- 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
…a false prophesy? Or was it mercy again? As G-d reached down to that first child to put the mark of Cain on him, the mark of protection, when the intimate G-d leaned down to the face of that first child, did mercy overcome justice? And did that mercy allow the first city to come into being, and music? And did it also – and inevitably – lead to the end of the parsha, when “Adonai saw that the evil of the human creature was great on the earth and th…
…uld not afford a chicken, they ate a shtekele fish. But today chicken is cheap, meat is mundane. Unless you really like chicken, to fulfill the mitzva of making a Shabbat meal special in our day, you might have to eat Kosher Chinese. To take a historical, but only slightly less trivial, example, we note that at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Conservative rabbinate was condemned for the radical innovation of presenting sermons in Eng…
…e sort that a throng will commonly engage in. He thereupon ordered a large number of soldiers to be dressed in Jewish garments, under which they carried clubs, and he sent them off this way and that, thus surrounding the Jews, whom he ordered to withdraw. When the Jews were in full torrent of abuse he gave his soldiers the prearranged signal. They, however, inflicted much harder blows than Pilate had ordered, punishing alike both those who were ri…
…16 Mar Child-friendly Megillah reading, costume parade, light dinner March 16, 2022 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm BEKI Kids page Home Page Interior Page More Info…
…s tell us Is that 14,700 people died In this sudden plague. It’s a precise number. And it invites immediate comparison To the number we heard just a few verses earlier: Why did only 250 die From Korach’s active rebellion, But 14,700 die For a single line of passive complaint: “You two have brought death on the L-rd’s people.” This single line of lament, Of blame and complaint, May not seem so surprising, or egregious. They had seen Moses tell the…
…with her husband Morris Oppenheim of blessed memory and instilled in their children and grandchildren, the Fund will assure the continuity of this essential component of our heritage from one generation to the next. Proceeds of the endowment fund continuing educational programs, such as workshops on haftara trope, shabbat and daily nusah; expenses for the Shabbat Evening Service; High Holy Day music workshops; and other activities to perpetuate th…
…er, thinks that when she was pregnant, she was pregnant with her husband’s child, not the child of the Egyptian administrator. Nevertheless, she is still referred to as a prostitute. Some feel the blasphemer’s evil is natural, since he comes from ‘evil roots.’ This Midrash also states that the name Shlomit comes from the word ‘Shalom,’ and Shlomit was too friendly, going around and saying ‘Shalom’ to everyone. Notice that Shlomit’s mother’s name,…
…th lists start with a broad thing to give up and then narrow it down: list number one — go from your land, your birthplace, your father’s house. List number two — take your son, your only son, the one you love, Isaac. This similarity led me to still others. One of the first, and most obvious, comparisons between the two instances of lekh lekha was that in both, God is sending Abraham on a journey. In the first lekh lekha, God is starting Abraham o…
…service, they will be able to find the correct one. Dear Rabbi, How can children lead services before their bar– or bat-mitzva? Signed, Davening to Know Dear Davening, At BEKI minors (pre-benei-mitzva youth) are allowed, indeed encouraged, to read Torah (with some exceptions and reservations). This is not the case in most communities because generally children do not know how to read Torah or because it is an honor reserved for adults, not as a…
…r friends, neighbors and families wished to exact.35 Similarly, an unknown number accepted induction but made private arrangements with the administration whereby they could avoid actual combat or use of weapons, or could avoid serving in the occupied territories. At the same time, thousands of others found other ways to avoid the military altogether, through Yeshiva deferments, emigration, and faked medical or psychiatric exemptions.36 Moreover,…
