| Congregation Agudath Sholom
Passover/Shabbat Bulletin |
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| Pesach I-III | April 6-8, 2023 | 15-17 Nisan 5783 |
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| | Wednesday | | | Mincha | 2:00/7:10 PM | | Candle Lighting | 7:05 PM | | Earliest Time to start Seder | 8:05 PM | | Thursday | | | Midnight | 12:56 AM | | Shacharit | 8:00/9:00 AM | | Daf Yomi | 6:25 PM | | Mincha | 7:15 PM | | Seder Stand Up | 7:35 PM | | Candle Lighting | 8:07 PM | | Earliest Time to start Seder | 8:07 PM | | Friday | | | Shacharit | 8:00/9:00 AM | | Daf Yomi | 6:22 PM | | Mincha | 7:00 PM | | Candle Lighting | 7:07 PM | | Shabbat | | | Shacharit | 7:00/8:00/9:00 AM | | Latest Shema | 8:59 AM | | Bob's Basics | 10:00 AM | | Latest Shacharit | 10:18 AM | | Shiur | 10:30 AM | | Daf Yomi | 6:15 PM | | Code Of Jewish Law | 6:15 PM | | Mincha | 7:05 PM | | Havdalah | 8:08 PM |
My Favorite Song: A Foundational Message for Seder Night I always love to sing the song Baruch Hamakom on Pesach night. It is a highlight! What is the significance of this declaration, "Blessed is God, Blessed is He, Blessed is the one who gave the Torah to Israel"? First, what is the role of this at the beginning of Maggid, retelling the story of the Exodus? Second, why do we invoke the name of God, Makom, the place, rather than a more conventional name for God? Rabbi Shimon Schwab (as expounded in the Hagadah of his wisdom) explains that the name of God, Makom, is used to convey the notion that God never abandons anyone. We use this name when offering comfort to mourners, Hamakom Yinachem, and when praying for those who are ill or in captivity, Hamakom Yerachem. God is in every place, Bechol Makom. With this idea in mind, he addresses the questions. Pesach is infused with deep and enduring memories and emotions connected to family. As we sit at the seder table, with loved ones, God willing, it will be a joyous time. We cherish our unique customs, tunes, humor and, of course, Torah and tasty food. However, for someone who may, God forbid, have experienced a personal loss in the past year, a widow or widower or loss of another relative, the seder can be a challenging and sorrowful night. Such a person may not feel close to God, but distant. It is painful. The empty seat for a husband or wife looms large. Think for a moment how the seder feels for someone not blessed with children. Rabbi Schwab suggests that the phrase Baruch Hamakom is critical at the outset of the night. We invoke the dimension of God as Makom to offer comfort to those who feel distant. We affirm that God walks with them and that he is in their place. It is our responsibility to be sensitive to the state of everyone at our table to ensure a warm and welcoming experience. Further, Rabbi Schwab notes that the second line of the song addresses another group of people. We may be hosting guests at our seder who feel distant from Judaism. They may think or say, "I don't even know the Hebrew alphabet; the Torah and Judaism are not relevant to me." The task of the seder leader is to connect with everyone no matter their background or level of education. Rabbi Schwab believes that the second half of the statement, "God gave the Torah to the nation of Israel," serves as an affirmation that no Jew is left behind. Everyone has a stake in the story of the seder. We were all at Sinai, we were all redeemed from Egypt and we all bear a responsibility to embrace and perpetuate the message of Passover and the nation of Israel into the future. The song Baruch HaMakom is not simply an upbeat tune, but a call for inclusion and hope on the most important educational night of the year. Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom and a Chag Kasher VeSameach, Rabbi Daniel Cohen |
Pre Pesach Reminders - Buy Milk Before Pesach
- Eggs May Be Purchased during Chol Hamoed Pesach
- Remember to make an Eruv Tavshilin before the Chag begins.In order to allow foods prepared on yom tov to be eaten on shabbat, the Halacha requires an Eruv Tavshilin to be made. This entails a piece of matzah and an egg or piece of meat, reciting the bracha for Eruv Tavshilin and reciting the paragraph that accompanies the bracha. The two foods are then put away and eaten at seudah shlishit. For more info, click here.
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Pesach/Shabbat Information
- Kabbalat Shabbat is abridged, due to Yom Tov.
- In the morning we recite half-Hallel and Shir Hashirim, followed by Mourners' Kaddish.
- We take out two Sifrei Torah for Shabbat Chol HaMoed; in the first we have seven Aliyahs in Parshas Ki Sisah (Exodus 33:12- 34:26); Half-Kaddish; Maftir reads in the second Sefer Torah from Parshas Pinchas: (Numbers 28:19-25)
- Learn about the Shabbat Torah Reading for after Pesach, Shemini with the insights of of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z"l - click here
- Read Rabbi Kurtz's weekly halachic essays on the parsha here.
- The Haftorah for Shabbat Chol HaMoed is Ezekiel 37:1-14
- Haftarah summary by Chabad.org - click here
- Haftarah summary by Haftarah Helper - click here
- Halachic Note: Tachanun and prayers correlated with it e.g. , Kel Malei, Av HaRachamim and Tidkasecha are not recited throughout the entire month of Nisan.
- Also, Vehi Noam is omitted due to Pesach.
- For more Pesach information, please see our Pesach Website.
- Would you like to read the Torah or Haftara for your bar mitzvah parsha? Let us know by clicking here.
Parsha Icebreakers (Courtesy of Elisheva and Yaakov Moshe Shmidman) - What is one way you exercise your freedom?
- What would you most want four cups of?
- Which one of the four sons are you and why?
- What is a miracle that you have experienced?
- If you could write a personal stanza to Dayenu what would it be?
- If you could be free of one thing what would it be?
- If you could invite one person from all time to your seder, who would it be and why?
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Empty Chair for Evan this Pesach
Please share and keep Evan in mind. God willing, he will return safely and speedily. #FreeEvan #IStandWithEvan.
On March 29, Evan Gershkovich, a WSJ journalist was arrested by Russia's security services on false charges and faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Evan, 31, the American son of Soviet-born Jewish exiles who settled in New Jersey, will be spending this Passover locked up in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo prison, where countless rabbis and refuseniks, including Natan Sharansky, were incarcerated under Soviet rule.
A member of Moscow's Jewish community, Evan is being denied all contact with the outside world, or even a matzo.
As we celebrate freedom and redemption this Passover, set a place for Evan at your table and keep him in your hearts and prayers. Please raise your voice to help us demand freedom for Evan. Please also post photos of your Seder table with a place setting for Evan to your social media.
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Praying and Supporting Our Soldiers and Troops
We were recently blessed to host Rabbi Irving Elson, a vice president of JCC Association of North America and director of JWB Jewish Chaplains Council who spoke movingly about supporting Jews in the US Armed Forces.
As a shul, we will be mobilizing to explore ways to support our Jewish troops and also the IDF. If you would like to be part of the planning of this effort and mission, please contact Rabbi Cohen. Further, we would like to include the names of family members and friends currently serving America or Israel, please fill out this form.
May God watch over them every step of the way and may He bring peace soon and speedily in our days.
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Building our Faye and Ben Manger Beit Midrash Sponsor a Sefer or Sefarim - We anticipate, God willing, opening our Beit Midrash in the coming weeks. In anticipation, we will be purchasing sefarim, Hebrew and English, for new bookshelves and adding tables for learning. God willing the sounds of Torah study will join the sounds of Tefillah heard in this sacred space. To sponsor some new Judaic books and seforim, click here.
Thank you to Rachel & Nimrod Dayan and Rhonda Schaffer-Maron & Jeff Maron for being our first donors!
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Pesach Divrei Torah - Wednesday Night - Yaakov Moshe Shmidman
- Thursday Morning - Rabbi Daniel Cohen
- Thursday Night - Seder Ideas - Josh Wohlberg, Shalhevet Cohen
- Friday Morning - Rabbi Moshe Kurtz
- Friday Night - Rabbi Daniel Cohen
- Shabbat Morning - Rabbi Daniel Cohen and Rabbi Moshe Kurtz
- Shabbat Afternoon Dvar Torah following Mincha - Feivel Segelov
- Shir Hashirim Reader - Rabbi Dr. Jeff Cahn
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- to Nicki Kornbluth & Benjy Ratzersdorfer on the birth of a baby girl!
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Celebrate with the family! Make a donation in their honor and we will send an acknowledgement to the family. Just click here- Fast of the First Born: Co-sponsored by Judy & Bob Raymond in memory of Judy's dad and aunt, Ernest Rabinowicz and Hedda Boxer; and the Goldenberg Family in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Martin Goldenberg
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- Thursday Chapel Kiddush: Rhonda & Judd Love in memory of Judd's brother Steven, on his 3rd Yahrtzeit
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- Thursday Sanctuary Kiddush: Stephanie & Howard Fogel in loving memory of Walter Shuchatowitz - May his work continue to inspire generations of teachers and students for many years to come
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- Friday Sanctuary Kiddush: Maria & Glenn Reicin on the occasion of the first Yahrzeit of Maria's mother, Barbara Jean King Meier
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- Shabbat Chapel Kiddush: Adrienne & Michael Alexander in honor of Herman Alexander's birthday
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Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig on Mental Health and Jewish Law |
Monday, April 17 - 8:00 PM |
| Book & Author Conversation with Rabbi Cohen at the Stamford JCC |
Thursday, April 20 - 7:30 PM |
| Sunday, April 23 - 8:00 PM |
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New Spring Learning Program with Rabbi Oran Zweiter at Agudath Sholom Zionists Before Zionism - In Honor of Israel's 75th - Tuesdays at 8 PM.Explore movements of aliyah in the centuries prior to the advent of modern Zionism. (April 18th) The Aliyah of the 300 Rabbis in the Middle Ages, (May 2nd) Hasidim and their Opponents Make Aliyah, (May 16th) Hovevei Zion- Lovers of Zion in the Nineteenth Century | Save the Date: CAS & Busy in Brooklyn's Chanie Sunday, April 30 Cooking Demo - $54 will include the live demo and new cookbook - Totally Kosher. Look for Sign up in the coming weeks. |
- Chaya Sima Koenigsberg to Speak at CAS Spring Scholar Series Chaya Sima Koenigsberg, an up and coming, highly respected Judaic Studies scholar, will be this year's featured speaker at Congregation Agudath Sholom's four-part spring scholar series. She will be giving a class on four consecutive Wednesday evenings in May – May 3, 10, 17, and 24. Each class will begin at 8PM, and will be held at Congregation Agudath Sholom. The theme will be Illuminating Medieval Ashkenaz: Studies in Text and Imagery
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- Save the Date: The Journey of Surrogacy On Wednesday evening, May 10th, we will have the opportunity to hear Aliza Abrams Konig, Director of Student Leadership, at Yeshiva University, speak about her journey to parenthood using a surrogate. She will be joined by CAS Yoetzet Halacha Rivka Alter. This event will be at a private home in Stamford. Further event details TBA. For more info, contact Dena Block at blockdena@gmail.com or Nicole Makovsky at Nicolemakovsky@gmail.com.
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Join one of our CAS classes.
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We Wish A Speedy Recovery To |
- Rina Yael bat Sara
- Sara Shlomit bat Liba
- Leib Kovit ben Blanche
| - Carmiya Chaya Hadas bat Tziporah Miriam
- Nechama Miriam bat Devorah
| - Dov ben Pnina
- חיים מאנס ben קרייסל מרי
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- Registration for FCCJBL Jewish Baseball League is open! This league is a shomer Shabbat league for children ages 4-12. All games will be played on Sundays, starting 4/16-6/18. Sign up on www.fccjbl.org. Please reach out to info@fccjbl.org with any questions.
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- JCRC Yom Ha'Shoah Commemoration Come commemorate Yom Ha'Shoah as UJF's JCRC hosts an evening with Julie Kohner on Sunday, April 16 (4:00 pm) at Temple Beth El in Stamford, where the founder and CEO of Voices of the Generations, Inc. recounts her memories as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and a trained educator. To sign-up today or for more details, contact JCRC Director, Sharon Lewis.
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- Celebrating Israel at 75 Together with UJF! We are very excited to host a week of exciting activities to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Israel, between April 19th-26th. With a theme of "Beyond the Dream: Finding Yourself in the Israeli Mosaic" the festivities across Stamford promise something for everyone. For a full schedule of festivities and to register for daily events, visit www.ujf.org/israel75
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- An Evening with Schoke JFS Sunday, May 21st, 5:30 PM. Schoke Jewish Family Service invites you to its annual gala, An Evening with Schoke JFS – Feeding the Community at the Italian Center of Stamford, 1620 Newfield Avenue, in an outdoor tented pavilion. Mimi Cohen and Rhoda & Avram Freedberg are the recipients of the 43rd Annual Mitzvah Award, United Jewish Federation of Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien and Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County are recipients of the Community Service Award, and the Mitzvah Match Families including the Bradley, Fischel, Gradman, Katz, Sperber, Speter, Tobin, Yasgur, and Zizmor families are recipients of the Volunteer of the Year Award. The evening's events will be hosted by the weather anchor for NBC 4 New York, David Price. The event is co-chaired by Connie Freeman and Jillian Klaff with Jeri Appel as auction chair and Meryl Japha, Liz Kitay, and Ronnie Sichel serving as advisors. General tickets include dinner and dessert for $250, purchase your ticket at www.ctjfs.org. Contact Lisa Rich at 203-921-4161 or lrich@ctjfs.org to place a journal.
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- Schoke JFS is Here to Support You - Learn more about Our Ongoing Support Groups Bereavement Support Group available at Schoke Jewish Family Service, for more information please contact, Rebekah Kanefsky, Interim Director of Clinical and Family Life Services at rkanefsky@ctjfs.org or 203-921-4161.
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bulletin@cas-stamford.org