1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

Candle Lighting: 4:51 PM
Havdalah: 6:00 PM
SHABBAT WORKS
Parashat Vaeira
PARASHAT
HASHAVUA
Parashat Vaeira
Exodus 6:2 - 9:35
(pp. 144-157 in the
Stone Tanakh)
Haftarah:
Ezekiel 28:25 - 29:21
(pp. 1274-1277 in the
Stone Tanakh)
Service Schedule
SATURDAY MORNING
9:00 AM
Birkot HaShachar
Early Morning Blessings
9:10 AM -
9:40 AM
Rabbi Finley’s
Morning Study Session
Doors Close
(no wandering in and out)
9:45 AM 10:30 AM
Morning Prayer Service
Doors remain open for the
remainder of the morning
10:45 AM
Torah Service
11:15 AM -
11:45 AM
Rabbi Finley’s
Torah Study
12:00 PM
Concluding Prayers
12:15 PM
Kiddush, HaMotsi
12:30 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM
Lunch then Learn
Amidah
The Standing Prayer
Teachings Led by Rabbi Mordecai Finley
Community Chazzanim
Vocal Accompaniment
Community Torah Readers
Community Gabbai’im
Mazal Tov to the Proud Parents
Rachel and Bijan Ghatan
and their entire family on
Jeremy becoming a Bar Mitzvah!
Thank You Kiddush and Flower Sponsors
and Lunch Contributors...
Rachel and Bijan in honor of their son, Jeremy.
SHABBAT
Friday night January 16
Saturday January 17 2015
26 Tevet 5775
Jacob Kantor
Belinda Lams
Rabbi Mordecai Finley
Julie Giuffrida
Rebecca Pidgeon
Joshua Abarbanel
Curt Biren
Pianist
Arie Salma
Percussion & Keyboard
Jeff Lams
Accordionist
Art Shane
Jeremy Ghatan
A Word from the Bar Mitzvah
My name is Jeremy Ghatan. I am thirteen
years old, and I am a 7th Grader at
Brentwood School. I love soccer! My
favorite team is Manchester United. One
of my favorite things to do is to watch the
European soccer games with my father and
my older brother. I have been training in
Mixed Martial Arts since I was five years
old. I currently have a brown belt, and
will be eligible to test for my black belt this
upcoming summer.
I truly am not sure what I would like to do when I grow up. I
aspire to go to college, and hope to figure out the rest as I grow
older. I love listening to deep lyrics. My favorite rap artists are
Drake and Eminem.
I would like to thank Rabbi Finley for the honor of taking me
in as a pupil, for imparting his wisdom, and guiding me towards
a spiritual path. I would like to thank Meirav and Avigayil
Finley for being the most awesome teachers! You are tough,
and funny - my favorite combination. Thank you to the staff
and the congregation for all your support and encouragement
throughout my training, particularly in the last month. This has
been a truly profound and memorable experience!
Parashat
Vaeira
FOR OUR MEMBERS AND GUESTS
MINHAG HAMAKOM*
ATTIRE
Men and boys must wear kippot/yarmulkes
while attending Ohr HaTorah.
Please dress up a little to respect and
honor the Sabbath (no blue jeans, t-shirts,
flip-flops, shorts, cut-offs, immodest dress,
etc.)
ELECTRONICS
Cell phones, pagers, cameras, and
other electronics must remain off in the
sanctuary. If you must make or receive a
call, find a private place.
YOUNG CHILDREN
All parents with infants are kindly
requested to leave the service when their
child needs immediate attention. We ask
that parents with young children sit in the
back rows to help minimize any disruption
to the service.
MORNING STUDY SESSION
The Morning Study Session (9:10-9:40AM)
is part of the Adult Education Program
at Ohr HaTorah. It is open to members,
prospective members and visitors for their
first few times at Ohr HaTorah. If you are
a visitor or prospective member, please
sign in on the guest sign-in sheet at the
front table in the lobby.
Rabbi Finley’s Morning Study Session
begins at 9:10 AM sharp. Please arrive
early enough to be seated when study
begins.
Doors close at the beginning of Rabbi’s
9:10 AM study session, so that people do
not continuously walk into the sessions
the Rabbi is teaching. Anyone leaving the
session will not be readmitted until the
study session is completed.
Doors reopen after the study session
and remain open through the rest of the
morning.
Those entering during the Rabbi’s Torah
study (approximately 11:15-11:45AM)
should be seated in the back, and not
seek a seat in the front of the sanctuary.
*THE LOCAL CUSTOM
(FOR SHABBAT)
Synopsis of the Torah Portion
Exodus 6:2 - 9:35
1. Things did not go well for Moshe (Moses) on his first try
with Pharaoh -- the burdens of the Israelites were increased.
Our Torah portion begins with God promising Moshe
redemption for the Israelites, in fact, in four different ways
(maybe five). This is the major source, by the way, of the
four (maybe five) cups of wine at Passover.
2. Moshe is reluctant to go on his mission; he is “of
uncircumcised lips.” Aharon his brother is assigned to go
with him.
3. God promises the redemption will be through signs and
wonders, and that He will harden Pharaohs heart.
4. The sign of the staff turning into a snake -- Pharaoh’s heart
is strong, and his magicians are able somewhat to duplicate
the miracle.
5. The first plague -- Blood (dam), which Pharaoh’s magicians
duplicate. Second plague -- frogs (tzefardea); Pharaoh
pleads for respite, receives it, but his heart is strong, and
reverses himself. Third plague -- lice (kinnim). Magicians
try to duplicate it, but can’t. They concede it is “the finger
of God.” Pharaoh won’t. Fourth plague -- swarms of wild
beasts (arov). Fifth plague -- livestock disease (dever). Sixth
plague -- boils (sh’chin). Seventh plague -- hail (barad).
Synopsis of Haftarah
(prophetic reading)
Ezekiel 28:25 - 29:21
The common theme between the Sedra and Haftarah is the
prediction of another destruction of Egypt. Ezekiel was one of those
exiled to Babylon; he prophesized that Egypt would be overrun
by the Babylonians and its demise would pave the way for the
restoration of the Temple, and for Israel’s reunification, under a
Davidic descendant.
Digression: Religion and Murder
Rabbi Mordecai Finley
My talk on biblical prophecy last week came just a few days after the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices and the
kosher market. The terrorists, of course, were operating, as far as we know, for two religious organizations, Islamic
State and Al Qaeda. The inevitable problem was raised: religion and murder. Murder in the name of religion.
Murder justified, we are told, by the words of Quran.
Attacks on free speech and Jews – two common targets of European and Islamic fascism. What is wrong with
Islam? People wondered. Things are really getting worse.
My view of these things is very colored by my being a student of modern history, especially warfare, and genocide.
From this view, even trying to define terms like terrorism and genocide is difficult. Isn’t terrorism often committed
with genocide on the mind? Meaning, if they could, wouldn’t terrorists kill every one of those represented by their
victims? Often, yes.
We are appalled and shaken by the attacks, forgetting for a moment that the vast majority of the victims of Al
Qaeda and Islamic state have been Muslims. Most of us forget that the “Iraq War” was actually several wars.
One of them (I call it the Second Iraq War), in which the most Iraqis were killed, was the campaign of murder
and savagery conducted by Al Qaeda in Iraq against the Shia-Muslim population. In the Syrian civil war, we see
Islamic State and Al Qaeda fighting each other. Islamic state has engaged in a war of terror and murder against all.
Is there something wrong with Islam?
Ask victims of genocide in Rwanda, one long terrorist campaign in which over a million people were hacked
to death – the terrorists lacked the weapons to do it more efficiently, but they did get the job done. Too labor
intensive by western standards, to be sure. So, what is wrong with Islam and Africans?
We have to add the Turks for the Armenian genocide. Was this Muslim vs. Christian, or Turkish vs. Armenian?
Let’s make it both. Add to this the Tamil Tigers, one of the most murderous terrorist’s forces in recent history.
Hindu or Sri Lankan? Safer to say both. Muslims, Turks, Africans, Sri Lankans and Hindus. Add to this the terror
state of Red China – 30 million murdered. Add the Chinese. Also, add the Japanese – millions of civilians died at
their hands, mostly Chinese. The terrorism of the Viet Cong; let’s just add Asians to the list of savage, murderous
people.
But also add Lenin and Stalin – is it 30 or 40 million that they killed? Was it because they were communists like
Mao, or because they were Russian? Let’s add both. Hitler and the Nazis. Europeans or Socialists? Let’s add both.
American and British terror bombings of German and Japanese cities? Anglo Saxons? Christians? Let’s add both.
Add Serbians. Let’s stop adding for a moment. When you compare atheistic communists, national socialists,
nationalists in general, nations at war, ethnic cleansings, etc., to murder in the name of religion, religion, in the
modern period, is far, far behind. It is catching up, though, through the energy of Islamists (the murdering branch
of Islam).
The problem is not Islam, though Islam right now seems to be peculiarly infected with a virus that has swept
through the world in the past hundred years or so. Ideologies that promote murder abound, and they meet up with
people capable of murder, who are also abound.
There is a small (small, in a few ways) bitter part of me that is cynical about the Charlie Hebdo outrage. I am
sure that the murder of a few Jews at the kosher market would have produced no more than the usual canned
expressions of abhorrence in France. Even the murder of police would have produced just a blip. (Remember the
murder of the French soldiers and the murders at the Jewish school in France in Montauban and Toulouse in 2012?
There were a few rallies and small demonstrations). The murder of thousands of Shia Muslims (and Yazidis, and
Kurds, and others) by Islamic State is a buried new item.
Kill French journalists in France! Now, you’ve crossed the line!
A bigger part of me understands the moral “click” that just happened. We are at war, the French have ruefully
admitted. (For those of us who mourn, for example, the several hundred Iraqi soldier POW’s who were lined up
and shot a few months ago, the Yazidis who were murdered, Syrian civilians being slaughtered, the click happened
a long time ago. Who knows how many fine journalists and cartoonists have been murdered among them?)
We are at war, but not with Islam. Islam is in the midst of a civil war, and the west has taken a side, thank God. The
vast majority of the victims of the civil war in Islam are Muslims at the hand of Islamists, just as in the second Iraq
war. This war cannot be won militarily, though military engagement is crucial. This new instantiation of the Nazi
SS must be destroyed. Its members must be killed. The deeper, much more difficult war of ideas must be engaged
with equal determination. And the war with Islamists can only be won, ultimately, by the will of better souls found
within Islam.
COMMUNITY
NEW DATE: MARCH 14, 2015
SOLICIT DONATIONS FOR THE AUCTION!
We are currently collecting auction items for the event and need you! This year,
we’re counting on each member household and our community supporters, to
donate and/or solicit at least TWO auction items for our auction. For example,
gift cards (valued at least $25) from restaurants, hotels, salons (including
haircuts, blow dries, hair coloring, etc.), spas (for massages, manicures, etc.)
and retail stores. We are also looking for tickets to sporting events or the
theater, use of vacation homes or anything else creative you can think of
(someone to cook for a dinner party, a day on a yacht, a VIP experience, etc.).
Electronic items and jewelry are great also. Those are just a few suggestions!
Donation forms are available at the front desk.
Coming Up @The HUB on Venice
Saturday, January 17
After Shul Movie Theatre, 12:30PM
Lunch then Learn, 1PM
Sophos Café Closed
Wednesday, January 21
SFMP, 12:30PM
Saturday, January 24, 6PM
Country Night, 7:30
Sunday, January 25
Kinder Circle Preschool Open House, 10AM
Friday, January 30, 5:30PM
Shabbaba, 6PM
Saturday, January 31
Gloria Delia z’’l Memorial Service, 3:30PM
Saturday, February 7, 6PM
Is Biz, 7:30PM
Saturday, March 14
“A Night in The French Quarter” OHT’s Annual Gala
Want more information? Visit www.thehubonvenice.com
The Ohr HaTorah staff is available to assist you during office hours:
Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 4:00pm
11827 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90066 (Corner of S. Barrington)
Phone: (310) 915-5200
Fax: (310) 915-5792
Email: info@ohrhatorah.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Rabbi Mordecai Finley,
Co-CEO
rabbifinley@ohrhatorah.org
Vice-President, Secretary
Meirav Finley, Co-CEO
Meirav@ohrhatorah.org
Second Vice-President
Sheri Porath-Rockwell,
Legal Liaison
Sheri@ohrhatorah.org
Treasurer
Pamela Mahoney
Pam@ohrhatorah.org
Director at Large
Sheila Coop
Human Resources
Sheila@ohrhatorah.org
OFFICERS OF THE
CONGREGATIONAL COUNCIL
Josh Abarbanel, Gabbai,
Religious Service Leader
Stacey Abarbanel,
Community Outreach
Hadas Abouaf, Officer at
Large
Keith Abouaf, Officer at
Large
Alex Abramovici, Officer at
Large
Pam Abramovici, Officer at
Large
Endre Balogh, Community
Photographer, Music
Committee
Adela Barnett, Torah Study
Group Chairperson
Helena Barry, Membership
Danielle Behar, Community
Outreach, Early Childhood
Curt Biren, Gabbai, Religious
Service Leader
Larry Bogatz, Men’s Group
Co-Chair and Earthquake
Preparedness
Paul Brooks, Men’s Group
Co-Chair
Malcolm Brown, Officer at
Large
Neisha Cohen, Membership
Bettina Chokron, Social
Media, Marketing
Raqueli Dahan, Community
Outreach, Early Childhood
Gloria Delia z”l, Shabbat
Lunch Co-Chair, Fundraising
Events*
Tamara Effron, Religious
School, Membership Committee
Ilan Efrati, Officer at Large
Janet Ehrenberg, Community
Outreach
Matt Ehrenberg, Community
Photographer
Karen Feldman, G’milut
Chassadim, Membership
Committee Chairperson
Julie Giuffrida,
Programming, Publications
David Goldsmith, Officer at
Large
Noam Gonen, Sound
Engineering
Stephen Grynberg,
Community Outreach
David Guth, Membership
Vincent Hartung, Sound
Engineering
Jessica Kahn, Community
Outreach
Nadav Kahn, Community
Outreach
Harvey Kaner, Officer at
Large
Jacob Kantor, Cantorial
Leader, Music Committee
Julia Kantor, Music
Committee
Denise Kaufman, Music
Committee
Jonathan Khorsandi, Social
Media, Marketing
Larry Klein, Music Committee
Luciana Klein, Music
Committee
Janny Kummer, Fundraising
Events
Belinda Lams, Music
Committee
Jeff Lams, Sound Engineering
Jerry Leichtling, Community
Outreach
Jeff Linnetz, HHD Committee,
Garage Sale Chairperson
Sandra MacDonald,
Fundraising Events, Garage
Sales Co-Chair
David Mamet, Building
Committee Co-Chair
Sheri Manning, Torah Study
Group Committee
Debra McGuire, Fundraising
Events
Bill Meyers, Shabbat Lunch
Committee
Jilla Moradzadeh,
Community Outreach
Masoud Moradzadeh,
Fundraising Events, Religious
Service Committee
Arnold Porath, Building
Committee
Rebecca Pidgeon, Music
Committee
Jim Ries, Building Committee
Co-Chair
Linda Ries, Gift Shop
Melinda Rosenthal, G’milut
Chassadim Committee
Debbie Ryan, Silent Auction
Arie Salma, Music
Committee, Web Design
Arlene Sarner, Silent Auction
Arthur Shane, Music
Committee
Rina Shapira, Officer at Large
Andrea Spector, Officer at
Large
Ross St. Phillip, Shabbat
Lunch Committee
Robb Strom, Legal Counsel
Yolanda Strom, Flowers
Coordinator, Fundraising Events
Eric Taub, Lighting Committee
Chrisann Verges, Officer at
Large
*Of blessed memory
Please Note: All materials for the Weekly Update, as well as flyers for
Shabbat, must be in the OHT office no later than the end of business
hours the preceding Monday!