Next Session: Monday, April 8th at 7pm Jteens invite children ages 6-11 to participate in an exciting bi-weekly workshop. Free Admission!
TEEN TALKS & LOUNGE
Jteen Talks will resume after Passover. Hang out, and get connected with other Jewish
teens in the area for casual, social meet and discussions.
Chats, Snacks, and Drinks
Moms and Tots Shabbat
Saturdays 11am-12pm Give your child an opportunity to explore, learn and discover with songs, story time with Russian language, and kiddie play area! Bond with your little one while connecting with other moms in our area.
Jteen Chocolate Model Seder
Thursday, April 11 at 7:00pm
Join for an all chocolate Passover learning experience!
Go through the steps of the Seder and experience the story of Passover in chocolate heaven!
Dairy and non dairy choices available.
No charge, come and bring your friends!
Join Rabbi Mendel and Elke Zaltzman and family for a timeless Passover experience, discovering and celebrating Passover with anecdotes, stories, great traditional food, handmade Shmurah Matzah, and choices of wines and grape juice.
Join Rabbi Mendel & Elke Zaltzman & family for a Seder geared to families with children. A complete, but express Passover Seder complete with games, songs, prizes for kids and an interactive, hands on Passover experience for kids.
Complete traditional Passover dinner, select wines and grape juice, handmade Shmurah Matzah.
A Jewish congregation was arguing over whether one should stand or sit during the Kaddish prayer. Half of the congregation said one should sit, while the other half insisted one should stand. Every time the Kaddish was recited they shouted at each other, “Sit down!” “Stand up!” The fighting became so bad that the congregation was split in two, each half contending that they knew the proper tradition.
Finally, the rabbi decided to visit a one-hundred-year old member of the synagogue who was living in a nursing home. He took a delegation from each of the arguing sides with him to see the oldest member of the “shul”. “Now, tell us,” said the rabbi, “what is our tradition?” “Should we stand during the Kaddish?” “No,” said the old man. “That is not our tradition.” “Well, then,” said the rabbi, “should we sit during the Kaddish?” “No,” the old man, “that is not our tradition.” “But we need to know what to do,” said the rabbi, “because our congregation members are fighting non-stop over this. “That,” said the oldest member of the congregation, “that is our tradition.
Weekly E- Torah
The Jewish people had been busy inaugurating the Mishkan, the sanctuary in the wilderness and G‑d's first official dwelling place on earth. A whole week of consecrations and offerings had taken place but still there was no sign from Above. Aaron, the High Priest, was bitterly disappointed. In his humility, he assumed it was his fault. After all, hadn't he been an accomplice - albeit unwittingly - to the sin of the golden calf? Surely, the Almighty was displeased with him and therefore there was no sign of acceptance from heaven.
Moses, his brother, stepped forward and offered a special prayer and immediately the Shechinah – the Divine Presence - rested upon Israel. He then blessed the people with the words that would become the concluding verse of Psalm 90: "May the pleasantness of the L-rd our G‑d be upon us.....may he establish the work of our hands for us." Then all the Children of Israel beheld how Aaron was indeed the chosen one and they were overjoyed that their work was now, finally, blessed by G‑d. It is a beautiful and touching story of filial love. No ego, no one-upmanship, no envy – only a pure untainted love between two brothers.
I once heard Israel's Chief Rabbi Y.M. Lau contrasting this act with previous brotherly encounters in the Bible. With the very first brothers on earth, the world got off to a very bad start with Cain killing Abel in a fit of jealousy. Later, Abraham's sons, Isaac and Ishmael, didn't exactly get on like a house on fire either; indeed, their enmity continues unabated to this day! The next generation wasn't much better: Jacob and Esau were caught up in sibling rivalry almost all their lives. The saga continued into the next generation with Joseph and his brothers. They nearly killed him and, in the end, "only" sold him into slavery. How refreshingly different, then, that Moses and Aaron were so supportive of one another. How sweet, how beautiful, as the Psalmist sings, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity" (Psalm 133).
What an important message for us today. Whether it is in Israel on the political front or in our own communal lives, so often we are our own worst enemies. If Israel and all her associated support groups spoke with one voice we would be so much stronger in our international interface.
Please G‑d, we will all take a cue from Moses and Aaron and the Presence of G‑d will dwell upon us too.
