Shabbat Pareshat Vaera
January 16, 2015
From the Desk of the Rav
A LEAPING MESSAGE
After ignoring the fact that the Nile supernaturally
turned into blood, Moshe warned Pharaoh that “If you
refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your
country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that
shall come up into your house and into your bedroom
and on your bed and into the houses of your servants
and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading
bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your
people and on all your servants.” Aharon stretched out his hand over
the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of
Egypt.
Commentators wonder what the symbolic significance is of the plague
of frogs. The annoying amphibians with their protruding eyes are
widely known as exceptional jumpers. They actually can launch
themselves over 20 times their own length!
The Midrash, basing itself on the verse in Shir HaShirim, "The voice of
my beloved, behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping
over the hills", notes that Jewish redemption comes forth with a leap.
The name of the holiday of Pesach is actually derived from the Hebrew
words "leap over." Thus, after the plague of blood nullified the
deification of the Nile, the next message, by means of a plague, was to
inform the Jews of the redemption by a creature that symbolizes the
"leap."
25 Tevet 5775
Z’manei Tefillah
Friday January 16, 2015
Candlelighting ........................................................... 4:49 p.m.
Mincha ....................................................................... 4:50 p.m.
Saturday, January 17, 2015, Vaera
Shacharit ........................................................... 7:30, 8:45 a.m.
Latest Shema ............................................................ 10:07 a.m.
Daf Yomi ..................................................................... 3:55 p.m.
Mincha ....................................................................... 4:45 p.m.
Motzei Shabbat .......................................................... 5:54 p.m.
Sunday-Friday, January 18-23, 2015
Earliest Talis & Tefillin, Sunday-Friday .................6:48-6:44 a.m.
Shacharit, Sunday,................................................... 7:00, 8:00 a.m.
Shacharit, Monday, Thursday ............................ 6:45, 7:10 a.m.
Shacharit, Tuesday, Friday, ................................. 7:00, 7:20 a.m.
Shacharit, Wednesday, Rosh Chodesh ............. 6:35, 7:00 a.m.
Mincha/Maariv, Sunday-Thursday .............................. 5:00 p.m.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Candlelighting ............................................................ 4:58 p.m.
Mincha ....................................................................... 5:00 p.m.
B’nai Torah Shiurim
Shabbat Shalom,
Yirmiya Milevsky
The Hashkama Minyan will have a shiur, given in English, following the
Kiddush. Stanley Emerson will speak on the topic "The Origin of the
Haftarah".
Hakarat Hatov
On Sunday, the 19th of Shevat – Feb. 8, 2015, Bnai Torah will honour
Meyer Weinstock at a breakfast in the Sam Ferman Hall. We will
present Meyer with a plaque and a scroll to thank him for his many
generous contributions to Bnai Torah over the years.
The cost of the breakfast is $10.00 per person, complimentary for
Gold and Silver donors. Reservations are required. To reserve,
please call or email the office by February 2.
If you wish to have your name on the scroll, please contact the
Shul office. There will be 3 options available:
1)
Gold Greetings with comments - $360
2)
Silver Greetings with comments - $180
3)
Your name only without comments - $25
Weekday Daf Yomi, Nir Lifshitz
Sunday @ 7:00 a.m., Beit Midrash
Monday-Friday @ 6:00 a.m., Beit Midrash
<<>>
Pareshat HaShavua - Rav Milevsky
Men & Women, Tuesdays @ 11:15 a.m., Beit Midrash
<<>>
Navi – Micha - Rabbi Gemara
Men & Women, Tuesdays @ 8:00 p.m., Beit Midrash
<<>>
Minchas Chinuch, - Rabbi Hochman
Men, Tuesdays @ 8:00 p.m., Library
<<>>
Chumash & Rashi - Yitzchak Deutsch
Men, Tuesdays @ 8:00p.m., Beit Midrash
<<>>
Gemarah In depth - Rabbi Milevsky
Analysis of the text and context of the treatises
Yoma
Men, Thursday @ 8:00 p.m., Library
<<>>
Congregation B’nai Torah 465 Patricia Avenue Toronto, Ontario M2R 2N1 tel/fax 416.226.3700
HaRav Yirmiya Milevsky, Mara D’Atra
Paul Forman, President
[email protected]
www.bnaitorah.ca
B’nai Torah Weekly Bulletin
Pareshat Vaera
We Thank Our Sponsors
Synagogue Notes
The Foyer Kiddush this Shabbat is sponsored by:
 Susan and Tommy Jutcovich in honour of their new grandson,
Yisroel Zvi, son of Daniel and Yehudis Jutcovich of Lakewood, New
Jersey, and in honour of all their children and grandchildren.
Purim Mishloach Manot Fundraising Project.
Mishloach Manot order forms have been sent out. Please note:
Deadline for orders is Friday 30 January.

Mrs. Faigie Libman to commemorate the 70th Yahrzeit of her father,
Feivel ben Yechezkel, z”l, who perished in Dachau.

Gladys and George Somogyi to commemorate the Yahrzeit of
Gladys’s father, Chaim ben Moshe, z”l, and the Yahrzeit of George’s
mother, Golda bat Yehoshua, z”l.
Seudah Shlisheet this week is being sponsored by Susan and Zev
Shainhouse: to commemorate the Yahrzeit of Susan’s father, Yaakov ben
Tsvi Avigdor and Fayga Ettel, z”l.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
JEWISH HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS:
How the Netherlands produced Poskim
Presented by former Bnai Torah member, Prof. Danny Frances
Sunday Jan 25, after Shacharit – Breakfast will be served.
Sponsored by Marty and Ruth Lockshin
To commemorate the Yahrzeit of
Marty's mother, Sylvia Lockshin, z”l
<<>>
AN ISRAELI EXPERIENCE
Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 8:00 PM
In the Sam Ferman Hall
Experience the flavours of the country
Great company - Good food
$20 per person
To reserve call Leila 416 226 3700 x21
<<>>
REFUSING MEDICAL TREATMENT
When Do Medical Recommendations Equal or Override Halacha?
By: Rabbi Torczyner
Wednesday Feb 4, 2015 at 8:00
Sponsors welcome
<<>>
MEYER WEINSTOCK BREAKFAST
Sunday, February 8, 2015
$10.00/Complimentary for Gold and Silver donors
To reserve, call or email the office by February 2.
Ladies Tehillim
There will be a Ladies Tehillim gathering on Sunday, January 18, at 10:00
a.m. There are many cholim in our Kehillah who can benefit from this
act of chesed.
Special notice to our Snowbirds wherever they are in the world.
Make a list of the people in the shul to whom you wish to send
Mishloach Manot and email the names to [email protected].
Mail your payment to the shul office. Cost $6 per name.
Deadline for orders is 30th January.
Please be sure to write Purim on the cheque and make it payable to
Congregation Bnai Torah.
Taxable Receipts.
Bnai Torah receipts will be distributed starting January 21st. The
first receipts will be sent by email followed shortly afterwards for
those requesting regular mail. If you do not receive your receipt by
the end of January, please contact the Shul office.
Proxy Notice.
Please find attached a Proxy Notice to be used for the General
Membership Meeting in April to approve the proposed changes to
the constitution. If you are unable to attend the meeting, the proxy
notice will be used on your behalf. The meeting attendance
requirements for changes to the constitution are onerous and only
through the use of proxies will be able to meet those requirements.
We ask you to sign the proxy and return to the Shul office as soon
as possible.
Decorum.
Noise levels in the Shul have noticeably risen over the past few
months. These noise levels are increasingly distracting to those
wishing to daven. We will be introducing some changes to reverse
this trend. In the interim, we ask that you be mindful of those
Davening near to you. Stay tuned!!
Jewish Music Database
Some members showed interest in learning more about Eli Green's
Jewish music database project. You can access his music database
with the following link to his YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/JewishMusicToronto.
Book Discussion.
The book chosen for the next Bnai Torah book discussion is Love
and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman. It will be reviewed by Susan
Shainhouse. The book discussion will take place when the weather
improves. Details to follow.
Halacha Corner
The steam of any liquid has the status of that food. Thus, the
steam of milk is considered milk. Accordingly, one should not hang
ladles and spatulas where they may be affected by the steam of
meat or dairy foods cooking on the stove.
Kaylim Mikvah 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, other times by appointment with the Shammos, Joe Epstein. Kaylim Mikvah is not available Erev
Shabbos or Yom Tov. Ladies’ Mikvah. Friday nights and Yom Tov nights, by appointment. Call Hanna Katz by Wednesday at 416.225.6483. Sisterhood Donations,
Elaine Tanenzapf, [email protected] or call 416.665.2182; Tree of Life, Dedications, Memorial Plaques, Howard Kurlandski, [email protected] us at our
Donations page at www.bnaitorah.ca
Congregation B’nai Torah 465 Patricia Avenue Toronto, Ontario M2R 2N1 tel/fax 416.226.3700
HaRav Yirmiya Milevsky, Mara D’Atra
Paul Forman, President
[email protected]
www.bnaitorah.ca
Member Proxy Vote
To:
Congregation B’nai Torah, a corporation without Share Capital in the Province of Ontario
located in the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, Canada.
I,
, (the ‘Nominor’) a member in good standing at
Congregation B’nai Torah hereby appoint, George Weinberger Secretary of
Congregation B’nai Torah, to attend and act at the Special General Membership meeting
to be held on or before June 1, 2015 to the same extent and with the same power as if
the Nominor were present at the same meeting or at such adjournment or
adjournments of that meeting.
The agenda on this Special General Membership meeting will be to approve proposed
changes to the Constitution of Congregation B’nai Torah, such changes that were
approved by the Executive and the Board of Governors and were distributed to and
discussed with the membership at sundry Parlour meetings beginning in November
2014.
I understand that I can withdraw this Member Proxy Vote by advising the Congregation
in writing 5 days prior to the meeting or by attending the Special General Membership
meeting in person.
Signed by
Date