A Happy Purim is Coming Up, Thursday evening, March 20 and Friday, March 21--Shabbat Shalom! March 14, 2008 Mar 14, 2008
Rabbi Rafi Rank
Going Stong Since 1953
THE CYBERSHUL
How Much Greener Can A Paperless Shul Be!330 South Oyster Bay Road
Syosset, NY 11791
www.mjc.org
cyber shul archives
This CyberShul has been dedicated by:
Maybe You, Next Week !!
|
|
Shabbat ZaKHOR |
Shabbat ZaKHOR is the Shabbat immediately preceding the holiday of Purim. We “remember” the violence Israel’s arch enemy Amalek brought down upon our people (see Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Since Haman, villain in the Book of Esther, traces his ancestry through Agag back to Amalek (Esther 3:1), we remember Amalek on the Shabbat before Purim. |
|
Parashah |
Vayikra—We begin the 3rd book of the Torah |
|
Secular Date |
March 15, 2008 |
|
Jewish Date |
8 Adar II 5768 |
|
Shabbat Begins |
6:42 PM |
|
Shabbat Ends |
7:44 PM |
|
MJCyber Shul Minyan |
1328 |
|
Last Week’s Minyan |
1327 |
|
Upcoming Holiday - Purim |
Purim—Thursday evening, March 20 and Friday, March 21. We follow four mitzvot (divine commands) on Purim:
MegiLAH—(scroll) MegiLAH refers to the scroll from which the book of Esther is read. There are two readings, in the evening and morning, but getting to at least one is fulfilling a key mitzVAH.
MishLOah MaNOT—(the sending of portions) Two food items that would required two different berakhot (e.g., hamantaschen and a box of raisins) are sent to at least one friend or acquaintance. Only a modest gift is enough to show solidarity with our Jewish neighbors.
MataNOT La’evyoNIM—(gifts to the poor) On Purim, we remind ourselves that our own efforts are critical. We therefore take time to help others by contributing to at least two worthy charities or indigent individuals.
MishTEH or Se’uDAT PuRIM— (party and Purim meal) Have a festive meal, as fancy as a Shabbat meal, on Purim day. If daytime feasting proves impractical, an evening Se’uDAT Purim is fine. One menu directive: hamantaschen for dessert. |
This Week’s Torah Reading
Vayikra
VayiKRA means “called” and refers to God having called Moses to talk about Israel’s sacrificial rites. Just about anyone could offer a sacrifice to God—the High Priest, other priests, tribal heads, individuals and certainly the entire community. Some korbaNOT are animals while others are fruits or grains. Some korbaNOT were completely burnt upon the mizBEIah or altar while others were only partially burnt, the remainder of the sacrifice going to the priests or even the donors and their invited guests. There were a variety of reasons for offering a sacrifice: realizing one’s sins, cleansing oneself of guilt, celebrating peace, connecting oneself to God, thanking God for life, etc. KorbaNOT were the primary form of worship in the biblical period. To watch it preformed must have been exceedingly dramatic, and though killing an animal isn’t pretty, it was probably a lot easier than some of us may find struggling through the Hebrew of a long prayer.
A SHABBAT THOUGHT
When nobody around you seems to measure up, it’s time to check your yardstick.
~~ Bill Lemley ~~
A LETTER FROM A FRIEND IN ASHKELON
Dear Friends,
In the last few days the rockets have landed within streets of our home in Ashkelon. The house shakes, the sirens roar and people are getting very nervous. We have been advised that we have some 15 seconds to get to our shelters from the time the red alert sounds. We are then to stay in the shelter for 5 minutes until the rockets have landed. My sense is that the government is now in an impossible situation. If they attack Gaza we will lose lives of our soldiers and the continuous flow of weapons from Egypt will not end. On the other hand if the IDF does not enter Gaza then the 120,000 residents of Ashkelon are at risk in addition to the 20,000 from Sderot and the surrounding settlements.
The bad news is that we are not prepared, our educational institutions do not have special windows and our shelters are often used for storage, etc. I am very concerned about the 175 pre-school children that spend their days in our Synagogue complex where the windows are old and dangerous. About six months ago I priced out the cost of replacing the windows with special defense windows that do not shatter.
The cost of this effort is $60,000. We approached the United Jewish Communities where we were told that their funds were committed. We are setting up programs to assist people in dealing with the psychological effect of the rockets. Tonight a number of volunteers are working in shelters to clean them out and prepare them for this evening.
It would be great if people would want to give donations for this need. They should send their donations to the Masorti Foundation - earmarked for Kehillat Netzach Israel, Ashkelon. Checks should be made payable to:
Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism
475 Riverside Drive - Suite 832
NYC, NY 10015-0122
USA
Warm regards,
Marty Davis
LET’S GET READY FOR PURIM(www.pizzaIDF.org)
This website lets you send mishloakh manot (food gifts) to soldiers in Israel; also this year you can send to families in Sderot as well. They all need our support and what better way to thank them and support them than by remembering them.
WEB OF THE WEEK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1d83XOORP0
Leonard Nimoy explains the connection between the Vulcan sign he made popular on Star Trek and his background growing up in an Orthodox shul.
AURAL TORAH
Be Sure to click on the attachment to hear the Aural Torah!
Honor A Loved One
Remember A Loved One
DEDICATE A CYBERSHUL IN THEIR NAME!!
ARE THERE ANY BARGAINS IN THIS WORLD?
Yes--The CyberShul—Dedicate it for a Paltry
$125
Send your name, location, and a $125 check made payable to:
Midway Jewish Center
330 South Oyster Bay Road
Syosset, NY 11791
Send CyberShul to All Your Friends!
NOT IN MY MINYAN!
Dear CyberRav,
My husband has been working for an orthodox company during the last sic (sic) months. The employees are all men and every day in the early afternoon Mincha (the afternoon prayers) is davened. My husband, a Conservative Jew, chooses not to participate. Last week the minyan was short one person so my husband offered to be the tenth. The leader of the group said that he could not be counted since he does not observe Shabbat in the Orthodox sense (my husband drives on Shabbat to shul, but does not shop or spend money on Shabbat). I have never heard that a minyan "rejects" a Jewish man based on his level of observance. Can you please elaborate for us?
Many thanks,
Miffed Over a Minyan
THE ANSWER
Dear Miffed,
Hmmm. . .Well, this is sort of a new one for me. It is true that different communities will set standards that are above and beyond the requirements of Halakhah (Jewish law), but I've never heard of a Jew excluded from a minyan on the basis of insufficient religiosity. My suspicion is that there is virtually no basis for this in normative Halakhah and, even worse, it was probably an aveirah (a sin) to have him excluded. Let me explain.
Halakhah is, in part, a system of obligations which we fulfill as we concretize our Jewish relationship with God. Some of those obligations require prayer on a regular basis. The Halakhah obligates your husband to pray daily, whether he does or doesn't. Your husband's offer to pray with a minyan was a combination of several mitzvot. First, he was going to participate in prayer; secondly, he was going to pray in a minyan which is regarded as a higher act of holiness than praying alone; and finally, he was going to help others fulfill their obligations. In denying or even discouraging him from participation in that minyan, someone actually forces him into sin, which is itself a sin according to the Halakhic system.
Frankly, this so-called minyan sounds like a group of not-so pious people. Traditional and observant Jews would normally welcome with great joy a Jew who is a bit more marginal to come closer to mitzvot and God. I'm so sorry your husband had to endure this. I noticed a bit of a slip on the keyboard when you typed that he has worked there for "sic months." I hope his work experience has been healthier than his Jewish experience with this company.
Rabbi Rafi Rank
CyberRav
Shabbat Shalom Everyone!!
To get added to the subscription list, or to be removed, or to change your email address,
click here - cybershul_subscriptions
| 
Updated July 12, 2006 
