Congregation Beth El El--Atereth Israel Parshas Bereishis Stone Chumash Haftarah Shema by Mincha Seudah Shlishis Shabbos ends: October 18, 2014 24 Tishrei 5775 — Mevorchim Chodesh Cheshvan p 2 p 1130 9:45 am 5:35 pm Kehillah Konnections 6:42 pm Beth El Briefings Welcome to Torah Tours— We are fortunate to have with us Torah Tours– which is a group of college-age students from Yeshiva University and Stern College who will help enhance the Yom Tov atmosphere by participating in Hakafot and by leading various youth and educational programs. They are Alison Barishansky, Baila Kivelevitz, Daniel Henry Klein, Avinoam Levin, Kevin Perlitsh, and Tova Weingarten. Bar and Bat Mitzvah Parent/Child Learning Sessions for Grades 5-8— Please join Rabbi Segal and Torah Tours for Bar and Bat Mitzvah Parent/Child Learning Sessions for grades 5-8 on Saturday, October 18th at 4:15 pm. Topics are selected especially for those preparing for or having recently become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. There will be learning, games, raffles, prizes, and refreshments. Parent/Child Learning with Rabbi Segal and Torah Tours— Congregation Beth El presents Parent/Child Learning with Rabbi Segal and Torah Tours on Parshat Bereshiet on Shabbat afternoon, October 18th at 4:15 pm for grades 1-4. Begin the new cycle of the Torah by learning with your children. Raffles, prizes and refreshments. Middle School Musaf Minyan (M&M Minyan)— there will be a new Minyan beginning on Shabbat October 18th at 10:30 am for 6th – 8th graders. The idea behind this Minyan is that it offers the children the opportunity to daven in the main Minyan and hear the Torah and Haftorah. Following the Haftorah, the middle schoolers get together to lead their own service and daven Musaf. After the minyan, they will have their own Kiddush. Thank you to Brian Abrams for organizing this new program for our youth. Here Come the Animals— in honor of Parshat Noach, there will be a live educational animal show at Beth El on Sunday, October 26th from 10:15 am-11:30 am. Weather permitting, the zoo will be outside in the parking lot. If it is not there, come to the basement youth room. The cost is $5 per person or $25 maximum per family. Bat Mitzvah Program— Congregation Beth El-Atereth Israel and Ma’ayan will once again be co-sponsoring a bat mitzvah program which will be led by our own Oranit Saadia. The program will take place on Sundays, November 9—February 8. There is discounted pricing if you register before October 7. For more information and to register go to http://maayan.org/BatMitzvah.php Family Table— Think of Family Table each week when shopping. Drop off your purchases in the wooden bin in the shul hallway. The next pick up from Beth El will be on Thursday, October 30th. Bret Stephens to Speak— on Sunday, October 19 at 3 p.m. at Temple Emeth. This program is being sponsored by Christian and Jews United for Israel and co-sponsored by BIAC. To purchase tickets on-line visit www.cjui.org The program will also include a presentation by our own Daniel Mael. High Holiday Thank you While we are still enjoying a warm afterglow from the Chagim, we want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the numerous individuals who have made our Shul Yom Tov experience so meaningful and enjoyable. Of course, the participation of every member of our community and their families all have contributed to the warm communal atmosphere that makes our shul experience so special. Thank you to: • To Jack Schuss for organizing the High Holiday seating and to Brian Ramelson and Ernest Fraenkel and Phillip Keehn for helping with this effort. • To Dan Goldish for designing our web-based High Holiday seating registration and for his ongoing technical support. • To Humi Vishniavsky, who coordinated and oversaw the honors and the aliyas and to Bruce Gillers, Alan Vogel and Asher Leeder who assisted in these tasks. (continued on inside cover) REGULAR CLASSES Mishnah Brurah Rabbi Segal Sunday: 1/2 hour before Shacharit (8:00 am) Halacha Yomi Rabbi Segal Daily, after Shacharit and between Mincha and Maariv • • • • • Gemorah Mesechet Chullin Rabbi Segal Tuesday, 8:45pm Parshat Hashvuah Topics Related to Weekly Portion Rabbi Segal Thursday: 11:00 am Mishnayot: Seder Nezikin Rabbi Asher Shabbat morning Leeder 8:30 am Rabbi Leeder’s home • Shabbat Morning Groups • Youth Groups Toddlers-2nd grade 10:00am-end of Shul • Toddlers—1st Lower Level Classroom • Pre K– K—2nd Lower Level Classroom • 1st-2nd Grades—3rd Lower Level Classroom Youth Minyan 3rd-5th Grades 10:15-11:00am Chapel (in the basement) • • • • • • • • • • • Junior Congregation 6th Grade 10:00-10:45am 2nd Floor Classroom (next to Library) Interested in sponsoring a Youth Kiddush? Please remember to remove all your trash from the Sanctuary! If you have any life cycle events that should be published in the Kishrei, please inform the shul office. Office Hours Monday-Thursday-9am-1pm Friday: 9:30am-1:30pm • • • • • • • • • • High Holiday Thank You (continued from page one) To the following who served as a Shaliach Tzibur for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: Phillip Keehn for Pesukei d’Zimra of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur; Elliot Mael and Adam Goldman for Shacharit on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; David Fischer for Mincha on Yom Kippur; to Elliot Moskowitz for Musaf on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and Kol Nidrei and Neilah on Yom Kippur. To Eric Banks for laining Torah during Shacharit and Josh Kutin for Mincha Torah laining. To Humi Vishniavsky and Adam Goldman for blowing the Shofar. To Jim Drazen and Payson Greene who oversaw the many details in our synagogue building so that the building shone for the High Holiday season. To Adele Neuringer for providing the bima flowers for the chagim in memory of her husband, Leo Neuringer, a’h. To Jone and Allen Dalezman for sponsoring the festive kiddush for Simchat Torah in memory of Allen’s father, Abe Dalezman, z’l. To Tami Wald and Eliana Vidan for organizing the welcoming of new families to the community To Lynn and Brian Abrams, Claire and David Fisher, Paula and Ernest Fraenkel, Yoel and Rinath Jeselsohn, Heidi and Zak Kohane, Chana and Josh Kutin, Batsheva and Lyle Mitzner, Penina and Ira Scharf, Tami and Sam Wald, Melissa and Lee Weiss and Faun and Jonathan Zarge for providing the candy for Simchat Torah, and to Abigael Fischer, Benjamin Fisher, Michael Schwartz, and Rebecca Weiss for stuffing the candy bags. To the following Torah Tours students from YU and Stern: Alison Barishansky, Baila Kivelevitz, Daniel Henry Klein, Avinoam Levin, Kevin Perlitsh, and Tova Weingarten who came to our community for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah and enhanced the Yom Tov spirit and led various educational programs. To Stephanie and Ken Snow, Lynn and Brian Abrams for providing lodging for the Torah Tours team. To Rabbi and Tovah Segal, Ruth and Humi Vishniavsky, Karen and Neville Zar and Amy and Hillel Rosen for hosting meals for the Torah Tour team. To Israela Kahan and Sarabeth Lefman for coordinating the various youth groups and youth activities throughout Yom Tov. To Brian Abrams for running the Youth Minyan. To Annie Aliphas for coordinating the Sukkah decorating program for the preschool—2nd grade children and to the following individuals who helped with the program: Orly and Talya Abrams, Elisheva Bloom, Israela Kahan, Sarabeth Lefman, and our Shlichot, Roni & Idanit. To Eric and Tamar Banks for coordinating the orders for luluvim and etrogim for Sukkot. To Tamar Banks who organized the Annual Sukkah Hop and to the many students who chaperoned the groups and to the families who graciously opened their Sukkot during the Sukkah Hop. To Gary Lasman for organizing the Annual Appeal. To Bob Frisch for presenting the Israel Bonds Appeal and to Allen Dalezman for his Yom Kippur presentation on AIPAC. To Ethlynne Brickman for her help with the Israel Bond Appeal. To Bob Fox for organizing the kiddush throughout the holidays and Jeff Bellin for his ongoing help with the Kiddushes. To Jane Hanser for leading Family Table projects throughout the holidays and the rest of the year. To Jack Schuss for coordinating the Israel Solidarity Tzedaka Appeal for Shmini Atzeret. To Steve Bellin and Jeff Bellin for their help with recording the Shemini Appeal donations. To our new Bnei Akiva Shlichot, Roni & Idanit for running and enhancing various programs for our youth throughout the chagim. To Sherri Cohen for being the Bnei Akiva liason and organizing Teen programming for the shul year-round. To Dror and Oranit Saadia for their contribution to the community’s youth programming. To Jeff Bellin for polishing the silver Torah ornaments To Mayer Kahan for organizing the Simchat Torah evening Seudah. By Rabbi Avraham Fischer. A publication of the Orthodox Union in cooperation with the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center Parshat Bereishis October 18, 2014— 24 Tishrei 5775 What is the role of mankind? If we look into this Parsha, we will find a combination of answers: And G-d said, “Let us make man in our image and likeness. Let him dominate the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and the animals, and all the earth — and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth” (Bereishit 1:26). Here, the human’s purpose is to control, to conquer, to harness the forces of nature. Without the human in this role, these unchecked forces might run wild — the most benign result would be an absence of positive development, while the most cataclysmic result could be the destruction of Hashem’s creation. Man is therefore “put in charge” in order to ensure the future of the world. Ironically therefore, his mastery is also a kind of servitude to other living things. Perhaps this is why he is forbidden (in verses 29-30) to eat their meat. Only his resemblance to G-d, his “tzelem Elokim,” elevates him above other creations. Time and again, humans demonstrate their capacity for utilizing the environment creatively, thus fulfilling their mandate to emulate Hashem. After disobeying Hashem by eating the forbidden fruit, the man and woman, realizing they are naked, sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves loincloths (3:7). Hashem shows them how to improve on this by making them leather garments (verse 21). The act of human reproduction is understood by Chava as a partnership with the Divine (4:1; see Rashi). Their children are essentially defined by their professions, which parallel the two accounts of man’s creation: Hevel became a shepherd, while Kayin was a worker of the soil (4:2). Later, we learn of the development of other crafts. Six generations after Kayin are Yaval, the ancestor of all those who live in tents and keep herds, . . . Yuval, ancestor of all who play the harp and flute, . . . [and] Tuval-Kayin, a maker of all copper and iron implements (4:2022). Mankind continuously improves on earlier developments, as taught in Berachot 58a: Ben-Zoma used to say: “How many labors did the first Adam need to labor before he had bread to eat? He plowed, sowed, harvested, made sheaves, A later account of the creation of man threshed, winnowed, refined, ground, adds another dimension to his purpose: sifted, kneaded and baked, and only And Hashem G-d took the man and then did he eat. But I wake up and find placed him in the Garden of Eden to all these when it is completed before me. work it and guard it (2:15). And how many labors did the first Adam Here, man’s purpose is to cultivate, to need to labor before he found clothing develop, to extract creation’s potential to wear? He sheared, whitened, combed, without wasting its resources. He is comspun, wove, dyed and sewed, and only manded to be creative, and this requires then did he find clothing to wear. But I him to understand the fine distinctions wake up and find all these when it is that exist in the world around him. Percompleted before me. All the craftsmen haps it is for this reason that he is also persist in coming to my door, and I commanded to exercise discrimination in awake and find all these before me.” his food, eating from all trees except for the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of R. Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook comGood and Evil (verses 16-17). ments on this (Ein Ayah II:286, p. 370): “In terms of the division of labor that is required for the work of settling the world, the differentiation of personalities is necessary. Therefore, the Holy One Blessed be He suits each person’s profession to him (Berachot 43b). One person will incline more towards the material and simpler needs, such as bread to eat. Various occupations are related to this, each of which requires a specific predisposition in order to define it and designate one person to be devoted to it. For that predisposition his soul must be distinctive and suited to it, and by means of it a change will be produced in his soul’s traits and qualities. “All the more so is this true of the occupations that are more distant from each other, such as the desire to providing human needs like clothing. In these, beauty and ethics are combined with the material goal of gravitating toward even more distinct and refined talents. This distinction leads to distinctions of tendencies, traits and qualities. “And what further shall we say of a profession that develops into an art in the way that life unfolds into those things that serve only to expand man’s mind, such as all the arts of beauty — drawing, music and the like? These are skills whose distinct talents are impossible to produce except by means of differences in personality. So, how can a person, for whose needs are required many different and distinct qualities (including many alternatives of mental abilities) imagine that it would have been better for the world if all people would resemble him in qualities and feelings? From this evil thought comes impatience, intolerance and misanthropy.“Therefore [Ben Zoma] expressed his appreciation for each person by focusing on the primary needs that differentiate those who accomplish them in all their ways. Together they complete the function of humanity: in Rabbi: Gershon Segal 617-244-7233 X2 President: David Fisher 617-969-0713 Vice Presidents Sam Wald 617-558-9985 Judy Packer 617-964-6956 Jack Schuss 617-964-6024 Treasurer Ira Scharf Associate Treasurer Gary Lasman Recording Secretary Burt Leeds 781-983-6196 Associate Recording Secretary Kenneth Snow Corresponding Secretary Michael Hirsh 617-969-7713 Associate Corresponding Secretaries Sarah Okon Larry Speiser Financial Secretary Payson Greene Associate Financial Secretaries Arnold Andler Chairman of the Board Philip Levy 617-244-5863 Vice Chairmen Herbert Birnbaum 617-965-8235 COMMITTEE CHAIRS ADULT EDUCATION Judy Packer 617-964-6956 ANNUAL APPEAL 617-558-9985 Sam Wald BROTHERHOOD Norman Hartstone 617-244-4891 ERUV FAMILY TABLE Jane Hanser 617-965-8257 FUND RAISING Phillip Levy HISTORY Ken Snow 617-332-4273 HOLOCAUST COMMITTEE David Fisher HOUSING Payson Greene 781-444-7184 Burt Leeds 781-983-6196 ISRAEL SOLIDARITY TZEDAKAH FUND MEN’S CHESED Mike Hirsh 617-969-7713 NEW MEMBERS Tami Wald 617-558-9985 Eliana Vidan 617-965-0484 POLITICAL ACTION PROGRAMMING Amy Rosen 617-965-1297 SHABBAT & YOM TOV YOUTH GROUPS Shari Lederman, Shari Bloom PUBLICITY Debbie Schuss RABBINIC ADVISORY Arnie Andler 781-235-4444 RENOVATIONS Mark Salzberg 617-796-9029 RITUAL Nahum Vishniavsky 617-527-8462 WOMAN”S CHESED Sara Okon 617-964-7375 YOUTH Sherri Cohen 617-527-3624 Shari Lederman 617-969-4169 ‫קהלת בית א־ל עטרת ישראל‬ Cong . Beth El-Ateret h Is rael 561 Ward Street Newton Centre, MA 02459 the physical, “bread to eat”; in human necessities and ethical tendencies combined with physical goals, “clothing to wear”; joined with the talent to enlighten the mind and thought, in the skill of carpentry and design, for the complexity of life. “ ‘All the craftsmen who persist in coming to my door,’ bring peace of mind and enlightenment into my private world. Therefore, I will love all of them and honor each of them.” Man’s purpose is to simulate Hashem’s creativity, which leads to blessed human diversity, social and technological progress, and peace.