October 22 Shabbat Announcements

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    Parshat Breishit October 22, 2011 24 Tishrei, 5772

    It is the most famous,majestic and influentialopening of any book inliterature: "In thebeginning, G-d created theheavens and the earth."What is surpassinglystrange is the way Rashi -most beloved of all Jewishcommentators - begins hiscommentary:

    Rabbi Isaac said: The Torahshould have begun with theverse (Ex. 12: 1): "Thismonth shall be to you thefirst of the months", whichwas the first commandmentgiven to Israel.Can we really take this atface value? Did RabbiIsaac, or for that matterRashi, seriously suggestthat the Book of booksmight have begun in themiddle - a third of the wayinto Exodus? That it might

    have passed by in silencethe creation of the universe- which is, after all, one ofthe fundamentals of Jewishfaith?

    Could we understand thehistory of Israel without itsprehistory, the stories ofAbraham and Sarah andtheir children? Could wehave understood thosenarratives without knowingwhat preceded them: G-d'srepeated disappointment

    with Adam and Eve, Cain,the generation of the Floodand the builders of theTower of Babel?

    The fifty chapters of Genesistogether with the opening ofExodus are the source- book ofbiblical faith. They are as nearas we get to an exposition ofthe philosophy of Judaism.What then did Rabbi Isaacmean?

    He meant something profound,which we often forget. To

    understand a book, we need toknow to what genre it belongs.Is it history or legend,chronicle or myth? To whatquestion is it an answer? Ahistory book answers thequestion: what happened? Abook of cosmology - be itscience or myth - answers thequestion: how did it happen?

    What Rabbi Isaac is telling usis that if we seek tounderstand the Torah, wemust read it as Torah, which is

    to say: law, instruction,teaching, guidance. Torah isan answer to the question:how shall we live? That is whyhe raises the question as towhy it does not begin with thefirst command given to Israel.

    Torah is not a book of history,even though it includeshistory. It is not a book ofscience, even though the firstchapter of Genesis - as the19th-century sociologist MaxWeber pointed out - is the

    necessary prelude to science,because it represents the firsttime people saw the universeas the product of a single

    Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Parshat Breishit

    creative will, and thereforeas intelligible rather thancapricious and mysterious.It is, first and last, a bookabout how to live.Everything it contains - notonly commandments butalso narratives, includingthe narrative of creationitself - is there solely for thesake of ethical and spiritualinstruction.

    How this relates to creationis a topic for another time.It is, however, anintroduction to this year'sCovenant and Conversation.Each week I will be lookingat an ethical issueaddressed by the parsha ofthe week. Sometimes this isa matter of halakhah, butnot always. Jewish ethics isnot confined to law. Itincludes virtues ofcharacter, general principlesand role models. It is

    conveyed not only bycommandments but also bynarratives, telling us howparticular individualsresponded to specificsituations.

    It moves from the minutestdetails to the most majesticvisions of the universe andour place within it. But itnever deviates from itsintense focus on thequestions: What shall I do?

    Times

    Friday Mincha 5:50 pm

    Candle Lighting 5:48 pm

    Hashkama 8:00 am

    Youth 8:30 am

    Main Minyan 9:00 am

    Beit Midrash 9:15 am

    Gemorah Shiur 4:40 pm

    Mincha 5:40 pm

    Shabbat Ends 6:50 pm

    Sunday

    October 237:30/8:30 am

    Mincha

    Mon., Thurs. 6:35/7:45 am

    Latest Times for

    Shema/Shmoneh Esrei

    October 22 9:57/10:51 am

    October 29 10:00/10:53 am

    Next Shabbat

    Noach

    Candle Lighting 5:40 pm

    Mincha 5:38 pm

    Tues., Wed. Fri. 6:45/7:45 am

    TorahArtscroll, 2

    Heartz, 1

    HaftorahArtscroll, 1130

    Hertz, 21

    Chattanim for

    Simchat Torah

    Chattan Torah:Aryeh FamilyChattan Bereshit:

    Benjamin GreszesChattan Maftir:Natan Hamerman

    Kiddush onSimchat Torahis sponsored bythe Aryeh Family

    Bima FlowersOn Yom Tov& Shabbatare Sponsored byThe Steinberg,Ginsburg & ShalmonFamilyIn Honor of theSpecial Anniversaryof AlansBar Mitzvah

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    How shall I live? What kind of person should I strive tobecome? It begins, in Genesis 1, with the most fundamentalquestion of all. As the Psalm (8: 4) puts it: "What is manthat You are mindful of him?"

    Pico della Mirandola's 15th century Oration on Man was oneof the turning points of Western civilization, the "manifesto"of the Italian Renaissance. In it he attributed the followingdeclaration to G-d, addressing the first man:

    "We have given you, O Adam, no visage proper to yourself,nor endowment properly your own, in order that whateverplace, whatever form, whatever gifts you may, withpremeditation, select, these same you may have andpossess through your own judgement and decision. Thenature of all other creatures is defined and restricted withinlaws which We have laid down; you, by contrast, impededby no such restrictions, may, by your own free will, towhose custody We have assigned you, trace for yourself thelineaments of your own nature. I have placed you at thevery center of the world, so that from that vantage pointyou may with greater ease glance round about you on allthat the world contains. We have made you a creatureneither of heaven nor of earth, neither mortal nor immortal,

    in order that you may, as the free and proud shaper of yourown being, fashion yourself in the form you may prefer. Itwill be in your power to descend to the lower, brutish formsof life; you will be able, through your own decision, to riseagain to the superior orders whose life is divine."

    Homo sapiens, that unique synthesis of "dust of the earth"and breath of G-d, is unique among created beings inhaving no fixed essence: in being free to be what he or shechooses. Mirandola's Oration was a break with the twodominant traditions of the Middle Ages: the Christiandoctrine that human beings are irretrievably corrupt, taintedby original sin, and the Platonic idea that humanity isbounded by fixed forms.

    It is also a strikingly Jewish account - almost identical withthe one given by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik in Halakhic Man:"The most fundamental principle of all is that man mustcreate himself. It is this idea that Judaism introduced intothe world." It is therefore with a frisson of recognition thatwe discover that Mirandola had a Jewish teacher, RabbiElijah ben Moses Delmedigo (1460-1497).

    Born in Crete, Delmedigo was a Talmudic prodigy,appointed at a young age to be head of the yeshivah inPadua. At the same time, he studied philosophy, inparticular the work of Aristotle, Maimonides and Averroes.

    26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100 Shabbat Announcements Breishit 5772

    At the age of 23 he was appointed professor of philosophyat the University of Padua. It was through this that hecame to know Count Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, whobecame both his student and his patron. Eventually,however, Delmedigo's philosophical writings - especiallyhis work Bechinat ha-Dat - became controversial. He wasaccused, by other rabbis, of heresy. He had to leave Italyand return to Crete. He was much admired by Jews andChristians alike, and when he died young, many

    Christians as well as Jews attended his funeral.

    This emphasis on choice, freedom and responsibility isone of the most distinctive features of Jewish thought. Itis proclaimed in the first chapter of Genesis in the mostsubtle way. We are all familiar with its statement that G-dcreated man "in His image, after His likeness". Seldom dowe pause to reflect on the paradox. If there is one thingemphasized time and again in the Torah, it is that G-dhas no image. "I will be what I will be", He says to Moseswhen he asks Him His name.

    Since G-d transcends nature - the fundamental point ofGenesis 1 - then He is free, unbounded by nature's laws.By creating human beings in His image, He gave us asimilar freedom, thus creating the one being capable itselfof being creative. The unprecedented account of G-d inthe Torah's opening chapter leads to an equallyunprecedented view of the human person and ourcapacity for self-transformation..

    The Renaissance, one of the high points of Europeancivilization, eventually collapsed. A series of corrupt rulersand Popes led to the Reformation, and to the quitedifferent views of Luther and Calvin. It is fascinating tospeculate what might have happened had it continuedalong the lines signalled by Mirandola. His late 15thcentury humanism was not secular but deeply religious.

    As it is, the great truth of Genesis 1 remains. As therabbis put it (Bereishith Rabbah 8: 1; Sanhedrin 38a):"Why was man created last? In order to say, if he isworthy, all creation was made for you; but if he isunworthy, he is told, even a gnat preceded you." TheTorah remains G-d's supreme call to humankind tofreedom and creativity on the one hand, and on the other,to responsibility and restraint - becoming G-d's partner inthe work of creation.

    Great Neck SynagogueShabbat Activities Program

    Dale Polakoff, Rabbi

    Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi

    Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,zl, Rabbi Emeritus

    Daniel Schwechter, Rabbinic Intern

    Zeev Kron, Cantor

    Eleazer Schulman, zl, Cantor Emeritus

    Mark Twersky, Executive Director

    Joseph Hecht, President

    Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board

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    SavetheDate

    MalcolmHoenlein

    Shabbat,November1819th

    Itstimetolookaheadtowardtheupcomingpresidential,senatorialandcongressionalelectionsalong

    withabehindthescenesbriefingonthelatestinUS,Israeliandinternationalpoliticsfromour

    communitysforemostdiplomat,insiderandelderstatesmen.InJune1986,MalcolmHoenleinwas

    electedExecutiveViceChairmanoftheConferenceofPresidentsofMajorAmericanJewish

    Organizations,the

    coordinating

    body

    on

    international

    and

    national

    concerns

    for

    52

    national

    Jewish

    organizations.Previously,heservedasthefoundingExecutiveDirectoroftheJewishCommunity

    RelationsCouncilofGreaterNewYork.Priortothat,hewasthefoundingExecutiveDirectorofthe

    GreaterNewYorkConferenceonSovietJewry.MalcolmHoenleinreceivedhisB.A.inPoliticalScience

    fromTempleUniversityandcompletedhisMastersdegreeanddoctoralcourseworkfromthe

    UniversityofPennsylvaniasDepartmentofInternationalRelations.ANationalDefenseFellowinthe

    UniversitysNearEastCenter,Mr.HoenleintaughtInternationalRelationsinthePoliticalScience

    DepartmentandservedasaMiddleEastspecialistattheForeignPolicyResearchInstitute.Mr.Hoenlein

    hastraveledthroughouttheworldmeetingwithworldleadersandJewishcommunities.

    FridayNight,November18th:FamilyFridaynightdinnerfeaturingaspecialinsidersbriefingoninternational

    affairsand

    US

    Israel

    relations.

    Babysitting

    provided.

    ShabbatMorning,November19th:KeynotelecturefollowingdaveningintheGoldwynSanctuary.

    ShabbatAfternoon,November19th:FamilyShabbatlunchfeaturingabriefaddressfollowedbyalivelyquestion

    andanswersession.

    Moreinformationtofollow.

    We are collecting new and gently used

    BABY ITEMSfor

    Oneg Shabbos

    Including:

    Sweaters, Snowsuits, Hats, Mittens

    Baby Car Seats, Porta Cribs

    Strollers, High Chairs

    Baby Bouncers, Baby Toys

    DROP OFF TIMES AND LOCATIONS:

    Great Neck Synagogue on October 25th

    11:00 am 12:30 pm

    Feldschreiber Home, 34 Gateway Drive on October 31st

    3:00 pm - 9:00 pm

    (please leave items in front of garage)

    To make arrangements for additional pick up times please [email protected]

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    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    YAHRZEIT

    Saturday, 24 TishreiDrora Brody for Zecharia YeffetHenry Dicker for Norman Dicker

    Howard Lorber for Benjamin LorberMichael Maller for Rose Maller

    Sunday, 25 TishreiRoslyn Korman for Samuel KormanBarbara Shaw for Hyman SchwartzFay Smith for Mildred Seligmann

    Tuesday, 27 TishreiJason Mayer for Steven MayerSusan Mayer for Steven Mayer

    Albert Safdieh for Shaul ben Avraham SafdiehMorton Silver for Jewel Silver

    Wednesday, 28 TishreiLillian Leiderman for Isaac Tillem

    Ira Lubin for Max GerberZahava Slonim for Tamar Kukelka

    Thursday, 29 TishreiBaruch Toledano for Joseph Toledano

    Friday, 30 TishreiRobert Glaser for Sophie Glaser

    Zeev Kron for Hinda KronMarcia Toledano for Julia KartenPaul Weinberg for Ida Weinberg

    COMBINED SISTERHOODS OF GREAT NECK MEETING

    The Combined Sisterhoods of Great Neck are meeting onWednesday morning, November 2nd at 9:30am in the libraryof Temple Israel. Please join us to help plan this annual springevent.

    SISTERHOOD MEETING

    Please join us on Wednesday evening, November 2nd at7:00pm in the Braun Youth Center for a Sisterhood meeting toplan and organize upcoming Sisterhood events! We look for-ward to seeing you there! Immediately following this meeting,we are delighted to have Cindy Hodkin teach us howto make the famous New York Times recipe for "No KneadBread". Please bring a room temperature water bottle and alarge pyrex bowl. Advance reservations are required to at-tend. This event is dedicated in honor of Cindy Hodkin'smother, Roslyn Korman.

    SISTERHOOD ANNUAL M EMBERSHIP DINNERPlease join us on Tuesday evening, November 8th at 6:00pmat Shiraz Restaurant, 770 Middle Neck Road for the SisterhoodAnnual Membership Dinner featuring guest speaker ReynaSimnegar, cookbook author of "Persian Food from theNon-Persian Bride." There will also be a book signing that eve-ning. Go to kosherpersianfood.com to learn more about ReynaSimnegar! The entrance fee is $36 (includes five raffle tickets)and your membership dues. Pre-paid reservations are requiredby October 28th. Event sponsors are greatly appreciated(Gold $72, Silver $36, Bronze $18). Thank you very much toJudy Lillien, Farla Frumkin, Vivian Kron andEllen Polakoff fortheir help organizing this event.

    SECURITY FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP Many of you have noticed that we have upgraded our securityforces to better protect you all. Please understand that this isbeing done as a preventative measure and not as a result ofany warnings or reports by the Department of HomelandSecurity. As you may know, there was an attempted attackon a synagogue in England in January. When interrogated,the perpetrators admitted that they chose that particularsynagogue because there were people watching out and se-curing the other two synagogues they wanted to attack. Pleasecooperate with our security team and do not be offended ifthey ask you some questions or ask to look through your bagsor carriages. They will be doing this as a direct request fromme and my security committee. Thank you. Scott Danoff

    CHANUKAH SCOPE DEADLINE

    Kindly submit all articles, recipes, advertisements, photos andsponsorship for the Chanukah issue of Scope magazine to DianeRein at [email protected] by Monday, October 31st.

    MENS CLUB BLOOD BANKThe Blood Bank will be taking place on Sunday,October 30 here at GNS. Please call Al Leidermanto make an appointment at 482- 0628.Please help alleviate the blood shortage on LongIsland and help save lives.

    Within Our Family

    Mazal Tov to Oren & Tannaz Dror on the birth of a boy.Mazal Tov to Mark & Amy Kalter on the birth of a baby girl.Mazal Tov to Donnie & Marcy Aharon on the birth of a babyboy.Mazal Tov to Rabbi Sholom & Aksana Jensen on the birth ofa baby boy.

    Mazal Tov to Mark & Robyn Gelberg on the birth of a babyboy.Mazal Tov to Jonathan & Stacey Brisman on the birth of ababy boy.Mazal Tov to Robert & Sara Nowbakt on the birth of a babygirl.Mazal Tov to Mike & Randi Barenholtz on the engagement oftheir daughter Julie to Dov Gross.

    SAVE THE DATE The NSHA Early Childhood Parlor Meeting willbe held on Saturday Evening, November, 12th 8:00 pm at thehome of Jessica and Evan Shusterman. Details to follow.

    WOMENS TEFILA

    Women's Tefila for Sukkot/Simchat Torah morning, startingFriday at 8:45 am in the Bet Midrash.

    SHIDDUCH GROUP

    November 10th will be the first meeting of the joint Great NeckSynagogue and Young Israel Shidduch Group. The purpose ofthe group is to help connect our members' single relatives andfriends. Those interested in being part of the group should cometo the meeting with a profile sheet filled out for each single per-son they wish to present to the group. The group will thenreview the candidates and try to make sensible matchesbetween the singles presented. All discussions during the groupmeetings will be considered confidential. Please email KatieLichter or Malka Ismach at [email protected] or [email protected] for more information, to get a copy of theprofile sheet and to let them know if you will be attending. The

    meeting will take place November 10th at 8:30, at theFeldschreiber home, 34 Gateway Drive.

    HASHKAMA MINYA N KIDDUSH

    Kiddsuh on Simchat Torah is sponsored by Asher & MehriDavoudpour

    SAVE THE DATE

    Malcolm Hoenlein Nov. 18-19. See page 3

    OCTOBER CHESED COLLECTON

    Baby items. See page 3.