Page 2 - Announcements Mon. Dec. 13

26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100 Shabbat Announcements Vayechi 5782
It cannot be avoided. Politics without conflict is a enthusiasm.” It may be that what sustains people through
contradiction in terms. repeated setbacks is belief in themselves, or sheer
tenacity, or lack of alternatives. What sustained Joseph,
Any leader elected to anything, any leader more loved or though, was his insight into Divine Providence. A plan was
gifted than others, will face envy. Rivals will question, “Why unfolding whose end he could only dimly discern, but at
wasn’t it me?” That is what Korach thought about Moses some stage he seems to have realized that he was just one
and Aaron. It is what the brothers thought about Joseph of many characters in a far larger drama, and that all the
when they saw that their father favored him. It is what bad things that had happened to him were necessary if the
Antonio Salieri thought about the more gifted Mozart, intended outcome was to occur. As he said to his brothers,
according to Peter Shaffer’s play Amadeus.
“It was not you who sent me here, but God.”
As for false accusations, they have occurred often enough This willingness to let events work themselves out in
in history. Joan of Arc was accused of heresy and burned at accordance with providence, this understanding that we
the stake. A quarter century later she was posthumously are, at best, no more than co-authors of our lives, allowed
declared innocent by an official court of inquiry. More than Joseph to survive without resentment about the past or
twenty people were put to death as a result of the Salem despair in the face of the future. Trust in God gave him
Witch Trials in 1692-3. Years later, as their innocence immense strength, which is what we will all need if we are
began to be perceived, a priest present at the trials, John to dare greatly. Whatever malice other people harbor
Hale, admitted, “Such was the darkness of that day… that against leaders – and the more successful they are, the
we walked in the clouds, and could not see our way.” The more malice there is – if they can say, “You intended to
most famous false accusation of modern times was the trial harm me, but God intended it for good,” they will survive,
of Alfred Dreyfus, a French officer of Jewish descent who their strength intact, their energy undiminished.
was accused of being a German spy. The Dreyfus affair
rocked France during the years 1894 and 1906, until
Dreyfus was finally acquitted.
Setbacks are almost always a part of the life-story of the
most successful. J. K. Rowling’s initial Harry Potter novel
was rejected by the first twelve publishers who received it.
Another writer of a book about children suffered twenty-one
rejections. The book was called Lord of the Flies, and its
author, William Golding, was eventually awarded the Nobel GNS Class Schedule
Prize for literature. In his famous commencement address
at Stanford University, the late Steve Jobs told the story of
the three blows of fate that shaped his life: dropping out of Sunday
university; being fired from Apple, the company he 9:15 am: Midrash Class - Rabbi Polakoff
founded; and being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Rather than being defeated by them, he turned them all to Monday
creative use. 8:30 am: Scholars’ Kollel - Rabbi Froimowitz
For twenty-two years I lived close to Abbey Road in North 8:30 pm: Gemara Sota - Rabbi Polakoff
London, where a famous pop group recorded all their hits.
At their first audition, they performed for a record company Tuesday
who told them that guitar bands were “on their way out.”
The verdict on their performance (in January 1962) was: 8:30 am: Scholars’ Kollel - Rabbi Polakoff
“The Beatles have no future in show business.” All this
explains Winston Churchill’s great remark that “success is Wednesday
the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of 8:30 am: Scholars’ Kollel - Dr. Alan Mazurek
9:00 pm: WNL Chabura - Rabbi Lichter
Great Neck Synagogue
26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck , NY 11023 Thursday
516-487-6100 8:30 am: Scholars’ Kollel - Rabbi Lichter
9:15 am: Women’s Chumash - Rabbi Polakoff
Rabbi Dale Polakoff, Rabbi
Rabbi Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi
Rabbi Yehoshua Lefkowitz, Intern Rabbi Friday
Dr. Ephraim Wolf, z”l, Rabbi Emeritus 8:30 am: Scholars’ Kollel - Rabbi Froimowitz
Yitzy Spinner, Cantor
Eleazer Schulman, z”l, Cantor Emeritus Shabbat
Zehava & Dr. Michael Atlas, Youth Directors 8:30 am: Parsha Shiur
Mark Twersky, Executive Director
Dr. James Frisch, Assistant Director 1 hr. before Mincha: Gemara Moed Katan
Jordan Wolf, President Rabbis Polakoff & Lichter
Dov Sassoon, Chairman of the Board