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Beth Israel Congregation
Rabbi Mordechai Shapiro z”l Sanctuary
Weekly Announcements
770 W 40th St. Miami Beach, FL 33140
ph: 305.538.1251
email: info@bethisraelmiami.org
Rabbi Donald Bixon – Rabbi
Parshat Vayeshev
,n z xz
Howard Abrahams – President
December 5st 2015 23rd Kislev 5776
P
Erev Shabbat Schedule
5:12 PM
5:20 PM
Shabbat Schedule
Hashkama Minyan
7:30 AM
Main Minyan
9:00 AM
Kriyat Shema
9:31 AM
Teen Minyan
9:30 AM
Rabbi Bixon’s Class
4:20 PM
Mincha:
5:05 PM
Maariv
6:00 PM
Shabbat Ends
6:07 PM
Father Son Learning 50 minutes
after Shabbat ends in Ahavas Torah
Candle Lighting
Mincha
This Saturday night begin saying
V’Tein Tal Umatar L’Bracha at
Maariv.
The First night of Chanukah is
th
Sunday December 6
th
Sun. Dec. 6 – Fri. Dec. 11th
Shacharit: 7:00 & 8:00 AM
Mincha: Monday – Thursday 5:20 PM
Weekday Class Schedule
Tuesday, Wed, Thurs. 6:20 AM
Masechet Avodah Zarah Shiur
Tuesday at 9:15 am
Women’s Parsha Class
Wednesday at 8:00 PM
Advanced Talmud Class
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:
Helene Berkowitz, Sandy Saka,
Ibolya Wiesel, Gloria Bierman,
Hailey Deutsch, Ari Newman,
Daniella Stern
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO:
Rivkie and Ozer Simon
Janie and Mark Hayes
Upcoming
Scholar in Residence
December 14th at 8:00 pm
Q&A With
Rabbi Dr. Avraham Steinberg
Sponsored by
Helen and Dr. Larry Ciment
Elissa and Dr. Ari Ciment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Shabbat January 9th
Dr. David Pelcovitz
Sponsored by
Gale and Dr. Lanny Grobman
www.bethisraelmiami.org
Mazal Tov To
-Bunny and Julius Sand
on the Bar Mitzvah of their grandson
Jack Leser
Mazal Tov to parents
Tiva and Lior Leser
-Drs. Angela and Edward
Gologorsky on the birth of a
grandson born to their children Leah
and Jake Gologorsky.
Seudat Shlishit is Sponsored
By:
Elaine and Marc Birnbaum &
family in commemoration of the 5th
yahrtzeit of their mother,
grandmother and great-grandmother
Emily Birnbaum a”h
Teen Minyan Kiddush is
Sponsored by
Velvy Posner and Family
in gratitude and appreciation for
all of Jonathan's friends who
have been so helpful to him over
the last two months
Saturday Night Dec. 12th
7:30 pm 7th night of
Chanukah
Soul Farm Band
Kumzitz Concert and
Bonfire
At Beth Israel
Congregation
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Noah Solomon will be
joining us all Shabbat,
Parshat Miketz
For a Soul Farm led
davening
SAVE THE DATE
Beth Israel
Congregation Annual
Dinner
Honoring
Leah and Zvi Klein
Keter Shem Tov Award
Rabbi Zvi Rosenbaum
Keter Torah Award
Saturday night February 6th at
8:30 pm
New Board Member Elections
th
Dec. 20 if you are interested to run for
the Beth Israel Board please contact the
office info@bethisraelmiami.org
Youth Program
Announcements
Teen Seudat Shlishit
is available for sponsorship
Pre-Groups begin @ 9:15
Regular Groups begin @ 9:45
#TeamChesed - Gearing up for
another monthly chesed - Kislev
Chanukah edition will be extra
special. Group will be accompanied
by Rabbi G., Mathew Turetsky and
other adult chaperones are
welcome!
At 3:15Pm at Beth Israel to Head to
Mt Sinai hospital - Join us as we
stop off at the Sakas for Slurpees
after such an amazing Mitzvah
Our Junior Cong. Parsha
Battle Competition is heated up
and series is 2 -2, This Shabbos will
decide the champs! This best of 5
series continues Shabbos and
winners get a special dinner trip to
a local restaurant!
Friday Night continues our 6 week
Friday Night Youth Minyan for
kabbalat shabbat.
Taking place in Shul/Beit Midrash
– Children of all ages are welcome!
Beth Israel Congregation
Rabbi Mordechai Shapiro z”l Sanctuary
Weekly Announcements
770 W 40th St. Miami Beach, FL 33140
ph: 305.538.1251
email: info@bethisraelmiami.org
Rabbi Donald Bixon – Rabbi
Parshat Vayeshev
Child friendly davening, prizes and
lots of fun!
Thank you to Lisi and Daniel
Wolfson for hosting and so
generously giving of their time,
home and energy to Mission Chanuka Bikur Cholim B.I.G. Time!
Thank you to our Elissa and Ari
Ciment for sponsoring the event
Beth Israel Youth Department
will be offering a Krav Maga Self Defense class for families - join
us Sundays at 5:30 in the youth
house.
$10 per session per person. 6 week
commitment necessary - (Sunday of
Chanukah will be postponed) Our
first week was a huge success. As
our instructor taught the ins and
outs of proper self defense
mechanisms.
Primary age 12 and up. Fathers,
Uncles and Grandfathers welcome
to join their children. See flier or
Rabbi G. for more details.
DVAR TORAH BY:
DR. ARI CIMENT
HOW DID YOSEF KNOW THE
CUPBEARER WAS GOING TO LIVE
AND THE BAKER TO DIE? EASY...
ַ‫ וּבו ֵֹרח‬,‫מוּרה‬
ַ ַ‫הֶ וֵ י ַרץ לְ ִמ ְצוַ וה ָקלַה כְּ ח‬:‫בן עזאי אומר‬
‫ירה גו ֶֹר ֶרת‬
ַ ֵ‫ וְ עַ ב‬,‫ ֶש ִמ ְצוַ וה גו ֶֹר ֶרת ִמ ְצוַ וה‬.‫ירה‬
ַ ֵ‫ִמן הָ עֲב‬
...‫ירה‬
ַ ֵ‫עַ ב‬
Ben Azzai would say: Run to pursue a
minor mitzvah, and flee from a
transgression. For a mitzvah brings another
mitzvah, and a transgression brings another
transgression....
Question: I understand running to pursue a
mitzvah, but why do I need to flee from sinhow about just avoiding sin?
2nd question: The Gemara Brachos 57a says
that if you dream that you are standing
naked in Israel, it is a sign that you are
“naked of merits”!? Is it because you are
naked in the dream?!?!?
www.bethisraelmiami.org
Howard Abrahams – President
December 5st 2015 23rd Kislev 5776
ANSWER/ANALYSIS: The answers and a
profound lesson is found in our parsha by
analyzing the dreams (and their repective
interpretations) of the Cupbearer and Baker:
-‫וַ יְ סַ פֵּ ר ַשׂר‬....‫וַ יַּחַ לְ מוּ חֲ לוֹם ְשׁנֵיהֶ ם ִאישׁ חֲ �מ ֹו‬
,‫בַּ חֲ לו ִֹמי‬--‫ לְ יוֹסֵ ף; וַ יֹּאמֶ ר ל ֹו‬,‫חֲ �מ ֹו‬-‫הַ מַּ ְשׁ ִקים אֶ ת‬
-‫ בְּ י ִָדי; וָאֶ ַקּח אֶ ת‬,‫וְ כוֹס פַּ ְרעֹה‬....‫גֶפֶ ן לְ פָ נָי‬-‫וְ ִהנֵּה‬
-‫ וָאֶ ֵתּן אֶ ת‬,‫כּוֹס פַּ ְרעֹה‬-‫ וָאֶ ְשׂחַ ט אֹתָ ם אֶ ל‬,‫הָ ֲענָבִ ים‬
‫ זֶ ה‬,‫וַ יֹּאמֶ ר ל ֹו יוֹסֵ ף‬....‫כַּף פַּ ְרעֹה‬-‫ עַ ל‬,‫הַ כּוֹס‬
-‫ יִ ָשּׂא פַ ְרעֹה אֶ ת‬,‫�שׁת י ִָמים‬
ֶ ‫בְּ עוֹד ְשׁ‬....‫פִּ ְתרֹנ ֹו‬
....�‫ֹאשׁ‬
ֶ ‫ר‬
And they dreamed a dream both of them...
and the Cupbearer told his dream to Yosef
and said “ Pharaoh's cup was in my hand;
and I took the grapes, and pressed them into
Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into
Pharaoh's hand”...And Joseph said unto him:
'This is the interpretation of it: the three
branches are three days; within yet three
days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and
restore thee unto thine office
,‫יוֹסֵ ף‬-‫ אֶ ל‬,‫ כִּ י טוֹב פָּ תָ ר; וַ יֹּאמֶ ר‬,‫הָ אֹפִ ים‬-‫וַ יּ ְַרא ַשׂר‬
-‫�שׁה סַ לֵּי ח ִֹרי עַ ל‬
ָ ‫ וְ ִהנֵּה ְשׁ‬,‫אֲ ִני בַּ חֲ לו ִֹמי‬-‫אַף‬
‫מַ ע ֲֵשׂה‬--‫ ִמכֹּל ַמאֲ כַל פַּ ְרעֹה‬,‫וּבַ סַּ ל הָ עֶ לְ יוֹן‬....‫ֹאשׁי‬
ִ ‫ר‬
‫מֵ עַ ל‬--‫הַ ַסּל‬-‫א ֵכל אֹתָ ם ִמן‬
ֹ ,‫אֹפֶ ה; וְ הָ עוֹף‬
�‫ֹאשׁ‬
ְ ‫ר‬-‫ יִ ָשּׂא פַ ְרעֹה אֶ ת‬,‫�שׁת י ִָמים‬
ֶ ‫בְּ עוֹד ְשׁ‬...‫ֹאשׁי‬
ִ ‫ר‬
;‫עֵ ץ‬-‫ עַ ל‬,�‫ וְ תָ לָה או ְֹת‬,�‫מֵ עָ לֶי‬
When the Chief Baker saw that the
interpretation was good, he said unto
Joseph: 'I also saw in my dream, and,
behold, three baskets of white bread were on
my head;... the birds did eat them out of
the basket upon my head...within yet three
days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off
thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the
birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee...
(Breishis;40 5-19)
How did Yosef know how to interpret those
dreams of the Cupbearer and Baker? The
standard answer is that normally birds are
naturally fearful of approaching humans.
Since in the Cupbearer’s dream, the birds ate
directly from the head of the Cupbearer, it
was the clear sign to Joseph that he was a
“walking dead man”!
But I prefer a different approach. The
Cupbearer’s dream was full of action where
he was constantly on the move-> "I took the
grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's
cup, and I gave” ( ‫ וָאֶ ְשׂחַ ט‬,‫הָ ֲענָבִ ים‬-‫וָאֶ ַקּח אֶ ת‬
‫ וָאֶ ֵתּן‬,‫כּוֹס פַּ ְרעֹה‬-‫)אֹתָ ם אֶ ל‬. On the other hand,
the Baker was completely passive and the
birds did all the work--> “he birds did eat
them out of the basket upon my head”
(‫ֹאשׁי‬
ִ ‫מֵ עַ ל ר‬--‫הַ ַסּל‬-‫אכֵל אֹתָ ם ִמן‬
ֹ ,‫)וְ הָ עוֹף‬. Life is
defined by actions. Being passive is being
dead to the world. Pardon the cliche: When
you are green, you are growing and when
you are ripe, you are rotting!
The reason our Tanna in Avos says you
should run towards a mitzvah and should
flee sin (as opposed to merely “avoid sin”)
may also be likewise to demonstrate that
action is needed at all times to stave off
degradation. Standing still is a recipe for
depreciation. Active steps are needed to
ensure we don’t inevitably decline.
This may also be why the Gemara in
Berachos says that if you dream of yourself
standing naked, it is a bad sign. If you dream
that you can just get by unscathed by
standing still despite the currents pulling
you down, you will inevitably decline. The
Gemara is hinting that we each need to take
active steps (go to shiurim, bikur cholim,
classes, invest in kids education etc) or we
risk inevitable abasement.
TAKEAWAY MESSAGES: When Ben
Azzai says you need to flee from a sin as
you need to run towards a mitzvah, he may
have purposely taught us the lesson that
inaction is unacceptable, akin to negative
action. Yosef recognized that the Cupbearer
was going to live and the Baker was to die
because the Cupbearer’s dream was full of
action whilst the Baker was passive. The
dreamer in Berachos 57a who dreams of
himself/herself standing naked is perhaps
naked by virtue of the standing!
WHEN YOU DREAM, MAKE SURE YOU
ARE NOT STANDING STILL!!!!
COMMUNITY NEWS
WIZO KOSHER FOOD & WINE
Turnberry Hotel Country Club
December 15th
6:00 pm VP/ 7:00 General
Admission
www.kfwmiami.com
Proceeds benefit thousands of
children and women in the
state of Israel.