Shabbat Announcements, January 17, 2009

Parshat Shemot

January 17, 2009 21 Tevet, 5769 GNS TEFILLA DIGEST:

Torah Artscroll, 292 Hertz, 205 Haftorah Artscroll, 1147 Hertz, 225 Times Candle lighting

4:35 pm

Mincha

4:35 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

4:30 pm

Shabbat Ends

5:44 pm

Sunday, January 18,

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 18)

4:45 pm

Late Ma’ariv Mon., - Thurs.,

8:15 pm

Latest times for Shema/Shmoneh Esrei January 17

9:40/10:28 am

January 24

9:39/10:28 am

Next Shabbat - Va’eira Candle lighting

4:43 pm

Mincha

4:45pm

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 # 29 – Kriat Shma (Part VIII) Over the last two weeks we have been discussing the meaning of the word “echad” in the first verse of the shma which reads: “Shma Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad,” “Hear O Israel the Lord our G-d the Lord is One.” The concept of G-d’s oneness is one of the most fundamental beliefs of the Jewish religion. Judaism was the first monotheistic faith in a world that was full of polytheism and idolatry. Today, monotheistic religions are most popular (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all monotheistic religions) and we can be proud to proclaim echad without people looking at us strangely. This was not always the case. Many of you may, in fact, be familiar with the Midrash which portrays just how iconoclastic our religion really was in the time of Avraham our patriarch: Avraham finds himself in the idol shop of his

Kiddush is Sponsored by Great Neck Synagogue

father Terach. Avraham had realized the absurdity of worshiping stone idols for every different occasion. One day when his father was gone, he took a hammer and smashed all of the idols in the shop except the biggest one. When his father arrived home he could not believe that all his idols were destroyed and he asked his son Avraham what had occurred! Avraham responded that the idols got in a fight and the biggest idol was so strong and so mighty that he was able to vanquish all the rest and remain standing! Avraham, of course, was trying to mock the polytheism and idolatry of his father attempting to show him how it is practically impossible to ascribe powers to these statues of stone (Breishit Rabba 38:13). 417Being the defender of monotheism in the world was not easy.

unscathed as a demonstration of G-d’s great power and supremacy. Yet, despite the very solid belief and tradition that we have in monotheism, we have seen that our commentators have difficulty defining exactly what we believe about our one G-d. We have seen that there are a multiplicity of ways of explaining the verse of the shma which proudly proclaims “Hashem Echad.” 1) Rambam: Unity and Uniqueness. G-d is one unified whole with no parts and that unity is completely unique. (See Issue # 27). 2) Sifre / Rashi: Eschatological. One day in the time of the mashiach the entire world will believe in G-d and in no other Gd’s besides Him. (See Issue # 27).

3) Mechilta / Ibn Ezra: Exclusivity. G-d is the only G-d that exists The same Midrash explains how and no other being is comparable others would mock Avraham’s to G-d. belief in one invisible G-d who was (See Issue # 28). a supreme power. The wicked Nimrod, one of the powerful Many of you have shared your leaders of the time, would deride thoughts about these Avraham for his “strange” and different views and it has been threatening beliefs. One day he enlightening. There are certainly actually put Avraham to the test parts of each approach that are and decided to make an example of appealing and others that are less him: He said that he would throw appealing. Each has its strengths and Avraham in to a fiery furnace and weaknesses. Before moving on to a see if his G-d would save him. G-d new approach I would like to just performed a miracle and Avraham spend some time analyzing the emerged from the fire alive and principles of G-d’s oneness that we

Bima Flowers are sponsored by

Seudah Shlishit Is sponsored by

Ellen & Rabbi Dale Polakoff

Lauren & Joseph Hyman

In honor of the marriage of their children

In honor of the marriage of their children

Liz & Yehudah Polakoff

Liz & Yehudah Polakoff

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

Shabbat Announcements, Shemot 5769

have spoken about so far.

understanding.

The basic premise that the Torah seems to be conveying in the word echad is that there is only one G-d: Monotheism. This basic principle is probably most similar to the doctrine of exclusivity as expounded upon by Ibn Ezra and Mechilta.

In next week’s issue we will elaborate upon the Rambam’s understanding of echad to gain a fuller appreciation of his view.

If you examine other passages in the Torah they also seem to echo this understanding. For example: “You shall know this day and take to your heart that Hashem He is the G-d – in heaven above and on earth below – there is none other” (Devarim 4:39). This verse clearly indicates that what we are meant to remember about G-d is that there is none other besides Him: He is the only G-d.

What is it that you like or dislike about each of the views mentioned above and what is it that you still wonder about the Oneness of G-d?

The most basic statement of the Torah on the matter of belief implies this doctrine of exclusivity as well. The very first of the Ten Commandments says: “Anochi Hashem Elokecha…Lo iheye lecha elohim acherim al panay” “I am the Lord your G-d…You shall have no other G-d’s in my presence” (Devraim 5:7). Attached to the very idea that we believe in G-d is the fact that we also believe that there are no others – in the sense of exclusivity, He is One. What is appealing about this view is that we can all understand exclusivity. We know what it means to say that the G-d we believe in is the only G-d that exists. It is a concept that we can relate to because it comes up all the time in other aspects of our life: We only like plain pizza and not any other, we only drink diet soda and no other types of soda, we only love our spouse and not any other person in that way, we only have three children and no more than three… However, what remains unexplained according to this view is what we believe about that One G-d and how it could be that there is only one. It lacks the philosophical depth to explain how it could be that there is a being who is beyond time and space. It doesn’t explain to us how it could be that there is a being who can incorporate all of the “opposites” that seem to manifest themselves in His behavior in the world: Din (strict judgment) and Rachamim (mercy), Good and Evil, Anger and Patience, Reward and Punishment etc… There is something lacking in the exclusivity doctrine that leaves us wanting to know more, leaves us believing that there is something more special about the word “echad” than just telling us there are no other G-ds. It is for this reason and others that the medieval commentators began to elaborate upon the idea that there are no other G-d’s aside from Hashem and say that the Oneness of G-d is not just about exclusivity, but also about unity and uniqueness. We have already mentioned this view of the Rambam in Issue #27. However, it was only mentioned briefly and requires a much fuller Great Neck Synagogue Shabbat Activities Program

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

Question to Ponder

GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK Tech Recycling at Staples and $$ for empty ink cartridges Staples makes it easy for customers to securely and responsibly recycle their e-waste and make some money too. Here's how the program works: 1. Bring your old computers, monitors, laptops, printers, faxes, all-in-ones, cell phones, small hand held electronics and rechargeable batteries to any Staples® U.S. store and drop them off at the customer service desk. All brands are accepted for secure recycling regardless of where they were purchased. 2. Staples recycles all Dell® computers, monitors, and printers for FREE. 3. For all brands other than Dell®, a recycling fee of $10 per piece for large equipment is charged to cover handling, transport, product disassembly and recycling. Smaller computer peripherals, such as keyboards, mice, speakers and modems, can be recycled for FREE. 4. Recycle up to three original HP, Lexmark, Dell or Kodak ink cartridges per customer, per day and receive $3 back in Staples Rewards per cartridge. "GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK is part of an education series to reduce our carbon output. As Jews we have a responsibility to ourselves and future generations to sustain our environment from the global scorching that has already begun. We are experiencing global warming due to over industrialization, pollution and carbon emissions in the air. We need to integrate education, action, and advocacy and to connect this to Jewish tradition, and place this within a larger series of goals. Our goal must be a healthy and sustainable world for all its inhabitants. It means acting to slow the damage and then steadily working to reform our environment."

Great Neck Synagogue Shabbat Activities Program T IM E 8:30 9:00-10:30 10:00-11:30

E V E NT Youth Minyan/ 5th grade & up Pre-Groups/ 4th grade and under Mommy and Me

L O C AT IO N Youth Center Chalfin Room *Room 110

10:00 10:00

PRE-SCHOOL 1-3 years (Me Without Mommy) Room 112 4-5 years (Me Without Mommy) Room 113 and please no parents in room 112 and 113.

10:30 10:30

Junior Minyan/1-4 Grade Mishna Club /5-8 Grade

Youth Center Right Youth Center Left

11:15 11:15 11:15 11:15 11:15

1st-4th grade Youth Groups 1st-2nd grade boys 1st-2nd grade girls 3rd-4th grade boys 3rd-4th grade girls

*Room 206 *Room 212 Youth Center Right Youth Center Right

11:15 11:15

Youth Groups/5-8 Grade Boys Youth Groups/5-8 Grade Girls

Lunchroom, NSHA Beit Midrash Rear

11:15 11:15

Weekly Kiddush with Rabbi Jensen Cholent Kiddush / 8th grade & up

Room 111 Youth Center Left

12:00

All Groups are over BETWEEN MINCHA & MAARIV Seudah Shlishit Seudah Shlishit

All Youth & H.S College Age

Youth Center Right Chalfin Room

* Note new location/program

ANNOUNCEMENTS WITHIN OUR FAMILY

RABBI REISMAN SATURDAY NIGHT TELECAST In the Weinstein Torah & Technology Center Saturday evening 7:30pm, www.gnstorah.org.

Mazal Tov to Gisele & Hyman Katz on the birth of their granddaughter Zoe Iris. Mazal Tov to Miriam & Joseph Cohen on the birth of their SAVE THE DATE Wednesday, January 14th, 7:45pm, the Sally & Seymour Olshin son. Adult Education Program presents author David A. Andelman, Mazal Tov to Drora Cassel on the birth of her granddaughter, Executive Editor of Forbes.com. He will be speaking about his new born to her children Avi & Chaya Cassel. book, “A Shattered Peace.” Mazal Tov to Dalia & Michael Khakshoor on the Bar Mitzvah of their son Benjamin. 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 NEW MEMBERS GNS welcomes new members Aviva & Michael Rosenberg. GMACH A new gmach has started for Bat Mitzvah, wedding, bridesmaid, and M.O.B. dresses in excellent condition. If you own these beautiful dresses and they’re sitting in your closet collecting dust, donate them and spread the nachas of your simcha to those in need. For more info contact Cindy Gold at [email protected] or 482-9064. 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.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Great Neck Friends of Shalva presents Saturday Night Live. A dinner and Comedy club benefit for the Children’s Center in Jerusalem featuring Comedian Yisrael Campbell Saturday evening, January 31st at 8:30pm at the home of Corinne & Joe Franco 17 Gateway Drive. RSVP by January 22, for more info please call 212-725-0900. NSHAHS ADULT EDUCATIONAL SERIES Tuesday, January 27th, 8pm, presented by Shoshana Bryen, Senior Director of JINSA, and National Review Contributor. Topic “The USIsrael Relationship after the Presidential Election.” Free of charge. CYCLE FOR SURVIVAL S.U.M.S. The Third Annual Event to Support Research on Rare Cancers is on Sun., Jan. 25th, 4-5pm at Sharon’s Underground, 25 Spinners, 25 Bikes, no minimum dollar commitment. Visit www.cycleforsurvival.org, and register under team name, “Sharon’s Spinners.” For info contact Pam Bilfeld at [email protected] or Lisa Smith [email protected].

Rose Weiss 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 her father, Kalman Fajg.

SPONSORSHIPS To sponsor a Kiddush, Seudah Shlishit, Sunday Breakfast, Youth Event, Bima Flowers or a leaf on the Tree of Life in honor or in memory of a loved one, please call Mark Twersky in the Synagogue office 487-6100 or email [email protected]. GNS LITTLE LEAGUE Applications for Little League are available in the Synagogue Office. Please submit to the office by the February 1st deadline. Season opener is April, 5th. Payment must accompany the application. 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! 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. GIVE OLD MAGAZINES A NEW LIFE Please drop off your current used magazines to the Synagogue office to be donated to NSUH. DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR LEFTOVERS! If you would like to donate food, even if it’s a little extra while 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, contact him at 718-279-3989.

Y A H R Z E I T

Saturday, 21 Tevet Lev Dynkin for Rashe Dynkin Semyon Dynkin for Rashe Dynkin Sarita Greszes for Rifca Rosenberg Keltai Helaine Helmreich for Dorothy Gewirtz Arnold Swartz for Irma Swartz Sunday, 22 Tevet Anita Beretz for Seigfriend Reischenberg Arnie Flatow for Miriam Flatow Monday, 23 Tevet Klara Brand for David Sabov Linda Bunim for Isadore Shapiro Susan Mayer for Hans Abramson Lisa Solemanyan for Charles Lerman Judith Weinstein for Ruth Kloogman Tuesday, 24 Tevet Albert Benak for Esther Benak Jerrald Weinstein for Sara Weinstein Wednesday, 25 Tevet Shoshanah Ambalo for Sion Raphel Melvin Breite for Yisroel Breite Pauline Levy for Leon Joseph Susan Mindick for Phyllis Cohen Fay Smith for Abraham Brafman Thursday, 26 Tevet Seymour Cooper for Miriam Cooper Myrna Horowitz for Herman Tempelman Sonia Mauthner for Felix Epstein Ruth Shalit-Apelbaum for Meir Shevili Friday, 27 Tevet Sydelle Knepper for Michael Marin Al Leiderman for Ralph Dobrow Philip Machnikoff for William Machnikoff Ira Rosenberg for Abraham Rosenberg