For more information and details on how to sign-up for our limited outdoor in-person services, please visit ostns.org/reopening.
Mazal tov to Scott and Mara Jaffa on the birth of a baby girl!The naming ceremony will take place today, Friday, July 31 at 6:00 pm at the beginning of our Torah reading. Reminder to Register for the Annual Meeting The meeting will take place on August 3 at 8:30 pm via Zoom. (Pre-registration is required). Click here to find instructions for how to register, log-in, participate, and vote.
Teen Torah Class on the Parashat Hashavua by Rabbi Herzfeld - every Thursday at 4 - 4:30pm via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/427064286 or 646-558-8656, 427064286# All teens are welcome!
Virtual learning sponsorship available! If you are interested in sponsoring a day of virtual learning for $54, please email Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org.
Spotlight On......Sign up for Camp Kibbutz Weeks 5 & 6!
IMPORTANT! To understand the impact of the coronavirus crisis for individuals and households in our region, we are partnering with The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, in collaboration with Brandeis University researchers, to conduct the Jewish Community COVID-19 Impact Survey for Greater Washington. Your answers will help us best respond to our community's changing needs. Please take the survey (https://bit.ly/COVIDsurveysyn ), and help spread the word by sharing the link with your local friends and family. (All answers are confidential and no personally identifiable information will be shared with The Jewish Federation or other organizations.)
The Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) is working on a project to help make our community's roads safer. During the pandemic, many people have been going on more walks, bike rides, and runs throughout the neighborhood and have come in contact with dangerous areas for both pedestrians and drivers (these areas are called black spots). Our project's goal is to survey community members and find the larger and more dangerous blackspots and then work with local governments to fix the blackspots. We have created a survey that can be easily accessed and filled out by anyone in the area in order to gather all of the data on the area, issue, and possible solutions. To take the surveyclick here
Free Produce for Families in Need We are working with community groups to acquire fresh produce for shul families and individuals who might not have the means to access it at this time. Please fill out this form by sundown Friday so we can coordinate with the community groups.
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 COVID-19: Rabbi Emergency Fund. During this unprecedented time, congregations, their members, and the larger community are experiencing unbelievable challenges including significant financial instability. To assist congregations in meeting these increasing community needs, The Federation, through its COVID-19 Emergency Funds established the Rabbi Emergency Fund to provide financial support directly to congregations for emergency use to help community members in need. These funds, up to $1500 per household, can be used to meet individual and family needs (e.g., housing, utilities, food, medical, mental health, or other relevant emergency needs of individuals and families that may or may not be covered by the Federal Stimulus) and are to be paid to the service provider (i.e. utility company, mortgage company, drug store or health company.) If you are experiencing financial challenges and these funds can be of assistance please contact Rabbi Herzfeld or Maharat Friedman.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, JSSA, and our network of local human service organizations are proud to introduce 703-J-CARING: The Jewish Community Support Line, serving residents of DC, MD, and Northern Virginia. With one call to 703-J-CARING (703-522-7464), you can connect with a professional case manager ready to assist you in finding the resources and support that are right for you. All calls are confidential. For more information visit: https://www.jssa.org/jcaring/
Yad Yehuda has a new website that includes a wide range of resources for the Greater Washington Jewish community. Please visitcovidgw.com.
Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington is working to pair volunteers with folks who would like a phone visit. If you would like to volunteer to make calls, or request a phone visit, please fill out this form here
Bikur Cholim also has funds available to help those in need to pay for medical expenses incurred during this time. Please contact Maharat Friedman or Audrey Siegal asiegel@bikurcholimgw.org to learn more.
Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington and the Jewish Council for the Aging are partnering to deliver free kosher meals and groceries to people over 60 years of age this summer. If you would like to participate please contact Audrey Siegel asiegel@bikurcholimgw.org. This current program is only for residents of Montgomery County. If you do not live in Montgomery County and would like to participate in a similar program please contact Audrey or Maharat Friedman.
Senior Planet is a program created and sponsored by national nonprofit Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) that harnesses technology to change the way we age. Our courses, programs, and activities help seniors learn new skills, save money, get in shape, and make new friends. They have a robust schedule of daily zoom classes available here.
Comments on the Torah portion, haftorah, and Pirkei Avos Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz
The parsha this Shabbos is V'eschanan. It is especially noteworthy because it includes the second iteration of the Aseres Ha'Dibros (The Ten Commandments), and the first paragraph of the Shma.
The parsha opens with Moshe pleading with God to let him lead the Jews into the Promised Land. God rejects Moshe's plea, using the same term, "Rav Lecha" that Moshe had used earlier (in the plural) in rejecting the claims of Korach and his co-conspirators.
The text of the Aseres Hadibros in this parsha is presumably the second version which God gave Moshe after he had smashed the first tablets in anger when he saw the golden calf. There are several differences in the texts of the two versions. One of those differences is that the version that appears in the week's parsha states that the reward for observing the commandment of honoring parents is "lema'an yitav lach," so that it should be "good" for you These words do not appear in the earlier version. The rabbis explain that God did not wish to place that promise in the first tablets, which were destroyed by Moshe.
The Talmud states that honoring parents is a commandment which, if followed, rewards the individual with benefits in this world, while the principal reward is bestowed in the world to come. The rabbinical statement includes a number of other examples of commandments for which there is both immediate benefit and ultimate reward. The Hebrew phrase is "ve'ha'keren kayemes lo le'olom ha'ba".This rabbinical statement is in a mishna which has been incorporated into the morning prayers, It lists commandments for which there is an ultimate reward, as well as one in life. The Hebrew phrase, "keren kayemes" was adopted many years ago by the charity fund for the building of the state of Israel. I remember well as a boy collecting donations in the blue box for the Keren Kayemes.
The Shma, of course, is the central prayer in the Jewish tradition. The first sentence is "Shma Yisrael," or "Hear, Israel!" or, perhaps more accurately, "Pay attention, Israel." "...The Lord is our God, the Lord is one." In the Torah scroll, the letter "ayin" in the first word and the letter "dalet" in the final word are enlarged. I was taught at a young age that you put the letters together and you have the word "eid", which means "witness." We are witnesses to the truth of the statement that the Lord is our God.
Sadly, in Jewish history, Jews were often martyred for being Jews. Their final words -- the Shma Yisroel, spoken with their last breaths -- were a reaffirmation of their faith. We are told that that is how it was with Rabbi Akiva, who was tortured and killed by the Romans for his teaching of Judaism.
This Shabbos is the Shabbos after Tisha B'Av which has come to be known as Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbos of Consolation. The first words of the haftorah from the Book of Isaiah are "Comfort ye my people, comfort ye . . . Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and tell her that her iniquity is expiated, for she has received double from the hands of the Lord for her sins." (40:1, 2)
Pirkei Avos: Chapter 3: Rabbi Chanina says, One should pray for the security of the civil government, for if it were not for the authority of the Government, individuals would swallow one another alive.
A Haftorah Video by Hal Brodsky z"l
A video about this week's haftorah can be viewed here: Isa. 40:1-26
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.
Minyanim Week of 8/2 In person option available for: Shacharit (Sunday - Friday @ 8:00 AM) Mincha/Maariv ( Sunday - Thursday @ 6:35 PM) Click here to register to attend in person. Non-Shabbat Services will continue to be available via Zoom. Daf Yomi via Zoom (Monday- Friday @ 7:00 AM)
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.
Sponsor a day of virtual learning for a birthday for $54. If you're interested please contact Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org.
This Week's Birthdays
David Hartman Tamar Pinsky David Balto Eli Eisenman Michael Ledeen Steven Laufer Maya Sheller Robert Parker Sheldon Harris Gerald Steinkeller Noah Klugman Peter Glass Scott Jaffa
Don't see a birthday listed? Update your lifecycle events and more at ostns.org (login required)
Sponsor a day of virtual learning in memory of/Yahrtzeit for $54. If you're interested please contact Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org.
Members Observing Yahrzeits This Week
Thursday Marjorie Yablon for step-father Max M. Schwartz
Friday Eleanor Kott for father Seymour Shapiro
Sunday Edward Snyder for mother Maxine Snyder Michael Ledeen for mother Martha Ledeen Thomas Sacks for mother Dorothy Sacks
Monday Jeffrey Burt for mother Esther Heller
Tuesday David Feinsilber for grandfather Oscar Feinsilber Marjorie Yablon for mother Lillian N. Schwartz Naomi Brodsky for son Joshua Brodsky Naomi Brodsky for husband Harold Brodsky
Thursday Charlotte Rest for father Herbert Rest Nancy Switkes for mother Betty Cooper Switkes
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