For more information and details on how to sign-up for our limited outdoor in-person services, please visit ostns.org/reopening.
Tot Shabbat this Week: Join Yoni Friedman and Justin Rubin this Shabbat, January 23 at 10:30 AM. Masks, social distancing, and registration required; register here.
2021 Ohev Member Dues Posted: 2021 dues have been posted to all member accounts. Please check your account at ostns.org/member to see if any changes need to be made or to set up a new payment plan (note: payment plans do not automatically carry over from one calendar year to the next).
Community Discussion on Monday, January 25 at 8 PM: Registration required; register here and you will then receive the meeting Zoom link.
Save the Date for Women's Tefillah: Next Shabbat, January 30 at 10:30 AM- will include laining and musaf.
Food Drive for Holy Cross Hospital Employees: Employees at Holy Cross hospital face food insecurity directly tied to the pandemic. Please see below for more information about how we can help!
Thank you to our virtual learning sponsors for this past week: Ellen Epstein, Dan & Cheryl Troy, and Bruce Ray & April Rubin. If you are interested in sponsoring a day of virtual learning for $54, please email Alejandra at alejandra@ostns.org.
Spotlight on....
Tu Bishvat Composting Initiaive
Supporting Holy Cross Hospital Employees
About 100 employees at Holy Cross hospital face food insecurity directly tied to the pandemic. Many have lost hours or been furloughed in the last year as the hospital was forced to cut costs. Others have seen some expenses rise during the pandemic, or had spouses or partners who lost jobs entirely. Due to these dire financial circumstances, some hospital employees are even forced to forego meals.
To help these employees the Jewish Neighbor Association, made up of a group of Silver Spring synagogues, has been setting up a food pantry at least monthly for these employees, augmenting their own food supply with about two weeks of groceries. (Ohev Sholom was the first synagogue partner in November!) The JNA is also delivering meals and snacks specifically for these employees who cannot afford their own food. In order to continue to provide this service, the JNA needs our help! To donate funds please visit ostns.org/donate and select "covid special projects" from the dropdown menu. To donate food (healthy snacks such as pop-chips, soup cups, flavored water, whole grain snacks and fruit cups) please drop off in the bin on the Jonquil St steps. Please contact MaharatRuth@ostns.org with questions.
Sunflower Purim Menu 2021
OSTNS on YouTube!
The shul has two YouTube accounts which have recordings of past classes, shiurim, and events. They can be accessed here:
Words on the Weekly Parsha and Haftorah Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz
Parshas Bo tells of the last plagues against Egypt, and Yetziat Mitzrayim, the exodus from Egypt. Those three last plagues are Arbeh (locusts), Choshech (darkness), and the culmination of the plagues: Makas Bechoros, the death of the first-born. The parsha also contains many of the rules for the celebration of the Pesach festival. A good portion of those words are included in the Passover Haggadah, and read at the seder. That seder, of course, is a ritual commemorating the exodus of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery.
As noted, the next to last plague was choshech, darkness. The Torah says that individuals could not see one another for three days. Rashi comments that God brought this particular plague, not only to the Egyptians, but among the Hebrews as well. There were some who did not wish to participate in the exodus from Egypt; God intended to punish them, but he did not want the Egyptians to see their punishment. So these non-believers were "removed" during the plague of choshech.
When the death of the first born came upon the Egyptians, the Torah tells us that a great cry was heard from among the Egyptians. However, the Torah adds, among the Jews, even "a dog did not snarl," (JPS translation of "lo yecheratz kelev leshono") (Shmos 11:7) The rabbis comment that it was as a reward to those dogs for their silence, that the Torah later instructs that when a Jew has meat that may not be eaten because it is unkosher, it should be thrown to the dogs -- "lakelev tashlichoon." (Shmos 22:30)
The Torah says that the exodus from Egypt was to occur "b'etzem ha'yom ha'zeh," "on this very day" (12:51) The rabbis comment that God expected the Egyptians to say, If we see the Jews trying to escape from their slavery, we will prevent them from doing so. So God said: I am bringing the Jews out of Egypt, and we will see whether the Egyptians will be able to prevent me from doing so.
The Torah goes on to say that each individual Jew should tell his or her children that God performed all these wonders "for me." (13:8). In every generation, the rabbis say, Jews should feel that they themselves were freed from slavery. This concept is repeated each year as part of the Pesach seder.
The haftorah (Jeremiah 46:13-28) describes Egypt's eventual destruction. In verse 19, God says, "Equip yourself for exile, daughter of Egypt, for Noph shall become a waste, with no inhabitants."
Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l
A video about this week's haftorah can be viewed here: Jer. 46:13-28
Upcoming Events and Weekly Schedule
To view and register for upcoming events and view the weekly schedule, visit our website's online calendar.
Sunday, January 24 (Shevat 11) 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 5:10p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom)
Monday, January 25 (Shevat 12) Day of Virtual Learning sponsored by Maharat Friedman in honor of her class completing the Book of Shmuel. All are invited to join at 4:30 PM to start Melachim. 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 4:30p Book of Kings with Maharat Friedman via Zoom 5:10p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 8:00p Community Meeting
Tuesday, January 26 (Shevat 13) 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, registration required) 5:10p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 7:00p Class with Baruch Roth via Zoom 8:15p Class with Rabbi Herzfeld: Practical Halakhah from the Shulkhan Arukh
Wednesday, January 27 (Shevat 14) 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 4:30p Book of Kings with Maharat Friedman via Zoom 5:10p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom) 8:00p Tu Bishvat
Thursday, January 28: Tu B'Shvat (Shevat 15) 7:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 4:00p Teen Torah Class on Parashat Hashavua by Rabbi Herzfeld 5:10p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom)
Erev Shabbat, January 29 (Shevat 16) 7:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 5:00p Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat (Registration required; Mincha available via Zoom) 5:07p Candle Lighting
Shabbat, January 30: Beshalach (Shevat 17) 8:45a Shacharit (In person, registration required) 4:20p Daf Yomi 5:10p Mincha/Maariv 6:09p Havdalah
Sunday, January 31 (Shevat 18) 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 5:20p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom)
Lifecycles
Support our community and its members by making a donation dedicated in honor of (IHO) or in memory of (IMO) a loved one.
Edward Kott Ellen Reinach Robert Sultan Laura Torchinsky Josie Silverberg Serah Meltzer Jeruchim Carol Valoris Eliana Wolf Emily Malech Naomi Balto Rachel Sacks Egon Guttman Nitzan Lesser
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Members Observing Yahrzeits
Friday Bella Binstock for husband Shelton Binstock Cynthia Samuels for father Emerson Samuels Etan Weiss for grandmother Harriet Diane Weiss
Shabbat Elaine Jacobson for Brother Jerry Stein Laura Torchinsky for mother Dorothy Shirley Silverman Wohl
Sunday Micah Salb for grandmother Lillian Salb
Tuesday Ann Werner for mother Betty Kober Annie Elizabeth (Chana) Ryan for father Col. William Dallas Woodson Stephen Markowitz for maternal grandfather Beryl Levit William Begal for father David Begal
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