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 Sophie Schwartz and family on her bat mitzvah!
Thank you to Jeff and Lea Mendolsohn for sponsoring our new tiki menorah.
Pre-Shabbat Zoom Menorah Lighting: Friday, 12/11 at 3:55 pm, join Gedalia Penner and Maharat Friedman for this special service, join here.
Tot Shabbat this Week: Join Maharat Friedman this Shabbat, December 12 at 10:20 am. Masks, social distancing, and registration required; register here.
Join Ohev's Annual Giving Plan! Please consider supporting Ohev Sholom by upgrading your membership to our annual giving plan. This membership level includes all member benefits plus automatic inclusion in the following: High Holiday Appeal, Yizkor Book, Mishloach Manot to all members, and Annual Gala Celebration. The annual giving threshold begins at $3600 yearly, payable in installments. The new dues cycle begins in January. Please feel free to contact Monica at monica.wolfe@ostns.org or any of the shul officers for more information.
Thank you to our virtual learning sponsor of this past week, the Schwartz family. If you are interested in sponsoring a day of virtual learning for $54, please email Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org.
We are thrilled to announce that Bubbie's Plant Burgers located at 1829 M Street NW, Washington, DC is now certified Kosher under DCKosher! For more info clickhere.
Spotlight On.....Chanukah 2020/5781 Schedule
Next Thursday: Chanukah Magic Program December 17
Winter Speaker Series: Erica Brown
OSTNS on YouTube!
The shul has two YouTube accounts which have recordings of past classes, shiurim, and events. They can be accessed here:
On December 2nd, Professor Samuel J. Levine spoke about his book "Was Yosef on the Spectrum" as part of a conversation with Ohev congregant Nathan Weissler. A link can be found here
Words on the Weekly Parsha and Haftorah Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz
Dramatic events unfold in this week's parsha, Vayeshev. They involve Yehudah and Tamar, and Yosef and his brothers.
Tamar is the daughter-in-law of Yehudah, a son of Yaakov. When Yehudah fails to give her in marriage to her late husband's brother, as required by Jewish law, Tamar, to ensure the continuation of the line of descent in her late husband's family, dresses as a prostitute, and stands where Yehudah is passing. Yehudah has sexual relations with her. When she becomes pregnant, she is sentenced to death. Although Tamar is in possession of Yehudah's identifying signs, she does not reveal him as the father of the child. The rabbis learn from this that it is better that a person be thrown into a fire than that they humiliate their neighbor in public. Eventually, Tamar sends Yehudah's signs to him. He recognizes them and acknowledges that he is the person who had relations with Tamar. His acknowledgement saves her from death, She bears twins, one of whom is Peretz. According to the rabbis, he is an ancestor of King David, and ultimately of the Mashiach.
Parshas Vayeshev also contains the story of Yosef and his brothers. Yaakov favors Yosef as the son of his senior years, causing jealousy among his brothers. When Yaakov sends Yosef to find his brothers, their jealousy drives them to throw him into a pit. The Torah says that there was no water in the pit, suggesting that the brothers did not try to kill Yosef. However, the rabbis say that although there was no water, there were scorpions and snakes in the pit; According to the rabbis, then, the brothers did not hesitate to torture Yosef.
Yosef is sold to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites heading for Egypt, where Yosef is sold again, this time to Potiphar,a favorite of the king. Yosef ascends in importance in Potiphar's household. When Potiphar's wife tries to seduce him, the Torah tells us that he flees the house. Yosef, the Torah explains, did not want to be disloyal to his master. The rabbis say that Yosef saw an image of his father Yaakov when Potiphar's wife tried to tempt him, and that is the reason that he fled. Potiphar's wife reports Yosef as having tried to seduce her, and he is imprisoned.
The next parsha, Miketz, continues with the story of Yosef's rise to power in Egypt.
Because this Shabbos is Shabbos Chanukah, there is a special haftorah from Zecharia, 2:14-4:7, which includes a discussion of the menorah. The haftorah also includes the famous statement that the redemption will come "not by might and not by power, but with my spirit, says the Lord."
Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l
... will return in several weeks
Upcoming Events and Weekly Schedule
To view and register for upcoming events and view the weekly schedule, visit our website's online calendar.
Sunday, December 13: Chanukah (Kislev 27) 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 9:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 11:00a Exploring Judaism: The Richness of our Tradition with Rabbi Mintz via Zoom 1:00p Chanukah Stop by - outside at Ohev for Chanukah kits, kids candle-making project kits, donuts to-go, and compete with the clergy in dreidel spinning for prizes! 4:35p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 5:00p DC Car Menorah parade headed downtown
Monday, December 14: Chanukah (Kislev 28) 7:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 12:30p Class with Rabbi Herzfeld on the Parsha via Zoom 4:00p Book of Shmuel with Maharat Friedman via Zoom 4:35p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 6:00p Menorah lighting outside at Rabbi Herzfeld's house
Tuesday, December 15: Chanukah (Kislev 29) 7:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 4:00p Parshah Storytime with Rabbi Herzfeld (recommended ages 4-6) 4:35p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 5:00p Kids program at Ohev led by Camp Ramah clergy and staff 6:45p Class with Baruch Roth via Zoom
Wednesday, December 16: Chanukah, Rosh Chodesh Tevet (Tevet 1) 7:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 12:30p Class with Rabbi Herzfeld on the Parsha via Zoom 4:00p Book of Shmuel with Maharat Friedman via Zoom 4:35p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 6:00p Ohev Car Menorah Parade; meet at Ohev and drive through Shepherd Park!
Thursday, December 17: Chanukah (Tevet 2) 7:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 4:35p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 8:00p Virtual Magic Show Event in Memory of Bradley Fields z"l
Erev Shabbat, December 18: Chanukah (Tevet 3) 7:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 4:25p Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat (Registration required; Mincha available via Zoom) 4:30p Candle Lighting
Shabbat, December 19: Miketz (Tevet 4) 8:30a Shacharit (In person, registration required) 3:40p Daf Yomi 4:30p Mincha/Maariv 5:31p Havdalah
Sunday, December 20 (Tevet 5) 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 9:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 11:00a Exploring Judaism: The Richness of our Tradition with Rabbi Mintz via Zoom 4:40p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 7:30p Book club
Lifecycles
Support our community and its members by making a donation dedicated in honor of (IHO) or in memory of (IMO) a loved one.
Hadar Ernst Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen Chaya Statman Nicole Einhorn Sabrina Glass David Bergman Gefen Roth Harold Furchtgott-Roth Jonathan Levine Rebecca Price Miriam Achtenberg Agnes Leshner Joshua Kranzberg Ralph Block Rebecca Baron Hylton Joffe Noa Levanon Klein Charles Kanter Etan Weiss
Don't see a birthday listed? Update your lifecycle events and more at ostns.org (login required)
Members Observing Yahrzeits
Thursday Kenneth Josovitz for father Herman Josovitz Norma Burdett for aunt Celia Wolk Shmuel Herzfeld for great grandfather Elimelech Stern
Friday Daniel Kurtzer for father Nathan Kurtzer Norma Burdett for grandmother Rachel Mallinoff Norma Fedder for brother Stuart Fedder
Sunday Ann Werner for father Jack Kober David Litwack for mother Mildred Litwack Nancy Switkes for paternal grandfather Nathan T. Switkes Peter Tarley for mother Rose Roe bat Zalman Tarley
Monday Mona Charen for mother Claire Charen
Tuesday Alan Leshner for father Saul Leshner Meir Shinnar for mother Miryam Shinnar
Wednesday David Feinsilber for father Frank Feinsilber Dov Schwartz for mother Elka Schwartz Kenneth Josovitz for mother Florence Josovitz
Don't see a yahrzeit listed? Update your lifecycle events and more at ostns.org (login required)
November Donations
Annual Giving Plans Ronald & Anne Abramson Anthony & Leone Abroms Yoni & Emily Appelbaum David & Naomi Balto Naomi Brodsky Eric Brown & Aliza Levine Jeffrey & Sandra Burt Belle Davis Kira Epstein Begal & William Begal Ellen & David Epstein Douglas Feith & Pamela Auerbach Sarah & David Feith Sarah Fertig Trauben & Steven Trauben Yoni & Ruth Friedman Harold & Diana Furchtgott-Roth Carl & Laurie Gershman Shmuel & Rhanni Herzfeld Amos Hochstein & Rae Ringel James & Deborah Karesh David & Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen Wendy & Desmond Lachman Steven & Chani Laufer Nathan Lesser & Chani Bloom Steven & Sharon Lieberman James & Rachel Loeffler Joseph & Carol Low Jeffrey & Lea Mendelsohn Shaanan Meyerstein & Rachel Engelhart Michael Morse & Miriam Achtenberg Robert Parker & Mona Charen Matthew & Rebecca Price Baruch & Rachel Roth Yaakov & Arielle Roth Justin & Jessica Rubin Franklin Rubinstein & Nicole Goldstein Thomas & Jill Sacks Joseph & Claudia Saka Joshua Schenker & Julie Rapoport Schenker Susan Schutz Joshua Segal & Jennifer Geetter Starr & William Stixrud Samuel & Thera Swersky Daniel & Cheryl Troy Michael & Avril Weisman Ben & Rachel Wildavsky Ariel & Andrea Wolf Reuven & Tamar Zakheim Day of Virtual Learning (Zoom) David Borden Jeffrey & Sandra Burt Annie Elizabeth (Chana) Ryan Nina & Peter Tarley
General Gifts and Donations Aaron Bielenberg Jeremy & Debra Brown David Lerner Jeffrey & Lea Mendelsohn Ariel Mintz David & Michelle Schwartz Robert & Suzanne Steinberg Lawrence Stern Samuel & Thera Swersky
Holy Cross Food Drive Charles Baum Cheryle Bryant Stephen & Shoshana Bryen Pierre and Deena Dugan Douglas Feith & Pamela Auerbach Carl & Laurie Gershman Stefan Gunther Gunther Martha Hare Jonathan Kopp & Charlotte Rest Michael & Deborah Kopp Alan Landay Yelena Lazdun & Rashi Abramov Brian & Shiri Mund Marjorie Odle Wendy Revel Marc Rothenberg Victor & Maureen Stone Steven Swedberg Samuel & Thera Swersky Nina & Peter Tarley Michael & Avril Weisman Diana Zurer
"In Honor of" Donations by: Elaine & Howard Jacobson in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of our darling grandson Samuel Yehuda Jacobson Kenneth Josovitz & Sindy Udell William & Michel Martin in honor of Leor Hochstein Bar Mitzvah Pesha Rubinstein
"In Memory of" Donations made by: Ralph & Sylvia Block in memory of my grandmother, Rosie Block Ralph & Sylvia Block in memory of my mother, Sarah G. Mushinsky Joseph & Carolyn Bonnett in memory of my father, Wallace Kimball Stephen & Shoshana Bryen in memory of Bernard Silver (Dov Ber ben Velvel v'Sarah), father of Shoshana Bryen Hilda Cohen Ellen & David Epstein Yahrzeit of Claire David and Jeanne Robinson David & Ellen Feinsilber Judge, Nathan Klitenic Yahrzeit Sarah Fertig Trauben & Steven Trauben Yocheved & Gary Heiligman in memory of Philip Louis Woolf Michael & Barbara Ledeen, Jack Schlacter Yahrzeit Mitchell Mensh, Louise Israel Bachrach Yahrzeit Pesha Rubinstein Sandra Stein in memory of my father, Max Block - mother, Bertha Block - aunt, Katie Block - brother, Ronald Block. Sara Sussan Edward Tauber, Charles Tauber Yahrzeit
