Upcoming events

-  After a long absence we are delighted to finally welcome the Sefer Torah written
   in memory of the late Charles Simon o.b.m. We will celebrate in a fitting manner
   by dancing with the Torah prior to the Torah reading on Saturday morning.

-  On  behalf of the community we  wish Daniel & Laurence  Harel a heartfelt
   Mazal Tov on the occasion of the Bar-Mitzvah of their son Raphael David.
   May he grow from strength to strength and be a source of much nachat and
   pride to his family and Klal Israel.

- The AGM of the JWB will be held on Sunday, 4 Sept at  5:00pm at the JBC,
  5th floor.

-  Sunday Hebrew School is open for the year on Sunday  21 August 2011 at
   10:00am. Open house for parents for  the beginning of the year will be  held on
   Thursday 18 August.2011 at 7:30 pm at JBC, 24 Waterloo St, 5th floor. On this
   evening, we will present our curriculum to our teachers and there will be
   registration.

Parasha in a Nutshell

Va’etchanan                                                                             
Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11

Moses tells the people of Israel how he implored G‑d to allow him to enter the Land of Israel, but G‑d refused, instructing him instead to ascend a mountain and see the Promised Land.
Continuing his “review of the Torah,” Moses describes the Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Torah, declaring them unprecedented eventsin human history. “Has there ever occurred this great thing, or has the likes of it ever been heard? Did ever a people hear the voice of G‑d speaking out of the midst of the fire . . . and live? . . . You were shown, to know, that the L‑rd is G‑d . . . there is none else beside Him.”
Moses predicts that, in future generations, the people will turn away from G‑d, worship idols, and be exiled from their land and scattered amongst the nations; but from there they will seek G‑d, and return to obey His commandments.
Our Parshah also includes a repetition of the Ten Commandments, and the verses of the Shema, which declare the fundamentals of the Jewish faith: the unity of G‑d (“Hear O Israel: the L‑rd our G‑d, the L‑rd is one”); the mitzvot to love G‑d, to study His Torah, and to bind “these words” astefillin on our arms and heads, and inscribe them in the mezuzot affixed on the doorposts of our homes.
 

Weekly Shabbat lunch sponsor

The Shabbat lunch is sponsored by
Daniel & Laurence Harel in honour of the Bar-Mitzvah of their son, Raphael Harel.  Mazal Tov! 
 

Our Shabbat lunches offer a beautiful opportunity to meet fellow
Jews from all over the world as well as much needed hospitality to
young students, guests and visitors who would not otherwise enjoy
the Shabbat experience. We hope that you will partner with us in
sponsoring these lunches and help us provide much
needed hospitality every Shabbat. Please contact us at :enquiries@jwb.org.sg

Main article

 Spiritual Overdose

"One should never deviate from the customs of the place he visits."

This quote is from:
a) Lonely Planet (popular travel guide)
b) American Airlines commercial.
c) Charles Veley (self-proclaimed "world's most traveled man"—the youngest recorded person to visit all countries of the world)
The correct answer is:
d) None of the above.

This equivalent of "When in Rome do as the Romans do" is actually a Jewish teaching, quoted in some of the foremost sources of Jewish wisdom: The Zohar, Talmud, and Midrash.

But isn't the idea of conformity completely out of character, if not antithetical, to Judaism, a religion whose Book and People distinguish themselves by their ability to fight ignoble ideas and practices prevailing throughout history, no matter the circumstance or consequence? Were not G‑d's people chosen to be the salmon that swims upstream?

Are not the Jewish people intact today only because of men like Abraham who took on the entire world, defying ancient schools of thought and behavior? In fact, the very word for Jew in Biblical narrative, Ivri ("Hebrew"), means "on the other side." A fitting way to describe a people always ready to take a stand "on the other side"!

Imagine if we had "never deviated from the customs of the places we visited" since our inception and throughout our drawn-out exile; we would long have assimilated into oblivion…
But as we shall see, the seemingly puzzling statement teaches a profound lesson about transforming, rather than advocate for conforming.

A Remake
Reading the Bible, one is struck by the fact that its most monumental event, the Sinaic Revelation and accompanying Ten Commandments, turn up twice; first in Exodus and then in Deuteronomy.

(Don't panic, same ten.)
If the event happened once, why tell it twice?
The mystics explain: While the Torah was given once, it was received twice, or in two phases.
There was something very powerful about the Divine revelation at Sinai. Too powerful, in fact. We, the world and its inhabitants, were overwhelmed by G‑d. At the time, all physical properties were out of order and sync, neutralized by occupying Divine forces.
No doubt it felt good, as we ascended and transcended time, space and body. At that spiritual altitude and aptitude, G‑d's existence was unequivocal and concrete; it was actually material existence that suddenly came into question. We were high on a spiritual drug, experiencing a state of altered reality.

At Sinai, the Jewish people "saw that which is usually heard and heard that which is usually seen." The material world was under general anesthesia, unconscious as the Almighty operated.

But then we woke up, bruised and hurting. The experience had been too intense.
Ever have a deeply personal and meaningful conversation with someone, so intense that when you see that person next, both of you cringe and recoil, as you recall the potency of your exchange? That's exactly what happened on the morrow of Shavuot; we suffered from post-Sinai trauma.

Indeed, the story of our people's challenging desert travels bears testimony to that trauma. We were simply reacting to too much exposure. Our spiritual senses were dulled by being overly stimulated during that deeply personal and meaningful conversation with G‑d at Sinai.
(Does this offer insight into the enigmatic behavior of the Jews who sinned so terribly and consistently soon after experiencing lofty revelations?)
When our souls returned from their spirit-fest to our human faculties, the real work of internalization and integration began. Day-to-day existence resumed and with it the need for dialogue between body and soul.

That healing process would take decades, with Moses serving as physician. Throughout his tenure as their leader he would work hard to nurture their faith as well as provide them with soul/body equilibrium.

Which leads us to the second account of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy; less glamorous, but therefore more sustainable.
On this occasion, forty years after receiving the Ten Commandments straight from G‑d, the Jewish people heard the Ten Commandments again, but this time as they were processed by Moses, a human being (somewhat) like them. It was there and then that the purpose of Sinai was realized, for at that juncture in Jewish history, G‑d's will and wisdom, which in their raw and undeveloped form overbear all things physical, had successfully learned not to "deviate from the customs of the (physical) place it had visited.

What's in It for Me?
In one form or another, many of us seek to influence, give and share with others. At times we feel like we're giving our all, but getting no response, or worse.

But perhaps the reason we are failing is precisely because we are giving our all. Perhaps the person we'd like to draw close feels like we are smothering them with love. Perhaps in our presence they feel like they cannot breathe, or lack the space to grow. (Too much oxygen is unhealthy, too.)

As any parent can attest, the most difficult acts of love for their children are the ones which demand holding back, for it's unnatural for a lover to withhold anything from their beloved.
But since when is true loving natural?
 

Elite kosher shop

The Kosher shop stocks a wide range of products such as meats (imported from Australia),
poultry, dairy products, as well as a large variety of wines. 

                        
The Kosher Shop also just received a wide range of products form Israel at very affordable prices such as popular snacks (Bissli etc…), canned foods and much more.

 The Awafi Restaurant

Open for Lunch and Dinner To make a reservation call 6336. 5166
Also serving breakfast every morning after Shacharit.Awafi also provides for outside catering.
 Feel free to contact us at: 6336 5166 

Halacha Corner

 2. It is permissible to recite Kiddush and eat the Shabbos meal even before nightfall . However, those individuals who generally recite Maariv at its proper time (after the appearance of the stars) , but recite it earlier on Shabbos , are forbidden to eat from half an hour before the appearance of the stars onwards . Accordingly, if they have not [begun their Shabbos meal] before this time arrives, they must wait until the appearance of three stars, at which time they should recite the three portions of the Shema, and only then recite Kiddush and begin the meal

It is forbidden to eat or drink anything, even water, before reciting Kiddush .
3. The most preferable way of fulfilling the Mitzvah of Kiddush  is to use aged wine ("Yayin Yoshon") . It is preferable to use good wine ("Yayin Yafeh"), and if possible, to do one's best to obtain red wine . When suitable kosher wine [see Chapter 47] cannot be obtained easily, it is permissible to use raisin wine (see Chapter 53:6).
The passage from the Torah beginning with the word "Vay'chulu" (Genesis 2:1-3) should be recited while standing . Afterwards, one should gaze at the Shabbos candles , sit down , and gaze at the wine  while reciting the blessing "Borey Pri Hagofen" and the actual Kiddush blessing.
 

Growing Each Day-With Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski

 What are we? What are our lives? ... What can we say before You?(Siddur).

One way to read this prayer is to see the last phrase as an answer to the series of questions posed earlier. Read it: "What are we, and what are our lives and traits? Only that which we say before God." In other words, I can only know that much about myself which I have the courage to reveal to God. That which I cannot own up to, that which I keep so concealed that I cannot verbalize when I communicate with God, remains alien to me.
The Rabbi of Kotzk interpreted the verse, There shall not be a foreign god among you (Psalms 81:10), to mean, "Do not let God be foreign to you." To the degree that we alienate ourselves from God, we also alienate ourselves from ourselves.
Tachanun, the practice of daily soul-searching and teshuvah, is more than a ritual. By disclosing ourselves before God, we become aware of ourselves. While tachanun does contain prescribed prayers of confession, it is highly commendable that following them, we enter into a spontaneous conversation with God, telling Him all our innermost thoughts. In this way, we remove the barriers of denial and repression that both cause us to disown part of ourselves and put our correctable character defects out of reach.
 

Arseth

 14 Av / 14 August
Jeremy Elias
15 Av / 15 August
Yossef ben Rivka
17 Av / 17 August
Yosef Ben Steriga
Avraham ben Ishak Eitani
 

Today in Jewish history...

13 Av
Yahrzeit of Sir Moses Montifiore, 1885.
14 Av
Arabs took control of Eretz Yisrael from the Byzantines, 636.
15 Av
Jews of Cochin, India received a large shipment of Judaica, including Sifrei Torah from Amsterdam, 1686. The day was celebrated as an annual holiday. -Baron Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jew in the British Parliament, 1858, after a new version of the oath of office was agreed upon, without reference to Christianity.
17 Av
120 Jewish families arrived in Buenos Aires, 1889, "giving birth" to the modern Argentinian Jewish community. (The community today numbers between 250,000 and 300,000 Jews, maybe as many as 200,000 in Buenos Aires.)
-Arabs attacked Jews throughout Eretz Yisrael, among whom were students of the Yeshiva in Hebron, 1929.
18 Av
The Ner Maaravi (the western lamp of the Menora in the Beit HaMikdash) was extinguished during the reign of King Achaz.    
-The date was observed as a fast day.
-Yahrzeit of Rabbi Yaakov Kuli, author of Me'Am Lo'ez, 1732.
19 Av  
Bar Ilan University was founded, 1955.
20 Av 
- First printed edition of the Zohar, 1558. This lead to an explosion of interest in the study of Kabala.
 

 The Jews of Singapore

A history of the Jews in Singapore Now available in the Elite Kosher Shop
2nd Level, JBC Or call Kosher Shop 6337 2189

Ongoing Events & Programs

Weekly Minyan, stories and snacks for children after reading of the Torah. For more info contact Yudi.
One on one learning with the Yeshiva Boys for adults and children. Contact Binyamin or Mrs. Rivni@ 92327095.
Lunch & Learn Tuesdays at Awafi, JBC. Contact Rabbi Abergel
Talmud class every Thursday@ 7:30pm in tractate. Contact Rabbi Abergel
Kids Snack & Learn, contact Yudi,
Mikva: Mrs. Simcha Abergel 9673 9184
Mrs. Odelia Rivni 9232 7095
(Appointments at least one day before)

Yeshiva Boys

• Yudi Golowinski : 9459 8690
• Yosef Tiefenbrun: 9459 8125
• Mendy Dalfin : 9459 8152
• Meir Kalmanson 9384 3236
• JWB Offices, Julia: 6337 2189 ext 103
• Awafi Restaurant, Sushil: 6336 5166
• Kosher Shop, Maya: 6337 2189 ext 107

www.singaporejews.com
enquiries@jwb.org.sg