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Chabad of Port Washington Email: rabbi@chabadpw.org Voice: 516-767-8672 www.ChabadPW.org
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The holiday of Shavuot, arguably one of the most important, certainly one of the least known and observed, is a day that should touch the heart and soul of every one of us, regardless our level of Torah knowledge or observance. This is the day that we became G‑d's Chosen People, chosen to be a light unto the nations. This is the day G‑d "married us"; G‑d chose us, a tiny nation, as the people to receive His most precious gift - The Torah.
So why is Shavuot treated like a step-holiday? Make this the year when you experience this great day!
This year, Shavuot falls out on May 26 - 28. Here at Chabad, we will be reading the 10 commandments on May 27, at 10:30 AM followed by a scrumptious dairy Kiddush and ice cream party. (Click here for details).
I strongly encourage you to make sure to be there for this most important event. Bring the kids, babies, bubbies, everyone! Let's be there together in our shul, much as we all gathered 'round Mt. Sinai, while millions of others will be doing the same at shuls around the world!
See you at Sinai!
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Someach!
Rabbi Shalom M. Paltiel
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Schedule of Services for Shabbat and Shavuot:
Friday, May 25
7 PM: Shabbat evening Services
Saturday, May 26
9:30 AM: Shabbat morning services
8:00 PM: Mincha/Shavuot services
12 Midnight: Doors open for Tikun - all night study
Sunday, May 27
9:30 AM: Shavuot Services
10:30 AM: Reading of Ten Commandments
12:00 PM: Dairy Kiddush and Ice Cream Party
8:00 PM: Mincha/Arvit service
Monday, May 28
9:30 AM: Shavuot Services
11:00 AM: Yiskor
8:00 PM: Closing of Shavuot service
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Shavuot Decathlon
Sunday, May 27 | 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Come to Chabad for the Shavuot Decathlon! There will be a 10 commandments Torah reading, 10 challenge activities for 10 great prizes. Followed by a yummy ice cream sundae bar and a delicious kiddush luncheon for all.
Click here for more info. |
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Lesson 4: The Art of Marriage
Thursday, May 31 | 8 - 9:30 PM
Will my Spouse Ever Change? What if only one partner is committed to improving the marriage? This lesson examines the ideal of an expectation-free relationship, and how to value your partner for who they are.
Click here for more info and to RSVP. |
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Shabbat Morning, June 9 | 11 AM
Sermon Lecture by Howard Birnbach "The Founding Fathers & the Jews". Services 9:30am, Sermon at 11am followed by Kiddush luncheon. |
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21st Anniversary Dinner | Thursday, June 21
RSVP today for your tickets and Scroll of Honor listing for the 21st Anniversary Dinner of our Chabad. Guest of Honor is Howard Fensterman. The dinner will celebrate the opening of Florence's Israel, the impressive indoor playground built by Dr Martin Brownstein in memory of Florence Brownstein.
Click here to RSVP.
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What Are You High On?
By: Rabbi Aron Moss | Sydney, Australia
Question: I read an article by a professor in Israel who suggests that the revelation at Mt Sinai was actually a drug-induced hallucination. I thought it was a ridiculous proposition, but it did get me thinking. How do we know that it was indeed G‑d who spoke to Moses and not some mind-altering mushroom?
Answer: I read that article too. I am not sure what that professor was smoking when he wrote it.
There are several ways to test whether a revelation is truly divine or just the product of human imagination. One of them is by examining the content of the message. G‑d never tells you what you want to hear. When people make up their own revelations, the message they convey tends to be very convenient and comfortable. But if it is indeed G‑d talking, He most probably will demand from you something you never would have asked from yourself.
Imagine Moses came down from the mountain and said, "Ok guys, here's the deal. G‑d wants us to chill out. He thinks we are just fine as we are. Eat whatever you want, be loose in your relationships, and live a life that feeds your every whim and fancy. Don't fuss over petty things like being honest in your business dealings or being nice to strangers. As long as you are good deep down in your heart and are true to yourself that's fine. We are here to have fun, not stress over little moral scruples."
Had Moses brought us this message, we would be justified to suspect that G‑d may not have said that. But Moses did not bring us a message of self-assurance and convenience. Rather, he came down from the mountain and said the following (not an exact quote):
"Ok guys, here's the deal. G‑d created the world as an unfinished project. And we have to do the rest. We are not here to serve ourselves, we are here to serve a higher purpose. We are naturally selfish, and we have to become selfless. We are physical and hedonistic, and we must become soulful and sensitive. We need to care for the poor and down-trodden, we need to love our neighbors even when they annoy us. We need to practice acts of goodness even if we are not in the mood. We have a huge mission to achieve - to change the world by changing ourselves. There is no promise that things will be easy for us. But this is our mission. So get to work."
The demands that G‑d makes of us in the Torah are steep. They challenge us to our very core. This fact alone, while not proving anything, certainly indicates that Moses received the Torah when He was high on the mountain, not on anything else. |
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| B"H |
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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
*Emeritus
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Shabbat Times
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| Shabbat Candle Lighting: |
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Friday, May 25
7:57 pm
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| Shabbat Ends / Holiday Begins: |
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Shabbat, May 26
9:04 pm
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| Second Day Holiday: |
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Sunday, May 27
9:05 pm
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| Holiday Ends: |
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Monday, May 28
9:06 pm
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Daily Thought
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The Process
Torah is not about getting to the truth. When you are immersed in Torah, even while pondering the question, even while struggling to make sense of it all, you are at truth already.
Torah is about being truth.
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| Holiday: Shavuot |
 Shavuot Minisite
Explore the meaning behind the holiday of Shavuot and its traditions. Find videos, recipes, insights and more.
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| Stories |
 The Shepherd's Gift to G‑d
A hand reached out from heaven to receive the coin . . .
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 The Mystery of Shavuot (video)
Ask any child what we celebrate on Shavuot, and the obvious answer is the giving of the Torah at Sinai; yet the Torah makes no mention of it. How do we make sense of this glaring omission?
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| Voices |
 Jew Forever
Even from afar, he looked a little scary. He was heavily tattooed, had a large chain swinging from his pocket, and was smoking a cigarette.
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Parshat Bamidbar
In the Sinai Desert, G‑d says to conduct a census of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses counts 603,550 men of draftable age (20 to 60 years); the tribe of Levi, numbering 22,300 males age one month and older, is counted separately. The Levites are to serve in the Sanctuary, replacing the firstborn, whose number they approximated, who were disqualified when they participated in the worshipping of the Golden Calf. The 273 firstborn who lacked a Levite to replace them had to pay a five-shekel "ransom" to redeem themselves.
When the people broke camp, the three Levite clans dismantled and transported the Sanctuary, and reassembled it at the center of the next encampment. They then erected their own tents around it: the Kohathites, who carried the Sanctuary's vessels (the ark, menorah, etc.) in their specially designed coverings on their shoulders, camped to its south; the Gershonites, in charge of its tapestries and roof coverings, to its west; and the families of Merari, who transported its wall panels and pillars, to its north. Before the Sanctuary's entranceway, to its east, were the tents of Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons.
Beyond the Levite circle, the twelve tribes camped in four groups of three tribes each. To the east were Judah (pop. 74,600), Issachar (54,400) and Zebulun (57,400); to the south, Reuben (46,500), Simeon (59,300) and Gad (45,650); to the west, Ephraim (40,500), Manasseh (32,200) and Benjamin (35,400); and to the north, Dan (62,700), Asher (41,500) and Naphtali (53,400). This formation was kept also while traveling. Each tribe had its own nassi (prince or leader), and its own flag with its tribal color and emblem. |
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