TORAH READING Genesis: 12:1 - 17:27 Artscroll p. 54 Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27 - 41:16, p. 1133
KIDDUSH Kiddush this Shabbat is sponsored by Nanette and Artie Brenner in memory of Nanette's mother Frieda Geller z"l and grandmother Nesia Geller z"l SEUDAH SHLISHIT Seudah Shlishit this Shabbat is sponsored by CBAJ.
NOTE OF APPRECIATION “Dear Beth Abraham Jacob family, My family and I would like to thank you all for your prayers, support, food train and kindness as our family is going through this devastated time.
Thank you all and let's keep praying that all the hostages and the soldiers will be back home safely. The Zilberberg family“
MESSAGE FROM RABBI KEAN
Dear CBAJ Family,
I will be out of town this Shabbat and most of next week.
I continue to have all of you in my mind as we continue to be impacted by the heartbreaking news coming out of Israel, and around the world as antisemitic incidents continue to rise.
I have personally found tremendous meaning in the many opportunities that we have created as a community to come together during this difficult time. At the recent Senior Lunch & Learn this week, we started by sharing some of our personal connections to Israel. It was really amazing to see just how deep our community's ties to Israel are.
I look forward to many wonderful opportunities to learn and connect when we return. As we are progressing into the Fall, please see the Shabbat notes for information about our upcoming weekday classes and learning programs, scholar-in-residence, and other exciting upcoming programs.
This season, all sessions will be held WEEKLY on SUNDAYS at CBAJ Beginning this Sunday, October 29 at 8:00 pm
Independent & Guided Learning Guided learning with Rabbi Kean will meet once or twice a month. This week's guided learning topic: Unpacking the Akeidah
See the Adult Education Programming section below for more news about multiple upcoming programs
YOUTH PROGAMS
Torah High2023-2024 Semester began Monday October 9th CBAJ's Torah High meets Mondays, 7-9 pm and is open to all students in grades 8 - 12. Dinner is served. Contact Rabbi Kean with questions. Online registration available HERE Tot Shabbat The next Tot Shabbat is November 18! 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 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
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 Join our Shabbat Afternoon TALMUD SHIUR in-person, at CBAJ, starting 1 hour before Mincha. 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 The next Book Club meeting will be November 8 at 8pm in the CBAJ zoom room. We are reading Kantika by Elizabeth Graver.
Scholar-in-Residence Shabbat November 10 & 11 with Rabbi Moshe Kurtz Complete schedule and registration information to follow
Save the date for a Shabbat with a catered Friday night dinner, special lectures, and book talk about Rabbi Kurtz's new book, Challenging Assumptions.
Rabbi Kurtz is the assistant rabbi of Congregation Agudath Sholom (CAS) in Stamford,CT. Rabbi Kurtz lectures on a range of contemporary issues, including political correctness, nationalism, and gender identity, through the halachic lens.
KIDDUSH CONVERSATIONS 2023-2024 Share Jewish experiences or ideas that inspire you! Following Kiddush on winter Shabbats, begins Nov. 18 Contact Simma Kinderlehrer or Rabbi Kean to sign up
November 28: Concealing Kohelet Did the Rabbis almost remove Kohelet from Tanakh? December 5: A Season for Everything The famous "Time Poem" & cycles of hope & despair in Kohelet December 12: Does Life Have Meaning? Competing answers from Kohelet's Conclusion
* A Theodore Strauss z"l Endowment Fund sponsored program
The Lunch & Learn for Seniors with Rabbi Kean series has resumed and the fall theme is Life's Highs and Lows. 11/14/2023 Grief and Loss in Judaism 12/19/2023 Judaism and Positive Living All sessions will begin at 12:30 pm. Lunch, catered by 518 Kosher and supervised by the VHCD, is free of charge. Please feel welcome to wear a mask during the event & take lunch home to enjoy. Please register by contacting our events coordinator Beth Liotta Tyler at 518.489.5819 x4 or beth@cbaj.org.
THE DEE PIRKEI AVOT PROJECT
The Dee Pirkei Avot project disseminates a weekly Pirkei Avot study and discussion sheet in honor of their memory of Lucy, Maia, and Rina, z''l, who were killed in a terrorist attack this year.
“It’s when the winds blow the hardest that you need the deepest roots” Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
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.
Please click HERE for an important message from our Security Committee & security partner, Community Security Service (CSS) regarding guidelines for attending pro-Israel events
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
I Stant with Israel bracelets are available for purchase $5.00 each (cash or Venmo @SherylHoffman). Pick up at Temple Israel All proceeds will go to Federations Support Israel Efforts
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.
