Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                            March 28, 2019

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat, March 29 (Adar II 22)
6:30a Shacharit
6:45p Kabbalat Shabbat
7:10p Candle Lighting
10:00p Tisch at the Herzfeld home

Shabbat, March 30: Shabbat Mevarchim, Parshat Parah, Shmini (Adar II 23)
9:15a Shacharit, with a Dvar Torah from Rabbi Herzfeld
10:30a Shabbat Youth Groups
11:45a Kiddush
5:50p Daf Yomi
6:40p Mincha, followed by heimishe Seudah Shlishit with Yossi Weinberger
8:12p Havdalah

Upcoming Kiddush Schedule
​​​​​​​3/30: Kiddush
4/6: Kiddush Luncheon sponsored by Zan Frackelton & Daniel Alhadeff 
4/13: No food served
4/20: No food served

Comments on the Portion, Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz

The Parsha this Shabbos is Shemini which includes the basic laws of kashrus. More specifically, it presents the two physical signs of kosher animals, and the two physical signs of kosher fish. It goes on to name those animals and fish which are not kosher, because the animal or fish has one of the kosher signs and not the other. One of the non-kosher animals is the "arneves", which we call the "rabbit,” which chews its cud but which does not have split hooves.  

The Talmud, Megilla 9, presents an unusual midrashic story about the arneves, which, interestingly, is a variation on the famous story of the writing of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Tanach. As related in the Talmud, King Ptolemy (of Egypt), wanting a translation of the Tanach (into Greek), assembled 72 Jewish elders. Placing them in 72 separate buildings, he instructed them to translate the Torah of their teacher, Moshe. God planted the ideas in their minds, and although in separate rooms, the 72 elders translated the words of the Torah in identical fashion.  

In some cases, the 72 elders departed from the usual translation of a word or phrase. In particular the elders translated the word "arneves" as meaning short-legged animal. Why did they depart from the normal meaning? Because the wife of King Ptolemy was named "arneves," and if the elders translated the word literally, they feared that the King would be angered, because the elders were declaring that his wife was not "kosher". 

Politics! 

This Shabbos is also Shabbos Parah, the third of the special Shabbases before Pesach. The "Parah" is the red heifer. The Torah describes how an "unclean" person ("tamei") becomes "clean." He brings the red heifer to the sanctuary, to the priests, who follow the procedure in the Parsha, after which the "tamei" becomes clean ("tahor"). Ironically, however, the priests who have participated in the procedure become unclean. Why is it that the red heifer purifies the unclean but, at the same time, makes unclean the clean? This is one of the classic issues in Biblical commentary, to be discussed, be'ezrat ha'shem, next year.

In the meantime, we have the Midrashic explanation for why a red heifer is the purifying agent. It is, says the Midrash, like a mother who takes her young son into the King's palace for a visit. Not surprisingly, the young son makes a big mess. The king's courtiers quite legitimately call back the mother in order to clean up the mess. 

The same is true for the Parah Adumah. At Mount Sinai, the Jews sinned, "made a mess," by fashioning the Eigel Hazahav, the Golden Calf. It is completely appropriate that they should be called on to bring the mother of the calf, the parah aduma, for purification -- that is, to clean up the mess.

The Haftorah is special for Shabbos Parah. It is from the Book of Ezekiel (36:16-38). Ezekiel speaks of how the Jewish people, on their own land, "defiled it with their words and deeds." The high point of the haftorah is reached at 36:26, with the memorable statement by Ezekiel, "And I shall give you a new heart ... and I will remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh."

Video on the Haftorah, by Hal Brodsky Z"L

Ezekiel 36:16-38

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Contact Us

Synagogue Office
info@ostns.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
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
Board of Directors
board@ostns.org
Hospitality & Welcome Committee
BeOurGuest@ostns.org
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attendant@mikvahchaim.org
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