What Are These Fences? Originally Published April 25, 2019.
Rabbis speak about “fences.” What are these fences? (Of course, Fences is a play by August Wilson, in which your correspondent’s Uncle Herb Glickman (z”l) is mentioned, but we digress.) Rabbis specifically speak of “making a fence around the Torah,” “asu seyag laTorah.” It actually appears in the very first paragraph of Pirkei Avot: “Moshe […]
Zikaron BaSalon - Memories in the Living Room
Join BSUSY on Erev Yom HaShoah for a special program that connects Holocaust survivors with younger generations. Wednesday, May 1 | 7:00-8:30 pm Eisner Commons | 2nd Floor 8th-12th graders are invited for an intimate discussion with Shulamit Bastacky. Shulamit was born in Vilna, Lithuania in 1941. She spent three years as a hidden child in a Catholic nun’s basement. After the Holocaust, she reunited with her family and moved with them to Israel […]
Cultivating Resilience through Jewish Mindfulness
Join us for an introductory session of Jewish Mindfulness Practice Saturday, May 4th, 3-6 pm |Congregation Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon St, Pittsburgh, PA Mindfulness practice helps us to cultivate habits of heart and mind that have been shown to foster emotional and mental balance, resilience, and empathy. During these painful, turbulent times, all of us can benefit from […]
Beth Shalom Academic Book Club - Solomon
Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom The book discussion will be held on Thursday, June 20, 2019 at a location in Squirrel Hill Join your fellow congregants for a discussion of Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom. The book reintroduces readers to Solomon's story and its surprising influence in shaping Western culture, and also examines what Solomon's […]
What is Tal? Originally Published on April 19-20, 2019.
As a part of the Musaf service on the first day of Pesah, as we repeat the Amidah, we say a prayer for dew, Tefillat Tal. At the end of Sukkot we pray for rain; at the beginning of Passover we pray for dew. After Passover, anything more than dew might be harmful to our […]
What Is Shabbat HaGadol? Originally Published April 12-13, 2019.
Shabbat Hagadol is the name given to the Shabbat just prior to Passover. “Hagadol” is “the great,” modifying “Shabbat.” Some rabbis have explained this connection by referencing the penultimate line in this week’s haftarah, which says “Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome [great], fearful day of […]
Sisterhood Book Club - June 2019
Next book to read, Gateway to the Moon by Mary Morris Wednesday, June 5, 2019 at 7:30 P.M. | Laurie's House The pleasure of reading doesn’t have to end with the last page. Be part of Sisterhood Book Club and prolong the experience with spirited and wide ranging discussion that often touches on contemporary issues. We […]
Lox and Learning - "A Memoir of Service"
Sunday, May 5, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. Join Dorit Sasson as she discusses her book Accidental Soldier. At age nineteen, Dorit, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was trying to make the status quo work as a college student—until she realized that if she didn’t distance herself from her neurotic, worrywart of a mother, she would become just […]
What Is Shabbat HaHodesh? Originally Published April 5-6, 2019.
The last of four special Shabbatot before Passover, Shabbat Hahodesh falls on the Shabbat before the month of Nisan begins, or else - as this year - it falls on the first day of Nisan when that day is Shabbat. The special maftir aliyah reading comes from Shemot 12:1-20, from Parashat Bo, and it describes […]