29 Years in Skokie! 157 Years Serving Chicagoland!

THE BETH HAMEDROSH HAGODOL

KESSER MAARIV ANSHE LUKNIK NEWSLETTER
CHESHVAN / KISLEV / TEVET 5784
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023 / JANUARY 2024
www.KesserMaariv.org
Stay Updated on Facebook @KesserMaariv Twitter @Kesser Maariv Shiurim at KesserMaariv.pododmatic.com áñØã
UPCOMING EVENTS & DATES TO REMEMBER
End of Year Tax Benefits
SUPPORT ISRAEL The Board of Directors thanks you for your generous
With the frightening attacks against Israel, we urge response to the High Holiday appeals and auctions.
everyone to keep the hostages in your prayers, and There is a tax advantaged way for you to support Kesser
continue to pray and do mitzvot for the safety of Am Maariv. If you contribute “appreciated property” – for
Yisrael. Please show support for Israel in visible ways, example, stocks or bonds that you have owned for over
including attending events; and please contact your a year that have gone up in price since you bought them
elected officials urging them to support Israel. – you can take the full value as a deduction without
recognizing any capital gain which would be due if you
The 29th Anniversary of our Move to Skokie will be sold the security and donated the cash. If you would like
celebrated on Parshat Shemot, January 5-6, 2024. to contribute appreciated securities to Kesser Maariv,
Send-A-Kid-To-Israel Partnership (S.K.I.P.) please call Steve Goldrich at (847) 675-8730 or the
Kesser Maariv is proud to be a participating office at 847-679-9800 for the necessary information.
Congregation in S.K.I.P. The program allows parents to Rabbi Meyer Juzint’s Nechamas Meyer -
contribute money annually in partnership with the Mussar on Parsha and The Chain of Miracles
synagogue and the Jewish Federation for an Israel trip These books - Mussar on Parsha and an amazing
for their children. Students in grades 3-6, enrolled in a Holocaust memoir written by a teacher of Rabbi Louis
day or afternoon school, who have finished paying their Lazovsky and a friend of Kesser Maariv, are available
annual membership to the shul are eligible to participate. for purchase from the office, and from
For additional details, a registration kit or to enroll your www.kessermaariv.org/Juzint . Nechamas Meyer is $25
child(ren) for the first time, please contact Ben Zion and Chain of Miracles is $20.
Lazovsky at (847) 679-9800. Misheberach List
Chanukah Activities If you have names for a misheberach, please send them
Details on Chanukah activities will be forthcoming. to the shul office or e-mail to bhhkmal@yahoo.com.
Shiurim Parsha Podcasts / Social Media
Rabbi Benzie’s Shiur has completed three chapters of Rabbi Louis Lazovsky's morning Vorts on the Parsha are
Gemara Kesuvos and continues with a daf a week. The available as podcasts at KesserMaariv.podomatic.com (a link
shiur is open to men and women; beginners and is on our homepage, www.KesserMaariv.org). On the
advanced students. Shiur meets on Wednesday nights Podomatic page you can subscribe via iTunes.
right after Maariv (11/8 about 5:00 pm) in the Kaufman Facebook: Fb.me/Kesser Maariv Twitter: @KesserMaariv
Beis Midrash and on Zoom Meeting ID: 810 8264 8249 Pushke - Please contact the office if you need a Kesser
Password: 028366. Maariv Pushke (Tzedaka Box), or if you need your full
Pushke to be collected.
Rabbi Soloveichik’s Sunday Parsha Shiur meets at
10:30 am on Zoom: Meeting ID: 879 4850 7611 PAST EVENTS
Password: 178417 and at Fb.me/KesserMaariv. Shiur We would like to thank you for joining us this High
archives are available on Youtube. Holiday Season. We thank you, our members, for your
generous response to the appeals and auctions during the
Daily Minyan
We have daily 6:00 am Shacharit. Please note that after High Holidays. As you know, every year we bestow
December 12th minyan will begin after 6:00 am, due to upon our rabbi, Rabbi Louis Lazovsky, the honor of
sunrise being so late. reading the Maftir Yonah on Yom Kippur afternoon.
Sunday-Thursday, Mincha-Maariv 10 minutes before We ask that you please be generous in contributing for
sunset. This will continue throughout the winter. (We this honor as a show of appreciation for all that the
will not have late Maariv this year.) Rabbi does for the shul and the community ... Thanks to
Sheryl & Bob Greenstein for organizing the High
Holiday Greeting Card...Thank you to all of our
Chazzanim - Rabbi Ben Zion Lazovsky, Shabsa Lis, and
Rabbi Eli Lazovsky - for leading the beautiful tefillot
a n d ma k i n g t h e Hi gh Ho l i d a ys v e r y
meaningful....Thanks to all who attended Simchat Torah
Hakafot...
ADELE GOLDBLUM WOMEN’S COUNCIL
UPCOMING EVENTS
Chanukah Celebration Sunday morning December 10th,
TBA.
Past Events
Thanks to Talia Molotsky for giving a shiur on “Elul -
Making Space for Hashem to Be My Light - Orie
v’Yishie.”
GOOD & WELFARE
Mazel Tov to: Evelyne Sternfeld on the birth of a great-
grandson; Cookie Goldrich on the Bar-Mitzva of her
grandson and on the birth of a great grandson; Rabbi
Arthur & Pearl Cohen on the birth of twin great-
grandsons; Dr. Aliza & Yoni Blumofe on the marriage
of their daughter Ayelet; Gilda Allswang on the birth of
a great-grandson in Israel; Howard & Barbara Pomper
on the birth of a great-grandson and a great-
granddaughter.
Condolences to: Kety Kashanchi on the loss of
her husband Sidney Ezra; The family of Bella Perlman.
Refua Shleima to the hostages held by Hamas,
those injured in the war, Cookie Goldrich, Floyd Ruben,
David Kaplan and all who need one.
Thanks to sponsors of Weekly Programming: Mila
& Jeff Zaretsky; Dotty Levant Chakiris; Rabbi Arthur &
Pearl Cohen; and anonymous sponsors.
Thank you to our recent Kiddush Sponsors:
Mila & Jeff Zaretsky; Janna & Sam Herskowitz; the
Schreck, Greer and Gross families; Rabbi Louis &
Saretta Lazovsky; Jeff & Sandra Cagan; Busch family;
and anonymous sponsors.
Thank you to the following families for
sponsoring the Simchat Torah Luncheon: Gaynes &
Cohen, Greenspan, Kowitt, Lazovsky, Solomon
Lowenstein, Miretzky and Whisler families.
Thank you to our recent Seudat Shlisheet
Sponsors: Sandy & Marty Miretzky; Hannah & Craig
Kowitt; Rabbi Arthur & Pearl Cohen;
DVAR TORAH
Chanukah - Thursday night December 7 – Friday
December 15.
This year we light the first Chanukah candle on
December 7. We add one candle each night through
Thurday evening, December 14th. Remember, on
Friday December 8th the Chanukah candles are lit
before lighting Shabbat Candles. We make certain that
night’s candle will burn until at least 5:35 pm, which is
75 minutes after sundown, so use a longer candle or
use more oil.
What does Chanukah commemorate? The
Syrian-Greeks, in about 150 BCE, tried to make the
Jews adopt some of their pagan practices, and they
banned Brit Milah, Shabbat and keeping the Family
Purity laws. They also tried to introduce the sacrifice
of unclean animals in the Temple. The Maccabees, a
family of Jewish priests-turned-warriors, managed to
vanquish the marauding Syrian-Greek 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 (it is a dispute among the
recent commentators if we light so Jewish pedestrians
will see the candles, or for non-Jewish pedestrians to
see the candles) 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 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. It is customary to eat foods fried in
oil like latkes (potato pancakes), and sufganiyot (jelly
rolls) to recall the miracle that took place with the oil.
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 Syrian- Greek 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 - Friday, December 22. The fast
begins at 5:49 am, and ends at___ 4:57 pm.
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. It also commemorates the Yahrzeit
of Ezra the Scribe, the leader of the Jews at the
beginning of the Second Temple era. 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.
This is the only fast day that can fall on Friday
according to the calendar. Mincha will therefore begin
earlier than usual to accommodate Kriyat Hatorah and the
Haftora
Bracha on Tallit and Tefillin
The Gemara says (Megilla 20a) that mitzvot whose
prescribed time is during the day, their ideal time is
after sunrise, but may be performed after dawn.
However, the mitzvot of Kriyas Shema, Tefillin and
Tzitzis depend on a minimum amount of light to see an
object or person (Brachot 9a and Shulchan Aruch
Siman 58).
Because of that, when sunrise gets late, we
cannot begin Shacharit at 6:00 am. Even after dawn,
when me may daven, it is still not light enough to recite
the Bracha on Tefillin and Tallit.
 SHABBAT SCHEDULE

Date Candle Lighting Friday Mincha Shacharit Mincha

Vayeira 11/3-11/4 5:22 pm 5:25 pm 8:45 am 5:10 pm
Chayei Sarah 11/10-11/11 4:14 pm 4:15 pm 8:45 am 4:05 pm
Toldot 11/17-11/18 4:08 pm 4:10 pm 8:45 am 3:55 pm
Vayeitzei 11/24-11/25 4:03 pm 4:05 pm 8:45 am 3:50 pm
Vayishlach 12/1-12/2 4:00 pm 4:05 pm 8:45 am 3:50 pm
Vayeishev (Chanukah) 12/8-12/9 3:59 pm 4:05 pm 8:45 am 3:50 pm
Mikeitz 12/15 -12/16 4:00 pm 4:05 pm 8:45 am 3:50 pm
Vayigash 12/22-12/23 4:03 pm 3:45 pm Fast day 8:45 am 3:55 pm
Vayechi 12/29-12/30 4:08 pm 4:10 pm 8:45 am 4:00 pm
Shemot 1/5-1/6 4:13 pm 4:15 pm 8:45 am 4:05 pm
Va’eira 1/12-1/13 4:21 pm 4:25 pm 8:45 am 4:10 pm
Bo 1/19-1/20 4:29 pm 4:30 pm 8:45 am 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, Seudat Shlisheet or Weekly Programming, please contact the office at bhhkmal@yahoo.com

WEEKDAY SCHEDULE
Minyan Times Classes
Sunday Morning at 10:30 am: Parsha Class in the Weekly Sedra.
Shacharit Given by Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik on Zoom Meeting ID: 879 4850
Sunday: 8:00 am 7611 Password: 178417
Monday-Friday: 6:00 am
When sunset is after 6:11, we start after Wednesdays after Maariv: Talmud Shiur studying Gemara
6:00 am. Kesuvos in Shul and on Zoom: Meeting ID: 810 8264 8249 Password:
028366
Mincha-Maariv
Sunday-Thursday: 10 minutes before For more learning opportunities, contact Rabbis B. or E.
sundown 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.