Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                      November 29, 2018

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat, November 30 (Kislev 22)
6:30a Shacharit
4:28p Candle Lighting
4:30p Kabbalat Shabbat
6:00p Ethically Sourced Shabbat Dinner

Shabbat, December 1: Shabbat Mevarchim, Vayeshev (Kislev 23)
9:15a Shacharit, with a Dvar Torah from Guest Scholar Yadidya Greenberg
10:30a Shabbat Youth Groups
11:45a Kiddush
3:05p Daf Yomi
3:35p Chaim Fruchter's Shiur
4:05p Mincha, followed by Seudah Shlishit with a Q&A Session with Yadidya Greenberg
5:29p Havdalah

Upcoming Kiddush Schedule
12/1: Kiddush
12/8: Kiddush Luncheon sponsored by the Blumenthal family in honor of Ari's bar mitzvah
12/15: Kiddush Luncheon sponsored by the Saka family in honor of Emma's birthday

• Friday night Dvar Torah (following Ethically Sourced Shabbat Dinner)
• Shabbat morning Dvar Torah
• Shabbat afternoon Seudah Shlishit: Ask the Shochet Q&A Session

With so many programs and events, there's something for everyone!
For more information, visit ostns.org/chanukah.

Comments on the Portion, Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz

The Parsha, Va'Yeshev, includes two interrelated stories: the sale of Joseph to Egypt and the story of Judah and Tamar.
 
Joseph's brothers, angered by Joseph's dreams of domination, sell him to a caravan of Ishmaelites who carry him to Egypt where Joseph is sold to Potiphar, an officer of the King of Egypt. According to the Midrash, Joseph was sold for pairs of shoes. This is derived from the words of the Prophet Amos included in this week’s Haftorah. (See discussion below.) The brothers lie to their father, saying that Joseph was devoured by a wild beast. They present Jacob with Joseph's tunic, smeared with the blood of an animal, saying "recognize this" as Joseph's. These very same words return years later, when they are spoken to Judah, who had been the leader of his brothers in their dealings with Jacob. (Again, see below).
 
Joseph becomes very successful in Potiphar's house, but then, Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him. According to the Midrash, Joseph is about to succumb. He enters the house for a meeting with the woman, but, says the Midrash, he sees his father Jacob's image before him, and "flees outside." The word "flee" appears in Psalm 114 to describe the Sea "fleeing" as the Jews escaped from Egypt. The Midrash explains that the flight of the Sea was related to Joseph’s flight, that, in fact, it occurred in the merit of his flight from sin. Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of doing what he actually fled from, and Joseph is imprisoned.
 
In prison, Joseph successfully interprets the dreams of the King's cupbearer and baker. In his explanation of the cupbearer’s dream, the word "cup" appears four times. The Midrash draws from this the obligation of four cups of wine on Passover. In fulfillment of Joseph's interpretation, the cupbearer is restored to his position, but as the Parsha ends, he forgets to keep his promise to tell the king about Joseph, who is still in prison. This sets the stage for the next Parsha, in which the cup bearer does remember Joseph, who ascends to be second to the King.
 
The story of Judah and Tamar is complex and one of the greatest in the Torah. When Judah fails to marry his youngest son to Tamar, she poses as a prostitute, and Judah has relations with her. He leaves his signet and seal as security for payment. When Judah, as the judge of the period, pronounces a death sentence on the pregnant Tamar for prostitution, she produces the signet and the seal and says, "Recognize these. They belong to the father of my child." The Midrash notes that the words "recognize these" are the same words Judah, leading his brothers, used earlier to mislead their father about what happened to Joseph.
 
The Midrash goes on to observe that if Judah had not admitted his culpability, Tamar would have been ready to be executed. From this the Midrash learns that a person (here, Tamar) should be willing to go to his or her death rather than humiliate another person (here, Judah) in public. Judah acknowledges his culpability: "She is more just than I." Twins are born. One is named Peretz, the ancestor of King David.
 
The Haftorah is from the book of Amos, one of the twelve prophets (the Trei Asar). The Prophet attacks the Jewish people for their lack of morality -- more particularly, "for selling a just person for a pair of shoes," which demonstrates their contempt. The Midrash says the reference is to Joseph's brothers' sale of Joseph. 
 
CHANUKAH
The Festival of Chanukah begins on the 25th of Kislev, which means that this year, we light the first candle on Sunday night, December 2nd. The events underlying Chanukah are not in the Tanach, but rather in the Apocryphal Books of Maccabees. The Torah readings each day of Chanukah, come from the Book of Bamidbar, Parshat Naso, Chapter 7, and draw an analogy between the Rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees and the Dedication of the Altar in the time of Moses.

A video by Hal Brodsky, Z"L, about this week's Haftorah can be found here .

Upcoming Events and Weekly Schedule

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Contact Us

Synagogue Office
info@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225
Sarah Shapiro, Executive Director
Sarah.Shapiro@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, ext. 103
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld
RabbiShmuel@ostns.org
(202) 812-8900 
Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman
MaharatRuth@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, ext. 107
Stacey Watson, Director of Engagement
Stacey.Watson@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, ext. 102
Lisa Redisch, Director of Youth & Family Programs
youth@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, ext. 105
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Hospitality & Welcome Committee
BeOurGuest@ostns.org
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Cemetery Information
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