Women’s Rosh Chodesh Night Out: December 9, 2010

Every month in honor of Rosh Chodesh, women from our community gather together to learn and hear a Torah presentation that brings insight to our daily lives.

To celebrate the month of Tevet, the women’s Rosh Chodesh program will meet on Thursday night, December 9th at 8:00pm, at the home of Cindy Hodkin, 18 Birchwood Lane. This month we are privileged to have Amit Yaghoubi speaking on the topic of 10^th of Tevet - Turning Point of the Year?

Future opportunities for sponsorships and hosting are available.

Please contact Katie Lichter.

Parashat Chayei Sarah by Jeroen Reuven Bours.

The Eulogy of Sarah - In this week’s Parashat we find death and life following each other closely. Dor vah Dor, generation and generation, in the form of Sarah and eventually Abraham’s demise and the start of the next generation between Yitzhak and Rivka. What is interesting is that the Torah takes the time to express real emotion. Abraham mourns. In fact, this Parashat honors Sarah simply by opening with the words Chayei Sarah or “Sarah lives”. One could take that as “Sarah lives on…” We are made aware of the importance of the Jewish woman in two ways. One, is that Sarah played such an important supporting role in the life of Abraham - why else does a great man mourn? And two, Abraham challenges women to a test in order to find the best suitable woman with the best character, worthy to further the generations.

This is clearly a testament that women are equal or at least have their own important role in the development of the (Jewish) people. This is the only time in the Torah that the death of a person is recorded in age, time and place. We also know that Abraham was reminded by HaShem to “listen to her advice…” (Bereshit 21:12). She is the only woman whose name was changed by HaShem (Bereshit 17:15) and the Prophet Isiah writes about her in name equally to Abraham: “Look back to Abraham your father and to Sarah who brought you forth” (51:2). One could read part of this Torah section as a eulogy to Sarah, with the buying of her burial ground as a testament to how important she was. Why else specify in great details the buying of The Cave of Machpelah? Some Sages have understood this as proof that we never stole these lands but rather bought them. As Rabbi Yudan ben Simon points out: …”the Cave of Machpelah, the Temple and the burial place of Joseph (Shechem)….three places of which the world cannot say these are stolen lands.” (Bereshit Rabah, 97, 7)

Ibn Ezra has two opinions why the purchase and its details play such an important role. One is that the purchase cements the first stone in “our country” and two is that this is the first fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham of Eretz Israel. It is interesting to see how Abraham lives on only to fulfill certain important tasks to connect his generation with the next. The choosing of where to find a bride for Yitzhak is perhaps the most important last task Abraham commands. The comment to ‘…not choose from the daughters of the Canaanite in whose midst I dwell’, has kept the Sages very busy over the centuries. Various answers have been given, from political reasons to corruption. Rashi comments that because it’s written that: …’you (Yitzhak) shall not dwell among the Egyptians… nor the Canaanites, according to their deeds.’ With which he implied that the deeds of both nations were more corrupt than others. Rabbi Hirsh, centuries later, believed that Yithak would assimilate if he would take a Canaanite woman from nearby, because of her families and surrounding people. After all, Sarah was not to be buried among these people.

How beautiful is it to read later that after Yithak discovers Rivka, that he loves her. How important is it to see the connection between the mourning of Abraham, which clearly indicates his deep love for Sarah, and the necessity for Yithak to love Rivka. Here the Torah teaches us that character is very important in a person, but that only love is the necessary foundation of building a lasting generation.

Shabbat Shalom.

Women’s Tefila : Saturday, March 5, 2011

WOMEN’S TEFILA

This Shabbat afternoon, March 5, at 4:30 pm, the Women’s Tefilah group will meet for  Mincha, where they will celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of Kira Heisler, daughter of Michelle & Ethan Heisler and granddaughter of  Gitty & Gilbert Louzoun. Kiddush will be sponsored by the Heisler  family in honor of Kira’s Bat Mitzvah.

Thanksgiving Dinner for Seniors

This year for Thanksgiving

You can really give thanks and be giving!

Buy a Thanksgiving Dinner for a

resident at Arrandale Senior Housing

and make your parents proud of you.

$18 can sponsor a dinner

in honor of/in memory of your parents

Name:__________________________________________

Phone #_________________________________________                                                  Email:__________________________________________

Meals purchased in memory/ in honor of:______________

________________________________________________

Amount enclosed:______

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

We are also looking for a limited number of volunteers (ALL AGES) to help serve the dinner, clean up, play music, sing & talk to the residents

I would like to volunteer on Thursday, Nov 25^th, 11:30 -2 pm

Food Server:_______________        Other Talent:____________________

Volunteer Names & Kids’ Ages:  _________________________________

Co-Sponsored by: GNS Hunger Initiative, Sisterhood & Women’s Tefila

For more info: call Nechama at 516-773-3572 or email lisslev@verizon.net

Please return to: GNS, 26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, Neck, NY 11023

Sponsorships: October 30, 2010

Kiddush is sponsored by Great Neck Synagogue.

Bima Flowers are sponsored by Judy & Brett Blatter and by Jaime & Michael Katz in honor of the birthday of their father Henry Katz.

Seudah Shlishit is sponsored by Sheila & Moosa Ebrahimian in memory of his mother Rahel Ebrahimian.

Within Our Family: October 30, 2010

Mazal Tov  to Lyda & Ben Hakimi on the recent marriage of their son Neal to Diana Nadri.

Mazal Tov to Lori & Dennis Ferster on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughters Rachel, Carmiella and Meira.

Mazal Tov to Ruth & Milton Mitzner on the Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter Margalit Gita, daughter of Bat-Sheva and Lyle Mitzner in Newton, Mass.

Mazal Tov to Sonia & Sidney Mauthner on the upcoming marriage of their grandson Bradley Toline to Sara Jaye.

Announcements: October 30, 2010

October 30 Monday Shabbat Announcements (3)

Super Bowl Party

SUPER BOWL PARTY

Come join the GNS Youth for our Super Bowl Party Sunday, February 6th starting at 6 pm at Braun Youth Center. Sign up at www.gnsyouth.org/superbowl

Announcements: October 23, 2010

October 23 Monday Shabbat Announcements

Shiva Notice: Steven Mayer, z”l

Great Neck Synagogue notes with sorrow the passing of its member and former president, Steven Mayer, beloved husband of Susan and beloved father of Jason, Stuart, Richard and Debbie.

The funeral took  place on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 11:30 am at Sinai Chapels in Queens.

The period of shiva, concluding early Sunday morning, will be observed at the Mayer home, 40 Radnor Rd, Great Neck, NY 11023. Services will be held there mornings at 6:45 am and evenings at 5:50 pm. Sunday morning at 8:30 am.

If you would like to assist in providing food for the family during the period of shiva, please contact either Dina Hamerman, 917-348-2122, or Brenda Parver, 516-829-8079. We request that all food arrangements be made through these individuals in order to accommodate the family without overwhelming them at this difficult time.

Additionally, given the difficult circumstances of the last two weeks, and the tremendous strain that has been placed on the family, we ask that you respect the privacy of the family during your shiva visit, and refrain from questions concerning the particulars of Steven’s death. Even the best intentioned questions can cause additional and unnecessary pain to the family. Focusing your conversations on his life, his accomplishments and his relationships within the community will bring comfort to the family.

May the family be comforted among those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.

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