- 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
…c landscape with all its contrasts: the rays of dawn, the stillness of the day’s heat, the evening’s twilight, radiance and dimness, wind and rain, a night’s storm.” Avniel’s work was included the 2004 exhibition “Our Landscape: Notes on Landscape Painting in Israel” at the University of Haifa Art Gallery. Other exhibitions include the National Gallery in Washington, Tel Aviv Museum, New York University gallery,and numerous shows in galleries in N…
…hate. Together we can break some idols. I have had help preparing for this day. My parents have always stood by me. My Dad has been a well of strength and Judaic wisdom, my Mom a source of calm and organization. Thank you both. I also want to thank my teachers Andy Schultz, Dr. Kempton, Rabbi Jon-Jay and Ben Zlotoff, and my many Hebrew School teachers. And all my friends. And I would like to thank Daniel, my little brother, for he has changed the…
…he Passion, and hoped the hype would be forgotten within a week of opening day. As long as it did not inspire pogroms in the streets of New Haven or the wilds of Woodbridge, my plan was to ignore the movie. I will admit, though, that the idea of watching a movie in Aramaic appeals to me. Since Aramaic is the language of the Talmud, parts of the Hebrew Bible, and passages of the siddur, it is very much a “Jewish” language. As a cognate language to…
…07 Sep Shaharit (Federal Holiday Service Time) September 7, 2015 9:00 am – 9:45 am Home Page Shaharit service will be held at 9:00am on Labor Day. More Info…
…ater does not test his wife. Therefore, when adulterers increased in their numbers, the sota’s bitter waters ceased. This reading by the Gemara has answered both our questions while demonstrating for us the evolutionary nature of the halakha, the laws by which the mitzvot are applied. Verse 31 refers to the sota and her male partner assuming the ceremony had found her to be an adulteress. It affirms what we already know about the Torah’s rules of…
…of Death. Which brings up another disturbing story that relates to the Holiday we are about to celebrate, Pesach, where the Egyptian firstborn are killed at G‐d’s behest. Their crime? Being the children of Egypt? What possible crime could infants commit to deserve such a grim fate? Moreover, what possible crime could their parents have committed to deserve such horrific violence? Even their participation in the state instituted slavery, as cruel a…
…. Trickery and deceit will no longer work for him. * * * * The action of today’s parashah is divided into two parts: (1) Jacob’s preparations for his meeting with Esau. (2) The account of the actual meeting of the two brothers. Between these two episodes is the strange story of the night-long struggle between Jacob and a mysterious adversary, which, as Nehama Leibowitz has observed,”is one of the most puzzling chapters in the Torah.” Jacob remains…
…that not every family is comfortable with this yet. I will announce rainy-day indoor services with enough lead time for families to make their own decision. Masks are no longer required, only recommended, for vaccinated people while outdoors. K-2 Kehila and Junior Congregation will return to meeting every week, also at 10:45 am. K-2 Kehila will meet indoors, in a larger room than the one they have used in the past–exact location TBA. All particip…
…ps of wine or grape juice at the seder; recite the Shema` at least twice a day. But does halakha specify maximums? Indeed it does. One should not give so much tzedaqa as to impoverish one’s self or drink so much wine at the seder as to become inebriated. And while not a matter of law, there is a midrash that has God complaining that someone was a nudge because he prayed too much. Our shul community is ardent in providing mitzva-opportunities to it…
…get myself a good therapist ASAP. Our sages knew that such “voices” in our day are usually either chicanery or the sign of mental illness. People create God, that is, make up what God says. For that reason, the sages ruled that we do not listen to heavenly voices (Bava Metsia 59ab and elsewhere) even if we hear them ourselves; certainly we do not listen to those that others claim to hear. With all of the false prophets and false messiahs about, th…
