Beit Chaverim Youth
Where coming to synagogue is fun!
BCY SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY!!!!
BCY Pizza Making and Movie @ The Marcus Home!!!!
Who: ALL BCY participants and friends!!
Where: The Marcus Residence - 8 Bolton Lane, Westport Ct
(Under the Supervision of Rabbi Greg Wall)
Time: 7:30
What: We will be making our very own personalized pizza and watching a movie!!
Must RSVP: bcywestport@gmail.com
Saturday, Oct 31, 2015, 07:30 PM
8 Bolton Lane, Westport, CT, United States
Parsha Questions - Parsha Lech Lecha
Below are some questions for Parshat Lech Lecha! All answers must be emailed to me bcywestport@gmail.com by Friday morning. BC bucks reward at the end of each question
- What benefits did Hashem promise Avraham if he would leave his home? ($5)
- "And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you." What does this mean? ($15)
- What were the Canaanites doing in the Land of Canaan when Abraham arrived? ($10)
- Why did Avraham build an altar at Ai? ($20)
- What two results did Avraham hope to achieve by saying that Sarah was his sister? ($30)
- Why did Avraham's shepherds rebuke Lot's shepherds? ($25)
- Who was Amrafel and why was he called that? ($50)
- Verse 14:7 states that the four kings "smote all the country of the Amalekites." How is this possible, since Amalek had not yet been born? ($60)
- Who accompanied Avraham in battle against the four kings? ($10)
- Who was Hagar's father? ($10)
DTBC (Dvar Torah By Child) - Lex Parnas Parsha Lech Lecha
Dvar Torah In Text
The Parsha starts out with the word " Lech Lecha" which means "to go". Rashi explains that with the word "Lech" Hashem made the implied promise to Abraham that his departure from his homeland would be "for his pleasure and his benefit" To preface the next question it should be noted that Hashem's commanded to "Go away from your land" constituted one of Abraham's 10 trial with which Abraham was tested in faith
We are now faced with the apparent inconsistency. If, as Rashi states Hashem gave the assurance to Abraham that he would face NO harm as a result of his leaving and he would actually derive great benefit. How could you call this a test of faith??
The answer may be found in the subsequent verse (12:4). " So Abraham went as Hashem had spoken to him" These words state unequivocally that Abraham's one and only motive for leaving was his wish to fulfill Hashem's command. His real test was to ascertain the true motive for leaving. Knowing that richness and fame were in store, would Abraham leave with intention of claiming his promised reward? or would he do so for the sole purpose of obeying Hashem's word. This is an important to constantly ask ourselves. Are we doing things for the reward/fame/honor? Or we doing things because that is what we are supposed to do?
THIS WEEK'S Parsha - Lech Lecha!
Dear Parents!
Lech Lecha Recap
Abram was the first person to realize that G-d is a Supreme Being and that G-d is not dust, an idol, the sea or the sun. He spreads this message all the time in the city of Charan where he lives. One day G-d tells him to leave his city and his father’s home and to go to the land which G-d will show him. So Abram and his wife Sarai together with his nephew Lot leave Charan and travel to the Land ofCanaan where G-d reveals Himself to him and tells him that He will give this land to Abram’s children. Abram builds an altar there.
Abram and Sarai love having guests. Their tent is open from all four sides so that people could come in from any direction in which they are traveling. Abram and Sarai feed and take care of all their guests and teach them about G-d.
A short while later a famine comes onto the Land of Canaan so Abram and Sarai have to travel to Egypt to get food. There they say that they are brother and sister, because Sarai is so beautiful that Abram fears the palace guards will kill him to give Sarai to Pharaoh as a wife. Sarai is indeed taken prisoner to the palace, but overnight G-d sends a plague to Pharaoh, who gets the message and frees Sarai. He also gives many gifts of animals, gold and silver to the couple and sends them on their way.
Back in Canaan, Lot goes to live in the city of Sodom. He is captured during a local war and Abram runs to his rescue with a small army and miraculously defeats a big army of four kings. G-d makes a covenant – a pact or deal - with Abram and tells him that his children will suffer in exile – galut – but will then be freed and brought to the Holy Land which will be theirs forever.
Sounds good? Sounds great! But…Abram and Sarai were married for a long time and do not have children, and they are getting older…so Sarai encourages Abram to marry her maid Hagar, who was a converted Egyptian princess (at the time men were allowed to marry more than one wife), to give Abram the chance to have a child. Hagar becomes pregnant and has a child Yishmael. But Hagar is disrespectful to Sarai and runs away, then returns to Abram’s home after an angel convinces her to go back.
Finally, G-d promises Abram that his children will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the dust of the earth. G-d makes a covenant with Abraham and commands him to circumcise himself--do a brit milah--as a sign of the covenant. From that day on, all Jewish boys do a brit milah at 8 days old. G-d changes Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s to Sarah and tells Abraham that they will have a child who they should name “Isaac” and that from Isaac will come the nation to which G-d promised the Holy Land. At this time, Abraham is 99 years old and Sarah is 89.
This Past Week's Activities Recap - Parsha Noach 10/17/15
- We had an amazing time going over the parsha - Parshat Noach! Thank you to all the parents who went over the parsha recap with their child. It was extremely helpful. We encourage all parents to do the same!
- Keep your eyes open for the FIRST BCY Saturday night activity! Tell ALL your friends!
BCY YOUTH BOARD
Announcing the FIRST EVER BCY Board
Below are a list of positions.
President - Josh Marcus
Vice President - Abie Wall
Treasurer - Jessica Parness
Event Planner/ Community involvement Rep - Rachel Offir
Head of Marketing/PR - Ben Marcus
Secretary of Education - Rose Sibboni
Secretary of Defence - Lex Parness
Head of Dance and Choir - Jamie Parness
Kiddush Getter - Ruben Sibboni
Candy Man - Asher Marcus
Beit Chaverim Synagogue Westport/Norwalk
Beit Chaverim synagogue provides many opportunities for learning and growth through communal activities, including a broad range of adult education classes and lectures for men and women, geared to all levels of background and learning, and an abundance of youth activities. These include a Hebrew school for grades K-8, an integrated bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah program, and educational and social programs for our children. We are also committed to political activism in support of Israel and other issues relevant to the Jewish community at large.
Members of Beit Chaverim are committed to charitable activities such as visiting the sick, consoling the bereaved, providing meals for the homeless, and raising money for charity. Opportunities abound to contribute to the wider community through these and other chessed(kindness) projects.
Beit Chaverim warmly welcomes all those who seek out Jewish tradition and community. Please come in and feel at home.
Email: office@beitchaverim.com
Website: http://www.beitchaverim.com/
Location: 85 Post Road West, Westport, CT, United States
Phone: (203) 227-3333
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beitchaverim
Twitter: @westportshul