Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                      November 14, 2019

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat, November 15 (Cheshvan 17)
6:30a Shacharit
4:36p Candle Lighting
4:40p Kabbalat Shabbat
6:00p Abayudaya Jewish Community Shabbat Dinner & Tisch

Shabbat, November 16: Vayera (Cheshvan 18)
9:15a Shacharit, with a Dvar Torah from Rabbi Herzfeld
10:30a Shabbat Youth Groups
10:30a Pickle Minyan 
11:45a Kiddush
3:15p Daf Yomi
3:45p Chaim Fruchter's Shiur
4:10p Women's Tefillah Mincha
4:15p Mincha, followed by Seudah Shlishit with a Shiur from Reb Shadrach Mugoya HaLevi
5:36p Havdalah

Upcoming Kiddush Schedule
11/15: Kiddush
11/23: Dessert Kiddush sponsored by the Appelbaum family in honor of Elisheva's bat mitzvah
11/30: No food served

Comments on the Portion, Haftorah & Morning Prayers, Contributed by Rabbi Ben Mintz

This week's parsha, Vayeira, continues the story of Avrohom, climaxing with the drama of the Akeda.

When the parsha begins, Avrohom is sitting in front of his tent as God appears to him. At that moment, three strangers arrive in front of the tent. The Torah tells us that Avrohom rushes to greet them and provide for them. The rabbis learn from this that the mitzva of Hachnasas Orchim, the welcoming of guests, is even more important than greeting God's Shechina, God's presence. 

The strangers announce that Sarah, Avrohom's wife, will give birth to a child in a year's time. Sarah laughs in light of her age (90). The son she bears is named Isaac, or, in Hebrew, Yitzchak, which means laughter. Because of Sarah's jealousy, Avrohom banishes his older son's mother, Hagar, a servant woman, and their son, Yishmael, into the desert. They are eventually without water, and Hagar throws Ishmael under a bush so that she will not witness his death from lack of water. God intercedes, with the Torah saying that God judged Yishmael "be'asher hu sham," on the basis of Yishmael's situation at that very moment. Even though Yishmael's descendants were to become enemies of the Jewish people, at that moment he was an innocent 14-year-old, and therefore, he was to be saved. And so, God provided water and Hagar and Yishmael survived. 

Because the people of Sodom are sinful, God is prepared to destroy the city. Avrohom argues with God about saving the city because there might be pious individuals there (Avrohom's nephew, Lot, lives there). Avrohom is persistent in his argument with God. For such reasons, he has been referred to as "the first Jewish lawyer."

And then, the story of the Akeda, which, of course, is very familiar. After the Angel of God tells Avrohom that he has "passed the test" and need not sacrifice his son, the Torah tells us that Avrohom sees a ram "entangled" in the underbrush. The rabbis interpret that God tells Avrohom that in generations to come, his descendants, the Jews, will become "entangled" in sin and be "seized" with tribulations, and therefore he should sacrifice the ram in place of Yitzchak, and the Jewish people will be redeemed through the shofar, the ram's horn.

THE HAFTORAH, from 2 Kings 4:1-37, tells the story of the prophet Elisha helping two families in distress. One of those stories parallels the story of the birth of Yitzchak with the story of the Shunamite woman, who is rewarded by the prophet Elisha for her hospitality with the birth of a son. The son later dies and is restored to life by the prophet when his mother goes to Elisha and pleads her case.

TEFILOT, MORNING PRAYERS
Master of the Universe, may it be your will, God of our forefathers, that just as our forefather conquered his mercy for his only son and was willing to slaughter him  to do Your will, so may your mercy conquer your anger from upon us, and deal with us, Hashem, God of our fathers, with your attributes of mercy and kindness.

Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l

A video about this week's Haftorah can be viewed here: 2 Kings 4:1-37

Upcoming Events and Weekly Schedule

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

Lifecycles

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October 2019 Donations to Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue®

General Gifts & Donations
Andrew Baron
Sara & Andrew Dauber
Elyse Inukai
Noa Levanon Klein & Philip Klein
Caleb Kriesberg
Ben Lieberman
Sharon & Steven Lieberman
Shayna Mazel
Arielle & Yaakov Roth
Bertram Weintraub
Leah Weintraub

Cemetery
Naomi Brodsky
Aliza Levine & Eric Brown
Rae Ringel & Amos Hochstein
Sindy Udell & Kenneth Josovitz
Deborah & James Karesh
Leon Kass
John Kossow
Francesca & Joshua Kranzberg
Wendy & Desmond Lachman
Sharon & Steven Lieberman
Miriam Achtenberg & Michael Morse
Jill & Thomas Sacks
Samuel Shapiro
Nina & Peter Tarley
Ann Werner
Anonymous

High Holidays
Leone & Anthony Abroms
Smadar & Asher Epstein
Sarah Fertig Trauben & Steven Trauben
Rena & Chaim Fruchter
Yonatan Gefen
Adele & Leonard Green
Caron Gremont & Kenneth Baer
Sharon & Jonathan Gruber
Yocheved & Gary Heiligman
Kayla Drogosz & Kenneth Jeruchim
Sue & Ethan Kanter
Ariel Levine & Barry Klein
George Kleiner
Charlotte Rest & Jonathan Kopp
Agnes & Alan Leshner
Grayson Miller
Sara & Stuart Milner
Deborah Potvin & Shmuel Nadata
Jacey & Amit Natanzon
Andrea & Noam Neusner
Ross Pinsky
Arielle & Yaakov Roth
Adi & Larry Rubin
Barbara Boland & Saul Weinreb

Annual Giving Plan

Anne & Ronald Abramson
Leone & Anthony Abroms
Naomi & David Balto
Kira Epstein Begal & Bill Begal
Naomi Brodsky
Aliza Levine & Eric Brown
Sandra & Jeffrey Burt
Belle Davis
Ellen & David Epstein
Pamela Auerbach & Douglas Feith
Sarah & David Feith
Shaw & Thomas Fodor
Ruth & Yoni Friedman
Laurie & Carl Gershman
Erin & Benjamin Gris
Katie Schenk & Dov Grossman
Rhanni & Shmuel Herzfeld
Rae Ringel & Amos Hochstein
Daphna Berman & Moshe Horowitz
Francesca & Joshua Kranzberg
Lucy & David Kurtzer-Ellenbogen
Wendy & Desmond Lachman
Chani & Steven Laufer
Chani Bloom & Nathan Lesser
Sharon & Steven Lieberman
Rachel & James Loeffler
Lea & Jeffrey Mendelsohn
Miriam Achtenberg & Michael Morse
Leora Klapper & Jerome Netter
Ahuva & Aaron Orlofsky
Mona Charen & Robert Parker
Rebecca & Matthew Price
Rachel & Baruch Roth
Arielle & Yaakov Roth
Jessica & Justin Rubin
Nicole Goldstein & Franklin Rubinstein
Jill & Thomas Sacks
Claudia & Joseph Saka
Douglas Lachance & Micah Salb
Jennifer Geetter & Joshua Segal
Susan Schutz
Sarah Gershman & Daniel Silverberg
Starr & William Stixrud
Thera & Samuel Swersky
Sarah Fertig Trauben & Steve Trauben
Cheryl & Dan Troy
Avril & Michael Weisman
Andrea & Ariel Wolf
Tamar & Reuven Zakheim
Anonymous (3)

Meal Sponsorship
Leora Klapper & Jerome Netter
Jill & Thomas Sacks
Avril & Michael Weisman

In Honor of
Sarah Fertig Trauben & Steven Trauben in honor of Ken Josovitz
Laura & Aaron Frank in honor of Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld
Suan & Morris Klein in honor of Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld
Helene Reisler in honor of Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld
Helene Reisler in honor of Asher Epstein’s birthday
Molly Sheriff in honor of Meital Hochstein’s bat mitzvah
J. Dov Weinstock in honor of the Bloom-Lesser family

In Memory of/Yahrzeit​​​​​​​
Harriet & Michael Baum in memory of Sarah Mushinsky
Sylvia & Ralph Block in memory of Rosie Block
Stuart Brafman in memory of Richard Levine, husband of Susan Wachtel
Belle Davis in memory of Robert Rovinsky, husband of Renana Brooks
Dorothy Dworkin in memory of Jacob Skolnick
Sarah Fertig Trauben & Steven Trauben in memory of Robert I. Sann, father of Ronald Sann
Laurie & Carl Gershman in memory of Anna Yuter
Elayne & Joel Glickman in memory of Meyer Goldstein
Alan Gordon in memory of Pessie Gordon
Barbara & Michael Gordon in memory of Anna Yuter
Barbara & Michael Gordon in memory of Richard Levine, husband of Susan Wachtel
Maraji & Rick Gwynallen in memory of Anna Yuter
Jan Johnston in memory of Anna Yuter
Betty Jordan in memory of Samuel & Esther Zaritsky
Lewis Kest in memory of Mike Keleti and Antal Keleti
Sheila & Daniel Kurtzer in memory of Anna Yuter
Chani & Steven Laufer in memory of Anna Yuter
Barbara & Michael Ledeen in memory of Jack Schlacter
Barbara & Michael Ledeen in memory of Constance B. Miller
James Levine in memory of Julius B. Levine
Evelyn Marcus Wheeler in memory of Anna Yuter
Carolyn & Sidney Markowitz in memory of Anna Yuter
Nancy & Stanley Pillemer in memory of Sheila Franklin Lowenstein and Louis Pillemer
Ellen Reinach in memory of Albert Reinach
Amber Ricks & Henri Minion in memory of Alvin Ricks
Sandra Stein in memory of Katie Block, Bertha Block, and Max Block
Adele & Michael Sumner in memory of their loved ones
Izabella Tabarovsky in memory of Abram & Miri Tabarovsky
Peter Tannenwald in memory of Richard Levine, husband of Susan Wachtel
Sandra & Howard Tenenbaum in memory of Jack & Freda Lifshutz, George & Jeanette Tenenbaum, Sam & Anna Levine, and Harry & Rose Lifshutz
Ira Thompson in memory of Jacob Finkelstein, father of Pesha Rubinstein
Sandra Ullman in memory of Richard Levine, husband of Susan Wachtel
Carol Valoris in memory of Anna Yuter
Leah Weber in memory of James Weber
Avril & Michael Weisman in memory of Anna Yuter
Carol Miaskoff & Robert Weissler in memory of Anne Saltzman Miaskoff
Rivka Yerushalmi in memory of Anna Yuter

Don't see a donation listed? If you believe a gift was omitted, please contact our office (202) 882-7225 or info@ostns.org. We will never list gift amounts in this email.

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
Monica Wolfe, Executive Director
Monica.Wolfe@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, etx. 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
Board of Directors
board@ostns.org
Hospitality & Welcome Committee
BeOurGuest@ostns.org
Mikvah Chaim
mikvahchaim.org
attendant@mikvahchaim.org
Cemetery Information
cemetery@ostns.org
​​​​​​​(202) 882-7225