the entire year – the “Chai”- nese dinner and movie night. Of course, it’s a play on the words Chinese dinner, because Chinese restaurants and movie theaters were the only places open on Christmas where Jews could find something to do on December 25^th.

Although we don’t think much about it today, in the past Christmas was a day of fear for Jews. The great Jewish scholar Shmuel Eidels (known as the Maharsha – died 1631) called it Nittelnacht, and while it’s unclear what that means, it became a day of fear and trepidation on which Torah study was forbidden. At various times from the 16^th through the early 20^th century, Jewish communities were attacked, particularly if they were observed performing acts of piety.

Today, we no longer imagine Christmas this way. In fact, in Hebrew it’s called simply “Chag Ha-molad”, the “holiday of the birth”, and while it’s obviously not a Jewish holiday, we can and should take a moment to wish our friends and neighbors joy and happiness on Christmas, which can happily coexist with Chanukkah on the calendar.

And if we study a little Torah on that day, let’s just say it wouldn’t be a sin.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Scott Hoffman

Click here to sign up!

The synagogues of West Esplanade - Shir Chadash, Beth Israel, Gates of Prayer, and Chabad - are joining together with a very special initiative to pray for Israel by collectively reciting the entire book of Psalms as a community each week that the Israel-Hamas war is ongoing.

Congregants are encouraged to sign up for one psalm each, which they will commit to reciting, in Hebrew or English, once weekly.

Together, with the power of our community and our faith, we can do our spiritual part to support Israel!

Here are some links to additions to our service:

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL'S CAPTURED AND MISSING

PRAYER FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL

HATIKVAH

All Zoom links have migrated to our webpage. Click here to get there.

WWW.SHIRCHADASH.ORG

Friday

6:15 PM

Shabbat Evening Services

In-person and live-streamed

Saturday

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Services

followed by Kiddush Luncheon

sponsored by Marcela & Ricardo Totah in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary and

Ellen & Stan Kessler in honor of their 39th wedding anniversary

In-person and live-streamed

Saturday

10 AM

Babysitting

Sunday

9:15 AM

Men's Club Morning Minyan

followed by breakfast

In-person and on Zoom

Sunday

12 PM

Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal Ceremony

followed by light refreshments

Contact Carol Berman at commandernolap580jwv@gmail.com

to RSVP or for more information on how to apply to participate

Monday

5:30 PM

Chai-nese Dinner & Movie

Prior registration is required.

Registration is now closed.

Click image to enlarge flyer

Our Sages Speak:

Rabbinic Reflections on the Torah Portion

Bruno Mars’ song “Uptown Funk” was a huge hit, so much so that various Jewish groups used it for parodies like “Shushan Funk” and “Uptown Passover.”

The song’s focus, in no small part, is on the importance of appearances. Mars describes himself as having “Chucks (Converse All Star sneakers) on, with St. Laurent”, which makes his appearance so magnificent that “I have to kiss myself, I’m so pretty.” And if that’s not impressive enough, Mars apparently is chauffeured around in a stretch limousine (“Julio, get the stretch [limousine]”).

In this week’s portion, Vayigash, Joseph and his brothers unite after a long and complicated game of cat and mouse. Joseph knows that, due to the famine, his family will need to relocate to Egypt, and he wants to settle them in the best land. In fact, the Torah is explicit that he was successful in this endeavor, settling them in the fertile land of Goshen.

It wasn’t Joseph’s influence alone that facilitated this successful relocation. When Joseph presented his brothers before Pharaoh to ask permission to settle in the land, he needed for them to look impressive. If you’re a new immigrant, even today, you want to present yourself as being successful, wealthy and powerful. The Torah is explicit that Joseph gave his brothers new clothes (Genesis 45:22), although he gave Benjamin several changes of clothes, plus cash. Sometimes, we learn the wrong lessons from our fathers, as the Talmud itself notes (Babylonian Talmud Megillah 16b).

The Midrash ha-Yashar says not only that Joseph’s largesse went farther, but that it had a specific purpose:

And Joseph commanded his steward to bring his brothers offerings and gifts and ‎garments. And Joseph took eleven chariots of ‎Pharaoh and gave unto them. And Joseph gave unto them likewise his own chariot in which he ‎rode on the day he was made king of Egypt, to bring their father in it unto Egypt. And he gave unto all his brothers and also to their wives, from all sorts of ‎onyx stones and bdellium, rubies and emeralds, and from all luxuries worn by the nobility of ‎the Egyptians. And he brought them before Pharaoh, and when Pharaoh saw all the brothers of ‎Joseph, all of them powerful men and of handsome appearance, he rejoiced exceedingly. (Midrash ha-Yashar, Vayigash 8).

Did the gambit work? The answer is that it was perfect, with Pharaoh not only granting the family of Joseph permission to settle in the fertile land of Goshen, but also offering them official positions in the government (Genesis 47:6). It’s as if a group of men pulled up in expensive cars, emerged wearing custom suits and flashed beautiful jewelry on their necks and hands.

But in all candor, I can’t say how the Pharaoh would have felt about pairing Chucks with St. Laurent.

- Rabbi Scott Hoffman

Parashat Vayiggash

Torah: Genesis 45:28 - 46:27

Maftir: Genesis 46:23-27

Haftarah: Ezekiel 37:15-28

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 2, but you might like to read the full portion (“Full Kriyah”).

Brochure

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!

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

Caring Committee Fund

To: Hal & Bina Levkowitz

In memory of your beloved mother, Barbara Levkowitz

From: The Lustig Family

To: Hal Levkowitz

In memory of your mother, Barbara Levkowitz

From: Sylvia & Israel Finger

To: Rabbi Michael Cohen

In memory of your mother, Hedvah Campeas-Cohen

From: Sylvia & Israel Finger

Fred Bronfin Torah Preservation Fund

To: Mark & Barbara Kaplinsky

In honor of your anniversary

From: Reuben & Marlene Friedman

General Fund

From: Marcela & Ricardo Totah

To: Natalie Cohen

In honor of Natalie Cohen, a member of the Methodist Health System Foundation's Board of Directors. We applaud the tireless work of Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation to serve as a welcoming, inclusive, nurturing community to all in the Jewish faith.

From: Methodist Health System Foundation

To: Barbara & Mark Kaplinsky

In honor of your 35th anniversary and Barbara's 72nd birthday

From: Sylvia & Israel Finger

To: Ellen & Stan Kessler

In honor of your 39th anniversary

From: Sylvia & Israel Finger

To: Marcela & Ricardo Totah

In honor of your 50th anniversary

From: Sylvia & Israel Finger

Stan Bleich Lagniappe Fund

In memory of Yolanda Bleich