- 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
…y other. This distinction makes it clear that one is performing the act in order to fulfil a specific mitzva. It is an old custom but not a requirement. Dear Rabbi, Why is the Keser Israel Memorial Park (cemetery) all the way out where it is? Similarly, the Beth El Memorial Park (cemetery) must also have been way out when it was dedicated. Signed, Dying to Know Dear Know, Long ago when the sites were obtained, land was cheaper outside the city….
…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…
…03 Apr Siyyum Bekhorot April 3, 2015 7:00 am – 8:00 am Morning service (7a – 7:35a), Siyyum Bekhorot (7:35a – 8a). Celebration of the conclusion of study of Mishna Middot requires partaking of a mini-feast, which […] More Info…
…salem by Knesset member Ya’ir Tzaban (Mapam) for refusal to follow illegal orders — by which he meant the orders to beat and injure demonstrators and bystanders in the territories.31 At the same time, Yesh Gevul announced that 260 reservists had proclaimed that they would refuse to follow such orders.32 The previous week, four young soldiers had been prosecuted in military court for refusing to carry out orders to “beat Arab residents until their…
…thumb of Laban, have not provided him fulfillment of Isaac’s blessing. In order for Jacob to become a person of real power and legitimate authority, a true leader, he must have the ability to confront his brother Esau directly and to embrace Esau steadfastly, even though in doing so he will expose himself to serious injury. Jacob’s crossing of the Jabbok River after his night-long struggle, and his receipt of a blessing and a new name, represents…
…From each according to their ability” is most often associated with Karl Marx, it comes in fact directly from our Torah. While in principle this ideal should apply to all types of contributions–wisdom, work, wealth–that each family makes toward the good of all, it was most often applied to the readily quantifiable realm of money. For when it came to agricultural leavings for the poor and contributions (tithes) to the Temple, each family’s required…
…on recognizing the spread of disease in a community, were to leave town in order to avoid getting sick. It may be easy — logistically if not emotionally — to walk away from the Jewish community or the Synagogue. One can find community, friendship, religious expression and a sense of identity elsewhere. Those who are critical of Jewish culture can easily find some other place to belong, some community that does not clearly exhibit the same problems…
…eople have heard that the potential convert is turned away three times, in order to ensure that only the truly determined succeed in their quest. But as a rabbi who guides many converts, I don’t do that, because I find that when, upon further study and experience with the real Jewish world, candidates encounter plenty of realities that would turn them off, and turn them away. The realities are harsh enough to sober the greatest idealists. There…
…hose who feel dispossessed, is brought to the public forum specifically in order to deny Jews the very rights Palestinians demand for themselves. It seeks to displace Jews, who have every right to autonomy and safety in our small portion of historic Israel. The majority of Palestinian Arabs are descendants of Bosnians, Armenians, Georgians and other Europeans who colonized during the 19th and 20th centuries, or Arabized Turks who came during the 3…
…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…
