THE BETH HAMEDROSH HAGODOL KESSER MAARIV ANSHE LUKNIK NEWSLETTER CHESHVAN / KISLEV 5773 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012

www.KesserMaariv.org

Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff Scholar-in-Residence Shabbat November 16-17 Friday Night, November 16th at the shul at 7:00 pm Shabbat Dinner before Shiur - Reservations required, $15 per person Motzei Shabbat, November 17th , Dairy Melave Malka at 7:30 pm

$25/person 4341 W. Golf, Skokie Sponsorships available: Silver $54, Gold $100, Platinum $180, Diamond $360 (all per person) Advance Reservations to Kesser Maariv, (847) 679-9800 or bhhkmal@yahoo.com
Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff is Professor of Rabbinic Literature at Yeshiva University's Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute in Jerusalem. He is a noted scholar, author and teacher who has taught thousands of students in his over 50 years of teaching. His lectures on Halacha, History and Contemporary Orthodoxy are heard by thousands of people over the internet at www.yutorah.org. He is the author of Bernard Revel: Builder of American Jewish Orthodoxy; Silver Era in American Jewish Orthodoxy: Rabbi Eliezer and His Generation; The Rav: The World of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik; Rakafot Aharon: A Collection of Published Scholorship in the Realms of Halakah, Hashkafah, and Jewish History, and most recently his memoirs, From Washington Avenue to Washington Street, in which he describes his travels to the Soviet Union on behalf of Israel's Mossad.

UPCOMING EVENTS & DATES TO REMEMBER Send-A-Kid-To-Israel Partnership (S.K.I.P.) Kesser Maariv is proud to be a participating Congregation in S.K.I.P. The program allows parents to contribute money annually in partnership with the synagogue and the Jewish Federation for an Israel trip for their children. Students in grades 3-6, enrolled in a day or afternoon school, who have finished paying their annual membership to the shul are eligible to participate. For additional details, a registration kit or to enroll your child(ren) for the first time, please contact Ben Zion Lazovsky at (847) 679-9800. Visit Hospital Patients on Chanukah Bring Chanukah cheer to patients at Skokie Hospital! Exact dates will be announced shortly. Please call Saretta at 847-204-0556 or email lazovsky@juno.com to volunteer. Misheberach List If you have names for a misheberach, please send them to the shul office or e-mail to bhhkmal@yahoo.com. Happy Day Cards & Standings Thank you to the Standings for the past year. It is now time to re-register! If you havent registered yet, its time to join the Kesser Maariv Cards standing list! For only $50 a year, your name will automatically be included whenever a card is sent from our shul to fellow members for a refua shlayma, condolence or mazal tov. To join the standings, please contact the office at (847) 679-9800 or bhhkmal@yahoo.com or Wendy Hartz at (708) 205-5109. Also, cards are available for purchase from the office for $1.50 each or 13 cards for $18. If you would like us to send a card for you for $2, please contact Wendy Hartz. Rabbi Meyer Juzints The Chain of Miracles This amazing Holocaust memoir written by a teacher of Rabbi Louis Lazovsky and a friend of Kesser Maariv, is available for purchase from the office, and from www.kessermaariv.org for $20. Final preparations for Nechamas Meyer, Mussar on Parsha, Breishis and Shemos, are almost complete, and will be ready, with G-ds help, within the next few months. "The Chain of Miracles" will be on sale at the AMIT Boutique on Sunday November 18th at Or Torah and at the Antonia Spitzer Library Boutique on Sunday December 2nd at K.I.N.S. Daily Minyan We have daily 6:00 am Shacharit. Please note that the minyan will begin after 6:00 am through November 2nd , with sunrise being so late. Sunday, Mincha-Maariv 10 minutes before sunset. MondayThursday, Maariv only at 7:00 pm. ! Pick up a Kesser Maariv Pushke (Tzedaka Box). ! Members may borrow books from our Lending Library, located on the south side of the Social Hall. Check out our new titles! PAST EVENTS Rabbi Ben Zion Lazovsky spoke before Selichot on The Chazzan of Selichot. Thanks to Sheryl & Bob Greenstein for organizing the High Holiday Greeting Card... Yasher Koach to Dr. Ed Kaplan, Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Eisenbach, and Rabbis Louis, Ben Zion and Eli Lazovsky for leading the beautiful tefillot and making the High Holidays very meaningful. Thank you to all our members for your generous response at the Aliya auctions, yizkor appeal and Kol Nidrei Appeal, and to those who contributed toward Rabbi Louis Lazovskys honor of Maftir Yonah... Thanks to the sponsor of the Simchat Torah Luncheon... Thanks to the anonymous donors of the ArtScroll Sukkot Machzorim. ADELE GOLDBLUM WOMENS COUNCIL UPCOMING EVENTS KMnitters Stay tuned for upcoming knitting meetings. Call Wendy Hartz at (708) 205-5109 for emergency fiber entanglements or slipped stitches. Simcha Dancing Monday night October 29 at 8:00 pm (Please note change of date and time) at the Shul with instructor Malkie Goldberg. $5 donation. Have fun and a good workout! Chicago Women Charity Players will be presenting an all women's presentation of "The Wizard of Oz" at the Performing Arts Center on Monday evening November 26th at 7 pm. The Women's Council will go as a group. Stay tuned for more details. A Chanukah program is in the works! Stay tuned for details. Serve dinner at Cafe Ark. Wed. night January 16th. Call Cookie Goldrich at 847-673-8149 to reserve your space for this wonderful Chesed opportunity. Past Event Thanks to Dotty Chakiris for sponsoring delightful evening of music featuring Kol Shira - A Women's Trio, featuring Gail Mangurten, Devorah Yael Silvert and Shira Malka Walder, who performed a broad spectrum of Jewish music. It was a wonderful membership event. College Scholarship opportunities See www.jvschicago.org/scholarship or call the JVS Scholarship Secretary at (312) 673-3444 or e-mail: jvsscholarship@jvschicago.org. The application deadline is February 15, 2013.

GOOD & WELFARE Mazel Tov to: Jeff & Sandy Cagan on the birth of a grandson...Yoni & Dr. Aliza Blumofe on the engagement of their son Calev to Elisheva Klein...Herb & Rita Lowenstein on the engagement of their son David Max to Shoshana Esther McConnell...Debbie & Brian Alexander on the birth of twin grandsons...Gene and Dorie Chez on the birth of a great-granddaughter...Cookie and Art Goldrich on the birth of a great-grandson...Cara Frazin on her Aliya to Israel. Refua Shleima to: Anne Elovic and Herb Lowenstein Condolences to: Yitzchok & Dottie Chakiris on the passing of Yitzchoks father...Lysee & Dr. Henry Danko on the passing of Lysees mother, Sarita Kolom...Dr. David & Guila Zuckerman on the passing of Davids

Congregation B.H.H. Kesser Maariv A.L. 4341 W. Golf Skokie, IL 60076 (847) 679-9800 fax (847) 679-5041 e-mail: bhhkmal@yahoo.com www.KesserMaariv.org Rabbi Louis A. Lazovsky Steven D. Goldrich, President Rabbi Ben Zion Lazovsky, Associate Rabbi & Executive Director Nasrin Kheradyar & Saretta Lazovsky, Co-Presidents, Adele Goldblum Womens Council Committee Contact Information: Bricks Chesed Fund Donate Books & Siddurim Endowment Happy Day Cards Kiddush Membership Social Hall Rental Tree of Life Yahrzeit Plaques Saretta Lazovsky Anne Elovic Office Michael Hartz Wendy Hartz Judy Whisler Bob Greenstein Judy Whisler Office Office Office (847) 676-0556 (847) 673-2904 (847) 679-9800 (708) 366-7662 (708) 205-5109 (847) 677-2281 (847) 967-7408 (847) 677-2281 (847) 679-9800 (847) 679-9800 (847) 679-9800

mother, Shirlee Zuckerman. Thank you to our recent Kiddush Sponsors: Nasrin Kheradyar, Rabbi Louis & Saretta Lazovsky and anonymous sponsors. Thanks to the Simchat Torah Luncheon sponsor! Thank you to our recent Seudat Shlisheet Sponsors: Rabbi Louis & Saretta Lazovsky, Harvey & Miriam Schiller...Alan & Heather Busch, Gilda Allswang and Larry & Judy Weinger. DVAR TORAH Chanukah - Saturday night December 8 December 16. This year we light the first Chanukah candle on Saturday, December 8th . We add one candle each night through Saturday evening, December 15th . Remember, on Friday December 14th the Chanukah candles are lit before lighting Shabbat Candles. We make certain that nights candle will burn until at least 75 minutes after sundown, which is about 5:35 pm. What does Chanukah commemorate? The Syrian-Greeks, in about 150 BCE, tried to make the Jews adopt some of their pagan practices. They also tried to introduce the sacrifice of unclean animals in the Temple. The Maccabees, a family of Jewish priests-turnedwarriors, managed to vanquish the marauding SyrianGreek armies. However, the Syrian-Greeks tried to defile all the pure oil for the Menorah by breaking the seals on the bottles. The Maccabees found one vial of pure oil, enough to kindle the Menorah for one day. The Sanhedrin, the Jewish Religious high court, decided to light all of the oil and fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) as required, and a miracle occurred. The Menorah burned for eight days, allowing the Maccabees the requisite time to sanctify themselves and prepare more oil. It was decided to light candles in areas visible to passers-by to publicize this great miracle. We light one candle the first night, and add one every night until the end of the holiday. There are many special Mitzvot, Commandments, and customs that are observed on Chanukah. In addition to lighting the candles, we eat latkes (potato pancakes), and sufganiyot (jelly rolls), to recall the miracle that took place with the oil. We also add the prayer of Hallel, a prayer of praise and thanks to G-d as well as the Al Hanisim, a prayer thanking G-d for His miracles, which is added to the Amidah and Grace after meals. Children play with dreidels to remind us how we deceived the Syrian-Greeks, whose plan called for the assimilation of those that they conquered to Syrian-Greek culture. Their laws prohibited Jews from learning Torah. They had regular patrols to all Jewish schools to assure that no Torah was being taught. The Jews were dedicated to the Torah and devised a plan to trick them. They learned Torah, but each school had a sentry. When the sentry announced the imminent arrival of the SyrianGreek patrol, all the children hid their books and took out dreidels, which were simple gambling implements. The Syrian-Greeks were always quite happy to see the progress being made by the Jewish students who had seemingly abandoned the road of Torah and had embraced

gambling. Chanukah calls upon us to fight assimilation and assume Jewish continuity, a task as valid today as it was in 150 BCE. Asarah B'Tevet - Sunday, December 23rd . Asarah B'Tevet, which means the 10th day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, is a fast day. It was on this day in 586 BCE that the Babylonians began the siege of Jerusalem that eventually led to the destruction of the first

Temple. Today, on this solemn occasion, we repent and return to our heritage and observance of the commandments and act with ahavat chinam, love of our fellow Jew, because it was our departure from these traditions that caused the Almighty to allow the destruction of both Temples. May the Almighty have mercy on His children and speedily redeem us on the merit of the good deeds we all perform every day.

SHABBAT SCHEDULE
Date Vayeira Chayei Sara Toldot Vayeitzei Vayishlach Vayeishev Mikeitz (Chanukah) Vayigash Vayechi Shemot Vaeira Bo 11/2-11/3 11/9-11/10 11/16-11/17 11/23-11/24 11/30-12/1 12/7-12/8 12/14-12/15 12/21-12/22 12/28-12/29 1/4-1/5 1/11-1/12 1/18-1/19 Candle Lighting 5:23 pm 4:15 pm 4:09 pm 4:04 pm 4:00 pm 3:59 pm 4:00 pm 4:03 pm 4:07 pm 4:13 pm 4:20 pm 4:29 pm Friday Mincha 5:25 pm 4:15 pm 4:10 pm 4:05 pm 4:00 pm 4:00 pm 4:00 pm 4:05 pm 4:10 pm 4:15 pm 4:20 pm 4:30 pm Shacharit 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am 8:45 am Shiur 4:10 pm 3:05 pm 3:00 pm 2:55 pm 2:50 pm 2:50 pm 2:50 pm 2:55 pm 3:00 pm 3:05 pm 3:10 pm 3:20 pm Mincha 5:10 pm 4:05 pm 4:00 pm 3:55 pm 3:50 pm 3:50 pm 3:50 pm 3:55 pm 4:00 pm 4:05 pm 4:10 pm 4:20 pm

If you have a chiyuv - obligation to daven or require an Aliya, please inform Rabbi Lazovsky before Shabbat. To sponsor a kiddush or shalashudos, please call Judy Whisler at (847) 677-2281. WEEKDAY SCHEDULE Minyan Times Minyanim meet in the Kaufman Bais Midrash Shacharit Sunday: 8:00 am Monday-Friday: 6:10 am due to late sunrise Reverting to 6:00 on November 5 Mincha-Maariv Sunday: 10 minutes before sundown Monday-Thursday Maariv at 7:00 pm Classes S u n d a y M o rn in g at 9 :4 5 a m : Weekly Sedra. Given by Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik P a rs h a C la s s in th e

Tuesd ays at 7 :1 5 pm (after M aariv): HaChayim by the Tiferes Yisrael on the of the Soul, given by Rabbi Ben Zion.

Drush Or Im m ortality

For more learning opportunities, contact Rabbis B. or E. Lazovsky

Malamud Reference Library Come and Learn from any of the hundreds of titles in our library. Lending Library Members may borrow books from our Lending Library, located on the south side of the Social Hall. Tape Lending Library We have tapes and digital audio files on many topics including Chumash, Talmud and Mussar.