Parshat Vayeitzei

December 3, 2011 7 Kislev, 5772

Rabbi Frand on Parshat Vayeitzei

The Matriarch Leah had one son after another and the Matriarch Rachel Haftorah Artscroll, 1139 remained barren. Hertz, 118 Finally, G-d remembered Rachel, He listened to her prayers and Times she gave birth to a Candle Lighting 4:10 pm son. We read "She Friday Mincha 4:15 pm conceived and bore Hashkama 8:00 am a son, and she Parsha Shiur 8:30 am said, 'G-d has gathered in my Main Minyan 9:00 am disgrace' (Asaf Beit Midrash 9:15 am Elokim es Teen Minyan 9:30 am cherpasi)." [Bereshi Gemorah Shiur 3:30 pm s 30:23] Based on the root of the Mincha 4:00 pm word Asaf Shabbat Ends 5:18 pm [gathered in], she calls her son Yosef.
Artscroll, 144 Hertz, 106
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Torah

a Medrash that a married woman without children suffers disgrace because she has no one to blame if something is broken or eaten in the house. When she has a child and something breaks or is eaten, she can hang the blame on the child and tell her husband that it was the fault of his child. This medrash is difficult to comprehend. How could this be Rachel's reaction to having a baby? Rachel earlier said to her husband, "Give me children if not, I am dead!" [Bereshis 30:1] Her state of barrenness was so painful to her that she felt it would not

be worth living if she remained in that state. So what should her reaction be upon finally having a son? Certainly, it should be something far less trivial than "Now I have someone to blame for the messy house and the eaten leftovers!" What is the meaning of "G-d has gathered in my disgrace"? There is an interesting insight from the Alter of Slabodka on the first of our morning blessings: Blessed are You Hashem our G-d, King of the Universe who has given the rooster the understanding to distinguish

7:30/8:30 am

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Rashi first states 4:15 pm that the simple 8:15 pm interpretation of Rachel's reference 6:35/7:45 am to "disgrace" is the 6:45/7:45 am fact that she was barren. Rashi cites
9:23/10:11 am 9:28/10:15 am

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Shabbat Announcements Parshat Vayeitzei 5772

between day and night. One might indeed wonder how this blessing merited such a distinguished place in the sequence of daily blessings. Is it more significant that "He Opens the eyes of the blind"? We could understand if the leadoff blessing would be one that thanked G-d for allowing us to walk, to be clothed, to stand up straight. Thanking G-d for the wisdom of a rooster would not seem to deserve such a high ranking in terms of the order of the morning blessings.

successful brain surgeon. We thank Him for the minutest amount of intelligence that we perceive in the world the instinctual knowledge possessed by a rooster that the morning has arrived. All of the intelligence that He showered on the world begins with the rooster who has a brain the size of a nail, but can distinguish between day and night.

This too is the interpretation of Rachel's expression of gratitude for now having someone to blame her household The Alter quotes a Gemara [Berachos 59b] misdeeds when her first son was born. that the proper blessing for rain is Certainly, she was overwhelmed with "concerning each and every drop that You gratitude that she was no longer barren brought down for us". Recognition of G-d's and was now able to have a child. favors towards us (hakaras haTov) does However, her very first expression of not require us to be thankful for an gratitude was for even the minutest abundance of rain, but we are required to derivative benefit of this blessed event. be thankful for even the minutest of "Now having someone to blame" was favors. The Alter points out that we as only the beginning of her thanks, it was human beings have unbelievable not the full extent of her gratitude. intelligence. We are thinking creatures who can communicate and accomplish wondrous things with our intelligence. However, conceptually, the first "drop of intelligence" in this world is a rooster who knows how to distinguish between day and night. Just like we do not thank G-d for 35 inches of annual rainfall or whatever amount we need to grow our crops but FLAGS OVER THE WARSAW GHETTO rather we thank Him for each and every BY MOSHE ARENS drop, so too we don't thank G-d for having a 130 IQ or the fact that we might be a
Great Neck Synagogue Shabbat Activities Program

Dale Polakoff, Rabbi Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,zl, Rabbi Emeritus Daniel Schwechter, Rabbinic Intern Zeev Kron, Cantor Eleazer Schulman, zl, Cantor Emeritus Mark Twersky, Executive Director Avraham Bronstein, Program Director Joseph Hecht, President Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board

It is still possible to obtain and also autographed and personalized copy of Flags Over the Warsaw Ghetto by Moshe Arens. Send your check for $25.00 to GNS Mens club with the names you wish to have inscribed, to the synagogue office. You will be notified when your book arrives from Israel.

 FAMILYSHABBATDINNERSERIES
Friday,December16 GuestSpeaker: RABBIMEIRMITELMAN Instructor,HofstraUniversity RabbinicEducator,HofstraHillel Specialchildren'smenuandprogram! $30/adult|$20/teen|$10/child $100familymax. ReservationsRequired|LimitedSeating RSVP:516.487.6100ormtwersky@gns.org

NEWPROGRAM! "SourcesoftheSiddur" withRabbiAvrahamBronstein Beginning: Shabbat,December10,10:00am JoinusonShabbatmorningforafascinatingexploration ofthehistoryandmeaningofourliturgy. Wewillpeelbacktheprintedsurfaceofthesiddur torevealthedramaticandoftensurprisinginnerworkingsbeneath.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
SISTERHOOD MEETING AND CAKE DECORATING DEMONSTRATION The Sisterhood invites everyone to a meeting this Wednesday evening, November 30th at 7:00pm in the Braun Youth Center to discuss and plan upcoming events. Immediately following the meeting, we are excited to have Nadine Shatzkes present a cake decorating demonstration. It promises to be a a fun evening! Please RSVP to nshatzkes@gmail.com if you plan to attend. SISTERHOOD PRE-CHANUKAH BOUTIQUE AND GOLD SALE The Sisterhood invites everyone to shop till you drop at our upcoming Pre-Chanukah Boutique at Great Neck Synagogue on Wednesday evening, December 7th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. There will also be wine tasting courtesy of Lakeville Wine & Spirits. We are grateful to Lisa Kagan for organizing this wonderful event! We also invite you to turn your gold into gelt that evening. Buy-Bye Bling will be there to pay you cash on the spot for your old, broken and unwanted gold and jewelry. A percentage of their sales will be donated to the Sisterhood. For further information, please contact Susan Sheena at Susan@Buy-ByeBling.com or(516) 353-6158. See attached fliers for additional details. CHALLAH BAKING EVENT All ladies are invited on Thursday evening, December 15th at Great Neck Synagogue, to a Challah Baking Event to discover the beauty and spirituality inherent in the mitzvah of challah baking. Each women will make their own challah to bake at home and all supplies will be provided free of charge. You must RSVP in order to reserve a spot for this event. Space is limited to the first 100 women who reply. Please contact Farla Frumkin at wfrumkin@optonline.net to make a reservation or if you are interested in sponsoring this wonderful event! Thank you to the non-for-profit group Challah Event Planners for arranging this opportunity for us! SAVE THE DATE The Sisterhood and Men's Club invite you to meet author Lorraine Lotzof Abramson on Wednesday evening, January 11th at 7:30pm in the Braun Youth Center when she discusses her book "My Race: A Jewish Girl Growing Up Under Apartheid in South Africa." SAVE THE DATE Back by popular demand, the Sisterhood will be having a Shalom Bayit Dinner and Lecture with Rabbi Dale Polakoff on Wednesday evening, February 1st. Details to follow Thank you very much to Susan Sheena for organizing this event. MENS CLUB AND DOS YIDDISH VORT On Sunday, December 18, 2011, the Mens Club and Dos Yiddish Vort are having a bus trip to NYC for the annual Yiddish Theatre and supper outing, to see Shlemiel the First (a very enjoyable Yiddish play in English). The cost for the bus trip, theater tickets and supper is $65.00 per person. Please call Ros Wagner 487-9795 for tickets. Checks to GNS Mens Club. MIKVAH The Keylim Mikvah at Great Neck Synagogue is closed for draining and cleaning and will be closed for several weeks. If you have lost anything in the Mikvah, please call the synagogue office, 516 487 6100.

Within Our Family

Mazal Tov to Debbie & Alan Kestenbaum on being honored at the Shaare Zedek Dinner this week. Mazal Tov to Evely Henis on the marriage of her daughter Cindy to Mr.Kenny Brown both from Commack, Long Island.
DECEMBER CHESED In preparation for Chanukah, we will be collecting Menorahs, Candles, Games and Toys, for Chai Lifeline and Families in need. Please drop your items off at the Lichter Residence, 76 Berkshire Rd, on Monday, December 12th or Thursday, December 15th. There will be boxes inside the garage located on Marlot Ave If you have any questions, please contact Katie Lichter at 516 829 0048. YOUTH ANNOUNCEMENT We are having a 2nd annual GNS Youth Shabbat for December 2nd and 3rd. The GNSY staff, and the children will be conducting the services in both the Main Minyan and Beit Midrash Minyan as well. We are asking all GNS parents to encourage their HS aged children to participate in this wonderful Shabbat. Youth members who wish to participate should speak to Rabbi Jensen. If you are interested in having your child take part in this exciting Shabbat, please contact Rabbi Jensen or Yehuda Polakoff. RAFFLE PRIZES We are looking forward to the GNS 60th annual dinner on Saturday evening, December 10th and we invite everyone to donate raffle prizes of goods or services. Some ideas to consider donating include: jewelry, spa packages, air miles, hotel accommodations, electronics, gift certificates, tutoring services, and theatre tickets. We welcome other ideas! Thank you very much in advance for your generosity. Please contact David and Diane Rein at drein@verizon.net or Zachary Mittleman for further information or to make a donation. Thank you. RABBI REISMAN Saturday nights at 7:30 pm in the Weinstein Center. FOOD & DIET Paul Marcus is forming a Jewish Vegetarian Resource Group and all non-meat/poultry/fish eating people should contact Paul at Tibs9@aol.com. BOOK PUBLISHED Paul Marcus & his daughter Gabriela Marcus co-authored a book, Theater as Life. Practical Wisdom Drawn From Great Acting Teachers, Actors and Actresses (Marquette University Press).
Sunday 8 Kislev David Goddard for Leila Goldberg Michael Hoenig for Edward Hoenig Abraham Krieger for Nathan Krieger Magda Yehaskel for Mendel Wohl Monday, 9 Kislev Jerrald Weinstein for Lillian Greenberg Tuesday, 10 Kislev Lloyd Bayme for Leib Bayme Pearl Ginsberg for Yetta Helfman Ronald Silverman for Gail Silverman Jack Wachstock for David Wachstock Wednesday, 11 Kislev Irving Forman for William Forman Trudy Jettelson for Sarah Levisch Gerald Nathel for Gertrude Deutscher Judith Soleimani for Bela Hajdu Joyce Swartz for Norma Gelfond Thursday, 12 Kislev Madeline Belonsky for Dora Wine Richard Lillien for Bette Lillien Friday, 13 Kislev Susan Castle for Bronia Kalt Samuel Friedman for Ezra Friedman Robert Glaser for Jack Glaser George Zobel for Georgina Zobel

FYI Pia Shlomo has just published a book for the first time. The name of the childrens book is "Thank You For Everything A Book About Thanking Hashem."
FREE EXERCISE CLASS The members of GNS sisterhood are invited to attend a free exercise class at Something Physical 770 Middle Neck Road. 516-205-0043 for more details. HELP WANTED-GNS PR ASSOCIATES Help us promote Great Neck Synagogue events and programs by making sure our flyers and advertisements are all around town! Open also to High School students - compensation/chesed hours available. For more information, contact Rabbi Bronstein: abronstein@gns.org.

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