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Congregation Beth El
El--Atereth Israel
Parshas Chayei Sarah
Stone Chumash
p 106
Haftarah
p 1136
Shema by
9:02 am
Mincha
4:00 pm
Seudah Shlishis
Shabbos ends:
5:07 pm
November 15, 2014
22 Cheshvan 5775
Kehillah Konnections
Beth El Briefings
Mazel Tov— to Claire & David Fisher on the bar mitzvah of their son, Benjamin. Mazel tov also to Benjamin’s
grandparents, Ruth & Hans Fisher and Sydney & Shiu-Lam Fung.
Thank you— to Claire and David Fisher for sponsoring kiddush in honor of their son Benjamin’s bar mitzvah. At
the end of kiddush we will be returning back to the sanctuary for family speeches. Please proceed expeditiously
to the sanctuary when the announcement is made.
Bnei Akiva Snif— will take place this Shabbat at 3:30 p.m. at Beth El.
AIPAC Policy Conference--Discount Deadline Approaching— Join the Beth El delegation for this year's AIPAC
Policy Conference in Washington D.C. March 1-3, 2015. It is a wonderful opportunity for our community to join
with other synagogue delegations throughout the country in support of Israel. If you have any questions please
contact Jone Dalezman at jdalezman@gmail.com
Middle School Musaf Minyan (M&M Minyan)— there will be no M&M Minyan next Shabbat, November 22. The
M&M Minyan will resume on Shabbat, November 30.
Bat Mitzvah Program— Congregation Beth El-Atereth Israel and Ma’ayan will once again be co-sponsoring a bat
mitzvah program which will be led by our own Oranit Saadia. The program will take place on Sundays, November 9—February 8. For more information and to register go to http://maayan.org/BatMitzvah.php
Shloshim Program— there will be a shloshim program at the shul this Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m. in memory of Rabbi Shloimy Halpern’s father Yosef Halpern, z”l. Rabbi Shloimy Halpern is one of the rabbis that lead
the Father & Son Learning program that is co-sponsored by Beth El and the Kollel.
Thursday Morning Class— Rabbi Segal’s Thursday morning class will take place at 11:00 am in the library. The
class will cover various topics on the Parshat Hashavua.
Beit Midrash and Rabbi Segal’s Shiur—will not take place this Tuesday, November 18 as not to conflict with the
meeting at city hall for Beit Sasson’s permit approval. The Beit Midrash program and Rabbi Segal’s Shiur will resume again on Tuesday evening, November 25. For information regarding the meeting at city hall, see the recent
email sent to the congregation.
Father/Son Learning— This popular program for boys in grades 1-8, co-sponsored by Congregation Beth ElAtereth Israel and Boston Kollel, will continue this Motzei Shabbat, November 15th from 6:30-7:30pm. Rabbi
Segal leads middle school learning (6th, 7th and 8th grades) with weekly sports related prizes (Tom Brady and
Rob Gronkowski jerseys) and a grand raffle at the end of the program in February for Celtics tickets. Thank you to
Dena and Mark Salzberg for contributing the prizes for the Middle School program and to Barbara and Arnie
Andler for the Celtics tickets.
Family Table— The upcoming food distribution for Family Table will be on December 14. Pickup from Beth El will
be on Thursday, December 11th. We are collecting canned salmon and healthy (no sugar added) canned
fruit (no carmine for food coloring). Please contribute to the Greater Boston area's only kosher food bank. Place
your food items in the wooden bin in the hall or contact Jane Hanserjaneboha@aol.com with the amount of your
contribution. Also, the JF&CS Family Table is sponsoring a kosher turkey drive for Thanksgiving. This annual appeal
helps us provide a kosher turkey to all Family Table clients. If you'd like to contribute, please email Jane Hanser
and indicate this specific drive. Thanks to all of you who have contributed and in advance to all who will.
REGULAR CLASSES
Mishnah Brurah
Rabbi Segal
Sunday: 1/2 hour before Shacharit
(8:00 am)
Halacha Yomi
Rabbi Segal
Daily, after Shacharit and between
Mincha and Maariv
Gemorah
Mesechet Chullin
Rabbi Segal
Tuesday, 8:45pm
Parshat Hashvuah
Topics Related to Weekly Portion
Rabbi Segal
Thursday:
11:00 am
Mishnayot:
Seder Nezikin
Rabbi Asher
Shabbat morning
Leeder
8:30 am
Rabbi Leeder’s
home
Ambassador Dore Gold,
President of the Jerusalem
Center for Public Affairs,
spoke at Congregation Beth El
on Sunday, November 9, 2014.
Shabbat Morning Groups
Youth Groups
Toddlers-2nd grade
10:00am-end of Shul
• Toddlers—1st Lower Level
Classroom
• Pre K– K—2nd Lower Level
Classroom
• 1st-2nd Grades—3rd Lower
Level Classroom
Youth Minyan
3rd-5th Grades
10:15-11:00am
Chapel (in the basement)
M&M Minyan
6th-8th Grades
10:45 a.m.—11:15 a.m.
First Upstairs Classroom
Interested in sponsoring a Youth
Kiddush?
Contact Shari Lederman at:
Please remember to remove all
your trash from the Sanctuary!
If you have any life cycle events
that should be published in the
Kishrei, please inform the shul
office.
Office Hours
Monday-Thursday-9am-1pm
Friday: 9:30am-1:30pm
Donation Cards
Would you like to acknowledge someone’s good
deed, honor a birthday or special occasion or send
condolences and at the same time benefit Beth El?
You can! Call the Shul office and we will acknowledge your donation with a beautiful card. Donations
can be made to the various Shul funds: Chesed,
Youth, General or Tzedakah. For more information
call the office, 617-244-7233.
Want to Help the Shul?
When shopping at
THE BUTCHERIE,
BUTCHERIE
ask the cashier to stamp your
receipt.
When shopping at
ROSENFELD’S BAGELS
just ask for a receipt before you
are rung up.
Then turn your receipts into the
shul
By Rabbi Avraham Fischer. A publication of the Orthodox Union in cooperation with the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center
Parshat Haye Sarah
22 Heshvan 5775—November 15, 2014
The Torah pays tribute to our matriarch
Sarah at the end of her life:
And the years of the life of Sarah were
one hundred years and twenty years and
seven years; the years of the life of
Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba,
which is Chevron, in the land of Canaan.
And Avraham came to eulogize Sarah
and to cry for her (Bereishit 23:1-2).
Here, Sarah’s name is mentioned specifically four times.
However, as soon as Avraham completes
this stage of his mourning, and begins
negotiations with the Hittite “local council” to purchase the cave of Machpelah
from Efron, Sarah’s name ceases to be
mentioned. Instead, every reference to
her uses the impersonal noun MEIT,
“dead”:
And Avraham arose from before his
dead and he spoke to the children of
Cheit, saying “. . . and let me bury my
dead from before me.”
And the children of Cheit answered Avraham “. . . In the choicest of our graves
bury your dead; not one of us would
withhold his grave from you to bury your
dead. . . .”
And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is
your desire to bury my dead from before me . . .”
And Efron the Hittite answered Avraham
“ . . . bury your dead.” ...
And he spoke to Efron, “ . . . and I will
bury my dead there.” . . .
And Efron answered Avraham, saying to
him, “. . . and your dead, bury” (vs. 315).
In every statement throughout the parley,
reference is made to Avraham’s wife.
Yet, eight times, Sarah is not referred to
as “Sarah,” nor even “wife,” but only
“dead.”
Of course, this highlights the fact that
only the body dies. The soul, Sarah’s true
essence, is eternal. This is implied in Ibn
Ezra’s comment on verse 3:
before his dead: A reference to the
body.
And yet, Avraham realized that Hashem’s
promise did not come easily. Our Sages
(Sanhedrin 111a; Bava Batra 16a) explain that this episode is considered one
of Avraham’s trials, demonstrating his
outstanding steadfastness. Says Hashem:
However, the closing section of this pas- I said to Avraham, “Arise, walk about in
the land, along its length and breadth,
sage — after Avraham weighs out the
four hundred shekels of silver in the pres- for to you will I give it” (Bereishit 13:17).
Nevertheless, when Avraham sought a
ence of all the inhabitants of the city to
place to bury Sarah he did not find one
purchase the cave and the surrounding
until he paid four hundred shekels of silfield — poses a problem:
And afterwards Avraham buried Sarah ver, yet he did not suspect My integrity.
his wife in the cave of the field of Mach- Maharsha explains (on Bava Batra
pelah before Mamre, which is Chevron, in 100a) furthermore, that based on this
same verse, when Avraham traverses the
the land of Canaan. And the field, as
well as the cave in it, became established land he is laying claim to it, thus making
it easier for his descendants to possess it.
for Avraham as a burial plot, from the
They will be inheritors of Avraham, not
children of Cheit (vs.19-20).
conquerors.
If it is only the body that is buried, why is
Sarah mentioned once again by name,
Out of all Hashem’s promises to Avraincluding the rather tender appellation
ham, “Arise, walk about in the land”
“his wife,” at the time of her burial?
posed the greatest challenge: While others might refer to Avraham’s descenA number of commentaries take note of
dants, this verse enables Avraham himself
the fact that verses 19-20 say the cave
to lay claim to the land by walking
and field of Machpelah “became estabthrough it. The challenge to Avraham’s
lished for Avraham as a burial plot” afloyalty, therefore, is that he must pay so
ter having said the same idea in verses
dearly for land that is already his! Or,
17-18. Ramban says the Torah wishes to
rather, it should have been his. However,
emphasize that this became a legitimate
when he pays the price of the cave and
and universally recognized (from the chilfield of Machpelah in the presence of the
dren of Cheit) possession of Avraham
Hittites, the potential of “Arise, walk
and his family. Moreover, it is, without
about in the land” is realized.
question, “in the land of Canaan,” and
not in the land of the Pelishtim, where
Sarah has been Avraham’s lifelong partAvraham lived heretofore (see Bereishit
ner in teaching the world about Hashem:
21:34). Malbim adds that at first Mach“Avraham would convert the men and
pelah became known as the family’s burSarah would convert the As the mother of
ial place, and then “the field” was desigYitzchak, she is Avraham’s partner in benated as burial grounds, not to be used
ginning the creation of the nation of Isfor planting.
rael, thus fulfilling Hashem’s promise
And I will make you into a great nation
As a result of this purchase, Avraham had
an uncontested holding in the land of
(Bereishit 12:2).
Israel, fulfilling Hashem’s many promises
to give him the land.
Now, at the time of the acquisition of the
Rabbi:
Gershon Segal
617-244-7233 X2
President: David Fisher
617-969-0713
Vice Presidents
Sam Wald
617-558-9985
Judy Packer
617-964-6956
Jack Schuss
617-964-6024
Treasurer
Ira Scharf
Associate Treasurer
Gary Lasman
Recording Secretary
Burt Leeds
781-983-6196
Associate Recording Secretary
Kenneth Snow
Corresponding Secretary
Michael Hirsh
617-969-7713
Associate Corresponding Secretaries
Sarah Okon
Larry Speiser
Financial Secretary
Payson Greene
Associate Financial Secretaries
Arnold Andler
Chairman of the Board
Philip Levy
617-244-5863
Vice Chairmen
Herbert Birnbaum 617-965-8235
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
ADULT EDUCATION
Judy Packer
617-964-6956
ANNUAL APPEAL
617-558-9985
Sam Wald
BROTHERHOOD
Norman Hartstone
617-244-4891
ERUV
FAMILY TABLE
Jane Hanser
617-965-8257
FUND RAISING
Phillip Levy
HISTORY
Ken Snow
617-332-4273
HOLOCAUST COMMITTEE
David Fisher
HOUSING
Payson Greene
781-444-7184
Burt Leeds
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ISRAEL SOLIDARITY TZEDAKAH FUND
MEN’S CHESED
Mike Hirsh
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NEW MEMBERS
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POLITICAL ACTION
PROGRAMMING
Amy Rosen
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SHABBAT & YOM TOV YOUTH GROUPS
Shari Lederman, Shari Bloom
PUBLICITY
Debbie Schuss
RABBINIC ADVISORY
Arnie Andler
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RENOVATIONS
Mark Salzberg
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RITUAL
Nahum Vishniavsky
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WOMAN”S CHESED
Sara Okon
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YOUTH
Sherri Cohen
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Shari Lederman
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‫קהלת בית א־ל עטרת ישראל‬
Cong . Beth El-Ateret h Is rael
561 Ward Street
Newton Centre, MA 02459
cave of Machpelah, Sarah is again Avraham’s partner in realizing another of
Hashem’s promises:
Arise, walk about in the land, along its
length and breadth, for to you will I give it.
This is the meaning of the Midrash
(Tanchuma Chayei Sarah 4) that sees in
Eshet Chayil (Mishlei 31:10-31) a précis of
Sarah’s life. On the verse (16):
She plans a field and acquires it the
Midrash says:
She planned and acquired the field of
Machpelah and she was buried there, as it
says, “And afterwards Avraham buried
Sarah.”
In fulfilling Hashem’s promise, Sarah can be
called — even after death — by name, as
well as Avraham’s wife. Her soul, her values, live on. It is through the union of Avraham and Sarah that the land of Israel becomes the rightful possession of the people
of Israel.