December 22 - Parashat Vayigash

David Bassous - Rabbi
Ray Morris - President

Visit our Website at http://etzahaim.org for the latest news


Friday

  • Shacharit 6:30am
  • Shir Hashirim: 4:00 pm
  • Mincha: 4:16pm
  • Candle lighting 4:16pm

Saturday - Parashat Vayigash

Full Range of Children's Groups: 9:45am - 11:30am

  • Boys 6 and up in the Library.
  • Girls 6 and up upstairs left classroom.
  • Boy’s tefila group meeting at 9:30am
  • Children 3 - 5 upstairs right classroom.
  • Parasha with Rabbi Ben Hakakian: 8:00am
  • Shacharit: 8:45pm
  • Latest Shema: 9:09am
  • Kiddush sponsored by David & BJ Simon & Family
    • In honor of their daughter Jackie's birthday.
    • Kiddush Sponsorships available for December 30, and throughout January and February.
    • To sponsor a Kiddush, go to our Kiddush Sponsorship Page Kiddush Sponsorships are available December 30 and January.
  • Tehillim group for women: 2:30pm
  • Class 3:05 pm
  • Mincha: 4:05pm
  • Seuda Shelishit after Mincha
    • Abey Dweck and family & Ovadia Sanado and family
    • Bizchut Ari Blinder and with best wishes for shidduchim for all our singles
    • Class: Lighting the Shabbat Candles
  • Arvit and Shabbat Ends: 5:16pm

Sunday

  • Shacharit: 8:30am
  • Women's Class: The Thirteen Principles of Faith: 10:00am
  • Shulchan Aruch: 3:45pm
  • Mincha and Arvit: 4:15pm
    • Followed by a Safrut Training Course - (limited room)
  • Women in Tanach: 8:00pm
  • Rav Kook's Orot Teshuvah class: 9.00pm

Monday

  • Shacharit: 8:00am
  • Special Program: A Successful Brush with Death: 10:30am
  • Shulchan Aruch: 3:45pm
  • Mincha and Arvit: 4:15pm
  • Jewish Meditation 5.00 pm

Tuesday - Thursday

  • Shacharit: 6:30am
  • Mishna a Day: 7:30am
  • Shulchan Aruch: 7:00pm
  • Arvit: 7:30pm
  • Tuesdays: Talmud: 8:00pm
  • Wednesday: New Chavurah Series: Ethics of the Fathers - Pirkei Avot - Exploring a Classic: 8:00pm - Everyone Welcome

Next Week – Friday

  • Shacharit: 6:30am
  • Mincha: 4:21pm
  • Candle lighting 4:21pm

Upcoming Events on our Webpage

The following events are on our wepage under the events section. Keep up what's going on with Etz Ahaim and our community!

  • December 25: A First Hand Account of a Near Death Experience Very few people with brain and bone cancer survive after a bone marrow transplant and lots of chemotherapy. Marcelo Schor is one of the lucky few, even the most skeptical doctors are at a loss to explain his survival in any other terms but a miracle.
  • February 10: Park Mikvah Melava Malka More details to follow. For more information and to help sponsor the event, please email The Park Mikvah or call 516-526-0941

Synagogue News


  • If you have an outstanding balance with Etz Ahaim, please send in your payment to help the Synagogue. Your help is appreciated
  • If you are the last person to leave the building (except on Shabbat and Chaggim) make sure all the lights are out
  • If you are celebrating a simcha or want to remember a loved one, sponsoring a kiddush is one of the best ways to mark the occasion. To sponsor a Shabbat Kiddush, please go to our Kiddush Sponsorship Page on our website and fill out the on line form. We'll get in contact with you as soon as possible. To sponsor a seuda or a Sunday morning breakfast, call the shul at 732-247-3839.

Bikur Cholim of Congregation Etz Ahaim

Our Congregation has its own Bikur Cholim Committee. If you know of a congregant who is in the hospital or a nursing home and would like a visit, please let us know. If there is a Home-bound congregant who is in need of a visit or assistance, we can help. We may also be able to make contact with a Jewish Agency which may be able to provide additional services. Please call Rose Reiss at 732-828-7415.

Nursing Home Visitation: Seeking volunteers to visit Mollie Reuben, Shirley Cohen, and others at the Regency nursing home on DeMott Lane in Somerset. For more info or an updated list of residents requesting visitors, please email Rahel Baruh or call her at 732-672-4673

Transportation Committee: Drivers and coordinators needed. Coordinate rides to and from medical appointments - match requests with an available driver. Each coordinator serves for two weeks at a time. To volunteer to coordinate or to drive, please call Bikur Cholim hotline at 732-572-7181 or fill out the volunteer form.

The congregation extends get-well wishes to:

  • Avishai ben Esther
  • Linda Balavram (Emuna bat Sarah)
  • Donna Bardy
  • Mary Belsky
  • Galina bat Riva
  • Bradley Greenberg
  • Lita Greenberg
  • Millie Hakim (Miriam bat Sarah)
  • Viktorya Koen
  • Leora bat Matana
  • Yvonne Levy (Rivka Miriam bat Gittel)
  • Benny Mayo
  • Mary Naar
  • Clara bat Rachel
  • David ben Farha
  • Perla bat Leah
  • Yehudah Reich
  • Lilas Saltiel
  • Marcelo Schor
  • Abraham ben Sarah

Community News

Come Discover Why We Cover

Evening of Inspiration & Entertainment for Women & Girls of Marriageable Age

Mrs. Reena Resnick, kallah teacher and personal life coach, will discuss the spiritual reasons as to why married women cover their hair. Light refreshments. Demonstrations and Israeli rectangular scarves available for purchase. Sunday, December 24 at 8:00 PM at the Agudah basement, 1131 Raritan Ave, Highland Park.

Sponsorships are available. 10% proceeds go to Yeshiva Shaarei Tzion. If interested, please text Avivah Eisengart at 609-462-3979.


Park Mikvah

Hours

  • Sunday - Thursday 8:00pm to 10:30pm
  • Friday Nights: By [appointment only]
  • Motzai Shabbat: December - January: 7:30pm – 10:00pm

Bikur Cholim

  • New Apartment: Bikur Cholim of Raritan Valley is setting up a new apartment for long term stays. We will need everything necessary to set up an apartment including mezuzahs, lamps, bookcases dressers, and on and on. If you have items in new or excellent condition, please call or text Georgie London 732-343-3908. Cash donations are also very much appreciated.
  • Homebound Visitation: Seeking adults and 11th graders and older who would be interested in volunteering to visit homebound people in our community. For more info, please call Bikur Cholim at 732-572-7181.
  • Nursing Home Visitation: Seeking volunteers to visit at the Regency nursing home on DeMott Lane in Somerset. For more info, please contact Rahel Baruh or call her at 732-672-4673.
  • Transportation Committee: Drivers and coordinators needed. To volunteer, please call Bikur Cholim hotline at 732-572-7181 or fill out the volunteer form on the website

Rabbi Yisroel Weiss shiur, Living with Parsha, for men and women: Wednesday evenings at 8:30pm at the Eiseman Residence at 154 North 10th Avenue.

Contact Marsha Eiserman at 732-503-6675


ACTT: The current source book is: Artscroll’s Living Simchah: Finding the joy in everything by Rabbi Hadar Margolin. The audio of Rabbi Weinberg’s insightful and inspiring “Serve Hashem with Joy: Can we work on being happier?” presentation is now available for listening or downloading from the Audio page of the ACTT website. For more info, e-mail ACCT or call Phil Rosen (732) 572-8762.


The Women's AMEN Group meets monthly on the Sundays following the Shabbos in which one bensches Rosh Chodesh, at 9:30am in a downstairs classroom at Congregation Ohr Torah. The group meets in the zechus of a refuah shelaimah for Menachem Mordechai ben Ophira and the other Cholim in the community.


Bikur Cholim OWLS (Overnight Women Labor Support): A complimentary service for maternity situations whereby volunteers will come to stay with your kids during the night. For more info on receiving this service or becoming a volunteer, please contact Rikki at 732-249-5116. Thank you.


Donations of diapers, pull-ups, and wipes are currently being accepted for the new HP/Edison Diaper Gemach. Please email diapergemach@gmail.com for more information.


The Edison/Highland Park gown Gemach, L'iluy Nishmas R' Yitzchok Ben Binyomin, is open for business! The Gemach houses a wide selection of gowns for children, pre-teen, teens and adults. Please note the Gemach is still looking for donation of gowns in very good condition. Tax deduction is given and pick up of the gowns can also be arranged. For more information and/or to schedule an appointment please call Sara Scott at 516-526-0941.


Collecting Sheitels: Keren Kol Kallah - established to provide orphan and destitute kallahs in Israel with essential needs. Donated custom sheitels, some brand-new, some gently worn, are sold to women in Israel who would not otherwise have the funds to buy a quality wig. All the money raised at the sale goes towards a hachnasas kallah fund which helps needy brides in Eretz Yisrael. Sheitels can be dropped off by Aviva, 16 Edgemount Road, Edison. For more info, please see contact Aviva Siegel or call (732) 572-4408.