For more information and details on how to sign-up for our limited outdoor in-person services, please visit ostns.org/reopening.
We are saddened to announce the death of David Langsam z"l, father of Melissa Braunstein.
Dessert Kiddush To-go is sponsored by Seth & Rena Opert in gratitude to Hashem for helping Seth’s Mom recover from Covid and with prayers for a complete refuah for those still suffering. Cupcakes will be individually boxed and are to be taken to-go. Please maintain social distancing when approaching the table.
Tot Shabbat: Join Yoni Friedman and Justin Rubin this Shabbat, January 30 at 10:30 AM. Please note, the location for this week is the side alley ("stroller" area). Masks, social distancing, and registration required; register here.
Women's Tefillah: This Shabbat, January 30 at 10:30 AM in the Ohev tent. Please note, due to covid restrictions and the anticipated cold weather, shacharit and musaf will be quick services (we will not be having pesukei d'zimra). Masks, social distancing, and registration are required; register here.
2020 Tax Statements have all been emailed out. If you have not received your statement, please email Monica at monica.wolfe@ostns.org.
Camp Kibbutz Town Hall Meetings: Please join us at 1 of 2 (identical) virtual town hall meetings, February, 3 at 8:30 PM or February 4 at 7:00 PM. We will discuss camp options but will mostly be looking to get your feedback about what you/your children are looking for in a camp experience this summer. Click here to join. Reminder - Food Drive for Holy Cross Hospital Employees: Please see below for more information.
Compost with Ohev! We are thrilled to announce our new Ohev composting initiative, in partnership with the Beltway Vaad! More information below.
Spotlight on....YCT Learning Series Starting Next Week!
Please be aware that Taim Dupont is no longer under DC Kosher certification but Taim Georgetown will remain under DC Kosher certification
We are thrilled to announce that Hummii, plant-based ice pops, is now certified Kosher! More info at https://hummii.com/
Compost with Ohev!
We are thrilled to announce our new Ohev composting initiative, in partnership with the Beltway Vaad! We would love to have as many Ohev households as possible practice composting to help reduce landfill waste.
As part of this initiative, Compost Cab has graciously offered all Ohev members a special discount on their monthly services. Use coupon code "COMPOSTT" to receive half off your first month of home pickup service, and then $5 off your monthly service on an ongoing basis https://compostcab.com/join. Once you sign up they will send you the receptacle, and all necessary information to get started. Contact MaharatRuth@ostns.org with questions.
Join Yachad, DC-based BBG chapter
What is BBYO and BBG? BBYO is a leading pluralistic teen movement aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences. For over 95 years, BBYO has provided exceptional identity enrichment and leadership development experiences for hundreds of thousands of Jewish teens across the world. It is a place for Jewish teens to define their Jewish identity whatever that means for them. BBYO consists of all-girl chapters, all boy chapters, and co-ed chapters. However, there are two main sectors of BBYO, the B'nai B'rith Girls (BBG) and Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA). Learn more at https://bbyo.org/about-us
What is Yachad? Yachad is one of the many BBG chapters located in DC Council. However, it is the only chapter located right here in the district! We are a tight-knit group of around 50 Jewish teen girls but are always looking for ways to expand our community. We have fun programming every weekend ranging from Jewish/community service-based programs to chill programs where you will get the opportunity to hang out and bond with other BBG’s in the chapter. Check out our website: https://yachadmaz.wixsite.com/yachadbbg
Do I need to attend every program? There is no requirement on how many programs you need to attend! You can take many different paths when joining BBYO and Yachad. You will have many opportunities to take on leadership roles within the chapter as well as the council if you decide that you want to be very involved or if you decide that you just want to come to some chapter programs, that is totally fine as well, you pave your own path!
How do I join? You can reach out to Yachad's MIT Mom (Vice President of Recruitment), Leah Perlmutter, by emailing yachadmitmom@gmail.com or contacting her at 202-215-7547 with any questions.
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 (JNA), 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.
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
This week, the parsha is B'shalach, and its highlight is Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea.
After the tenth plague, the Hebrews exit Egypt. They are quickly pursued by the Egyptians. The Hebrews complain to Moshe, saying, We would have been better off if we had remained in Egypt. Moshe prays to God, and God responds, "Why are you 'shouting' to me. Tell the Hebrews to "get moving' ". This latter phrase served as a slogan for early Zionists in Russia, urging migration to Palestine." (Shmos 14:15)
The story continues. The Hebrews cross the sea safely. The Egyptians pursue them, and the sea overwhelms them The Midrash relates that the Heavenly angels begin to sing a song of triumph. God stops them, saying, "My creatures are drowning. Do not dare to sing a joyful song." We remember the tragedy of the drowning Egyptians on the latter days of Pesach. In our prayers, we delete two paragraphs of the Hallel, a song on joyous occasions.
The Song of the Sea begins, "Az yashir Moshe u'vnei yisrael..." The future tense is established by the verb "yashir"which is in the future. Why are the verbs in the future and not in the past, since the sentence is describing an event that took place in the past? The rabbis comment that the future tense demonstrates that the Torah establishes "techiyat ha'meisim," the resurrection of the dead. Moshe not only sang his song of triumph when the events took place, but he will sing the Shirat Hayam in the future.
Finally, after Moshe and the Hebrews sing, the Torah tells us that Miryam, the sister of Aharon, also sang a song of victory. (15:20) Why is she not referred to as the sister of Moshe? The rabbis answer that when Miryam first realized she was a prophetess, it was before Moshe was born; at that time she was only a sister of Aharon.
The haftorah is from the book of Judges and tells the story of Dvora, who, with the help of the general Barak ben Avinoam, defeated the Canaanite enemy. The haftorah contains the dramatic story of Yael who killed the enemy general by inviting him into her tent and piercing his skull with a tent peg. "Her hand reached for the tent pin. She struck Sisera, crushed his head. At her feet he sank, he lay destroyed."
Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l
A video about this week's haftorah can be viewed here: Judges 4:4-5:31
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 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)
Monday, February 1 (Shevat 19) Day of Virtual Learning sponsored by:
Sindy Udell, in memory of her grandfather, Jacob Smolensky
Deborah Kopp in memory of her mother, Miryam bat Mikael
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 5:20p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom)
Tuesday, February 2 (Shevat 20) 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) 5:20p 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, February 3 (Shevat 21)
Day of Virtual Learning sponsored by:
Nina Tarley in memory of her mother, Chaya Zangwill Breslav z”l (Chaya Bat Nechama v’Iser)
Donald Krastman in memory of his grandfather, שלמה עזריאל בן אלי Solomon Millner
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 5:20p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom)
Thursday, February 4 (Shevat 22) 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 5:20p Mincha/Maariv (in person or via Zoom)
Erev Shabbat, February 5 (Shevat 23) 7:00a Daf Yomi with Rabbi Herzfeld 8:00a Shacharit (in person or via Zoom) 5:10p Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat (Registration required; Mincha available via Zoom) 5:15p Candle Lighting
Anthony Abroms Daniel Levine Julie (Julius) Levine Scott Reiter Avital Gris Matthew Tonti Saadia Shurkin Barbara Zakheim Gavriel Kahan Ivria Silverstein Jeffrey Glassman Robert BenEzra Yehoshua Fruchter Hanna Klapper Jonathan Lachman Ari Skromne Jeffrey Lawrence Kira Plagge Yael Pinsky
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Members Observing Yahrzeits
Shabbat Helene Reisler for brother James Richard Altschul Noam Katz for father Jack Katz Raphael Glazer for mother Donna Glazer
Monday Maraji Gwynallen for grandmother Fannye Leff Mann
Tuesday Gerald Steinkeller for wife Rose Steinkeller
Wednesday Bess Lewis for father Littman Cardash Nina Tarley for mother Chaya Zangwill Breslav
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