THURSDAY UPDATE: 7 MAY 2026 [Sefirat HaOmer day 35; tonight we count 36]
Shavuot night is our delight!
Our Shavuot all-night learning program, which we host together with our partners at OU Israel, has now been finalized and you can check it out here. See you there!
Rebuke, resist, relate and realize
There’s more to the tochachah in this week’s Torah reading than merely a verbal admonition—it takes account of the emotional and psychological dimensions to the response of the human personality to the threat of a reprimand. With citations from the Netivot Shalom, the Kotzker, Rav Dessler and Good Will Hunting, this is a fascinating perspective from our member Rabbi Steven Ettinger. Read it here.
Final word on Emor
It has taken us a long time to get hold of Rabbi Eitiel Goldwicht’s parashah shiur last week on Emor, but we got there in the end. It’s titled “Strengthening Our Relationships One Day at a Time” and you can access it here.
מכישלון להתחדשות
“From Failure to Renewal” is Rabbi Kenigsberg’s lead piece in this week’s Hanassi Highlights. Take up the challenge to read it in Hebrew, thanks to AI, here.
Slowly, slowly runs the route to redemption
Last night, in the latest of Rabbi Kenigsberg’s mini-shiurim on Rabbi Chaim Drukman’s Kim’a Kim’a, we picked up where we left off last week by looking at some of the signs suggested by our Sages as indications that the ge’ulah was definitely on its way. To find out what they say, click here.
When wealth brings its own worries
If you only have one cow and it falls into a pit on Yom Tov, you can leave it there and feed it till Yom Tov departs and then haul it out, or you can pull it out, kill it and eat it. But if you are lucky enough to own not just a cow but its calf, what should you do since you can’t kill them both on the same day? Tune in to Rabbi Kenigsberg’s Beitza shiur from yesterday morning and listen to the Tannaim argue, here.
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WEDNESDAY UPDATE: 6 MAY 2026 [Sefirat HaOmer day 34; tonight we count 35]
Reminder 1: the Rav speaks today
This morning, at 10.20 pm, Rabbi Kenigsberg joins the OU Israel panel of speakers, replacing Rabbi Anthony Manning. He is speaking on “The Hidden Meaning of the Omer: What Are We Really Counting—and Why Does It Matter?”
Reminder 2: Rabbi Eitiel speaks tomorrow
Rabbi Eitiel Goldwicht will be continuing his series of parashah shiurim to honor the memory of Rabbi Wein zt’l in shul tomorrow at the new time of 10.15 am. This shiur should also be available on Zoom, if we can sort ourselves out (sorry about last week!) The Zoom link is here.
Correction
Yesterday we gave the date of this month’s Movie Matinee as Tuesday 13 May. The correct date is Tuesday 19 May. Apologies for any confusion—and many thanks to all of you who contacted us to let us know! For full and correct details, click here.
Come over for Korach!
On Parashat Korach, 12-13 June, we are holding our first-ever L’Dor v’Dor Shabbat, where we plan to raise the roof with some truly atmospheric participation by our children and grandkids. To help us plan, do let us know if you hope to bring family with you. For more details click here.
How do you spend your time?
Returning to the Ramchal’s classic Mesillat Yesharim in last night’s mini-shiur, Rabbi Kenigsberg reflects on the power of the yetzer hara to led us up the comfortable path of laziness. For more (if you can resist the powerful urge to do nothing), click here.
Possible Poland trip: please let us know
On Monday we circulated information about a proposed six-day visit to Poland from 19 to 25 October. We really do need to know how many of you are seriously considering coming on it, so we can assess the trip’s viability. So if you might be one of those people, even if you don’t want to commit yourself firmly at this stage, do please let us know by emailing bkhanassi@gmail.com, as some of you already have. If you missed our earlier post, you can access the provisional program here and find further details here.
How do you like your drumsticks?
For those who prefer them without meat, there is a veritable army of drummer boys on display in our member Heshy Engelsberg’s latest fly-on-the-wall documentary of life in Jerusalem, “Lag B’Omer at the Shuk”. By the way, Heshy’s YouTube channel, with 143 subscribers, is still seven short of the 150 target that he deserves by the time we get to Shavuot. It costs nothing to subscribe so, if you have been quietly enjoying his productions and want to find way of thanking him without actually spending anything, this is the best way!
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TUESDAY UPDATE: 5 MAY 2026, LAG B’OMER [Sefirat HaOmer day 33; tonight we count 34]
Touch it but don’t move it—unless…
Yesterday morning Rabbi Kenigsberg concluded Volume 20 of Tzurba M’Rabbanan with a rousing account of indirect causation and the most acceptable ways to shift muktzeh objects from places where their presence was unwelcome. Next week we move on to Volume 21 and tackle Shabbat prohibitions involving writing and erasing. In the meantime, here is literally the last word on muktzeh in this series.
Mister Roberts is on his way
Next Tuesday, 13 May, the Women’s League’s Movie Matinee returns with a classic comedy from 1955, Mister Roberts. The movie may be 71 years old but the popcorn is guaranteed to be of much later provenance. For full details and a reminder to come with exact cash only, click here.
Lag B’Omer in sight and sound
To mark the occasion and help you capture the mood of the day, here is a Lag B’Omer video from the archive of our member Heshy Engelsberg, taken at the kever of Shimon HaTzadik.
Can you help?
We have been approached by a prospective oleh from the United States. This person is considering living in Rechavia and asks if we can recommend a local estate agent. If any shul member has a recommendation, ideally based on personal experience, can he or she let us know by email to bkhanassi@gmail.com and we will forward the recommendation.
Please don’t holler about the dollar!
One thing in life is very plain--
The dollar’s slipping down again.
We’re sad to see its recent fall,
Something that affects us all.
Our members from the USA
Rely on dollars when they pay
The shul bills we’ll be sending soon
To reach you on the First of June.
On this inauspicious date
You’ll see that we’ve put up the rate.
We know it can be hard, but see
The shifts that sink our currency.
We beg you, do not shout or heckle--
The bills we pay are all in shekel.
And that is why, you must agree,
Your dollar buys just shekels three.
This doesn’t sound too sentimental
But we ask, “please do be gentle!”
Don’t blame our Treasurer or Board,
We don’t spend what we can’t afford.
Do treat us to your open purse,
We all hope things won’t get worse.
A mitzvah comes with every penny
Of which we have a need for many.
So thank you all for your attention,
Donate to us with no abstention.
Check or card, pledge or note--
They all help keep our shul afloat!
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