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M A Weekly - Bulletin December 2nd 2023 - VAYISHLACH - Kislev 19 5784

11/30/2023 11:15:38 PM

Nov30

M.A. WEEKLY

                      

 

CLIQUEZ ICI Pour voir ce communiqué en Français (Traduction automatique par Google)

SCHEDULE

SHABBAT TIMES

Friday Night, Maghen Abraham

 

Mincha 3:50pm followed by Shir Hashirim -Kabbalat Shabbat - Arvit

 

Shabbat Candle lighting 3:54 pm

 

Saturday, Maghen Abraham 

 

Shahrit 9:00am

 

Perasha - VAYISHLACH

Haftara -  Ovadiah (Obadiah) Chapter 1

 

Kiddush Sponsored by

Isaac Darwiche in honor of father Simantob Darwiche z'L

 

Mincha 3:50PM followed by Arvit 

 

Havdalah:  5:02pm

 

UPCOMING HOLIDAY

Hannukah Dec 7-15th

 

UPCOMING THIS WEEK

CELEBRATIONS

MABROOK!!!

Michael Sidel

on his Birthday!

 

 

HAZKAROT

HAZKARA

Leon Zeitoune z'L

Husband  of Noni Zeitoune
Father  of Isaac, Joseph z'L, Charles & Sandra

 

HAZKARA

Simantob Darwiche z'L

Father of Isaac Darwiche

 

NOTICES

We are all in shock with Simhat Torah massacre in Israel of brothers and sisters by the Hamas terrorist organization.

 

No words can describe our sentiment towards this horrific event.

 

Our hearts go out to all those that have lost loved ones and we pray for a safe return of those that are still in captivity.

 

We wish safety of the Israeli troops that are tasked with retrieving our brethren. 

 

AM ISRAEL CHAI

 

We also support our fellow Jewish institutions (Synagogues and Schools) that were targeted over the past week. We condem this SHAMEFUL ACT and we hope that the perpetrators are apprehended by the authorities quickly.

 

NEVER AGAIN

 

 

FUNDRAISING INTIATIVE 

 

HELP DONATE A MAGHEN DAVID ADOM AMBULANCE

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

________________________________________
The community offers it's condolences to the Cohen Family on the passing of RACHELINE COHEN z'L
________________________________________

REFUA SHELEMA TO AHOUVA BAT MAZAL
________________________________________
REFUA SHELEMA TO SHLOMO BEN LINDA

NEWSLETTER

Bonjour / Hello [nickname_else_first_name],

Table of contents

 

1) Perashat Hashavoua - Rabbi Eli Mansour

2) Halakhat Hashavoua (Halakhot related to day to day life) - Hazzan David Azerad 

 - The importance of Facing Jerusalem During Prayer (peninei -halacha)

3) Holy Jokes!

4) FOR KIDS!

 

 

 This Week's Parasha Insight with Rabbi Eli Mansour

Parashat Vayishlah: The Foundations of Jewish Kingship

We read in Parashat Vayishlah of Yaakob’s dramatic reunion with his brother, Esav. The Torah tells that as Yaakob approached his brother, he bowed seven times as a sign of humble submission.

The Zohar comments that Yaakob was not, in fact, bowing to Esav, which would have been improper. Rather, the Zohar explains, Yaakob was bowing to the Shechina (divine presence). The Torah relates that when Yaakob saw Esav coming, he arranged his family in two groups, and then "Hu Abar Lifnehem" – "he passed in front of them" (33:3). According to the simple reading of the text, this means that Yaakob passed in front of his wives and children. The Zohar, however, interprets this verse as referring to the Shechina. G-d came and passed in front of Yaakob and his family, and so Yaakob bowed seven times to honor the divine presence.

The great Kabbalist Rav Abraham Galante (Rome-Safed, d. 1560), citing his great mentor, Rav Moshe Cordovero (Safed, 1522-1570), comments that although Yaakob Abinu acted correctly by bowing, as he was bowing to the Shechina, his sons erred by bowing to Esav. The Torah tells that Yaakob’s family followed his lead and bowed to Esav, but, Rav Galante writes, they were not aware that Yaakob was bowing to the Shechina, and so they actually intended to bow to Esav.

Rav Galante proceeds to explain on this basis the story of the foundation of the Jewish monarchy. Yaakob proclaimed at the end of his life, "Lo Yasur Shebet Mi’Yehuda" ("The scepter shall never leave Yehuda" – Bereshit 49:10) – that the kings of the Jewish People should always hail from the tribe of Yehuda. However, as we know, the first king was Shaul, who belonged to the tribe of Binyamin, and he was anointed king by the prophet Shemuel, as commanded by G-d. Various approaches have been taken to explain how Shaul could be appointed king being that he did not belong the tribe of Yehuda. (For example, the Ran, in one of his published Derashot, explains that Yaakob’s instruction of "Lo Yasur Shebet Mi’Yehuda" meant that once a king is anointed from the tribe of Yehuda, the kingship must remain in that tribe. This did not preclude the possibility of a king from another tribe ruling before the appointment of a king from Yehuda.) Rav Galante writes that the answer is found here in Parashat Vayishlah, in the story of Yaakob and his sons bowing to Esav. The purpose of the Jewish king, he explains, is to lead everyone to recognize and submit to G-d’s kingship. If a king submits to the authority of anyone other than G-d, then he has completely undermined the purpose of his position, which is to establish G-d’s exclusive reign over the world. Therefore, Rav Galante writes, when the Jewish monarchy was being founded, it could not begin with someone who had bowed to Esav. It needed to begin with a descendant of Binyamin – the only of Yaakob’s sons who was not alive at the time of Yaakob’s reunion with Esav, and who thus never bowed to Esav. The monarchy needed to be built upon the foundations of absolute, unconditional and unwavering submission to Hashem. The moment one bows and expresses submission to anyone or anything else, this necessarily infringes upon his submission to G-d’s rule. And thus the monarchy was established by a descendant of Binyamin, who was not tainted by the other brothers’ mistaken bow to Esav.

 

 

 

 

Facing Jerusalem  Peninei Halacha   

During most parts of the prayer service, a person may face in any direction he desires. However, when he arrives at the climax of the prayer service and gets up in the Amidah to stand before the King of the world, he must turn to face Jerusalem, the place that Hashem chose to endow His Shechinah to the world.

 

One who stands in prayer outside of Israel must face the Land of Israel, and his heart should be directed towards Jerusalem, the home of the Beit HaMikdash (Temple), and Kodesh HaKodashim (the Holy of Holies). If one stands in Israel, he must face Jerusalem, and his heart should be directed towards Beit HaMikdash and Kodesh HaKodashim. If he stands in Jerusalem, he faces the direction where the Beit HaMikdash stood, and directs his heart to Kodesh HaKodashim (Berachot 30a; Shulchan Aruch 94:1).

 

Therefore, those reciting the Amidah in the plaza in front of the Kotel must turn and face the direction of the exact place of the Beit HaMikdash. In other words, those standing in the open square must turn slightly to the left, and even those standing in the men’s section in the closed area next to the wall should do the same.

 

It is customary to position the aron kodesh on the side of the synagogue that faces Jerusalem, so that those standing in prayer also pray towards the direction of the aron kodesh. However, the primary objective is to pray in the direction of Jerusalem. Therefore, if due to error, or because of circumstances beyond our control, the aron kodesh does not exactly face Jerusalem, the people praying should turn to face the direction of Jerusalem (Mishnah Berurah 94:9). Nevertheless, if the entire congregation mistakenly faces the aron kodesh, it is best not to separate oneself from the congregation; instead, one should stand in the same direction that the congregation faces, but turn his head towards Jerusalem (Mishnah Berurah 94:10).

 

One who does not know the direction of Jerusalem may pray to whichever direction he desires while directing his heart towards his Father in Heaven (Shulchan Aruch 94:3). Even if he subsequently discovers that he was mistaken, it is not necessary to repeat his prayer while facing Jerusalem.

 

Bevirkat Shabbt 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

 

 

LIFECYCLE EVENTS

Celebrate a lifecycle event with us by sponsoring a Kiddouch

 

CONGREGATION MAGHEN ABRAHAM

 

Contact Us

Maghen Abraham
POB 111, Succ Snowdon, Montreal,

H3X 3T3

 

Synagogue:
4894 St-Kévin 
Montréal, Québec, Canada 
macommunaute@maghenabraham.com

 

M A Weekly - Bulletin November 25th 2023 - VAYETZEI - Kislev 12 5784

11/23/2023 05:46:48 PM

Nov23

M.A. WEEKLY

                      

 

CLIQUEZ ICI Pour voir ce communiqué en Français (Traduction automatique par Google)

SCHEDULE

SHABBAT TIMES

Friday Night, Maghen Abraham

 

Mincha 3:50pm followed by Shir Hashirim -Kabbalat Shabbat - Arvit

 

Shabbat Candle lighting 3:58 pm

 

Saturday, Maghen Abraham 

 

Shahrit 9:00am

 

Perasha - VAYETZEI

Haftara -  Hoshea (Hosea) Chapter 11

 

Kiddush Sponsored by

Henry Romano In Honor of the Hazakara of his mother Stella Romano z'L

 

Mincha 3:50PM followed by Arvit 

 

Havdalah:  5:05pm

 

UPCOMING HOLIDAY

Hannukah Dec 7-15th

 

UPCOMING THIS WEEK

CELEBRATIONS

MABROOK!!!

Elie Romano (Benny's son)

on his Birthday!

 

MABROOK!!!

Noni Zeitoune

on her Birthday!

 

HAZKAROT

HAZKARA

Stella Romano z'L

Wife of Elie Romano z'L
Mother of Joe, Benjamin & Henry Romano

 

HAZKARA

Selim Cohen ben Faridé z'L

Father of Saad Cohen
Grandfather of Isaac Darwiche, Sheldon & Lynn Cohen

 

HAZKARA

Benjamin Diwan z'L

Husband of Esther Diwan

 

NOTICES

We are all in shock with Simhat Torah massacre in Israel of brothers and sisters by the Hamas terrorist organization.

 

No words can describe our sentiment towards this horrific event.

 

Our hearts go out to all those that have lost loved ones and we pray for a safe return of those that are still in captivity.

 

We wish safety of the Israeli troops that are tasked with retrieving our brethren. 

 

AM ISRAEL CHAI

 

We also support our fellow Jewish institutions (Synagogues and Schools) that were targeted over the past week. We condem this SHAMEFUL ACT and we hope that the perpetrators are apprehended by the authorities quickly.

 

NEVER AGAIN

 

 

FUNDRAISING INTIATIVE 

 

HELP DONATE A MAGHEN DAVID ADOM AMBULANCE

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

________________________________________
The community offers it's condolences to the Cohen Family on the passing of RACHELINE COHEN z'L
________________________________________

REFUA SHELEMA TO AHOUVA BAT MAZAL
________________________________________
REFUA SHELEMA TO SHLOMO BEN LINDA

NEWSLETTER

Bonjour / Hello [nickname_else_first_name],

Table of contents

 

1) Perashat Hashavoua - Rabbi Eli Mansour

2) Halakhat Hashavoua (Halakhot related to day to day life) - Hazzan David Azerad 

 - Three Steps Forward Before the Amidah (peninei -halacha)

3) Holy Jokes!

4) FOR KIDS!

 

 

 This Week's Parasha Insight with Rabbi Eli Mansour

Parashat Vayeseh: Yaakob’s Journey to “Kedem”

The Torah in Parashat Vayeseh tells of Yaakob Abinu’s journey to the home of his uncle, Laban, where he went to flee from his brother, Esav. Yaakob wanted to marry Laban’s second daughter, Rahel, but Laban fooled Yaakob and brought him Leah, instead. When Yaakob protested, Laban agreed to allow Yaakob to marry Rahel, too.

In describing Yaakob’s trip to Haran, the Torah writes that Yaakob journeyed "Arsa Beneh Kedem" – "to the land of the people of the east" (29:1).

The Megaleh Amukot (Rav Natan Nata Shapiro, Poland, 1585-1633) writes that the word "Kedem" in this verse should be read as an acrostic for the phrase "Keren Deromit Mizrahit" – "southeast corner." He explains that the southeast is associated with a concentration of "Kelipot" – negative spiritual forces. Yaakob was going to the house of Laban, a wicked man, a place of intense, harmful spiritual energies, and this is what the Torah means by saying that he journeyed to "Kedem."

There is also an additional understanding of the word "Kedem" and its allusion to the "southeast."

The Midrash comments that "some people must go to their mate, and some – their mate comes to them." Yishak Abinu, the Midrash observes, did not need to go anywhere to find a wife; she was brought to him by Eliezer. Yaakob Abinu, by contrast, needed to travel far from his homeland to find his wife. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his work Aderet Eliyahu (Parashat Vayelech), explains the Midrash’s comment as referring to the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish People, which is often likened to the relationship between a husband and wife. The two models of marriage observed by the Midrash, the Ben Ish Hai writes, reflects the two possible ways in which Am Yisrael and Hashem can be brought back together. In a different passage, the Midrash writes that there is an argument, of sorts, between G-d and the Jewish Nation over who will start the process. Hashem says to us, "Shubu Elai Ve’ashuba Alechem" – "Return to Me, and then I will return to you" (Malachi 3:7), urging us to begin the process by repenting. We, however, turn to Hashem and beg, "Hashibenu Hashem Elecha Ve’nashuba" – "Bring us back to You, O G-d, and we will come back" (Echa 5:21). We want Hashem to initiate the process of return by helping us and drawing us close to Him even though we have not yet become worthy of restoring our relationship with Him. This, the Ben Ish Hai writes, is the intent of the Midrash’s comment observing the different models of marriages. One model is the man – representing Hashem – coming to us to bringing us to Him, and the other is the bride, Am Yisrael, taking the first step and coming to Hashem.

A famous Halachic principle establishes that "Yahid Ve’rabim Halacha Ke’rabim" – we always follow the majority. The Ben Ish Hai writes that when it comes to this "debate" between Hashem and the Jewish Nation, we follow the majority of the three patriarchs. Although Yishak’s bride came to him, both Abraham and Yaakob went to find their wives. And thus this is the conclusion – that it is up to the "man," Hashem, to take the initiative and bring His beloved bride, Am Yisrael, back.

This, then, is the meaning of the verse which speaks of Yaakob journey to the land of "Beneh Kedem," which, as we have seen, alludes to the southeast. The Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria of Safed, 1534-1572) taught that the south is associated with "Hesed" ("kindness"), the attribute of Abraham Avinu, and the east is associated with "Tiferet" ("glory"), the attribute of Yaakob. When Yaakob went to Haran to find a wife, he knew that he was establishing the majority view, that Hashem should take the initiative. Before his journey, there was Abraham’s model – of the man going to find a wife – and Yishak’s model – of the woman coming to the man. Yaakov thus tilted the scales, as it were, in favor of Abraham’s model by going to Haran to find a wife to marry. And thus he went to "Kedem," to the southeast, combining together with Abraham Abinu to establish that Hashem should initiate the process of repairing His relationship with His beloved children, the Nation of Israel.

May Hashem inspire us all to return to Him with genuine devotion and love, and may we respond in kind, heeding His call and committing ourselves to rebuild our relationship with Him and be worthy of the final redemption, speedily and in our days, Amen.

 

 

 

 

Three Steps Forward Before the Amidah-(peninei halacha)

It is customary to take three steps forward prior to praying the Amidah, in order to express one’s desire to come closer to Hashem and to stand before Him (Rama 95:1). A person who is already standing in his place of prayer does not need to take three steps back in order to return and step towards prayer. The fact that he came to synagogue demonstrates that he already brought himself closer to prayer and took more than three steps towards it (Eliyah Rabbah). Some say that it is proper even for a person who already walked to his place of prayer to step backwards just before the Amidah and then to take three steps forward again towards his place of prayer (Ben Ish ChaiB’shalach 3; Kaf HaChaim 95:7). Between the steps backwards and the steps forward, it is best to pause slightly, so as not to look like someone who is coming and going. Therefore, when he arrives at “Tehillot L’Kel Elyon,” he takes three steps back, and towards the conclusion of Birkat Ga’al Yisrael he takes three steps forward. Similarly, in Mincha and Ma’ariv, already in the beginning of Kaddish before reciting the Amidah, one takes three steps back and then takes three steps forward to begin the Amidah (Minhag MaharilMishnah Berurah 95:3).

 

So as not to interrupt between redemption and prayer, it is proper for the person praying to be strict in taking the three steps before the conclusion of Birkat Ga’al Yisrael, so that immediately after the end of the berachah, he will already be standing in his place of prayer and he will begin to say “Hashem sefatai tiftach,” the verse which opens the Amidah.

 

Prior to reciting the Amidah, a person must remove things that might disturb his concentration during prayer. (Shulchan Aruch 92:3;). The reason for this law is that a person standing in prayer must be very cautious of the respect of Heaven (kevod Shamayim), and everything that is considered impolite to do before human beings is prohibited to do while praying (see Shulchan Aruch 97:1-2).

 

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

 

 

LIFECYCLE EVENTS

Celebrate a lifecycle event with us by sponsoring a Kiddouch

 

CONGREGATION MAGHEN ABRAHAM

 

Contact Us

Maghen Abraham
POB 111, Succ Snowdon, Montreal,

H3X 3T3

 

Synagogue:
4894 St-Kévin 
Montréal, Québec, Canada 
macommunaute@maghenabraham.com

 
Fri, December 1 2023 18 Kislev 5784