- 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
…, for the good of the institution and its members. As trustees of BEKI, we need to make sure that this congregation will continue long after our terms in office are over, and be stronger because of what we contributed. As a congregation, we subscribe to certain enduring principles. Probably the central statement of our shared belief appears in this week’s parasha in six words, “Shema Yisrael, Adonai Elokeinu, Adonai Ehad.” The Shema has been calle…
…hatred of Rachel’s sons would cause them to abandon Benjamin in a time of need And by forcing them to leave Benjamin with him while they return to Jacob, he will show how they are indifferent to Jacob’s pain at losing a son. However, not only does each test fails the purpose of proving that they are evil, they begin to undermine his belief that he was the entirely innocent victim. In each test, the brothers behave in a most exemplary way. In the…
…ight. There are two rules for a Hanukia (Hanuka Menora). First, the lights need to be in a straight line, in at least one vertical plane, so that they can be distinguished from each other. This precludes a round Hanukia, but you don’t have to use a micron ruler to make sure your candles line up. The point is that the flames should be distinguishable from each other at the normal viewing angle. Second, the shamash must also be separate and distingu…
…to support an individual’s claim to property.17 Landholders saw no great need to register their claim and often did so only when they wanted to sell it to another party.18 Indeed, the peasants had strong incentives to not register or to under-register their land. One incentive was the tradition of mistrust of or opposition to government — what Granott calls the “indolence which characterizes the peasants’ attitude towards official regulations” —…
…imminent implementation is sought. If we agree that farmer Ahmed does not need to return to the exact plot he left, but will accept a substitute nearby, then why can’t “nearby” be in the Palestinian territories, which are only nine miles from Tel Aviv, three miles from Afula, or one mile from Jerusalem, or in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and Jordan, or the uninhabited contiguous tracts of northern Sinai? Why insist on settling in Israel? T…
…g Proclamation which implied that the festival is a Christian festival, we need to be consistant and persistant in attempting to persuade others of the importance and virtue of our vision of a society in which various groups can live together with understanding and respect. In our every conversation we must be the gentle voice of reason and morality. While that voice is not always heard, if it persists it will eventually prevail for truth is inher…
…would nevertheless spare them, but G-d said it anyway. Maybe because they needed to experience transgression so deep that it risked their own lives. Or maybe because G-d wanted them to know good and evil – but knew that they wouldn’t learn it on their own, by happenstance, that they would only learn good and bad it if it was worth dying for. But whatever G-d’s reason, G-d, who on this first reading is all-knowing, intentionally lied. This is not…
…19 Aug Processing our Return to the Building: Our Hopes & Fears w/Rabbi Woodward (in-person) August 19, 2021 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Home Page Interior Page We’re told that when we walk into a synagogue, we should say, “Mah Tovu” – how beautiful! But the reality is, returning to “a new […] More Info…
…t among their father’s relatives; transfer their father’s share to them.” (Numbers 27:7) God makes this a mitzvah for everyone going forward. So, because these five women were brave enough to ask, many other women get to own land in the future! We should all be like Machla, Noa, Chogla, Milca, and Tirza–when a situation is not fair, we should ask for what we need. These five women spoke up, and what they got was not only land for themselves, but f…
