Parshat Va’eira January 24, 2009 28 Tevet, 5769

Torah
Artscroll, 318 Rabbi Frand on the Parsha
Hertz, 232
The Differential stage in the child's life – the Now the pasuk can inform us
Haftorah Between Potential and parents really have no great that he is the product of an
Artscroll, 1149 Realized Potential "claim to fame." At that Amram and a Yocheved. Here
Hertz, 244 stage, we do not know who the parents can now proclaim:
This week's parsha
Mevorchim Chodesh contains the first time in the baby is or what the baby "See the child that we have
Shevat the Torah that we are will become. At that point, raised." They can now stand
Rosh Chodesh explicitly told the name of the baby is only "a bundle of up and take credit. Let the
Monday 1/26
Moshe Rabbeinu's father raw potential" (b'koach, not world know who Moshe
Molad Monday
– Amram ben Kehas ben b'po-al). Rabbeinu's father was. Let the
4:54:17 am world know who is mother
of Levi. The pasuk says Therefore, giving accolades
Times that Amram married his and honors to the parents of was. Moshe Rabbeinu is more
aunt Yocheved and Moshe Rabbeinu at the that just raw potential. The
Candle lighting 4:43 pm potential has been realized.
together they had two stage of his birth would be
Mincha 4:45 pm sons – Aharon and premature. He was only a The Rabbeinu Bechaye in
Hashkama 8:00 am Moshe [Shmos 7:18-20]. baby! Parashas Bereshis alludes to
Minyan We first learned about In this week's parsha, the the same point. Throughout
the birth of Moshe in last situation has changed. In the days of creation the Torah
Parsha Shiur 8:30 am
week's parsha. There the Parshas VaEra we already uses the refrain "The L-rd saw
pasuk ambiguously says: know who Moshe Rabbeinu that it was good." At the end of
Youth 8:30 am
Main Minyan 9:00 am "A man went from the is. This is a person who creation the pasuk says "And
House of Levi and took could have remained the L-rd saw everything that he
Beit Midrash 9:15 am did and behold it was VERY
Levi's daughter (and they comfortably in the house of
Gemorah Shiur 3:45 pm had a son and called him Pharaoh, but he grew up and good." [Bereshis 1:31].
Moshe)" [Shmos 2:1]. It went out amongst his Rabbeinu Bechaye notes that
Mincha 4:35 pm we find three distinct
would have been more brethren and saw their
Shabbat Ends 5:52 pm logical, it would seem, to suffering. Moshe Rabbeinu expressions: "ki tov", "tov", and
tell us about Moshe stuck up for the oppressed "tov me'od". The first
Sunday, 7:30 am expression ("ki tov"), he says,
January 25, 8:30 am Rabbeinu's father when Jew. Moshe Rabbeinu had
initially mentioning his to flee for his life and go to is used when we are looking at
Mon., Thurs., 6:35 am birth. Why does the Midian. Moshe Rabbeinu the potential of an item or a
Torah omit the identity of stood up for the oppressed person or a day. Each day of
Tues., Wed., Fri., 6:45 am
the parents when first daughters of Yisro at the creation was "ki tov". There
narrating Moshe's birth? well. This is only a fraction of was tremendous potential in
Second Shacharit
Minyan (Daily) 7:45 am
Rav Moshe Feinstein what he will yet accomplish. each and every day. But it was
Mincha (week of 4:55 pm But he is now 80 years old; only a part of a much greater
January 25) explains that when two sum that was going to yet
people bring a child into he has already
Late Ma’ariv 8:15 pm the world – at that early demonstrated his character. happen.
Mon., - Thurs., However, when G-d reviewed
Latest times for
Shema/Shmoneh Esrei Kiddush is Bima Flowers and Seudah Shlishit
are sponsored by
January 24 9:39/10:28 am Sponsored
The Aryeh Family
January 31 9:37/10:27 am
by in memory of their
Next Shabbat - Bo
Great Neck Husband, father and grandfather
Candle lighting 4:52 pm
Synagogue Rafael Aryeh, z”l
Mincha 4:55 pm
26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100
all of creation at the end of six days, the full creation
was "tov meod" – potential realized. The sum is
greater than all of the parts. The "parts" are merely "ki
tov". The sum is "tov meod."
The Rabbeinu Bechaye – back in Parshas Bereshis -
references the language used in connection with
Moshe Rabbeinu here in Shmos. When Moshe
Rabbeinu was born, the parents knew they had
something special in their hands. The Medrash says
that the room filled with light. His cry was that of a
mature child. This was not just any little baby. This
was someone special. The Torah uses the expression
"ki tov hu" at that point [Shmos 2:2]. He was only
potential. Therefore, just like the intermediate stages
of creation, he was designated "ki tov". He was
potential, unbelievable and unimaginable potential,
but only potential, nevertheless.
But, says Rabbeinu Bechaye, later, when Moshe
matured and proved himself, he in fact merited the
accolade "meod" as it is written "And the man Moshe
was 'anav meod' (exceedingly humble)" [Bamidbar
12:3].
Even Moshe Rabbeinu had to reach his potential.
Until he did he was merely "ki tov". When he reached
that potential he was "tov meod."
At the end of Parshas Bo, we learn the laws of the
firstborn. There is the law of the firstborn of man, the
firstborn of a kosher animal, and the law of the
firstborn of a non-kosher animal. There is a seemingly
strange-law called "Petter Chamor." The firstborn of a
donkey has to be redeemed with a sheep. If the
owner chooses not to redeem the donkey in this way,
he must decapitate the animal.
The Netziv of Volozhin says that a firstborn who
wastes his potential forfeits his right to remain in the
world. The firstborn is special. He has special
capabilities and special potential. He must develop
that potential and maximize the powers he was given.
Failure to do so justifies the harsh fate that befalls the
donkey who was not utilized properly to fulfill the
mitzah of "petter chamor."
The Netziv generalizes this to be a "klal gadol
b'Torah" [over-arching principle of the Torah]:
Great Neck Synagogue
Shabbat Activities Program
Dale Polakoff, Rabbi
Shalom Axelrod, Assistant Rabbi
Brahm Weinberg, Rabbinic Intern
Dr. Ephraim Wolf ,z”l, Rabbi Emeritus
Zeev Kron, Cantor
Eleazer Schulman, z”l, Cantor Emeritus
Mark Twersky, Executive Director
Howard Silberstein, President
Harold Domnitch, Chairman of the Board
Shabbat Announcements, Va’eira 5769
Someone who has the capacity for greatness and is lazy
and does not realize his potential is far worse than
someone who never had the potential in the first place. It
is a terrible thing to waste potential. It would have been
preferable to have never been born into the world than to
waste one's potential.
GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK
Proper Disposal of Pharmaceuticals
You should not dispose of medications in the toilet or
a drain because they eventually end up in our ground
water or watersheds contaminating the water.
In studies by Stony Brook University and the U.S.
Geological survey of ground-water wells in Suffolk County, sci-
entists detected pharmaceuticals in our
ground water. Acetaminophen, caffeine, carbamazepine (anti-
epileptic), cotinine (human metabolite of nicotine), paraxan-
thine (human metabolite of caffeine), and
sulfamethoxazole (antibiotic) were found most
often in both studies due in part to
lack of proper disposal of medications.
• Dispose of the waste in household trash –
DO NOT FLUSH.
• Keep products in their original containers.
Pharmaceutical container caps are
typically watertight and child proof.
• Add a small amount of water to a solid drug
or some absorbent material such as kitty litter,
sawdust or flour, to liquid drugs before recapping
to discourage any unintended use of the drug.
• Double seal the container in another container
or heavy bag to prevent easy identification
of the drug container or to prevent
a glass container from breaking
"GREEN TIP OF THE WEEK is part of an education
series to reduce our carbon output. As Jews we have a
responsibility to ourselves and future generations to
sustain our environment from the global scorching that
has already begun. We are experiencing global warming
due to over industrialization, pollution and carbon
emissions in the air. We need to integrate education,
action, and advocacy and to connect this to Jewish
tradition, and place this within a larger series of goals.
Our goal must be a healthy and sustainable world for all
its inhabitants. It means acting to slow the damage and
then steadily working to reform our environment."
 Great Neck Synagogue
Shabbat Activities Program
T IM E E V E NT L O C AT IO N

8:30 Youth Minyan/ 5th grade & up Youth Center

9:00-10:30 Pre-Groups/ 4th grade and under Chalfin Room
10:00-11:30 Mommy and Me *Room 110

PRE-SCHOOL
10:00 1-3 years (Me Without Mommy) Room 112
10:00 4-5 years (Me Without Mommy) Room 113
and please no parents in room 112 and 113.

10:30 Junior Minyan/1-4 Grade Youth Center Right

10:30 Mishna Club /5-8 Grade Youth Center Left

11:15 1st-4th grade Youth Groups

11:15 1st-2nd grade boys *Room 206
11:15 1st-2nd grade girls *Room 212
11:15 3rd-4th grade boys Youth Center Right
11:15 3rd-4th grade girls Youth Center Right

11:15 Youth Groups/5-8 Grade Boys Lunchroom, NSHA

11:15 Youth Groups/5-8 Grade Girls Beit Midrash Rear

11:15 Weekly Kiddush with Rabbi Jensen Room 111

11:15 Cholent Kiddush / 8th grade & up Youth Center Left

12:00 All Groups are over

BETWEEN MINCHA & MAARIV

Seudah Shlishit All Youth & H.S Youth Center Right

Seudah Shlishit College Age Chalfin Room

* Note new location/program

 ANNOUNCEMENTS
RABBI REISMAN SATURDAY NIGHT TELECAST
In the Weinstein Torah & Technology Center Saturday evening
7:30pm, www.gnstorah.org.
SUNDAY BREAKFAST
Sunday Breakfast is sponsored by the Aryeh family in memory of
Rafael Aryeh z”l.
RABBI AXELROD MONDAY & WEDNESDAY NIGHT CLASS
Monday Night Contemporary Halacha will not meet on January 19th,
and 26th. It will resume on February 2nd.
Wednesday Night Parsha and Pizza will not meet on January 21st. It
will resume on January 28th.
UPCOMING MEN’S CLUB EVENTS
Feb. 22– Talk by Rabbi Yaakov Kleiman on: “The DNA Connection–
Modern Jews and the Ancient Hebrews” with power-point slide
presentation.
March 17– Talk by Dr. Stu Greenstein (Professor of Surgery, Albert
Einstein College of Medicine) on the “Medical and Halachic side of
Kidney Transplants” with donors and recipients in attendance.
March 22– The annual Rabbi Dialogue, held at Temple Israel.
May 6– Talk by Michael Tuchfield, Commentator and correspondent
Israel TV2 News—The Knesset Channel 99
SAVE THE DATE FOR THESE SISTERHOOD MEETINGS
January 21, 10am: Combined Sisterhood Meeting at Temple Beth El to
plan the Combined Sisterhood Luncheon which will be held in April,
hosted by Temple Beth El.
February 3, 8pm: GNS Sisterhood Meeting in the Braun Youth Center
to discuss and plan upcoming events. We welcome your attendance
and look forward to seeing you there!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
The Sisterhood of GNS would like to thank Cindy Ludwig for hosting
a wonderfully educating presentation by Lisa A. Cooleen, a Women’s
Health Nurse Practitioner and Outreach Health Educator from LIJ.
Thank you to the UJA for providing a grant for this opportunity. We
were overwhelmed by the positive response from all who attended and
look forward to hosting many more of these lectures in the future.
NEW CO-CHAIRS OF THE BAR/BAT MITZVAH COMMITTEE
The Sisterhood of GNS would like to welcome Annie Mendelson
and Cynthia Wiesenfeld as the new co-chairs of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Committee, which is dedicated to ensuring the distribution of a
beautiful siddur to each Bar/Bat Mitzvah on behalf of the Sisterhood.
We want to thank Randa Pittell, the outgoing Chair, for all her hard
work, time, and dedication to this endeavor.
GNS LITTLE LEAGUE
Applications for Little League are available in the Synagogue Office.
Please submit to the office by the February 1st deadline. Season
opener is April, 5th. Payment must accompany the application.
LATE MINYAN
We need your help in maintaining our weeknight 8:15pm minyan for
maariv. Please volunteer for one night a week and help make sure that
those who need to say kaddish have a minyan. The 10 minutes you
commit to help make the minyan will make a huge difference for those
who depend on it. To volunteer for the late maariv minyan, please go
to our website and fill out the online form at: www.gns.org/?
page_id=322 Thank you for your help, we’re counting on you!
GIVE OLD MAGAZINES A NEW LIFE
Please drop off your current used magazines to the Synagogue office
to be donated to NSUH.
GNS WEBSITE
Our new website www.gns.org is now officially in service. Thanks to
the tireless effort of David Rogelberg, Nik Kron, and Rabbi
Polakoff, we are up and running. When you go to the website you will
find all the important times, dates, and events that are happening at
GNS, and you will also be able to access the Shabbat Announcements.
Explore the site, look through it, and feel free to make comments! The
site allows you to be interactive and comment on the posts that are
there. We hope that you enjoy the experience.
WITHIN OUR FAMILY
Mazal Tov to Elaine Wolf on the engagement of her
granddaughter Daniella, daughter of David & Leah Wolf,
to Yehuda Fund of Har Nof.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Great Neck Friends of Shalva presents Saturday Night Live. A dinner
and Comedy club benefit for the Children’s Center in Jerusalem featuring
Comedian Yisrael Campbell Saturday evening, January 31st at 8:30pm
at the home of Corinne & Joe Franco 17 Gateway Drive. RSVP by
January 22, for more info please call 212-725-0900.
NSHAHS ADULT EDUCATIONAL SERIES
Tuesday, January 27th, 8pm, presented by Shoshana Bryen, Senior
Director of JINSA, and National Review Contributor. Topic “The US-Israel
Relationship after the Presidential Election.” Free of charge.
CYCLE FOR SURVIVAL S.U.M.S.
The Third Annual Event to Support Research on Rare Cancers is on Sun.,
Jan. 25th, 4-5pm at Sharon’s Underground, 25 Spinners, 25 Bikes, no
minimum dollar commitment. Visit www.cycleforsurvival.org, and register
under team name, “Sharon’s Spinners.” For info contact Pam Bilfeld at
pbilfeld@aol.com or Lisa Smith at MICH4LSS@aol.com.
NSHA PTA FUNDRAISER
Due to the weather, this event is now on Feb. 14th. Harlem Wizards vs.
North Shore Lions, (Parents, Faculty and Students) at North Shore Middle
School at 7:30pm. $25 per person in advance, $30 at the door. Contact
Dayla Vilinksy 487-1221.
GMACH
A new gmach has started for Bat Mitzvah, wedding, bridesmaid, and
M.O.B. dresses in excellent condition. If you own these beautiful dresses
and they’re sitting in your closet collecting dust, donate them and spread
the nachas of your simcha to those in need. For more info contact Cindy
Gold at chanarjc@gmail.com or 482-9064.
DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR LEFTOVERS!
If you would like to donate food, even if it’s a little extra while making
dinner, Herschel Minster collects outside of Mazur’s every Friday
afternoon, and delivers food for Shabbat to those in need, and will also
pick up in Great Neck during the week, contact him at 718-279-3989.
Saturday, 28 Tevet
Frank Buchsbaum for Joseph Buchsbaum
Mel Fox for Sally Fox
Amy Fox Griffel for Sally Fox
Mindy Leventhal for Edward Scheinkman
Sunday, 29 Tevet
Anne Gold for Murray Gold
Sylvia Goldman for Irving Goldman
Gladys Moslin for Paul Moslin
Sandy Nissenbaum for Saul Nissenbaum
Osnass Shein for Bessie Miller
Y Arnold Swartz for Robert Swartz
A Monday, 1 Shevat
Ebrahim Gabbaizadeh for Shmuel Gabbaizadeh
H Phyllis Marcus for Anna Kalchman
Myles Mittleman for Jack Mittleman
R Tuesday, 2 Shevat
Z Linda Horowitz for Arthur Kagan
Chava Shalmon for Sh’maye Grinszpan
E Wednesday, 3 Shevat
I Annette Forman for Nathan Olk
Thursday, 4 Shevat
T Mahin Aryeh for Rafael Aryeh
Michael Aryeh for Rafael Aryeh
Nathaniel Aryeh for Rafael Aryeh
Philip Hanfling for Max Hanfling
Holly Hoenig for Irene Berns
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld for Markus Wiesenfeld
Friday, 5 Shevat
Pamela Bilfeld for Raymond Grant
Miriam Glaubach for Max Herlinger
Hannah Kleinberg for Frances Pascal
Sam Levitt for Eva Levitt