| Congregation Agudath Sholom
Shabbat Bulletin |
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| | Bo | | January 24, 2026 | 6 Sh"vat |
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| | Friday | | | Candle Lighting | 4:42 PM | | Mincha | 4:47 PM | | Shabbat | | | Shacharit | 7:00/8:00/9:00 AM | | Coffee & Commentary | 8:45 AM | | Sephardic Minyan | 8:45 AM | | Latest Shema | 8:56 AM | | Melachim Class | 9:00 AM | | Latest Shacharit | 10:00 AM | | Family Minyan | 10:00 AM | | Shiur | 10:30 AM | | Code Of Jewish Law | 3:50 PM | | Mincha | 4:40 PM | | Havdalah | 5:43 PM |
From the Bed: The Most Dangerous Distance One of the great gifts of Torah commentary—and one of its rarest skills—is the ability to compress an entire worldview into a single word. It is easy to offer a long teaching, to pile idea upon idea. It is far more difficult to say something enduring with restraint. In that art, Rashi stands almost alone. There is a moment near the end of the Exodus narrative that is among the most dramatic in all of Scripture. It is the night of the tenth plague, makat bechorot. Egypt is struck at its core. The cries rise from every home. The Torah tells us that Pharaoh rises in the middle of the night as the country collapses around him. And Rashi adds just one word: Mimitato—from his bed. At first glance, the word seems unnecessary. Where else would Pharaoh have been? Why does Rashi feel compelled to specify that Pharaoh rose from his bed? That single word, the Hasidic masters explain, opens a window into the deepest pathology of Egypt—and a timeless danger of the human condition. Pharaoh's defining trait throughout the plagues is what the Torah repeatedly calls hardness of heart. This does not mean ignorance. Pharaoh is not confused. He is not uninformed. He has seen miracle after miracle unfold exactly as Moshe foretold. Again and again, the truth has proven itself undeniable. And yet, when Moshe warns him that the final plague will strike at midnight, Pharaoh goes to sleep. That is the meaning of mimitato. Pharaoh is able to lie in bed, to surrender himself to comfort and routine, even while knowing—intellectually—that catastrophe is imminent. Truth reaches his mind, but it never penetrates his heart. Rabbi Yisrael Salanter famously observed that the greatest distance in the world is not between continents, but between the head and the heart. A person can master vast amounts of knowledge and still remain unchanged. Character transformation is harder than intellectual achievement. Growth demands vulnerability. It requires the courage to let truth disrupt comfort. Egypt represents the opposite posture. It is not merely a place of oppression; it is a spiritual condition. Egypt is the refusal to be moved. It is the insistence that no matter what one hears, no matter what evidence accumulates, life will continue as before. The heart calcifies. Growth becomes impossible. This is why the Torah's story of liberation is not only about physical freedom, but about inner freedom. The exodus is meant to create a people capable of change—of hearing a call and responding, of allowing truth to reshape identity. It is no coincidence that one of the most significant portions of the Torah is named not after a prophet or a patriarch, but after Yitro. Yitro represents the antithesis of Pharaoh. He is willing to relinquish status, certainty, and comfort because he recognizes truth. He hears—and he changes. The Hasidic teachers captured this contrast with a simple metaphor: life is a ladder. When it comes to physical matters, one should look down and feel gratitude. There is always less than one might have had. But when it comes to spiritual life, one must always look upward. The question is never "Am I comfortable?" but "Am I growing?" Mimitato is a warning disguised as a detail. It reminds us how easy it is to sleep through moments that demand transformation. How tempting it is to seek maximal comfort and minimal aspiration. How dangerous it is to confuse awareness with change. To leave Egypt then and now means refusing to sleep through truth. It means keeping the heart permeable, unsettled, alive. It means choosing growth over stagnation, movement over numbness, and courage over convenience. The Torah's challenge is quiet but relentless: do not let the distance between what you know and who you are become the longest journey of your life. Wishing you and your families a Shabbat Shalom and God willing full redemption and light speedily and in our days, Rabbi Daniel Cohen |
Rabbi Cohen hosting Father Joseph Gill's class from Cardinal Kung Academy at Congregation Agudath Sholom | |
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Agudath Sholom Annual Dinner
Sunday evening, March 15th, 2026
Lives That Uplift. Impact That Endures.
שַׁלַּח לַחְמְךָ עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם כִּי בְרֹב הַיָּמִים תִּמְצָאֶנּוּ
Cast your bread upon the waters; trust that its impact will endure.
Ecclesiastes 11:1
In the words of King Solomon, we are called to cast our kindness into the world without expectation of return—a way of living that most fully reflects the divine image within us, sending ripples of blessing far beyond the moment. This evening celebrates faithful presence and steady commitment, through which mitzvot are lived and community is sustained. We honor individuals whose devotion is transformative and whose impact endures.
Guests of Honor
Irwin Niedober and Howard Weiss
Community Service Award
Mitchell Bell
Chai Award
Audrey Waldstreicher
Young Leadership Award
Alex and Brett Olsson
Honorary Dinner Chairs
Stephanie and Josh Bilenker
Helene and Harvey Kaminski
Gayle and Howard Rothman
Dinner Chairs
Lorraine and James Marcus
Journal Chairs
Hannah Pitell, Nava Ulmer and Shushannah Yasgur
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Shabbat Topics & Participants |
| Friday Night Dvar Torah | Rabbi Aryeh Roberts | | Coffee & Commentary | Rabbi Daniel Cohen | | Melachim Class | Mark Wagshul | | Shiur | Michael Feldstein: Why Did God Command the Israelites to Take Gold and Silver from Egypt? - dedicated in memory of Tova Feldstein, a"h, on the occasion of her third yahrzeit | | Code of Jewish Law | Rabbi Yossi Kamman | | Seudah Shlishit | Rabbi Daniel Cohen: Siyum on Tractate Zevachim in memory of his mother, Sara Malka Bat Aharon Avraham Halevi z"l |
- to Ariella Niedober on her Bat Mitzvah, her parents Jessica & Eliaz, grandfather Irwin and the entire Niedober/Kfare Family!
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- to Kori & Bill Meyers on the engagement of their son Ben to Ayelet Bessler, daughter of Michal & Barry Bessler of Brookline, Massachusetts!
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- to Madeleine & David Bavelsky on the birth of a baby boy, Noah Yitzchak! Mazal Tov to big sister Layla!
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- to Neda Khaghan & Robert Yaghoubian, recipients of the Lamplighter Award and Jacob Contente, recipient of the CTeen Volunteer Award at the annual Chabad Gala this Sunday!
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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 Lynne Frenkel on the passing of her beloved uncle, Eugene Price z"l
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- Shabbat Bulletin: Gail & Bob Loonin in commemoration of the 21st yahrzeit of Gail's mother, Mayme Medjuck z"l (Mushka Bas Herschel)
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- Senior Challah Deliveries: Meryl & David Gordon in memory of Meryl's mother, Regina Greenwald, Rivka bat Yitzhak, on her fourth yahrzeit
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- Chapel Kiddush: Aviva & Paul Schieber in commemoration of the yahrzeits of Paul's mother, Chana bat Avraham Dov z"l; and grandmother, Rivka bat Yitzhak haLevi z"l; and L'Chaim by Lisa Michelson in commemoration of the yahrzeit of her mother, Naomi Michelson z"l
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- Sephardic Kiddush: Sarit & Yoni Hormadaly in memory of the Yartzheit of Yoni's grandfather, Yitzhak Ben Hannah z"l
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- Sanctuary Kiddush: Jessica & Eliaz Niedober in celebration of Ariella's Bat Mitzvah
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- Seudah Shlishit: Co-sponsored by Jessica & Eliaz Niedober in celebration of Ariella's Bat Mitzvah; and Diane & Rabbi Daniel Cohen in memory of Sandra Cohen z"l on the occasion of her 37th Yahrzeit
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Shabbat, January 24 - 6:30 PM |
| Conversational Hebrew with Moshe Shapiro |
Tuesday, January 27 - 10:00 AM |
| Friday Night Dinner with Yosef Lindell |
Friday, January 30 - 6:00 PM |
| Making a Good Marriage Great - Shalom Bayit Young Couples Chavura |
Sunday, February 1 - 8:00 PM |
| | Tuesday, February 3 - 8:15 AM |
| Tuesday, February 3 - 4:30 PM |
| NJOP Crash Course in Basic Judaism |
Thursday, February 5 - 7:45 PM |
| First Annual Adult Bracha Bee |
Shabbat, February 7 - 11:00 AM |
| Yom Iyun with Rabbi Chaim Jachter |
Sunday, February 8 - 9:15 AM |
| CAS Youth Tu B'Shvat Event |
Sunday, February 8 - 11:30 AM |
| 55+ Social Committee at the Museum |
Wednesday, February 18 - 12:00 PM |
| Middle Feastern Sephardic Food Event |
Saturday Night, February 21 - 8:30 PM |
| Sushi and Shiur: A Monthly Women's Learning Night |
Monday, February 23 - 8:00 PM |
| Senior Challah Delivery Sponsorships |
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Literature at Lunch Roundtable led by Dr. Richard Schwartz Wednesday, January 28 - 12:00 PM All are welcome to join our Tu B'Shvat, Festival of Trees celebration. Trees written by World War One soldier-poet, Joyce Kilmer, expresses the writer's awe as he ponders the divine origin of trees. We will then segue to Mishlei, King Solomon's Book of Proverbs, and probe Mussar, or ethical conduct, that is at the foundational root of our Etz Chaim, the Tree of Life. If you have any questions, or plan to attend in person, please contact me at rj@richardjschwartz.com. Lunch catered from Restaurant 613. Zoom personal meeting ID 8784487429 Passcode 868450 | CAS Men's Chabura Wednesday, January 28 - 8:00 PM With the Super Bowl around the corner, Rabbi Roberts will be giving a shiur and leading a discussion on the topic of Sports Betting from a Jewish perspective. Hosted and Co-Sponsored by Bradley Baskir. Please reach out to Sam Sroka or Rabbi Roberts if you have any questions. |
Purim Women's Megillah Reading We're currently looking for women to lein in our Women's Megillah Reading on Purim night. If you are interested in leining, fill out out this form. Questions? Email Zionadoft@yahoo.com
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Donate a book to help strengthen our Family Minyan experience! Help build an engaging space where our children can connect to the parsha and tefillah, and where parents and children can learn and grow together during davening. Dedications available! Click here to view the shop. Also: if you have a used book at home that you think would enhance the Family Minyan bookshelf, please contact Rabbi Roberts.
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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
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- Shabbat Icebreakers (courtesy of Yaakov Moshe and Elisheva Shmidman)
- What's the darkest place you've ever been (plague of darkness)?
- What's your favorite Pesach memory (all of the laws of Pesach)?
- What's a time you did something for Judaism that took courage (the Jews sacrificed the Egyptian deity)?
- Would You Rather - Have terrific matza or terrific wine for the four cups (all of the laws of Pesach)?
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- Registration for 2026 Jewish Baseball League season is live! FCCJBL is a co-ed, ages 4-11 year old little league and plays on Sundays only. Season opener is 4/12. Please sign up on www.fccjbl.org. Please reach out to info@fccjbl.org with any questions.
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- 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
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- 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.
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- Shacharit Sunday: 7:15/8:30 AM; Monday-Friday: 6:30/7:30/8:30 AM
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- Mincha Sunday-Thursday: 4:50 PM; Friday: 4:55 PM
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- Candle Lighting Friday: 4:50 PM
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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
- Aharon ben Bracha
- 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
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- 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
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- Vaad Community Update: Insomnia Cookies Insomnia Cookies is a national franchise, and some locations operate under kosher supervision. I have begun discussions following guidance from Rabbi Melman, who supervises Insomnia Cookies locations in the NYC area to explore whether the Stamford store could potentially be considered for supervision by the Vaad Hakashrut of Fairfield County, with the support of Beldottis. At this time, the store is not kosher certified. Updates will be shared as conversations continue, God willing.
Rabbi Daniel Cohen, President, Vaad Hakashrut of Fairfield County
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- 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.
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- UJF's Cardozo Society Presents: Ethical Considerations for Using AI in Law Practice Monday, February 9 at 6:30pm Join the UJF's Cardozo Society for an engaging evening exploring the ethical considerations of using artificial intelligence in law practice. This program will review benefits and pitfalls, grounded in the requirement of competency and include examples of when AI was helpful - and when it was misused or improperly relied upon. This program is open to all. Early Bird pricing available until February 2nd. Register at http://www.ujf.org/cardozo.
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- Women on the Frontlines Monday, February 23 at 10:00 am Join UJF of Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien and UJA-JCC of Greenwich for this compelling presentation by photographer Debbie Zimelman, who will share powerful images of female combat soldiers who played a direct role in the war against Hamas. This will be an intimate look at their fears, challenges, and triumphs. Register at http://www.ujf.org/Frontline.
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- A Conversation for Caregivers (both lay and professional) – "Finding Strength, Giving Support" March 5th 11:30- 1:00 pm Panelists: Dr. Joseph Feuerstein, Roni Lang, LCSW, and Rabbi MJ Newman. Moderators: Robin Bennett Kanarek, RN and Stephanie Paulmeno, DNP, RN. Co-sponsors: Jewish Family Service of Greenwich & the Israel Cancer Research Fund Location: Temple Sinai, 458 Lakeside Drive, Stamford Cost $36 per family unit Light lunch - bagel and schmear Register required: ICRF Panel | JFS of Greenwich Questions: David.Kweskin@ICRFonline.org or bjabick@jfsgreenwich.org
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- Cocktails for a Cause Thursday, March 5 at 7:30 pm Sip, socialize, and support a cause! Enjoy handcrafted cocktails, tarot card readings, and discover meaningful ways to give back with UJF's Women's Philanthropy group, featuring 3Square, Dignity Grows, David's Treasure Tree, Aaron's Place, and Reading Partners. Register at http://www.ujf.org/cocktails.
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- 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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