Shabboom! Weekly Announcements

Energize your week with Ohev Sholom                                           January 9, 2020

Shabbat Times and Announcements

Erev Shabbat, January 10 (Tevet 13)
6:30a Shacharit
4:46p Candle Lighting
4:50p Kabbalat Shabbat

Shabbat, January 11: Vayechi (Tevet 14)
8:15a Shacharit
9:15 Women's Tefillah Bat Mitzvah Celebration
10:30a Shabbat Youth Groups
11:45a Kiddush Luncheon sponsored by the Kurtzer-Ellenbogen family
3:25p Daf Yomi
4:25p Mincha followed by Seuda shlishit
5:48p Havdalah
7:30p Jewish & Israeli Culture Film Series 2020: "1945" 

Upcoming Kiddush Schedule
01/18 - Kiddush Luncheon sponsored in honor of Gerry Steinkeller on the occasion of his long awaited Bar Mitzvah.

Solar light in all houses has been completed thanks to Ohev Sholom! Two of the units were sponsored by the prisoners of the Western Correctional Institution. 

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

This week's parsha is Vayechi, the last parsha in the book of Bereshis. Yaakov gives his final "blessing" to his sons, He dies and is buried in the land of Canaan. The parsha closes with the death of Yosef and that entire generation.

Facing death, Yaakov undertakes to bless his sons. However, in the process, he recalls his anger over Shimon and Levi's action against the Schemites, in the incident involving the rape of Deena. So in his last statements to Shimon and Levi, Yaakov says, "arur apam ki az,"  "cursed be their anger because it is fierce." The rabbis interpret that Yaakov is not cursing his sons, but only cursing their anger, which was responsible for the killing of the Schem community.  Yaakov leaves instructions that he be buried in Canaan, and the Torah tells us that Yosef leads the procession that takes Yaakov to Canaan. The rabbis comment that just as Yosef himself, most distinguished in Mitzraim, took the lead in burying Yaakov, so when Yosef''s bones were taken with the Jewish people when they left Mitzrayim, it was Moshe Rabenu, the most distinguished leader of the Jewish people, who took personal charge of fulfilling Yosef's wishes for his burial.


After Yaakov dies, Yosef's brothers fear that Yosef will finally take revenge on them for throwing him into the pit and selling him to Mitzrayim. So they tell Yosef that Yaakov directed them to instruct Yosef to forgive them for their hostile conduct against their brother. The problem is that there is no record of Yaakov ever making this statement. The rabbis learn from this that it is not objectionable for a person to take "liberties" with the truth for the sake of peace. Here, the brothers fabricated Yaakov's statement  to prevent any possible revenge by Yosef. And, indeed, Yosef tells them that he has no ill will against them, and that their selling him to Mitzrayim had a good outcome because, in Mitzrayim, he was able to provide food for the family in the time of famine.

The generations of Yaakov and Yosef die. When we begin the book of Shmot next week, we learn that a new pharaoh has risen and that he enslaves the Jewish people. 

(A personal note: In Yaakov's blessings, he addresses Benjamin (Binyamin), saying "Binyamen ze'ev yitraph," Benjamin is a "ravenous wolf." The words "Binyamin ze'ev" are my name in Hebrew -- in English, Benjamin William. But there's no wolf)

The Haftorah, from 1 Kings 2:1-12 tells of the last words of the dying King David to his son Shlomo (Solomon) who will take over the throne. "If your descendants are scrupulous in their conduct and walk before Me faithfully with all their heart and soul, your line on the throne shall never end."  


TEFILOT 
Following the Alenu prayer: "Have no fear from the sudden terror or from the disaster that is caused by the wicked. Make your plans and they will be cancelled, speak words and they will not be fulfilled, because God is with us." Quoted from the books of Isaiah and Proverbs.  

Haftorah Video, by Hal Brodsky z"l

A video about this week's Haftorah can be viewed here:  Kings 2:1-12  

Upcoming Events and Weekly Schedule

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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
Monica Wolfe, Executive Director
Monica.Wolfe@ostns.org
(202) 882-7225, etx. 103
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
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