- 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
…23 Sep Deadline to Purchase High Holiday Tickets September 23, 2022 2:00 pm More Info…
…nclean animals or creeping things, etc., etc., 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 an…
…ives, the man who did this deserves to die! He shall pay for the lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and showed no pity.” Nathan said, “That man is you!” What Nathan meant was that Batsheva was the lamb because King David had caused the death of her husband. To understand the intensity of Nathan’s statement, one must know that sheep were something that people might have an emotional attachment to. King David, Moses, Abram, Itzchak, a…
…given them. Quite likely, he wants to avenge himself on them for what they did to him. What they did was terrible. And yet he probably also would like to see his beloved younger brother Benjamin and his father. I would think that a part of Joseph may even harbor a distant hope of reconciling with his brothers. I think, too, he may want to come to terms with his own role in the events of that awful afternoon many years ago. So he faces a complex pr…
…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…
…ites will not trust him. Rabbi Heller differs, suggesting that maybe Moses did know the punishment is death, but he did not know what manner of death. In some ways, this story is similar to one about a stick gatherer, where again Moses deliberates before pronouncing a punishment. A man goes out among the tents of Israel, collecting sticks on Shabbat. God had previously told Israel not to do work on Shabbat. When the man is brought to Moses for jud…
…ght: The meaning of the phrase “and the man shall be free of guilt….” At a time when a man is clean of sin, the water tests his wife. At a time when a man is not free of sin, the water 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 mitzvo…
…hted at or before time given ** Indicates candles must be lighted by transferring existing flame ~ tilde indicates approximate time, usually +/- 15 minutes…
…and Joanne and the baby started attending services regularly. When it came time for Rachel to start kindergarten, Joanne at the very last minute decided we should look at Ezra Academy. This was an act of great courage, because not only did it mean that friends and family would think we had turned into religious fanatics, it meant that her child would know more about Judaism than herself, before first grade — a humbling position to be in. At the sa…
…verall within the same space, how will we feel more intimate? Reducing the number of seats means that (in non-Covid times) we will all sit closer to each other. Nobody will be in Alaska, Florida, or Nova Scotia. The design and placement of the ark and ark platform will also make the room more human-scale. Why can’t we integrate pews AND movable chairs, to accommodate all of our needs and interests? The redesign committee considered combining fixed…
