Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                      January 14, 2020

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat,
January 15 (Shevat 2)
8:00a Shacharit Services (in person, advance registration required)
3:00p D'var Torah with Rabbi Herzfeld via  Facebook Live
4:15p Laining of the Torah by Aliza Lesser join here
4:45p Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/D'var Torah (in person, advance registration required for Mincha via Zoom  join here )
4:52p Candlelighting

Shabbat, January
16 (Shevat 3)
Shabbat Mevarchim,
Parashat Vaera
8:45a Shabbat Morning Services (in person, advance registration required)
10:30a Tot Shabbat, register here 
4:55p Mincha/Maariv (in person, advance registration required)
5:54p Havdalah via Zoom at 5:56p 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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Mazal tov to Avital Berger on her bat mitzvah!

Tot Shabbat this Week: Join Yoni Friedman and Justin Rubin this Shabbat, January 16 at 10:30 am, social distancing, and registration required; register here.

Copies of Never Alone by Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy are still available for purchase through Ohev at https://www.ohevdc.org/form/sharansky-book


COVID Vaccine update: 
Individuals residing in DC who are 65+ are now eligible to sign up for an appointment to receive the COVID vaccine. To access the registration system, please visit:  https://coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccinatedc. If you need assistance with registering or transportation to your appointment, our office would be happy to assist you; please email alejandra@ostns.org.

The Yad Yehuda Clothing Exchange has available hours for all members of the community to shop at no cost this Sunday, January 17, from 10am-12pm.
This is an opportunity for people to come and shop for beautiful, tzanua clothing in our well equipped showroom, while wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. Everyone must be in good health and not have been in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid.  We are unable to accomodate walk-ins at this time, so please sign up for a slot on the spreadsheet here by motzei Shabbos. If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment for another day, please contact ncarmel@yadyehuda.org

If you are interested in sponsoring a day of virtual learning for $54, please email Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org.

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

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

In this week's parsha, Va'era, we read about the first seven plagues that God brings on the Egyptians for refusing to release the Children of Israel from slavery.

The parsha begins with God telling Moshe that He will deliver the Children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. In His statements to Moshe, God uses four different words to express this idea: "v'hotzeisi,", meaning "I will take you out"; v'hitzalti", meaning "I will save you"; "v'lakachti;" meaning "I will take you"; and "v'heiveisi". meaning I will bring you".  Based on the use of these four words  we drink four cups of wine, the arba kosos, at the Passover seder. Each commemorates one of the terms of redemption used in the Torah. 

In Va'era, God refers to "Aharon and Moshe" as the individuals who took the slaves out of Egypt. (6:26). However, several other times in the parsha, God refers to them in the opposite order: "Moshe and Aharon." The rabbis conclude that God mentions Aharon first in one instance in order to show that, with respect to the exodus from Mitzrayim, the two brothers should be considered as equals.

The second plague is frogs. However, those who learned the order of the plagues in school, and all who recite them each year at the seder know well that the Hebrew word used is "Tsfardei'a," which is in the singular. The Torah is saying that Aharon waved his staff  and "the frog arose and covered the land of Mitzraim." (Shmot, 8:2)   The rabbis explain that a single frog arose from the waters and that the frog "whistled" and the other frogs joined the single frog and covered the land. We must conclude that the frogs in Mitzrayim were well-organized.

The next plague is lice (kinim). God tells Moshe to instruct Aharon to strike the earth with his staff and the lice will rise from the earth. Why did Moshe have to get Aharon to strike the earth? Could he not have done it himself? The rabbis explain that God did not want Moshe to "strike" the earth -- that is, to symbolically "injure" the earth. Why? Years before, in parshat Shmot, when Moshe killed the Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a slave, Moshe covered the dead Egyptian with earth. Because the earth had served to protect Moshe from detection, God did not want him to "strike", to "injure", the earth which had protected him. 

The parsha ends with the seventh plague of hail ("barad"). The hail stops when Pharaoh appeals to Moshe, but when it stops, Pharaoh's heart "hardens"  and the Jewish people remain slaves. The next parsha, "Bo", describes the last plagues, culminating in the death of the first born among the Egyptians.

The haftorah is from the book of Yechezkel (Ezekiel). It tells of the future when Babylonia and its king, Nebuchadnezzar, will triumph over Egypt. "He will carry off her wealth and take her spoil and seize her booty" (29:19).

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