- 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
…that derive from the erosion of our separateness. Problems that touch me, personally, and perhaps you, too, if you have children who are teenagers or young adults. I’ve heard it said that the worst danger to the Jewish people today is not anti-Semitism, but assimilation, and that the answer to “Who is a Jew?” is not someone with Jewish mother, but someone with a Jewish grandchildren: Someone whose family beat the odds. What our enemies couldn’t d…
…backward as forward. Our sages teach that this suggests that whenever one person strikes another, inevitably that act of violence has an equal and opposite reaction. One who strikes another thus begins a chain of actions which are likely to lead to more violence. Ben Azzai said: Run to perform a minor mitzva just as a major one, and flee from an aveira (sin); for one mitzva brings another, and one aveira (sin) brings another. (Avot 4:2) © Jon-Jay…
…Halakha (Torah law) specifies minimums for some mitzvot (commandments). A person should give at least 10% of their wealth annually for tzedaqa (charity); leave at least 1/60th of their crops unpicked (“pe’a”) for the poor to collect; drink at least 4 cups 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…
…r that. What upset me the most was not that these people were ridiculing a person whom I loved dearly, but that I knew that Shai was aware of what they were doing. He didn’t cry, or glare at them, or cower – he probably kept singing, or happily wandering around the ice cream store or the library. He knew, though, that these people did not like him and did not respect him – for no reason that he could understand. Having felt the cold stare of intol…
…people—following their human nature—could steal one’s wealth for their own personal benefit. Abram took his sheep with him because his intent was to never go back. When I went to Phoenix, I did not take my gerbil with me because I was planning on returning. Sheep were not something that you would bring with you wherever you went. God, at the end of this parasha, promises Abraham to an abundance of children. Why children and not sheep? Abraham neve…
…ovided him fulfillment of Isaac’s blessing. In order for Jacob to become a person of real power and legitimate authority, a true leader, he must have the ability to confront his brother Esau directly and to embrace Esau steadfastly, even though in doing so he will expose himself to serious injury. Jacob’s crossing of the Jabbok River after his night-long struggle, and his receipt of a blessing and a new name, represents a watershed in Jacob’s life…
…27 Mar Learning New Shabbat Morning Melodies March 27, 2023 7:00 pm Events A second evening of melodies for Shabbat morning davening. Other regular leaders will teach favorite tunes, so that we can sing them with more confidence and spiritual […] More Info…
