- 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
…verse reads as follows. I will not punish your daughters nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery; for their men had gone astray sacrificing with harlots. Unable to rely on the changing moral order, the halakha chose the rights of women. Was the halakha hostile to the mitzva of the sota ceremony? Never! However, the sages of the Mishna, the inventors of the ketuba, saw the sota ceremony very differently than we do today. As recorded in…
…omeone holding a Torah that is not entitled “Rabbi.” We also noted that non-Ashkenazi Jews are under-represented. There are two wonderful prints of watercolors of Yemenite Jewish men by the Romanian-Israeli artist David Gilboa, and the previously mentioned work by Rafael Avraham Shalem, and many ethnically ambiguous works, but in general this is an exhibition with many exclusions. Additionally, only three works in the exhibition were created by wo…
…still the accidental death That comes with coming Too close to G-d. Then G-d does something odd. He talks directly to Aaron. And in talking to Aaron, To the man whose provocative courage Stopped the killing at 14,700, Who helped G-d turn from Annihilation to flowering, G-d tells him: “You and your sons and your father’s house with you, You shall bear the guilt of the sanctuary, And you and your sons with you, You shall bear the guilt of your prie…
…will we feel more intimate? Reducing the number of seats means that (in non-Covid times) we will all sit closer to each other. Nobody will be in Alaska, Florida, or Nova Scotia. The design and placement of the ark and ark platform will also make the room more human-scale. Why can’t we integrate pews AND movable chairs, to accommodate all of our needs and interests? The redesign committee considered combining fixed and movable seats. The drawback i…
…p Friday 7:00a 6:00p Shabbat 9:15a Minchah/Maariv During Daylight Saving Time months (March through October), minchah and maariv services are recited weeknights at 5:45p. During Standard Time months (November through February), only maariv is recited at 5:45p, finishing before 6:00p rather than 6:15p. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, only minchah is recited. Every day, the yahrzeit lists are read for the day departing as well as the next day arr…
…m, having learned that the famine was over, she tells her Moabite daughters-in-law to return to their own people. She has nothing to offer them, since she can no longer bear sons who could marry them and take care of them. And an unwed woman at that time was at great risk. Orpah, although tearful, turns back. Naomi says, “See, your sister-in-law has returned to her people and her gods. Go follow your sister-in-law.” But Ruth perseveres: “Do not ur…
…owitz and Rabbi Rackovsky. Meetings grew heated with personal attacks. Long-time friends became bitter enemies. Overtures by the White Street Synagogue to absorb the B’nai Israel downtown remnant were discussed in committee, and while it appeared favorable, the downtown group refused to attend the meetings. When the plans for the Westville building showed a one-floor sanctuary with no separation of men and women, the leaders of the Congregation we…
…” in Kashrus Magazine (March 2004 p. 7): “Manischewitz Chocolate Coins (‘OU-Pareve’) bear the words: ‘In G-d We Trust.’ A number of leading rabbonim have Paskened that one may not eat them nor throw away the chocolate and wrappers, if they too have those words. Consult your rabbi.” So rabbi, I am consulting you. What should I do if we have those coins? Signed, In R-bbi We Trust Dear Trust, Our halakha (law) holds that there are five basic Hebrew n…
…Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitshaq, vElohei Ya`aqov, ha-El ha-gadol ha-gibor ve-ha-nora. Blessed are You, Adonai, our God and God of our ancestors, God of Avraham, God of Yitshaq, and God of Ya`aqov, God the great, the mighty, and the awesome. We may ask, how does mention of the Divine attribute of nora add to the two preceding ones of gedula and gevura? I would suggest, in essence, that nora is the first to describe God’s nature as relational. To be…
…ouple, Isaac and Miriam, that lived across from the Twin Towers. Their five-year-old daughter had watched from her bedroom window as the second plane crashed into the towers. She hadn’t seen the first because she was in bed reading a book. She watched the towers crumble. Every time she does a drawing, a collage, or an art project there is always some reminder in it of that day. “See Momm, these are stairs we ran down when we had to be evacuated.”…
