1. Hakol March April 2013 - Hewlett E. Rockaway Jewish Center

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HERJC 516–599–2634 Rabbi ANDREW WARMFLASH Ext. 214 rabbiw@herjc.org Rabbi Emeritus DR. STANLEY PLATEK Hazzan DAVID SISLEN Ext. 215 cantorsislen@herjc.org Ritual Director NACHUM PLOTKIN Ext. 222 nplotkin8@gmail.com Religious School Director DAVID WOOLFE 599–0424 or Ext. 219 rsdir@herjc.org Nursery School Director CHERYL KARP 599–1169 or Ext. 237 nurserydir@herjc.org Youth Director TODD HAUSMAN 599–1148 or Ext. 223 youthdir@herjc.org www.herjc.org and Amazon Click on the Amazon button found on the left hand side of the first page of our website, www.herjc.org, do your shopping as usual and HERJC gets a donation! Amazingly simple and wonderful. notes from the hazzan DAVID B. SISLEN As I write this, we have just completed Tu B’Shevat, and are in the midst of our preparations for Purim. The former holiday celebrates the turn of the seasons – the desolation of winter giving way to the rebirth of Spring. The latter commemorates our national deliverance from condemnation to freedom. These two minor holidays serve as warm-ups for the original Jewish holiday, Pesach, which is right around the corner. The Festival of Freedom combines the timing and symbolism of natural rebirth with the physical freedom and establishment of our national identity. In antiquity, as well as now, Passover did not occur without ample and exhaustive preparation. Whether we are occupying our time with preparing the Korban Pesach, the Paschal Sacrifice, or cleaning our homes, changing our dishes, and cooking for a small army, it’s easy to get lost in the details. What’s missing from the system is the spiritual aspect of the observance; the personal meaning which lifts the performance of an action off the page of some arcane rulebook, giving it depth and emotional significance. This weakness of Judaism is also one of its greatest strengths. Judaism is a religion of doing. We have numerous actions we are bidden to perform – 613 of them, in fact. Each one can be explained and intellectualized, and its symbolic role can be easily identified or derived. Yet the trick is to imbue each inherently Jewish action with a sense of personal meaning which takes it from the physical to the spiritual. Some of us feel this added dimension with some mitzvot, and we perform them with gusto. But with others, if we don’t feel the pull, we either write them off as not applicable to us, or decide that they are too difficult to take on. The HERJC Mitzvah Fair on April 21 is designed to provide a solution to this problem. By presenting a wide variety of ways to add the performance of mitzvot to our lives, the hope is that if you have not already taken advantage of the Year of Mitzvah to add a few new things to your plate, that by having a ready-made buffet of possibilities, you’ll find at least one which will fit the bill. And then, as you begin performing your new mitzvah (or mitzvot!) with enthusiasm, watch the spiritual magic happen. But be warned! Mitzvah goreret mitzvah – one commandment leads to another. You may just find the process to be one of rebirth just like the beginning of Spring. In the company of others who are making the same journey, you may just find that your Year of Mitzvah turns into a lifetime of finding new depth and meaning in performing the actions which define us as Jews. Chag kasher v’sameach. We‘ve Got You Covered! Taking orders for KIPPOT/YARMULKES for all your simchas. Call Anita: 596-4717 page 2 MARCH/APRIL 2013 www.herjc.org HAKOL
From the Rabbi’s Study RABBI ANDREW WARMFLASH Jewish Time Albert Einstein famously proved that, rather than being fixed and absolute, time is relative. It actually passes more quickly in some contexts than in others. Similarly, our perception of time varies with the circumstances of our lives. When we are engaged and happy, time flies. When we are bored, it drags. Moreover, the older we get, the faster it seems to go. None of this explains the crazy timing of the Jewish holidays over the next 12 months. Passover this year will be in March, Rosh Hashanah falls right after Labor Day and, strangest of all, Chanukah will include Thanksgiving—something that has never happened before in American Jewish history! All of this arises from the hybrid nature of the Jewish calendar which is both lunar and solar: the months of the Jewish year follow the cycles of the moon. Each month begins when the new moon appears in the sky. The 15th of the each month is a full moon. However, a strictly lunar calendar would have only 354 days with every holiday falling 11 days earlier each year. If this situation was left uncorrected, Passover which celebrates the spring harvest would come in the fall or winter in some years. To solve this problem, a Talmudic sage named Shmuel created a complex lunar calendar that is corrected according to the sun and seasons. This is done by adding an extra month 7 times every 19 years and adding an extra day to some months in some years. The Jewish calendar was one of the great intellectual achievements of antiquity and was renowned throughout the ancient world. Despite an occasional strange year, like this one, it has served us well for millennia. It brings our lives into harmony with the natural cycles of the moon and seasons and aids us in living out the words of the Psalmist who enjoined us to number our days so as to gain a heart of wisdom. Lunch, Learn & Share Your Story! “In each generation, a person is obligated to see themselves as though they came out of Egypt.” (Passover Haggadah) In the spirit of the mitzvah of retelling the story of our people’s Exodus from Egypt, HERJC will host a lunch-and-learn on Shabbat HaGadol, Saturday, March 23, at 11:30 am Many of us have experienced times of difficulty: escape from oppression, recovery from life-threatening illness . . . As we approach the commemoration of our people’s liberation from Egypt, we will come together to sing, learn, and enjoy a last Shabbat lunch with chametz before the holiday. Additionally, we will share personal experiences in the presence of community. If you would be willing to share your story with us, please contact our synagogue’s rabbinic intern, Daniel Chorny, at dachorny@jtsa.edu. HAKOL is published by the Hewlett–East Rockaway Jewish Centre/ Congregation Etz Chaim 295 Main Street, East Rockaway, NY 11518 Telephone: 516–599–2634 Fax: 516–599–2851 E–mail: office@herjc.org Website: www.herjc.org President HAROLD KISLIK Vice Presidents MARILYN COHEN DAVID KOFFLER AUDREY POLINSKY Treasurer STEVEN KREIT Secretary ROBERTA SUGARMAN Sisterhood President LAURIE STONE BROFSKY Men’s Club President ELLIOTT POLINSKY Editor NAOMI DOCTOR Editor Emeritus CHARLOTTE BERCH Periodical postage paid at the East Rockaway, NY Post Office (#233120). Postmaster: Send address changes to Hewlett–East Rockaway Jewish Centre, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, NY 11518. Affiliated with: United Synagogue, National Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, National Women’s League. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policies of HERJC or the Conservative Movement. HAKOL www.herjc.org MARCH/APRIL 2013 page 3
Page 1: The VOICE of Hewlett-East Rockaway
Page 5 and 6: HAROLD KISLIK From the President As
Page 7 and 8: Come sample and participate in a wi
Page 9 and 10: WE’RE ROLLING! MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Page 11 and 12: schedule of services EREV PESACH -
Page 13 and 14: WE REMEMBER THE SIX MILLION Yom HaS
Page 15 and 16: events Sisterhood Book Club MONDAY
Page 17 and 18: of events THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Page 19 and 20: calendar of events 3 WEDNESDAY THUR
Page 21 and 22: they will independently come around
Page 23 and 24: eligious school DAVID WOOLFE Contra
Page 25 and 26: mazal tov to ouR april b’nai mitz
Page 27 and 28: Rene Ivler in memory of her husband
Page 29 and 30: Joseph Brofsky, D.M.D. Pediatric De
Page 31 and 32: HAKOL www.herjc.org MARCH/APRIL 201

1. Hakol March April 2013 - Hewlett E. Rockaway Jewish Center

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