Vayikra 5775

This Shabbat, we celebrate Shabbat Hachodesh, the Shabbat that introduces the month of Nisan. For some, the celebration of this Shabbat, and the sight of Passover in our grocery stories, induces the fear of the impending holiday.

What is interesting is how our rabbis prompt us to think about the advent of this month. Rabbi Gedalia Schwartz identifies that in the Shulchan Aruch, the major code of Jewish law, the first Halacha (or law) mentioned by the Rama is not regarding some of the minutia of Pesach (Passover) that one might expect. Instead, the first requirement, the first obligation related to Pesach is that a community must collect funds for "Maot Chittin," a fund that would support the poor in their preparations for Passover.

Rabbi Schwartz goes on to say that God’s role in the Egyptian drama conveys God’s will to rescue the weak and vulnerable. Those in a position of strength are mandated to protect and support those who are most endangered – the widow, the orphan, the stranger.

We at Anshe Emet take this mitzvah seriously. We have multiple groups of people who participate in Chicago’s own Maot Chitim, celebrating 100 years of giving to Chicagoland Jews, as we help deliver Kosher for Passover food for members of our community who are unable to secure it on their own. Many of the recipients originally come from the Former Soviet Union. For me and many others, this volunteer opportunity allows us a chance to hear about what it was like to move to the United States, what their experience is in our community, and to determine how we can continue to be supportive of those in our community who need our help. Our arrival is eagerly anticipated and we are traditionally greeted with bright smiles, and thanked with a bar of chocolate! To be a part of this effort, please contact Amy Karp at akarp@anshemet.org. She can provide you with the address where we'll be meeting Sunday, March 29th at 9:30 a.m.

If you are unable to volunteer this Sunday, we have additional opportunities to fulfill our communal obligation to support those in need as they prepare for Pesach. Stacey Wolin is leading an effort in our community to support those in need at this time of year, by collecting:

1. Donations of non-food items which are not covered by SNAP benefits: paper towels, kleenex, napkins, dish sponges, dish soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, ziploc style bags and aluminum foil.
2. Donations of a gift card from Jewel or Hungarian Kosher.
   One mother who received a gift card said, "... For the 1st time I can go shopping with my kids like everyone else, and no one knows how we are struggling to feed our kids and provide them with the basics. With your beloved gift cards, we can now shop and hold our heads up high." If you would like to contribute to this important mitzvah, please be in touch with Stacey Wolin at staceyella@aol.com

Thank you for making this month of Nisan a time when we can enable all in our community to celebrate the season of freedom.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Vayakhel-Pekudei 5775

Last Sunday more than 300 members of our community gathered to celebrate Opa! L’Chaim!: Hazzan Mizrahi’s 25 years of service to the Anshe Emet Synagogue. It was a wonderful evening filled with joy and song honoring a remarkable legacy. It is my honor to share with you my remarks from the evening that touch on our Torah reading for this week.

As we celebrate Alberto and a quarter century at Anshe Emet we also celebrate Debbie and Belina and the love and support that make so much possible.

When I was a young Rabbi I read a speech entitled the “Vocation of the Cantor” by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. He wrote: To sing means to sense and to affirm that the spirit is real and that its glory is present. In singing we perceive what is otherwise beyond perceiving. Song, and particularly liturgical song, is not only an act of expression but also a way of bringing down the spirit from heaven to earth.

I was very moved by Heschel’s words but I did not appreciate their meaning until I met Hazzan Mizrahi. I was at an event honoring the Jewish Theological Seminary at the Field Museum. Alberto was the featured performer for that night. As soon as I heard him sing I was mesmerized. I knew that I wanted him to be the Hazzan for Anshe Emet and so I called him. He was shocked that a Rabbi would call him! Well I could never have understood when I made that call what the next 25 years would be like. To stand next to him before the Ark and hear him chant Shmah Koleynu is to appreciate the power of prayer: the fact that I cannot hear out of my left ear aside! To experience Hazzan Mizrahi’s Kol Nidre or Neilah is to know the grandeur of the liturgy as few Jews can on Yom Kippur. That is our privilege at Anshe Emet.   

But Alberto always brings the best of himself whether it be a Friday night service or a regular Shabbat service. He is the consummate professional continually working on his craft with voice coaches. I am continually impressed by his willingness to try new musical forms, Anshe Emet live, world music and all the while maintaining the traditional melodies of our worship.  

Beyond his remarkable voice, beyond his deep understanding of the liturgy, is the spirit of the man. If you wish to understand Alberto Mizrahi then I suggest that you begin here. His love of other people, of our traditions and of life itself sets him apart. In our portion this week Moses calls upon the people to contribute to the building of the Mishkan: the indwelling place of God. “Take from among you gifts to the Lord: Kol Nediv Lebo, Everyone whose heart so moves him shall bring them."  

Ladies and Gentleman: the man that we honor this evening has followed that ancient tradition and brings the gift of his beautiful voice, his knowledge of our liturgy, his responsibility to the memory of parents who survived the hell fire of the Shoah in order to bring a Jewish son into the world, his uncommon Jui d’vivre and mentchlikite has made it possible for Alberto Mizrahi to make an uncommon contribution to the glory of God and the Jewish people. All because Nediv Lebo, because his heart moves him.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Michael Siegel

Ki Tisa 5775

Shabbat, The Home, and Thankfulness

This week’s parsha, Ki Tissa, contains one of the more famous statements about Shabbat, the Kiddush that we recite during the daytime. It begins (Exodus 31:16):

The children of Israel shall observe Shabbat, performing Shabbat throughout the generations...

Rabbi Reuven Katz, in his 17th century book “Yalkut Reuveni”, quotes a passage from the mystical Zohar text, emphasizing that the word “ledorotam” is written in the shortest form possible, without the Hebrew letter “vav”. So, it could actually be read “lediratam”, meaning in their dwelling places. Rabbi Katz is emphasizing that Shabbat is not only something that is to be observed forever - but a day that centers around the home.

We are so lucky to have a community that prizes having Shabbat in the home. This Friday night (March 6th), dozens of families will celebrate Shabbat together during our “Taste of Shabbat.” They will get to live out this rabbinic notion that the calming, peaceful, song-filled, delicious Shabbat experience is enjoyable when we are invited in to each other’s homes.

At Anshe Emet, we celebrate the homey nature of Jewish life constantly. We convert our synagogue space to feel like our homes once a month, when we gather for Shabbat is Awesome. People play board games, sports, activities, and spend time together, making the synagogue feel like an extension of our homes.

And so this shabbat, and every shabbat, I wish that you and your family will experience Shabbat ledorotam, for many generations, and lediratam, in all of the places in which we reside.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo