Congregation Agudath Sholom Shabbat Bulletin

Congregation Agudath Sholom Shabbat Bulletin Vayechi January 3, 2026 14 Tevet send your submission to bulletin@cas-stamford.org ‌ ‌ Friday Candle Lighting 4:19 PM Mincha 4:24 PM Shabbat Shacharit 7:00/8:00/9:00 AM Coffee & Commentary 8:40 AM Sephardic Minyan 8:45 AM Latest Shema 8:55 AM Melachim Class 9:00 AM Latest Shacharit 9:56 AM Bob's Basics 10:00 AM Family Minyan 10:00 AM Shiur 10:30 AM Code Of Jewish Law 3:25 PM Mincha 4:15 PM Havdalah 5:20 PM Shabbat Shalom One Day The days of Yaakov's life are coming to a close. Sensing his final moments on earth, he asks Yosef to promise him that he will be buried in Israel with his ancestors. His deep commitment to this ideal is one of the primary sources for burial in Israel. He then calls on his grandchildren and children to offer them blessings. It is clear from the text of these blessings that his intention is not simply to make them feel good, but to empower them to realize their unique potential in the world and embrace and perpetuate the legacy of the Jewish people. Among the blessings he shares with them is a secret that is transcendent, unifying and deeply relevant to all of us. It is embodied in the way Yaakov himself led his life. It is alluded to in the beginning of the Parsha and implicit in his blessing to his grandchildren. The Torah states that the days of Yaakov's life were coming to an end. Notably, the Torah does not state "years," but "days." It could have said that the years of his life were coming to a close. Why the emphasis on days? The Ohr Hachaim, Rabbi Chaim Attar, explains that Yaakov understood one of life's most important lessons. We are born not only with a soul, but with unique sparks in that soul corresponding to each day of our lives. Our mandate is to redeem the potential within each day. When we go to sleep at night, the spark returns to God. It is no wonder that the Torah describes the most righteous as not having lived many years, but as having lived with length of days. Yaakov understood that we cannot control how many years we are on this earth, but we can control what we do with each day. It is this message he shares with his grandchildren. The Torah states that Yaakov blessed Ephraim and Menashe on "that day" that the Jewish people would invoke their names when blessing children. The words "that day" can also be understood to mean that his blessing to them was to live life focusing only on the day we are experiencing right now. Too often we live with regret and in the past or contemplate the future and miss the opportunities inherent in the present moment. Much of life can pass us by when we are not fully present with the people around us and in the activities we do. Yaakov tells his grandchildren and us to be focused on this day, redeem the spark and then we will be blessed to maximize the gift of every day. Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom and God willing good news in the days ahead, Rabbi Daniel Cohen Shabbat Topics & Participants Coffee & Commentary Rabbi Daniel Cohen Melachim Class Mark Wagshul Bob's Basics Rabbi Bob Abrams Shiur Rabbi Aryeh Roberts: Leniency and Mourning Musaf Joel Selter Code of Jewish Law Rabbi Yossi Kamman Seudah Shlishit Rabbi Yossi Kamman Welcome to Yosef Bensimon who will be joining the Sephardic Minyan as the Baal Tefillah and Baal Koreh this Shabbat Condolences to Ari Tretin on the passing of his grandfather, Holocaust survivor, Ezra Berkowitz z"l Thanks To Our Sponsors Senior Challah Deliveries: Greg & Amanda Smith Chapel Kiddush: Aviva & Paul Schieber in commemoration of Aviva's father, Rabbi Lester Hering's z"l, 1st yahrzeit and her mother, Charlotte Hering's z"l, yahrzeit Sephardic Kiddush: Moshe & Sara Azoulay in honor of Moshe's parents, Salomon & Zohara Azoulay z"l Sanctuary Kiddush and Seudah Shlishit: Co-sponsored by Rachel & Dan Haron in memory Larry Rezak z"l; Tricia & Rob Hoff in memory of Dion Hoff z"l; Lynn & Jeffrey Lowin on the 14th anniversary of the surgery that saved Jeff's life; Meira & Yossi Scheiner in memory of Yossi's father, Yaakov Levi ben Shmuel, Julian Scheiner z"l; Ilyse and Dean Schuckman in memory Ilyse's father Lawrence Newman z"l; Sheryl & Mark Schwartz in memory of Elliot Schwartz z"l Sign Up for these Events sign up Family Friday Night Dinner Friday, January 9 - 5:45 PM learn more Scholar in Residence with Rav Shaul Feldman Shabbat, January 10 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 Agudath Sholom Kesher (ASK) Monday, January 12 - 4:45 PM 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 NJOP Crash Course in Basic Judaism Thursday, February 5 - 7:45 PM 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's a meaningful memory you have with a grandparent (Yaakov blesses Menashe and Ephraim)? What's your spirit animal (the shevatim are compared to animals)? What's a blessing you felt that you saw come true in your life (Yaakov blesses the Menashe and Ephraim as well as the shevatim)? Would You Rather - receive a beautiful blessing or a very insightful but hard hitting criticism (Yaakov blesses some shevatim and criticizes others)? 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: 4:30 PM; Friday: 4:31 PM Candle Lighting  Friday: 4:26 PM CAS Classes New Learning Initiative  WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7 at 8 PM | BBQ MEN'S BEIT MIDRASH Every other Wednesday night! Wings and Poppers will be served. Choose between chavrusa learning on in-depth halacha from the parsha OR chassidus on the parsha, followed by a late maariv. This week: Rabbi Feller will be teaching chassidus related to lashon hara, followed by a halacha shiur from Rabbi Roberts on the topic: "Is Harmful Speech Ever Beneficial? Lashon Hara in Therapy, the Workplace, and Between Spouses". Every other Wednesday night! Reach out to Rabbi Roberts to be added to the Whatsapp group. 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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