TORAH READING Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36, Artscroll p. 568 Maftir: Bamidbar 19:1-22 p. 838 Haftarah: Ezekiel 36:16-38, p. 1216
SPEAKER Simma Kinderlehrer will deliver the final installment of the Prophetic Personalities winter lecture series following services on the prophet Huldah.
KIDDUSH Kiddush is sponsored by CBAJ this Shabbat.
Seudah Shlishit this Shabbat is sponsored by the Graber family in memory of Herman Irwin Graber whose yahrzeit is this week.
MAZAL TOV Mazal Tov to CBAJ members Daniel Ari & Deborah Govindan on the birth of a daughter! Mazal Tov to the grandparents, CBAJ members Barry and Leah Siegel, the Govindan family, and older siblings Odelia, Shua, and Elliana.
Mazal Tov to CBAJ members Stephanie & Drew Kugler and their son and his wife - Joshua and Danielle Kugler - on the birth of a beautiful baby boy.
MESSAGE FROM RABBI KEAN
Dear CBAJ Family,
On behalf of Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob, I would like to wish you and your family a restful and meaningful Shabbat and a Purim Sameach!
I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped make our celebration of Purim, even with the challenges of losing power, so wonderful and joyous. Our programming committee, chaired by Dina Gottesman and Chana Israel, prepared a delicious Purim seudah and fun time. Our Megillah readers this year were Dan Reznik, Artie Brenner, Elon Weintaub, and myself. Finally, thanks to our greeters who provided to make sure we were all safe. And thank you to all of you for joining us and celebrating a Purim full of spiritual light, even if we were lacking of physical light.
CBAJ is joining the Orthodox Union's "180 for 180" campaign to mail 180,000 letters to President Biden to convey a strong message about the importance of supporting Israel, combating anti-Semitism, and securing the release of our hostages. The 180,000 letters will be hand-delivered to the White House on April 3, 180 days after the October 7 massacre. Click here to sign a letter and join the initiative through the CBAJ team.I am hoping for 100% participation from our membership!
Pesach is now less that one month away! Now is the time to start thinking about who might need or appreciate an invitation to join your Seder table. If you are looking to be hosted for a Seder, please reach out to me, so that we can help make sure that everyone has a Seder to go to. See below and check your inbox for more information about CBAJ and community programs around and just after Pesach.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Shabbat Shalom & Purim Sameach, Rabbi Ben Kean
UPCOMING EVENTS
COMMUNITY BEIS MIDRASH NIGHT* NEW LOCATION! Sundays, 8:00 pm at The Shteeble(Cong. Shomray Torah)
CBAJ ANNOUNCEMENTS
LUNCH & LEARN FOR SENIORS WITH RABBI BEN KEAN: "Can the 10 Plagues be Explained as Natural Phenomena? Midrash & the Passover Story"
Tuesday, April 9th at 12:30 RSVP to office@cbaj.org or 518.489.5819 x3
COMMUNITY SHABBAT
Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York unites with local clergy to offer the second annual community Shabbat experience on Friday, April 19, at the Albany JCC.
The CBAJ bookclub will be reading The Jewish State: From Opposition to Opportunity by Doron Perez
SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE SHABBAT
Save the date for our Spring Scholar in Residence Shabbat with Dr. Sara Ronis, May 17-18! The Shabbat will include a Friday night dinner (by reservation only) and a Kiddush luncheon (open to all). Full schedule & Registration & Sponsorship Opportunities details to follow
*For more information about programs in these sections, scroll down to the relevant sections.
YOUTH PROGAMS
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 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 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 or 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 Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) * 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 CBAJ bookclub will be reading The Jewish State: From Opposition to Opportunity by Doron Perez two copies will be available shortly The next bookclub meeting:TBA
FALL SEASON OF COMMUNITY BEIS MIDRASH NIGHT Join us at the Shteeble (Cong. Shomray Torah)* new location for the new season of Beis Medrash Night 8:00 PM this Sunday.
Independent & Guided Learning Guided learning with Rabbi Kean will meet once or twice a month. Topic: Ein Yaakov - Anthology of Talmudic Aggadah.
A Theodore Strauss z"l Endowment Fund sponsored program
Announcing the winter season of Lunch & Learn for Seniors with Rabbi Ben Kean: Midrash Rewriting the Story
April 9: "Can the 10 Plagues be Explained as Natural Phenomena? Midrash & the Passover Story"
Spring dates to be announced after Passover
All sessions will begin at 12:30 pm Lunch is free of charge catered by 518 Kosher and supervised by the VHCD Please feel welcome to wear a mask during the event & take lunch home to enjoy Please register by contacting our office at 518.489.5819 x3 or office@cbaj.org
SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE SHABBAT Save the date for our Spring Scholar-in-Residence Shabbat with Dr. Sara Ronis, May 17-18!
Dr. Ronis is a scholar of Rabbinic literature and the Jews of Late Antiquity. Dr. Ronis will teach us about several of her fascinating research topics, including demons in Rabbinic literature, the Talmudic figure Yalta, and self-identity.
The Shabbat will include a Friday night dinner (by reservation only) and a Kiddush luncheon (open to all). Full schedule and how to register to follow. Biography: Dr. Sara Ronis is an associate professor of Theology at St. Mary’s University, where she teaches courses in the Hebrew Bible and its reception, and religious studies and Theology more broadly. She holds a Ph.D. in Judaism in Late Antiquity in the Program in Judaic Studies and the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University (2015). She earned a MA in Religion from Columbia University and a BA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. Her first book, Demons in the Details: Demonic Discourse and Rabbinic Culture in the Babylonian Talmud (August 2022), looks at demonic discourse in the Babylonian Talmud in its legal, narrative, and socio-cultural contexts. To learn more about Dr. Ronis, visit her website: https://sararonis.com
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.
“A community is too heavy to carry alone” Deuteronomy Rabbah 1:10
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
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.
