2 February 2013 - 22 Shevat 5773 פרשת יתרו - Parashat Yitro שבת -ג‘‘תשע שבט ב‘כ

MazeltovMazeltovMazeltovMazeltov To Natalie & Michael Jayson

On the Barmitzvah of their son

Samuel.

Also to Samuel’s Grandparents

Jackie & Malcolm Shapiro & Sylvia Jayson.

*********************

MazeltovMazeltovMazeltovMazeltov To Devorah & Ilan Weinstein

On the birth of a son.

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MazeltovMazeltovMazeltovMazeltov To Janet & Michael Goodman

On the engagement of their daughter

Rachel to James Segal.

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Rabbi Pinny Cohen’s Parsha Shiur will NOT take place this evening

*********************

Jack Maurer’s Baking Demonstration Evening took place last

Sunday with Jack publicising many of his baking secrets for

the first time. Below is a picture of Jack and Joanne Lazarus

one of over 100 people who attended.

Shul Members Elaine Bermitz & Jennie Goldstone and former President Julian Rosenberg (now of Netanya) taking a break on

their recent trip to Israel on the Sarel programme.

******************** CLUB 13 will be making Tzitzis for Tikva Odessa Children’s Orphanage next Sunday at 9.45am. See the poster on the back

page for more details. ********************

The Forum will be holding a talk with Rabbi Malcolm Herman on Sunday evening at 8.15pm.

Please see the poster on the back page for more details.

Places are filling up

for the...

WHITEFIELD FAMILY SEDER

on 2nd night of Pesach

TUESDAY 26 MARCH 2013.

Price -£25 for Adults

£15 for Under 12s

Free to Under3s.

Please call the Shul office on

766 3732 to register or send an email to

seder@whitefieldshul.co.uk

Please see the poster on the back page. *********************

MOTHER & BABY GROUP

in the Youth Centre.

EVERY Tuesday 10am —12.

Minimum Donation £2

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Over 100 people attended the Whitefield Jewish Youth Centre

Youth Leadership Graduation Evening last Thursday.

Guest of Honour Sir Howard Bernstein presented

Certificates and First Aid Certificates to

20 new Leaders and 10 current Leaders from the Centre.

All had completed the training to become leaders at the

WJYC. The training was delivered under the direction of

Deborah Britstone.

Sir Howard said “Leadership is

so important not just for our

community but also the wider

community”. He commended all the graduates and looked

forward to the development of the Youth Centre.

The photo shows some of the graduates.

******************** If you have been the victim,

or a witness to an antisemitic incident,

please report it firstly to the police, using

999 in emergencies or 101 for non-emergencies,

and then to CST, using 0800 980 0668 in emergencies or 0161 792 6666 for non-emergencies.

Artscroll (Stone) Hertz Cohen Living Torah

Sedra 394 288 445 344

Haftorah 1154 302 464 1115

The Haftorah will be read by SAMUEL JAYSON.

The Congregation is invited to Kiddush after the Service

in the Evelyn Lubin Hall hosted by NATALIE & MICHAEL JAYSON.

WHITEFIELD HEBREW CONGREGATION

PARK LANE, WHITEFIELD, MANCHESTER, M45 7PB t: 0161 766 3732 f: 0161 767 9453 e: mail@whitefieldshul.co.uk

THE WHITEFIELD TIMES THE WHITEFIELD TIMES THE WHITEFIELD TIMES THE WHITEFIELD TIMES THE WHITEFIELD TIMES THE WHITEFIELD TIMES THE WHITEFIELD TIMES THE WHITEFIELD TIMES

TIMES OF SERVICES

FRIDAY Mincha 4.30 pm

Shabbat commences at 4.37 pm

SHABBAT Hashkoma Minyan 8.15 am

Shachrit in Main Shul 9.15 am

Latest time for Shema 10.07 am

Explanatory Service in the Beit Hamedrash 11.00 am

Children’s Service (Ages 3-6 Upstairs Youth Centre) 11.00 am

Junior Service (Ages 7-12 Downstairs Youth Centre) 11.00 am

Rabbi’s Talmud Shiur 4.05 pm

Mincha followed by Seuda Shlishit 4.35 pm

Ma’ariv and Termination of Shabbat 5.47 pm

SUNDAY Shachrit - 1st Minyan 7.45 am

Shachrit - 2nd Minyan 8.45 am

Mincha 1.00 pm

Ma’ariv 7.45 pm

MONDAY &

THURSDAY Shachrit 7.05 am

TUESDAY,

WEDNESDAY &

FRIDAY Shachrit 7.15 am

MONDAY - FRIDAY

Shachrit - 2nd Minyan 8.05 am

SUNDAY - THURSDAY

Mincha 1.00 pm

Ma’ariv 7.45 pm

One to One learning in the Beit Hamedrash 6.45 pm

Daf Hayomi Shiur 7.00 pm

Ladies Tehillim Group at 6 Standmoor Road (Monday) 9.00 pm

Ladies’ One to One Learning - in the Beit Hamedrash (Wednesday) 8.30 pm

NEXT FRIDAY Mincha 4.45 pm

Shabbat commences at 4.51 pm

Parsha thoughts from The Whitefield Community

Mychiel Balshine presents

If You Can’t Beat Em….If You Can’t Beat Em….If You Can’t Beat Em….If You Can’t Beat Em…. English country guesthouses are ideal locations for short relaxing breaks. The quaint villages with their

poetic scenery create a very pleasing atmosphere. It was these thoughts that inspired Jonny to do just that

quite recently. As he was shown around his room, a book perched on the mantelpiece caught his attention.

He peered closer and saw the words ‘Holy Bible’ imprinted on it. Curious to discover what lay within, he

decided to peer inside. He was astounded to discover that it was simply a translation of the Jewish Torah

and prophets, followed by a few additions. Jonny wondered why Christianity regarded the Torah to be part

of their Bible and hadn’t simply rejected it. The matter lingered on the forefront of his mind for some time…

In 1956 a film called ‘The Ten Commandments’ was released. The film was so popular that it earned a

staggering one hundred and eighty five million dollars in profit, making it the fifth most successful film in

US history (1). However it was extremely misleading. It depicted G-d speaking to Moses, alone, whilst the

nation remained elsewhere, oblivious to what was happening.

The film didn’t just miss the boat; it didn’t even find the sea! The Torah clearly states (2) that ‘the entire

nation witnessed the revelation at Sinai’. The nation at that time must have comprised of at least two million

people (3). Other religions are based on private revelations; on individuals who claimed to have received G-

d’s message (4). Anyone can make such a claim and there’s no way of disproving it. Judaism however re-

mains the only faith to claim of a mass revelation; each individual was there to witness it. Such a claim is

almost impossible to fabricate. The original Jews who received the Torah would have read that they them-

selves experienced a magnificent revelation. Had this not been true, they would definitely have rejected it.

The fact that they didn’t, is compelling evidence for the Jewish claim.

There’s a famous saying ‘If you can’t beat em, join em’. When Christianity began around two thousand

years ago, the impact of Sinai remained strong in people’s minds. Had Christianity completely denied the

Jewish claim, no one would have taken it seriously. Their only option was to admit to its truth, but preach

that G-d subsequently ‘changed his mind’. The fact that they did not deny Sinai’s authenticity is further evi-

dence to its reality (5).

Jonny’s short break was coming to an end. As he tidied his hotel room for the last time, he took another

glance at ‘The Holy Bible’. He had concluded that something as grand as the revelation at Sinai could not

have been rejected, only circumvented. For this reason the Torah was included in the Christian Bible. Jonny

returned home not only physically rejuvenated but also spiritually. He now understood the Torah’s authen-

ticity; all thanks to the Christian Bible.

Shabbat Shalom

1. Wikipedia, ‘the ten commandments,1956 film’.

2. See Shemos chapters 19 and 20.

3. Since the torah says that 600000 adult men left Egypt, when the women and children are added on it to-

tals at least two million.

4. For instance, the story of Mohammed on the mountain (Islam). Joseph Smith in a cave (Mormon). And

the private “resurrection” of Jesus (Christianity).

5. See ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’, pages 64 and 65.