Email Your Rabbis:

RABBI YEHUDA MOSES, Rav HaKehillah, Senior Rabbi

rabbimoses@mogen-david.org

RABBI MICHAEL ABRAHAM, Executive Director

Associate Rabbi/Hazan

rabbiabraham@mogen-david.org

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Erev Shabbat — MAY 31

Candle Lighting 7:40 pm

Shir Hashirim 6:15 pm

Mincha/Arvit 6:30 pm SHABBAT

Rabbi Moses Parasha Shiur 8:15 am

Shacharit 8:45 am

Teen Minyan 9:30 am

Beit Midrash 5:30 pm

Rabbi Moses Shiur 6:30 pm

Mincha/Arvit 7:15 pm

(Followed By Seudah Shlishit)

Havdalah 8:35 pm Rosh Chodesh Sivan Tuesday

SUNDAY

Shacharit 8:00 am & 9:00 am

(Followed By Breakfast) .

Monday — Friday

Shacharit 6:30 am

Sunday – Thursday

Mincha/Arvit 7:45 pm

Erev Shabbat — JUNE 7

Candle Lighting 7:44 pm

Mincha/Arvit 6:30 pm

IMPORTANT HALALHIC TIMES

Earliest Talit & Tefillin 4:44 am

Last Time for Shema M”A 8:31 am

Last Time for Shema GR”A 9:17 am

Latest Tefillah M”A 9:57 am

Latest Tefillah GR”A 10:28 am

Hazot Hayom 12:51 pm

MAY 31 ~ JUNE 6, 2019 • 26 IYAR ~ 3 SIVAN * 5779

Parashat Bechukotai

Shabbat Mevarchim

CONGREGATION MOGEN DAVID

9717 W PICO BLVD. LOS ANGELES CA 90035 • 310.556.5609 • WWW.MOGEN-DAVID.ORG

JUNE

Alma Bernet Richard Leve Mania Feldman Roize Wolf Fannie Zeigerson Mania Skowronek Eliezer Wolf Samuel Feldman Theodore Sutnick Ella Mermelstein Gittel Yunger Moishe Yunger

Yochanan Ben Pinchas Anne Goldberg Fannie Markowitz Irma Kreuz

Marcus Braunstein Blima Lewkowicz Joseph Mason Alfred Hesky Meyer Goldstein

Louis Altfest Eliezer Lasry Arthur Stone Emilie Halbreich Marc Katz Abe Sebulsky

Nathan Sutnick Jack Rabens Hanania Benperlas Rochelle Beegun Jacob Lindenbaum

Morey Tayne Philip Albert Mynda Ellen Cohn David Goldstein

JUNE

Elon Anderson Alma Barnes

Joshua Haboosheh Lily Martin

Daniella Alyeshmerni Shery Javaherian

Netaniel Nissanoff Joel Linderman

Rachel Shaye Leat Silvera Abraham Kashani

Ellie Rostami Maya Banafsheha

Miriam Diller Eliyahu Hazan Tzvi Ratner Stauber

Daniel Zaghi Liv Robin Stanley Zimmerman

Aviel Bamela Helen Elias Shervin Eshaghian

Aaron Silvera Salar Hakham Leon Kohan

Adir Perets Zahava Ryzman

JUNE

Eric & Natalie Abergel

Michael & Yisca Abraham

Geoffrey & Melanie Anderson

Leonard & Mariela Bauer

Michael & Ilanit Fallas

Ephraim & Mojgan Noorani

Eli & Ayala Satrashans

Please include the Following Individuals in Your

Prayers So that Each May be Granted

Refoua Shelema

Chaya Liel Bat Tali, Yehoshua Ben Orah

Levi Ben Maytal HaCohen,Sarena Bat Rachel,

Meir Ben Devorah, Avraham Ben Rachel,

Menashe Ben Rosa, Akram Bat Habiba, Ezra Ben Naima,

Naama Bat Aviva, Gideon Ben Leslie,

Michael Nader Ben Molouk Zimra, Haim Ben Hannah

If you would like us to include a name on this list,

please call us at (310) 556-5609,

email the office at office@mogen-david.org, or

email the Rabbis at

rabbiabraham@mogen-david.org or

rabbimoses@mogen-david.org

Thank You To Our Sponsors

THIS WEEK

KIDDUSH

Will Be Sponsored By

Omid & Kelly Shaye

And

Kehilat Mogen David

In Honor Of Elon Anderson’s Birthday

SEUDAH SHLISHIT

Will Be Sponsored By

Rabbi Michael & Yisca Abraham

In Memory Of

Sali Bat Miriam & Tamar Bat Sarah

TEEN MINYAN

Will Be Sponsored By

Morris Davidson

JUNE 2, 2019 ELECTIONS

BETWEEN 8:30 AM & 10:00 AM

Election Ballot Candidates

SHALOM AYNESAZAN

ZURI BARNES

ABRAHAM KASHANI

KAMRAN MANUEL

AVI MARCIANO

OMID SHAYE

All The Best, Rabbi Michael Abraham

Please Pray for the Refoua Shelema of

Our Soldier Netanel Felber

Who Was Critically Wounded in the Attack

At the Givat Assaf Junction

We Would Like To Encourage

The Mogen David Family

To Contribute To

Weekly Sponsorships Regularly

This Is A Wonderful Way To

Commemorate A Hazkara

Or Honor A Special Event Or Occasion

We Need Your Support

Call Us At (310) 556-5609 Or

Email Us At office@mogen-david.org

Parashat Shemot

Women and Prayer The Mishnah (Berachot 20b) states that women are obligated in the Mitzvah of prayer. The Gemara explains that although there seems to be sufficient reason to exempt women from prayer as it is a positive, time-bound Mitzvah, nevertheless, since prayer entails requesting Hashem’s Heavenly mercy, which women also require, women are likewise obligated to pray and this is not, in fact, considered a positive, time-bound Mitzvah. “Prayer” in this context refers to the Amida prayer. The Poskim disagree regarding the explanation of the above Gemara. Some say that women are just as obligated in the Mitzvah of prayer as men and at the very least, they must pray Shacharit and Mincha every day. Others say, however, that women are only obligated to pray once a day, as this constitutes the primary Mitzvah of prayer. It was our Sag-es who enacted that we pray three times a day and women were not included in this enactment. Halachically speaking, according to the opinion of Maran Ha’Shulchan Aruch and the custom of Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jews, women are only obligated to pray once a day, either Shacharit, Mincha, or Arvit. This is a woman’s holy obligation and one should not try to shirk it, G-d-forbid. According to the Ashkenazi custom, however, some say that women are obligated to pray Shacharit and Mincha every day. There is room not to obligated even Ashkenazi women in the Arvit pray-er since Arvit was accepted as an obligatory prayer only by men and not by women. Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”lwould advise that women should establish one set prayer per day, either Shacharit, Mincha, or Arvit, so that they can recite that prayer on a consistent basis and not miss pray-ing for an entire day. It is especially worthy that a woman recite the Shacharit prayer and before doing so recite the “Birkot Ha’Sha-char” (the morning blessings which women are obligated to recite every day, besides for the “She’lo Asani Isha” which women substitute with the “She’asni Kirtzono” blessing albeit without reciting Hashem’s name), followed by “Birkot Ha’Torah” (the daily blessings of the Torah), and then preferably followed by the verses “Shema Yisrael” and “Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto Le’Olam Va’ed.” Whenever possible, a woman should all three chapters of Keri’at Shema and then begin the Amida prayer. If a woman can, she may pray all three daily prayers. Even according to the Sephardic custom that women do not recite blessings upon Mitzvot they are not obligated to fulfill, this does not apply to the Mitzvah of praying and a woman may recite all of the blessings included in the Amida prayer even three times a day, as many righteous women do. Mrs. Simcha Tzadka, of blessed memory, a truly righteous and up-standing woman who was the mother of Hagaon Harav Yehuda Tzadka zt”l, legendary Rosh Yeshiva of Porat Yosef, was well-versed in laws and their sources and would arrive at the synagogue every morn-ing and begin praying with the first Minyan for Shacharit and would conclude her prayers along with those praying in the second Minyan. She would likewise pray all three daily prayers with a Minyan in the synagogue. There are many other righteous women who acted in this manner, especially when they were older and were no longer as busy with child-rearing as they were in their youth. They therefore utilized their spare time to immerse themselves in prayer with intense dedica-tion and they would pray at length for their children and grandchildren. Nevertheless, women who are busy raising a family may not leave their children pursuing lengthy prayers, Tehillim reading, and participating in Torah classes all day long as everything has a time and place.

Parashat Bechukotai

At the beginning of Parashat Bechukotai, in enumerating the special blessings that the Jewish people will receive, the To-rah includes, as Rashi notes: "Even five of the weakest of you will pursue one hundred, and one hundred of you will pursue ten thousand (and not "five hundred ten pursue ten thousand" as expected proportionately), as there is no comparing a small number of Torah observers to a large one". A large number of Torah observers constitute a tzibur (community), and a tzibur has its own rights, privileges, and benefits. The Gemara in Berachot (7b) teaches that even if one can not pray together with the tzibur in the Bet HaKenesset, they should try to pray at the time that the tzibur is praying, for that is an especially meritorious moment. The Gemara understands this to be true based upon the pasuk "va'ani t'filati l'cha Hashem et ratzon" ("but as for me, my prayer is to you, Hashem, at a favorable time") (Tehilim 69:14). When is a favorable time? At the time the tzibur prays. The same is true regarding the study of Torah. The Gemara in Berachot (8a) teaches that one should always complete the Torah portion of the week, shnayim mikra ve'echad targum with the congregation. What is the relevance of finishing with the congregation? Is not the main purpose to understand the weekly Torah portion? This teaching demon-strates that in addition to the actual learning, there is also the significant ingredient of communal involvement. In Judaism the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. At our Kehillah we provide multiple minyanim, youth group opportunities, and many many Torah learning initiatives, in and outside of the Beit HaKenesset. One of the reasons for these many opportunities is for each member, young and old, to feel part of our Congregation. This was a prerequisite for Matan Torah at Har Sinai as the Midrash tells us famously we were 'K'ish Echad B'Lev Echad.' We are proud to have many different types of Neshamot part of our Kehilla which invariably comes with many different opinions and styles. As we com-plete Sefer VaYikra and look ahead to Zeman Matan Torateinu, let each of us, individually and collectively, reflect on what unifies us as a tzibur, what makes us special and im-portant, and why we enjoy gathering each day and each Shab-bat to fulfill Torah and Mitzvot.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yehuda Moses

Rav HaKehillah/Senior Rabbi

Congregation Mogen David

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