Rabbi's Blog - Congregation Shaare Tefilla

Rabbi's Resources Ki Tavo 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

A special Hakarat HaTov to everyone who participated in the Massive Morning Minyan on Sunday. There is no better way to usher in Elul and prepare for the Yamim Noraim season than to daven together as a community, whether on Shabbos or a “regular” weekday. There were even people from the North Eruv who came to join us. If you weren’t able to attend this past Sunday, don’t fear - you can come join us any time - there is always a place and a smile awaiting you at minyan at Shaare Tefilla.

A special thanks to Alex Becker for sponsoring the breakfast in memory of his father, the legendary Mr. Izrael Becker, whose yahrtzeit it is this week, and for whose life attending minyan and being in shul was an integral part. A special thanks goes as well to those who prepared the breakfast and the social hall for the delicious breakfast, as usual, under the leadership of Jacques Ohayon.

Speaking of Minyan -

Last Week’s MSOTW

In 1903, a shul was founded in Centerville, New York, called “Anshei Centerville,” in Sullivan County. In 1917, the town was renamed Woodridge; by this time, the area was heavily Jewish. In the 1930s, a fight broke out amongst the membership over who would be the shochet for the community, leading to the formation of a breakaway, Ohave Sholom (breakaways almost always have the word “Shalom” in them…). Several years later, Anshe Centerville merged with its breakaway. Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz visited the community on a visit to the United States one summer, and blessed it that it should never be without a minyan. Since its founding, over 100 years ago (with the possible exception of early COVID), this beautiful shul has never missed a minyan. During the summer months, it sees an influx of summer vacationers in the Catskills, with a more modest crowd during the “off season”; it also houses a Yeshiva in its basement with dormitory facilities nearby. In the year 2000, the shul was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, as have several other shuls in the Catskills region. The walls are decorated extensively with pictures based on religious themes.

This Week’s MSOTW

This Shul was founded in 1891 (in a different location), and is still going strong. Name the shul, the city and the famous Rabbi who served as its leader for several years.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources Ki Teitzei 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

It is great to be back from a short vacation with my extended family in the Catskills Mountains. I look forward to sharing some of my experiences with you over the coming weeks, and in particular, over the Chaggim, during which I am planning a shiur series about Halachic issues I encountered over this past summer that include several that arose this past week.

As soon as I came back to town, things got busy again. Last night, I had the honor of attending the installation of Rabbi Eliezer Poupko as the new Rabbi of Congregation Lev Yisrael, the new shul division of DATA Plano. Rabbi Poupko is a member of an illustrious extended Rabbinic family and the son of Rabbi Reuben Poupko of Montreal, himself a Rabbinic legend in that city and beyond. Both Rabbis Poupko spoke at the event as did Rabbi Nasanya Zakon, all of whom spoke beautifully. I wish there was a recording of Rabbi Poupko Sr.’s words that I could share, as the last time I shared anything from him it was his step by step guide to making a turkey…

Today, I was able to jump right back into work in one of the most meaningful ways, by sitting on a Beit Din together with my teacher Rabbi Yona Reiss, Av Beth Din of the Chicago Rabbinical Council, and, alternatingly, Rabbi Wolk and Rabbi Dubrawsky for seven conversions this morning! How appropriate and uplifting it is to bring Jewish souls into the fold, especially during the month of Elul.

A few items for this week’s Hakarat HaTov Corner:

1. Thank you to Rabbi Wolk for covering for me in my absence, both when we were in Chicago and now in the Catskills,
and to Jimmy Davis for holding down the fort.

2. Thank you to Rebecca Nussbaum and Ben Fine for designing and dealing with the logistics of the new railings leading up to the bima. These additions are both aesthetically pleasing and helpful for those who need extra assistance ascending and descending the stairs from the bima.

3. A special thank you to Jessica and my brothers, Drs. Ori and Elia Rackovsky and their spouses, Dana and Dr. Naomi Rackovsky for the logistical planning of our family’s getaway in honor of our parents’ 50th anniversary.

4. And above all, a thank you to Hashem for making it all possible (and throwing in beautiful weather and on-time flights, too!).

Last Time’s MSOTW

Kudos to Steve Natinsky for correctly identifying this as the deepest underground shul in the world, the shul in the Yitzchak Navon Train Station in Jerusalem, the world’s deepest heavy-rail passenger station.

This Week’s MSOTW

Since its founding nearly a century ago (and over 80 years in its current location), this beautiful shul has never missed a minyan despite being far from any heavily Jewish neighborhoods. This is attributed to a blessing by a revered Rosh Yeshiva. Name the shul, the location and, for extra points, the Rosh Yeshiva.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources Re'eh 5783

Dear Shaare Family

I am grateful to Hashem for the opportunity to spend some time in Chicago with Jessica’s family (and cooler temperatures!). The kids had a wonderful time getting to know their new cousin, Ori Lev Abramowitz, the newborn son of Jessica’s brother and sister in law, Scott and Anna Abramowitz, and seeing various sites in and around Chicago. The kids especially enjoyed a day trip to Milwaukee, where we all had a wonderful time at the stunning - and kid-friendly - Milwaukee Art Museum. This museum has one of the largest collections in North America, in particular of paintings from Wisconsin native Georgia O’Keefe. The new wing of the building sits on Lake Michigan and was designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, who also designed the bridge in Jerusalem that has become iconic.

I am also grateful to Rabbi Wolk, who covered my Rabbinic responsibilities while I was gone, and will be doing so this coming week when I will be away again. With God’s help, we are traveling to the Catskill Mountains, known in New York Jewish parlance as “The Mountains” or “The Country,” where we will be celebrating my parents’ 50th anniversary with my extended family. I am looking forward to this trip, which has also presented some fascinating Halachic learning opportunities such constructing Eruvin, and in the realm of techum Shabbat - the distance one is allowed to walk on Shabbat into an uninhabited area - that I look forward to sharing with you in the future.

Last Time’s MSOTW- Tisha B’Av Edition

In the spirit on Tisha B’Av, where we commemorate the destroyed beit hamikdash, it is appropriate to discuss a building that used to be a shul but isn’t any longer. This building was, in its heyday, one of the most vibrant shuls in America, a pathbreaking synagogue that was the first of its kind. Simon Raphael correctly identified the location as New York City’s Harlem neighborhood, which was heavily Jewish in the early 20th Century.

The buiding pictured here was the Institutional Synagogue, the first “Shul With A Pool” (a model also followed by my former shul, The Jewish Center). The Institutional Synagogue was the hub of Jewish life in Harlem and featured constant youth and adult education classes. Approximately 3,000 people a day (!) entered its doors and it had an offering of 67 clubs. It also offered a robust Hebrew School. The Rabbi, Rabbi Herbert Goldstein, son in law of the legendary philanthropist Harry Fischel, was a visionary leader who oversaw it all. The shul is now located on W. 76th Street and is known as the West Side Institutional Synagogue - former President, our own Jacques Ohayon!

In this vein, I read a book while at my in-laws called Chicago’s Forgotten Synagogues - about the many magnificent shuls found throughout the Chicago area, many of which no longer exist- though some still exist in merged and relocated forms.

This Week’s MSOTW

This shul appears rather “ordinary” (if any shul could be called that), but it offers an exceptionally “deep” prayer experience. Name the shul (runner up goes to those who can correctly identify which city it is in).

Rabbi’s Resources returns in two weeks.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources Devarim Chazon 5783

Rabbi's Resources Devarim Chazon 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

I am grateful to all those who shared feedback with me about last week’s sermon - and for those who disagreed with some or all of it who shared their feedback respectfully. Judy Kogutt compiled a list of things anyone and everyone, regardless of political orientation, can do to make our planet a healthier and more durable place for us and our children - click here to read it.

Rabbi’s Recommendations

Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam, the Klausenberger Rebbe, (1905-1994) was one of the most remarkable Jewish leaders of the 20th century. A visionary who built people and institutions in the aftermath of the Holocaust, a full account of his biography would sprawl over many pages. There is no better time to speak about him than Tisha B’Av in the afternoon - join me on Thursday, Tisha B’Av, one hour before Mincha (7:05 PM) and I will explain why.

Last week’s MSOTW

Last week’s MSOTW was the Chorev Shul in the Rechavia neighborhood of Jerusalem. It was founded in the 1930s during the fifth Aliyah wave by German Jews who studied with Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch and espoused his ideology of Torah Im Derech Eretz.

The members of this community founded other institutions that continue to this day, including the boys and girls divisions of the Horev School, and Yeshiva Kol Torah in Bayit Vegan, affiliated with the chareidi Agudat Yisrael party. As the population of the neighborhood aged and many members passed away, the shul
closed in the 1990s. In 2003, a group of young religious Zionist residents of the neighborhood established a minyan in the shul building, leading to its revival (and switching to nussach Sephard). It is one of the few religious Zionist shuls in the Rechavia neighborhood, and is now a vibrant shul once again, with classes, chavrutot and regular learning opportunities as well as an event space in the backyard.

MSOTW - Tisha B'Av Edition

The crosses in the picture don’t deceive. In the spirit on Tisha B’Av, where we commemorate the destroyed beit hamikdash, it is appropriate to discuss a building that used to be a shul but isn’t any longer. This building was, in its heyday, one of the most vibrant shuls in America, a pathbreaking synagogue that was the first of its kind. Name the shul (hint: The shul still exists, in a different location) and what was unique about it.

Rabbi’s Resources will be on hiatus until Thursday, August 10, 2023.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources Matot Mas'ei 5783

Rabbi's Resources ~ Matot Mas'ei 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

It has been three weeks since the last Rabbi’s Resources and thank God, much has happened in the interim. It was wonderful to see so many current and former Dallasites at the wedding of Liad and Ayelet Guttman, including Rabbis Wolk and Dubrawsky, Terri and Richard Rohan, Miriam and Paul Geller, Pam and Mickie Sallmander, Tali and Elie Rosenberg, Carmit and Snir Azarya and somewhat younger former Dallasites like Ari Geller and his wife Gali, Sammy Zoller, and Benji Zoller and Leah Nerenberg. I am definitely forgetting people and I ask their forgiveness in advance.

On Thursday night, June 29, I attended a shiur by Rav Asher Weiss shlita at his shul in Ramot, together with former Dallas educator Rabbi Elli Fischer. Rav Weiss’s shiurim are always riveting, and the experience of being there in person, which I have had the privilege of doing once before, is especially exciting. This time was a unique treat. Rav Weiss’s granddaughter had gotten engaged that night and he was on his way to the tannaim (the engagement party), but he didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to teach his students. Instead of the usual shiur format, Rav Weiss delivered a slightly shorter presentation that consisted of reminiscences about his teacher and Rebbe, Rav Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam zt”l, the unforgettable Klausenberger Rebbe, whose yahrtzeit it was the previous day. The Rebbe lost his entire family and community in the Holocaust, and bravely rebuilt both in the aftermath, with a combination of deep love for his fellow Jews and steely and uncompromising determination. I found Rav Weiss’s remarks deeply moving and plan to speak about the Rebbe, incorporating many of Rav Weiss’s memories, on Tisha B’Av, an hour before Mincha. I hope you can join me!

Last time’s MSOTW

The last MSOTW was the Green Road Synagogue in Cleveland, where I was fortunate to visit a few days before the last Rabbi’s Resources. I am grateful to Rabbi Binyamin Blau, the Rabbi of the shul (and Mechutan of our own Rabbi Ari Perl) who gave me a tour of the magnificent , almost brand new building. The congregation was founded by Hungarian immigrants from the Marmarosh region, and has many second and third generation members.

This Week’s MSOTW

This Jerusalem shul was founded by Chareidi immigrants from a certain country. Its name is a clue to the ethos and background of the founders. It has changed quite a bit, in outlook and even in nussach, since then. Name the shul, where in Jerusalem it is located and who founded it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Updated - Rabbi's Resources - Korach 5783

Rabbi's Resources - Korach 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

For this week’s Hakarat HaTov Corner, I owe gratitude to Rabbi Sholey Klein of Dallas Kosher for organizing this past Sunday’s event at Triple Creek Red Angus farms in Rockwall, showing us a farm full of potential part adumot, or red heifers. In my sermon on Shabbat, I will share my impressions, and some important lessons I took away from the event.

I am also grateful to all those who shared feedback about last week’s sermon in honor of Yossele Rosenblatt’s 90th yahrzeit, especially after listening to some of the pieces I sent out on Motzei Shabbat. Your feedback is always appreciated, as is your patience and generosity of spirit considering that the AC was not working and you were likely a tad uncomfortable. As I said on Shabbat, it was likely sweltering in the summer heat in Jerusalem on Yossele’s last Shabbat, and the Churvah shul, where he led davening, was certainly not air conditioned…This week, a concert took place in New York’s Merkin Hall, in Yossele’s memory - you can watch the entire thing here.

On Tuesday, I flew up to Cleveland for the day to serve as a chaperone for the 16 Dallas kids who are attending the first session at Camp Stone. The kids were all well-behaved, and are great representatives of our community. Randi Mashmoor, the executive director of the camp, told me that she LOVES Dallas - the parents, and the kids, are so nice and make no entitled demands on the camp (as opposed to those from other cities). She said we are so easy to work with and she was so excited when we arrived! I am grateful to Ben Kogutt and Mordechai Langer for being excellent co-chaperones and travel companions. Their good humor and easygoing nature were especially in evidence after we dropped off the kids and went to lunch. It took no fewer than three restaurants (and three Uber/Lyft rides) before we found one a) whose kitchen was open b) that would serve us and c) that was serving food we actually wanted to eat. In one case, we entered the largely empty restaurant at 2:10 PM and were told that the kitchen had closed from lunch service at 2, so they would not be seating us…thanks to Arova in Cleveland for feeding three hungry Texans.

I am also grateful to Jessica for encouraging me to travel to quite a few smachot over the last few weeks, even though the end of June and the beginning of July are always busy times for her at work. In particular, I am grateful to her for encouraging me to fly to Israel this coming week, where I will, with God’s help, officiate at the wedding of Liad Guttman and Ayelet Katz. Thanks of course to the Guttman family for making the trip possible. While I am gone, please direct your Rabbinic questions to Rabbi Yaakov Tannenbaum, to whom I am grateful for so many reasons.

Last week’s MSOTW
Last week’s clue was:
This synagogue is the headquarters of a Chassidic community that is outside the major Chassidic centers of the world, though it now has many branches in major chassidic communities as well. Thousands of students have passed through its doors and connected to its spiritual leaders, and many of them became observant as a result. Still others have connected with this community through the world class medical care available in the city where this synagogue is located, which runs a major Bikur Cholim and health guidance organization. Name the shul/Chassidic community, and provide a picture of the shul.

The MSOTW is the Beth Pinchas New England Chassidic Center, on Beacon Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. It is the American headquarters of the Bostoner Chassidim, though there are Bostoner shuls in different neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and throughout Israel (the main Israeli branch is in Har Nof in Jerusalem). For several generations, there have been multiple Bostoner Rebbes, as the Chassidus split into different communities led by different family members, without the bitter divisiveness that often accompanies succession issues in Chassidic communities. Perhaps the best known

Bostoner Rebbe was the legendary Rav Levi Yitzchak Horowitz zt”l the Bostoner Rebbe of Brookline (another, Rav Moshe Horowitz, was known for the niggunim he composed). Under his leadership and at his modest shul, thousands of college and graduate students in America’s largest college town returned to their Jewish roots and became observant. The Rebbe also founded ROFEH International, an organization that provides medical referrals and support services to the many Jewish families who come to Boston for medical treatment.

This Week’s MSOTW

This week’s shul was founded by immigrants from a particular European region, included in its official. A magnificent new facility was built several years ago. Name the shul, and the region from which the founders originated.

Rabbi’s Resources will be on hiatus for the next two weeks and will resume, with God’s help, on July 13.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Korach 5783

Rabbi's Resources- Worldwide Aphasia Awareness Shabbat 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

For this week’s Hakarat HaTov Corner, I owe gratitude to Rabbi Sholey Klein of Dallas Kosher for organizing this past Sunday’s event at Triple Creek Red Angus farms in Rockwall, showing us a farm full of potential part adumot, or red heifers. In my sermon on Shabbat, I will share my impressions, and some important lessons I took away from the event.

I am also grateful to all those who shared feedback about last week’s sermon in honor of Yossele Rosenblatt’s 90th yahrzeit, especially after listening to some of the pieces I sent out on Motzei Shabbat. Your feedback is always appreciated, as is your patience and generosity of spirit considering that the AC was not working and you were likely a tad uncomfortable. As I said on Shabbat, it was likely sweltering in the summer heat in Jerusalem on Yossele’s last Shabbat, and the Churvah shul, where he led davening, was certainly not air conditioned…This week, a concert took place in New York’s Merkin Hall, in Yossele’s memory - you can watch the entire thing here.

On Tuesday, I flew up to Cleveland for the day to serve as a chaperone for the 16 Dallas kids who are attending the first session at Camp Stone. The kids were all well-behaved, and are great representatives of our community. Randi Mashmoor, the executive director of the camp, told me that she LOVES Dallas - the parents, and the kids, are so nice and make no entitled demands on the camp (as opposed to those from other cities). She said we are so easy to work with and she was so excited when we arrived! I am grateful to Ben Kogutt and Mordechai Langer for being excellent co-chaperones and travel companions. Their good humor and easygoing nature were especially in evidence after we dropped off the kids and went to lunch. It took no fewer than three restaurants (and three Uber/Lyft rides) before we found one a) whose kitchen was open b) that would serve us and c) that was serving food we actually wanted to eat. In one case, we entered the largely empty restaurant at 2:10 PM and were told that the kitchen had closed from lunch service at 2, so they would not be seating us…thanks to Arova in Cleveland for feeding three hungry Texans.

I am also grateful to Jessica for encouraging me to travel to quite a few smachot over the last few weeks, even though the end of June and the beginning of July are always busy times for her at work. In particular, I am grateful to her for encouraging me to fly to Israel this coming week, where I will, with God’s help, officiate at the wedding of Liad Guttman and Ayelet Katz. Thanks of course to the Guttman family for making the trip possible. While I am gone, please direct your Rabbinic questions to Rabbi Yaakov Tannenbaum, to whom I am grateful for so many reasons.

Last week’s MSOTW
Last week’s clue was:
This synagogue is the headquarters of a Chassidic community that is outside the major Chassidic centers of the world, though it now has many branches in major chassidic communities as well. Thousands of students have passed through its doors and connected to its spiritual leaders, and many of them became observant as a result. Still others have connected with this community through the world class medical care available in the city where this synagogue is located, which runs a major Bikur Cholim and health guidance organization. Name the shul/Chassidic community, and provide a picture of the shul.

The MSOTW is the Beth Pinchas New England Chassidic Center, on Beacon Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. It is the American headquarters of the Bostoner Chassidim, though there are Bostoner shuls in different neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and throughout Israel (the main Israeli branch is in Har Nof in Jerusalem). For several generations, there have been multiple Bostoner Rebbes, as the Chassidus split into different communities led by different family members, without the bitter divisiveness that often accompanies succession issues in Chassidic communities. Perhaps the best known

Bostoner Rebbe was the legendary Rav Levi Yitzchak Horowitz zt”l the Bostoner Rebbe of Brookline (another, Rav Moshe Horowitz, was known for the niggunim he composed). Under his leadership and at his modest shul, thousands of college and graduate students in America’s largest college town returned to their Jewish roots and became observant. The Rebbe also founded ROFEH International, an organization that provides medical referrals and support services to the many Jewish families who come to Boston for medical treatment.

This Week’s MSOTW

This week’s shul was founded by immigrants from a particular European region, included in its official. A magnificent new facility was built several years ago. Name the shul, and the region from which the founders originated.

Rabbi’s Resources will be on hiatus for the next two weeks and will resume, with God’s help, on July 13.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Worldwide Aphasia Awareness Shabbat 5783

Rabbi's Resources- Worldwide Aphasia Awareness Shabbat 5783

Dear Shaare Family.

Eitan Ashman was an exceptionally fit forty two year old. He was a father of four teenagers, a loving husband, he was the owner of a growing property management company, a CrossFit instructor, a paramedic and driver for Magen David Adom, a Daf Yomi participant who had completed multiple cycles and who delivered shiurim in his community in Efrat. All that came crashing down early one morning, when he had a massive left side ischemic stroke- one which robbed him of the use of much of the right side of his body, of most of his memories of his life from before the stroke, and of his power of speech. This is a condition known as Aphasia, and in this specific case, a manifestation known as Broca’s aphasia, in which a person can conceptualize words in his or her mind but experiences difficulty articulating them. According to the National Aphasia Association, at least two million Americans suffer from Aphasia, making it more prevalent than many better known neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease or Cerebral Palsy.

You cannot imagine how difficult it is for someone to be unable to speak when they have so much to say, and how difficult it is to see someone who was so young and full of life reduced to such a compromised state, dependent on others. According to the National Aphasia Association, 85% of relationships are made worse by aphasia, and those who suffer aphasia remain close with only 20% of the people they were close with beforehand. In order to raise awareness of Aphasia in the Jewish community, Eitan’s wife Leora formed an organization called Koach Eitan.

One of the first initiatives the organization has put forth is the Worldwide Aphasia Awareness Shabbat, taking place this weekend, Parshat Shelach (Korach in Israel). Shaare Tefilla is proud to be among the synagogues worldwide that are participating. Please visit the following resources for more information:

1. Leora Ashman’s article about her and her family’s experience with Aphasia.
2. A message from Leora and Eitan about Koach Eitan and the Aphasia Awareness Shabbat
3. Leora’s article in Mishpacha Magazine about what her family has been going through.

I have much Hakarat HaTov to our member Gary Schwartz, who is a cousin of Eitan’s and who, together with Batsheva, made the initial connection between me and these remarkable people.

Last Week’s MSOTW

Last week’s MSOTW question was:

Considered the epicenter of Jerusalem’s religious singles scene, this shul is located near several other landmark buildings and was designed by a legendary Israeli architect. Name the shul, the neighborhood, the architect and some of the landmarks near it.

This is Maalot-Ohel Nechama, on Rechov Chopin in Katamon in Jerusalem. Designed by the legendary architect David Cassuto, it is near the President’s Residence, the Museum of Islamic Lands and the Israel Bar Association. Kudos to Meyer Denn and Perrin White for correctly identifying the location.

This Week’s MSOTW

This synagogue is the headquarters of a Chassidic community that is outside the major Chassidic centers of the world, though it now has many branches in major chassidic communities as well. Thousands of students have passed through its doors and connected to its spiritual leaders, and many of them became observant as a result. Still others have connected with this community through the world class medical care available in the city where this synagogue is located, which runs a major Bikur Cholim and health guidance organization. Name the shul/Chassidic community, and provide a picture of the shul.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources Behaalotecha 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

One of the great privileges of the Rabbinate is the ability to participate in the milestone events of members, and to watch them grow up. This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to New York to attend the wedding of a remarkable young man named Jacob Penstein, whom I’ve known since he was about 10 years old and at whose Bar Mitzvah I officiated. The Pensteins were our neighbors in Woodmere (a distinction they no doubt regret) and remain dear friends. Jacob studied at Gush and now is a student at Princeton, where he met Neti Linzer, now a student in Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmusic Studies (GPATS). I hope we will have the chance to learn from her in Dallas as she is a truly impressive scholar, speaker and teacher.

It was also nice to see and reconnect with old friends and former congregants. In the small world department, several of my former congregants have children who are friends with my current congregants, from Camp Lavi. Several of them even came to Dallas for Emma Yalovsky’s Bat Mitzvah. Furthermore, the Kallah was roommates this year with Megan Lacritz, whom I was delighted to see at the wedding. As we were leaving the chuppah, someone came up to me and introduced himself as Joe Gottlieb, a friend of the kallah’s family and someone who grew up in, and still has wonderful memories of, Shaare Tefilla.

I am looking forward BE”H to celebrating at the wedding of another remarkable young man this week, this time from Shaare- Mazal Tov to Jonah and the Eber, Casper, Klein and Rael families! I pray that the dense cloud of smog, which descended B”H after I left this week, will dissipate by then, that everyone will be able to travel safely and that the tens of millions of people trapped under it will be relieved immediately.

Rabbi’s Recommendation:

The World Beard and Moustachce Championship will begin tomorrow in Burghausen, Germany, and a team from Israel will be competing. Here is a short clip (in Hebrew) about their preparation for the big event . In my view, there is no greater sign of the disconnect between the secular and the religious sectors of Israeli society than the fact that all the members of Israel’s team are not observant. Obviously, Shabbat observance would be virtually impossible at this competition, but I would imagine that 15 minutes spent in Chareidi neighborhoods or Religious Zionist Yeshivot would otherwise yield dozens of worthy candidates for the Israeli team…

Last Week’s MSOTW

Last week’s clue:
In a city that now boasts many, many shuls, this is one of the originals (if not the actual original), dating back to a time when the city was a resort town. Today, there are two branches of this shul. Name the shul and the community.
The shul is Congregation Sons of Israel (Bnei Yisroel) of Lakewood, New Jersey. This is the original, on Park Avenue, dating to 1907. Another branch was built on Madison Avenue, also in Lakewood.

This Week’s MSOTW

Considered the epicenter of Jerusalem’s religious singles scene, this shul is located near several other landmark buildings and was designed by a legendary Israeli architect. Name the shul, the neighborhood, the architect and some of the landmarks near it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources Naso 5783

Dear Shaare family,

This week, the Jewish people mourned the loss of two remarkable men in their 101st year. Rav Gershon Edelstein, the Rosh Yershiva of the Yeshiva Ketana (high school age division) of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, passed away at the age or 100, just hours after delivering his final shiur. Rav Edelstein taught Torah for nearly eight decades, and was conferred with the mantle of leadership for the Lithuabian chareidi community in the last several years of his life. On Shabbat morning, in the context of the Bat Mitzvah of Gabriela Raphael, I will be speaking about one important lesson we can learn from Rav Edelstein’s style of leadership.

This week as well, Cantor Moshe Kraus passed away at the age of 100. Born in Uzhgorod, he studied in yeshivot, was ordained as rabbi, and went to Vienna to study under the well-known cantor Yehuda Leib Miller. Kraus served as cantor in Marmoresh, Szeged, and Budapest. Cantor Kraus was a Holocaust survivor who was saved in Bergen Belsen due to his remarkable voice, the subject of his incredible autobiography . He joined Tito's partisans and after the war went to Bucharest where he was appointed cantor to the Malbim synagogue. From 1946 to 1949 he served as cantor and rabbi in Germany and in 1949 moved to Israel, joining the Israel Defense Forces, where he became the first chief cantor. He appeared in concerts and led prayers in the main Jewish centers of Europe. He served as cantor in the Oxford Street synagogue in Johannesburg, South Africa, and also officiated in Mexico, Venezuela, and Canada, finally making Ottawa, Canada his residence. Cantor Kraus spoke often about his Holocaust experiences and gave interviews on the subject as well. Here is his testimonial, recorded as part of a series under the auspices of Carleton University in Ottawa. Here, he speaks about how he met his wife (Rivka, his wife of 72 years (!) who survived him). In addition to being an outstanding Chazzan, he was a captivating storyteller- here he tells a Chassidic story about a graveside miracle (the translation, in some places, is seriously mistaken). Here is Cantor Kraus singing Sim Shalom.

Hakarat HaTov Corner

On Monday, Memorial Day, I had the honor of participating in the third annual North vs. South Softball Game, between people from the South and North Eruv communities. I am grateful to the members of the South Eruv team for letting me play, and also for winning 11-10! A great time was had by all; a special thank you to Brett Diamond for his coaching and leadership, to Gavi Wolk for pitching all nine innings and to Rabbi Wolk for his benediction.

Last Week’s MSOTW

Last week’s clue was:
This synagogue was built by one of the original communities in this city, which keeps it going with a small minyan even as its members have moved to other neighborhoods and established many other vibrant synagogues and Torah institutions. Due to supply shortages from WWII, it was not completed until 1953. There are several synagogues and communities in this city with the same Shavuot-themed name. Name the synagogue and the city.

The shul is Monte Sinai, in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City. It was started by Aleppian Jews who immigrated to Mexico in the 1920s. There is a large and vibrant Syrian community in Mexico city, with many shuls and Torah institutions, now located in other heavily Jewish neighborhoods. Roma is now an eclectic and trendy neighborhood, and the community maintains the shul and keeps a minyan going even as the community has largely moved away from that neighborhood.

This Week’s MSOTW

In a city that now boasts many, many shuls, this is one of the originals (if not the actual original), dating back to a time when the city was a resort town. Today, there are two branches of this shul. Name the shul and the community.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources Erev Shavuot 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

I hope everyone will join us at Shaare for some, if not all, of Tikkun Leil Shavuot this year. A fascinating lineup is planned addressing some fascinating halachic and Hashkafic issues presented by scientific developments that were once considered theoretical, but are now eminently relevant, including lab-grown beef, space travel, genetic cloning, robots on Shabbat. I have much Hakarat HaTov to my dear friend and colleague Rabbi Daniel Yolkut of Congregation Poale Zedek (“PZ”) in Pittsburgh who got me thinking about this idea and is presenting a similar topic in his shul (though all on his own, all night!) and to Rabbi Wolk, Rabbinic Intern Rabbi Yehuda Rosenberg, Rabbi Grebenau, Jay Gersten and the VPs who have generously agreed to teach adults or teens on Tikkun Leil Shavuot, and to everyone else who will be teaching Torah throughout the Chag, including Rabbi Tannenbaum, Jessica Rackovsky and Julie Wolk.

For those who prefer something a little different, we will be doing our Master A Mishnah program once again, this year studying Masechet Avodah Zarah between 1-3 AM on Shavuot night. I am looking forward to a deep dive into the world of idolatry, and the complex, fascinating and ever relevant topic of relationships between Jews and non-Jews that the Mishnah covers.

For those who prefer to study Chavrutah style, the Beit Midrash will be open and, for those interested, we will be providing source material for discussion and self-study.

Rabbi’s Resources

1. On lactose intolerance in Ashkenazic Jews

2. One of the popular tunes we use at Shaare, Ve’ata Vanim- composed by Rabbi Hillel Paley and sung by Mordechai Ben David - is taken from the Yotzrot for the first day of Shavuot. Since we unfortunately don’t say any of the yotzrot at all, especially not on the first day of Shavuot, it’s worth having a look and a listen.

Last Week’s MSOTW

Kudos to Doba Rudberg, Martin Wolfson, Eric Schramm and Perrin White who correctly identified last week’s MSOTW as the Burning Bush synagogue at the IDF Officer’s Training School (BAHA”D 1) in Mitzpeh Ramon, in Israel. Just as Moshe was commanded to lead from the burning bush, so to the officers receive their ranks in the presence of the burning bush synagogue.

MSOTW

This synagogue was built by one of the original communities in this city, which keeps it going with a small minyan even as its members have moved to other neighborhoods and established many other vibrant synagogues and Torah institutions. Due to supply shortages from WWII, it was not completed until 1953. There are several synagogues and communities in this city with the same Shavuot-themed name. Name the synagogue and the city.

Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Bemidbar 5783 / Yom Yerushalaim

Rabbi's Resources - Bemidbar 5783 / Yom Yerushalaim

Dear Shaare Family,

This evening and tomorrow, the 28th of Iyar, marks the observance of Yom Yerushalaim, the anniversary of the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967.

Six years ago, on the 50th anniversary, I delivered a talk at Shaare titled “My Grandmother’s Yerushalmi Memories” (for those who have Facebook, you can search for it in my archives or ask me for the link) and whose source material can be viewed here. In it, I tell stories my grandmother told about her youth in Jerusalem, living through the War of Independence and participating in the Six Day War. My grandmother, Chasida Gevaryahu (1923-2011), was a seventh-generation Yerushalmit, the second of nine children born to Rav Avraham Baruch Abba and Rebbetzin Chaya Basha Rackovsky (my parents are related - I explain how in more detail in the video).

On our last trip to Israel, my uncle, Dr. Gadi Gvaryahu, took Jessica and me to see the house in the Knesset Yisrael neighborhood, behind Machaneh Yehuda, in which my grandmother grew up. Nine children and two parents lived in two rooms. Their house was considered relatively spacious by the standards of the day, and was even considered luxurious because there was indoor plumbing!

Mystery Shul Of The Week

Kudos to Perrin White and Benji Zoller for correctly identifying last week’s shul as the Zoharei Chama shul, in the heart of Machaneh Yehuda. The shul has only one minyan for Shacharit- at vatikin, the earliest possible opportunity to say Shemoneh Esrei at Shacharit. The sundial on the facade was designed by Rabbi Moshe Shapiro, a watchmaker

in Mea Shearim and a self-taught astronomer who had learned the science required to design sundials by studying the pertinent writings of Maimonides and the Vilna Gaon. Shapiro built sundials for the outside walls of other synagogues, including the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem's Old City the Gr”a shul in Shaare Chessed.

This week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week:

Kudos again to Benji Zoller for sharing this shul with me, whose existence I was not aware of. It is not for the use of the general public- name the shul, its location and, for extra points, the significance of its design.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Behar Bechukotai 5783

Rabbi's Resources- Behar Bechukotai 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

I hope everyone had a safe and meaningful week. On Shabbat morning, I will be speaking about the shooting in Allen last Shabbat, and the shooting in Djerba a little later in the week on Lag Ba’Omer- a site that should be familiar to everyone as it was the Mystery Shul Of The Week two weeks ago. While these are not subjects I would have liked to speak about, I’ve been thinking about both of them a great deal- as well as the deluge of rockets Israel is now experiencing- and I have some thoughts I think are important to share.

Hakarat HaTov

Thank you to all those who offered feedback over last week’s email about the Coronation of King Charles III, and found it interesting. Over the course of a few days, I did watch the service and must say I was deeply moved. While the ceremony itself was certainly Christian in nature (at a time when Church attendance has plummeted in the UK ), respect and honor was given to leaders of all the major faiths and denominations represented in the UK, including Judaism. Places of honor were occupied by Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who marched in the procession of faith leaders, and also Rabbi Joseph Dweck of the Sephardic Community of the United Kingdom, who was seated in a prominent place in Westminster Abbey. The Talmud (Berachot 19b) tells us that one should seek opportunities to behold non-Jewish kings, so that one can tell the difference between them and Jewish kings. For more on Kings in Jewish Thought, I recommend this episode of Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz, Professor of Jewish History at Johns Hopkins University and a congregation Rabbi in Baltimore (who I am fond of quoting) for an excellent overview.

Last Week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week:

Last week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week was another North African shul, the Ettegui Synagogue in Casablanca, Morocco. It was rededicated in 2016, and the ceremony was attended by King Mohammed VI. Kudos to Perrin White for the correct identification.

This Week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week:

This sundial is on the facade of an iconic Jerusalem shul, and was designed by an autodidact astronomer who installed sundials on the facades of many other shuls in Jerusalem and beyond. Name the shul that features this sundial, and, for extra points, the designer and one other shul that boasts his work

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Coronation Edition

Rabbi's Resources- Acharei Mot/Kedoshim 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

While we at Shaare celebrate Adira Englander’s Bat Mitzvah, our British counterparts will mark the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in their shuls. Of course, prayers for the royal family are recited each Shabbos in shuls throughout the British Commonwealth, but the prayers this Shabbos will be special. To read the Order of Service for the Coronation, published by the United Synagogue, to be recited in British shuls this Shabbos, click here . This is not the first time the United Synagogue has formulated an Order of Service for the Coronation of a Monarch- to see the Order of Service from the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, click here - and from the coronation of King Edward in 1902, click here .

There have even been liturgical pieces composed for the occasion- click here to view the Shabbaton Choir singing the Prayer for the Royal Family , and the children of the United Synagogue singing a setting of Adon Olam .

When King Charles was still HRH The Prince of Wales, he attended a Yom Haatzmaut service at the St. John’s Wood Synagogue; for footage of his arrival, welcomed majestically by the remarkable Cantor Moshe Haschel and the Neimah Singers, click here . To view the singing of God Save The Queen (in English and Hebrew and Hatikvah, click here , and the King’s recessional, click here .

It is worth noting that the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, the governing body of Chareidi Rabbis in the UK, also issued a reminder to pray for the Queen.
It is also worth noting that the ruling of the London Beth Din is that one is not allowed to attend state functions in Churches, in accordance with Halacha. The exception to this ruling was issued by the late Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu zt”l, who ruled that if a Rabbi (a Chief Rabbi, for example) is summoned by the monarch to attend (as opposed to being invited), they may enter a Church for the occasion. This is why Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks did not enter the church for Princess Diana’s funeral, but stood outside in a prominent location to pay his respects, as he had not been summoned, but he did attend Prince Willam and Princess Kate’s wedding, as he was. It is also why Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and will attend the coronation as well- click here to read an op-ed piece by Rabbi Mirvis explaining how the Royal Family is accommodating the strictest halachic standards of Shabbos observance for him and Lady Valerie, including putting them up at St. James Palace. The Guardian also wrote about the participation of the Jewish Community in this event even taking Shabbos into account.

If you wish to celebrate the coronation culinarily, here is a recipe for Coronation Quiche . My dear friend and colleague Rabbi Shaul Robinson of the Lincoln Square Synagogue (and proud Scotsman), wrote the following:

After much research, I am ready to announce the official, approved Coronation Kugel! It's based on Buckingham Palace's Coronation Quiche, with the following CRUCIAL changes...
1) Omit the crust. (let's keep this gluten free and healthy!)
2) Instead of Spinach use lots of potatoes!
3) Instead of milk, use lots of oil
4) instead of cheese, add pastrami
5) No need for the tarragon, beans etc - just salt and pepper (maybe some garlic!) to taste!!
Royal Shabbat Shalom!

Hakarat HaTov Corner

A special shout out to the 5-6th grade boys at AYA, including many Shaare members (like my son Shaya, for example), who won the Metro Athletic League Soccer Championship on Tuesday with a victory against Zion Lutheran School, who were tough and worthy opponents all season. The boys played with passion, intensity, excitement and sportsmanship. A special thanks as well to the 8th grade boys, who were awesome superfans!

Last Week’s MSOTW

Last week’s clue:

This synagogue is a site of pilgrimage each year for many around the world, on Lag Ba’Omer. It is located in a place that has an unusually high percentage of Kohanim. Name the shul, and the location.
The shul is the El-Ghriba Synagogue on the Island of Djerba, off the coast of Tunisia. Kudos to Joram Wolanow for suggesting it and sending a picture of himself in it (see attached) just a week or so ago, and to Steve Natinsky and David Tobin for getting the answer correct.

Another view of the synagogue.

For more on this fascinating Jewish community, click here and here.

This Week’s MSOTW

Speaking of coronations, a monarch rededicated this shul’s building. Name the shul, the city and the monarch.

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Acharei Mot/Kedoshim 5783

Rabbi's Resources- Acharei Mot/Kedoshim 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

Hakarat HaTov Corner

My deepest gratitude to Charlie Adamski-Caulkins and her staff at Sotheby’s Dallas, for arranging the special guide to the Codex Sassoon last Thursday at the Bridwell Library at SMU. She was a pleasure to work with and was impressed by the size and knowledge base of our Shaare Tefilla contingent. A special thanks as well to Sharon Lieberman Mintz who provided a most fascinating and informative overview of the history and uniqueness of the codex. I know everyone who joined us learned a great deal, as did the many of you who went at other times.

Last Week’s MSOTW

In the year 1952, Shlomo Umberto Nahon, a leader in the Italian Zionist movement who made aliyah in 1947, began a campaign to transfer the contents of synagogues in defunct Italian Jewish communities to Israel. Under his leadership, some 40 Aronot kodesh and other synagogue furnishings were relocated to Israel. The process was complicated, requiring considerable financial resources, bureaucratic navigation, artistic expertise and administrative oversight. Among the required steps were included (an article in Hebrew, from which this information is taken, can be found here )

1) Permits from local and provincial authorities in Italy, as well as from the federal antiquities authority in Rome.
2) Detailed diagrams (in Italian) of the correct assembly of the artifacts, according to the Italian style, as the items were dismantled prior to being brought to Israel.
3) Dismantling each artifact into smaller pieces by professional artisans, made more complicated by the fact that they were often made of older wood that was coated in gold, as well as stone and marble.
4) Packaging each piece in containers that would be resistant to damage, should the ships carrying them encounter stormy conditions on the way (this was still a cause of damage).
5) Oversight of transport, both in Italy and Israel
6) Selection of the shul or institution where the Aron Kodesh would rest
7) Reassembly and repair

This process ended when the Italian government asserted that these Aronot Kodesh were part of the Italian heritage and belonged in Italy, not abroad. Italian Aronot Kodesh can be found in the following places, among others:

The Italian Shul in Jerusalem
At the bottom of Rechov Hillel in Jerusalem you can find the Museum and Synagogue of the Italian Jews. It contains a fully functional shul built in 1675, which was transported entirely from the community of Conegliano Veneto.

The Ponevezh Yeshiva, Bnei Brak
This Aron Kodesh originally sat in the Scuola Grande Italiana, a synagogue built in 1635 in Mantuaoes.

Heichal Shlomo
This Aron Kodesh, sitting in the shul in Heichal Shlomo in Jerusalem, was built in 1617 in Padua.

Yeshivat Kerem BeYavneh
Where I attended. The Aron Kodesh is from Florence.

Central Shul, Kiryat Shmuel, Haifa
This Aron Kodesh is from Reggio Emilia, built in 1756.

The Beit Knesset in the Knesset
The Aron Kodesh was brought by David Casuto from the community of Soragna.

There are plenty of other examples, of course. Recently, an Aron Kodesh that was sitting in an attic in the Padua synagogue was restored and installed in the Torah Links Center in Lakewood, New Jersey.

This Week’s MSOTW

This synagogue is a site of pilgrimage each year for many around the world, on Lag Ba’Omer. It is located in a place that has an unusually high percentage of Kohanim. Name the shul, and the location.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources- Tazria/Metzora Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5783

Dear Shaare Family,

This week marks Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut. On Yom Hazikaron, I recall the members of our family who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty, in defense of the Jewish people and Jewish state, and in terror attacks. Some of the hyperlinks below are in Hebrew.

My mother's first cousin Reuven Gvaryahu was a brilliant, sensitive, dedicated and talented soldier who rose rapidly through the ranks of the IDF, and gained renown for his natural leadership skills. My mother set him up with her best friend Chedvah, whom he married in a ceremony in the Old City. He was killed in action during the Yom Kippur War on Hoshana Rabba of 1973, in the Battle of the Chinese Farm. Many of the upper echelons of the leadership of the Jewish state paid condolences to his parents, as his father, Professor Chaim Gevaryahu, was a prominent lecturer in Tanach at Hebrew University and was the founder of the Chidon HaTanach that is still popular today.

Meir Avitzedek (originally Rackovsky), my second cousin, was a 23 year old student of the Chevron Yeshiva who had recently enlisted in the army. His uncompromising principles, deep brilliance and stellar people skills were appreciated both by his peers and superiors in the army and rebbeim in the Yeshiva. He often lectured on Torah topics to non-observant Israelis, with whom he enjoyed an excellent rapport; he was an autodidact who amassed a vast knowledge of philosophy, Hebrew literature and classical music, for whom a bright future in Jewish leadership was prophesied. He was on the verge of his release from the army, and was engaged to be married, when he died at his post during the Neot Hakikar disaster of 1970.

Mordechai Lapid was the husband of my cousin Miriam (Avitzedek, first cousin of the above-mentioned Meir, after whom she named one of her sons), who together had 14 children. Mordechai was an immigrant from Latvia who lived as a refusenik before finally gaining permission to make alilyah. He and his wife were among the original settlers in the Shomron, first in Alon Shvut and then in Kiryat Arba/Chevron. He was a prolific author and poet who wrote on Zionist themes. ֿThe oldest of their children was Shalom Lapid (named for my great-grandfather, Rav Shalom Rackovsky zt”l). Widely renowned as an iluy (Talmudic prodigy), he was already on his way to rabbinic ordination at the age of 19. He enrolled in the Lithuanian Chareidi Ponevezh yeshiva in Bnei brak, a departure from the norm mig from the staunchly religious Zionist family in Kiryat Arba. The story is told that the leadership of the yeshiva was reticent to accept him because of his different background, but the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Elazar Menachem Shach zt”l insisted he be accepted. On December 6, 1993 terrorists opened fire on the vehicle in which the Lapid family was traveling, killing Shalom and Mordechai and injuring three other Lapid children. The double funeral procession left from the Ponevezh Yeshiva, and Rav Shach paid a personal shiva call to the family. The intersection at which they were murdered is now called Tzomet Lapid.

May their memories, and their sacrifice, be for a blessing.

This Week’s MSOTW

Since over a month has passed from the last Rabbi’s Resources, I will remind you of the last MSOTW:

Name as many shuls or institutions as you can come up with, outside of Italy, that have an Aron Kodesh that was removed from defunct Renaissance and Baroque-era Italian shuls. I can think of at least four.

Hint: This communication contains the answer for one of them. Two others can be found, explicitly or alluded to, in previous MSOTWs.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources Vayakhel Pekudei HaChodesh

Rabbi's Resources
Vayakhel Pekudei HaChodesh
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

Last year, Purim and March 17 coincided, leading to a spate of green and Irish-themed costumes (I wore a green tie to the Purim Seudah). Purim seems to have been a dispensation for what would otherwise certainly fall under the category of chukkat akum, the prohibition against behaving in ways associated with gentiles; celebrating a Christian holiday certainly would fall under that heading. But if a Jew is not allowed to celebrate St. Patrick’s day, it doesn’t mean that the rich Jewish heritage of Ireland should be forgotten- especially in the realm of Rabbinic leaders.

Perhaps the best known Chief Rabbi of Ireland is Rav Dr. Yitzchak Isaac HaLevi Herzog, later to serve as Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine. Born in Poland and raised in Paris, he was a talmudic genius with a brilliant Halachic mind who was revered by those he led and held in the highest regard by his colleagues. He was Rabbi in Belfast from 1916-1919, and then as Rabbi in Dublin from 1919-1922. From 1922-1936, he served as Chief Rabbi of Ireland, after which he emigrated to Palestine. Apparently, he spoke Gaelic fluently, and was a supporter of the Irish Republican cause during the Irish War of Independence; later, he supported the Irgun as well.

Two occupants of the role of Chief Rabbi of Ireland went on to become Chief Rabbis of the United Kingdom. Lord Rabbi Dr. Imanuel Jakobovitz served as Chief Rabbi of Ireland from 1949-1958, after which he assumed the position of founding Senior Rabbi of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan, and then as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth from 1967-1991. Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, about whom we’ve spoken in this space in the past, was Chief Rabbi of Ireland from 1985-1992. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another Rabbi who held that position- Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Pearlman, from 2001-2008. Rabbi Pearlman is a native of Manchester who studied in Beth Medrash Govoha, the Lakewood Yeshiva, and served several decades as a congregational Rabbi and teacher in Rochester, New York- where he was my Rebbe in elementary school and a formative influence on my life.

Aside from great Chief Rabbis, Ireland has produced native sons as well who were prominent Torah teachers. Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Cooperman revolutionized the field of Torah education for women as the founder of Michlalah Jerusalem College for Women. He taught thousands of students who have reached the highest levels in every field of endeavor, all in a thick Irish brogue. Another was Rabbi Cooperman’s first cousin, Rabbi Isaac Bernstein, an electrifying and unforgettable Rabbi and teacher of Torah in London, who served a four year stint as Rabbi of The Jewish Center in Manhattan from 1977-1981. Rabbi Bernstein possessed a sharp wit and a lyrical baritone, and he loved to sing. Unfortunately, Rabbi Bernstein passed away at the young age of 59, but his Torah classes can still be accessed through the OU’s All Parsha app and website each week and I highly recommend them.

All of this is remarkable considering that the Irish Jewish community has been in a decline for decades. Last week, the Dublin Orthodox community announced that it would be putting up its only synagogue building for sale and moving to smaller quarters.

Rabbi’s Recommendations

I highly recommend that you come to the annual Kosher Chili Cookoff, and vote for Shaare. It’s time for us to win…again!

Last Week’s MSOTW

Last week’s MSOTW is the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue on E. 63rd street in Manhattan. The winner is Rabbi Maury Grebenau, who not only correctly identified it, but yesterday morning sent me a hot-off-the-press selfie of himself in it, right before Shacharit! Honorable mentions go to Perrin White and Joe Ravitsky.

The synagogue is named after the legendary banker philanthropist, who died in 1999 in an arson incident in Monaco. Mr. Safra paid for the refurbishment of many shuls across Europe, and for the construction of many others. Some other synagogues named for him include:

The Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in Monaco- as you can see, it is almost identical to the one in Manhattan

Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, Deal, New Jersey

Synagogue Edmond J. Safra in Paris

Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, Aventura, Floria

The Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, Tel Aviv

The Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, Rio De Janeiro

This Week’s MSOTW

The Rabbi’s Resources will be going on hiatus until Parshat Tazria, a week after Pesach. I will leave you, therefore, with a difficult question:

Name as many shuls or institutions outside of Italy that you can think of, that have an Aron Kodesh removed from defunct Renaissance and Baroque-era Italian shuls (I know of at least four).

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources- Ki Tissa Parah 5783

Rabbi's Resources | Ki Tissa Parah 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

It has been a busy few weeks since the last edition of Rabbi’s Resources. I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the RIETS Yarchei Kallah I attended in Miami- it was wonderful to spend several days with old friends and long-time colleagues, and to meet some younger ones as well. It brought home that I’m not as young as I used to be, as I was not one of the youngest or newest Rabbis anymore!
Purim was terrific at Shaare Tefilla- a full shul at night at both readings, an amazingly successful Mishloach Manot campaign and a delicious and packed Purim Seudah. A separate email will be sent thanking all the volunteers who made Purim so special, and the lengthy list should be read, Megillah style, in one breath (disclaimer: no resemblance is implied between our dedicated volunteers and Haman’s ten dastardly sons).

Rabbi’s Recommendations

The Israeli actor Haim Topol passed away today at the age of 87. He was known for his portrayal of Tevye in the stage and film version of Fiddler On The Roof, a role he performed more than 3500 times through 2009 and for which he was nominated for a Tony and an Oscar. His breakthrough role, and the one for which he is being talked about in Israel, is as the title role in the film Salah Shabati, nominated for an Oscar in 1964 as Best Foreign Film. The movie’s sendup of early Zionist institutions like the Kibbutz, and the Ashkenormative elitism of the early Zionist establishment, have made it an enduring classic in Israel. Here is one of the most famous scenes, in which Topol sings the movie’s iconic earworm song, Mashiach HaZaken.

Previous Mystery Shul Of The Week

The clue:

The outside of this landmark Israeli shul has been expanded and remodeled several times, its architectural style changing completely in the century it has been in existence. The neighborhood has changed, too, and the fortunes of the shul have fluctuated with it, and now it is used especially for Jewish lifecycle events. Recently, a concerted effort has been made to revive the shul, and a campaign was approved to return it to its original appearance. Name the city, and the shul.

The Shul -
The Tel Aviv Great Synagogue.
Here is what the shul looked like in 1930.

In 1969, the Architect Aryeh Elchanani made changes to the facade and added columns around the exterior to match a more modern architectural aesthetic. Changes were also made to the inside, including to the Aron Kodesh.

This is what the shul looks like today. While it is primarily used for lifecycle events, it is also an active shul that is apparently experiencing something of a resurgence.

Here is a picture of the new plans for the reimagining of the shul, according to its original look:

Mystery Shul Of The Week

This beautiful shul bears the same name as many others throughout the world (including one whose appearance is nearly identical to this one), in that they are named after the same person. Name this shul, its location, and its namesake. For extra credit, include a picture of another shul with the same name.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Parshat Terumah

Rabbi's Resources | Parshat Terumah 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

This coming Tuesday, with God’s help, I have the privilege of traveling to Miami to attend the 20th anniversary Yarchei Kallah for Rabbis under the auspices of RIETS, from which I am honored to be ordained. It will be several days of intensive sessions, but will also represent an opportunity to reconnect with friends serving around the world; for example, our Scholar in Residence, Rabbi Zsolt Balla, will also be in attendance. It will also be an opportunity for the Rabbinic community to show Hakarat HaTov to Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, who has presided over these Yarchei Kallah experiences annually. In Rabbi Schacter’s honor, the participants put together a book whereby various Rabbis contributed sample speeches for lifecycle and other events. I was blessed to be among the few who could contribute a speech in honor of a building dedication, and am honored to have done so.

Rabbi’s Recommendations

In the past, I have compiled a playlist for the Yamim Noraim, and one for Pesach, and now I am honored to share with you my playlist for Purim. Drawing heavily from Chassidsh music and music from the Ashkenazi yeshiva world, with a Sephardic flavor as well, it will get you in the Purim spirit!

Mystery Shul Of The Week

The outside of this landmark Israeli shul has been expanded and remodeled several times, its architectural style changing completely in the century it has been in existence. The neighborhood has changed, too, and the fortunes of the shul have fluctuated with it, and now it is used especially for Jewish lifecycle events. Recently, a concerted effort has been made to revive the shul, and a campaign was approved to return it to its original appearance. Name the city, and the shul.

Last Week’s MSOTW

Last week’s mystery shul of the week was the Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi (Cochin), Indiathe synagogue used by the community of Paradesi (foreign in Malayalam) Sephardic Jews who either fled the Iberian peninsula or Arab nations to India. The shul still functions, though usually without a minyan; most Indian Jews have made aliyah and established vibrant Indian synagogues in places like Ashdod, Beersheva, Yeruham and Moshav Nevatim. The shul is also known for its clock tower.

While I may have been stumped by Stuart Wernick, our member Harel Rush texted me the answer within seconds of seeing the picture. With good reason, too- in 2019, he lained the Megillah there on Purim! I urge you to find Harel (and meet him if you haven’t already) and hear the story from him.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Parshat Mishpatim Shekalim

Rabbi's Resources | Mishpatim Shekalim 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

This week, we read Parshat Mishpatim, the Torah portion that contains the sources for many laws of Jewish jurisprudence, and the basis for many of the tractates in the order of Nezikin, or damages. Laws governing torts, charging interest, returning lost objects and the running of Jewish courts are all found in this week’s parshah. This week’s Hakarat Hatov goes to young Shaare members Mordechai Weiss, Joe Schwartz and Sam Rael, the members of the Yavneh Moot Beit Din team, for bringing me on board in a consulting role for their presentation, which they are preparing under the guidance of Rabbi Yaakov Tannenbaum. The case they have been given deals with the complicated interplay between healthy vs. predatory competition, the need for individuals to earn an income and the role a free market, benefitting the customer, plays in Jewish law. In my probbeh (try out) Shabbos in Dallas in January 2015, I delivered a shiur on this subject, based on a case that I worked on when I was a member of the staff of the Beth Din of America. The Beth Din has published a number of their rulings , of which this case was the second (all identifying details have been changed).

Rabbi’s Recommendations

My dear friend (and past Shaare Tefilla scholar in residence) Prof. Michael Avi Helfand of Pepperdine University School of Law (and guest lecturer at Yale Law School) is one of today’s experts on the legal intersection between law and religion, religious freedom and how it relates to Jewish communal interest in particular. This week, he was interviewed on the 18Forty Podcast , hosted by Rabbi Dr. David Bashevkin (another Shaare guest speaker, virtually, during deep COVID). I recommend everyone listen to Dr. Helfand’s erudite, lucid and entertaining explanation of many of these issues. I also recommend that you listen to the 18Forty podcast in general, as Rabbi Bashevkin has many really fascinating guests speaking about important, and often uncomfortable subjects (note: Rabbi Bashevkin often begins his episodes with lengthy introductions that can be quite interesting; if you want to hear just the interview, the episode notes indicate when the interview begins).

Mystery Shul Of The Week

Some of you have told me in the past that you are occasionally, or often, stumped by my Mystery Shuls. This week, I was stumped myself! This picture was sent to me by Stuart Wernick, taken by a friend of his, and he challenged me to identify it. I was unable to fully do so even after three tries (I now know what it is). I hope you will have better success!

Last Week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week

Kudos to Josh Bernstein who correctly identified the city of last week’s MSOTW- Tsfat. It is the Kossov shul (recently renovated), popular especially for its openness, and spirited Friday night davening.
Kossov was a Chasidic group that flourished in Western Galicia and Bukovina. The founder was Rav Menachem Mendel Hager, whose grandson, of the same name, founded the Vizhnitz Chassidic court.
In 1847, Kosover Chassidim made Aliyah, and moved to Tsfat, founding a shul named for their community and following their customs. After WWII and the War of Independence, the shul fell apart. Nearly 40 years ago, a group of English-speaking returnees to Judaism, inspired by the Biala Rebbe, began to pray there, and the Beit Din of Tsfat appointed them guardians of the shul, so long as the customs and the name of the shul would be preserved (a certain niggun from Kossov is still sung every Friday night).

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Parshat Yitro 5783

Rabbi's Resources | Yitro 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

We are deeply saddened by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the astronomic numbers of casualties- over 15,000 as of this writing, and many hundreds of thousands of lives forever changed. When there is suffering in the world, our mandate is to set an example with our caring, compassion and kindness. A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of hosting Eli Beer of United Hatzalah of Israel, whose representatives are always first on the ground when there is a catastrophe like this, and this earthquake is no exception. Please have the people of Turkey and Syria in your prayers.

In other news…

Our sages tell us that Yitro’s unique merit was that he caused an entire section to be added to the Torah (and is one of the few people with a Parsha named after them) because he counseled Moshe to create a tiered legal system in which he was not doing all the work himself. Failing to do so would lead, Yitro said, to burnout and ultimately to the perversion of justice. Indeed, organizing a legal system is one of the seven Noahide laws binding on all humanity. In this spirit, many of you (especially the women of Shaare) doubtless recall the appearance, at Shaare Tefilla, of Judge Ruchie Freier in November of 2019 (aka “The Before Times). She held us spellbound with stories of her path to the bench from the Chassidish community after starting college at age 30, law school at age 40, founding Ezras Nashim, a female volunteer EMT service, and then being elected as a Civil Court Judge. This week, it was announced that Judge Freier has been named Acting Supreme Court Judge, the first Chassidic woman ever to fill the post. As she was appointed to fill a vacancy, she will have to run this summer for the position she currently occupies.

Hakarat HaTov Corner

Once again, I am grateful to the leadership of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal for the opportunity for us to partner with them on a lecture series, in the context of their Shaar Learning Center. The title of the series is Bold, Brilliant and Banned, a discussion of controversial and groundbreaking books that were banned in their day. The classes will take place virtually for the next two week on Wednesday nights at 7 PM - I hope you can join us (the registration link is in the original email).

Rabbi’s Recommendation

The Ten Commandments contain the prohibition against coveting - Lo Tachmod- rendered by our sages as the prohibition against coercing others to part with items they own and cherish because you want them. In some communities, there is a piyyut recited on Shavuot that describes the prohibitions surrounding each of the ten commandments. The legendary Chazzan Yossele Rosenblatt set the text to words with a choral accompaniment, performed here by the Lemmer brothers- Cantors Yanky and Shaare Tefilla favorite Shulem.

Mystery Shul Of The Week

This shul is named for a Chassidic court in Europe; for years, it lay dormant and was revived by English speaking baalei teshuvah. It is now known for its spirited Friday night tefillot with several hundred participants. Name the shul and the city in which it is located.

Last Week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week

Congratulations to Perrin White for correctly identifying this as the Aron Kodesh of Congregation Zichron Eliezer of Cincinnati, a shul named after the legendary Rav Eliezer Silver zt”l, a talmudic genius from Lithuania who served as the city’s Chief Rabbi from 1931 until his death in 1968.

Many of the city’s institutions, like the Cincinnati Hebrew Day School and Vaad Ho’Ir, were founded by him. Rav Silver was the President of the Agudath HaRabbonim and the Vaad Hatzalah, through which he saved the lives of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. Chief Rabbi whose Yahrtzeit was observed this past week and who was heavily involved in rescue efforts during WWII.

Rav Silver was the grandfather of my Rebbe, Rav Ahron Silver of Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh (whose son is named Eliezer after him), and was the great-great grandfather of Donny Morris zt”l, who was killed in the Meron tragedy.

Shabbat Shirah Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Parshat Beshalach 5783

Rabbi's Resources | Beshalach 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

In the early 1960’s, a mother of six named Florence Rapoport was entertaining her children on a snowy February morning. Her kids were complaining that it was too cold to do anything, so she declared that it was Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. The next year, the children reminded her of the tradition, which became an annual celebration that they took with them to college. It was then that ICFBD went “viral.” Celebrations have been recorded all over the world, including in such diverse locations as China, Namibia and Israel. It is celebrated on the first Saturday in February; I recall as a child that our shul would throw an ice cream kiddush on this day, because Florence Rapoport lived in Rochester, and her daughter, Debby Kornfeld, was a member of our shul and continues to perpetuate her mother’s sweet memory through this lovely tradition. According to Hebrew Calendar Facts, Shabbat Shira and ICFBD coincide on average 25% of the time in a 100 year period (the triple combo of Shabbat Shira/Tu Bishvat/IFCBD coincides 7 times). The last time they coincided was 11 years ago, and the next time will be in 11 years from today. No promises on what our intrepid kitchen crew are putting together for kiddush, especially since, given the inclement weather over the past few days, anything at all served for kiddush this week should be viewed as a bonus. But on your own, enjoy a special Rochesterian tradition! Obviously, breakfast on Shabbat morning should be preceded by Tefillah at shul, and kiddush (in that order). If the ice cream is served alongside a fleishig kiddush, it should, of course, be pareve.

Hakarat HaTov/Rabbi’s Recommendation

I am grateful to the clergy and leadership of Montreal’s Congregation Shaar Hashomayim (Mystery Shul Of The Week, Parshat Nitzvaim- 9/22/22) for having invited me to serve as Scholar In Residence this Shabbat. Unfortunately, Hashem had other plans and the weather prevented me from actualizing the invitation. I won’t deny that I am disappointed, as Shabbat Shirah at The Shaar is a special weekend, when Cantor Gideon Zelermyer and the Choir always plan a special musical Shabbat celebration.

To get a taste of the music of Shaar Hashomayim, click here  to listen to the CDs they’ve issued so far (the link is for their Shabbat CD, but there is also a CD with general selections and two for the High Holidays).

MSOTW

This is the Aron Kodesh of a shul named after the legendary Rabbi of an American city, whose Yahrtzeit was observed this past week and who was heavily involved in rescue efforts during WWII. It is in the city where this Rabbi served. Name the shul, the Rabbi, and the city.

Last Week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week

Last week’s shul was the Agoudas HaKehillos shul, on Rue Pavee in the fourth Arrondissement of Paris, also known as The Pletzl. Built in the Art Nouveau style, This landmark shul was built by Polish and Russian Jews, who wanted a place to feel comfortable in contrast to the formal and stodgy shuls that already existed there. On Erev Yom Kippur in 1941,the building was dynamited along with six other Parisian synagogues by collaborators of the Nazis occupants; the building was only preserved because the dynamite didn’t go off.

On the night between 2 and 3 October of the same year, the synagogue was damaged following an attack organized by far-right association Mouvement Social Révolutionnaire. Since 1964, it has been under the spiritual leadership of the Rottenberg family - first, Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Rottenberg (known reverently as “Le Rouv”) and, since 1990, his son Rabbi Mordechai Rottenberg.

Shabbat Shirah Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Bo 5783

Rabbi's Resources | Bo 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

A few years ahead of me in high school, there was a student with a gregarious personality and huge heart named Ben Chafetz. He never met a stranger, and had a way of making anyone feel comfortable within moments of meeting them - staying in touch over long distances and periods of time. I didn’t keep up with Ben as I should have, but every now and then I’d hear from different sources that he was living in Cleveland, was a successful entrepreneur and a devoted family man. Tragically, many, many people found out about Ben last weekend.

Ben was, apparently, an experienced pilot and he and his friend Baruch Taub were traveling back from JFK to Cleveland on Thursday evening in a small plane, returning from a funeral in New York. A combination of severe weather, low cloud cover and engine problems led to Taub calling for urgent assistance even though they were only about a mile away from Westchester County Airport. They lost contact immediately thereafter; an open field landing was impossible given the lack of visibility and the heavily wooded area. The plane, and their bodies, were recovered much later that evening. Ben sent a message to his wife and seven kids asking them to daven for him, and telling them that he loved them - a message that went out to his shul’s whatsapp group instead.

At the heart wrenching funeral, and in social media posts afterward, we learned more about these two men - pillars of the Cleveland community who lived to help others. Baruch Taub was a mechanic who was known for his scrupulous integrity and deep humility; he had donated a Torah scroll to a shul nearby his auto shop - which he had built between two shuls to make it easier to attend minyan - but refused any recognition for his donation. Ben was dedicated to every aspect of the Cleveland community (he was, for example, a member of the Chevra Kadisha) who offered generous financial support to many local institutions. In fact, he also supported Torah institutions in other cities where he did business or visited, such as Las Vegas and Orlando, and the Chabad House in Bangalore, India, where he visited every six months. Ben was a passenger on the famous El Al flight that got diverted to Athens on account of Shabbos, and wrote about his experience here. In subsequent years, he led a fundraising effort to help Chabad of Athens build a Mikvah, as a gesture of gratitude for the unforgettable Shabbos they facilitated. In more recent years, he had begun arranging his daily schedule to allow for morning and evening Torah study. Dan Eleff, a Cleveland resident and the proprietor of Dan’s Deals, wrote poignantly about Baruch and Ben in these posts.

The ever present and unanswerable theological challenge of the death of the righteous, especially at a young age, certainly rears its head when confronting these stories. It would be disingenuous to say that I miss Ben; I hadn’t spoken with him for close to 25 years. However, his big heartedness was evident even when I knew him. The world in general, and Jewish Cleveland in particular, is a better place because he was in it. May his and Baruch Taub’s memories be for a blessing, and may the lives their families continue to live be sterling tributes to the legacy left behind by their remarkable fathers and husbands.

Mystery Shul Of The Week

This landmark shul was built in a unique architectural style by Polish and Russian Jews, who wanted a place to feel comfortable in contrast to the formal and stodgy shuls that already existed in this city. It has experienced a gas explosion, and, in rapid succession, dynamiting by the Nazis and attacks by far right revolutionaries within a few weeks in 1941. Name the shul, the city in which it is located, the architectural style and, for extra points, supply a photo.

Last Week’s Mystery Shul Of The Week

The first synagogue in the British Commonwealth to be issued an official Coat of Arms is Congregation Machizkei Hadass, of Ottawa, Ontario, led for decades by the legendary Rabbi Reuven Bulka. Here is a picture of the sanctuary, with the Coat of Arms on the parochet.

For more information about the Coat of Arms, click here.

Kudos to Elli Brodbaker for being the first to identify the shul, though in all fairness, it was the shul where he davened throughout medical school…

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Va'era 5783

Rabbi's Resources | Va'era 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

This past week, I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Miriam and Daniel Dimont in Passaic, New Jersey (special Hakarat HaTov to my good friends Chani and Zev Karpel for their hospitality on Monday night). At the gate for my flight from DFW to Newark, I saw many people with colored tags with their names on them, clearly members of a tour group of some kind. There was one man who was being asked questions by many people; figuring he was a leader of the tour group, I asked him where they were going. It may not be a surprise to you that they were 70 members of a delegation twice that size from Highland Park United Methodist Church, traveling to Tel Aviv. For virtually all of them, it was to be their first time in Israel. The man people were asking questions of was Aaron Long, the music pastor. He was excited to meet a Rabbi - especially one who studied in Israel and has, thank God, been there many times. Some of the members even shared the key Hebrew phrases they learned, such as “Habibi” and “Ahalan”- and were somewhat disappointed when I pointed out that both of those words were actually Arabic, incorporated into Israeli slang. I hope I will have an opportunity to get together with Pastor Long when the group returns, and hear how their trip was - and maybe for Shaare Tefilla to learn from their example (and that of, lehavdil, countless other shuls as well).

Rabbi’s Recommendations

1) When Shulem Lemmer and the choir came for Shabbat, they introduced a new tune to the second half of Lecha Dodi on Friday night. It wasn’t exactly a “new” tune - it is an old tune from the Sanz Chassidic dynasty, which includes the Bobov, Klausenberg and Stropkov chassidim - but it was new to us. Last Friday night, I used it again. It is a rousing niggun sung in chassidishe shtiebelach and header yeshivot alike, and it would be amazing if it were part of our repertoire - listen to it here, or sung by the talmidim in the Hesder Yeshiva in Otniel (where Benji and Sammy Zoller studied).

2) As we begin reading about the Ten Plagues, here is Franz Josef Haydn’s String Quartet opus 50, number 6 - titled “The Frog.”

Mystery Shul Of The Week

This was the first shul in the British Commonwealth ever to be granted an official Coat of Arms. Name the shul, and, for bonus points, share a picture of the Coat of Arms.

Last Week’s MSOTW

Last week’s clue was -
“You can find a minyan any time of day or night at this landmark Jerusalem shul. On Friday nights after dinner, a legendary Rabbi used to deliver speeches on the Parsha that drew capacity crowds. Name the shul, and the Rabbi.”

Last week’s winner was Bernie Rosenberg, who correctly identified the shul as the Zichron Moshe Shteieblach in Zichron Moshe, adjacent to the Geulah neighborhood of Yerushalaim, and for identifying the Rabbi as the legendary Maggid of Jerusalem, Rav Sholom Mordechai HaKohen Schwadron.

The Maggid’s passionate speeches and legendary oratory drew capacity crowds every Friday night after dinner to the main shul at Zichron Moshe.

Some of Rav Schwadron’s speeches were translated into English by the noted mohel Rabbi Paysach Krohn, who had a close personal relationship with the Maggid, and became a popular speaker in his own right.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Shemot 5783

Rabbi's Resources | Shemot 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

As part of this year’s New Years Honours, King Charles bestowed a knighthood on Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, for his work on behalf of the Jewish community especially in interfaith relations. Rabbi Sir Mirvis is the fourth consecutive Chief Rabbi to have been knighted; his predecessors- Rabbi Sir Israel Brodie, Lord Immanuel Jakobovits and Lord Jonathan Sacks all were as well (the latter two being elevated to a life peerage several years after their knighthood). While he hasn’t been formally knighted yet, Rabbi Mirvis has already been called in public by his new title- when he received the final bracha under the chuppah of a close friend of mine this past week!

Kudos to the many members who answered last week’s MSOTW, and correctly identified the shul(s) with which Rabbi Mirvis was affiliated - Elli Brodbaker was first in identifying the Finchley United Synagogue, known as “Kinloss,” the shul Rabbi Mirvis served before being named Chief Rabbi.

Special recognition to Perrin White who identified all the shuls Rabbi Mirvis served, the Adelaide Road Synagogue (below right) in Dublin (now defunct), and the Western Marble Arch Synagogue In London.

But my favorite answer (no offense to the others) came from Shelley Weiss, who attached the picture of the Beit Midrash in Yeshivat Kerem BeYavneh, where Rabbi Mirvis studied from 1973-1976, and where I studied 24 years later.

This Week’s MSOTW:
You can find a minyan any time of day or night at this landmark Jerusalem shul. On Friday nights after dinner, a legendary Rabbi used to deliver speeches on the Parsha that drew capacity crowds. Name the shul, and the Rabbi.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - VaYechi 5783

Rabbi's Resources | VaYechi 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

Parshat Vayechi, which deals with the end of Yaakov’s life, has become a Shabbat on which end of life issues are discussed. Whether it is the importance of formulating a will or the need for explicit end-of-life directives and proper funeral planning, failure to plan is planning for failure. This year though, there is one area that needs to be urgently addressed - what the National Association of Chevra Kadisha is calling The Cremation Crisis. At this time, the cremation rate among Jews is at 50% at least, and that number is only projected to rise. It is important for any of us in a position of influence to be able to speak about this and try and change the minds of those who are considering this route, so that we can help promote and preserve Jewish burial. In fact, neither shiva nor mourning rituals are held for a person who is cremated. This Shabbat afternoon, I will be discussing some halachic issues relating to cremation and how halachic authorities dealt with this issue when it began to become more widespread.

Hakarat HaTov Corner

I am grateful that an organization like Chaveirim of Dallas exists to help people out of tight spots (this is a Dallas branch of a national organization). In the most recent wintry weather, they were on call non-stop helping people shut off the water supply to their house and cleaning up after burst pipes. They have helped people get into homes or cars when they were locked out, and I have personally benefited from their services. as they helped give me a jump when my battery died. According to some of their volunteers, not enough people in the South Eruv know about them and what they do. Most of their calls come from up north. Please visit their website; find out what they do and see if you can help, if not as a Chaver, then as a supporter. If needed, please avail yourself of their services, too. The number of their emergency line is 214 814 0109.

Last Week’s MSOTW

Congratulations to Meyer Denn and Simon Raphael for correctly identifying last week’s MSOTW as the Great Park Synagogue in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, a recreation of the former Great Synagogue on Woolmarans Street. The Senior Rabbi of the shul, Rabbi Dovid Hazdan, tells the story of how the move happened in this video . Extra points to Meyer for remembering that I referred to this story in a Yom Kippur sermon of three years ago!

MSOTW

No pictures this time…
A prominent person at one time associated with this shul was knighted by King Charles several days ago as part of his New Year’s Honours. Name the person, and name shul (hint: there are several correct answers to the shul part, and any and all will be accepted). Extra points if you send me a picture of it.
Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Shabbat Parshat Vayigash

Rabbi's Resources | Shabbat Parshat Vayigash | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

This Tuesday, we observe the fast of Asara BeTevet. In two plac es in Tanach, (Melachim II 25:1, Yirmiyahu 52:4), the 10th of Tevet was the day on which Jerusalem was laid siege by the Babylonians, leading to the breach that happened months later on the 17th of Tammuz, and the destruction on the ninth of Av. In the book of Zechariah (8:19), it is identified as a fast day. For an excellent presentation of what Asara BeTevet is about, see this short talk from Rivky Stern of Aleph Beta.

It is easy to overlook Asara BeTevet in the northern hemisphere; it is a short fast day (in the Southern hemisphere, it is the longest one), ending in Dallas at 6:11 PM. But to ignore Asara BeTevet would be a mistake; it is one of the most stringent of fast days, in some ways even more than Tisha B’Av. For example, normally, one is not permitted to enter Shabbos while starving or afflicted (Eruvin 41a), so one is not usually permitted to fast on Friday. Under our calendar system, Tisha B’av cannot fall on a Friday, yet if it did, it would be rescheduled to another day for this very reason. However, Asara BeTevet can and does fall on Friday, and it is observed on that day. As an aside, an interesting calendrical anomaly is that in certain secular years, Asara BeTevet does not occur at all, like in 2022. It will occur twice in 2023- on January 3, and December 22. Even if you are not usually careful about the observance of fast days, if you are well enough to skip two meals, Asara BeTevet is a good day to start (obviously, if you are not, please speak to me and your physician).

Hakarat HaTov Corner

A special thank you to Rabbi Howard Wolk for organizing last week’s kiddush luncheon and for sharing meaningful words of Torah on Shabbat morning, all in honor of our 36th anniversary. Thanks as well to Lowell Michaelson and Simcha Kosher Catering for a delicious spread, and to all those who sponsored and attended!

Last Week’s MSOTW

Congratulations to Jeremy Hollander and Perrin White who correctly identified this shul as the The Lederman Shul in Bnei Brak. This is the shul where the Steipler Gaon, Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (1899-1985) davened, as did his son, Rav Chaim Kanievsky (1928-2022). Perhaps more famously, it was the shul where his daughter in law, Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky (1932-2011) davened every single morning, often surrounded by women who came to receive blessings from her. The Steipler’s brother in law, Rav Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz (also known as the Chazon Ish) (1878-1953) was opposed to the use of the Israeli power grid on Shabbat, because of the difficulty of running a power plant under Shabbat-compliant guidelines. Furthermore, he asserted that even if a power plant could run permissibly, using its electricity would be forbidden, as the secular workers there do not respect Shabbat and using their electricity would show public approval of their actions. In Bnei Brak, many people still follow this ruling, and the Lederman Shul adheres to it strictly, following the directives of the Steipler and Rav Chaim Kanievsky. Indeed, Rav Chaim only permitted air conditioners run on generator power when it was brought to his attention that, in summer months, the lack of air conditioning was causing people to faint and presented a pikuach nefesh situation. Another interesting fact about the shul is that the windows have diagonal cross bars, and not perpendicular ones, because the Steipler was exceptionally careful to avoid forming a shape that resembles a cross.

MSOTW

This prestigious shul used to be located in a different part of the city in which it is found, under a slightly different name, and was a center of Jewish life in that city. A changing neighborhood and the move of the city’s Jewish population to the suburbs led to its near closing. A rousing Rosh Hashanah speech by its senior Rabbi led to its relocation, and resuscitation. Name the shul, the city in which it is located, and, for extra points, the original name of the shul.

Congregation Shaare Tefilla
6131 Churchill Way
Dallas, TX 75230

Rabbi's Resources - Shabbat Channukah Parshat Miketz

Rabbi's Resources | Mikeitz Shabbat Channukah 5783 | Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky

Dear Shaare Family,

This past week, a historical event took place in Abu Dhabi. In 1945, the nascent Palestine Symphony Orchestra (now the Israel Philharmonic) performed a concert in Cairo, at the time a hub of culture and the arts. It was to be the last time they would play a concert in an Arab country for nearly 80 years- until this week. At the Emirates Palace, the Israel Philharmonic performed

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