Shabbat Announcements, May 30, 2009

Shabbat Announcements, May 30, 2009

For Shavout

No-Bake Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

1 large package of biscuits or graham crackers

3 packages of 9% cheese spread (soft cream cheese spread)

1 cup of milk

1 package of vanilla pudding

Combine the cheese spread, milk and vanilla pudding together in a mixing bowl. While the mixer is mixing, take the biscuits (or graham crackers) and line the bottom of a large tray so that the biscuits completely cover the bottom of the pan.

Add the mix on top of the biscuits and refrigerate. It will thicken in the refrigerator over night and be ready in the morning.

Serve by cutting slices.

Variations are simple by using different flavored puddings or adding finely chopped strawberries. Enjoy!

Great Neck Scholars Kollel

Great Neck Scholars Kollel

Schedule for June

Monday, June 01, 2009	Tuesday, June 02, 2009	Thursday, June 04, 2009
Eruv Tavshilin: more than just cooking	Eruv Tavshilin: more than just cooking	Eruv Tavshilin: more than just cooking
Pirkei Avos	Pirkei Avos	Parsha

Monday, June 08, 2009	Tuesday, June 09, 2009	Thursday, June 11, 2009
Eruv Tavshilin: more than just cooking	Eruv Tavshilin: more than just cooking	Eruv Tavshilin: more than just cooking
Pirkei Avos	Pirkei Avos	Parsha

Monday, June 15, 2009	Tuesday, June 16, 2009	Friday, June 19, 2009
Who’s blood is redder: Rabbi Akiva’s dilemma	Who’s blood is redder: Rabbi Akiva’s dilemma	Who’s blood is redder: Rabbi Akiva’s dilemma
Pirkei Avos	Pirkei Avos	Parsha

Monday, June 22, 2009	Tuesday, June 23, 2009	Thursday, June 25, 2009
Who’s blood is redder: Rabbi Akiva’s dilemma	Who’s blood is redder: Rabbi Akiva’s dilemma	Who’s blood is redder: Rabbi Akiva’s dilemma
Pirkei Avos	Pirkei Avos	Parsha

Includes Breakfast

Peace of Parsha - Shavuot by Dr. Mark Gersten

On Shavuot the Torah was first given to the woman and then later to the men. The Rabbis learn this because the words “BAIS YAKOV” (the women) come before the words “BENAI YISROEL” (the men). One explanation is that the women are involved with creating the child’s early emotional involvement with Torah before the father’s role to teach Torah is even a factor. A second explanation is that HASHEM wanted to give the women a free choice to accept the Torah uninfluenced by their husband’s decision. Finally some commentaries believe that Hashem offered the Torah to the women first because of their greater righteousness.

From the fact that the Rabbis identify the women as “BAIS” in BAIS YAKOV they are able to learn a very important lesson from the verse in Psalms “ZACHER CHESDO VIHEMUNATO LIBAIS YISROEL” which also mentions (LI)BAIS (the women) . The verse relates that the remembrance of HASHEM’s kindness and faithfulness will be for the women. The lesson the Rabbis learn is that the Jewish People will be redeemed in the merit of the righteous women of the generation.

We saw this in Egypt before our first redemption. The righteous women used mirrors to beautify themselves to entice their husbands and thereby assure the continuation of the Jewish People even after Pharaoh had separated husband from wife.

We saw this in Shushan when Esther risked her life to save her people. In her merit HASHEM delivered us from the evil Hamen.

The final redemption of the Moshiach was started by Tamar who risked her life rather than to accuse and embarrass Judah. The Davidic line began through her son Peretz.

Ruth whose megilah we read on Shevuoth, was the forbearer of King David and the Moshiach. She kept alive the chain to Moshiach and his eventual redemption of Israel. The Rabbis praise her righteousness in her kindness to Naomi, her modesty of dress, and her careful actions which kept her above the suspicion of sin.

Based on the Rabbis words explaining the verse in Psalms what we first still need for the final redemption is more righteous women.

It is therefore quite a surprise that parents who appreciate spirituality in Judaism fixate on their sons becoming Talmidai Chachumim (Torah Scholars). Their daughters, the Talmud tells them, marry off to Scholars. It behooves us as parent to be as concerned with developing our daughters as righteous woman, kind and modest, as we are concerned with making our sons Talmidai Chachumim or doctors or lawyers for that matter.

When Hashem is ready to bring Moshiach and the final redemption let Him not be stalledb y a lack of righteous women on whose merit the redemption balances.

Dedicated for a REFUAH SHELAMAH for HENYA BAT TOBAH

New Members

Great Neck Synagogue welcomes the following new members who have recently joined us.

Joshua and Lital Amini, Abraham and Lynn Glassman, Eyal and Wendy Ofer, Moshe and Esther Pinsky, Payman and Miryam Rabei & Liza Vardi.

In Our Family: May 29, 2009

Mazal Tov to Wendy & Eyal Ofer on the birth of a son.

Sponsorships: May 29 & 30

Kiddush is sponsored by Great Neck Synagogue.

Sunday Breakfast is sponsored by the Katzwer, Karbowitz and Steinberg families, in memory of their husband, father and grandfather Jacob Katzwer, z”l.

All Night Learning Shavout Schedule

Shavuot - 5769

You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Community

Tikun Leyl Shavuot (held this year at GNS)

11:30 pm - 12:30 am

A History of Rabbinic Politics in Megillat Rut

Rabbi Dale Polakoff (Ballroom)

12:40 am - 1:40 am

Learning Torah or Doing Mitzvot: Which Is More Important?

Rabbi Yaacov Lerner (Ballroom)

1:40 am- 2:00 am

Brief Break and Refreshments (Gym)

Following the break there will be a choice of 2 shiurim each hour

2:00 am - 2:50 am

Shiur #1 Reigning in Those Rabbis:The Latitude and Limits of              Rabbinic Leadership

Rabbi Shmuel Ismach (Ballroom)

Shiur #2 Conversion and Revelation: An Examination of Geirus    and Matan Torah

Rabbi Shalom Axelrod (Beit Midrash)

3:00 am-3:50 am

Shiur #1 Eliahu: Navi, Miracle Worker, Rider of Fiery Chariots:        Is That All He Does?

Dr. Ephraim Weinblatt (Ballroom)

Shiur #2 G-d Will Provide: The Contemporary Kollel Controversy

Rabbi Brahm Weinberg (Beit Midrash)

4:00 am-4:50 am

Shiur #1 Megillat Rut and Halachik Consequences

Dr. Avi Goldberg (Ballroom)

Shiur #2 Eilu V’eilu Divrei Elokim Chayim:                                     Can Everybody Be Right?

Daniel Schwechter (Beit Midrash)

4:55 am- Davenning        5:26am - Netz (Sunrise)

Youth learning throughout the night in the Youth Center

with Rabbi Moskowitz and Rabbi Jensen

Board of Trustees: 2009-2010

Great Neck Synagogue

Officers and Trustees 2009-2010

Executive Board

Chairman                                          Harold Domnitch

President                                          Howard Silberstein

Executive Vice President          Joseph Hecht*

First Vice President                     Scott Danoff

Second Vice President               Edward Wydra

Third Vice President                   Deborah Hollander

Treasurer                                        Norman Rutta

Recording Secretary                   Vivian Kron*

Corresponding Secretary         Bart Baum*

Financial Secretary                     David Goddard*

Service Officer                               Gilbert Aronowitz

Service Officer                              Gary Chubak

Gabbai                                             Tommy Furst

Bet Midrash Gabbai                     Isaac Greszes

Bet Midrash Service Officer      Joe Hyman

Trustees

Term Expiring 5/12

Donnie Aharon*

Hal Chadow*

Laura Cohen

Lev Dynkin

Andrew Feldschreiber

Natan Hammerman*

Richard Lillian

Jayson Mayer

Edward Mazur

Ann Mendelson

Carl Mosesson*

Lisa Stein*

Term Expiring 5/11

Alan Adler

Viviane Breitbart*

Harvey Brenner

Judy Blatter

Ron Braun

Elliot Heisler

Benjamin Lunzer

Addie Markowitz

Jonathan Kroll

Stewart Kaplan

Avery Modlin

Fred Pomerantz

Term Expiring 5/10

Andrew Allen

Ada Benerofe

Dov Berkowitz

Carol Berlin

Robyn Blumner

Sharon Goldwyn*

Amy Fox Griffel

Nechama Liss Levinson

Michael Moslin

Jon Ohebshalom

Jessica Shusterman

Glenn Zuckerman

Peace Of Parsha: Bamidbar

By: Laura Danoff

The Book of Bamidbar is also called Sefer Hapekudim (The Book of Numbers) because in it a census of the Jewish people is taken not only once but twice.  The parsha opens with G-d’s commandment to Moshe and his brother Aharon to go ahead and conduct a counting of the Jewish people.  The Children of Israel had already been counted numerous times before; once when they went down to Egypt, a 2nd time upon their exodus and then after the incident of the sin of the golden calf in order to know the number of survivors.

Does G-d who is absolutely omniscient need to count the
Jews to determine their actual population if he already knows it?
Rashi states that Hashem repeatedly counted the Jewish people because of his love for them.  Hashem commands Moshe to count each Jew as “one” so each person is considered significant and equal before Hashem since each one possesses a spark of his neshomah.  Ramban says that the Hebrew word for count “pakod” can also mean to be concerned with or remember.

G-d commanded that the Jews be counted to show us that each man rich or poor, learned or ignorant are all equal members of the Jewish nation.  Every Jew and at any level has an equal share in the Torah.

The census taken in Bamidbar though was different than those taken prior.  Here, Moshe was commanded to”  take a census of the entire assembly of the Children of Israel according to their families of their paternal household.”  Rashi says that each person (male from ages 20-60) had to present his genealogical documents and witnesses so that each person could be registered in his tribe and family.  The family unit thus constituted the foundation of the Jewish nation and each person registered according to his own Hebrew name.

The Torah states ” And with you shall be one from each tribe, each man should be the head of his family.”  Rabbi Moshe Chairfetz, author of Meleches Machsheves interprets this to mean that a person should not depend on the stature of his ancestors to determine his own self worth and status in life.  You should be elevated to as high a level as possible educationally and morally in your own right.  Each person should be the head of his own family’s lineage.

There were 603,550 men available for military service.
The tribe of Levi which numbered 22,300 was exempt from military service because of their special responsibilities as religious leaders
and were commanded to serve in the sanctuary and guard its vessels.
Originally, this honor belonged to the firstborn males of the Children of Israel who were spared by Hashem during the plague of the firstborn in Egypt.  This privilege was taken away from them because of their participation in the sin of the golden calf and thus this distinction was given to the Levites.  All Levite males were counted from the age of one month and older.  This explains why the pidyon ha- ben is done at 30 days for the firstborn males who are not of Levite descent.

The Torah portion of Bamidbar is usually read the Shabbat before the holiday of Shavuot, when G-d gave us the Torah. Shavuot is the only holiday for which the Torah did not establish a specific day of the month. It is celebrated on the 50th day, after counting the
Omer for a period of seven weeks.   We prepare for Shavuot by counting
numbers.

We should all be “counting” our blessings that we were given the Torah.  Each of us must recognize our important role in committing ourselves to the Torah to follow its laws, and study its endless wisdom bringing its application into our daily lives.  Our boundaries and rewards are endless just like the desert where the Torah was given.  Without the Torah nothing would count!

This Peace of Parsha is dedicated to my husband Scott in honor of our wedding anniversary.  Thank you for always making each day count!

Next Page »