Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
EMAIL YOUR RABBIS
RABBI YEHUDA MOSES, Rav HaKehillah/Senior Rabbi
RABBI MICHAEL ABRAHAM, Executive Director/Associate Rabbi/Hazan
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Erev Shabbat - JANUARY 10
Candle Lighting 4:43 pm
Shir Hashirim 4:30 pm
Mincha/Arvit 4:45 pm
SHABBAT
Rabbi Moses Parasha Shiur 8:15 am
Shacharit 8:45 am
Teen Minyan 9:30 am
Mincha/Arvit 4:20 pm
(Followed By Seudah Shlishit)
D’var Torah by Ben Dayan - Harkham Hillel
Havdalah 5:32 pm
SUNDAY
Shacharit 8:00 am & 9:00 am
(Followed By Breakfast)
Monday - Friday
Shacharit 6:30 am
Sunday - Thursday
Mincha/Arvit 4:50 pm
Torah At Mogen David (Mon-Thurs) 8:30 pm
Erev Shabbat - JANUARY 17
Candle Lighting 4:50 pm
Shir Hashirim 4:35 pm
Mincha/Arvit 4:50 pm
IMPORTANT HALALHIC TIMES
Earliest Talit & Tefillin 6:06 am
Hanetz Hachama 6:59 am
Last Time for Shema M”A 8:46 am
Last Time for Shema GR”A 9:30 am
Latest Tefillah M”A 9:48 am
Latest Tefillah GR”A 10:20 am
Hazot Hayom 12:01 pm
JANUARY 10 - JANUARY 16, 2020 13 TEVET - 19 TEVET 5780
Parashat Vayechi
CONGREGATION MOGEN DAVID
9717 W PICO BLVD. LOS ANGELES CA 90035 • 310.556.5609 • WWW.MOGEN-DAVID.ORG
JANUARY
Morey Shafran Freda Sutnick
Raquel Emquies Harry Linenberg
Sidney Lindenbaum Bashi Javaherian
Samuel Chazen Linda Lechleiter Levin
Morris Spivak Richard Silvera
Frances Katz Sara Frankiel Bill Martin
Ida Kling Samuel Winokur Joseph Silver
Mayer Ben David Israeli Ruby Winokur
Aurelie Bat Lydia Abram Safren
Sam Ingber Gene Dinces Samuel Sheff
Samuel Krone Haim Victor Anter
Alice Seroussi Victor Krone
Salomon Maya Ida Reskin
JANUARY
Jacob Yerushalmi Devorah Manuel
Gabriel Elias Debbie Banafsheha
Moshe Zaghi Behrokh Shaye
Saul Barnes Avishai Shraga Israel Lasry
Ramin Neman Michael Abraham
Rica Emquies Ilan Kashanian
Eliel Toledano Alan Fozailoff
Daniel Silvera Jules Robin
Benjamin Beyda Shira Neama Zaghi
Asher Eshaghpour Yehonatan Hagay
Debbie Yerushalmi Albert Fallas
Albert Silvera Shaya Bastan
Raizy Nissanoff Clara Vakneen
Ariella Cohen Jack Edry
JANUARY
Sharyar & Rita Aynesazan
Abraham & Esther Hakakian
Jeffrey & Ariella Ives
Gil & Merav Mizrahi
Isaac & Joelle Ouaknine
Please Include The Following Individuals In
Your Prayers So That Each May Be Granted
Refoua Shelema
Chaya Liel Bat Tali, Yehoshua Ben Orah,
Levi Ben Maytal HaCohen, Sarena Bat Rachel,
Meir Ben Devorah, Avraham Ben Rachel,
Menashe Ben Rosa, Akram Bat Habiba, Ezra Ben Naima,
Naama Bat Aviva, Gideon Ben Leslie,
Michael Nader Ben Molouk Zimra, Haim Ben Hannah
If you would like us to include a name on this list,
please call us at (310) 556-5609, or
email us at [email protected],
[email protected] or [email protected]
Thank You To Our Sponsors THIS WEEK
KIDDUSH Co-Sponsored By
Sanaz, Aaron, Ayva, Ayelet & Adam Kashanian
Adir Perets & An Anonymous Sponsor
In Honor Of Ilan Kashanian’s Birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ILAN KASHANIAN
SEUDAH SHLISHIT Sponsored By
Messod & Rica Emquies
In Memory Of Raquel Emquies
TEEN MINYAN Sponsored By
Ramin & Tina Neman
In Honor Of Ramin Neman’s Birthday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAMIN NEMAN
MEMBERSHIP YEAR 5780 CAMPAIGN
MEMBERSHIP FORMS WERE MAILED OUT.
PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR MEMBERSHIP.
EMAIL, MAIL OR DROP OFF
YOUR COMPLETED MEMBERSHIP FORM
ALONG WITH YOUR PAYMENT.
YOU CAN ALSO VISIT OUR WEBSITE
WWW.MOGEN-DAVID.ORG
BY LOGGING INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.
JOIN US & BE A PART OF OUR KEHILA
MEMBERSHIP FORM CAN BE EMAILED, MAILED OR DROPPED OFF OUR OFFICE.
RABBI MICHAEL ABRAHAM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
We Would Like To Encourage The KMD Family
To Contribute To Weekly Sponsorships Regularly
This Is A Wonderful Way
To Commemorate A Hazkara Or
Honor A Special Event Or Occasion
We Need Your Support
CONTACT US AT 310.556.5609/[email protected]
WWW.MOGEN-DAVID.ORG
Parashat Shemot
A Woman Scholarly in Torah In the previous Halachot we have discussed the laws of rising for an elderly man or woman as well as the obligation to rise before a Torah scholar and the wife of a Torah scholar. In the previous Halacha we have explained that Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l writes that a female student must show honor to her teacher from whom she has studied Torah in the form of rising for her and not calling her by name, for the reason why one is obligated to honor one’s rabbi is because “he brings one into the World to Come” (Mishnah, Baba Metzia 33a) and the same would apply to a teacher who educates her students in the path of Torah, Mus-sar, and modesty and also brings them into the World to Come. Although the teacher receives a salary for doing so, this does not matter at all, for the stu-dent’s obligation to honor the rabbi/teacher is not because the rabbi is not nec-essarily because the rabbi is performing a Mitzvah by teaching him; rather, it is because the rabbi teaches the student the ways of our holy Torah and has done the student the service of bringing him into the World to Come. Thus, it does not matter whether the intention of the rabbi/teacher at the time they were teaching was in order to earn money or fulfill the Mitzvah of Torah study by doing so. The same applies to a female teacher in that as long as she is granting her students passage into the World to Come, her students are obligated to honor her. Hagaon Rabbeinu Chizkiya di Silwa zt”l (author of the “Peri Chadash”) writes that clearly, one is obligated to rise before a woman who is erudite in Torah knowledge just as one is obligated to rise before a male Torah scholar, for alt-hough a woman is not obligated in the Mitzvah of Torah study (besides for stud-ying the laws of the Mitzvot applicable to her) and even if she studies Torah to the extent that she becomes a Torah scholar like a man she would not receive as much reward as a man since she is not obligated to do so, nevertheless, since she is scholarly in Torah knowledge, one must afford her honor because of the Torah she possesses. Many Poskim, among them Maran Rabbeinu Ova-dia Yosefzt”l, rule likewise. He adds that if she is a woman who is active in influ-encing other women to observe the laws of family purity, Shabbat, Kashrut, and the like and guides them in how to do so, even if she is not as erudite in Torah as a male Torah scholar, there is nevertheless an obligation to honor her, as the Gemara (Kiddushin 33b) states that one must rise before a person of means. The Geonim explain that a “person of means” refers to one who has a good eye and engages in charity, public projects, and possesses excellent character traits. Even if such an individual is not so scholarly in Torah, one must nevertheless rise before him as Maran Ha’Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah, Chapter 244) rules. The same applies to a woman of means and one must rise before her as well. Regarding a woman who is scholarly in Torah, we should point out that there were indeed several great female Torah scholars throughout Jewish history, such as our holy matriarchs, especially our matriarch Sarah who was also a prophetess, Miriam the prophetess, sister of Moshe and Aharon, Hannah, wife of Elkana and mother of Shmuel Ha’Navi, Devorah the prophetess, Hulda, Avi-gail, Queen Esther, and others. Even in later generation there were several well-known scholarly women in the times of the Sages of the Mishnah and Talmud, such as Beruria, wife of Rabbi Meir (see Pesachim 62b), as well as some in later generations, such as the well-known daughter of Rashi, who, in his later years, wrote and signed on some of Rashi’s halachic responsa. Indeed, in the Respon-sa of Rabbeinu Yaakov Molin (Maharil, Chapter 75), his wife, Rabbanit Leah, is mentioned as having corresponded with several Torah luminaries of the genera-tion about a certain halachic matter. Furthermore, Maran Ha’Chida writes in his Sefer Ma’agal Tov (page 61) about his wife, Rabbanit Rachel, and praises her to the extent that he writes that she was unique in the generation among women for her extreme brilliance and intel-lect. There were other unique women who also merited great knowledge in To-rah, such as the wife of Rabbi Yaakov of Kurdistan, Rosh Yeshivat Mosul in Iraq, who would teach Torah to students while seated behind a partition. Even in the generation before ours there were such women learned in Torah, such as the mother of Hagaon Harav Yehuda Tzadka zt”l who would actively participate in the Halacha lectures of Maran zt”l and would ask questions and offer solu-tions with great wisdom. These were wise and righteous women who were ex-tremely modest in the way they dressed and acted and in the merit of such right-eous women will the Jewish nation eventually be redeemed from exile (Sotah 11b). (It is well-known that nowadays, there are many men who present them-selves to be Torah scholars when they are actually devoid of any Torah knowledge and fear of Heaven. Similarly, there are women who, unfortunately, wish to equate men and women in every which way and in doing so, completely distort the most basic tenets of the Torah. Every individual possesses the choice to seek out genuine Torah scholars who cleave to the word of Hashem and follow such individuals.
Parashat Vayechi
This week we will be finishing the first of the Chamisha Chum-shei Torah with Parashat VaYechi. The death of Ya-kov Avinu not only marks the end of Sefer Beresheit, but also the end of an era. The Ramban, in his introduction to Sefer Shemot explains: "Hishlim hakatuv Sefer Beresheit shehu sefer yetzira bechidush haolam, veyetzirat kol notzar, uvemikrai haavot shehem k'inyan yetzira lezar'am - the Torah completes Sefer Beresheit which is the account of creation as well as a record of all that happened to the forefathers who are a form of creation to their seed." In so many ways, the triumphs and challenges Yakov Avinu serve as a moral guide and, as the Ramban terms, a yetzira, a creation for all generations. The Meshech Chochmah observes that twice, first in Parashat Vayetze (28:11-12), and later in Vayigash (56:2), the Torah emphasizes that Hakadosh Baruch Hu appears to Yakov Avinu at night, bemarot halayla. Although Ya-kov Avinu was forced to leave Eretz Yisrael and endure the diffi-culties of galut, HaKadosh Baruch Hu reassures him, specifically at night, that even becheshkat hagalut (in the darkness of exile) one can experience hashra'at hashechinah- Divine Revelation. There have been many dark periods in the history of the Jewish People where we have persevered and emerged stronger and brighter. How have we survived; how have we thrived? Although all of the avot (forefathers) engaged in tefilla, Ya-kov Avinu instituted Tefilat Arvit, the evening prayer. He taught us the appropriateness of tefilla when one is surrounded by darkness. The Meshech Chochmah explains that especially dur-ing galut, one must embrace darchei ha'avot, the paths and pri-orities of our forefathers. Just as a korban can only continue to burn at night if it was offered during the day, and just as a navi can only merit prophecy in chutz la'aretz if he experienc-es nevuah in Eretz Yisrael first, so too our avodat Ha-shem in galut must emulate and embrace derech ha'avot. We must follow in the paths and manners of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yakov, as outlined throughout the whole of Sefer Beresheit. The Zohar (vol. 1, 146b) comments "Al sheloshah devarim hao-lam omed: Hatorah - da Yakov, haavodah - da Yitzchak, gemilut chassadim - da Avraham." Each of the avot represents a pillar on which the world stands. (as we also see in Pirkei Avot). The middah of Yakov Avinu is Torah. May we, as descendants of Yakov Avinu, embrace this legacy, enabling the light of Torah to permeate the darkness of galut, and always remember during these trying and difficult times, that only through the Torah will we prevail and emerge stronger and brighter. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Yehuda Moses Rav HaKehillah/Senior Rabbi
Halachic Illuminations Special Events Shiurim Announcements
