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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.
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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. | |
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This week’s portion, Vayechi, not only concludes the reading of the book of Genesis, but also provides a direct source of current Jewish practice. In Genesis 48:20, we read, “By you (i.e., Ephraim and Manasseh) shall Israel invoke blessings, saying, “G-d make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” As many of you already know, we bless our sons in this manner every Friday night before partaking of our Shabbat dinner.
But why should we bless our sons through Ephraim and Manasseh, rather than, say, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? After all, if we did so, it would form a perfect counterpart to the blessing over our daughters, who aspire to be like our matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.
The most compelling answer I have heard is that Ephraim and Manasseh rose to a great challenge. Unlike their cousins, they were raised in an Egyptian environment which was primarily non-Jewish. It’s the story of being the only Jewish kid in your school, or the victim of anti-Semitic bullying, or the lack of Jewish resources, that make it difficult to remain true to your religious faith. Yet the Torah is telling us that Ephraim and Manasseh did just that, and as a result, were each assigned a tribe of their own.
In an era where Jewish students are challenged in ways that are surprising, and occasionally shocking, it’s a reminder that staying true to Judaism under trying circumstances – not only good ones – is how we really merit blessing.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Scott Hoffman
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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!
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Here are some links to additions to our service: | |
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Friday
6:15 PM
Shabbat Evening Services
In-person and live-streamed
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Saturday
9:30 AM
Shabbat Morning Services
followed by Kiddush Luncheon
sponsored by Sandy & Elliott Raisen in honor of their granddaughter, Sarah's,
wedding to Justin Satzman
In-person and live-streamed
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Saturday
10 AM
Babysitting
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Sunday
9:15 AM
Men's Club Morning Minyan
followed by breakfast
In-person and on Zoom
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Our Sages Speak:
Rabbinic Reflections on the Torah Portion
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Family tradition has it that my mother’s family, while in Poland, were people of wealth. Is this true? It’s hard to say, but my great, great grandfather, Rabbi Shlomo David Posner, was unquestionably a Torah scholar. He married a woman named Gittel Meisner, whose father was in the coal and cattle businesses. How large these businesses were is anybody’s guess, but there is a reason to assume they were substantial. In early 20th century Europe, a wealthy father-in-law might well marry his daughter to a Torah scholar, freeing the son-in-law to spend all his time learning. It is therefore very possible that this family tradition is accurate. Of course, when the family left Poland under duress in 1920, unfortunately the family yerushah (inheritance) didn’t make the journey.
This idea of a wealthy father-in-law supporting Torah scholarship didn’t appear out of thin air. It emerges from this week’s portion, Vayechi, which closes the book of Genesis. Among the various blessings to Jacob’s sons that we read are those of Zebulun, who dwells at the shore, and Issachar, who is compared to a strong-boned donkey. (Genesis 49:13-14). The midrashic tradition reads this order and juxtaposition as purposeful. Specifically, the sages envision Zebulun and Issachar as a metaphor for the relationship between commerce and Torah study, as we read in the midrash Tanchuma (9th century CE):
- Zebulun was mentioned before Issachar even though Issachar was the elder. Why? Zebulun was engaged in commercial activity, while Issachar devoted himself to the study of the Torah, and they had agreed that Zebulun’s earnings would be shared by Issachar. That is why Moses blessed them: Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar in your tents (Deut. 33:18). Rejoice, Zebulun, in going about to do business, for Issachar is in your tents studying the Torah. Why should he rejoice? Because the Torah is a tree of life to those who lay hold upon her, and happy is everyone who holds her fast (Prov. 3:8).
What is fascinating about this passage is that, while it (naturally) recognizes the primacy of Torah scholarship, it also recognizes that it needs to be preceded by commercial success. In other words, we need people who are successful financially before we can hope to have people who are true scholars of Torah.
One needn’t think back to the shtetl of eastern Europe to see this phenomenon in action. I myself was the beneficiary of many (unrelated) donors. Though the cost structures are different today, during my JTS years, tuition was about one third of what it was at Penn. In other words, a group of “Zebuluns” enabled this “Issachar” to study more or less full time for several years in my twenties.
Here’s hoping that they consider their investment worthwhile.
- Rabbi Scott Hoffman
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Torah: Genesis 49:1-26
Maftir: Genesis 49:22-26
Haftarah: 1 Kings 2:1-12
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”).
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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. | |
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Caring Committee Fund
To: Wendy Goldberg & Family
Our deepest condolences on the loss of Ned.
From: Sue Rae & Ken Bishop
To: Sandy Lassen
In honor of Sandy Lassen
From: Miriam & Bruce Waltzer
In loving memory of our beloved Mac Kenzie Laurel Friedman
From: Reuben & Marlene Friedman
General Fund
To: The Goldberg Family
In memory of Ned Goldberg
From: Hal & Bina Levkowitz
To: Wendy Goldberg & Family
In memory of Ned Goldberg
From: Lis & Hugo Kahn
To: The Goldberg Family
In memory of Ned Goldberg
From: Robin & Lu Dorfman
Gilda Finkelstein Gift of Israel Fund
To: Wendy Goldberg
In memory of Ned Goldberg
From: Karen Lew
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Men's Club
From: Hal & Bina Levkowitz
Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
From: Hal & Bina Levkowitz
Will Samuels Memorial Fund
To: Marcela & Ricardo Totah
In honor of your 50th anniversary
From: Madilyn Samuels
To: Ellen & Stan Kessler
In honor of your 39th anniversary
From: Madilyn Samuels
To: Barbara & Mark Kaplinsky
In honor of your 35th anniversary
From: Madilyn Samuels
To: Sandy & Elliott Raisen
In honor of your granddaughter's wedding
From: Madilyn Samuels
Yahrzeit Fund
To: Wendy Goldberg & Family
In memory of Ned Goldberg
From: Marcela & Ricardo Totah
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Contact Us
OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 3 PM
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