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
