For the Weeks of April 6th – April 12th Nisan 6– Nisan 12; parasha Acharei Mot and April 13th – April 19th Nisan 13– Nisan 19 Passover

We would like people to be aware of some of the Jewish things and thoughts taking place in Harrison NY.

Passover begins the Night of April 14th.  The Young Israel of Harrison, New York (YIOH) will have a full line up for services for the holiday.  Our Passover (Pesach) schedule is the following:

Monday, April 14

Fast of Firstborn

Last time to eat chametz: 10:19am

Burn chametz before 11:38am

Mincha: 7:15pm

Light candles: 7:16pm

First Seder begins after 8:18pm

Tuesday, April 15

Shacharit: 9:30am

Mincha: 7:15pm

Light candles: 8:19am

Second Seder

Wednesday, April 16

Shacharit: 9:30am

Mincha: 7:25pm

Yom Tov ends: 8:20pm

Those are some of the Jewish things taking place in Harrison, here is a Jewish thought.

This week we read the Tora portion (“parasha”) known as “Acharei Mot” (Leviticus 16:1–18:30).  There are several valuable lessons we can learn from this week’s parasha. 

The Sabbath (Shabbos) before Pesach is known as “Shabbos HaGadol”, meaning the “Great Sabbath.”  There are many explanations for this designation.  One such explanation is as follows. 

When the Children of Israel were still enslaved in Egypt G-d (HaShem) commanded that on the tenth day of the month of Nisan, five days before the exodus, every family was to take a lamb and tie it to their bed post.   On the fourteenth of Nisan they were to slaughter the lamb and roast it.  The lamb would be eaten that night with matzo and bitter herbs while its blood was to be painted onto the door post of the house. 

Lambs were worshiped by the Egyptians as a deity.  To treat a lamb in this fashion would normally arouse the Egyptians’ wrath.  Similarly, under normal conditions the threat of the Egyptian retaliations would have dissuaded the Children of Israel.  Yet at this point in time the Children of Israel had grown in their faith.  They were prepared to obey HaShem’s directions no matter the repercussions from their Egyptian masters.  At the same time, unknown to the Children of Israel, the Egyptians were terrified of HaShem and felt powerless to intervene even as they saw the symbol of their god being lead to slaughter.

During the year of the Exodus the 10th of Nissan was a Shabbos.  It was on that day that the Children of Israel demonstrated their great faith in HaShem.  Moreover, it was the first time that the Children of Israel acted as servants of HaShem, doing His bidding, and not the bidding of Pharaoh.  HaShem’s message to Pharaoh was never simply: “Let My people go!”  HaShem’s command was: “Let My people go that they might serve Me.”  The purpose of the liberation from Egypt was that we might be become the servants of HaShem.  When the Children of Israel obeyed HaShem’s command, to take what would later be termed the Pascal Lamb, they gained their freedom even if they were still physically in Egypt.  This is the message of Pesach. 

HaShem freed us from Egypt so we could follow His dictates, to follow His commandments.  Pesach is not a holiday of generic freedom.  It is the holiday of the specific freedom to serve HaShem.  That knowledge, that commemoration, is the greatness to be found in this Shabbos, which is a generally a day set aside for serving HaShem and testifying to his rulership over the world. 

The Young Israel of Harrison, New York (YIOH) is a Modern Orthodox synagogue offering an intimate religious and communal experience.  Sabbath morning services begin at 9 am, mincha/maariv services on Friday and Saturday vary with sundown, and services on Sunday morning are held at 8 am.  For those who would like more information or would like to spend Shabbos in the area, visit the Young Israel of Harrison’s website at www.yioh.org or email Yiohnews@aol.com

Rabbi Bienenfeld gives weekly Talmud and Chumash classes at 7:00 pm on Monday and Tuesday evenings, respectively.  Please check the calendar posted on YIOH.org to confirm the schedule.

© W. Fraenkel 2014