Your upcoming Hazkara for your [mourner_to_deceased_relationship],
[yahrzeit_deceased] z'L, on [lifecycle_hebrew_date] which falls on [lifecycle_english_date]
Per our customs, the HAZKARA is typically on the Shabbat BEFORE the anniversary which which falls on
Shabbat Parashat [parsha] ([parsha_date]).
We would like to HONOR your loved one with you and your family.
If you would like to sponsor a kiddush in their honor, please confirm by reply to this email.
If there are any errors in the above email or you would like to add additional names of the mourners for the hazkara (will be inlcuded in the bulletin) please reply to this email with the correction/additional information.
Also please send us your hazkarot so that we may update your file.
Maghen Abraham
Cher [nickname_else_first_name],
Hazkarot est toujours un moment où la
famille et la communauté se réunissent
pour honorer ceux que nous avons perdus.
Votre prochaine Hazkara pour votre [mourner_to_deceased_relationship],
[yahrzeit_deceased] z'L,
sur [lifecycle_hebrew_date] qui correspond à [lifecycle_english_date] cette année.
Selon nos coutumes, le HAZKARA est généralement le Shabbat AVANT l'anniversaire qui est
Parasha [parsha] ([parsha_date]).
Nous aimerions HONORER votre bien-aimé avec vous et votre famille.
Si vous souhaitez parrainer un kiddouch en leur honneur, merci de nous le confirmer en répondant à cet e-mail.
S'il y a des erreurs dans l'e-mail ci-dessus ou si vous souhaitez ajouter des noms supplémentaires des personnes en deuil pour le hazkara (sera inclus dans le bulletin), veuillez répondre à cet e-mail avec la correction/informations additionels.
Veuillez également nous envoyer vos hazkarot afin que nous puissions mettre à jour votre dossier.
Maghen Abraham
LIFECYCLE EVENTS
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2) Halakhat Hashavoua (Halakhot related to day to day life) By Hazzan David Azerad -
Preserving Customs vs. Strengthening the Community -- Peninei Halacha
3) Holy Jokes!
4) For KIDS
This Week's Parasha Insight with Rabbi Eli Mansour
Parashat Korah: An Argument for the Sake of Heaven
A famous Mishna in Pirkeh Abot distinguishes between two different kinds of "Mahloket" (arguments): a Mahloket which is waged "for the sake of Heaven," and one which is waged "not for the sake of Heaven." As an example of the former, the Mishna points to the arguments between the schools of Hillel and Shammai. These two schools debated numerous different matters of Halacha, and the Mishna affirms that these arguments were waged "for the sake of Heaven." As an example of the other kind of Mahloket, the Mishna mentions the Mahloket instigated by Korah and his followers against Moshe and Aharon.
How can we determine which arguments are waged sincerely, for the sake of Heaven, and which are waged insincerely, like Korah’s fight against Moshe Rabbenu? Is there a tell-tale sign of one or the other?
The Gemara relates that although the school of Shammai and the schools of Hillel disagreed on many different subjects, nevertheless, once the Halacha was decided, the students got along. In fact, the Gemara relates, although these two schools disagreed on matters relevant to personal status with respect to marriage, the students nevertheless married each into each other’s families. When the argument ended, they were friendly, respectful and peaceful. This phenomenon can be seen even today in Torah study halls throughout the world. When one enters the room, he sees study partners arguing vociferously with one another. Each student valiantly defends his position, insisting that his reading of the text, or his understanding of the topic, is the correct one. I even remember one time when an elderly member of the community, who did not have a yeshiva background, came into the yeshiva where I was studying and scolded us for fighting. He gave us a lecture about how hatred destroyed the Bet Ha’mikdash, and how we needed to be nice to one another. We explained to him that we were arguing over words of Torah, but did not hate each other at all. And the proof is that when the students close their books and finish their studies, they are the best of friends. They help each other in every way, and enjoy close, meaningful camaraderie. The arguments in the study hall are "Le’shem Shamayim," sincerely for the sake of Hashem, and not out of personal animus. And so when the study session ends, so does the arguing, and the close, genuine bonds of friendship are expressed.
This was not the case with Korah’s fight against Moshe. His fight, of course, failed, resulting in terrible tragedy, but had he succeeded, Heaven forbid, and defeated Moshe, the fighting would not have ended. After all, he and his cohorts were united by only one common cause: to defeat Moshe. Other than that, they were enemies. They each vied for power and prestige, driven by their own egotistical motives. And so had they defeated Moshe, they would have continued fighting – among themselves. This is indicated by the Mishna, which says that the example of an argument that is "not for the sake of Heaven" is "the argument of Korah and his following." The Mishna speaks of not Korah’s argument against Moshe, but rather of Korah’s argument with his own people. This argument, which would have erupted if Korah had defeated Moshe, proves that this argument was not waged out of sincere motives. When a sincerely motivated argument ends, peace prevails. When an insincerely motivated argument ends, the fighting continues.
This is the difference between a legitimate argument and an illegitimate argument. A person cannot claim to be sincerely motivated if he is constantly waging battles and always finds himself embroiled in one conflict or another. One can be said to be engaged in a truly sincere argument only if he is otherwise peaceful and amicable, and is not, like Korah, always fighting to push his personal agenda. This is the tell-tale sign of a "Mahloket Le’shem Shamayim."
Halachot this week are selected and Translated by Hazzan David Azerad
Preserving Customs vs. Strengthening the Community -- Peninei Halacha
In addition to maintaining the nusaĥ of prayer, preservation of customs entails upholding traditional pronunciation schemes. Each community – Yemenites, Sephardim, and Ashkenazim – pronounces the prayers according to its particular scheme. Indeed, each ethnic community should ideally continue to pray with its traditional chants (see Rema 619:1). Of course, it is permitted to introduce new melodies, but the upshot of this ruling is that the main part of the prayer should preserve the traditional tune that has been sanctified throughout generations. For that reason, one must ideally pray in a synagogue that uses one's ancestral nusaĥ (Peninei Halakha: Prayer, ch. 6 n. 5).
Judaism contains a great variety of different customs. The Sephardic nusaĥ itself breaks down into numerous different sets of customs. Concerning matters of halakha, the key differences are between those who follow Shulĥan Arukh and those who follow Ben Ish Ĥai. Moreover, North Africans have their distinct nusaĥ that is quite similar to the Lebanese, Syrian, and Iraqi rites in terms of halakha and liturgical text, but differs greatly in terms of the traditional chants and tunes. Even among North Africans, there are differences in melody. To Moroccans, Algerians sound dissonant, and vice versa. To Libyans, both Algerians and Moroccans sound off. To perfectly preserve customs, there would need to be special synagogues for Libyans, Tunisians, Algerians, and Moroccans in addition to those for Lebanese, Iraqi, Syrian, Farsi, Turkish, and Caucasian Jews.
Ashkenazim also have a variety of customs. The main difference is between Ĥasidim and other Ashkenazim, but there are other significant differences in pronunciation and melody between Western Europeans and Lithuanians. Regarding pronunciation, there are at least four variants from Eastern Europe: those of Greater Hungary, Greater Lithuania, Galicia, and Poland. Ĥasidic sects each have distinct customs and melodies. Among Yemenites, there are two main liturgical rites: Baladi and Shami.
If meticulous preservation of customs will lead to the breakup of the community, it is preferable to forgo the preservation of customs. In general, when a community is unified, coordinates Torah study for men, women, and children, and engages in communal acts of kindness and care, it connects all its members to Torah and mitzvot. In contrast, when a community is weak, its members lose heart, and this adversely affects the children.
Therefore, even though ideally it is best for everyone to follow ancestral custom, if doing so requires the establishment of dozens of small synagogues that can barely gather a minyan and cannot sustain Torah classes, then members of communities with similar customs should unite to form a stronger community. For example, all people from North Africa should pray together, and if that is not sufficient, then all who pray in the Sephardic nusaĥ should pray together.
It is therefore necessary that each locale weigh all the values of preserving customs against the value of a strong, solid community. When enough families from one ethnic community live in one place and can establish a large synagogue while preserving their traditions, all the better. But when the numbers are insufficient, it is best that they join a similar ethnic community to form a strong congregation. If the consolidation of similar ethnic communities will not suffice to form a strong community, it is best that the members of all communities – Sephardim, Ashkenazim, and Yemenites – form a single congregation. Sometimes it is necessary to instruct the ĥazan and lead the prayers according to his ancestral nusaĥ so that each ethnic community is given space. This must be considered with appropriate gravitas, and the local rabbi must render such decisions together with the congregation’s leaders (see Peninei Halakha: Prayer 6:9).
Additionally, even though ideally everyone should preserve their customs and melodies, there is a positive element in the merging of the Diaspora communities. Since one does not choose a place to live based on ethnic community, similar liturgical rites tend to consolidate. Today, most Ashkenazim practice that way; people with different traditions pray together.
Bevirkat Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
David Azerad
3) HOLY JoKeS!!
Selection of funny snippets, loosely related to this weeks parashah or current events, to brighten your day
4) FOR KIDS
Click on the image to open the youtube video
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