B’Nai Mitzvah Chesed Program Raffle Drawing Results

Community News Headlines

The B’Nai Mitzvah Chesed Program is pleased to announce their raffle drawing results! Members of the Sisterhood drew the winning raffle tickets at the end of the Sisterhood’s amazing Purim Party on Sunday.

Congratulations to the following winners and thank you
to everyone for supporting the children in their
tireless efforts at raising money for charity!
– Lily Rahmanim won the Shop Delight gift card
– Roya Hakimian won the dinner at Shiraz
– Michael Liuim won the 42″ TV
– Esther Rahimi won the iPad
We would also like to take a moment and thank both of the Kanissa Boards as well as the Sisterhood who have given us their unconditional approval and support! Submitted by Sherri Bichoupan.

and the winners are 2

B’Nai Mitzvah Chesed – Sat Night – Mar 15

Community News Headlines

Stop by the B’Nai Mitzvah Chesed tables at either Shaare Shalom or Ohr Esther this Saturday night after the Megillah Reading to purchase snacks and raffle tickets! Each raffle ticket will be entered to win one of these prizes: Apple iPad (sponsored by Rodney and Shadi Hakimian) – 42″ Plasma TV (sponsored by Mehran and Arezou Hakimian, Allen and Lobat Hakim, Allen and Mojdeh Hakimian, Morris and Sherri Bichoupan) – Dinner for 10 at Shiraz (donated by Shiraz) – $250 Shop Delight gift card (donated by Shop Delight.) Every dollar raised will be donated to Zionist and Jewish Charities!!The raffle drawing will be held on Sunday at the Sisterhood’s Purim Family Megillah Reading at Ohr Esther! Come find out if you won!

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Sisterhood & Ohr Esther Family Megillah Reading

Community News Headlines

Please join the Sisterhood and Ohr Esther Board on Sunday, March 16th at Ohr Esther (130 Steamboat Rd.) as we celebrate Purim with a Family Megillah Reading, followed by entertainment and food. Come dressed in exciting costumes and ready to have a great time. Event will take place from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm. Parking in the Ohr Esther parking lot will be limited only to those cars with 3 or more passengers. Additional parking will also be available in the lot across the street from Beit Haddassah Synagogue.

Click here for more info and Flyer

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Purim Baskets (Mishloach Manot)

Community News Headlines

For many years Marilyn Kordvani organized the sale of Mishloach Manot gift baskets in our synagogues. In her memory, her daughter Cheri Haghighat will continue this tradition. As usual the baskets will be packed with only Israeli products (mostly Kosher for Pesach). They are of exceptional value and usually sell out very quickly.To ensure that you receive the number of baskets you need, please give your orders in advance by calling one of the following: Cheri Haghigat (212) 944-2700 – Minoo Hakimian (516) 487-3636, Mitra Hezghia (516) 482-0444. All proceeds go to Gym Minyan Youth Programs.

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Purim Basket picture 3 

Purim Basket picture 4

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Parashat Tzav & Purim!

Community News Headlines

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah on Purim;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

G-d instructs Moshe to command Aaron and his sons regarding their duties and rights as kohanim (“priests”) who offer the korbanot (animal and meal offerings) in the Sanctuary.

 

The fire on the Altar must be kept burning at all times. In it are burned and consumed all kinds of offerings; peace, sin and guilt, and meal offerings. The kohanim eat the meat of the sin and guilt offerings, and the remainder of the meal offering. The peace offering is eaten by the one who brought it, except for specified portions given to the kohen. The holy meat of the offerings must be eaten by ritually pure persons, in their designated holy place and within their specified time.

 

Aaron and his sons remain within the Sanctuary compound for seven days, during which Moshe prepares them into the priesthood.

“ Festival of Purim “

Every Jewish Festival or Holiday, has a theme to it and comes with a “message”. For example, Pesach is all about eating Matzot and remembering the Exodus. Its’ message: Be grateful to Hashem who has freed us from slavery and brought us out of Egypt to be his Chosen People.

Sukkot, is all about leaving the comfort of our homes and going to live in a temporary “Hut”, so that we realize that our comfortable houses and all of our belongings that we own, are all because of Hashem’s generosity and not because of our own intelligence.

Shavuot, is all about receiving the Torah and realizing that we are Hashem’s chosen people and we need to follow his commandments.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is all about repentance. Once a year we have to ask for forgiveness from Hashem for all the sins that we have committed, and try our best not to repeat them again.

Chanukkah is the festival of lights. Its message is to show us that even at the darkest point in our lives, Hashem does not abandon us, and there is always a light at the end of a tunnel.

 

So, what is the theme for Purim and what message does it carry with it? Some people may think that it’s a Festival just for the children. They put on costumes on them and send out baskets of candies to their friends. Others might think it’s a Holiday to get wild. To party, dance and get drunk for some unknown reason?!

 

But the Chachamim say that the true message of Purim lies in the Megillah itself!

When Haman wanted to kill all the Jews, he came to King Achashverosh with the following argument: ” There is ONE nation scattered among your people in all of your provinces. They have their own laws, and they don’t even obey the King’s law.”

 

The Chachamim say that the same argument Haman used for asking to kill the Jews, is also the reason for their salvation. The key word here is “ONE”! The Jews were scattered across the 127 provinces of King Achashverosh jurisdiction which was almost the whole world of the time, but they were all united as ONE nation. They all prayed together, they all fasted together and they really cared about each other. Queen Esther was even ready to give up her life, in order to save the lives of the other Jews!! And because of the unity and the love that they had for one another, Hashem saved them from the wicked hands of Haman and his followers.

 

Yes my friends, the message of Purim is quite clear! Purim is a Festival of unity and friendship!! When we are united, there are no kings or leaders in the world that could defeat us. Hashem is always with us when we are united.

The Festival of Purim is the time to bring us closer to each other. It is the time to show our love for one another and to show that we care about ALL the Jews across the world and not just the ones in our own community! In the whole Megillah, there is no mention of Hashem’s name, not even once! Maybe its because during this Festival, Hashem wants us to get closer to each other, rather than to get closer to Him! It’s a Holiday for us Jews to bond together!! That’s why the main Mitzvot of this Holiday is to give gifts, preferably to a distance friend, and give charity to the people in need. It’s the time to get rid of all the grudges and find the way to become close to those people we have distance ourselves from!! It’s a time to find a way to people’s heart and love everyone we know! And that’s what Purim is all about!

 

So my friends, now that we know what Purim is all about, let’s celebrate it together with joy. Let’s drink, dance and party together, not because we just want to have fun; but since we love each other so much!

Shabbat Shalom, Purim Sameyach & Regards;

 

Martin

 

Collecting SHEQUALIM

Community News Headlines

The Charity Committee will be collecting SHEQUALIM. This year the suggested amount is $5 for every man 13 years old and up with the approval of Harav Ben-Haim. Please pay the amount ONLY to the Shaare Shalom office, Saeed Hakimian, Yossi Namdar or Moris Aziz. For more information please contact Moris Aziz at (516) 850-8787.

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Local Elections Tuesday, March 18th

Community News Headlines

Six villages in Great Neck are holding elections on Tuesday, March 18th. Please GET OUT & VOTE in these elections. It is very important that the Villages see that our Community is active in the election process.

Great Neck Estates: Noon to 9pm at Village Hall, 4 Gateway Dr.

Russel Gardens: Noon to 9pm at Village Hall, 6 Tain Drive

Great Neck Plaza: 9am to 9pm at Village Hall, 2 Gussack Plaza

Kensington: Noon to 9pm at Village Hall, 2 Nassau Drive

Saddle Rock: Noon to 9pm at Village Hall, 18 Masefield Way

Thomaston: Noon to 9pm at Village Hall, 100 East Shore Road

Click Here For More Information

Parashat Vayikra!

Martin's Corner

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell ”

Parashat Vayikra begins with Hashem calling Moshe into the Mishkan where he will be taught many mitzvot, to be ultimately passed on to the Jewish people. The first half of the parsha describes the various “optional” korbanot (sacrifices) brought by individuals. They consist of the following: the korban olah (elevation offering) which is completely consumed on the altar; the korban minchah (meal offering) which, because of its inexpensive contents, is usually brought by someone of modest means; and the korban shelamim (peace offering) partially burned on the altar, with the remainder divided between the owners and the Kohanim.

The second half of the portion discusses the “required” chatat (sin) and asham (guilt) offerings to be brought in atonement for unintentional transgressions.
The sin offering is brought to atone for transgressions committed negligently by the High Priest, the entire community, the king, or the ordinary Jew.
The “guilt offering” is brought by one who is in doubt as to whether he transgressed a divine prohibition, or who has committed a “betrayal against G-d” by swearing falsely to defraud a fellow man.
” Dvar Torah “
In this week’s Parsha and in the most parts of the book of Vayikra, the Torah talks about the sacrifice ceremonies in the Mishkan which would be carried out in the Temple later on too. The Torah goes into great detail to describe different kinds of sacrifices. There were optional sacrifices and there were required sacrifices. The majority of the sacrifices consisted of kosher animals and birds, and some were flour made in the form of cakes.
The latter part of the Parshall speaks about the compulsory sacrifices. Everyone who committed a sin unintentionally, or felt guilty, had to bring an animal sacrifice. When an animal was sacrificed, the animal was killed and it’s blood would be daubed on the horns of the burnt offering altar. Then it’s meat would be given to the kohanim, and the sacrifice brought, would have atoned for his sin.
But the question that has been bothering the Chachamim to this very day is about the whole concept of sacrificing. How can killing of an animal be an atonement for a sin?! What benefit does Hashem get from the sacrifice? What does the sinner gain from the whole ordeal? Many Chachamim believe that the concept of sacrificing is beyond our understanding, but not to our dear Rabbi Yishachar Frand. He gives the following beautiful explanation:
The word “sacrifice” in Hebrew is called “Korban”, which comes from the same root as the word “Karov” – to come close”. Rabbi Frand explains that the whole concept of sacrificing was just a tool for the people to come close to G-d. They say when a human being does something wrong towards another person, each party has the tendency to distance or isolate himself from the other party. Similarly when we do a sin, we also have a tendency to distance ourselves from Hashem, because of the immoral actions that we did makes us feel embarrassed to face the Almighty. Sacrifices provide a means for repairing this damaged relationship, and brings us close to Hashem once again. When the Torah asks us to bring a sacrifice, basically what Hashem is telling us to do is as follows: “If you do a sin, there is no need to runaway, but on the contrary, try to come close to me. We can work it out!!” Hashem is standing ready, waiting to forgive us; all we need to do is to come close and ask for forgiveness! Hashem does not need our sacrifices, but it’s a human nature to give a gift when asking for forgiveness. Because when we see that our gift has been accepted by the Almighty, we feel that we have been pardoned and our friendship has been reinstated!
Yes my friends, no part of the torah is unrelated to us, nor is outdated! There are always great lessons to be learned from the Torah, even from the sacrifice ceremonies that was done over 2000 years ago. So, the lesson is, when someone does something wrong to you, have the heart to forgive him, just like Hashem. Let him come close to you and ask for forgiveness. Don’t isolate yourself from him and try to work out your differences. Remember that no one is perfect. Everyone does mistakes in their lives. It can be your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends or your colleagues at work. But the question that you should ask yourself is, are you willing to forgive them? Forgiving needs a lot of courage, but if Hashem is able to forgive everyone who comes close to him, so why can’t we forgive those who are close to us?
So my friends, if you ever get into an argument with your spouse, don’t distance yourself from her. On the contrary, come close to her and work out the problem. Be ready to forgive and be ready to “sacrifice”!
Shabbat Shalom and Regards;
Martin

 

 

 

Sunday Morning Parasha Class with Rabbi Adam

Rabbi Adam S

R. Adam's Sunday Morning Parasha Class

R. Adam’s Sunday Morning Parasha Class

Our Sunday Morning Parasha Class is on for this week (Mar. 9). We will be studying Megillat Esther!

A special thanks to this week’s sponsor for breakfast, Mr. Jon Zabihi, for the refuah shelema of all the sick in the community.

Breakfast will be served at 9:45 am, the class is 10 am – 11 am, at 54 Steamboat Road.

This class is also for the refuah shelema of Ruchama Sara Miryam bat Tamar, Avraham ben Chava, Mordekhai ben Rivka, Ruth bat Ahuva, Rafael ben Michal, Chana bat Rachel, & Shmuel ben Rachel. This class is also for the iluy neshama of Nissan ben Yonah.