Erev Shabbat, May 22 (Day 43 of Sefirah - Yom Yerushalayim): 5:00p Weekly D'var Torah with Rabbi Herzfeld via FacebookLive 5:45p Layning of the Parsha led by Ariel and Eliana Wolf Join here 6:30p Minchajoin here 6:45p Kabbalat Shabbat led by Ari Mandelbaum of Y-Studs Join here 8:02p Candlelighting
Shabbat, May 23 (Day 44 of Sefirah Bamidbar - Shabbat Mevarchim) : 9:04p Havdalah join here
Ari Grossman z"l, brother of Dov Grossman and brother-in-law of Katie Schenk. Full shiva information is availablehere.
Bob Cohen z"l, husband of Joy Cohen. A virtual shiva will be held this evening, May 21st at 7:30pm,click hereto join.
Thank you to all our virtual learning sponsors from this past week! Bill Edelman, Ann Werner, and Lowell Brazin. If you are interested in sponsoring a day of virtual learning for $54, please email Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org.
This Friday afternoon at 6:45 pm, Kabbalat Shabbat will be led by Ari Mandelbaum of Y-Studs! To see a message to Ohev from Ari click here.
The Ohev Reopening Task Force has been formed to recommend to the Board a plan for the eventual, phased reopening of the shul – when, how, and under what conditions and restrictions. Though we are still in the early stages of putting together recommendations, if you have comments you can email reopening@ostns.org.
Annual Gala: As we approach June, we are disappointed that we cannot hold our annual gala but we look forward to rescheduling it as soon as we are able. We are thrilled to announce PLNT Burger's new location at Whole Foods in Columbia, MD. Click here to see the video!
Spotlight On......
Community Resources
Free Kosher Meals for all Children Under 18! Yad Yehuda has started a daily kosher meal distribution through the USDA Summer Food Service Program, distributing breakfast and lunch simultaneously each day.
Distribution takes place Monday through Friday each week, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, at E. Brooke Lee Middle School, 11800 Monticello Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902. There is no charge for these meals. All households with children age 18 and under are eligible to participate in this USDA program; income requirements have been waived during this time.
Visit http://moco.covidgw.com for further instructions and to place your orders for the coming week. It is very important that you pre-order so our vendors (Ben Yehuda Pizza and Shalom Kosher) will know how many meals to prepare. Meals will be available for those who do not pre-order but we urge you to assist us by using the pre-order process. FAQ: Q. If I live in DC, can I pick up meals for my family in Kemp Mill? A. Yes. Families living in any jurisdiction in the DC region can pick up meals at our distribution site; residency requirements have been waived at this time.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington New event! May 25, 2020 at 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm: One community, many voices: A Pre-Shavuot celebration of Torah. For more information click here
Personal Shopping Service! An Ohev member has recommended Edie and Earl Espinoza for your shopping needs. They will shop at any store you want and you schedule directly with them. They are wear masks and gloves at all times and are very careful shoppers. Delivery is to your door.
They charge $30 for Giant, Safeway, and Koshermart (Moti's) for a $100 shopping trip. Wegman's, Costco, and Whole Foods start at $35. You can contact Earl Espinoza at 301-613-3293 or Edie Espinoza at 240-418-9101.
Event Recordings
Last Friday night Shulem Lemmer led us in an incredible Kabbalat Shabbat service. In case you missed it you can watchhere
Comments on the Portion, Haftorah & Pirkei Avos Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz
The parsha this Shabbos is Bamidbar, the first parsha in the Book of Bamidbar, which is the next to last book of the Torah. It tells of the travels of the Jewish people in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. As always, the first parsha of a book of the Torah has the same title as the entire book.
The parsha opens with God instructing Moshe to take a census of the Jewish people. The Torah says, "These are the generations of Aharon and Moshe on the day that God spoke to Moshe on Har Sinai (3:1). It goes on to state the names only of the sons of Aharon, not mentioning any of Moshe's children. The Talmud says that we learn from this that these were Aharon's children, but they were taught by Moshe. The children were therefore described as Moshe's children. The principle is "one who teaches the children of a friend Torah is considered as if he has given birth to the child. (Sanhedrin 9b). By teaching a child, the teacher gives new life to him or her, and therefore is thought of as having given birth.
The Torah goes on to say that Nadav and Avihu, Aharon's children, were punished with death for bringing a strange fire before God, "and they had no children." The Talmud learns from this that if a person does not fulfil the mitzva on Pru U'revu, being fruitful and multiplying, the Torah would consider them as not having lived, because a person is deemed to have lived only through his or her children.
The encampment of Jewish people has inspired interpretation. By way of background, one of the sons of Levi, a son of Yaakov, is Kehas.( Kehas is the father of Amram who is the father of Moshe.) The Torah indicates that the family of Kehas camps on the west side of the Ohel Moed. The tribe of Reuvain, also a son of Yaakov, also encamped on the west side of the Ohel Moed. Rashi observes that the both the offspring of Reuvain and those of Kehas participated in Korach's rebellion against Moshe, described later in parshat Korach in this book of Bamidbar. More specifically, Korach, the leader of the rebellion, was the grandson of Kehas, The other leaders of the rebellion were Dasan ad Aviram, from the Tribe of Reuvain. The lesson, says Rashi, is "oy le'rasha ve'oy le'shcheino". It is too bad for the wicked person and it is also too bad for his neighbor. The fact that the children of Reuvain and those of Kehas lived next to one another in the camp meant that they learned their rebellious ways from each other. "Too bad."
This week's haftorah is Hoshea (Hosea) (2:1-22). The haftorah closes with the passage, "Ve'eirasti" -- I will betroth you with righteousness and justice, with goodness and mercy, and I will betroth you with faithfulness, and you will be devoted to the Lord." We read this passage in the morning when we place the tfilin on the fingers of our hand.
PIRKEI AVOS: It is the custom to read a chapter of Pirkei Avos each Shabbos afternoon beginning right after Pesach, until Shavuos, or for some, until Rosh Hashana. This Shabbos, chapter 6, second Mishna: Whoever has important information about a person and reports it in the name of the individual who told it to him or her, the individual making the report brings redemption to the world. How do we know this? The Book of Esther says that Esther told the king about the plot against him in the name of Mordecai. This brought redemption to the Jewish people who were ultimately saved from harm as a result of the King's favor to Mordecai and the Jews.
Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l
A video about this week's Haftorah can be viewed here: Hos. 2:1-22
Upcoming Virtual Learning Opportunities
To see the schedule and links for upcoming virtual services and classes schedule, visit our website's zoom page, ostns.org/zoom.
Virtual Minyanim Week of 5/24 Shacharit (Sunday - Friday @ 8:15 AM) Mincha/Marriv (Sunday - Wednesday @ 8:05 PM) Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat (We will not meet this week due to Shavuot. Instead please join us Thursday @ 6:00 PM for a women's tefilah layning of Megillat Ruth, followed by Mincha @ 6:30 PM and Yizkor/Mussaf with guest Chazzan Gedaliah Penner @ 6:45 PM)
All minyanim via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/3127816941 or via phone at 646-558-8656, 3127816941#.
Classes & Shiurim To see a list of our current virtual classes please visit ostns.org/zoom
For a step-by-step video guide on how to use zoom Click here.
Lifecycles
Support our community and its members by making a donation dedicated in honor of (IHO) or in memory of (IMO) a loved one.
Synagogue Office info@ostns.org (202) 882-7225 Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld RabbiShmuel@ostns.org (202) 812-8900 Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman MaharatRuth@ostns.org (202) 882-7225, ext. 107 Monica Wolfe, Executive Director Monica.Wolfe@ostns.org (202) 882-7225, etx. 103 Lisa Redisch, Director of Youth & Family Programs youth@ostns.org (202) 882-7225, ext. 105 Board of Directors board@ostns.org Hospitality & Welcome Committee BeOurGuest@ostns.org Mikvah Chaim mikvahchaim.org attendant@mikvahchaim.org Cemetery Information cemetery@ostns.org (202) 882-7225
Please reach out! Our clergy and staff are here for you during this challenging time. If you need help with Zoom or accessing our content or if you require a volunteer for delivery assistance, please reach out to our Office Manager, Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org. If you are in need of financial assistance or would simply like to connect, our clergy are accessible via email, by phone, or by video conference.
Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue 1600 Jonquil Street NW Washington, DC 20012
