Or Chaim Minyan welcomes Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner as our Scholar in Residence this Shabbat. R. Torczyner will be speaking Friday night, Shabbat morning and Seudah Shlishit. Please see flyer for details. This event is partially sponsored by Or Chaim Minyan. Mazel Tov to Arielle Ellis on her engagement to Nathan Sheinfeld of Scarsdale, New York. Mazel Tov to parents Limore & Israel Ellis and Rachel & Joel Sheinfeld. Mazel Tov on the 40th wedding anniversary and birthdays to Arnie and Fay Niederhoffer .May Hashem grant a healthy and long life. Chanukah Fair on December 19th, 6: at Or Chaim. Please see the website to register or go to https://www.orchaim.com/form/Chanukah. New Gemara Succah shiur, daily (M-F) from 7-7:30am by Chaim Kowalsky. All are welcome. We have opened up Toranut sign up again for the next 3 months. We are testing out having three families per Shabbat Toranut. You are welcome to sign up for multiple dates if you wish. Sign up ASAP at www.orchaim.com/form/kiddushtoranut Mizrachi is offering our members a great discount on plots in Israel. If you would like to take advantage of this amazing offer please see the flyer or website for more details. The next selection of the O book CLUB will be INHERITANCE by Dani Shapiro. Time, date and location TBA. Please send in your recipes for the community cook book in honour of our 15th anniversary to [email protected].
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT OCM
KIDDUSH SPONSORSKiddush is sponsored by the Koschitzky family in honour of Rabbi Torczyner and in memory of Saul and Henry’s Father, Israel , 25th year yahrzeit.
Kiddush this Shabbat is being co-sponsored by Marty and Sharon Goldberg and family as Hakarat Hatov to the Or Chaim Community.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SHABBAT VAYISHLACH
16 KISLEV 5780 | DECEMBER 14, 2019
Main Minyan Candle Lighting 4:23 pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:25 pm Shacharit: 8:45 am Mincha: 4:10 pm Maariv: 5:19 pm Shabbat Ends: 5:26 pm
Children & Youth
9:15am Youth Minyan: 9:15 am Kids Program 0-6 years: 9:15 am 6-9 years: 9:30 am Bnei Akiva SNIF: 4:10 pm
Upcoming Kiddush Toranut Dec 14: No Toranut Dec 21: No Toranut Dec 28: Please sign up on website Jan 4: Please sign up on website
Greeter Toranut Rotation this Shabbat: 8:45-9:15 Steve Frenkiel 9:15-9:45 Rayfel & Rochelle Schneider 9:45-10:15 Daniel Weitzner 10:15-10:45 Noah Diamond
Devar Torah and Shiurim 8:00 am Shiur: R. Eitan Aviner Devar Torah: Rabbi Torczyner Shiur after Kiddush: Rabbi Torczyner Shalosh Seuda Shiur: Rabbi Torczyner
OCM WHATSAPP NEEDS YOU! Join the WhatApp group to keep up to date about the daily minyan. Send a text to 416-671-1297 to join.
Yahrzeits Observed Last Week
Marsha Lax (Mother) 11 Kislev - Hania Sporer - Chana Yehudit Bat Moshe
Marcelo Grinfeld (Father) 11 Kislev - Abraham ben Salomon & Esther
Eitan Aviner (Mother) 15 Kislev - Susan Aviner - שושנה בת פלורה
Yahrzeits Observed This Week
David Maresky (Father) 16 Kislev - Shimon Yehuda ben Yechiel Ya’akov
Nolene Maresky (Mother) 16 Kislev - Zelma Genia Epstein - זלמה גניה אפשטיין
David Engel (Mother) 18 Kislev - Anna Engel
Saul & Henry Koschitzky (Father) 19 Kislev - Israel Koschitzky - Israel ben Chanina Yitzhak
Robbie Borwn (Father) 22 Kislev - Lou Brown - לייביש הכהן
YAHRZEITSSCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Candle Lighting
Friday Mincha
Shabbat Mincha
Motzei Shabbat
Mincha/Maariv Week
Following
Dec 14 - Vayishlach 4:23 PM 4:25 PM 4:10 PM 5:26 PM 9:30 PM
Dec 21 - Vayeshev 4:25 PM 4:25 PM 4:15 PM 5:29 PM 9:30 PM
Dec 28 - Miketz 4:29 PM 4:30 PM 4:15 PM 5:33 PM 9:30 PM
Jan 4 - Vayigash 4:35 PM 4:35 PM 4:25 PM 5:40 PM 9:30 PM
Jan 11 - Vayechi 4:42 PM 4:40 PM 4:30 PM 5:47 PM 9:30 PM
Jan 18 - Shemot 4:51 PM 4:50 PM 4:40 PM 5:55 PM 9:30 PM
Jan 25 - Vaera 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 4:50 PM 6:05 PM 9:30 PM
Feb 1 - Bo 5:09 PM 5:10 PM 5:00 PM 6:14 PM 9:30 PM
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Shiur 8:15 AM Chaim
Kowalsky תפילת הדרך
5:45 AM R. Engel
7:30 AM Chaim
Kowalsky
8:30 PM R. Sonenberg
7:30 AM Chaim
Kowalsky
7:30 AM Chaim
Kowalsky
5:45 AM R. Engel
7:30 AM Chaim
Kowalsky
7:30 AM Chaim
Kowalsky
Shacharit 7:45 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM 6:30 AM
Mincha 4:30 PM 9:30 PM 9:30 PM 9:30 PM 9:30 PM 4:25 PM
Candlelighting 4:25 PM
VISIT US AT WWW.ORCHAIM.COM
President: Alan Simon - [email protected] To sponsor a Kiddush: https://www.orchaim.com/
kiddushsponsor To submit an announcement: https://www.orchaim.com/
announcements To make a donation: https://www.orchaim.com/payment.php
To lain contact Daniel at [email protected] To give a Devar Torah or Shiur contact Jeff at
[email protected] Everything else contact: [email protected]
LAINING AND SHIUR AVAILABILITY
Dec 7 - Vayetzei Dec 14 - Vayishlach Dec 21 - Vayeshev Dec 28 - Miketz
Laining Daniel Grodzinski Niederhoffer/Eitan Green Eric Stutz Daniel Grodzinski
7 min Devar Torah Jacob Samson Rabbi Torczyner Jeffrey Stutz Dr. Mordechai Alfie
Shiur after Davening Chaim Kowalsky Rabbi Torczyner Eric & Tamar Stutz Available
Kiddush Sponsor Available Koschitzky/Goldberg Stutz Bat Mitzvah Grinfeld Shabbat Kallah
Jan 4 - Vaigash Jan 11 - Vayechi Jan 18 - Shemot Jan 25 - Vaera
Laining Available Benjamin Weiss Eli Magder Available
7 min Devar Torah Available Available Available Available
Shiur after Davening Available Available Available Available
Kiddush Sponsor Available Available Available Available
Feb 1 - Bo Feb 8 - Beshalach Feb 15 - Yitro Feb 23 - Shekalim/Mishpatim
Feb 29 - Terumah
Laining Daniel Grodzisnki Noah Diamond Ariel Kelman Jeff Weiss Available
7 min Devar Torah Available Available Available Available Michael Lax
Shiur after Davening Available Available Available Available Michael Lax
Kiddush Sponsor Available Available Available Available Available
RABBI JAY KELMAN DEVAR TORAHAlone at Night
“Therefore, the Jewish people will not eat the gid hanasheh, sciatic nerve, that is on the hip joint, to this day” (Breisheet 32:33). Sefer Breisheet provides much information on how not to act; we read about every kind of social dysfunction—be it drinking, sibling rivalry, jealousy, greed or more violent crimes such as robbery, kidnapping, rape, incest and murder.
Unfortunately, many of the stories of Breisheet repeat themselves throughout history, time and time again, with only the names, dates and places changing. Yet in the entire book of Breisheet, there is actually only one negative command—one that for most of us has little practical significance—namely, not to eat the sciatic nerve.
The Torah directly links the prohibition of gid hanasheh to Yaakov’s struggle with “the man who wrestled with him until daybreak” (Breisheet 32:25), causing Yaakov to “limp on his thigh”. Left unclear is why there should be a permanent mitzvah to commemorate this. There are no mitzvoth to commemorate Akeidat Yitzchak, Yaakov’s difficulties with Lavan, the selling of Yosef, or a host of other crucial stories that helped form the Jewish people. The struggle with this anonymous man would seem to be one of the least significant stories in Breisheet and, not surprisingly, takes up only a few verses. Yet it and no other has been “sanctified with His commandments”. Why?
The story of Jacob’s wrestling match is introduced by the phrase “And Jacob was left alone”. The prohibition of gid hanasheh is thus a permanent reminder of the importance of, and a prelude to, the mitzvah of honouring parents. How could an aging father with four wives and twelve children be left alone in the middle of the night? Could not even one son accompany him? And when Yaakov did not return to his family, should not a team of children have gone to search for him?
The result of leaving someone alone is at the root of the tragic fate of Yosef. Yaakov, apparently not recognizing the hatred of the brothers towards Yosef (not dissimilar to Yitzchak’s failure to recognize the disdain of Eisav for all things spiritual), sends Yosef to go to Shechem, alone. If only Yaakov had accompanied him!
The Torah (see Devarim 21:1-9) mandates that the elders in the town nearest to an abandoned corpse must publicly declare that they were not responsible for the death of the slain one—“responsible” being defined as not escorting those who are left to be alone.
The mitzvah of escorting others is so crucial that we are even obligated to escort those who are no longer living to their final resting place. This, despite the fact that the obligations to the dead pale in significance to that required towards the living; thus, for example, there is no technical prohibition of lashon hara, evil speech, about the dead—something that allows for much historical research.
The Radak (Breisheet 32:33) claims that the brothers, realizing their mistake, and as a (belated) display of honour to their father, took it upon themselves not to eat from the sciatic nerve. At Sinai, G-d validated their repentance, prohibiting the gid hanasheh for all future generations.
At the same time, Yaakov’s limp might be viewed as a self-inflicted wound. “And Jacob was very afraid and distressed” (Breisheet 32:8). While understandable, his fear betrays a certain lack of trust in G-d, who had promised him that “I am with you and I will protect you wherever you go and I will bring you back to this land” (Breisheet 28:15). Like Moshe Rabbeinu, who questioned G-d’s promise to redeem the Jewish people from Egypt and was nearly killed on his way back to Egypt (Shemot 3:24), Yaakov would be attacked on his way back to Israel.
Thankfully, Yaakov’s fears were misplaced. Immediately after his encounter with his unknown assailant, Yaakov has an emotional and peaceful reunion with his brother. Yaakov returns home in peace, and together with his brother they bury Yitzchak.
The gid hanasheh teaches that no matter what may befall us, we must not fear. Yes, there will be ups and downs, even many times when all hope seems lost. Like Yaakov, we may be forced to flee and we may be forced to reside amongst liars and cheaters. Yet ultimately, we will return home in peace. We can hasten that peaceful return by ensuring that no Jew is left alone.
