Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                              June 13, 2019

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat, June 14 (Sivan 11)
6:30a Shacharit
6:45p Kabbalat Shabbat
8:16p Candle Lighting

Shabbat, June 15: Nasso (Sivan 12)
9:15a Shacharit, with a Dvar Torah from Nicole Goldstein
10:30a Shabbat Youth Groups
11:45a Kiddush Luncheon
6:55p Daf Yomi
7:25p Chaim Fruchter's Shiur
7:55p Mincha, followed by Seudah Shlishit with a Shiur from Hannah Druckman on: Judaism and the Modern Conservation Movement
9:18p Havdalah

Upcoming Kiddush Schedule
6/22: Kiddush
6/29: Kiddush Luncheon sponsored by Barbara Zakheim & Ronnie Kleinfeldt
7/6: Kiddush
7/13: Kiddush  sponsored by Aviva Krauss & Danishai Kornbluth

There's still time to RSVP for this Sunday's Annual Gala Celebration! Join us in honoring Hannah & Nate Druckman and Nicole Goldstein & Franklin Rubinstein for their generous contributions to our community. Click here for tickets and sponsorship options.

Comments on the Portion, Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz

This week's parsha, Nasso, is the longest parsha in the Torah. Its length is largely explained by the fact that it describes the inauguration of the altar in the sanctuary and the gifts from the chiefs of the tribes on that occasion. Although each gift is identical, the Torah repeats, in detail, the contents of each one. The reason is so that no chief (or tribe) would feel treated in a discriminatory way. This was the Bar Mitzvah parsha of our son, Rabbi Adam, who met the considerable challenge.

The Parsha also contains what has become known as the law of Sotah. If a husband has a doubt about the fidelity of his wife, he takes her before the Priest, who subjects her to a ritual procedure, testing her integrity. The procedure is set forth in detail in the parsha. At the beginning of the procedure, the administering Priest tells the woman, "If no man has defiled you and you have not gone astray in defilement," you will be vindicated by the test which is being administered. Since the penalty for adultery is death, the rabbis learn from the way the Priest's statement is phrased, that in capital cases, there is a presumption of innocence of the accused person. We are familiar with this presumption.

The section about Sotah begins with the phrase, "Ish ki tisteh ishto…" (Naso, 5:12), (The translation is, "A man whose wife goes astray…").  However, the word "tisteh" contains the same letters as the word "shoteh," meaning "fool." The rabbis derive from this that "a person does not sin unless the spirit of foolishness overcomes him” or her.

Finally, the parsha contains what has come to be known as the Triple Priestly Blessing. In addition to the three blessings that we have become familiar with in synagogues on Festivals, God states in the Torah, "And they (the Priests) will associate my name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them." Thus, the Kohanim in a modern congregation are acting as God's representatives in offering the blessings.

Department of Corrections: In a prior week, we attributed the title of Milton Steinberg's novel, As A Driven Leaf, to a quote from the Klalot (the admonitions) in the Torah. A loyal reader of the Shabboom living in Paris has pointed out that in the novel, Rabbi Steinberg attributes the quote to the Book of Job, "Wherefore hidest thou thy face? …Wilt thou harass a driven leaf?" (Job 13:24-25) We may speculate that Rabbi Steinberg did not want to utilize the words of the Klalot for his title.

The haftorah comes from the Book of Judges and is the story of the birth of Samson. The angel of God tells his parents that he shall be a Nazirite; that is, he may drink no intoxicating beverage, nor cut his hair. The parsha deals also with the laws of Nazirites. The tragic story of Samson’s life is told in subsequent chapters in Judges.   

PIRKE AVOS, ETHICS OF THE FATHERS
Chapter One, Mishnah 14:
In what is undoubtedly one of the most famous of rabbinical sayings, Hillel says, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me; and if I am only for myself, what am I; and if not now, when?" Shammai’s comment (Mishna 15), "Speak little and perform a great deal," anticipates President Theodore Roosevelt, who said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” 

Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l

Two videos about this Shabbat's Haftorah can be viewed here: Judges 13:2-25 and Judges 13:2-25.

Upcoming Events and Weekly Schedule

To view and register for upcoming events and weekly schedule, visit our website's online calendar. 

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Contact Us

Synagogue Office
info@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, ext. 0
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld
RabbiShmuel@ostns.org
(202) 812-8900 
Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman
MaharatRuth@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, ext. 107
Monica Wolfe, Interim Executive Director
Monica.Wolfe@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, ext. 103
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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board@ostns.org
Mikvah Chaim
mikvahchaim.org
attendant@mikvahchaim.org
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