Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                        October 22, 2020

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat, October 23 (Cheshvan 5):
5:00p D'var Torah with Rabbi Herzfeld via  Facebook Live
5:25p Laining of the Torah by Micah Messinger join here
5:55p Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/D'var Torah (in person,  advance registration required Mincha via Zoom  join here )
5:59p Candlelighting

Shabbat, October 24 (Cheshvan 6):
8:30a - 9:30a Shabbat Morning Services (in person, advance registration required)
6:00p Mincha/Maariv (in person, advance registration required)
6:59p Havdalah via Zoom at 7:01p Join here

For more information and details on how to sign-up for our limited outdoor in-person services, please visit ostns.org/reopening.​​​​​​​




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Comments on this week's Torah portion
Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz

Parshas Noach contains several foundational narratives of the Bible: the Flood, the drunkenness of Noach, the Tower of Babel, and the beginning of the story of Avraham -- at this point, still called Avram.

The Torah tells us that God looked at the world and saw that it was sinful.  But He saw Noach as "righteous and blameless in his generation ('tzadik tamim haya be'dorosav'). (Bereshis 6:9)  However, when God speaks directly to Noach later in the parsha, God only says that Noach  is "tzadik," righteous. {7:1)  Why the difference? The answer is in a well-known maxim: When one speaks about a person not in his presence, he can be praised fully. But in the person's presence, it is appropriate to give only a portion of the praise due him ("miktzat shevacho").

Terach lived in Ur Kasdim, (now called Ur of the Chaldees) and had three children, one of whom was Avram who married Sarai. The story continues with Terach taking Avram, his wife Sarai, who is childless, and Terach's grandson Lot, from the Land of Ur, with the intention of going to the land of Canaan. However, they cease their journey when they reach Charan, which is located on the way to Canaan. (Charan becomes important later in the story of Yaakov, when Yaakov flees the anger of his brother Eisav and goes there.) They settle in Charan and the Torah tells us that Terach died in Charan. In the next parsha, Lech Lecha, God appears to Avram and  tells him to leave Charan and go to the land which God will show him, that is, the Land of Canaan.    

At the end of parshas Noach, the Torah states that Terach dies in Charan. The rabbis make it clear that Terach dies before God tells Avram to leave Charan. It would have been wrong for Avram to leave his aged father in Charan to go to Canaan. Surely, respecting parents includes the responsibility to take care of them in their old age.

The haftorah is from the book of Isaiah, 54:1-55:5. "Extend the reach of your tent, lengthen the ropes, but drive firmly the pegs that hold the tent down." (54:2)

Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l

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