Congregation Agudath Jacob · 2018-05-01 · Congregation Agudath Jacob December Kislev/Tevet 5778 Rabbi: Ben-Zion Lanxner President: Brent deMoville Phone: 254-772-1451 Office Admin:

Congregation Agudath Jacob December Kislev/Tevet 5778 www.agudath-waco.org Rabbi: Ben-Zion Lanxner President: Brent deMoville Phone: 254-772-1451 Office Admin: Karen Eason Fax: 254-772-2471 [email protected] [email protected]

This bulletin is published twelve times per year by Congregation Agudath Jacob, a non-profit organization.

Founded in 1888 – Celebrating 129 years – Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Rabbi Ben-Zion Lanxner

Believe it or not, Erev Chanukah is just 12 days away…as the first candle is to be lit Tuesday evening, December 12, 2017, as soon after dark as possible and must burn for at least ½ hour. On Kabbalat Shabbat, Friday night, first light the Chanukah candle, and then light the Shabbat candles.

***

There is a principle in Jewish thought that states that one’s name represents its essence.

That is one of the reason that when someone converts to Judaism, I always suggest to the candidates to start thinking of a Hebrew name which will help define as well as represent their new essence of being reborn as Jews.

Similarly, we can explain how the name of a holiday captures the spirit of that time period. Based on this idea, the name “Chanukah” (literally “inauguration”, referring to the inauguration of the Holy Temple, The Beit Hamikdash) needs further analysis.

This name neither makes any direct reference to the miracle of the oil, nor to the miracle of the victory of the war that so apparently symbolize the essence of the holiday of Chanukah, besides maybe for the fact that the Maccabee soldiers encamped by the Temple and the war ended (in Hebrew, “Chanu” they camped on the 25 of Kislev, in Hebrew 25 is “Kah” Kaf numerically valued at 20 and “Hey” valued at 5).

Why was this name chosen to refer to these days?

In order to answer the above question, we first need a background clarification of what the Greek empire represented.

The Greeks were very intellectual people when it came to studying and explaining the physical world. They made major advances in the sciences and other fields that focused on physical phenomena. However, as Nachmanides (Ramban) explains, Greek philosophy strongly rejected the existence of anything that could not be seen, heard, felt, measured, or tested in the laboratory.

We all know that for the Ancient Greeks, the trait of aesthetics was a priority, thus the importance of sports and body building, as the exterior appearance, “good looks” was praised and encouraged.

Using this philosophy, the Greeks totally rejected the existence of a spiritual world. The Greeks tried to contaminate spirituality and bring it down into pure physicality to give credence to their way of thinking.

The name for Greece in Hebrew, “Yavan”, (originated from the 3rd son of Noach , Shem, Cham and YEFET, whom had seven sons, one of them was Yavan) comes from the hints at this idea as well, as the word “yaven” is used in Psalms to describe slimy mud that sinks anyone who stands on it (explain by Metzudat David on Psalm 40:3).

This was the Greek approach to anything having to do with spirituality. Thus, the Greeks did not destroy the Beit Hamikdash, but rather contaminated it.

They did not throw us out into exile from Eretz Israel, but rather brought exile into Eretz Israel.

They did not destroy the Torah but rather defiled it by translating it in such a way that it seemed just like another book of legends.

http://www.agudath-waco.org/

mailto:[email protected]

To the Greeks the Beit Hamikdash was just another building, Eretz Israel was just another country, and the Torah was just another storybook.

The place that most apparently went against this Greek ideology was the Beit Hamikdash. When a person visited the Beit Hamikdash it was almost impossible for him not to see beyond the physical world.

The Beit Hamikdash was the place where spirituality was brought into physicality. In fact, this is precisely why in Shir Hashirim (4:4, 7:5) the Beit Hamikdash is referred to as “the neck”.

The Shem M’Shmuel explains that just as the neck connects the higher faculty of man, namely the head, to the more physical part of man, namely the body, so too the Beit Hamikdash connected the spiritual world to the physical world. (This also illustrates the Midrash telling us that there were ten constant miracles in the Beit Hamikdash).

Being an intermediary between the spiritual and physical worlds, the Beit Hamikdash was in some ways above the laws of nature. Through its spiritual nature the Beit Hamikdash countered the Greek motto that physicality is everything.

We can now begin to understand the depth behind the name “Chanukah”. The battle between the Maccabees and the Greeks wasn’t just a physical battle, but rather a clash of ideologies.

While the Greeks came to separate the physical world from its spiritual root, the Maccabees, all of whom were kohanim, were the ones who dedicated themselves to the task of connecting the physical world to its spiritual core through their service in the Beit Hamikdash.

The Greeks came and defiled a Beit Hamikdash that went against everything Greek ideology stood for, while the Maccabees rededicated the Beit Hamikdash, thus declaring that there’s more to the physical world than meets the eye.

Chanukah is named after the rededication of the Beit Hamikdash. It is the rededication of the place where the physical and spiritual meet, which best describes the victory over the Greeks who didn’t see past the physical world.

The name Chanukah is therefore the name that most accurately encapsulates the essence of this holiday.

To conclude, I would like you all to recognize that when reflecting on the experiences of the Jewish people throughout history, we can see glimpses of Chanukah in every generation.

Although we have not been yet privileged to overcome our “enemy”, call it, Evil inclination, Lashon Harah, etc., and return to our Holy Temple as we did in the days of Matitiyahu, we have survived inquisitions, pogroms and even a Holocaust. It has already been said by one of our great Torah scholars that the survival of the Jewish people is the most powerful proof that G-d runs the world.

Let us therefore utilize Chanukah as a time for thanking G-d for the miracles of our survival and praise Him for the experiences that brought us closer to Him.

Just as we thank and praise G-d for our miracles as a Nation, each of us must also have the same approach to the individual trials we face in life.

May the spirit of Chanukah permeate every facet of our lives so that we can learn to be closer to our Creator, closer to each other, helping each other in building together a stronger community and congregation, learning and observing His Torah, and fulfilling our role in this world, to be a “Mamlechet Kohanim, veGoy Kadosh” a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy People, and thus bringing closer to our days the” Final Redemption” with Mashiach ben David. Amen

Chag Urim Sameach- Happy Chanukah!

Rabbi Ben-Zion Lanxner

See you all at our Synagogue Chanukah Party on December 16, 2017 at 6:00 for Havdalah followed by our Chanukah Candle lighting…

Make sure to bring your own special Chanukah and candles….

December Service ScheduleFriday, December 1

Kabbalat Shabbat 6:00 p.m. Candle Lighting 5:07 p.m.

Saturday, December 2 Shacharit 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Ends 6:04 p.m.

Friday, December 8 Kabbalat Shabbat 6:00 p.m. Candle Lighting 5:08 p.m.








The Annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 6

at 6:00 p.m. All members in good standing are invited to attend.

December 1 Harry Harelik December 3 David Jortner December 4

Shanna Bubis Bauer December 6 Emily Rogers

December 7 Gloria Yoder December 11

Rachael Rosen December 12

Eden Via December 21 Paul Farmer

December 22 Max Schwarz December 24

Liberty Anne Harris December 25 Teresa Harris December 28 Maura Jortner December 29

Genie Zacharias

Food from the Faithful

We will bring cereal & pasta on an on-going basis. Please bring packages throughout the year and Susan Silver

will see that they are delivered to Caritas

Michael Lucas

Leonard Englander

December 1

Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Wolf

December 15

Mr. & Mrs. Brandon Harris

Jennifer Lanxner

Jeff & Lea Levin

Brent & Dianne deMoville

Helen Fred

Herbert Fred

Johanna Fay


Sarah Rubel

Phyllis Ruttenberg Akmal

Rina Ruttenberg

Ida Harris

Barbara Wolpo

Bernice Drobnis

Ken & Lois Germain

Jean Adelman

Barbara Wolpo

Abbye & Susan Silver

Cheryl Hersh

Frank Lipinsky

Sydney Jacobson

Naman & Esther Lipinsky

Jack Goldberg

Norman & Margie Goldberg

Betty Rosen

Stanley & Florence Hersh

Lane Harris

Gary & Margaret Bell

Arthur Schwartz

Martin & Loren Schwartz

You are invited to join us for a special Hanukkah celebration! Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 16th at 6:00 p.m.

and enjoy the Holiday!

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HANUKKAH Hanukkah occurs every year on

the 25th day of the Jewish month

of Kislev. (Hannukah is a combination of two

words: Hanu, “They rested, and Kah, which has

a numeric value of 25. Together these words

indicate that the Jews rested on the 25th of

the month of Kislev).

There are two miracles

that we celebrate on

Hanukkah:

1) Rabim beyad

me’atim- “Many given

over to the few”. More

than 2000 years ago,

the Greek King

Antiochus, decreed

that the Jewish people

would no longer be

allowed to keep 3

commandments:

Shabbat, the foundation of the

Jewish belief in the creation of

the world by the One G-d.

Chodesh, the power of the

Jewish court in Jerusalem to

declare the new moon and thus

control when the Jewish holidays

fall out.

Brit Milah, the symbol of the

covenant between G-d and the

Jewish people.

Antiochus knew that these three

commandments were basic to the

existence of Judaism. Without

them, Greek culture would soon

overpower the Jewish nation as it

had so many other nations.

Eventually, the Greeks went so

far as to force Jews to bow down

to the Greek idols. Some Jews

bowed down, while others gave

their lives to sanctify G-d’s name

(Kiddush Hashem).

In the town of Modiin,

there lived a family of

Kohanim (priests) led

by Matityahu the

Maccabee. When he

saw a Jew bowing to

one of the Greek idols,

he killed him. Before

the Greek soldiers

could apprehend him,

he fled to the

mountains where

together with his five

sons, he started a revolution

against the Greeks. Though

greatly outnumbered, and with

very few weapons, the Maccabees

succeeded in defeating the

greatest army of that time. This

miraculous victory was seen as a

clear manifestation of G-d’s love

for the Jewish people.

2) Nes pach hashemen- “The

miracle of the jug of oil”. After

the great victory, the Jews went

back to the Temple in Jerusalem.

They wanted to resume the daily

service, which the Greeks had

stopped. Part of the service

included the lighting of the

Menorah. However, all the pure oil

needed to light the Menorah had

been defiled by the Greeks.

Ultimately, one small sealed jug

of pure oil was found. There was

just enough oil in the jug for

exactly one day. A miracle

occurred and the oil lasted for

eight days- enough time to make

new oil. That is why the Jewish

people celebrate Hanukkah for

eight days.

F Y I:

1) To publicize the miracle of

Hanukkah, we light the candle of

the Menorah (actually the

Hanukkiah) at a window, so when

people are coming home from

work and passing by your home

they can see the Hanukkiah lit.

2) The candle for that night has

to burn for at least half an hour

(you can find these candles in our

giftshop at the Synagogue, and an

exceptional beautiful assortment

of great gifts!).

3) Put the candles into the

Hanukkiah from right to left, but

light the candles from left to

right. (One reason for doing so is

that if you put the candle at the

right and always light the

Hanukkiah from the right, you

would emphasize that it was only

the first day that was the

biggest miracle, which is not the

case. Every day was a miracle on

its own).

4) On the first night say three

blessings before lighting the

candles:

Baruch atta….lehadlik ner shel

Hanukkah.

Baruch atta….she’assa nissim

la’avoteynu, bayamim ha’heim

bazman hazeh.

Baruch atta…she’hecheyanu,

ve’kyimanu, ve’higiyanu laz’man

hazeh.

On the other 7 nights, the third

blessing is omitted.

5) During the day, we say Hallel,

“Praise G-d” prayer.

6) It is customary to eat potato

latkes or jelly doughnuts

(sufganiyot), since they are fried

in oil, and oil is such a major

ingredient in this holiday.

7) Parents give children Hanukkah

Gelt (money) or presents.

8) The Dreidel, a special spinning

top, has four Hebrew letters –

Nun, Gimel, Hey and Shin, which

are the first letters of “Nes

Gadol Hayah Sham”, a great

miracle occurred there (in

Israel).

The Rebbetzin Susan and I wish

you all a Happy and Healthy

Hanukkah, Chag Urim Kasher

veSame’ach

Rabbi Ben-Zion and Susan Lanxner

Tuesday, December 12

1st Candle 6:07 p.m.

Wednesday, December 13

2 Candles 6:07 p.m.

Thursday, December 14

3 Candles 6:07 p.m.

Friday, December 15

4 Candles 6:08 p.m.

Saturday, December 16

5 Candles 6:08 p.m.

Sunday, December 17

6 Candles 6:09 p.m.

Monday, December 18

7 Candles 6:09 p.m.

Tuesday, December 19

8 Candles 6:09 p.m.

Shabbat Donations

November 4


Brandon & Teresa Harris

Gloria Yoder

Joseph Settle

Henry & Hope Hacker

November 11


Joseph Settle


Larry & Joie McNabb

Ray & Shannon Via


George & Kathleen Keller

November 18




Henry & Hope Hacker

November 25


Gloria Yoder

HOW TO OBSERVE THE YAHRZEIT It is traditional to kindle a Yahrzeit Candle in the home on the evening Yahrzeit begins. It should remain lighted until sunset the next day. Possible prayer before lighting a Yahrzeit candle: Eternal God, I/we light this candle in memory of (name) _________, my/our beloved (relationship) ___________. The light of the flame rekindles all the warm memories of the moment we shared together, and reassures me /us that a piece of his/her soul dwells in my/our heart(s) forever. May his/her soul be bound up with the bonds of eternal life. Amen. Candles are available at the Gift Shop. Every effort should be made to say Kaddish at congregational services. It is meritorious to perform some Mitzvah or to contribute to the synagogue in commemoration of the deceased.

Kaddish will be read on December 1 Kislev 13 Miriam Berkman

Philip Stupak Kislev 14 Stanley Marmelzadt

Lilian Mendelsohn Kislev 15 Pauline Bartz

Moses W. Cinnamon Elihugh Frankfort

Kislev 16 B. Roddy Emma Wizig Zlata Singer (Schwartz) Devorah Lanxner

Kislev 17 Mary Friedman Moze Novich

Max Reed Kislev 18 William Goldblatt

Warren Israel H. Novich

Rachel Rosenthal Kislev 19 Max Corman

Mose Harris Jack Silver

Kaddish will be read on December 8 Kislev 20 Sidney Fleischman Kislev 21 Flora Epstein

Toby Schwartz Vernon Woolf

Kislev 22 Yetta Cohen Kislev 23 Amanda Goldstein

Sarah Leah Markusfeld Dr. Sam Ellis

Kislev 24 Carrie Loewenstein Samuel H. Robinson

Sarah Schaevitz Margaret Harelik

Kislev 25 Leon Rouvant Edith Koss Jon Evans, Jr.

Kislev 26 Sadie Berman Chaim H. Green Diana Green Rosner Margot Meyers

Kaddish will be read on December 15 Kislev 27 Shirley Kleiner

Cochavah Lavi Kislev 28 Cecile Aronson

Dora Goldberg Max Knop

Kislev 29 Paul Adams Saul Morris Gellman Julian L. Levinson Sam Rosenberg

Lillian Smith Kislev 30 Jake Berkman Infant

Jenny Levy Teveth 1 Mary Roddy

Harry Udashen Teveth 2 Sobel Baby

Beatrice Kline Teveth 3 Barnet Brown

Sarah Reva Ellis Beckye Levin

Louis I. Rosenberg

Kaddish will be read on December 22 Teveth 4 Mendel Beerman

Mrs. L. Bodenheim Arnold Keen Itzak Lavi Ira L. Solovey

Teveth 5 Mrs. Aaron Levy Norman Stein

Teveth 6 S.H. Gardner Louis Stein

Teveth 7 Katie Kirschner Teveth 8 Ivan Esserman

Rose Gerson Ida Kaplan Isaac Loewenstein

Leon Meinstein Bessie Cohen Sachs

Teveth 9 Ben Adelman Morris L. Gardner

Nathan Wood Teveth 10 Benjamin Adams

Tillie Miller

Kaddish will be read on December 29 Teveth 11 Nate Chodorow

Marie Genecov Adams Teveth 12 Alphonse Podrizki Teveth 14 Sarah Adams

Ida Farbstein Rubin Gandler Mrs. Sam Genecov Hattie Lansky

Teveth 15 Mrs. Hermine Block J.M. Freeman

Eli Frankfort Charlotte Gelber H. Rosenberg

Fannie Wolf Teveth 16 Elias Greenfield

Mrs. B.R. Goldberg Hilda Hoffman

Mrs. L. Ringold Arthur Rubel

Teveth 17 Jacob Arnold Fischman Pauline Kolom

Rachel Levy

December 201713 Kislev 5778 - 13 Tevet 5778

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

7:12AM/5:21PM¡¡5:03PM

7:13AM/5:21PM§6:06PM

7:13AM/5:21PM 7:14AM/5:21PM 7:15AM/5:21PM 7:16AM/5:21PM 7:17AM/5:21PM 7:17AM/5:21PM¡¡5:03PM

7:18AM/5:21PM§6:06PM

7:19AM/5:21PM 7:20AM/5:22PM 7:20AM/5:22PM 7:21AM/5:22PM§6:07PM

7:22AM/5:22PM§6:07PM

7:22AM/5:23PM§6:08PM/¡¡5:05PM

7:23AM/5:23PM§6:08PM

7:24AM/5:24PM§6:09PM

7:24AM/5:24PM§6:09PM

7:25AM/5:24PM§6:09PM

7:25AM/5:25PM§6:10PM

7:26AM/5:25PM 7:26AM/5:26PM¡¡5:08PM

7:27AM/5:26PM§6:11PM

7:27AM/5:27PM 7:28AM/5:28PM 7:28AM/5:28PM 7:28AM/5:29PM 7:29AM/5:29PM§6:14PM

7:29AM/5:30PM¡¡5:12PM

7:29AM/5:31PM§6:16PM

7:29AM/5:32PM

13 Kislev 14 Kislev

15 Kislev 16 Kislev 17 Kislev 18 Kislev 19 Kislev 20 Kislev 21 Kislev

22 Kislev 23 Kislev 24 Kislev 25 Kislev 26 Kislev 27 Kislev 28 Kislev

29 Kislev 30 Kislev 1 Tevet 2 Tevet 3 Tevet 4 Tevet 5 Tevet

6 Tevet 7 Tevet 8 Tevet 9 Tevet 10 Tevet 11 Tevet 12 Tevet

13 Tevet

Shevous 3 Shevous 4

Shevous 5 Shevous 6 Shevous 7 Shevous 8 Shevous 9 Shevous 10 Shevous 11




Shevous 33

Kabbalat Shabbat 6:00p.m.

Shacharit 9:30 a.m.

Minyan & Class 9:30a.m.

Religious School 4:30p.m.

Congregational Meeting6:00 p.m.


Shacharit 9:30 a.m.


Erev Hanukkah Hanukkah I


Hanukkah II Hanukkah III


Hanukkah IV

Hanukkah Party 6:00p.m.

Shacharit 9:30 a.m.

Hanukkah V


Rosh Hodesh -Hanukkah VI

Rosh Hodesh -Hanukkah VII

Hanukkah VIII



Shacharit 9:30 a.m.


OFFICE CLOSED NO SCHOOL Fast of Tevet 10 Kabbalat Shabbat 6:00p.m.

Shacharit 9:30 a.m.

[¡¡Candle Lighting, §Observance End, Printed November 29, 2017/11 Kislev 5778 for Dallas, TX]

Documents

Congregation Agudath Jacob · 2018-05-01 · Congregation Agudath Jacob December Kislev/Tevet 5778 Rabbi: Ben-Zion Lanxner President: Brent deMoville Phone: 254-772-1451 Office Admin: