YOUNG ISRAEL OF WEST HARTFORD 2240 ALBANY AVENUE WEST HARTFORD, CT 06117 860-233-3084 YOUNG ISRAEL OF WEST HARTFORD Affiliate of the National Council of Young Israel Synagogues, Member of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Sponsor of West Hartford NCSY, National Conference of Synagogue Youth, Kashrut Commission of Greater Hartford, Mikveh Bess Israel of Greater Hartford, Eruv of West Hartford Rabbi Tuvia Brander [email protected]Debra Luger 860-233-0300 or [email protected]Shabbat Mevorchim Parashat Eikev August 8th 2015 23 Av 5775 Kiddush this Shabbat Is sponsored by Phyllis & Sid Ulreich On the occasion of the Yahrzeit of Sid’s mother Sali Shchauer Ulreich And the birthdays of Debbie, Leora & Ari Waltuch Editor: Judie Patel [email protected] מזל טוב מזל טובto Rena (Miller) & Dudie Silberman on their recent marriage! מזל טובto parents Laura & Stu Miller, and Isaac & Elaine Silberman; grand- parents Eva Miller, and Sam Schmiali; מזל טובto the entire Miller and Silberman families!! מזל טובto Jenny (Lichter) & Eliad Shmuel on the birth of their son Ariel Gilad! מזל טובto grandparents Audrey & Arlen Lichter; great grandmother Sylvia Ross siblings Doni & Maya Shmuel; and aunts, uncles and cousins: Shari, Sam & Aaron, and Simon, and the extended Shmuel family! מזל טובto Naomi Shamash on her recent engagement to Dan Krupnick.! מזל טובto parents Edna & David; Steven & Rachel, Shamash; Leila, Tyler & Gavin; Dana & Adam Weiner; Sasha & Zachary; and to the entire Shamash and Weiner families!! ברוך דין האמתWe regret to inform you of the passing of our longtime friend and former member, Gina Gelb, beloved wife of Larry Gelb. May Larry and the extended Gelb family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim. We regret to inform you of the passing of Freyda Barenholtz, Barbara Ungar’s mother. May Barbara and the extended Ungar family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim. SHABBAT MITZVOT TO STUDY 8/8 Negative 181 - 186 YIWH PROJECT 5775 The Concise Book of Mitzvot - The Chafetz Chaim SPEAKERS THIS SHABBAT We have two homegrown speakers this Shabbat: Mark Trencher - Shabbat morning Rabbi Eliot Feldman - Seudah Shlishit SEUDAH SHLISHIT Is sponsored this week by Rabbi Eliot & Ann Feldman on the occasion of the Yahrzeit of Ann’s father Markus Starkman, Mordechai Zev ben Yehoshua; and Helen & Les Loew on the occasion of the Yahrzeit of Les’ father Yesiel ben Yehuda HaCohen. The Unveiling for Helen Breitowitz is sched- uled for tomorrow, August 9th at 2:45 at the United Synagogue Cemetery MANY THANKS Special thanks to Avi Robinson & Josh Dredze who made Tisha B’Av so meaningful! Also Lenny Margulis for his presentation! RABBI TUVIA & MIRIAM BRANDER We are pleased to welcome Rabbi Tuvia & Miri- am Brander to the YIWH family. We wish them a successful and satisfying future with us. The official start date will be August 24, but you may see them occasionally before then, as they relocate to West Hartford. We will keep you posted. While they will not be in West Hart- ford until August 24th, he can be reached by email at [email protected].
Transcript
YOUNG ISRAEL OF WEST HARTFORD
2240 ALBANY AVENUE
WEST HARTFORD, CT 06117
860-233-3084
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Affiliate of the National Council of Young Israel Synagogues, Member of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, Sponsor of West Hartford NCSY, National Conference of Synagogue Youth, Kashrut Commission of Greater Hartford,
Mikveh Bess Israel of Greater Hartford, Eruv of West Hartford
SWIMMERS WANTED FOR MIKVEH BESS ISRAEL SWIM-A-THON!
The event is on Sunday, August 16th at the Mandell JCC.
Please visit bessisrael.org to register and for more info.
BOOKKEEPING
Additional income (beyond that $100) goes into our fundraising account. Non-participating
members will simply pay that amount as part of their dues. We're pleased that we raised close to $9000 in scrip proceeds and hope to exceed
that amount in the coming year. The only change for this year is that Crown is discontin-uing their refillable cards. You will purchase them just like the other supermarket cards
and we will track the proceeds. If you have any questions about supermarket scrip or how to
use the web site to "shop with scrip" please contact Daniella Robinson.
CLASSES AT YIWH
MISHNAH BRURAH CLASS
With Rabbi Sheinkopf Shabbat Mornings at 8:15 AM
YOUTH PROGRAMMING
For the month of August there will be Youth Programming on August 15th.
Weekly youth programming will begin again in September .
SHABBAT TOT CIRCLE
Is a parent led Shabbat group for children ages 5 and under. The program is the first Shabbat
of every month. Parents are invited to stay with their children during this program to partake in davening, songs and games. A special Shab-
Page 3 Thank You - Rabbi Shaul Gold - Associate Member, Young Israel Council of Rabbis The second paragraph of Shema, which we read in Parshat Eikev, requires us to assume responsibility of ful-filling all of G-d's mitzvot and makes us aware of the rewards and consequences of their performance or lack thereof. The last of the rewards is Veachalta Visavatah − “and you will eat and you will be sated.” Rashi explains that the uniqueness of this blessing is that a minimal amount of food will elicit a maximum amount of satisfac-tion. Immediately following this blessing, the Torah exhorts us, Hishamru luchem pen yifteh livavichem, "guard yourselves, lest your hearts be deceived and you will turn aside and serve other gods." Rashi points out that the juxtaposition of these two phrases "and you will eat and you will be sated" with "guard yourselves," teaches us that when people rebel against G-d, it is usually an outgrowth of being too satisfied. A hungry person looks to HaShem for Divine assistance. A satisfied individual often forgets the sources of his bounty. To further bolster his theory, Rashi brings a proof from an earlier Pasuk in the Parsha which states Pen Toechel Vesavatah − "Lest you eat and be satisfied;" Virumm Livavichem Vishachact es HaShem Elokecha − "and your heart will become proud and you will forget HaShem, your G-d". It is clear from this earlier posuk that there is a definite correlation between being sated and rebelling against HaShem. Rashi's explanation requires deeper understating. To begin with, when Rashi adds a proof to his thesis, he is telling us that the point would not be clear without the extra proof. Yet, the point Rashi made seems clear enough without the added boost from the earlier Pasuk. No new insight is readily apparent with the addition of the sec-ond Pasuk. Furthermore, Rashi taught us that the concept of Veachalta Vesavatah is a unique blessing. But it’s that same blessing that sets the groundwork for man's temptation to rebel against the dominion of HaShem. To paraphrase a famous saying: with blessings like that, lehavdil, who needs curses! Obviously, there is a component missing that will give us insight into the deep thought Rashi wishes to im-part. Let us analyze the second text Rashi quotes and see if indeed there is a deeper message to be culled from that passage. In the beginning of the Parsha, HaShem gives us much encouragement to prepare us for inheriting the Land of Israel. He reminds us of our servitude in Egypt, of our travels in the desert, of all that He did to care for us dur-ing the last forty years, and He describes the beauty and the bounty of the Land of Israel. Then the Pasuk tells us Veachalta Visavatah Uvarachta es HaShem Elockecha – “and you will eat, and you will be sated, and you will bless HaShem, your G-d, for the good land that He gave you." HaShem reminds us how important it is to appreciate what we have and what He has done for us. Man has an infinite capacity to forget what has been done for him and how much he needs to appreciate what he has. Perhaps the two hardest words in the English language to say with utmost sincerity are the words "Thank You.” When a person becomes ill and is unable to care for himself, he is struck by the awesome amount of Divine help he has in his life. I remember visiting a prestigious Rav shortly after he suffered a stroke. He gave me a lec-ture on the amount of nerves needed to bend his pinkie finger. Activities that had been taken for granted his en-tire life were now magnified and appreciated for the magnificent present from HaShem that they always were. When my son spent his first summer in the Catskill Mountains − this city boy, who knows how to navigate his one city block on his bike − once freed of the confines of the city, was amazed at the expanse and the freedom in the bungalow colony where we were staying. The morning after we arrived he was up at the crack of dawn, out of the bungalow, onto his bike, and eager to explore every inch of his new-found freedom. He couldn't stop describ-ing all the nuances of each new experience. It was literally, a new awakening. A week later, we couldn’t get him out of bed at 8:30; the novelty had worn off and he needed to find newer adventures to challenge him. The Torah tells us that when we arrive in Eretz Yisrael we will act much as my son did. We will be excited by everything HaShem has done for us and will sense it in every bone of our bodies. As a result, Veachalta, we will eat, Visavatah, we will be satisfied and Uverachta, we will be filled with gratitude to HaShem for all the bounty He bestowed upon us. But, therein lies the challenge with which our Parsha charges us: Can we sustain that level of newness and appreciate what HaShem gives us on a consistent basis? Rashi is teaching us a profound lesson. It is truly a blessing to want for nothing, to be fully satisfied, to be completely cared for. Yet, although Veachalta Visavatah is a great blessing, it will remain so only as long as we recognize the blessing within it, and truly thank HaShem. If, however, we stop at Veachalta, Visavatah, as our Pasuk does, and fail to includeUverachta − fail to appreci-ate HaShem's bounty and to express sincere gratitude for all He gives us − then Hishumru Luchem, watch out! Pen Yifteh Livavichem − lest your hearts be deceived. G-d's blessings are infinite. The lesson of our Parsha is that we need to be aware of the blessings Ha-Shem has bestowed upon us. We must appreciate them, and say “thank you” with utmost sincerity.
YIWH Schedule of Services
August 7th - 14th, 2015 It is easy to sponsor a Kiddush
Shabbat Mevorchim Parashat Eikev Or Seudah Shlishit!
Shul handles set up & Clean up!
Friday, August 7th- Erev Shabbat Contact Judie Patel at 860-761-3818,
