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"Rabbi, can you give me my Passover to do list on one foot?"
1. Clean the house.
2. Sell all Chometz in your home by clicking here. Do that now, no need to wait until the last minute when you are rushed and harried (although it is widely customary to make sure to experience as much last minute 'craziness' as possible) By selling the chometz, you now need not discard all of your liquors, pastas, frozen pizzas, etc. Rather, at least one day before Passover store all non-Passover food items and dishes in a closet or room which will not be opened for the duration of Passover. The contents of that room are legally sold and therefore do not belong to you during Passover.
3. Make arrangements to host or attend a Seder both nights. (You are welcome to join our communal Seders at Chabad, click here to rsvp. I plan to lead the first Seder, while my sons will lead the 2nd Seder, as Rabbi Weinberg will be away for Passover).
4. Get some "real" handmade Shmura Matzah for both Seders. They're available locally at King Kullen, Stop 'n Shop and Whole Foods in different varieties. (Chabad members will have a box delivered to their home as our Pesach gift; thank you Marina Shapiro for graciously offering to once again get them to your doorstep).
5. Stock up on lots of kosher for Pesach food so there's what to eat for 9 days (no leaven for 9 days, including the day prior to Pesach).
6. Read up on the meanings and customs of this very important festival (visit our website's Passover page for readings. Also, attend our special lecture "SEDER on a PLATE" - exploring the meaning of the Seder according to tradition and Kabbalah, this Sunday 10:30AM-Noon, by guest lecturer Rabbi Sholom Ber Cohen from Chabad at Lake Grove. All are welcome - no charge. (Real leavened kosher bagels to go with the lecture).
7. Prepare to access the gift of inner peace and complete freedom from any sense of boundary and bondage (hint: added time for prayer and Torah study in the days leading up to the festival are helpful for getting this item done. Why not start by coming to shul this Shabbat, enjoying an amazing sermon by a fantastic (and humble) rabbi, followed by a delicious Kiddush courtesy of the Greiffs and the Shermans).
Shabbat Shalom (and good luck...)
Rabbi Shalom M Paltiel
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Lion of Judah -about the life of holocaust survivor Leibel Zisman, our guest speaker for Holocaust Remembrance Shabbat, April 12-13; details to follow.
Click here to watch.
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A pre-Passover lecture by Rabbi Sholom Ber Cohen, Chabad of Lake Grove
You owe it to your family, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the meaning of the Seder.
- Experience the deep mystical customs of the Seder night
- Explore the Kabbalah on the Haggadah and Passover
Inspire the Seder night with messages, ideas and traditions transmitted throughout our long, colorful history
through diverse Jewish communities including Sefardic, Ashkenazic, Chassidic and Kabbalistic.
THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 10:30AM - Noon
This Sunday, March 17th -10:30 am - Noon
No Fee - Includes complimentary bagel brunch
at Chabad of Port Washington, 80 Shore Road.
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Passover at Chabad
First Seder: Monday, March 25, 7:30 PM
following services at 6:45 pm
Second Seder: Tuesday, March 26, 7:30 PM
following services at 6:45 pm
Click here for more info and to register. |
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Join Chabad of Port Washington for a
Holocaust Remembrance Shabbaton
Annual event dedicated to the memory of
Reb Zelik Sander Of Blessed Memory
Featuring: Leibel Zisman,
Holocaust Survivor, Author of I BELIEVE,
subject of the award winning film Lion of Judah
Friday Night Dinner: April 12, 7:30 PM
following services at 7:00 pm
Click here for more info and to register.
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Curious Tales of the Talmud: Finding Personal Meaning in the Legends of our Sages | A new JLI course
Everyone loves a good story. Knowing this, the sages of the Talmud used stories to encode messages about life that are far too deep and profound to communicate directly. This course decodes some of these extraordinary Talmudic mysteries to uncover layer within layer of insight into the nature of life, the universe, G‑d, and man.
6 Sundays, Beginning Sunday, April 21
10:00-11:30am
at Chabad of Port Washington, 80 Shore Road, PW
Instructor: Rabbi Shalom Paltiel
Fee - includes textbooks and bagel brunch
Click here for more info and to register.
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Camp Gan Israel 2013
Registration now open!
Click here for more info and to register.
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Is Gambling Kosher By: Rabbi Aron Moss | Sydney, Australia
Question of the Week:
As we are trying to enter the property market, we sometimes joke that we would need to win the lottery to afford the house of our dreams. I am often tempted to buy a lottery ticket but feel guilty that perhaps it is not the right thing to do. Are Jews allowed to buy lottery tickets or is gambling something that is discouraged?
Answer:
There is a fascinating discussion about gambling in Jewish law. It is a multi-faceted topic, but here is a very brief overview.
Some authorities, particularly Sephardi scholars, forbid any form of gambling, even buying a lottery ticket. They say that gambling is a form of stealing. The logic goes like this: gamblers are all under the illusion that they are going to win. Despite the clear evidence that the only real winners are the casino owners, people keep on putting money down in the false belief that this is their lucky day. But no one puts their money down to willingly lose it. So the winner is essentially taking other people's money against their will - which is tantamount to stealing.
A more lenient view differentiates between an occasional gambler and a serious gamester. According to this opinion, the odd bet here and there is not forbidden, as long as it doesn't become a regular habit. But beware. It all starts with one yank of the poker machine. Gambling is one of the most damaging addictions, and it is legal. It destroys lives, breaks up families, and creates more lonely people.
Even if someone is not addicted, regular gambling is still frowned upon. The Talmud says that a professional gambler is not trusted to serve as a witness in court. This is because such a person contributes nothing to society, and so their values are questionable. If someone works as a street sweeper or a lawn mower technician or a brain surgeon, they are providing a service and making the world better. But someone who spends much of their time gambling is not productive in any way. It is not just a waste of time and money, it is a waste of a life.
So buying a lottery ticket every now and then would not be considered professional gambling. Though it probably won't pay your mortgage, it is permitted according to many opinions. But it certainly should not replace a good honest day's work.
PS. Even those authorities who forbid any form of gambling would encourage buying a raffle ticket in a charity auction. This is because in that case there are no losers - everyone who gives to charity wins.
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B"H
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Shabbat Times
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| Shabbat Candle Lighting: |
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Friday, Mar 15
6:43 pm
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| Shabbat Ends: |
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Shabbat, Mar 16
7:42 pm
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Kiddush Calendar
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Kiddush this Shabbos is sponsored by Adelle & Michael Greiff
and Orly & Bryan Sherman
in honor of the yahrzeit of Michael's father (Shmuel ben Moshe Yossel) commemorating the 5th yahrzeit on Shabbos, 5 Nissan
and the 3rd yahrzeit of Orly's mother Rina Calderon (Rina bat Yitzchak). (Possible surprise cake in honor of Bryan's birthday coming up - but shhhhhhh)
Click here to let us know if you can sponsor a kiddush
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Welcome New Members
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS:
We'd like to welcome a new member family who joined this week -
Ayala & Yaniv Konfino,
and their beautiflu children
Lidor, Rotem and Ofri.
We are very proud of the fact that 14 new families joined our Chabad since the High Holidays:
Tali & Michael Aranoff
Elyse & Doug Brenner
Denis Feldman
Adele Fuchsberg & Bill Davis
Ayala & Yaniv Konfino
Dr. Steven & Diane Kornhaber
Adina Storch Lefkowitz
Daphne & Adam Levy
Ellyn & Danny Logvin
Leon & Debra Manoff
Louie & Heidi Rabman
Florence & Robert Rosen
Edith Schneider
Barbi & David Shames
Eric, Andrew & Mark Swenson
David & Talya Tawfik
We welcome them all.
Please -new members: Send us your family photo for announcements related to your family (if you're ok with your photo appearing on the web and emails). Old members too if not already in our photo archives. Email photo to: [email protected]
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Daily Thought
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Fear
Captivity begins by believing that you are small and the world is big.
Once you believe that, next you are likely to believe it will step on you, and you fear it.
And then you come to obey it, then to run after it. And then you are its slave, thirsting for water for the soul but not even able to remember where to look for it.
To fear the world is to deny the Oneness of its Creator.
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