Seudah Shlishit: R’ James Kennard Topic: “Where will
we be in 2035? Challenges for our
community”
Seder Tu B’Shevat in Goldberger Hall
7:20pm
YAHRTZEITS
Jeremy Rapke (Father)
Max Jotkowitz (Father)
Sam Tatarka (Mother)
Avi Gutman (Mother) Peter Kacser
(Mother)
Jack Cherny (Father)
Jeff Lipshatz (Father)
Ludevit Ehrenreich (Brother)
Shosh Kloot (Mother)
MAZAL TOV
[Type text]
BAR MITZVAH ANNIVERSARIES
Elchanan Brown, Shlomi Menahem
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Shabbat: Daniel Saddik, Joshua Kohn,
Sunday: Jeff Rubin, Joshua Heinrichs, Richard Zimmermann, Zvi Brooks Monday: Daniel Wein, Kate Weinstock, Laura Posniak, Mark Franks
Tuesday: Joshua Felman, Robert Epstein (HBD)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES Candice & Darren Katz Carmit & Nathan Cher Rachel & Mikey Teller
If you have an occasion or milestone event that you would like to be mentioned in Mizrachi Matters, please email it to [email protected] by 12:00pm on Thursdays
ס ב "ד 23 January 2016 13 Shevat 5776 Parshat Beshallach
Yahrzeits during the coming week Richard Codron (Father) [24 January] Helen Steinberg (Step-Mother) [24 January] Arnold Sloshberg (Mother) [24 January] Joel Freedman (Father) [30 January] Shabbat times Candle Lighting this week 8.23 pm Candle Lighting time if attending Kabbalat Shabbat 7.11 pm Kabbalat Shabbat this week 6.45 pm Pre-Shacharit Shiur 9.00 am Shacharit 9.30 am Rabbi’s Shabbat Shiur 7.25 pm Mincha at 8.10 pm Shabbat ends at 9.25 pm Candle Lighting next week 8.18 pm Candle Lighting next week if attending Kabbalat Shabbat 7.08 pm Kabbalat Shabbat next week 6.45 pm The Rabbi’s Shabbat Shiurim The early shiur (9.00am, before Shacharit) - come join the Rabbi for cake, coffee and an exploration of the mystical parsha Birthdays this week Benjamin Gorov turns 7 on 24 January In shule this week … Josh Akerstein will be leading Kabbalat Shabbat, Basil Krawitz will be leading Shacharit, Edward Lichtig will be leining, David Bernshaw will be saying the Haftorah and leading Mussaf. Kiddush this Shabbat You are all invited to the kiddush, which will be sponsored by EJC. Weekday Services Weekday morning services will resume this coming Wednesday 27 January at 6.45am Sunday morning services will resume next week on Sunday 30 January at 8.00 am Kids Club EJC’s terrific Kids Club will resume next Shabbat 31 January 2016
RINA PUSHETT SHABBAT SHIURIM 5776 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF RINA PUSHETT ל"ז
BET YEHUDA - WEISS MIZRACHI CENTRE 81 Balaclava Road, Caulfield North
Rina Pushett (nee Kozak) born in Tel-Aviv, migrated to Melbourne in 1954 and easily settled into the community. She married Yankel Pushett in 1958 and had three 3 children, Tamara, Benjy & Leora. Rina established and taught at the Yavneh kindergarten that gradually evolved into Yavneh College. Rina furthered her own education, graduating from Melbourne University with a B.A. majoring in Linguistics,
Spanish and Middle Eastern studies, eventually lecturing in Middle Eastern studies. Rina joined Emunah in 1959 and became an active and committed member. She undertook the position of Education officer, establishing the Annual Emunah Education day. These were held as daylong workshops, focussing on global and local issues pertaining to Jewish activities and problems. In addition Rina introduced the Emunah Summer Shabbat Shiurim, inviting speakers from the whole Jewish community. The concept of these shiurm as well as the Annual Education day were recognized by World Emunah and replicated by most other Emunah member nations as well as other organisations.
Shabbat Yitro 30 January 6:00pm Rabbi Danny Mirvis Shabbat Mishpatim 6 February 6:00pm Joint Seudah Shlishit with
the Midrasha Shabbat Terumah 13 February 6:00pm Rabbi Ryan Levin Shabbat Tetzaveh 20 February 6:00pm Sonia Slonim Shabbat Ki Tissa 27 February 5:30pm Althea Mirvis
Shabbat Vayalkhel 5 March 5:30pm Joint Seudah Shlishit with the Midrasha
Shabbat Pekudei 12 March 5:15pm Doodie Bankier Shabbat Vayikra 19 March 5:15pm Ruth Rosenberg
This newsletter is dedicated in memory of Yisrael Chaim ben Chana z"l Mazal Tov to David Cooper, President of TMT Memphis, on the engagement of his son, Ariel
Rav Baruch Weintraub
Former Rosh Kollel in Toronto (2011-2014) Currently Rabbi at Kehillat Mevazer Tzion, Tel Mond and Ram in Yeshivat Orot Shaul, Kfar Batya
Whales in the Red Sea "And Egypt pursed them, and entered [the sea] after them, all of Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and charioteers, to the middle of the sea." (Sh'mot 14:23) This sentence raises a serious question: How did the Egyptians enter the middle of the sea without realizing the danger they were courting? Did they not witness the plagues in Egypt and know the might of G-d? And now that they saw Him split Yam Suf, should they not have worried that the sea might return to its former state? A straightforward answer is presented in an earlier passage (Sh'mot 14:17), "I will harden the heart of Egypt and they will enter after them". G-d hardens the heart of Egypt, and so they do not fear entry into the sea. But what is the meaning of this 'hardening of the heart'? Does G-d meddle directly in Pharaoh's thoughts, or does it happen in some other way? Of course, this question is subsumed in the broader question of Pharaoh's freedom of choice from the time G-d began to harden his heart, during the plagues, through the 'strengthening' of his heart mentioned here. Presumably, one cannot punish a sinner who lacks the ability to choose freely, so why was Pharaoh punished? Rambam (Hilchot Teshuvah 6) explains that Pharaoh was only punished for his earlier sins. Other early commentators, including S'forno, have suggested that G-d did not force Pharaoh to keep the Jews as slaves but only strengthened his ability to withstand the emotional toll of the plagues he suffered, so that he
could repent independently. Perhaps one could suggest a third approach, though. In Moby Dick (Chapter 41), Herman Melville described Captain Ahab's insane desire to catch the whale, writing, "The White Whale swam before him as the monomaniac incarnation of all those malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating in them, till they are left living on with half a heart and half a lung. Ahab ... pitted himself, all mutilated, against it. All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick. He piled upon the whale's white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it." The insanity of Ahab and Pharaoh flowed from the human inclination to focus on matters of minor significance instead of the big picture. When this inclination evolved to dominate their being, it became obsession, and they unwittingly lost the whole while battling for a fraction. This is the charge of Pharaoh's advisers, "Do you not yet know that Egypt is lost?" This hardening of Pharaoh's heart is not nullification of his freedom; G-d only allowed his natural psychological vulnerability to sway him. G-d set up the war with Pharaoh as a matter of principle – Pharaoh's lack of legitimate ownership of G-d's Jews - and Pharaoh homed in on that to the exclusion of all else. Pharaoh believed that freeing his slaves was not an ethical obligation and he could not be compelled to do so. He failed to perceive a greater picture: G-d directs the world; G-d had chosen to remove the Jews from Egypt; Man is created in the image designed by G-d and ought not be enslaved to another. Pharaoh only perceived the details he chose to perceive, and in the end he saw the dry land in the centre but not the water waiting to close upon him. Even if he saw the water, perhaps he told himself, "To the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee." (Moby Dick, Chap. 135) And so G-d 'hardened' the heart of Pharaoh. Hashem could have chosen another way to remove the Jews from Egypt; perhaps a dialogue could have led to peaceful emancipation of the Jews. Instead, Hashem chose the pedagogic path of a battle over principle, and Pharaoh stood to defend his principles, and so Egypt came to know "that I am G-d" (Shemot 14:4), A world view that does not include the Will of G-d is flawed, and must lead to ethical error, and eventually to the depths of a sea of darkness and hatred. As the people who survived Yam Suf, we should always elevate ourselves when determining our path. We must take into consideration not only fragments of reality, but also the root principle that emerged with us from Yam Suf: "G-d will reign forever." (Sh'mot 15:18)
TMT Spotlight: Once a Shaliach, Always a Shaliach!
Though he only returned from his Shlichut in Sydney this summer, former Torah MiTzion Shaliach Avichai Berkovitz is already leading an amazing new project! It is now summer vacation in the southern hemisphere, and many high school students take advantage of the break to travel and and have fun. Filling in that gap, Avichai organized a two-week trip in Israel for a group of 12th grade girls from both Sydney and South Africa.
The aim of the program was recognizing the unique and special relationship each one of us has with Israel, through learning Torah and a range of other experiences. The program included a three-day wilderness trip, getting to know Israeli culture by being hosted by Israeli families, a week of learning Torah at Midreshet Harova in the Old City, and much more. The program was a huge success and the girls are already planning their return to Israel after finishing high school for a Shana B'Aretz program.
Daniel Green, another former Shaliach in Sydney (2013-2014), also took part in the program. He guided the girls and served as the group's armed guard. Notably, much of the funds for the trip were raised by Avichai himself from private donors, while rabbis and organizations helped on a voluntary basis, making the trip affordable for anyone that wanted to participate.
Around The World
Torah MiTzion's Shlichim in
Sydney visiting New Zealand
Tu B'Shvat family learning night
in KTM Montreal
The Shlichim in Memphis participated in NCSY's JSU
program at White Station HS
Another succesful activity for
univeristy students in Munich
ISRAtag
Arik Speaker In cooperation with:
'Lilmod' Coordinator and Head of European Desk in Torah MiTzion
The statue of the artist Emilio Mogilner "The Hill-Keeper" was erected in Ness Ziona in 2001. It symbolizes the spirit of nature conservation and natural open spaces. Another three similar statues are scattered across the country. The largest of them all stands 17 meters high and weighs 450 tons. It is called "The Guardian of the Negev" and is located at the entrance to the Ramat Hovav industrial zone. The idea is that the statue supposedly protects nature from harm caused by people want to exploit it. The statue was built by Mogilner day. The beginning of the city of Ness Ziona was in a barter transaction that took place in Odessa between a Chabad Hasid who was also a member of the 'Hovevei Zion' Movement named Reuben Lehrer and a German Christian. Lehrer exchanged his home in Odessa in return for an area of approximately 2,000 hectares in Israel. The deal was made prior to the buyer ever seeing the
land, and he was convinced that it was near Jerusalem and in excellent condition. Only after his arrival in Israel with his family did he discover the disrepair of the property and the great distance from The Holy City.
One of the unique characteristics of this city is an old mosque which was converted into a synagogue the local Arabs left. The name 'Ness Ziona' derives from a quote from Jeremiah: "ודמעת-לא וזיעה הנויצ סנ-ואש"
The answer, further information about this location, as well as the first person to
recognize this site will be published in next week's edition.
Torah MiTzion was established in 1995 with the goal of strengthening Jewish communities around the globe and infusing them with the love for Torah, the
Jewish People and the State of Israel.
Over the past twenty years Torah MiTzion's shlichim have inspired and enriched their host communities through a wide range of high impact
formal and informal educational programs.
In cooperation with :
Our friend Benjy Singer has a very useful website, www.israelk.org, which contains accurate and fresh information of
what's going on in the Religious Anglo Community in Israel.
