Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                      November 19, 2020

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat,
November 20 (Kislev 4)
3:00p D'var Torah with Rabbi Herzfeld via  Facebook Live
3:55p Laining of the Torah by Matan Silverberg and the Wolf family
join here
4:25p Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/D'var Torah (in person,  advance registration requiredMincha via Zoom  join here )
4:32p Candlelighting

Shabbat, November  21 (Kislev 5):
8:45a Shabbat Morning Services (in person, advance registration required)
10:30a Tot Shabbat with Gedalia Penner(in person, advance registration required)4:30p Mincha/Maariv (in person, advance registration required)
5:30p Havdalah via Zoom at 5:32p Join here
8:00p Special Havdalah with Gedalia Penner (in person, advance registration required)


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

On November 17th, the Beltway Vaad hosted a discussion with renowned spiritual activist and educator Yiscah Smith titled: "From Darkness to Light: A Conversation with Yiscah Smith." A link to the recording can be found here.

Also on November 17th, Rabbi Herzfeld taught the first part of his Chanukah Halacha Class. A link to the recording can be found here. (PW: OSTNS123#)

The shul has two YouTube accounts which have recordings of past classes, shiurim, and events. They can be accessed here:

• Ohev Sholom Channel
• Rabbi Herzfeld's Channel

Last year we participated in a faith & mental health survey for researchers at Catholic University. They have built a follow-up survey focusing specifically on mental health during the pandemic, and we invite all members to participate (it should take 15 minutes.) In addition to helping support their research, Ohev's participation will also give the shul leadership useful information on the challenges and experiences of our members during the pandemic, which will allow us to serve you better. For the results to be accurate and useful, we need as high a response rate as possible. So we ask all adults to please fill out the survey. The survey is completely anonymous; we do not collect names or email addresses. You can find the survey here. Thank you for your participation!

Comments on the Weekly Portion and Haftorah Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz

Parshas Toldos tells of the twin sons of Yitzchak and Rivka: Eisav and Yaakov. The two were competitive from the beginning; they fought when they were still in the womb. The Torah says that Eisav was a hunter, and his body was "hairy," while Yaakov was quiet and smooth-skinned, and preferred to remain in a tent to study. The Torah says that Yitzchak favored Eisav, while Rivka favored Yaakov.

Isaac was old and his eyes had become dim when he was still young. The rabbis explain that when Yitzchak was tied to the altar, and was prepared to be sacrificed, the angels in the heavens were grief stricken, and they cried. Their tears fell to earth and entered the eyes of Yitzchak, injuring them and causing them to be dim. Yitzchak indicated that he wanted to bless his favorite, Eisav, but Rivka helped Yaakov, providing him with animal skins that made it seem that he was "hairy" like Eisav. Then Yaakov went to Yitzchak and told him that he was Eisav. Yitzchak then made the famous statement, "The voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Eisav." The rabbis interpret this statement as a prediction for the future: Yaakov would excel through the use of his voice; while Eisav would prosper through the use of his hands. 

The blessing was given by Yitzchak to Yaakov, thinking he was Eisav. When Eisav appeared later asking for his blessing, Yitzchak understood that he had blessed Yaakov instead of Eisav. The Torah says that Eisav uttered a "loud and bitter cry of anguish." These words appear in the Book of Esther describing Mordechai's anguish on hearing the decree for the killing of the Jews. The rabbis comment that God does not forget the pain of individuals, even those individuals who are not righteous. Eisav swears that he will take revenge on Yaakov for "stealing" the blessing. Rivka instructs Yaakov to flee his home to escape Eisav's anger, and to go to Charan, to the house of Lavan, her brother. Rivka adds that she doesn't want her son to marry a woman from Canaan. 

The next parsha, Vayetzei, tells of Yaakov going to Charan and building a family there. 

The Haftorah is from Malachi, one of the "twelve" prophets. In the haftorah, God reiterates that he favored Yaakov and that he was hostile to Eisav. (Malachi, 1:1-2:7)

Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l

Upcoming Events and Weekly Schedule

To view and register for upcoming events and view the weekly schedule, visit our website's online calendar. 

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Contact Us

Synagogue Office
info@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225
Alejandra Benitez, Office Manager
Alejandra@osts.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
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