Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                      December 12, 2019

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat, December 13
(Kislev 15)
6:30a Shacharit
4:28p Candle Lighting
4:30p Kabbalat Shabbat
4:40p Women's Tefillah

Shabbat, December 14: Vayishlach (Kislev 16)
7:30a Mashkimim 
followed by a Dvar Torah from Sarah Gershman 
9:15a Shacharit, with a Dvar Torah by Rabbi Herzfeld
10:30a Shabbat Youth Groups
10:30a Pickle Minyan
11:45a Kiddush Luncheon
3:05p Daf Yomi
3:35p Chaim Fruchter's Shiur
4:05p Mincha followed by Seudah Shlishit 
sponsored in memory of Jane bat Alexander V’Rivka with a shiur by Skromne Family members 
5:29p Havdalah
7:00p Chanukah Salon & Arts Market

Upcoming Kiddush Schedule
12/21: Kiddush Luncheon sponsored by the Ernst/Loeb 
family in honor of Hadar's bar mitzvah
12/28: No Kiddush/No food served

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

In the last Parsha, Vayetzei, we learned of Yaakov's flight to Lavan's house because of Esav's animosity, and of Yaakov's building of a family.

In this week's parsha, Vayishlach, we learn of Yaakov and Esav meeting once again after many years. Were they reconciled? The Torah says that Esav "kissed" Yaakov, and the two brothers "cried." However, a midrash tells us that this was not sincere, but rather that Esav "bit" Yaakov. Furthermore, when they "cried," Yaakov cried because he was bitten, and Esav cried because of the pain in his teeth because Yaakov's neck had turned to marble. The Rabbis comment, "Halacha." They explain: "It is a rule" that Esav hates Yaakov. This theme is picked up in the Haftorah.

The Parsha goes on to tell of the death of Rachel in the course of her giving birth to a second son named, by his father, Benyamin. Yaakov buries his wife Rachel on the road to Efrat, which is in Bethlehem. The question is asked by the Rabbis: Why was Rachel not buried in the Cave of Machpelah, with her ancestors? The Midrash explains that, many centuries later, when the Jews were exiled from their homeland, they passed Rachel's burial place, and she rose up and cried for them. In the words of the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice is heard in Rama, the sound of bitter weeping, Rachel crying for her children, refusing to be consoled because they are no longer there." (Jeremiah 31:14). That is the Haftorah for the second day of Rosh Hashana.

The Haftorah for this week is from the prophet Ovadiah (one of the twelve prophets known as the "Trei Asar," The Twelve). In fact, the haftorah is the entire book of Ovadia – only 21 verses. The prophet speaks of God's animosity toward Edom, the nation that descended from Esav.

(According to tradition, Rome descended from Edom. Gershon Cohen, the late head of the Jewish Theological Seminary, wrote a famous essay on how the tradition of that connection between Esav, Edom and Rome came to be.) 

The Haftorah ends with the verse which appears in our daily prayers: "For the liberators will march up on Mount Zion to pronounce judgment on Mount Esav and dominion shall be the Lord's."

Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l

A video about this week's Haftorah can be viewed here:  Obad. 1:1-21

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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
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(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
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