- 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 Talmudic concept of “a mitzva done by way of a transgression is not a mitzva (mitzva ha-ba’a be`avera eina mitzva),” that is, a commandment may not be fulfilled through the performance of a transgression.23 Notably, this Rabbinic language suggests that the mitzva is thought of as a state of being, or a state of action, as it were, rather than as a goal or end. In the same way, the liturgy of the Torah service (from Proverbs 3:17) eloquently s…
…with Darryl and with all of you this “milestone” anniversary of Darryl becoming a Bat-Mitzvah. Of course, this is, in part, a personal celebration for her, for our family and friends and our community. We look forward to your all joining us in the continuation of this celebration at Kiddush. However, for me, this celebration is, in part, also a small but important statement. It is, for me, a religious statement. It is a statement that stands, at t…
…ll bless themselves by your descendants…. But in both sets of blessings, similar things are promised, just for different people. I think that if Abraham had passed God’s test in the second lekh lekha with an A or a B instead of a C, maybe the blessings would have been for him like in the first lekh lekha as well as for his descendants. I would like to thank everyone for coming to celebrate with me today. I would especially like to thank everyone w…
…parents, to join their shul—BEKI. We’ve always been a synagogue-centric family and miss the community we left behind in Needham, MA. It is so gratifying for us to see the next generation understand the importance of synagogue life for themselves and for their children. It’s been challenging to fully engage during these tougher COVID times, but we do hope, little by little, to build strong connections of our own within our new BEKI community. Cole…
…d, there might still be some who did not get to say one; if there was no limit to the number of qaddishes added, the service became burdensomely long. So after careful scrutiny the rabbis allowed all mourners to say qaddish simultaneously. This rabbinic solution was adopted only after careful consideration, and after it was determined that mourner’s qaddish is not one of the types of public prayers that can be said by only one person at a time, su…
…uy him tefillin.” In general, we encourage pre-benei mitzva to begin performing mitzvot (religious obligations) as soon as they are “age appropriate,” even though minors are not technically obligated until they reach the age of majority. For some mitzvot, such as marriage and raising children, we generally encourage people to wait until after their teenage years. In the days of the Temple, kohanim did not serve in certain capacities, and men were…
…heir Holiday Candles — glowing in their windows, then we are truly fulfilling the mandate of Hanuka: Pirsuma Nesa, Proclaiming the Miracle….
…pressure to include everyone. As it is, if such a family may pick only a limited number of people to honor, everyone who does not receive an honor understands that the family was limited. However, if the family is essentially unlimited, by being able to call up more than one person at a time for an aliya, then anyone who is not called up has greater grounds to feel slighted. A second reason for wanting joint aliya is that one of the proposed honor…
…nything. He won’t tell them to let me in. He doesn’t interfere. He’s just smiling. “Why is he smiling?” she asks. I think that God finds it amusing in some way…his children amuse him. And I think He’s smiling because he knows it’s not time, for them or for me, and that I have to wander a bit more. When I planned this date for my Bat Torah, I had no idea what the Torah portion would be. Maybe it was destiny that on this day I would sing the Song of…
…r in an office setting. Under the leadership of BEKI members Carolyn Kohn, Mimi Glenn, Charlie Ludwig, Saul Bell and others, the Wardrobe was housed at BEKI during the Summer and Autumn of 1997. Located just blocks from the Community Action Agency, the Congregation provided a convenient and well-equiped venue for participants to find and try clothes stored in the synagogue building. See news story in BEKI Bulletin July 1997. Abraham’s Tent – In 20…
