Shabbat Announcements, January 10, 2009

Parshat Vayechi

January 10, 2009 14 Tevet, 5769

Torah Artscroll, 268 Hertz, 180 Haftorah Artscroll, 1145 Hertz, 191

Bar Mitzvah Rafi Moskowitz Aufruf Yehudah Polakoff Times Candle lighting

4:27 pm

Mincha

4:30 pm

Hashkama Minyan

8:00 am

Parsha Shiur

8:30 am

Youth

8:30 am

Main Minyan

9:00 am

Beit Midrash

9:15 am

Gemorah Shiur

3:45 pm

Mincha

4:20 pm

Shabbat Ends

5:36 pm

Sunday, January 11,

7:30 am 8:30 am

Mon., Thurs.,

6:35 am

Tues., Wed., Fri.,

6:45 am

Second Shacharit Minyan (Daily)

7:45 am

Mincha (week of January 11)

4:35 pm

Late Ma’ariv Mon., - Thurs.,

8:15 pm

Latest times for Shema/Shmoneh Esrei January 10

9:40/10:28 am

January 17

9:40/10:28 am

GNS TEFILLA DIGEST: A Weekly Discussion about the Fundamentals of Jewish Prayer By Rabbi Brahm Weinberg – Rabbinic Intern This inspiring article about tefillah is sponsored by David and Diane Rein in memory of Diane’s mother, Helene M. Fink z”l.

Issue # 28 – Kriat Shma (Part VII) This week we continue our discussion of the first verse in the shma which says: “Shma Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad,” “Hear O Israel the Lord our G-d the Lord is One.” Last week we began to discuss the concept of kabbalat ol malchut shamayim, of accepting G-d as our King and what we need to understand in order to do so. One of the elements of understanding G-d’s kingship is to know that He is One, He is Echad.

all made up of tiny parts.

Masechta D’Bachodesh : 5) comments on the opening verse of We also mentioned the the Ten Commandments: “Anochi eschatological view of the Sifrei Hashem Elokecha,” “I am the Lord your G-d” (Exodus 20:2). and Rashi who say that the oneness of G-d which we refer to in the shma is actually a The Mechilta says that this verse belief about the times of the was stated by G-d as the opening Messiah. We believe that in line of the Ten Commandments in that time, in some way or order to emphasize that there is another, all the peoples of the only one G-d, to reinforce earth will recognize G-d as the monotheistic belief. one and only G-d. This week we will give another interpretation of Echad.

Some of the medieval commentators like R. Avraham Ibn Ezra and R. Yosef Albo believe that the word Echad in the shma implies exclusivity. It is not meant to teach us that Gd is one unified whole and that all of existence is contained Last week we referred to “within” Him or as part of Him the rationalistic view of the (Rambam), and it is not meant Rambam who says that to teach us that some day all what it means to assert the will recognize G-d as One oneness of G-d is to say that (Rashi), but to teach us that we recognize that G-d is there are no other G-ds, that He one unified whole and has alone is G-d. no distinct parts as do things in this world. This The source that they based unity is unique and themselves upon was probably something that we cannot a comment of the Mechilta understand for even the D’Rebi Yishmael (a Midrash things that we think are Halacha on Shmot). The whole and are one are really Mechilta (Parshat Yitro – Kiddush is Sponsored by

Adina & Rabbi Steven Moskowitz in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their son

Rafi And by

Next Shabbat - Shemot

Ellen & Rabbi Dale Polakoff

Candle lighting

4:35 pm

in honor of the Aufruf and upcoming marriage of

Mincha

4:35pm

Yehudah to Liz Hyman

This is the last full mailing of the Shabbat Announcements.

The website www.gns.org will have the full edition weekly. If you do not have access to the internet, please notify us and we will continue to mail it to you. Thank you.

Bima Flowers Seudah are sponsored by Shlishit Lauren & Joseph Is sponsored by Hyman and family Lily & Gary in honor of the Chubak upcoming marriage in memory of of their daughter his father

liz to Yehudah Polakoff

Benjamin chubak

26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100

The Mechilta says that the first verse of the Ten Commandments was to teach us that: “ ‘I am the Lord your G-d’ – the same One who was in Egypt, at the Red Sea, at Sinai, in the past and in the future, in this world and the world to come” The Mechilta prefaced this by saying that it would be possible for a person to be led to polytheism when thinking about G-d and all the different ways that He is described in the Torah itself. G-d appears in all different forms and through different descriptions. We see G-d as the judge, Gd as the King, G-d being merciful, G-d as the warrior etc… One might falsely conclude that there are really many G-ds or that G-d has many parts and this is simply not true. The uniqueness of G-d is that He is able to be all of those things, all the time, in all times of history, and all at once and yet still be One. Even the very verse that says that G-d is One calls G-d Hashem and Elokenu. Chazal teach us that when the Torah refers to G-d by the name Hashem it implies that He is relating to the world with midat rachamim, with His attribute of mercy and compassion. When the Torah refers to G-d by the name Elokim it implies that He is relating to the world through his attribute of judgment. If you have this in mind, you realize that the first verse of the shma is not just telling us in a vacuum that G-d is One leaving it up to us to figure out exactly what that means. One the contrary: The verse seems to be teaching us that the concept of One, is the concept of exclusivity, the concept that G-d is only One and that there are no others. The first verse of the shma itself points to the interpretation of the Mechilta and of these medieval commentaries. Read in this way, the verse would mean to say: Even though G-d is both Hashem and Elokim, even though He acts with mercy and with judgment at different times, do not even for a second think that there are two G-ds one who is the G-d of mercy and one who is the judge because Hashem Echad, G-d is One. G-d is all of those things in one and there are none others. He is exclusive. The Mechilta brings various verses from the Tanach which

Great Neck Synagogue 26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, New York 11023 516-487-6100

Dale Polakoff, Rabbi Shalom Axelrod, Assistant Rabbi Brahm Weinberg, Rabbinic Intern Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,z”l, Rabbi Emeritus Zeev Kron, Cantor Eleazer Schulman, z”l, Cantor Emeritus Mark Twersky, Executive Director Howard Silberstein, President Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board

Shabbat Announcements, Vayechi 5769

all point to the theory that it is proposing which is that despite all of G-d’s different attributes, and despite all the different times in history that He appears and that He acts, He is One and only One. It cites the beautiful description of Hashem in Yishayahu 44:6 in which Yishayahu says: “Koh Amar Hashem Melech Yisrael V’goalo, Hashem Tzvakot, Ani rishon v’Ani acharon u’mibaladay eyn elokim,” “Thus says Hashem the King of Israel and its redeemer, G-d of Hosts, I am first and I am last and besides me there is no God.” Echad means that Gd is beyond time and beyond place and there are no true gods aside from Him. In next week’s issue of the GNS Tefilla Digest we will discuss the kabbalistic interpretations of the word Echad in the shma. Thought to Ponder Some interpretations of Echad are more difficult to understand such as that of the Rambam which we discussed last week – It is hard to see how something could just be one and not contain any parts because it is an attribute that is so unique to G-d. In this world, everything has parts of some sort even if they are microscopic. Today’s concept of the exclusivity of G-d and of our acceptance of the exclusivity of G-d in this world as stated by Mechilta as well as others is one that should not be so hard for us to imagine. Think of things in your life that are exclusive, that are unique and that nothing else compares to; amplify that a thousand-fold and you will have some concept of the uniqueness of G-d and his exclusivity as King of the Universe.

ANNOUNCEMENTS RABBI REISMAN SATURDAY NIGHT TELECAST In the Weinstein Torah & Technology Center Saturday evening 7:30pm, www.gnstorah.org. SUNDAY BREAKFAST Sunday Breakfast is sponsored by Shoshana & Joseph Ambalo in memory of her mother Sarah Raphael. YOUTH SPONSORS The youth snacks are sponsored by Alexander, Oliver, and Sophia Rein in honor of their Zaide, David Fink’s birthday. NSHA PTA FUNDRAISER Harlem Wizards vs. North Shore Lions, (Parents, Faculty and Students) Jan. 10th, at North Middle School at 7:30pm. $25 per person in advance, and $30 at the door. For more info contact Dalya Vilinsky SAVE THE DATES: SISTERHOOD CALENDAR Jan. 13th 8pm - Guest Speaker, Dr. Jill Maura Rabin, head of Urogynecology, Chief of Ambulatory Care at LIJ, Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Women’s Health at Albert Einstein Medical School, will be speaking on women’s health issues, at the home of Cindy Ludwig, 22 Nassau Drive. We are grateful to UJA for providing a grant for her appearance. SAVE THE DATE Wednesday, January 14th, 7:45pm, the Sally & Seymour Olshin Adult Education Program presents author David A. Andelman, Executive Editor of Forbes.com. He will be speaking about his new book, “A Shattered Peace.” SYNAGOGUE AUTHOR Paul Marcus has just published a book “Being For The Other: Emmanuel Levinas, Ethical Living and Psychoanalysis.” The book is published by Marquette University Press. Levinas was a French philosopher and Talmudic commentator. GNS WEBSITE Our new website www.gns.org is now officially in service. Thanks to the tireless effort of David Rogelberg, Nik Kron, and Rabbi Polakoff, we are up and running. When you go to the website you will find all the important times, dates, and events that are happening at GNS, and you will also be able to access the Shabbat Announcements. Explore the site, look through it, and feel free to make comments! The site allows you to be interactive and comment on the posts that are there. We hope that you enjoy the experience. GNS NEW MEMBERS GNS welcomes new members Aviva & Michael Rosenberg. GNS LITTLE LEAGUE Applications for Little League are available in the Synagogue Office. Please have them filled out and back to the office by the February 1st deadline. Season opener is April, 5th. Payment must accompany the application. MEMBER DIRECTORY If you haven’t sent in a picture for the new directory there is still time. Please email your photos to [email protected], or bring them into the Synagogue office. LATE MINYAN We need your help in maintaining our weeknight 8:15pm minyan for maariv. Please volunteer for one night a week and help make sure that those who need to say kaddish have a minyan. The 10 minutes you commit to help make the minyan will make a huge difference for those who depend on it. To volunteer for the late maariv minyan, please go to our website and fill out the online form at: www.gns.org/? page_id=322 Thank you for your help, we’re counting on you! DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR LEFTOVERS! If you would like to donate food, even if it’s a little extra when you are making dinner, Herschel Minster collects outside of Mazur’s every Friday afternoon, and delivers food for Shabbat to those in need, and will also pick up in Great Neck during the week, you can contact him at 718-279-3989. MAGAZINES WANTED Please drop off your used magazines to the Synagogue office.

WITHIN OUR FAMILY Mazal Tov to Rabbi Dale & Ellen Polakoff and Mazal Tov to Joseph & Lauren Hyman on the upcoming marriage of their children, Yehudah & Elizabeth. Mazal Tov to Rabbi Steven & Adina Moskowitz on the Bar Mitzvah of their son Rafi. Mazal Tov to Charlene & Hilly Milun on the birth of their grandson, born to their children Lisa & Ashley Milun. Mazal Tov to Janet & Iraj Kashani on the engagement of their son Michael to Sarah Leffak. CYCLE FOR SURVIVAL S.U.M.S. The Third Annual Event to Support Research on Rare Cancers will take place on Sunday, January 25, 4-5pm at Sharon’s Underground. 25 Spinners, 25 Bikes, no minimum Dollar Commitment. Register at www.cycleforsurvival.org, Team name, Sharon’s Spinners. For more info contact Pam Bilfeld at [email protected] or Lisa Smith at [email protected].

Isidore Sirota and Family would like to thank Rabbi Polakoff, Rabbi Axelrod, Cantor Kron, Rabbi Moskowitz and the entire community for their outpouring of support, sympathy and kindness following the death of his wife, Edith Sirota. Mark Abraham and Family would like to thank Rabbi Polakoff, Rabbi Axelrod, Cantor Kron, Harold Domnitch and the entire community for their outpouring of support, sympathy and kindness following the death of his mother, Sarah Malka Abraham. Abraham Krieger and Family would like to thank Rabbi Polakoff, Rabbi Axelrod, Cantor Kron, and the entire community for their outpouring of support, sympathy and kindness following the death of his father, Nathan Krieger .

Y A H R Z E I T

Saturday, 14 Tevet Judy Blatter for Raymonde Katz Sadie Frank for Meyer Leshkowitz Nettie Halitzer for Celia Cohen Wendy Ingber for Eleanor Silver Helen Ishofsky for Willie Herskovits Henry Katz for Raymonde Katz Michael Katz for Raymonde Katz Reuel Shinnar for Emil Bardfeld William Wolff for Bernard Wolff Sunday, 15 Tevet Shoshanah Ambalo for Sarah Raphael Leon Fuks for Emanuel Fuks Jerome Lippman for Max Lippman Goldie Lorber for Ethel Winter Kenneth Magida for Jacob Magida Monday, 16 Tevet Gary Chubak for Benjamin Chubak Jill Kaufman for Alan Reinitz Ronald Malen for Eli Malen Dorothy Reiser for Theodore Cohen Henry Schwartz for Max Schwartz Mitchell Siegel for Morris Turner Tuesday, 17 Tevet Norman Fisher for Molly Fisher Sigmund Horowitz for Liba Horowitz Ronit Livne for Berl Pietraru Herzel Nir for Rachel Nir Mr. & Mrs. Eliezer Noy for Rachel Nir Daniel Oster for Joseph Abraham Oster Annabelle Zackheim for Harold Osman Wednesday, 18 Tevet Mahin Aryeh for Malka Aryeh Michelle Berman for Naomi Kahn Judy Jettelson for Lena Sirota Leslie Kahn for Naomi Kahn Thursday, 19 Tevet Gladys Moslin for Solomon Moslin Friday, 20 Tevet Al Leiderman for Ralph Leiderman Grace Oster for Freda Horowitz Fred Pomerantz for Mina Pomerantz Ephraim Slonim for Sara Slonim