Glen Rock Jewish Center

We light our Shabbat candles at 7:47 pm

Shabbat evening services begin at 8 pm

----------------------------------------------------
Saturday morning services will begin
at 9 am

Shabbat ends at 8:50 pm on Saturday.

DEADLINE FOR SEPTEMBER BULLETIN SUBMISSIONS IS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12

THE ISRAEL TRIP IS ON!
After a successful opening meeting, we're moving forward with the Israel trip that's scheduled for February 6-16, 2010. We have the proposed itinerary available as well as the costs.

We're hoping to have a representative from ITC at our Erev Shabbat BBQ on Aug 14 to answer any questions you may have...and there will be a formal presentation of our itinerary and plans at the GRJC on Thursday evening, Sept. 10 at 7:30 pm.

In the meantime, please contact Rabbi Tow (rabbi@grjc.org) or Roann Rubin (roann@grjc.org) to learn more about this exciting Israel opportunity! This trip offers a maximum Israel experience at the most affordable price available today--a unique opportunity!.

*See Tel Aviv, Haifa, the Golan, the Galilee, Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea and more...
*Participate in an archaeological dig and planting a tree in Israel

*Dinner with members of a Masorti/Conservative congregation in Rehovot.
*Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial
*Wine tasting in the Golan Heights Winery
*See where King David lived
*And so much more...

Join us on our Israel adventure!

She'elah u'Teshuvah, Q & A, with Rabbi Tow

Question: What is the rationale behind the statement in the 4th commandment that animals must rest on Shabbat?

Answer:

This past week we read the re-telling of the Ten Commandments as it was presented in Parshat Va'etchanan in Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy. God first gives the Ten Commandments in Sefer Shemot/The Book of Exodus. While there are significant differences particularly in the explanation of the 4th commandment relating to Shabbat, both versions teach that animals must rest on Shabbat.

In Exodus, the Torah teaches, "The seventh day is Shabbat to Ado--nai, Your God, do not do work you, your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female slave, your animals..."

In Deuteronomy, the Torah teaches a similar lesson with some additional details, "...do not do work...your oxen, your donkeys, and all your animals..."

The laws relating to animals resting on Shabbat are a subset of laws enacted in the Torah in order to protect animals. God teaches us to extend compassion, in Hebrew "rachamim", to animals.

The following is a presentation of many of the laws within the Torah whose goal is to show compassion to and protect animals from cruelty:

-"When you see your enemy's donkey prostrate under its load and would refrain from raising it, you must nevertheless raise it with him."(Exodus 23:5)

-"You shall not muzzle an ox while it is threshing."(Deuteronomy 25:4)

-"Do not take the mother bird together with the young. Let the mother go, and take only the young..."(Deuteronomy 22:6-7), Note the desire here to not consume two generations of the same creature.[See Oxford Study Bible, page 416])

-The angel rebukes Bilaam for hitting his donkey.(Numbers 22:32)

-God rebukes Jonah, "and should I not have pity on Nineveh, that great city, where there are more than sixscore thousand persons...and also much cattle?"(Jonah 4:11)

-God gives the beasts and birds their food.(Psalm 147:9)

The Rabbis of the Talmud noticed the consistent message of compassion toward animals in the Torah. They codified this message in Tractate Bava Meztia, "[Relieving] the suffering of an animal is a biblical law." In other words, they enacted legislation that clarified the biblical, and therefore authoritative status, of a principle implied in the text of the Torah.

In the Midrash, legends written about the Torah, one teaching suggests that God selected Moses and David as leaders due to their compassion toward animals.(Exodus Rabbah 2:3)

On a practical level, the Talmud teaches that based on the verse "I will give grass in the fields for your cattle, and you shall eat and be satisfied,"(Deut. 11:15), we must first feed our animals since they were mentioned first in the verse.(Berachot 40a) In addition, the Talmud teaches that we cannot purchase an animal unless we can provide for the animal's needs.(See Jerusalem Talmud Yevamot 15:3)

Shabbat Shalom to everyone, including all birds, dogs, cats, fish, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, salamanders, and all other pets and animals who will rest along with us this Shabbat!

ATTENTION

All GRJC Families with College Students

The GRJC wants to keep in touch with its young men and women

Please email

your student's

college snail mail and email addresses to

roann@grjc.org

or call College Outreach Chair

Robin Rubinstein

202-652-6680

We'd like to start with

delivery of a 5770

High Holiday package

so please don't delay!

ON ROSH HASHANAH, EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HEAR THE SHOFAR...

Please let us know of anyone who is home-bound or in hospital, rehab, or nursing care so that we can send a mitzvah shofar blower to help them feel part of the High Holiday experience.

Please email to rabbi@grjc.org and we'll make sure that everyone can hear the shofar as we prepare to welcome the new year of 5770 in September.

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