- Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
…ing miniature plots too small to farm. As Fakhri Abu Diab, Director of Jerusalem’s Al-Bustan Center, noted in the context of the Jerusalem municipality’s restrictive building codes, “My parents had a house of 602 square feet. They had ten children, each of whom has married and had more children. Does the city really think that all of us can live in 602 square feet?” (Jerusalem Report, 30 March 2009, p. 13). (For reference, BEKI’s George G. Posener…
…rol facility in Israel that served Gaza and shot the people operating the border crossing, and then complained to the international press that Israel was withholding fuel to collectively punish the Palestinian Arab People – how do you say chutzpah in Arabic? There are dozens of recent examples, and these stories are manufactured and repeated intentionally, and unfortunately are widely believed. As bad as Israeli military rule of the non-Israeli Ar…
…urvival. The weight of law and tradition, I would assert, supports such an order. Some have complained that “Animal Rights” activists are at best “ahead of their time” or at worst placing animal “rights” ahead of human life. How can they worry about a few laboratory rabbits or a bunch of uncomfortable farm chickens while children (and adults) are literally starving and dying from easily preventable and treatable conditions? Would not their efforts…
…lic worship. The codes, based on the Talmud (and in this case also the Jerusalem Talmud), apply the halakhic rule of “trei qalei la mishtamei — two voices are unintelligible” to the issue of joint aliya. As a legal category, this rule means that were two or more voices to join in reciting the blessing or reading Torah, it “wouldn’t count” as a proper reading. Calling up more than one person simultaneously might also violate the rule against berakh…
…ly Days, the cantor bows and prostrates during the middle of the Amida. In order to bow and bend without hitting his head on the table in front of him, our Hazan (cantor) moves back a few inches, all the while keeping his legs and feet together. Hence, the “hazan’s hop” (or “kefatz hashatz” in Hebrew). Dear Rabbi, In Birkat Ha-Mazon, there is a line that says: “Anahnu modim lakh, u-mevarkhim otakh.” Isn’t this a feminine grammatical construction…
…inging of the first fruits: When [the men of all the towns] approached Jerusalem, they sent messengers before them and adorned first-fruits. The officers and the prefects and the treasurers of the Temple went forth to meet them_. And all the craftsmen in Jerusalem would rise up before them and greet them, saying: “Brethren, men of such-and-such a place, you are welcome!” – The flute was played before them, until they reached the Temple Mount. When…
…to promote meaningful debt cancellation for the world’s poorest nations in order to reduce poverty and prevent further environmental degradation. There are now Jubilee 2000 campaigns in more than sixty countries, creditor and debtor alike. Grounded as it is in our own tradition, surely we should add our collective voice and support to this global effort. ***************** With the general context thus set, I ask you to indulge me in the personal p…
…female slaves, she-asses, and camels.” Why were the animals listed in that order? The riding animals were listed last. The separation of male and female donkeys reflects the experience of the herders. They did this because a male would become virtually uncontrollable if a female of his species approached. Because of this, females afforded superior convenience and greater ease of handling. The addition of camels was actually anachronistic. Camels d…
…eydah.” Instead of chastising the people For their complaints, Instead of branding them as rebels And vowing to annihilate them, G-d listens. G-d hears what the people fear and need. And to give them what they need, To save them from what they fear, G-d chooses a very particular Four-part choreography: Moses will bring the Staff, Moses and Aaron will assemble the eydah. Moses will speak to the rock, And G-d will bring forth the water. The first t…
…srael, a group of young orthodox Jewish men and women in the community, in order that our temporary Home may be continued as a Home of Jewish Worship and Torah. Men such as George Horwitz, Jack Levine, Abraham Gubin, Louis Scherban, Herman Hodes, Louis Kasimer and Martin Janow assisted actively in those transactions. Our religious and cultural activities kept apace with our financial progress. Under the leadership of our spiritual leader, Rabbi Le…
