TORAH READING Numbers 8:1-12:16, Artscroll p. 774 Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14-4:7, p. 1182
SPEAKER Rabbi Kean and the Talmud class participants will make a siyum on Masechet Makkot following Shabbat morning services. Rabbi Kean will deliver D'var Torah for the siyum entitled "What Rabbi Akiva Saw: A Message of Hope in a Time of Distress." KIDDUSH This Shabbat Kiddush is sponsored by Rabbi Tzvi & Esther Ita Holt in celebration of the birthdays of Esther Ita (18th Sivan), Gittel Sarah (15th Sivan), and Tzivia Malka (13th Sivan) birthdays, and also by Nancy Worth and Ed Kean and Gail and Matt Kramer in honor of Rabbi Kean's Chag HaSemikha!
MAZAL TOV Mazal tov to the 8th grade of Hebrew Academy of the Capital District and the 8th and 12th grade of Maimonides School on their graduations this week!
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.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for such a wonderful Shavuot! The Shavuot night dinner, Tikkun Leil Shavuot, and NCSY programming were filled with so much Torah, energy, and community.
Last week, I asked you to join in me in davening for Yair ben Rivka, a soldier in the IDF who was critically wounded in a recent operation in Gaza with connections to our Capital District community. It is with great sadness that I share with you that he succumbed to his wounds and died earlier this week. Tehei Nishmato Tzerurah Bitzror HaChayim - May his soul be bound in the bonds of life.
This week, I am very proud that after two and a half years, the Talmud class will be finishing Masechet Makkot! In order to mark this, we will make a siyum on Shabbat morning, following morning services, in lieu of my regular sermon. The conclusion of Masechet Makkot offers one of the most forceful articulations of Jewish hope and optimism in the face of suffering and destruction, and I plan to speak about this for the siyum. More generally, a siyum is a celebration of Masorah, the passing along the traditions of Torah She-b'al Peh (Oral Torah), and of dedication to Talmud Torah. It is my hope that joining together as a whole shul for this siyum will serve to strengthen those values.
In light of the news of the passing of Yair ben Rivka, the IDF soldier that we had been praying for a recovery for, the siyum on Makkot will be dedicated l'iluy nishmato, as a merit for Yair soul.
The New York State primary elections are on Tuesday, June 25. Please remember to vote in these important elections.
There are a couple of things that I believe you should know about the primary elections: 1. In many elections, especially in New York State, the primary is the more important election, where one party almost always wins. 2. In a number of our upcoming elections, including the extremely-tight Democratic primary for New York State Assembly for Assembly district 109, which includes the city of Albany and much of Albany County, different candidates have taken very different stances on antisemitism and Israel. If you wish to take these issues into account when voting, you may wish to research the candidates to see where they stand. 3. You may wish to contact Amidah Albany , a local Jewish and pro-Israel advocacy group founded in the wake of October 7, to receive their voter score card on Israel and Jewish issues. Their email address is: amidahalbany@gmail. com and their Instagram page is @amidahalbany.
I hope to see you soon at a tefilah, children's program, event, or class!
Am Yisrael Chai.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Ben Kean
UPCOMING EVENTS
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING & END OF YEAR BBQ
Sunday June 23rd, 2024 at 5:30 pm
The vote for the new slate and the budget will take place at our annual membership meeting. You will also be able to access the meeting on Zoom. Following our meeting please join us for our annual delicious CBAJ BBQ.
CBAJ ZOOM ROOM Go to https://zoom.us/join Enter meeting ID: 940 508 9347 | Enter passcode: 613518
All CBAJ members are invited to attend. Full members in good standing will have one vote per adult member of their household.
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
SPRING/SUMMER SEASON OF COMMUNITY BEIS MIDRASH NIGHT Join us at the Shteeble (Cong. Shomray Torah) Sundays, following Maariv (evening services). Contact Rabbi Kean, Sean Ference, or Mendy Shepherd to be added to the Whatsapp group.
Community Beit Midrash Night will include both independent and guided learning options. Guided learning with Rabbi Kean will meet once or twice a month. Topic: Ein Yaakov - Anthology of Talmudic Aggadah. Next guided learning Chaburah with Rabbi Kean is on June 23.
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 Kaplowitz the 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
PRICE CHOPPER KOSHER STORE GRAND OPENING New Location: 1730 Central Avenue in Colonie Kosher Department Grand Opening on Friday June 21st at 10:00 am We need you with us to show our solidarity behind the new venture, which will expand the kosher offerings in the community. Please RSVP at vhcd51@yahoo.com or 518-727-5566 and advise you will join. The new store will host our kosher department as well as new offerings of To Go Meals and Kosher Sushi on a daily basis.
518 KOSHER CATERING - SHABBOS-TO-GO-CATERING Learn more about 518 Kosher's Shabbos catering at their website. https://kosher518.com
THE WANDERING JEW KOSHER POPUP CAFE Thursday, June 27 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm at JFNENY brought to you by ACHDUT, A Harold Grinspoon Foundation supported Haverah. Our mission is to provide an open and joyful monthly cafe experience--kosher food and uplifting programs---for the entire community. We will offer standard cafe items and some Japanese inspired menu items like sushi salad, miso soup, and stir fried vegetables and tofu. All food is prepared and sealed in the Bethlehem Chabad kitchen. Rabbi Josh Sussman, violinist and musicologist, will be playing and illuminating the sacred art of niggunim: wordless Jewish melodies and their role in Jewish spirituality.CLICK HERE for more details & to register
