- 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
…aham to argue. But God had to give him some kind of reward, since Abraham did what he said. The Torah says that in the second lekh lekha, God was testing Abraham. Most of the time, people interpret this to mean that God was testing Abraham to see if he would be faithful to God even when asked to do something crazy. If this is the case, Abraham passed the test with flying colors. I also think that God was testing Abraham’s faith, but not in that wa…
…Amida work? It seems to be different each time I’m at services. Signed, Amida Amida Dear Amida, The Amida or shemona esrei prayer, a part of each service, is repeated in the presence of a minyan (quorum) during shaharit (morning), musaf (additional) and minha (afternoon) services, but not during maariv (evening) service. There are two ways this can be done, at the discretion of the officiant or shaliah tsibur (reader or leader). First, when the c…
…Sisterhood Liaison 203.675.8607, giftshop@beki.org Rachel Bashevkin, President president@beki.org ROOM RATES 1. Shabbat Kiddush/Luncheon Option Shabbat luncheon in the social hall for a period of up to 2 hours following Shabbat morning services. The entire congregation is invited and must be included in the calculation of number of guests. a. Sponsoring Kiddush prepared by BEKI Kiddush Team This fee (prices as of March 2024) includes a dairy bu…
…istic endeavors or even forbid the representation of humans. It merely forbids idolatry. The fact that the Tent of Testimony and the Temple of Solomon are described in the Bible as containing carved cherubim strongly argues that the commandment is accepting of representations even of heavenly beings. Furthermore numerous passages of the Bible describe Temple art containing palm trees, lions, and other clearly representational objects. Throughout t…
…T, a program for Jewish children with learning differences, in Philadelphia for 2 years. Mike is a California Land Use Attorney who works on various planning, zoning, and entitlement issues for clients in Southern California. Lisa and Mike moved to Woodbridge in mid-2022 and are enjoying “country” living and taking their granddaughters back and forth to school, shul, and home, and entertaining their grandsons from Washington, DC (think choo-choo t…
…woman could be allowed to go to the bima for a “joint aliya” because she didn’t count. The theory that permitted joint aliya for a woman with a man was that since she didn’t count, there was no concern that the practice violated any of the rules described above. She was viewed, at least for the purpose of the law, as if she were not there at all. I have found no evidence from any written teshuvot from that era for permission for two men to share…
…, Dying to Know Dear Know, Long ago when the sites were obtained, land was cheaper outside the city. Moreover, it is viewed as proper that a cemetery be a little bit out of sight. Dear Rabbi, Why do some shuls say Mourner’s Qaddish so many times at the end of some services? Signed, Late for Work Dear Late, Why? Because it’s a tradition. Originally only one qaddish was said, and only one person, usually a mourner, said it. There are some communit…
…with each other, meet visitors and guests, and arrange play dates for the kids. Some of the best qiddush recipes will be published in a new BEKI cookbook, which will have its first organizational meeting a week from tonight at Darryl’s house. If you’re interested, talk to Darryl or Bryna. These qiddushim have become a great way to mark birthdays and other occasions. We honored our founders for the first time last fall with a lovely qiddush. Jessey…
…c., if he consumed any food but did not consume flesh, if he drank any liquid but did not drink wine, he has not become a rebellious and disobedient son, unless he both consumes flesh and drinks wine, as it is said, a glutton and a drunkard…. If he stole from his father and consumed it in his father’s place, etc. etc., he does not become a rebellious and disobedient son unless he steals from his father and consumes it in others’ place. Rabbi Yosi…
…e bizarre accusation against Israel of genocide is frightening when we consider that genocide is actually taking place in Darfur (incidentally, related to pan-Arab racial imperialism) and in other places. All people interested in human rights and civil rights, as well as those interested in Jews and Arabs should pay attention to what is taking place in the territories under Israeli military control. But those concerned about recent and ongoing gen…
