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Dear friends,

This week's Parsha, Lech Lecha, introduces us to our forefather, Avraham, and his journey of discovery. Avraham is told to leave his father's house, his country, to go to the land that Hashem will show him. It is curious that Avraham is told to move away, but is not told where, exactly, to go.  

In his commentary on the Parsha, Rabbi Lam explains that by not giving a destination, Avraham is forced to focus on the journey. The importance of the journey is a theme that is repeated in so many aspects of our relationship with Hashem. When we pray, the goal is not to get to the end first, but to have a more meaningful experience. 

The learning of all of the Talmud in Daf Yomi takes 7-1/2 years. Secular culture has picked up similar themes, telling people to slow down and smell the roses. We can miss so many things in a single-minded quest to achieve a goal. We don't see the obstacles in the road that mess us up, or the detours that can enhance our experience. Getting to one's goal faster is often the wrong way to go. The complete text is here. 
 
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This week, we have the pleasure of hosting a Shabbaton with Rabbi Shais Taub. Rabbi Taub will be speaking at the dinner Friday night (“The Romantic Story of Existence”), Shabbat morning at 11:30 (“Avraham Avinu and the Internet Echo Chamber”) and Shabbat afternoon at 5:20 (“Memory, Consciousness and the Afterlife”). Please make every effort to attend. 

Next week, the Shabbos Project comes to B’nai Avraham! Special kiddushes and speakers are in store. Details to follow.

Our second Israel lecture is coming up on Sunday, Nov. 13 at noon. We’ll hear Michael Bassin live from Israel. He’s an Israeli businessman speaking about his life spent studying and working openly as a Jew in several Arab countries, and as a combat Arabic translator with the IDF. It promises to be a very interesting discussion. It’s free but please reserve here ​​​​​​​and tell us if you’re coming in person on watching remotely. A light Israeli lunch will be served at 11:30.

In additions to these events, we have a new weekly series that began this past week, led by Rabbi Yankel Raskin on Halacha on Mondays at 8:15. The class is open to all. No prior knowledge is needed.

A survey about the mechitzah placement should be coming out this week to members. The purpose is to get a sense everyone’s preference regarding the orientation of the room. All comments will be reviewed by the Ritual Committee and reported to the Board. The minutes of the previous Board meeting will also be going out to members next week.

The Board is still in the process of finalizing a Board slate for the upcoming election. The date for the meeting and election, the Board slate and the voting protocols will be sent out as soon as the process is completed. There is still time to offer names for consideration to me or to any Officer or Board member.

Wishing you all a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat Shalom,

Steven Inker

Our first lecture in this monthly series. Dr. Daniel Polisar is a Middle Eastern politics and Zionist history expert from Shalom College in Jerusalem.

This talk focuses on the global challenges that Israel faces from Iran and the withdrawal of the US from the middle east, along with the great opportunities ahead from the Abraham Accords and the growth of the "Start-up Nation."

Dear friends,

We are all familiar with the Song At The Sea that was sung after the exodus, but there is a second song in the Torah in this week's Parsha, Haazinu. This song is more somber, foretelling the trials and tribulations the Jewish people will go through and their deviations from the path of the Torah, but then their ultimate redemption. 

In his commentary on the Parsha, Rabbi Berel Wein speaks about the title of the Parsha, Haazinu (“to listen"). He relates there is an echo from the giving of the Torah at Sinai that reverberates, and it is our job to listen for it. It is easy to ignore. It is that voice that tells us right from wrong,  always there but often not paid attention to. 

He also says the importance of listening goes further than hearing our own inner voices. It encompasses listening to what others say about us. Not only listening to criticism but internalizing constructive criticism to improve ourselves. This listening is much harder; it tells us the truths we don't want to hear. 

Especially at this time of the year, it is important to work on ourselves by both listening to our internal conscience and by incorporating failings that others may point out to us. These failings are not absolutes, but genuine opportunities to improve ourselves.  

As I’ve said here and in shul before, I welcome any comments, positive or negative, that I can learn from to hopefully improve myself. I have no doubt I'm not alone in this. I have to believe that the more open we are with each other, ultimately the closer we will become. (Full text from Rabbi Wein here.) ​​​​​​​

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While I did miss davening in the tent for Yom Kippur, it was nostalgic to be back inside. (There will surely be discussions next year about the pros and cons of indoor vs. outdoor davening.) During the last-minute decision to move the minyanim indoors and setting up for services, we tried to keep the announcements and appeals to a minimum. 

But I ask you now to please donate as you would have for Kol Nidre, for the upkeep of B'nai Avraham. The only true need for a Shul is a place to daven with a minyan, but we need your help to keep that place safe and dry and warm and comfortable.  We need your contributions to do all of the things that accompany the davening and allow us to grow as Jews in brownstone Brooklyn: to learn Torah, to build a Jewish home and to experience the warmth of the Modern Orthodox and Chabad community that we have built here and makes us special. Click here to donate.

We now look forward to Sukkot, with our community dinner and the Sukkah Hop. Right after Sukkot, our monthly Israel lecture series kicks off on Sunday, Oct 23. Let’s all promote the positives and positions of Israel to the Brooklyn Heights community at large.

Wishing you all a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat Shalom, Shana Tova and Chag Sameach,
Steven Inker