SPEAKER Rabbinic Intern Jack Hartstein will deliver a Dvar Torah. The Talmud class will be taught by a visiting rabbinical student, Ben Katz, guest of R' Jack.
KIDDUSH Kiddush is sponsored by CBAJ
MESSAGE FROM RABBI KEAN
On behalf of Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob, I would like to wish you and your family a restful and meaningful Shabbat.
Thank you to everyone throughout the community who joined in making our Yom HaAtzmaut celebration and Yom HaZikaron commemoration so meaningful! May it be Hashem's will that these first 75 year's of the existence of the State of Israel are just the beginning of many, many years of flourishing.
Last night's installment of Community Beis Midrash night was a great success, with people deeply engaged in areas of personal interest. It was wonderful seeing people share their Torah learning interests with other participants. In the beginner's track, we learned about the Rambam's complicated views about the Messianic era--a subject we will return to in our next installment.
The Shabbat afternoon Talmud class is beginning a new chapter of Masechet Makkot -- making this week an ideal opportunity to join the class since this begins a new topic!
Miriam and I will be out of town this Shabbat on a brief vacation. We look forward to seeing you when we return.
I hope to see you soon at a tefilah, children's program, event, or class!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ben Kean
UPCOMING EVENTS
SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE Mark your calendars for the next Scholar-in-Residence, May 5-6. Dr. Rachel Anisfeld will be joining us to discuss the Torah and inner healing. More details to follow. Rachel Anisfeld teaches and writes on the themes of Torah and inner work. She holds a BA in Religion from Princeton and a PhD in Jewish Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and has been teaching Torah for many years. Over the past decade, she has been working to integrate Torah with concepts of psychotherapy, mindfulness, and self compassion, aiming to find a Torah that helps people heal and grow in a deep way. She leads regular “parsha meditations” and is currently training to be a Spiritual Guide. A former resident of Albany and member of CBAJ (one of her favorite places), she now lives in Atlanta with her husband and almost empty nest. Check out her website Torah and Inner Work Join Rabbi Kean for the new Lunch & Learn Series for Seniors NEXT Session: Tuesday, May 9: Myths & Facts: Lag Ba'Omer
All sessions will begin at 12:30 pm. All curious minds are welcome. Lunch catered by 518 Kosher, supervised by the VHCD, free of charge. Please register by contacting our events coordinator Beth Liotta Tyler at 518.489.5819 x4 or beth@cbaj.org. * A Theodore Strauss z"l Endowment Fund sponsored program NOTE: Please feel welcome to wear a mask during the Lunch & Learn & take lunch home to enjoy.
YOUTH PROGAMS
Torah High 2022-2023 CBAJ's Torah High meets Mondays, 7-9 pm and is open to all students in grades 8 - 12. Pizza dinner is served. Contact Rabbi Kean with questions.
Tot Shabbat For children ages 0-5 and their parents at 10:30 am in classroom 3. Please contact Joshua Schulman-Marcus (jschumar@gmail.com) if you would like to be added to the Young Families WhatsApp group.
Youth Groups Kids in grades k-5 will meet each Shabbat morning at 10-11 am. Groups will be led by our youth director, Yael Gonzalez, and teen youth leaders. For more information about attending, or if your teen wants to work as a youth leader, email office@cbaj.org.
Babysitting Babysitting is available for children ages 0-5 every Shabbat morning for from 10:00-11:30 am! You do not need to be a member to drop off your kids. At least one parent or guardian must be at CBAJ for the duration of babysitting. Babysitting will take place in Classroom 3. The babysitters will bring the kids to Kiddush, please remember to pick up your kids when babysitting ends! Please make sure to inform the babysitters if your child has any food allergies/restrictions. Children in diapers may participate, but babysitters will not be able to change diapers, so please check on kids in diapers.
WEEKLY LEARNING AT CBAJ
WEEKLY CLASSES NACH YOMI Join Rabbi Kean for studying a chapter of NACH (Nevi'im & Ketuvim, the latter two sections of Jewish scripture) every weekday before Shacharit, Sunday through Friday, half an hour before the regular start time for morning services (7:30 am on Sundays, 6:10 am Monday - Friday) - in the social hall.
TORAH & TEA* Thursday mornings, 9:30 - 10:30 AM on Zoom*. Studying Kings 2. * A Theodore Strauss z"l Endowment Fund sponsored program
TALMUD CLASS -6:20 pm this Shabbat Join our Shabbat AfternoonTALMUD SHIUR in-person, at CBAJ, starting 45 minutes before Shabbat ends. We are studying Masechet Makkot.
*CBAJ ZOOM ROOM (weekday classes only) Go to https://zoom.us/join Enter meeting ID: 940 508 9347 | Enter passcode: 613518
ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMMING
CBAJ BOOK CLUB Our next zoom gathering is Wednesday, May 3 at 8:00 pm. We will discuss The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczu. It is available on Amazon, Thrift Books and in local libraries. CBAJ has 2 available copies to loan.
READING CLASSICAL HEBREW COURSE *New* Beginning April 26th, students will meet Wednesdays, 8:00 to 9:30 pm on Zoom for a 90-minute class to learn grammar and vocabulary from the textbook The First Hebrew Primer . The instructor is Mike Kupferschmid. For more information, please send an email for him to nancylawson10@gmail.com. It is not too late to join the course! The goal of the course is to gain proficiency in reading and understanding classical Hebrew. Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8906974931?pwd=bFlqejlBc0NHbnVqL0xBUGpQcUo3QT09 Meeting ID: 890 697 4931 Passcode: D3zRs8
COMMUNITY BEIS MIDRASH NIGHT *New* ALTERNATING THURSDAYS 8:30-9:30 PM Jointly presented by CBAJ & the Shteeble Next date: TBA Join the Shteeble & CBAJ for Beis Midrash Night! Take part in the unique experience of in-depth, textual chavrusa or individual learning in a Beis Midrash setting. Cholent & kugel will be served. All levels of experience are welcome—with guided options available for beginners. For more information, contact: Rabbi Kean, Sean Ference, or Mendy Shepherd.
**Note time change to next week's Friday night services for the Scholar-in-Residence**
Candle Lighting Friday, May 5 7:41 pm
MESSAGE FROM LIFE & LEGACY
“The things you do for your self are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” Kalu Ndukwe Kalu
We are excited and honored to be partnering with 10 other local organizations in the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s LIFE & LEGACY™ program. Please help us pay it forward and leave a legacy for future Capital District Jews. Please speak to Paula Mosher or Ellen Kaplowitzthe Life & Legacy committee chairs about partnering on this crucial initiative to ensure the vitality of Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob for the next 200 years.
INTRODUCING THE DEE PIRKEI AVOT PROJECT The Dee Pirkei Avot project was inspired by the Dee family's weekly commitment to learning and Pirkei Avot every Friday night. Each week, people connected to Lucy, Maia, and Rina, z''l, will prepare a Pirkei Avot study and discussion sheet in honor of their memory. CBAJ is proud to join in this project by distributing the Pirkei Avot sheets at services.
WELLNESS REMINDER Anyone who has symptoms of any illness or is not feeling well is strongly encouraged to stay home, irrespective of vaccination status. Better to miss services than risk spreading COVID or another viral infection. Please also wear a mask if you suspect or know of a covid exposure regardless of symptoms. MINYAN NOTICE In order to continue to ensure daily minyan, we ask all adult Jewish men to do their best to attend weekday minyan with greater frequency
PARKING NOTICE For security purposes, any time a CBAJ member parks in our parking lot overnight, or the B'nai Shalom parking lotat any time, we request that you display a placard issued from the office. A supply will be left on the shelf in the hallway outside the sanctuary. Please contact office@cbaj.org if more placards are needed.
Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob 380 Whitehall Rd Albany, NY 12208
Visitors please e-mail the CBAJ office regarding registering for our services during the ongoing pandemic.
Please review and adhere to our COVID POLICY when planning your visit.
The wearing of masks will be a personal choice. This applies to both services and social activities, such as kiddish.
Fully vaccinated community members are welcome to register as "vaccinated" at this link.
If you feel sick at all, please exercise good judgment and stay home rather than attending services, regardless of vaccine status.
We still request those who are able to help our Minyan status register for weekday and Friday and Shabbat afternoon services, so that we can continue to confirm a Minyan for those times. A registration email is sent weekly.
