Congregation Agudath Sholom Shabbat Bulletin

Congregation Agudath Sholom Shabbat Bulletin Shemot January 10, 2026 21 Tevet send your submission to bulletin@cas-stamford.org ‌ ‌ Friday Candle Lighting 4:26 PM Mincha 4:31 PM Shabbat Shacharit 7:00/8:00/9:00 AM Coffee & Commentary 8:40 AM Sephardic Minyan 8:45 AM Latest Shema 8:57 AM Melachim Class 9:00 AM Latest Shacharit 9:58 AM Bob's Basics 10:00 AM Family Minyan 10:00 AM Shiur 10:30 AM Code Of Jewish Law 3:30 PM Pre-Mincha Parent and Teen Learning with Rav Feldman 3:45 PM Mincha 4:20 PM Havdalah 5:27 PM Shabbat Shalom The Book of Names and the Courage to Be One The book we call Sefer HaGeulah—the Book of Redemption—bears a curious name. It is not called Freedom. It is not called Salvation. It is called Shemot—Names. At first glance, the title seems almost incidental. This is the book that traces the Jewish people's journey from slavery to liberation, from degradation to destiny. And yet the Torah does not frame redemption as a sweeping historical force. It frames it as something intimate, personal, and precise. Redemption unfolds not through abstractions, but through individuals. That insight is underscored by a striking irony. At the very beginning of Shemot, many of the most decisive figures are anonymous. "A man went from the house of Levi and married a woman from the house of Levi." No names. A child is born, still unnamed. Even Moshe, the greatest redeemer, enters history without identity or distinction. The Torah seems to insist that we never know in advance who will matter, or when. Redemption does not announce itself. It begins quietly, when someone refuses to disappear into the background. This is the challenge Mordechai issues to Esther centuries later, when silence appears safer than action. Who knows if for this very moment you have attained royalty? Esther is not asked whether she is ready, only whether she understands that position creates responsibility. History turns not on convenience, but on conviction. That same logic animates the early chapters of Shemot. Batya, Pharaoh's daughter, raised in the very house of oppression, chooses to rescue a Hebrew child. She knows precisely what her father represents, and she chooses otherwise. Moshe, witnessing violence, refuses neutrality. Indifference, as Elie Wiesel would later insist, is not the absence of evil but its accomplice. And then there are the midwives. Here, at last, the Torah gives us names: Shifra and Puah. Pharaoh commands them to kill the newborn boys. They could have complied discreetly. They could have rationalized their powerlessness. Instead, the Torah explains their resistance in a single phrase: the midwives feared God. This yirat Elokim—fear of God—is not terror but moral clarity. It is the recognition that Pharaoh is only a man, while God is the ultimate Judge. Because they feared God, they were no longer afraid of power. Avraham articulates this principle generations earlier when he says, "There is no fear of God in this place." One of my teachers, a Holocaust survivor, once sharpened that insight with chilling precision: Being cultured is not the same as being moral. Without fear of God, anything can be justified. Jewish history bears this out. Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews by issuing visas against orders, was warned that he would lose everything. He replied simply: I would rather stand with God against man than with man against God. The same courage appeared in quieter form when Eddie Jacobson, an ordinary Jewish haberdasher and the closest friend of President Harry Truman, intervened at a critical moment to urge American recognition of the State of Israel. He had no official role, no institutional authority, only a name, a relationship, and a sense of responsibility. The Book of Redemption is called Names because redemption advances one decision at a time. Not everyone is remembered, but every choice counts. History moves forward when individuals decide, in their moment, to act not according to what is safe, but according to what is right. That is the courage the Torah demands—and the quiet heroism it continues to honor. Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Daniel Cohen We had a great Man Up Bar Mitzvah trip to visit Rabbi Pincus at Tiferes Stam on Sunday to learn the inside story on Tefillin and buy new pairs for the special mitzvah. Of course, what better than followed up by a delicious old school lunch at Essex on Coney Island Ave! Mazal Tov to Natan Warmflash, Alexander Siegel, Matthew Sosnovich, Shaya Mosenkis and Alex Folkinshteyn and their families on their Bnai Mitzvah in the months ahead and may they be inspired in mitzvah observance for many years! Shabbat Topics & Participants Coffee & Commentary Rabbi Daniel Cohen Melachim Class Mark Wagshul Bob's Basics Rabbi Bob Abrams Shiur Dovid Green Sanctuary Sermon Rabbi Shaul Feldman: Reading Redemption in the Pages of Exile - Rabbi Akiva's Faith for Our Time Code of Jewish Law Rabbi Yossi Kamman Seudah Shlishit Rabbi Shaul Feldman: From Division to Devotion - Yosef, His Brothers, and Our Generation Welcome to our Scholar in Residence Rabbi Shaul Feldman hosted in partnership with Bnei Akiva of the United States and Canada Mazal Tov to Sarah Bierman & Daniel Wallis on the birth of a baby girl! Mazal Tov to siblings Ayala and Joseph! to Steve & Penny z"l Block on the arrival of a granddaughter, Noya Arielle, born to Stanley & Gabby Block in Israel! Mazal Tov to great aunt and uncle Liba & Steve Steinmetz and the entire Block/Steinmetz family! Celebrate with the family! Make a donation in their honor and we will send an acknowledgement to the family. Just click here Condolences to Mouchka Heller on the passing of her grandfather, Gabriel ben Rachamim Houri z"l to Sam Gressel on the passing of his grandmother, Betty Gressel z"l Thank You to Lucy Schwartz for her tireless time and effort in chairing the Family Friday Night Dinner! Thank you to UJF of Stamford, New Canaan and Darien for supporting the dinner in connection with their One Shabbat, One Community focus! Thanks To Our Sponsors Senior Challah Deliveries: Greg & Amanda Smith Chapel Kiddush: Ana & Albert Lilienfeld in memory of the yahrzeit of Albert's father, Jacob Lilienfeld z"l Sanctuary Kiddush: Dov & Mouchka Heller and their children, Asher, Tessa Bella, and Nathan, Le'Ilui Nishmat Mouchka's grandfather, Gabriel ben Rachamim Houri, who passed away on the 18th of Tevet. May his Neshama have an Aliyah and may we never forget the giants on whose shoulders we stand. Seudah Shlishit: Co-sponsored by Stella & Isaac Cohen in memory of Abraham(Roger) Cohen z"l and The Hager Family in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Rabbi Emil Hager z"l Sign Up for these Events learn more Scholar in Residence with Rav Shaul Feldman Shabbat, January 10 sign up Parent-Child Learning Shabbat, January 10 - 6:30 PM sign up CAS Youth Chanukah Celebration Sunday, January 11 - 10:30 AM sign up An Evening of Learning with Atara Eis Sunday, January 11 - 7:30 PM sign up CAS Movie Club Sunday, January 11 - 8:00 PM sign up Agudath Sholom Kesher (ASK) Monday, January 12 - 4:45 PM sign up Living Your Purpose Tuesday, January 13 - 8:15 AM sign up Parenting with Purpose Sunday, January 18 - 8:00 PM sign up Mitzvah Day at Grade A Monday, January 19 - 10:00 AM sign up Stamford Jewish Experience Friday Night Dinner Friday, January 23 - 6:00 PM sign up Making a Good Marriage Great - Shalom Bayit Young Couples Chavura Sunday, February 1 - 8:00 PM Sign Up CAS Blood Drive Monday, February 2 sign up NJOP Crash Course in Basic Judaism Thursday, February 5 - 7:45 PM sign up Yom Iyun with Rabbi Chaim Jachter Sunday, February 8 - 9:15 AM Learn more Senior Challah Delivery Sponsorships CAS Youth News Mentorship Opportunity with Sarah Walsh, Director of Greater NY & CT  "Upon graduating from McGill University in Montreal, I started out in the Jewish world at the Birthright Israel Foundation, which sent me on a trajectory to Friends of the IDF, Federation, and AIPAC. If I can help set someone else into the right path, I would be honored to pay forward the opportunities granted to me as a young adult." If there are any high school, college, or recent graduates who are interested in AIPAC, advocacy, Jewish non-profit work, etc, Sarah is available to shadow for a morning. If you are interested, please contact Rabbi Cohen at rabbicohen@cas-stamford.org CAS Announcements Shabbat Icebreakers (courtesy of Yaakov Moshe and Elisheva Shmidman)  What was the best work environment you were ever in (The servant who says that he loves his master etc.)? What is a crazy baby sitting experience you have had (Parsha of Shomrim)? How would you deal with a situation that you felt was escalating towards physical conflict (the parsha discusses people fighting with one another)? Would You Rather - If you had to go to court, would you rather an extremely fair judge or a great lawyer (It is forbidden to twist judgement)? Hospitality Opportunity - Hosting the BCHA Banot, Eden and Herut, for Shabbat   We have been blessed for many years to host BCHA Banot in our community. From personal experience, the presence of the Banot in our home, deeply impacted our daughters love of Israel and forged life time friendships. Take a few moments, today, to sign up for a Shabbat meal to host our wonderful Banot Eden and Herut. It would be great if we could fill up all of their meals between now and the end of Feb to start. Thank you!! https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/2693 Meeting our Members Project: Monthly Member Features on the Big Screen!  Thank God, our shul is growing every week! We would love to highlight families on a rotating basis on the screen in our lobby. It is a great way to connect names with faces and fuel the warmth of our shul! Our Request: Fill out this survey with a Photo and send it back to us at your convenience. We are a shul created in God's Image where we celebrate our diversity, and warmth. Thank you for being a part of our wonderful and unique shul family! For questions, contact Brad or Rabbi Cohen. Making A Good Marriage Great: Shalom Bayit Young Couples Chavura  with Rabbi Daniel and Diane Cohen. Starts Winter 2026 - Rabbi Daniel and Diane Cohen will lead a three month series on strengthening marriage, deepening relationships and growing in romance and love. The series will be hosted at private homes. To learn more and/or be hosts, contact Rabbi Cohen at rabbicohen@cas-stamford.org Michael Feldstein's Latest Article  click here Weekday Schedule Shacharit  Sunday: 7:15/8:30 AM; Monday-Friday: 6:30/7:30/8:30 AM Mincha  Sunday-Thursday: 4:35 PM; Friday: 4:38 PM Candle Lighting  Friday: 4:33 PM CAS Classes Join one of our classes. Click here for up to date schedule We Wish A Speedy Recovery To Tzvi Zev Yosef ben Chana Shulamit Yaffa bat Hanna Anat bat Rachel Moshe Yosef ben Sarah Raanan Noach ben Slova Chaim ben Leah Yosef Ishai ben Miriam Yocheved Rochel bat Chava Kayla Sheina Feiga bat Rivka Hershel Wolf ben Brucha Rema bat Etta Yitzchak ben Shmuel v. Chaya Freidel bat Esther Leeba Minna bat Rivka Pesach Melech ben Basha Chaya Shoshana bat Yehudit Nira bat Rachel Sara bat Nira יוֹסֵף ben בתיה Chana Leah bat Esther Nadav Ephraim ben Shlomit Leah Rafael Zvi ben Chana Pearl Evgeny ben Perl Ariella Maor bat Liba Chaya Leah bat Rivka חיים זאב ben לאה Adeline bat Chava Moisha Gedalia Nechemiah Dorit bat Ora Yospa bat Shana Menucha Michal bat Chana Rachel Leah bat Sara Mary Yosef Noach ben Dina Uriel ben Vered 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 Dov ben Pnina Nehama Miriam bat Dvora Yehouda ben Aghdas Hersh Zalman ben Sorah Rochel Moshe Gavriel ben Rachel Esther Cheryl Sheva bat Gittel Leah Sossie Raizel bat Sarah Fraida Calev Natanel ben Sara Yitzchak Osher ben Chana Shayva Chaya Inna bat Tanya Click here to add a name to this list We Honor Our Military Ariel Y Shani Y Tali Y Yoad A Harry B CZM JEM AMM Nathan H Noam H Yehudit Sally K Oren L Nathan L Rachel M Jeremy S Yehudit S Meni N Yaniv H Rachel W Click here to add a name to this list Community Announcements TBE Tzedek Committee invites you to Censorship, Book Banning, and First Amendment Rights  Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 9:30 AM at Temple Beth El. Featuring Dr. Tamu Lucero, Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools; Regan Allan, Director of Education & Engagement at Stamford Public Education Foundation (SPEF); and Alice Knapp, CEO of Ferguson Library. Doors open at 9:00 am for a light breakfast. $10 for adults over age 20 by 1 pm on Friday, Jan. 9th. $15 at the door. Middle school and high school students are encouraged to attend. Please RSVP to www.tinyurl/com/censor1-11-26 Save the date... Second Annual Tova Feldstein Memorial Lecture  Monday evening, Jan. 26, 2026,7:30pm at the Stamford JCC. Speaker: Dena Cooperman, Executive Director of Jewish Union Foundation at Yachad. Topic: "Inclusion That Works: Creating Opportunity in Community and Employment". No RSVP required. Aaron's Place - A Kosher Comfort Room  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 relax and refresh. Information is available at the hospital front desk, The code, in Hebrew letters, is on the door of the room. Volunteers Needed! To volunteer, please email ronsichel@aol.com

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