- Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
…the Philadelphia Branch of the Rabbinical Assembly. At a 2:00p lunch in a great Chinese restaurant, a couple came in, and I will guess that they were not Jewish. He says, “Everything is vegetarian!” She says, “And it’s kosher!” He says, “Yeah, I trust that.” Presumably, they are among the six to ten million non-Jewish Americans who rely on kashrut supervision to maintain their personal dietary ethic. A moment later, a single woman seated nearby a…
…d spare to assist them. Through the management of the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, the interest from my endowments will provide now, and in perpetuity, an annual income to Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel for the Hebrew School, enabling all students to acquire a liberal Hebrew education. Ever since the Hebrew School was established, it has been my great pleasure to give each child from each grade a gift upon promotion and graduation. T…
…d, though, that he is continually proving to us that we can trust him with greater levels of responsibility. We may not be able to leave him home alone or expect him to get himself ready for school, but he can cook himself dinner. If we told him to sit and study for his bar mitzva celebration for ten minutes, he would probably decide that he’d prefer to memorize every city the Ringling Bros. Circus visits on its cross-country tour. During the past…
…rom your house and go into the country that I will show you, you will be a great nation, you will be blessed and you will be a blessing. Genesis 12:1-2 Would you do it? Would you make the choice that would dictate the future of countless individuals? To tell you the truth, I don’t think I would. I wouldn’t believe it was God; I would think I was crazy and get myself a good therapist A.S.A.P. Even if I did believe that it was God, would I willingly…
…re other members will help you. Many BEKI members have made this move with great results. As for your own decision, you must consider your health, the state of repair of your bicycle, and your religious outlook. Whether you come by Schwinn or Chevy or Hush Puppies, we are always happy to see you in shul. Dear Rabbi, I learned giving gifts is not permitted on Shabbat. If this is so, how can people bring food to other people’s house on shabbat,…
…s his brother. Jacob has no way to know what to expect, and he is taking a great risk. Jacob says something surprising: “When I saw your face it was like seeing the face of God…” (Genesis 33:10). Is seeing the face of Esau really like seeing the face of God? Esau was ruddy and hairy, with rough skin. Is that what God looks like? What did Jacob mean? Perhaps he was merely flattering Esau. Perhaps it was all a big suck-up. Or, to say it nicely, it w…
…d suffer along with the people: “And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!” (Jonah 4:11). The value of the life of the individual animal is recognized in Torah tradition. That value is implied in the Zohar’s question and codified in laws that prohibit cruelty to animals (tsa`ar ba`alei hayim)…
…all. Jewish culture & law, however, take a different view of hunting. The “Great Hunters” of the Bible are viewed by the Sages of Israel as wicked men: Nimrod, whose very name means “one who rebels [against God],” and Esau, who is the utter antithesis of the spirit of Jewish Civilization. Rashi, who lived some 900 years ago in France, explains Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi’s comment on the first verse of Psalms, “Happy is the one who has not walked in the…
…here is a Burger King, and the biggest mall in the Middle East. But it was great to see my cousin and her three children, Adi, Gilad, and Kessem, each matching the age and gender of our oldest children Gilah, Tsvi and Tova. Beth and I share a common ancestor, Dov ben Zev (Berel ben Velvel), who lived in Tsefat, northern Israel, about 180 years ago. Of course, through the unfolding of time and Jewish history, his descen- dents found their way to Mi…
…le some have noted that loss of connection to reality is not really such a great loss, given the state of reality, I have a commitment to remain engaged and to improve it, even if only in a miniscule way, through performance of mitzvot. Some recreational drugs contribute to undesired genetic mutation. The thought of damaging my future offspring has led me to defer consideration of drug use. At this point, my actual children, already born, would be…
