Spanish & Portuguese Jews Congregation

Transcription

1 Spanish & Portuguese Jews Congregation Winter Programme 2015

2 1 ברוך שלא חיסר בעולמו כלום וברא בו בריות טובות ואילנות טובות ליהנות בהן בני אדם Blessed is He that there is nothing lacking in His world, who created good creations for the pleasure of man. Welcome From Edward Howard, Programme Director On behalf of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews Congregation, I would like to introduce an exciting new look at the upcoming Programme for January to April We hope that you will enjoy reading through this booklet! We have presented the programme both thematically and by date for your diary. We have also words of thought and wisdom from our rabbis. It is our hope that the programming we provide will be exciting and relevant to all members of our community. Just as we make a blessing in the springtime on the blossoming of new trees, so too it is our hope that the programming we have created here at the Spanish and Portuguese Jews Congregation will also be pleasurable for all of our community to enjoy.

3 A message 2 from our Senior Rabbi Rabbi Joseph Dweck Torah puts great emphasis on the value of our social interactions. Rabbi Akiva taught that the entire Torah is essentially about our relationships with one another. Love Your Fellow as yourself (Vayikra, 19) is the greatest principle in the Torah. Talmud Yerushalmi, Nedarim 9 Hillel the Elder taught that Torah in its entirety is to teach us to have sensitivity to one another in our interactions. A gentile came to Hillel the Elder and said Accept me as a convert to Judaism on the condition that you can teach me the entire Torah while I stand on one foot. [Hillel] converted him and said What is hateful to you do not do unto others. The rest is all commentary on that principle. Go and learn! Shabbat 31a Our synagogues are holy places not only because we pray and study Torah there, but because it is the place where we connect with one another and enjoy each other s company. For this reason, the synagogue in Hebrew is called Bet Kenesset - house of gathering rather than Bet Tefila - house of prayer. A community s strength lies in its strength as a social unit. Still, a social unit can come together for any number of reasons. When it comes together to become enlightened, Our synagogues are the places where we connect to share in life cycle events, or to pray to G-d, it becomes a holy community and is called a Kahal Kadosh. I am pleased, therefore, to present this winter programme to our Kahal Kadosh. It is filled with a variety of stimulating events and will continue to be filled further during the term with more. I encourage all of our members to participate in these events, to share ideas with us about possible future events that you might like to see, and to encourage others who might not yet be members to join us in the activities and learning. I want to thank all of our rabbis, staff members, volunteers and donors for making these events and this programme possible. Special thanks are due to our Programme Director, Edward Howard, for his hard work in guiding the process. I wish everyone a blessed and warm winter season, and I look forward to seeing you at our houses of gathering.

4 3 Education בדרך חכמה הרתיך, הדרכתיך במעגלי ישר משלי ד:יא In the ways of wisdom have I instructed you I have led you in the paths of uprightness Proverbs 4:11 R DWECK ON JEWISH LAW Laws of Shabbat based on the rulings of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt l Tuesday Evenings at Porat Yosef in Hendon - 8:00pm R DWECK ON JEWISH PHILOSOPHY Tuesday Evenings at Porat Yosef in Hendon - 9:00pm Understanding the Pillars of Judaism Wednesday Evenings at Lauderdale Road - 8:00pm R Moshe Hayim Luzzato s Derekh Hashem R KADA S MONTHLY SHIUR Monthly topical shiur Rosh Hodesh at Wembley R KADA S MONTHLY Q & A R Kada takes questions from the Wembley Congregation once a month instead of a sermon. Please forward your questions to dannykada@spsyn.org.uk R DWECK S LECTURES AT BEVIS MARKS Lectures at Bevis Marks with refreshments - Topics to be confi rmed Monday Evenings March 16th and April 20th from 6:45pm R DWECK S PESAH SERIES SHABBAT AFTERNOONS One hour before Minha at Lauderdale Road in March and April Please check the calendar for specific dates RAMBAM WITH R DWECK After Shaharit at Bevis Marks Tuesday and Friday Mornings R DWECK & R ELIA S WEEKLY INSIGHTS ON PARASHA After arbit Friday nights and during Seuda Shelishit Weekly on shabbat at Lauderdale Road SUNDAY MORNINGS WITH RABBI DWECK FOR BAR/BAT MITSVAH AGES Rabbi Dweck meets with bar and bat mitsvah aged students at his home every other Sunday morning to discuss the principles of Judaism. Breakfast is served. Please check the calendar for specific dates For the most up to date information please consult our website and weekly s.

5 Pesah: G-d s Symphony Rabbi Israel Elia, Lauderdale Road אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך הודעני נא את דרכך ואדעך למען אמצא חן בעיניך שמות לג:יג 4 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you. Shemot 33:13 Moses moulded Pesah. An Egyptian prince exiled in Midian chosen beside the burning bush Moses led a campaign of civil disobedience against Pharaoh, strengthened by G-d s dark angels of the plague. After nine setbacks, the tenth most terrible plague brought Israelite independence. The closing of the waters over Pharaoh s hosts ended further discussion. The Exodus from Egypt is rightly celebrated as a momentous event, and Pesah has become the supreme family festival. However, Moses saw his success for what it was an overture an orchestral piece that set a mood but conveyed no blueprint for life. Only when the singing begins, and the libretto of Torah is revealed, does the story make full sense. G-d chose only to reveal his Torah to a free people slaves are not free to choose the laws they obey. Therefore, Pesah was absolutely necessary. But Moses greatest work is his patient negotiation with G-d after the Tablets of the Law had been smashed after the Golden Calf. His abracadabra the magic words of Moses that turned G-d s anger are his prayer, If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you. Like Abraham negotiating with G-d, like Jacob battling the night angel, Moses prevails. The Lord concedes My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. For his persistent negotiation for his steady nerve Moses is rewarded with the land, with the written law AND with the oral law. Like Moses, we must recognise Pesah with its feasting as a wonderful prelude. We should enjoy the interval. But we should return to our seats for the next acts, when the life-enhancing finale builds the house up, makes sense of it all, and brings the house down.

6 5 Adar: Back to Basics Rabbi Daniel Kada, Wembley There is a famous Talmudic maxim mi shenicnas adar marbim b simha when the month of Adar commences we increase our happiness. How do we make ourselves happier? Is happiness not a state of mind which either one naturally has or does not? Recently, I saw a clip showing an American married lady who at a young age lost her hearing, and after extensive medical treatment her hearing was restored at a later age. Being a mother of a young seven-year-old boy she had never heard her son actually speak to her. The clip shows the mother meeting her son for the first time after her successful operation. Three simple words, I love you from the young boy to his mother invokes a cry of happiness from his mother: I can hear you, I can hear you! Her joy and ecstasy at being able to hear is very emotional to see and made me wonder: why are we not Sound waves and the ability to hear are amazing wonders of creation jumping for joy every day when we hear our spouse and children communicating with us? Sound waves and the ability to hear are amazing wonders of creation which we should appreciate every day. And for this reason, every morning we recite the birkhot hashachar to thank G-d for the basic skills we have in order to instil into ourselves an appreciation and gratitude for the many different faculties we have. When we appreciate this we become happier and more content people. Our task for the month of Adar is to contemplate and meditate on all the gifts G-d has blessed us with, and then on Purim we can also truly appreciate the natural miracles that G-d did for us. By doing this we will surely fulfil the instruction of our Sages Mi shenicnas adar marbim b simha. The more one reflects on his blessings the happier a person becomes. As one wise man once said: happiness lies in our own backyard, but it s probably well hidden by crabgrass.

7 Special Events6 TU BISHVAT FRUIT CARVING EVENT AT WEMBLEY Together with inspirational speaker Tali Barwin, come learn about the meaning of Tu Bishvat and the power behind each blessing we make, as well as fruit carving with a professional fruit carver. Thursday Evening 29th January 7:30pm TU BISHVAT SEDER AND SHIUR AT LAUDERDALE ROAD R Dweck and R Elia will share thoughts on the meaning and beauty of Tu Bishvat as well as a beautiful selection of delicious fruits and other refreshments Tuesday Evening 3rd February - 8:00pm SHIUR FOR COHANIM AT THE DWECKS Rules and Customs Monday Evening 9th February - 8:00pm R DWECK S PRE-PURIM SHIUR AT LAUDERDALE ROAD Megillah highlights and insights Thursday 26th February - 8:00pm R DWECK S PRE-PESAH SHIUR AT LAUDERDALE ROAD A crash course in Pesah Prep Thursday Evening 26th March - 8:00pm SENIOR RABBI S COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB AT LAUDERDALE ROAD We will be reading secular books of fi ction and non-fi ction and examining them from a Torah perspective - for more details, see the weekly S&P news Thursday Evening 29th January - 8:00pm Monday Evening 2nd March - 8:00pm For the most up to date information please consult our website and weekly s.

8 7 Social AN EVENING WITH ASTRITH BALTSAN AT LAUDERDALE ROAD Hatikvah - Hope Reborn The Unbelievable Story of a Jewish Prayer A unique musical presentation Wednesday Evening 11th February Details and booking information to follow CULTURE IN THE BEVIS MARKS A series of events held at Bevis Marks for working professionals in the City - After the success of the Concert by Candlelight event held in December, there will be a second event between Purim and Pesah - Details TBC LITTLE LAUDERDALES Baby and toddler group at Lauderdale Road Thursday Mornings - 10am LRSA SUPPER QUIZ The Lauderdale Road Synagogue Association s annual supper quiz an enjoyable evening with great food open to all. Sunday 1st February 7:15pm S&P COMMUNITY YOM HAZIKARON/YOM HA ATZMAUT EVENT AT LAUDERDALE ROAD An evening honouring Israel s fallen soldiers and victims of terror and celebration of Israel s 67th birthday Wednesday 22nd April - Time TBC For the most up to date information please consult our website and weekly s.

9 Synagogue Services & Events ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם שמות כה:ח They shall make me a sanctuary, and I shall dwell among them Shemot 25:8 8 WEMBLEY SYNAGOGUE Friday night service followed by a hot kiddush Every first and third Shabbat of the month RABBI DWECK AND FAMILY AT... R Dweck and family visit S&P Synagogues around London Please check the calendar for specific dates SHABBAT SHIUR PROGRAMME AT LAUDERDALE ROAD The Shabbat Shiur Programme with R Dweck at Lauderdale Road features a shortened Shabbat morning service followed by a special shiur and a deluxe Kiddush Please check the calendar for specific dates SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE R SHALOM MORRIS Bevis Marks welcomes Shearith Israel s Educational Director from New York as Scholar-in-Residence Shabbat January PURIM Bevis Marks - Megila Reading in the evening followed by refreshments, Megila reading in the morning followed by breakfast. Lauderdale Road - Megila reading and youth Party Wednesday evening, Megila reading followed by a breakfast in the morning. There will also be a women s Megila reading on Purim morning in the Dangoor Synagogue. Wembley - Megila reading in the evening, followed by Fish and Chip Supper (bookable, small charge) as well as Megila reading in the morning. Wednesday 4th March/Thursday 5th March - Times TBC For the most up to date information please consult our website and weekly s.

10 9 A Tree s Winter Rabbi Yitsy David, S&P Youth Rabbi Tu Bishvat is celebrating the birthday of fruit trees. As an idea it sounds like a lovely thing to do, perhaps even a sweet idea to tune us in to G-d s magnificent and beautiful world. But surely there s a glaring question. If we are celebrating fruit and not just trees, why celebrate now? Surely the spring time, when the fruit can be picked and tasted would be a more appropriate time? What are we doing now to ensure the future blossoming of our tree? On a surface level, in the cold, dark winter months the trees are not flourishing or blooming. In fact, they almost look dead! One would certainly be excused for giving up hope. But I ask you to look deeper. If we only realise what is going on inside that tree, behind the dark, thick bark, we would glean a profound life lesson. Within the lifeless looking shell of the tree, lies a world of potential and hope. The question is, what are we doing now to ensure the future blossoming of our tree? Have we given up hope and been demotivated by the lack of growth so far? Or can we look beyond the immediate future and understand that often worthwhile investments take time and patience before we can reap their reward. We all have children or students or even friends in which we have invested so much. How much time can be spent nurturing and loving before noticing a change or an outcome? Tu Bishvat teaches us that it is precisely during our darkest times when the seeds are sown for actual progress. It s exactly during this period of darkness and despair when the real growth is taking place. The more we invest now and appreciate what s beyond the surface level, the more we are likely to actually see the results and appreciate them. In time the tree yields beautiful and tasty fruit, but let s not forget the seasons and stages they go through to produce such fruit. Hold on, to yourself, your kids or your spouse because just around the corner you will see the true beauty in them too.

11 Youth 10 אשר בנינו כנטעים מגדלים בנעוריהם בנותינו כזוית מחטבות תבנית היכל תהילים קמב:יב Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants, our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace Tehillim 144:12 WEMBLEY SYNAGOGUE Youth discussion for boys and girls between Once a month on Shabbat Morning R YITSY VISITS WEMBLEY FOR SHABBAT Special youth Friday night dinner and youth explanatory minyan Shabbat Day Shabbat 9-10 January DISNEYLAND PARIS Joint trip with St John s Wood Synagogue for youth in secondary school February CHAZAK HENDON VISITS LAUDERDALE ROAD Chazak Hendon Youth visit Lauderdale Road for a Shabbat Shabbat 6-7 February YOUTH SHABBATON Joint Shabbaton away with St John s Wood for youth in secondary school Shabbat/Sunday March FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT There will be a youth 5-a-side tournament at Powerleague in Mill Hill. Contact Rabbi Yitsy for more details Open to all S&P Youth Sunday 11th January Registration from 11:30am TU BISHVAT YOUTH PARTY AT LAUDERDALE ROAD Tuesday February 3rd - Time TBC PURIM YOUTH PARTY AT LAUDERDALE ROAD Wednesday 3rd March - Time TBC MONTHLY YOUTH MINYAN AT LAUDERDALE ROAD Contact Rabbi Yitsy for more details Open to post Bar/Bat MItzvah For the most up to date information please consult our website and weekly s.

12 11 January Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat ASSARA B TEBET Start: 06:17 End: 16:50 VAYEHI Start: 15:48 End: 16: SHEMOT R Yitsy at Wembley Start: 15:57 End: 17: VAERA Start: 16:07 Shabbat Shiur Programme End: 17: R Morris Scholar-in- Residence (BM) R Dweck & Family at Hendon Iyengar Yoga Evening (W) BO Start: 16:19 End: 17: Tu Bishvat Event (W) Senior Rabbi s Book Club BESHALAH Start: 16:31 End: 17:38 Educational Events - In Blue Social, Synagogue, and Special Events - In Green Youth Events - In Red Locations: (BM) - Bevis Marks - Lauderdale Road (W) - Wembley - Outside Venue

13 February 12 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Shabbat Shiur Programme Tu Bishvat Youth Party YITRO Chazak Hendon Youth visit Lauderdale LRSA Supper Quiz 8 9 Shiur for Cohanim at the Dweck s Tu Bishvat Seder and Shiur Start: 16:44 End: 17: Astrith Baltsan Hatikvah - Hope Reborn MISHPATIM/ SHEKALIM Disneyland Paris Trip Start: 16:57 End: 18: TERUMAH Disneyland Paris Start: 17:09 End: 18: R Dweck s Pre- Purim Shiur TETZAVEH/ ZAHOR R Dweck & Family at Bevis Marks Start: 16:19 End: 18:25 Educational Events - In Blue Social, Synagogue, and Special Events - In Green Youth Events - In Red Locations: (BM) - Bevis Marks - Lauderdale Road (W) - Wembley - Outside Venue

14 13 March Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat EREV PURIM/ PURIM TA ANIT ESTHER Senior Rabbi s Book Club 8 9 Megillah reading and events at Synagogues Start: 06:17 End: 16:50 Megillah reading after Shaharit at Synagogues KI TISA Start: 17:35 End: 18: VAYAKHEL- PEKUDE/ R Dweck & Family at Wembley Youth Shabbaton PARAH Start: 17:47 End: 18: R Dweck Lecture at Bevis Marks VAYIKRA/ HAHODESH Start: 17:59 End: 19: R Dweck s Pre- Pesah Shiur TZAV/ HAGADOL R Dweck s Pesah Series Shabbat Shiur Programme R Dweck s Pesah Series Start: 18:11 End: 19:14 Educational Events - In Blue Social, Synagogue, and Special Events - In Green Youth Events - In Red Locations: (BM) - Bevis Marks - Lauderdale Road (W) - Wembley - Outside Venue

15 April 14 Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Shabbat ends: 20: FESTIVAL ERUB TABSHILIN EREV PESAH Latest Hametz: 10:53 Latest Burning: 10:59 Festival Begins: 19:22 DAY 2 R Dweck at Bevis Marks R Dweck s Pesah Series Festival ends: 20: SHEMINI Start: 19:46 End: 20: R Dweck Lecture at Bevis Marks Yom HaZikaron/ Yom HaAtzmaut Ceremony & Event Festival Begins: 19: Shabbat Begins: 19:34 TAZRIA- METZORA Festival and Shabbat ends: 20:40 Shabbat Shiur Programme R Dweck & Family at Wembley Start: 19:58 End: 21:06 Educational Events - In Blue Social, Synagogue, and Special Events - In Green Youth Events - In Red Locations: (BM) - Bevis Marks - Lauderdale Road (W) - Wembley - Outside Venue

16 Spanish and Portuguese Jews Congregation 2 Ashworth Road, London W9 1JY /sandpuk sandupuk Registered charity no