Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                      December 17, 2020

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat,
December 18 (Tevet 3)
3:00p D'var Torah with Rabbi Herzfeld via  Facebook Live
3:55p Laining of the Torah by Liana Lesser join here
4:25p Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/D'var Torah (in person, dvance registration requiredfor Mincha via Zoom  join here )
4:28p Candlelighting

Shabbat, December
19 (Tevet 4)
Parashat Miketz
8:45a Shabbat Morning Services (in person, advance registration required)
10:30a Tot Shabbat, register here 
4:30p Mincha/Maariv (in person, advance registration required)
5:31p Havdalah via Zoom at 5:33p Join here

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

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

Lecture in Memory of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
On the first night of Chanukah, Dec. 10, Ohev Sholom welcomed Rabbi Dr. Ben Elton via Zoom as he spoke about "Rabbi Sacks, the Chief Rabbinate, and Anglo-Jewry." A link to the recording is available here.

Words on the Weekly Parsha and Haftorah Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz

The story of Yosef and his brothers continues in this week's parsha, Miketz. King Pharaoh of Egypt dreams a strange dream. Yosef, released  from prison in order to interpret the dream, explains that there will be years of plenty in Egypt and then years of famine. Yosef suggests that during the years of plenty, the country should store much produce, in preparation for the years of famine. Pharaoh, impressed by Yosef, appoints him second to the King. The Torah then says that Pharaoh removes the ring from his finger and gives it to Yosef. The same words about a king giving his ring to a "favorite"appears in the Book of Esther, when King Ahasueros gives his ring to Haman, who, as we know, moves to exterminate the Jews. The rabbis say that the giving of the King's ring to Haman was even more important to the continuation of the Jewish people than the prophets' lecturing to the Jewish people, because the prophets' words were often ignored. However, Haman's plot against the Jews led to the Jews reaffirming their faith. We may similarly say that the removal of Pharaoh's ring and his giving it to Yosef was of great importance. Why? Because it led to the Jews' going down to Egypt, the enslavement of the Jews, the Exodus, and then, in the desert after leaving Egypt, to the Jews receiving the Ten Commandments.

Because there was food available in Egypt, Ya'akov sent his sons there to get food supplies, when the famine reached Canaan. However, he did not allow Binyamin to travel to Egypt, fearing that the trip would be dangerous for him. We will recall that Binyamin was the youngest of Yaakov's children, the son of his beloved Rachel who died in childbirth when Binyamin was born. So Binyamin was Yosef's little brother, the only one of his brothers with the same mother. The Torah says that when the brothers appeared  before Yosef, he recognized them, but they did not recognize him. The simple explanation supplied is that the brothers had last seen Yosef as a young man, and now Yosef was a man who sported a beard. The rabbis interpret more profoundly: When Yosef came to his brothers in the fields as a young man, and they had power over him, the brothers did not  recognize -- or treat -- Yosef as their brother; but when the brothers came to Yosef when he was second to the King and he had power over them, he did recognize them as his brothers and ultimately treated them as brothers.
Yosef insists that the youngest brother be brought to Egypt, and so the brothers return home and convince their father to send him. The parsha ends with Yosef saying that the brothers can return to their father in Canaan, but that Binyamin must stay with him. He says this is because his goblet has been found in Binyamin's pack, apparently stolen by Binyamin. Of course, Yosef had arranged that it be placed there. In the next parsha, Vayigash, Yosef makes himself known to his brothers.

The haftorah is from 1 Kings, and offers the well-known story demonstrating the wisdom of King Solomon (Shlomo Hamelech). Two women claim that a baby is theirs. Shlomo suggests that they cut the baby in half, with half then given to each woman. We know which woman is the true mother, because she renounces her claim in order to avoid killing the baby.

Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l

Upcoming Events and Weekly Schedule

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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
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attendant@mikvahchaim.org
Cemetery Information
cemetery@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225