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Chabad of Port Washington Email: [email protected] Voice: 516-767-8672 www.ChabadPW.org
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The news story of Samantha Garvey, the 17 year old Brentwood, Long Island girl who became an Intel semi finalist, moved me very deeply. I literally had to pull over to the side of the road when I heard it announced. (For starters, when good news is deemed news-worthy I pay heed...)
Ms. Garvey said: "I don't have a great home life, I don't have a home. I'm living in a shelter. But I think that motivates me to do the work I do. I want a better life. I want to have a home... I want to show other people that even though you're going through something bad, if you do, there's a better side to everything."
How awesome! How mature beyond her years!
Samantha inspires each of us to take a good look at our own reaction to life's challenges:
Do we despair and crumble in the face of difficulty, complaining: why me? Wrong response.
Do we shlepp through our tzoros - getting through the day doing what we've got to do, begrudgingly accepting the way things are, endeavoring to succeed in spite of our difficulties? Now, that's much better, but still not ideal.
Rather than succeeding IN SPITE of our challenges, Samantha inspires us to succeed BECAUSE of them!
We need to remember that our challenges are G‑d's gift to us, tailor made for each of us individually in order to bring out our best juices. We should try and embrace life's challenges; they are presented to us in the hope they will propel us to reach greater heights, to achieve our true potential (which for most of us is FAR MORE than we might ever imagine).
Try this at home. Apply this to personal challenges that come your way. Loss of a job. Involved in a difficult, cold relationship that seems hopeless. Raised in an unloving home. Each of these can be the perfect excuse to whine and under-achieve. Conversely, they can each serve as a springboard, motivating us to do whatever it takes to turn things around and accomplish things we never imagined possible.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Shalom M Paltiel
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NEW Upcoming JLI Course
Money Matters: Jewish Business Ethics
Is Judaism socialist or capitalist? Who is responsible for preventing poverty? Is unionization a Jewish ideal? Must Walmart pay its workers a livable wage? Where would you draw the line? An ethical, Talmudic, and legal debate on the economic issues of our time.
6 Sundays, Beginning Jan 22 | 10 - 11:30 AM
At Chabad of Port Washington
Click here for more info and to register online.
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Monthly Parenting Class | At Chabad
Wednesday, February 1| 10:45 AM
Monthly parenting class lead by Sara Paltiel of Chabad Port Washington. Topic: Setting boundaries and how to nourish ourselves so we can nourish others.
Click here for more info. Please RSVP by calling the office 516 767 8672.
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Shooting Stars Soccer
January 4th - February 25th | $149 for 7 weeks
Soccer Lessons for children ages 18 months to 6 years old at Chabad of Port Washington's gym.
Click here for more info and schedule. |
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Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzchak Rabin was Prime Minister of Israel, and served as Israel's ambassador to the United States in the early 1970s. In 1972, he was sent to convey Israel's blessings to the Rebbe in honor of his 70th birthday.
Click here to watch a 4-minute clip.
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Is a Bris Painful?
By: Rabbi Aron Moss | Sydney, Australia
Question: My son is having his bris tomorrow. I am beside myself. I know I will go through with it, but the thought of giving my precious baby over to be circumcised is just terrifying for me. I am sure I am not the first mother to feel this way. So how do people get through it without breaking down
Answer: Your fears are completely understandable. And at the same time, there is absolutely nothing to fear. Here are a few important facts to keep in mind.
A bris does not really hurt. It is only skin being cut, no muscle or flesh. The nerve endings are yet undeveloped, and so the baby has little sensitivity there. The knife used is so super sharp that the cut itself is not noticed by the baby.
Now if you have ever heard a baby squeal at a bris, you may find it hard to believe that he is in no pain. Well, let me tell you something.
I remember once, when my daughter was eight days old, I was changing her, and I noticed that she squealed the exact same excruciating high-pitched screech that a boy would give at his bris. I have since improved at changing babies. But I learnt that they cry from the cold when their nappy is removed, and scream when their legs are being held down.
Watch a circumcision closely and you will see that the boy starts crying as soon as he is exposed and restricted, but when the actual cut is performed he does not flinch. The friends and family gathered around are grimacing sympathetically while the baby cries; meanwhile the baby himself is just trying to say, "Can you wrap me up and get me warm already!" As soon as you do, he settles down.
All the above is a description of the facts. The fact is, a bris is no big deal for a baby. But it is a big deal for a mother, because facts don't always speak to emotions. Who can imagine the feeling of a new mother, sleep-deprived and hormonal from childbirth, giving over her sweet little baby to be circumcised? The Holy Zohar compares it to placing your child on an altar to be sacrificed. While in fact a bris is nothing like that - you get your baby back intact at the end - the feelings are similar.
This is the heroism of our Jewish mothers. For four thousand years, they have been tearfully giving their babies to be circumcised, then celebrating by eating bagels and lox. It is not always easy. But it may be a little easier for you to know that the hard bit is being the mother, not the baby. As usual.
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Board of Directors
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Adam Katz, Esq., President
Frank Arnold
Bert Brodsky
Martin H. Brownstein, M.D.
Howard Fensterman, Esq.
M. Allan Hyman, Esq.
Sara E. Paltiel
Rabbi Shalom M. Paltiel
Alan Rosenzweig
Alan Salzbank
Michael Samuel
Felix Sater
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Shabbat Times
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| Shabbat Candle Lighting: |
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Friday, Jan 20
4:39 pm
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| Shabbat Ends: |
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Shabbat, Jan 21
5:42 pm
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Daily Thought
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Leaving Egypt
The biblical slavery of Egypt represents bondage to your own self.
Every day, every moment, must be an exodus from the self.
If you're not leaving Egypt, you're already back there.
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| Parshah Learning |
 The Daily Escape
To liberate ourselves from the choices that limit us so that we can make choices that empower us is the spiritual exodus we struggle to achieve.
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| We and Him |
 Can We Speak Intelligibly About G‑d?
The very same sages and mystics who explain how impossible it is to talk about G‑d, talk about Him all the time.
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| We and Our Fellows |
 Do the Bullied Become Bullies?
Can one truly break away from the evil that others did, and resolve to act with generosity and understanding to others?
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| We and Our Children |
 Words Unspoken
Things that come so easily for most children do not come so easily for my child. The confusing, murky world of interpersonal communication remains a puzzle that seems to have a perpetual missing piece.
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| NORTH AMERICA |
 Chabad of Riverdale Celebrates 20 Years of Life-Changing Work
Seated under large chandeliers and around tables with elaborate flower centerpieces at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx Saturday night, a crowd of more than 250 applauded Chabad-Lubavitch of Riverdale's 20 years of inspiring local Jews young and old.
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| NORTH AMERICA |
 Tampa Community Dedicates Torah in Memory of Life Cut Short
It was a balmy Friday day in Miami when Nosson Deitsch, a 21-year-old rabbinical student, decided to drive north to Chabad-Lubavitch of Brandon with some friends.
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| EDUCATION |
 Jewish Learning Institute Expands Into Germany
The Rohr-Jewish Learning Institute, the adult-education arm of Chabad-Lubavitch, is launching in Germany, adding classes in Berlin, Munich and Cologne, with future plans calling for courses in Hamburg, Hanover and Dresden.
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| PHOTO GALLERY |
 College Students Enjoy Miami Torah Experience
More than 20 Jewish university students spent their winter breaks in sunny Florida hitting the books as part of the annual Miami Torah Experience, a 10-day immersive program run under the auspices of Chabad-Lubavitch of Florida in cooperation with the Chabad on Campus International Foundation.
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Parshat Va'eira
G‑d reveals Himself to Moses. Employing the "four expressions of redemption," He promises to take out the Children of Israel from Egypt, deliver them from their enslavement, redeem them, and acquire them as His own chosen people at Mount Sinai; He will then bring them to the land He promised to the Patriarchs as their eternal heritage.
Moses and Aaron repeatedly come before Pharaoh to demand in the name of G‑d, "Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness." Pharaoh repeatedly refuses. Aaron's staff turns into a snake and swallows the magic sticks of the Egyptian sorcerers. G‑d then sends a series of plagues upon the Egyptians.
The waters of the Nile turn to blood; swarms of frogs overrun the land; lice infest all men and beasts. Hordes of wild animals invade the cities; a pestilence kills the domestic animals; painful boils afflict the Egyptians. For the seventh plague, fire and ice combine to descend from the skies as a devastating hail. Still, "the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he would not let the children of Israel go, as G‑d had said to Moses." |
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