Parshat Vaetchanan August 1, 2009 11 Av, 5769
TorahArtscroll, 958Hertz, 755HaftorahArtscroll,1196Hertz, 776AufrufJared Friedman
nothing, on this same date inthe future you will truly havesomething to cry for." That daywas Tisha B'Av.But what was so terrible aboutthe Jewish people's reactionthat warranted such a harshdecree?In all areas of humanachievement, the next peak canonly be scaled by letting go of the sure-footedness of theground beneath. Greatness, bydefinition, requires risk. Risk of failure, risk of losing that whichwe've gained, risk of having lesscomfort, less certainty, lesssecurity.The three original owners of Starbucks weren't interested inexpanding.We all know about the billion-dollar corporation created byHoward Schultz calledStarbucks. But before Mr.Schultz was Mr. Starbucks, hewas the vice president of Hammarplast, a Swedishmanufacturer of kitchen wares.One fateful day, Schultztraveled to Seattle to meet withclients who were purchasing aspecific type of coffee-grinder from his company. Schultz wasso impressed with thecoffeehouse he saw, he wantedto take it across America, in thestyle of coffeehouses he'd seen inItaly. But the three original ownersof Starbucks weren't interested inexpanding -- they were very happywith their business, just the way itwas.After opening his owncoffeehouse, which was an instantsuccess, Schultz finally bought outStarbucks for $3.8 million. Therest is history.What if we could go back in timeand pretend that Mr. Schultz hadacted differently. How wouldthings be different had Schultzdecided to act moreconservatively? After all, he had astable, well-paying job in anestablished company. Perhaps itwas just a bit too risky to go cross-country with a coffeehouse idea?Perhaps it was more prudent tokeep his steady day job andforego the enormous loansnecessary to start up a newventure. Schultz had a sure thingat Hammarplast, but Starbucksnationwide was a big questionmark.What if Schultz had decided not toleave his comfort zone andventure into the unknown? Hewould probably still be sittingbehind his desk at Hammarplast,never having created theStarbucks global empire with16,600-plus stores worldwide and$10 billion in annual revenue.By Rabbi Jason Gelber The Talmud teaches thatthe first Tisha B'Av of history was the seed fromwhich all future nationaltragedies would develop. AsJewish history unfolded,numerous cataclysmicevents befell the Jewishpeople with the same eerietiming -- Tisha B'Av -- as if the day itself was hardwiredfor disaster.
But why? What did our ancestors do to justify thisday of mourning for generations to come?The Talmud says it was theSin of the Spies (
Meraglim
in Hebrew). After Moseshad led the Jews out of Egypt and into the desert,they sent spies to check outthe Promised Land. Thespies returned with a dismaland disheartening report:"We cannot go up to thepeople... They are toostrong for us" (Numbers13:31).Upon hearing the spies'words, the Jewish peoplewailed a collective cry, andwith that cry, the Almightysealed their fate for generations, saying thatsince today you "cried for
Thoughts on Tish B’Av from aish.com
TimesThursday 7/30, Tisha B’AvSee schedule page 2Candle lighting 7:53 pmMincha 7:00 pmHashkama 8:00 amYouth 8:30 amMain Minyan 9:00 amBeit Midrash 9:15 amGemorah Shiur 6:45 pmMincha 7:45 pmShabbat Ends 9:00 pmSunday, 8/2 7:30 /8:30amMon., Thurs., 6:35 amTues., Wed. Fri. 6:45 amSecondShacharitMinyan (Daily)7:45 amMincha (week of August 2nd)7:50 pmLatest times for Shema/Shmoneh EsreiAugust 1 9:26/10:37 amAugust 8 9:29/10:39 am Next Shabbat –EkevCandle lighting 7:45 pmMincha 7:00 pm
Kiddush is sponsored by Meryl & Mark FriedmanIn honor of the upcoming marriage oftheir sonJared to Serah Gutman
The great tragedy of Tisha B'Av is how the spies robbed usof the staggering potential for greatness. The Hebrew wordfor word "spies" --
Meraglim
-- comes from the root word
ragil
, which means to habituate oneself, to becomeaccustomed to. The
meraglim
put too much value on thehabit and predictability of life. They weren't prepared toexpand their worldview to include that which was unknown,unpredictable, uncertain.Life in the desert was comfortable -- manna rained downfrom the heavens for daily nourishment, Moses was there toguide and lead the people, the Clouds of Glory protectedthe Jewish people from all forms of external danger. Therewas security and predictability. Life in the Holy Land was far less predictable. Would the land yield of its fruit? Would theJews be able to conquer their enemies? Would they havecompetent leaders to guide them?Any path of opportunity carries acommensurate risk.Beyond the spies having slandered the land, and the lack of faith evident in the Jews accepting the negative report, thereis something even more tragic: the tragedy of complacency.The fear of risking comfort for potential greatness. Enteringthe Land of Israel was a risk, but it was the path laid out for the Jewish people to reach exponential growth. Like anypath of opportunity, it carried commensurate risk -- a riskthat our ancestors weren't ready to take.We are all drawn to the familiar, the secure, the habits androutines of everyday life. And we sometimes squander newopportunities since it's scary to take a risk for the sake of the unknown. We become complacent and forget that weare here in this world to achieve something -- not just tocome out with as few bumps as possible.Greatness is within every human's grasp. The loss of thisopportunity is what we are mourning on Tisha B'Av. Andthat same day, we have the opportunity to affect a repair: tostep outside of our comfort zone... and take our grandestideas nationwide.
26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100 Shabbat Announcements Parshat Vaetchanan, 5769
Great Neck SynagogueShabbat Activities Program
Dale Polakoff, RabbiShalom Axelrod, Assistant RabbiDr. Ephraim Wolf ,z”l, Rabbi EmeritusZeev Kron, CantorEleazer Schulman, z”l, Cantor EmeritusMark Twersky, Executive DirectorHoward Silberstein, PresidentHarold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board
TISHA B’AV 5769Wednesday Schedule
Mincha 7:30 pmSeudah Mafseket: Rolls and hard boiled eggsFast Begins: 8:13 pmMaariv, Eicha & Kinot : 8:15 pm
Thursday Schedule
First Shacharit: 6:00 am- with kinot until 8:15amSecond Shacharit: 8:30 am- with kinot until 11:30amShiurim on Tisha B'AvRabbi Polakoff 11:30 – 12:00 pmRabbi Axelrod 12:00 – 12:30 pm
Shiurim broadcast in the Weinstein Torah andTechnology Center
OU Videos l 12:30 – 1:35 pmRabbi Steven Weil:
“The Death of the Righteous: The Tragedy of theDeaths of Yoshiyahu HaMelech, The Children of Rabbi Yishmael, and the Ten Martyrs”
Mincha 1:45 pmOU Video 2:15 pmRabbi Tzvi Weinreb:
“My Shoulders, Your Shoulders, Our Shoulders”
Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky
“From Galus to Geulah”
Shaimot burial 6:00 pmChofetz Chaim Video 6:15 pmRabbi Yissocher Frand
“Heeding the Call: What Are Our Trying Times Tell-ing Us?”
2
nd
Mincha 7:45 pmMa’ariv 8:35 pmFast ends 8:51 pm
great neck synagoguegreat neck synagoguegreat neck synagoguegreat neck synagogue
ROSHROSHROSHROSH
HASHANAHASHANAHASHANAHASHANA
ISISISIS
RIGHTRIGHTRIGHTRIGHT
AROUNDAROUNDAROUNDAROUND
THETHETHETHE
CORNERCORNERCORNERCORNER
!!!!!!!!
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Shabbat Announcements, August 1, 2009
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