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Beth Israel Congregation
Rabbi Mordechai Shapiro z”l Sanctuary
Weekly Announcements
770 W 40th St. Miami Beach, FL 33140
ph: 305.538.1251
email: [email protected]
Rabbi Donald Bixon – Rabbi
Parshat Haazinu
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Erev Shabbat Schedule
7:05 PM
6:56 PM
Shabbat Schedule
Hashkama Minyan
7:30 AM
Main Minyan
9:00 AM
Rabbi Bixon’s Class
6:00 PM
Mincha:
6:40 PM
Maariv
7:40 PM
Shabbat Ends
7:47 PM
Mincha
Candle Lighting
Shacharit
Sun Sept. 27th
7:00 & 8:00 AM
See Sukkot Schedule in the
Shabbat email or on our website
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:
Becky Leuchter, Jack Burstein,
Abbey Berkowitz, Jack Miller,
AlB Galbut, Barbara Eisenberg,
Heather Oppen, Shoshana Traube,
Sandy Spolter, Lili Estrin,
Eitan Gavriel Newfield
Book Review
“Catch the Jew!”
Written by Tuvia
Tenenbom
Sunday October 18th
(New Date)
at 8:00 pm
The book is available for
purchase on Amazon.com
Saturday Night
October 31st 8:30 pm
Return of the Beth
Israel
Panoply Challenge
Make your teams now
and get ready to
compete!
www.bethisraelmiami.org
Howard Abrahams – President
September 26th 2015 13 Tishri 5776
Upcoming
Scholars in Residence
Youth Program
Announcements
Monday Night Oct. 26th
PRE - GROUPS BEGIN 9:15am
Col. Bentzi Gruber
Regular groups 9:45am
8:00 pm
Ethics in the Field; an Inside
Look at the IDF
____________________________________________
Shabbat November 21st
Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom
________________________________________________
Shabbat January 9th
Dr. David Pelcovitz
Sponsored by
Gale and Dr. Lanny Grobman
Beth Israel
Congregation's 5th
Annual
World Famous Simchat
Torah
Catered Kiddush
Extravaganza
Don't miss out on the
chance to help make this
year's Kiddush, another
extraordinary one!
Have your name added to
the list of participants:
Minimum Suggested
Donation
$50
Contact the shul office
305.538.1251
[email protected]
Joel Kruger
[email protected]
Ari Newman
[email protected]
Meat Kiddush Catered by:
David Weiss
Beth Israel Grand Chol
Hamoed Sukkot Trip - October
1 @ 1:00pm
Bikur Cholim Day - Nursing
home visitation - Share the
simcha of the Chag - October 2
@ 10:00am
World Renowned
Hakafot For Kids October 5th @ 5pm
What an amazing experience!
Thank you to the Ciment children
for the cards, and goody bags.
Thank you to Fancy and Jimmy
Saka for opening your home for
refreshments after the hospital
visit. Thank you to
#TEAMBIKURCHOLIM on a job
well done!
DVAR TORAH BY:
DR. ARI CIMENT
A THREE PRONGED ROPE
DOES NOT EASILY UNTIE ( ‫חוט‬
‫ )המשולש לא במהרה ינתק‬LZECHER NISHMAS
YECHIEL SHMUEL BEN TZVI YITZCHAK
‫ יִ היוּ עו ְֹס ִקים‬,‫וכל העו ְֹס ִקים עִ ם הַ ִצבּוּר‬
‫ שֶ זְ כוּת אָבוֹתָ ם‬,‫עִ מַ הֶ ם לְ שֵ ם שָ מַ יִ ם‬
‫מסַ יְ יעַ תַ ן וְ ִצ ְד ָקתַ ם עוֹמֶ ֶדת לָעַ ד‬ְ
Those who work for the community
should do so for the sake of Heaven;
for then merit of their ancestors shall
aid them, and their righteousness
shall endure forever. (AVOS 2:2)
Beth Israel Congregation
Rabbi Mordechai Shapiro z”l Sanctuary
Weekly Announcements
770 W 40th St. Miami Beach, FL 33140
ph: 305.538.1251
email: [email protected]
Rabbi Donald Bixon – Rabbi
Parshat Haazinu
Question #1: What does doing
something for others “for the sake of
heaven” have to do with having the
“merit of thier ancestors aiding
them”. Why not just say, “do good
for other for the sake of Heaven” and
you will be rewarded!!!??? why does
the tanna go out of his way to invoke
the ensuing connection to the
ancestors when one does good deeds
for the community?
The answer may be hidden in our
very parsha: {‫ }ס‬:‫ עַ מּ ֹו‬,‫כִּ י חֵ לֶק יְ קוָ ק‬
‫ חֶ בֶ ל נַחֲ לָת ֹו‬,‫ ַי ֲעקֹב‬For the portion of
the LORD is His people, Jacob the
lot of His inheritance
Question #2: Simply read, this pasuk
means: we are a portion of G-d’s
vast Existence, and as descendants of
Yakov Avinu, we are the steadfast
rope of His inheritance.. Ok, I see
the parallel structure and likely
repetition for emphasis, but the
pasuk does seem rather unusually
wordy?! And whats with this rope
imagery?
One added question #3: for extra
credit: In Taanit 5b, it says “ ‫" ַי ֲעקֹב‬
‫אַבִ ינוּ �א מֵ ת‬- Jacob never died! It
seems ludicrous to think that there is
a 3500 yr old Yaakov lurking
around!?
ANSWER: {‫ }ס‬:‫ עַ מּ ֹו‬,‫כִּ י חֵ לֶק יְ קוָ ק‬
‫ חֶ בֶ ל נַחֲ לָת ֹו‬,‫ ַי ֲעקֹב‬For the portion of
the LORD is His people, Jacob the
lot of His inheritance...Rashi
explains the allusion to a ROPE:
Yakov was “endowed with a
threefold [parcel] of merits: The
merit of his grandfather, the merit of
his father, and his own merit-thus,
totaling three, like a rope (‫)חֶ בֶ ל‬
composed of three strands [twined
together for added strength (Sifrei
32:9)].”
www.bethisraelmiami.org
Howard Abrahams – President
September 26th 2015 13 Tishri 5776
Using Rashi’s beautiful explanation
of ‫ חֶ בֶ ל‬here, it may not be farfetched to read this pasuk perhaps
homileticaly: ‫ עַ מּ ֹו‬,‫כִּ י חֵ לֶק יְ קוָ ק‬- our
nation of Israel has part ‫ יְ קוָ ק‬in that
the name ‫ יְ קוָ ק‬represents the past,
present and future (‫ יִ היֶה‬,‫ הֹוֶ ה‬,‫)הַ יָה‬
and Yakov represents the rope of the
inheritance (‫ חֶ בֶ ל נַחֲ לָת ֹו‬,‫ ) ַי ֲעקֹב‬because
he has the ability like a rope to
connect with the generations that
preceded him which make him even
stronger(Jacob is a “part of ‫ יְ קוָ ק‬in
that he has ropelike features in
connecting to past”) G-d may be
saying that we are a great nation that
dwells in the past, plays in the
present and fantasizes about the
future but our connection to the past
generations (‫ חֶ בֶ ל נַחֲ לָת ֹו‬,‫ ) ַי ֲעקֹב‬is what
foremost guides us in our present to
our future!!
Similarly, when the gemara says that ‫ַי ֲעקֹב‬
‫אַבִ ינוּ �א ֵמת‬, it may be again relating to the
concept that Jacob never died in the sense
that unlike his fathers before him, he could
connect with at least 2 holy generations
before him- Jacob’s spirituality was not only
more widespread but more deeply rooted by
having that connection to two holy
generations that preceded him (this concept
is similar to a Maharsha on that gemara in
taanis)
And now we can understand the mishna in
Avos homiletically perhaps as well:
Although ‫ לְ ֵשם ָשמַ יִ ם‬usually means “do
something in pure fashion”, here it may
mean “for you name in heaven”! Do good
for the community “for the name that you
have in Shamayim”, i.e.: for your
relatives/generations that died before you. If
you do good, then you will interconnect with
the generations and their merits come to life
(‫)שזְ כוּת אָבוֹתָ ם ְמ ַסיְ יעַ ַתן וְ ִצ ְד ָקתַ ם עוֹמֶ ֶדת לָעַ ד‬
ֶ
and you actually thus eternalize your very
ancestors in that way!!! Just as Jacob is the
Rope that connects himself to Isaac and
Abraham thus eternalizing their names and
purpose, we have that very same injunction
when we give back to others...Now it has all
come together!!!
Takeaway messages: When we do
communal good deeds, we should do it ‫לְ ֵשם‬
‫שמַ יִ ם‬,
ָ perhaps not in the usual sense of
“sake of Heaven” but rather for our
“namesakes in Heaven” i.e our ancestors
and relatives that brought us here. This
connects our deceased ancestors’ good
deeds with ours and ensures that like Yakov
who was the steadfast Rope solidified by the
2 holy generations before him ‫ חֶ בֶ ל‬,‫) ַי ֲעקֹב‬
(‫נַחֲ לָת ֹו‬, we can also merit not dying ( ‫ַי ֲעקֹב‬
‫ )אַבִ ינוּ �א ֵמת‬in the sense of perpetuating the
good deeds of zaydes/bobbies/daddies and
mommies- ‫ !חוט המשולש לא במהרה ינתק‬May
we all merit ‫!!!! ִצ ְד ָקתַ ם עוֹמֶ ֶדת ָלעַ ד‬
COMMUNITY NEWS
Save The Date
RASG Hebrew Academy
12-10-15
5th night of Chanukah
LIGHT THE PATH GALA
For more info and reservations
call
305-532-6421 ext110 or
[email protected]
Upcoming RASG Hebrew
Academy Open House for all
Grades
Call for more information
305-532-6421 ext 113
www.rasg.org
[email protected]