| Congregation Agudath Sholom
Shabbat/Pesach VI & VIII Bulletin |
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| | Pesach VII/VIII
Omer 6 & 7 | April 19, 2025 | 21-22 Nisan 5785 |
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| | Friday | | | Mincha | 7:00 PM | | Candle Lighting | 7:19 PM | | Shabbat | | | Shacharit | 7:00/8:00/9:00 AM | | Coffee & Commentary | 8:40 AM | | Sephardic Minyan | 8:45 AM | | Latest Shema | 8:47 AM | | Latest Shacharit | 10:09 AM | | Shiur | 10:30 AM | | Daf Yomi | 6:05 PM | | Mincha | 7:15 PM | | Candle Lighting | 8:20 PM |
| Sunday - Pesach VIII | | | Shacharit | 8:00/8:45 AM | | Yizkor in Sanctuary | Apx. 10:15 AM | | Daf Yomi | 6:20 PM | | Mincha | 7:30 PM | | Neilat HaChag | 7:45 PM | | Maariv | 8:17 PM | | Yom Tov Ends | 8:22 PM | | Earliest time to eat Chametz (if sold through CAS) | 9:00 PM |
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God Revealed and Hidden I hope you and your families are enjoying a wonderful Pesach. As we approach the end of the holiday, take a moment to reflect on one inspiring seder insight to carry forward beyond Pesach. God willing, we forged meaningful memories as well. More than any other holiday, the counting of the omer - which bridges Pesach and Shavuot - affirms our aspiration to harness the days ahead for personal growth and a deeper commitment to making God and Torah the center of our lives. In this spirit, sign up for my Living the Torah Moment or Rabbi Kurtz's Daily Halacha for daily Torah inspiration and learning. Join My Omer to make the days count. On the seventh day of Passover, we commemorate the miracle of the splitting of the sea. Each Jew witnessed the manifestation of God in their lives. Yet, the Sages offer a cryptic commitment at the moment of the revelation. The Jews proclaim the enduring words, Mi Kamocha...who is like you among the powerful words we repeat every morning and every night. However, the Talmud in Gittin 56b interprets the words to read not only who is like you among the powerful but who is like you among the Ilmim, the deaf. What is the meaning of their interpretation? I was reminded of an answer when leading a model Seder a number of years ago at Atria. One of the residents asked how I could explain how 6 million Jews died in Europe. I told him I could not and some questions are left unanswered. Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik explains that the Talmud's variation on the words teach us that although there are moments when God is revealed and apparent in our lives as at the sea, there are also moments when God is silent and passive. We must accustom ourselves to the idea that not all questions have answers. A scholar who feels the imperative to answer all difficulties is not a scholar. Rabbi Akiva Eiger when unable to answer a question would respond, "The question requires more thought and may God enlighten me." The Talmud itself teaches us this approach to life's complexities. When an answer is unresolved, the Talmud will state Teiku, the answer is unknown and will only be resolved in the time of Elijah. Likewise, Rabbi Soloveitchik shared that his father believed that every individual has questions about God that cannot be answered. Anyone who believes otherwise is a fool. At the same time, our doubts should not "change our guiding principles or stymie further study." Our relationship with God is dynamic. Pesach strengthens it and the current climate here and in Israel, and the upcoming Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, challenges it. As we embark on the last days of the holidays and the season ahead, let us grapple and grow in our relationship to God. God willing, we will ensure that we do not only count the days until Shavuot but truly make the days count as we develop and deepen our commitment to God in the world and in ourselves. Wishing you and your families a Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom and God willing good news here and in Israel and a full redemption speedily and in our days, Rabbi Daniel Cohen |
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
- Shabbat (7th Day of Pesach) : We take out two Sifrei Torah; in the first we have seven Aliyahs in Parshas Beshalach (Exodus 13:17-15:26)
- Half-Kaddish; Maftir reads in the second Sefer Torah for Parshas Pinchas (Numbers 28:19-25)
- Haftarah for 7th Day - summary by Chabad.org - click here
- Saturday Evening (8th Day of Pesach): Blessing on candles "lehadlik ner shel Shabbos v'Yom Tov" without a Shehechiyanu
- Torah Reading Sunday - 8th Day of Pesach Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17
- Haftarah for 8th Day - summary by Chabad.org - click here
Pesach/Shabbat Icebreakers (courtesy of Yaakov Moshe and Elisheva Shmidman) - What's a special chol hamoed memory or trip you have taken?
- What is a miracle you have experienced (Pesach is full of miracles)?
- What is your favorite Pesach specific food?
Parsha Would You Rather?- Would you rather have been at the splitting of the sea or the giving of the Torah?
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Halacha Notes: - Please note that the last days of Pesach are a continuation of the holiday and we do not recite Shehecheyanu at Kiddush on Friday night or Saturday night.
- Remember to light a Yahrzeit candle on Friday night before lighting Shabbat candles in order to have a pre-existing flame from which to light candles Saturday night and also a Yahrzeit candle.
- Please remember to wait until 9:00 PM on Sunday night before removing your Chametz that was sold in your homes. Also, Bevmax, a Jewish owned business, participated in the Chametz sale and all kosher wines, liquor sold there may be eaten post Pesach.
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Prayers for Hostages - We Pray for the Immediate Rescue and Release
"Acheinu kol Bais Yisrael – Our brethren, the entire Jewish People"
"Hanesunim bitzara u'bishivya – who are delivered into confinement and captivity"
"Ha'omdim bein bayam u'vein bayabasha – whether they be on the sea or dry land"
"HaMakom yiracheim aleihem viyotzi'eim mitzara li'rvacha – May the Omnipresent have mercy on them and remove them from distress to relief"
"U'mei'afela li'ora – and from darkness to light"
"U'mishibud lig'ula – and from subjugation to redemption"
"Hashta b'agala u'viz'man kariv – now, speedily, and close at hand"
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Shabbat Topics & Participants |
| Friday Night Dvar Torah | Rabbi Daniel Cohen | | Shiur | Rabbi Moshe Kurtz: "Artificial Insemination, Part #1" | | Shabbat Morning Divrei Torah | Rabbi Moshe Kurtz | | Post-Mincha Dvar Torah (Shabbat) | Rabbi Moshe Kurtz | | Sunday Morning Divrei Torah | Rabbi Daniel Cohen | | Neilat Hachag | Rabbi Shmotkin |
- new members Lili Ezrapour & Ian Stowe and their sons Elliot and Ezra!
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- to Lucy Schwartz & Saryah Sober on the birth of a baby girl! Mazal Tov to siblings Daniel and Shelby and aunt and uncle Rebecca & Shai Sober!
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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- to Shira Green on the passing of her father, Dr. Morton Wertheimer z"l
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- to Robert Yakubovich on the passing of his father, Alex Yakubovich z"l
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- to Elise Cohen on the passing of her mother, Dolores Sosnow z"l
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- Chapel Kiddush (Shabbat): The Klein Family in commemoration of Dr. Klein's father, Sandor Klein's yahrzeit (Sholom Ben Aryeh Yehuda)
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- Sanctuary Kiddush (Shabbat & Pesach Day 8): Co-sponsored by Ariel Blum & Ben Zweig in memory of Steven Zweig z"l; Stella & Isaac Cohen in memory of Harriet & Avrom Aaron Levy z"l and Abraham Cohen z"l;Risa & Jeff Goldblum in memory of Morton Bauman z"l;Vered & Mark Links in memory of Pinchas Bartov z"l;Gail & Bob Loonin in memory of Archibald & Mayme Medjuck z"l;Shelly & Harold Schwartz in memory of Sarah & Maurice Applebaum z"l and Frieda & David Schwartz z"l;Rosalyn Novick Sherman in memory of her father Harold Jacob Novick, Tzvi Yaacov, mother Lillian Leah, Leah Novick and brother Melvyn Joseph, Mendel Yosef Novick, all of Blessed Memory
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- Chapel Kiddush (Pesach Day 8): Co-sponsored by Dani & Chaim Bergman in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Chaim's mother, 1Lori Bergman (Liba Tzivia Bat Helman); and Eli & Elizabeth Reichner in memory of Eli's sister's 10th yahrzeit
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Maot Chittim - Passover Charity |
| Rabbi Daniel Cohen - What is Your Why? |
Tuesday, April 22 - 8:15 AM |
| Friday, April 25 - 8:00 PM |
| Sunday, April 27 - 10:00 AM |
| Sunday, April 27 - 8:00 PM |
| Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut Community Event |
Wednesday, April 30 - 7:00 PM |
| | Senior Challah Delivery Sponsorships |
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Literature at Lunch Roundtable led by Dr. Richard Schwartz Wednesday, April 23 - 12:00 PM Our lunches have been graced with our penetrating discussions of the roles that our holy scriptures play in deepening our understanding of timeless messages of writers and poets such as Poe, O'Henry, de Maupassant, Shirley Jackson, Leonard Cohen, Simon and Garfunkel, Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan, Shakespeare , MIlton, Pushkin and selected Psalms of KIng David to name a few. Our next series of Roundtables are entitled "Demystifying the Mystique of the Sabbath:" We will embark on a spiritual journey that hopefully will deepen our understanding of the ways that we can enhance our own personal appreciation and hence observance of this special day. Lunch is catered from Restaurant 613 and provided by your host. If you have any questions or plan to attend in person, please contact me at rj@richardjschwartz.com Zoom meeting ID 8784487429 Passcode 868450 |
- A Divine Drive By Mitzvah Once a year, we can recite a special blessing for the first blossoms on a fruit tree. The ideal time was during the month of Nisan but you may recite the blessing in Iyar if you have not had the opportunity this season. Thank you to Michael and Debbie Berg for providing this Mitzvah Moment via their cherry tree. Drive by 26 Crane Rd North , roll down your window and make the blessing acknowledging God's renewal of the world. In the merit of our moments, may we experience hidden and open miracles of healing every day. You can find the bracha and background here
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- Looking for a meaningful mitzvah? We're seeking volunteers to visit a homebound Jewish man, Abe Cogan—a longtime member of CAS—near Scalzi Park on Fridays at 6:30 pm to help him light electric Shabbat candles and share a few minutes of warmth and companionship. It takes about 15 minutes and brings real light to someone's life. Sign up
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- Holy Habit - Food Pantry Donations Rather than wait for a Food Drive, make it a habit each week when shopping for Shabbos to purchase kosher, non-perishable food for the Freedberg Kosher Food Pantry.Drop off at JFS or CAS
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- Annual Challenges in Jewish Education panel discussion, "Teaching Israel: At Home ... At School ... and in Israel" featuring Rabbi Joshua Lookstein, Assistant Head of School, Ramaz, and Rabbi Jeffrey Kobrin, Head of School, North Shore Hebrew Academy, Shabbat May 3rd, at seudah shlishit between mincha and maariv (appx 7:45PM). Moderated by Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein, Head of School, Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy. Join us for what promises to be a very stimulating discussion on an important topic.
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- Registration for 2025 Jewish Baseball League season is live! FCCJBL is a co-ed, ages 4-12 year old little league and plays on Sundays only. Season opener is 4/27. Please sign up on www.fccjbl.org. Please reach out to info@fccjbl.org with any questions.
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- Israel Advocacy - Sign up for Pens and Swords This group shares links to petitions and information about how everyone can contact political figures and businesses to advocate on behalf of Israel. Most of these actions take under a minute to complete and they keep pressure on policymakers to support Israel and/or drop actions that are detrimental. Please share the link for this group with as many supporters of Israel and the Jewish people as possible. click here
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- Save the Date! Join us for the CAS mission to Ft. Bragg July 27-28. Rabbi Cohen will lead a CAS mission in support of the Jewish soldiers and their community at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina from July 27-28. Mark your calendars - all are welcome. Please reach out to Rabbi Cohen or Lonnie Keene lonnie53211@yahoo.com for details.
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- Shacharit Monday-Friday: 6:30/7:30/8:30 AM
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- Mincha Monday-Thursday: 7:30 PM; Friday: 7:00 PM
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- Candle Lighting Friday: 7:27 PM
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- Thursday Yom HaShoah, Omer 11
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We Wish A Speedy Recovery To |
- Tzvi Zev Yosef ben Chana Shulamit
- Raanan Noach ben Slova
- yosef ishai ben miriam
- Yocheved Rochel bat Chava Kayla
- Sheina Feiga bat Rivka
- Hershel Wolf ben Brucha
- Rema bat Etta
- Ahron Dovid ben Esther Bayla
- Freidel bat Esther
- Leeba Minna bat Rivka
- Pesach Melech ben Basha
- Chaya Shoshana bat Yehudit
- Nira bat Rachel
- Sara bat Nira
- Chana Leah bat Esther
| - Nadav Ephraim ben Shlomit Leah
- Ariella Maor bat Liba Chaya
- Leah bat Rivka
- Adeline bat Bat Chava
- Moisha Gedalia
- Nechemiah
- Dorit bat Ora
- Yospa bat Shana Menucha
- Mary
- Miriam Rut bat Chana
- Tanya bat Malka
- Chaya bat Liba
- Moshe Yitzak ben Raisel Crendel
- Miriam bat Devorah
| - אסתר רחל bat רייזל ביילה
- Chaya Rachel bat Carmi Adina
- Penina bat Batya
- Sarah Rochfl bat Paya Etel
- Dov ben Pnina
- Nehama Miriam bat Dvora
- Moshe Gavriel ben Rachel Esther
- Refael Pesachya Chaim ben Golda
- Cheryl Sheva bat Gittel Leah
- Sossie Raizel bat Sarah Fraida
- Eliezer Meyer ben Leah
- Calev Natanel ben Sara
- Yitzchak Osher ben Chana Shayva Chaya
- Inna bat Tanya
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- Ariel Y
- Shani Y
- Tali Y
- Harry B
- Zevi M
- Joreh M
| - Ayden M
- Nathan H
- Noam H
- Yehudit
- Sally K
- Oren L
| - Nathan L
- Jeremy S
- Yehudit S
- Meni N
- Yaniv H
- Rachel W
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- Reminder: Aaron's Place, on the ground floor of Stamford Hospital provides kosher snacks, drinks and meals, in a comfortable environment. If you are caring for a hospitalized loved one or waiting for tests, this comfort room is a place to regroup and refresh. Information is available at the hospital front desk , The code, in Hebrew letters, is on the door of the room.
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- An Evening with Schoke JFS, Celebrating 50 Years of Service Sunday, May 18th, 5:30 PM. Join Schoke Jewish Family Service as we celebrate 50 years of supporting the Fairfield County community at An Evening with Schoke JFS on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 5:30 PM at Temple Beth El, 350 Roxbury Road, Stamford, CT. This special event will honor the Schoke JFS staff with the 45th Annual Mitzvah Award and include a cocktail reception, dinner, awards presentation, paddle raise supporting the Japha Family Emergency Assistance Program, dessert, and an exciting auction offering one-of-a-kind opportunities. Tickets, including dinner and dessert, are $250 and can be purchased at www.ctjfs.org/gala. For details or to place a journal ad, contact Erika Llanos at 203-921-4161 or ellanos@ctjfs.org. Come celebrate this remarkable milestone and support the important work of Schoke JFS in the community!
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- Community Yom HaShoah Commemoration Wednesday, April 23rd, 7:00 pm. All are invited to join this year's community Yom HaShoah Commemoration, which will be held on April 23 at 7:00 pm, Temple Sinai, 458 Lakeside Drive, Stamford. 99-year-old Auschwitz survivor, Ernest Nemeth will be speaking as well as award-winning author Karen Blankfeld. Visit http://www.ujf.org/YomHaShoah25 to register
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- NextGen Yom Ha'atzmaout Party Saturday, April 26th, 9:00 pm. Celebrate 77 years of Israeli independence with NextGen on Saturday April 26 starting at 9:00 pm at Serendipity Labs, 700 Canal Street, Stamford. Enjoy food, open bar, and a live DJ spinning all of your favorite Israeli tunes. Visit: www.ujf.org/nextgenYH
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- Fairfield County Celebrates Israel Festival Sunday, April 27th, 2:00-5:00 pm. UJF, Stamford JCC, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County, host Fairfield County's annual Celebrate Israel Festival. Celebrate with live music, games, crafts, food, and more. Attendees will enjoy a live-performance by award-winning Israeli singer-songwriter Gilad Segev. Segev is known world-wide for his Project Heroes non-profit initiative. Visit: https://jewishfestivaloffairfieldcounty.com/ to register
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- Yom Ha'atzmout Flag Raising and Kick-off of Jewish Heritage Month Thursday, May 1, 10:00 am. Join UJF in celebrating the beginning of Jewish Heritage month with an honorary flag raising of Israel's flag in honor of Yom Ha'atzmout. The event will take place at the Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd by the flagpole. There will be a short reception following the flag raising which features some speakers and refreshments.
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- Say Friendship! Please donate & participate in The Friendship Day & Walk May 4th from 12-2:30pm. Come for a free family fun day as we walk hand in hand and smile to smile in support of families of individuals with special needs. There will be entertainment, delicious food, and more. Visit www.FriendshipDayCT.com to sign up!
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- Voting is Open for the 2025 U.S. Zionist Congress Election Thru Sunday, May 4th. U.S. voting in the 39th World Zionist Congress election is open! The voting will continue through May 4, 2025. Head to zionistelection.org to register and to cast your vote for Israel's future.
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- Community Jewish Heritage Mission to Greece Monday, October 27th- Wednesday November 5th. Join UJF on our Mission Trip to Greece from October 27-November 5 as we'll learn and explore Greece's Jewish history dating back thousands of years! There will be an informational meeting about the trip. If you wish to receive information, email Lara@ujf.org.
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