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 Maiya Blumenthal on her Bat Mitzvah! The family invites the community to join them on Zoom for Maiya's laining of the Torah portion, tomorrow, Friday, at 5 pm. Click here to join. Ohev's regular Kabbalat Shabbat will be on its usual Zoom link here.
High Holidays 5781 Please visit https://www.ohevdc.org/highholidays5781 for details on seat reservations, community Shofar blowing, Yizkor book messages and more. Stay tuned for details about upcoming programs, both virtual and in-person.
Class in memory of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. Tuesday, Sept 1, Rabbi Herzfeld will be teaching ideas from R. Steinsaltz's book, "A Dear Son to Me". Jeff Burt has a number of copies of the book, and would be pleased to lend them for these classes. Please email him at jburtconsulting@gmail.com. Thank you to our virtual learning sponsors from this past week, Belle Davis and Harris Cohen. If you are interested in sponsoring a day of virtual learning for $54, please email Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org.
Spotlight On......
Join us to say goodbye to Lisa!
Come say farewell and good luck to Lisa Redisch before she moves to Boston! Lisa has given many years of service to our community so let's send her off with lots of love (and ice cream!!)
This Sunday, August 30, 2-5 pm at Ohev (outdoors, under the tent). Please click here to sign up for a slot; 2 families per time slot please. Please wear a mask and maintain social distancing. Email Emily Kahan with any questions at emilybkahan@gmail.com.
Class this Tuesday, September 1 at 8:30 pm!
Join us for Communal Hike led by Charlotte Rest!
Order from Sunflower for Rosh Hashanah
Community Resources
2020 Census - DC is in trouble: The District is way behind where we were at this point in the 2010 Census and if we don't catch up quickly, we're at serious risk of losing out on a lot of federal funding moving forward. If you haven't completed the Census, you can do it onlinehere. For more information about Census 2020 clickhere. DC Mortgage Assistance Program, Mayor Bowser Announces Relaunch of DC Mortgage Assistance Program to Provide COVID-19 Relief. For more information clickhere
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.
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
This week's parsha, Ki Seitzei, contains a variety of laws, many of them regulations that parallel those in our legal system.
I feel particularly close to the law of the parapet, ma'akeh, a railing on a building roof to prevent persons on the roof from falling and injuring themselves. The Torah requires the owner of the building to construct the parapet to prevent a person unaware of the danger from falling. If no parapet is provided, the Torah warns "ki yipol ha'nofeil mimenu" in translation, "the fallen person will fall from it (the roof)," and be injured or die. The rabbis ask, why is the injured person referred to as a "fallen person"? The rabbis answer that the person who falls because of the lack of a parapet was destined to fall from the beginning of time. If so, the rabbis ask, why is the individual who failed to provide the parapet responsible? The answer is a basic idea of Judaism: even though the victim was destined to fall, you, the owner of the building, still should not be the person who brings about the sad result.
My connection to parapets goes back to my legal career. The parapet is a basic requirement under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and I was the chief lawyer for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Department of Labor for many years.
The parsha ends with a three-sentence admonition that the Jews remember ("Zachor") the perfidy of the Nation of Amalek who attacked the Jews when they were weak and tired from traveling in the desert after being freed from Egypt. The Jews are directed to wipe out the Amalekites for these actions. These three-sentences are also read as an addition to the parshat hashavua on the Shabbos before Purim. The connection to Purim is that Haman, the villain in the Purim story, was a descendant of the Amalekites. Haman is referred to as an Aggagite; Aggag was the king of the Amalakites in the time of King Saul. We may remember that King Saul was deposed because he failed to follow God's direction to kill King Aggag and the tradition traces the suffering of the Jewish people in the time of Queen Esther, at Purim, to Saul's failure to follow God's direction. (The Shabbos before Purim is known as Shabbos Zachor.)
The Haftorah is a continuation of the haftorahs of consolation from the Book of Isaiah that follow Tisha B'Av. God says "extend the reach of your tents (but) make certain that your tent pegs (ye'seidosayich) are strong." In other words, don't seek to extend your reach until you are on firm ground.The word for "tent pegs" is important in another story in the Tanach. In the time of the prophet Devora, Yael, a Jewish woman, killed the enemy general, Sisera, with a tent peg when he sought her hospitality. The story is in the Book of Judges.
PIRKEI AVOS As the Yomim Nora'im (Days of Awe) approach, we study two chapters of Pirkei Avos each Shabbos, rather than only one, as was the practice earlier in the spring and summer. This week, it's chapters 1 and 2. In chapter 2, we read that Rabbi Eliezer said: Let the honor and self respect of your neighbor be as important to you as your own honor and self respect.
A Haftorah Video by Hal Brodsky z"l
A video about this week's haftorah can be viewed here: Isa. 54:1-10
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 8/30 In person option available for: Shacharit (Sunday - Friday @ 8:00 AM) Mincha/Maariv ( Sunday - Thursday @ 6:00 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
Benjamin Mintz Gabrielle Mendelsohn Lilah Levine Brown Norma Fedder Eliana Morse-Achtenberg Ilan Levisohn Kate Schwartz Marion Kraskin Amy Weiss Matan Silverstein Todd Braunstein Judah Levy Michal Nadata Yaakov Roth Miriam Paul Navah Gris
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
Friday Malvy Solomon for father Jacob Aizic Ralph Block for uncle Sidney Block
Monday Devra Marcus for father Benjamin Cohen Teal Hyman for father Edwin Hyman
Tuesday Jeffrey Mendelsohn for grandfather Martin Epstein II Sandra Leigh for father Martin Epstein
Wednesday William Jaffe for father Julian Frank Jaffe
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