An Understanding Heart

  Science is a matter of knowledge rather than belief. Belief can be countered by the suggestion that "I believe differently" whereas knowledge is subject to empirical investigation. This is exactly why there is so much rejection of medical expertise at the moment: Many people have confused knowledge with belief. One believes in a given political system -it is very hard except in extreme cases to demonstrate that one system or approach is absolutely better than another. It takes centuries to decide a debate of this sort. Therefore politics and philosophy remain in the realm of belief. Science either stands up to scrutiny or doesn't. Since our knowledge is always changing and growing, what we know today is incomplete compared to what we will know tomorrow. As Jews, Jewish law and ethics require us to make our decisions on the basis of the best knowledge held by the mainstream of each profession in any given moment in history. Does that mean that medicine found in t

Shimon and Levi were punishing the perpertrators and enablers of Dinah's abuse for her sake as an individual person, not because she "belonged" to the family - as is sometimes suggested. I would point to a subtle point in the syntax of the text. But throughout all of the Torah many things are taught to us with that subtlety of the classic exegesis. Often, when a sibling is described it says the "sister of X was Y" making the "sister(Y)" subordinate to the "X" as in our Parsha, later, "ואחות לוטן תמנע" But here, we it is written "אשר טמא דינה אחותם" that Shimon and Levi used deception and violence because Shechem defiled "Dinah their sister" the name first. Dinah as a person first then the relationship. It was the harm and abuse to Dinah that primarily drove them. Nachmanides explained that they slew the men of Shechem because they stood by and did not stop the attack on Dinah. Those who do not stop an evil

  Dear All, We are happy to announce that by popular request, Chanie Yaffe's Yiddish Class and Conversation Group resumes this Tuesday 11/17/2020 Rosh Chodesh Kislev, at 10 AM This interactive group explores the rich tradition of the  Yiddish  language as well as the basic elements of Yiddish speech and grammar. No  particular  level of knowledge is needed, just join us on zoom ( email or call office for link) Or, call into zoom on:  ( email or call office for link) Or,  join us on the Shul Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/bnai. torah.1 Looking forward to seeing you (virtually) On Tuesday at 10AM.

  S habbat Chayei Sarah - Mevarchim Kislev    Schedule  for Week of  11/13 - 20 Friday/ Shabbat  11/13 Candle Lighting for S habbat Chayei Sarah     No later than  4:12PM Mincha /  Kabbalat  Shabbat  in Social Hall 4:10 PM   Sh abbat  Chayei Sarah   11/14 1.  Morning Services 9 AM  Please recite all prayers  (except Baruch She'amar)  until Mizmor Shir l'yom Hashabbat before arriving at Synagogue . We begin with Baruch She'amar and Mizmor Shir 2.   Mincha 4:00  PM 3. Motzei Shabbat- Shabbat ends 5:15PM   Havdalah and extended Sermon on Facebook Live Saturday Night  5:45 PM and on zoom Sunday  11/15 1. Sunday Zoom Shacharit service  @ 8AM NO SUNDAY CLASS  We are working on a new class   - a reading group in the works of  Rabbi Jonathan Sacks OBM. At the end of the email there is list please choose what you would like to study and email me your choice  ASAP  Monday 11/16 Morning services @ 7AM by Zoom: New Jewish Ethics and Thought Class:   Amazing Aggadah -  T he Non-Legends

  Politics is the Yetzer Hara's (The Evil Inclination, Satan, whatever you want to call it) weapon of mass distraction. Think of all the hours that we all spent on reading talking and posting about politics. Imagine if those hours had been spent on finding ways to help particular marginalized and sinking people in our communities we know as individuals? How many hours of Torah could have been studied? How much could we have spent in some productive hobby with our kids? Or cultivating some little patch of soil with them, or anything else that adds something to the world. Maimonides says gambling makes a person unfit for testimony in a court of law or any public office because they contribute nothing by their activities to the development of civilization as he puts it " the habitation of the World" The same applies to all this churning on politics. We all should study the candidates and then vote our conscience, but as to all these endless conversations, arguments, posts,

  Thoughts on the a Post-Flood  Program for Today By (Rabbi)Shlomo Yaffe All the Torah speaks to us as new and relevant in every moment and every situation In this week’s Torah portion Noah -upon emerging from the ark into a world that would need to learn to transcend the errors of the Antediluvian Epoch  is instructed upon the fundamental ethical laws that apply to all Human beings -given by G-d – the Noahide Laws Maimonides writes “Moreover, by Divine ordinance, Moshe, our teacher, commanded us to sway all human beings to accept the commandments enjoined upon the descendants of Noach. “ This means that every Jew is responsible to encourage all denizens of the world to act in accordance with the Seven Noachide Commandments and their associated values. In the olden days there was great potential danger involved in this type of activity -- for it could be misconstrued as an attempt to proselytize. In our generation, however, there is no danger in this respect As Jews we must be concerne

Question: Which is the most important week  of this year?   Answer: This week, the week after all the Holidays   Before you run to choose in which of the 86 Jewish calendars you have received from various worthy charities you want to look this day up, relax — I'll tell you which holiday falls on week . None. This week -  the week after a packed, 23-day flood of special days is also the most important week of this year   Picture the launch of a space vehicle being sent to explore some distant reach of the universe on a journey never before attempted. The countdown is over, a button is pressed, and — hopefully — away it goes, to where silicon has never gone before. Countless thousands of top-quality man-hours have been invested in this project by people who are, indeed, rocket scientists. Yet, if when the button is pressed, the rocket explodes or otherwise malfunctions, all that genius is for naught. The button does not require an engineer to press it — it is such a simple task even

 As the abortion debate heats up again, I orginally wrote the following post as a response to a respected colleague. I realize  that it deserves an airing if its own. Jewish Law and its sense of universal / Natural Law certainly eschews abortion in many cases, but permits them in others. There exists a serious concern that any further limitation of abortion would block.abortions that Jewish Law / values permits - and indeed mandates that they take place. On the other hand, Jewish law and it's understanding of universal "Natural/Noahide" law for all humanity is deeply opposed to all unnecessary abortions. The vast majority of abortions performed in this country fall into that category. But how to stop them?  One is teaching morality and the value of life. An unborn baby's unnecessary death is not just another form of birth control.  In "unnecessary"  I  exclude all the multiple cases of abortions Jewish law might require - and these parameters are very broad.