August 15 2015 SB.pub
The Jewish Center SHABBAT BULLETIN
AUGUST 14 - 15, 2015 • PARSHAT RE’EH • ROSH CHODESH • 30 AV 5775 EREV SHABBAT 7:00PM Minchah 7:39PM Candle Lighting SHABBAT • ROSH CHODESH 7:30AM Hashkama Minyan (The Max & Marion Grill Beit Midrash) (Please note earlier time) 9:00AM Shacharit (3rd floor) 9:15AM Hashkama Shiur with Rabbi Dovid Zirkind, Derech Kitzara: Donald Trump & the Ethic of Brevity (5th floor) 9:30AM Young Leadership Minyan (The Max Stern Auditorium) 9:33AM Sof Zman Kriat Shema 10:00AM Youth Groups, 2-year-olds, 3-4-year-olds and 5-6-year-olds: Geller Youth Center; 2nd-3rd graders, 4th-6th graders: 7th floor Community Kiddush (5th floor)
WITH THANKS TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS: Rachel Stone & Rob Bernstein in memory of Arlene Stone Audrey Greenfeld in commemoration of the yahrzeit of her father, Joseph Greenfeld Arlene & Zvi Lefkovitz in celebration of the engagement of their son, Yosef, to Ashira Rabinowitz of London, England 4:00PM Bikkur Cholim/Bikkur in the Home (meet at 730 Columbus Avenue) 6:30PM Summer Lay Leaders Chaburah Series: Elan Ariel, Is Turkey Kosher? A Questionable Halakhic Leniency 6:45PM Israel Friedman Daf Yomi 7:30PM Minchah Seudah Shlishit speaker: Rabbi Dovid Zirkind 8:38PM Shabbat concludes DAILY SERVICES Sunday, August 16 Rosh Chodesh Daf Yomi 7:45AM Shacharit 8:30AM Minchah 7:35PM
Mon., August 17 Thurs., August 20 Shach 7 & 8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Minchah 7:35PM
Friday, August 21 Shach 7 & 8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Minchah 7:00PM Candle Lighting 7:29PM
WOMEN'S TEHILLIM GROUP Monday, August 24 at 7:15PM. Contact Joyce Weitz for more information at 212-877-1176.
PREPARING FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAY Don’t forget to reserve your High Holiday seats, order your lulav and etrog and complete your yizkor booklet form. Please visit our website for more information.
Our Hot Kiddush program is on vacation through Labor Day. We welcome you to join us for a light community Kiddush following davening. If you would like to sponsor a Kiddush, please contact Aaron Strum at [email protected].
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS MAZEL TOV Arlene & Zvi Lefkovitz in celebration of the engagement of their son, Yosef, to Ashira Rabinowitz of London, England CONDOLENCES We regret to inform you of the passing of Etta Kramer, mother of Jewish Center member Roberta Sigall. The funeral took place on Monday. Shivah is being observed at the Carlton Hotel (88 Madison Ave.) as follows: Thursday evening: 6:30-10:00PM. Friday Morning: 9:30AM1PM. Saturday evening: 9-11:00PM. THANK YOU TO OUR USHERS Thank you to our ushers Barbara Reiss and Stephen Rutenberg this Shabbat. THANK YOU TO CSS We would like to once again thank CSS and our dedicated CSS members for providing the security for our
synagogue this week.
YOUTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES YOUTH GROUP SCHEDULE 10:00 - 10:30AM Free Play; 10:30 - 11:00AM Daven, Parsha summary, questions, and snack; 11:00 11:20AM Active Games; 11:20 - 11:45AM Quiet Games
NEW SUPPLIES FOR GROUPS The Youth Department is in the process of purchasing new toys, games and books for groups. If you would like to donate to or sponsor this project, please email [email protected]. Thank you Beth & Josh Schwartz and Chaviva & Andrew Kaplan for your generous donations for supplies and books for our youth library.
PARSHA SNACKS: ANIMAL CRACKERS Animal crackers symbolize the animals that can be sacrificed only in the Temple, the sacrificing of the first born animals and the laws of kosher animals.
UPCOMING EVENTS Welcome Back Seudah Shlishit on September 12th. Stay tuned for more information.
The Jewish Center - The Modern Orthodox Center for Jewish Life and Learning www.jewishcenter.org • 212-724-2700
The Aftermath of Superstars Rabbi Ari Lamm, William Fischman Resident Scholar We often hear the lament that the Modern Orthodox Jewish community lacks good leadership. To the extent that this lament is sincere, and not simply a cipher for “I wish we had more authority figures who agree with me,” it’s worth noting that in all likelihood this hope is in vain. In “Of the Rise and Progress of the Arts and Sciences,” David Hume wrote, “In short, the arts and sciences, like some plants, require a fresh soil; and however rich the land may be, and however you may recruit it by art or care, it will never, when once exhausted, produce any thing that is perfect or finished in the kind.1” In other words as Hume – and many other writers in the Scottish tradition – recognized, the appearance of a superstar in a given field is an exceedingly rare thing, requiring a fortuitous confluence of circumstances. Once it occurs, it will most likely never happen again to the same extent. Instead, once new ground has been broken in a given field, good, creative work tends to creep towards the margins. Thus, in much the same way that geometry will likely never see another Euclid, the world of halachah will never see another Rambam. It is therefore important to recall that as Sefer Devarim’s extended preamble draws to a close, the Jewish people draw one step closer to bidding farewell to the greatest leader that our people ever will see – not only from the perspective of faith, but from the perspective of probability. It is for this reason of immense significance that Moshe concludes the introduction to Devarim by informing the People that he has set before them both “blessing and curse” (11.26). R. Bahye, in his commentary to this verse, notes the syntactical peculiarity that whereas the verse opens as if it is addressed to an individual (re’eh), it concludes as if it is addressed to many (lifneichem). R. Bahye interprets this as a grammatical manifestation of Moshe’s intention simultaneously to speak to each
UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROGRAMS SUMMER LAY LEADERS CHABURAH SERIES Please join us one hour before Minchah for our summer Chaburah series. August 22: Malka Strasberg August 29: Ira Tokayer September 5: Mark Segall
JC DELEGATION AT THE AIPAC POLICY CONFERENCE March 20-22 in Washington, DC Over three jam-packed days, Policy Conference participants choose from hundreds of informative sessions and participate in the pro-Israel community's largest and most important advocacy sessions. If you have questions or are interested in joining the delegation, please contact Eliane at [email protected] or call 212-724-2700 x110.
Jew as an individual, and all Jews as a collective. Why is this necessary? The answer, it seems to me, is that Moshe intends to prepare his fellow Israelites for the inevitability of Moshe’s irreplaceability. Even setting aside Moshe’s incomparable prophetic bona fides, the mere fact of Moshe’s being the very first leader of a revolutionary, new theological trend in the ancient world – radical monotheism – made it virtually certain that from there on out, the Jewish people would never again experience the “Golden Age” of Moshe’s leadership. Now what might we expect Judaism to look like in the postMosaic-leadership era? I think we can imagine two scenarios: One, the Jewish people would fragment due to lack of inspiration. Without Moshe’s strong leadership, the Jewish people would break down into individuals and groups of individuals each competing with the others to see who can assimilate the quickest. Or two, the Jewish people, devoid of fresh ideas and creativity, would contract in upon itself, becoming ever more obsessed with recapturing a past that will never come again. Jewish identity would begin to be merely and exclusively tribal. With no way forward, the Jewish people would become just another ethnic group. And so, as R. Bahye has it, Moshe insists to the Israelites both that they are individuals and that they comprise a community. If we are to live in a world where nitkatenu ha-dorot – where the great leadership of the past is more likely than not to stay there – we must be as willing as ever to tap the creativity of any Jewish individual willing to offer it, while at the same time maintaining a cohesive sense of community so that new talent is most likely to continue to identify with and value our religious commitments. ——— 1 Essays Moral, Political and Literary, 137.
Clergy & Staff Yosie Levine Rabbi Dovid Zirkind Assistant Rabbi Chaim David Berson Cantor Daniel Fridman Resident Scholar Ari Lamm Resident Scholar Erica Brown Community Scholar Noach Goldstein William Fischman Rabbinic Intern Aaron Strum Executive Director Eliane Dreyfuss Glassman Director of Programming and Communications Jenn & Gaby Minsky Youth Directors OFFICERS Avi Schwartz President Andrew Borodach First Vice President Andrew Kaplan Vice President Mark Segall Vice President Rose Lynn Sherr Vice President Michael Jacobs Assistant Vice President Yaron Kinar Treasurer Len Berman Assistant Treasurer Miri Lipsky Secretary
Phone Numbers Lisa Septimus Yoetzet Halacha 917-382-9008 Jewish Center Chevra Kadisha 212-724-2700 x555 UWS Mikvah 212-579-2011 Hatzalah 212-230-1000 Eruv Status 212-724-2700 x4
AUGUST 14 - 15, 2015 • PARSHAT RE’EH • ROSH CHODESH • 30 AV 5775 EREV SHABBAT 7:00PM Minchah 7:39PM Candle Lighting SHABBAT • ROSH CHODESH 7:30AM Hashkama Minyan (The Max & Marion Grill Beit Midrash) (Please note earlier time) 9:00AM Shacharit (3rd floor) 9:15AM Hashkama Shiur with Rabbi Dovid Zirkind, Derech Kitzara: Donald Trump & the Ethic of Brevity (5th floor) 9:30AM Young Leadership Minyan (The Max Stern Auditorium) 9:33AM Sof Zman Kriat Shema 10:00AM Youth Groups, 2-year-olds, 3-4-year-olds and 5-6-year-olds: Geller Youth Center; 2nd-3rd graders, 4th-6th graders: 7th floor Community Kiddush (5th floor)
WITH THANKS TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS: Rachel Stone & Rob Bernstein in memory of Arlene Stone Audrey Greenfeld in commemoration of the yahrzeit of her father, Joseph Greenfeld Arlene & Zvi Lefkovitz in celebration of the engagement of their son, Yosef, to Ashira Rabinowitz of London, England 4:00PM Bikkur Cholim/Bikkur in the Home (meet at 730 Columbus Avenue) 6:30PM Summer Lay Leaders Chaburah Series: Elan Ariel, Is Turkey Kosher? A Questionable Halakhic Leniency 6:45PM Israel Friedman Daf Yomi 7:30PM Minchah Seudah Shlishit speaker: Rabbi Dovid Zirkind 8:38PM Shabbat concludes DAILY SERVICES Sunday, August 16 Rosh Chodesh Daf Yomi 7:45AM Shacharit 8:30AM Minchah 7:35PM
Mon., August 17 Thurs., August 20 Shach 7 & 8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Minchah 7:35PM
Friday, August 21 Shach 7 & 8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Minchah 7:00PM Candle Lighting 7:29PM
WOMEN'S TEHILLIM GROUP Monday, August 24 at 7:15PM. Contact Joyce Weitz for more information at 212-877-1176.
PREPARING FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAY Don’t forget to reserve your High Holiday seats, order your lulav and etrog and complete your yizkor booklet form. Please visit our website for more information.
Our Hot Kiddush program is on vacation through Labor Day. We welcome you to join us for a light community Kiddush following davening. If you would like to sponsor a Kiddush, please contact Aaron Strum at [email protected].
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS MAZEL TOV Arlene & Zvi Lefkovitz in celebration of the engagement of their son, Yosef, to Ashira Rabinowitz of London, England CONDOLENCES We regret to inform you of the passing of Etta Kramer, mother of Jewish Center member Roberta Sigall. The funeral took place on Monday. Shivah is being observed at the Carlton Hotel (88 Madison Ave.) as follows: Thursday evening: 6:30-10:00PM. Friday Morning: 9:30AM1PM. Saturday evening: 9-11:00PM. THANK YOU TO OUR USHERS Thank you to our ushers Barbara Reiss and Stephen Rutenberg this Shabbat. THANK YOU TO CSS We would like to once again thank CSS and our dedicated CSS members for providing the security for our
synagogue this week.
YOUTH DEPARTMENT UPDATES YOUTH GROUP SCHEDULE 10:00 - 10:30AM Free Play; 10:30 - 11:00AM Daven, Parsha summary, questions, and snack; 11:00 11:20AM Active Games; 11:20 - 11:45AM Quiet Games
NEW SUPPLIES FOR GROUPS The Youth Department is in the process of purchasing new toys, games and books for groups. If you would like to donate to or sponsor this project, please email [email protected]. Thank you Beth & Josh Schwartz and Chaviva & Andrew Kaplan for your generous donations for supplies and books for our youth library.
PARSHA SNACKS: ANIMAL CRACKERS Animal crackers symbolize the animals that can be sacrificed only in the Temple, the sacrificing of the first born animals and the laws of kosher animals.
UPCOMING EVENTS Welcome Back Seudah Shlishit on September 12th. Stay tuned for more information.
The Jewish Center - The Modern Orthodox Center for Jewish Life and Learning www.jewishcenter.org • 212-724-2700
The Aftermath of Superstars Rabbi Ari Lamm, William Fischman Resident Scholar We often hear the lament that the Modern Orthodox Jewish community lacks good leadership. To the extent that this lament is sincere, and not simply a cipher for “I wish we had more authority figures who agree with me,” it’s worth noting that in all likelihood this hope is in vain. In “Of the Rise and Progress of the Arts and Sciences,” David Hume wrote, “In short, the arts and sciences, like some plants, require a fresh soil; and however rich the land may be, and however you may recruit it by art or care, it will never, when once exhausted, produce any thing that is perfect or finished in the kind.1” In other words as Hume – and many other writers in the Scottish tradition – recognized, the appearance of a superstar in a given field is an exceedingly rare thing, requiring a fortuitous confluence of circumstances. Once it occurs, it will most likely never happen again to the same extent. Instead, once new ground has been broken in a given field, good, creative work tends to creep towards the margins. Thus, in much the same way that geometry will likely never see another Euclid, the world of halachah will never see another Rambam. It is therefore important to recall that as Sefer Devarim’s extended preamble draws to a close, the Jewish people draw one step closer to bidding farewell to the greatest leader that our people ever will see – not only from the perspective of faith, but from the perspective of probability. It is for this reason of immense significance that Moshe concludes the introduction to Devarim by informing the People that he has set before them both “blessing and curse” (11.26). R. Bahye, in his commentary to this verse, notes the syntactical peculiarity that whereas the verse opens as if it is addressed to an individual (re’eh), it concludes as if it is addressed to many (lifneichem). R. Bahye interprets this as a grammatical manifestation of Moshe’s intention simultaneously to speak to each
UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROGRAMS SUMMER LAY LEADERS CHABURAH SERIES Please join us one hour before Minchah for our summer Chaburah series. August 22: Malka Strasberg August 29: Ira Tokayer September 5: Mark Segall
JC DELEGATION AT THE AIPAC POLICY CONFERENCE March 20-22 in Washington, DC Over three jam-packed days, Policy Conference participants choose from hundreds of informative sessions and participate in the pro-Israel community's largest and most important advocacy sessions. If you have questions or are interested in joining the delegation, please contact Eliane at [email protected] or call 212-724-2700 x110.
Jew as an individual, and all Jews as a collective. Why is this necessary? The answer, it seems to me, is that Moshe intends to prepare his fellow Israelites for the inevitability of Moshe’s irreplaceability. Even setting aside Moshe’s incomparable prophetic bona fides, the mere fact of Moshe’s being the very first leader of a revolutionary, new theological trend in the ancient world – radical monotheism – made it virtually certain that from there on out, the Jewish people would never again experience the “Golden Age” of Moshe’s leadership. Now what might we expect Judaism to look like in the postMosaic-leadership era? I think we can imagine two scenarios: One, the Jewish people would fragment due to lack of inspiration. Without Moshe’s strong leadership, the Jewish people would break down into individuals and groups of individuals each competing with the others to see who can assimilate the quickest. Or two, the Jewish people, devoid of fresh ideas and creativity, would contract in upon itself, becoming ever more obsessed with recapturing a past that will never come again. Jewish identity would begin to be merely and exclusively tribal. With no way forward, the Jewish people would become just another ethnic group. And so, as R. Bahye has it, Moshe insists to the Israelites both that they are individuals and that they comprise a community. If we are to live in a world where nitkatenu ha-dorot – where the great leadership of the past is more likely than not to stay there – we must be as willing as ever to tap the creativity of any Jewish individual willing to offer it, while at the same time maintaining a cohesive sense of community so that new talent is most likely to continue to identify with and value our religious commitments. ——— 1 Essays Moral, Political and Literary, 137.
Clergy & Staff Yosie Levine Rabbi Dovid Zirkind Assistant Rabbi Chaim David Berson Cantor Daniel Fridman Resident Scholar Ari Lamm Resident Scholar Erica Brown Community Scholar Noach Goldstein William Fischman Rabbinic Intern Aaron Strum Executive Director Eliane Dreyfuss Glassman Director of Programming and Communications Jenn & Gaby Minsky Youth Directors OFFICERS Avi Schwartz President Andrew Borodach First Vice President Andrew Kaplan Vice President Mark Segall Vice President Rose Lynn Sherr Vice President Michael Jacobs Assistant Vice President Yaron Kinar Treasurer Len Berman Assistant Treasurer Miri Lipsky Secretary
Phone Numbers Lisa Septimus Yoetzet Halacha 917-382-9008 Jewish Center Chevra Kadisha 212-724-2700 x555 UWS Mikvah 212-579-2011 Hatzalah 212-230-1000 Eruv Status 212-724-2700 x4
