- 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
…biting the creating of art by Jews is their historical exclusion by the non-Jewish rulers from the world of Western art until this century. A fourth factor is the fear that by creating art, especially art that beautifies the sanctuary, we will be imitating Christian churches and thereby losing our uniqueness. This argument has also been used to restrict the harmonies of songs that are sung or the use of choral music during services. Because our ti…
…ll do it that way, too. But this procedure often created a dilemma: If the number of qaddishes was limited, 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 mour…
…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 matter of law but as social etiquette. There is no legal barrier to minors reading Torah or having an aliya (again…
…ene. Each member of the household has their own Hanukia, and each lights a number of lights corresponding to the number of the day of the holiday. We are fortunate that we are able to do this mitzva in such a complete and beautiful way. But what of the poor person who can not afford all of this “hidur mitzva” but must struggle to light even one lamp? The Mishna Berura, written at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Hafetz Hayim, comments…
…, the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. The service provided by the phone company allows people unable to visit the Wall in person to fax their petitions to an agent who then carefully inserts the sheets into cracks between the stones. But you don’t even need a fax machine to reach God. Our sages valued sincerity in prayer above all else. Length, language, or location are secondary considerations. Better a few words from the heart than the…
…your fellow loses and you find: you must not remain indifferent (Deut. 22:1-4). “You must not remain indifferent.” The root, ayin, lamed, mem, means to hide, to conceal. In this verse, the verb is in the reflexive form, so it means you must not hide yourself, and by extension, it means you mustn’t ignore or run away from your neighbor’s needs. If you see someone’s beast of burden fallen on the road, do not ignore it; you must help him raise it. Th…
…rehabilitates abandoned properties and sells them to partner families at no-profit, via 0%-interest mortgages. Circle of Faith – Circle of Faith is a partnership program between local churches and synagogues and Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven. The congregations jointly adopt a project, called the Covenant Build. The build is either a new construction or the rehabilitation of an abandoned, dilapidated house. The churches and synagogues s…
…and I didn’t feel invisible anymore. One day I was speaking with my brother-in-law on the phone. I was talking about BEKI (which by this time I had joined) and the feeling that I have here. And I confided in him that one day I’d like to get up on the bima and read from the Torah. And as I said these words I began to tremble. The very thought was overpowering to me. To even think of myself as playing such an honored role among Jews seemed so bold….
…hopes BEKI congregants will volunteer and teach Kulanu students Hebrew one-on-one. Johnston will also ask BEKI members to provide home hospitality–inviting participants over for Shabbat lunch or for the High Holiday meals. (BEKI provides clients with free tickets for High Holiday services.) In the summertime, Kulanu participants may have a joint program with one of BEKI’s social action committees—they will clean up Beaver Pond Park in southern Co…
…nch on Saturday, or one of our other services, classes, or events. We invite you to explore our calendar. If you have further questions, please e-mail beki-membership@beki.org. We look forward to meeting you!…
