Jewish Report

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2 SA JEWISH REPORT
Celebrations at the Havdalah
Concert at Norwood Mall.
Shabbos Project
18 – 25 November 2016
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Just say no to… your kids?
Parshat Vayeira
Rabbi
Asher Deren
The Shul –
Blouberg -
Cape Town
One of the kindest and most
gracious personalities on the
landscape of Jewish history
would be our forefather Avraham
Avinu.
Countless stories and episodes
related in both the Bible
and Talmudic commentary
reflect the nature of his desire
to give to others and to help
anyone and everyone around
him - especially his children…
Even when his oldest son
Yishmael began to lead an immoral
and adulterous life, he
could not bear the thought of
the consequences he would have
to implement to protect his
next son Yitzchok from those
influences.
(Only when he was commanded
by G-d to listen to Sarah who
was insisting that Yishmael be
sent away, did he finally give
in - yes husbands, G-d comes to
Abraham and tells him to listen
to his wife, always.)
But the true measure of love
was yet to come.
Shabbat Times
November 18/17 Cheshvan
November 19/18 Cheshvan
Parshat Vayeira
Starts Ends
18:15 19:11 Johannesburg
18:15 20:09 Cape Town
18:14 19:08 Durban
18:15 19:25 Bloemfontein
18:15 19:40 Port Elizabeth
18:15 19:28 East London
Parsha
In one of the most enigmatic
stories related in the Torah,
Avraham is commanded to bring
his son as a sacrifice, only to
be told, when his son is already
bound to the altar that G-d
does not want him to sacrifice
his son, and he is offered a ram
instead.
So why did G-d bother him
with the whole exercise?
Perhaps G-d was teaching us
all that the true love of a parent
is seen not in how they give, but
in how they hold back.
G-d definitely did not want
Avraham to sacrifice his son.
There never was and never
will be a concept of human
sacrifice in the Torah. It was a
tragic pagan ritual which runs
contrary to everything the Torah
stands for - a Torah of life.
But the love which Avraham
expressed to his son during
that critical period, until G-d
clarified His true intentions,
reflected what true love is.
When we can transmit to
our children that our relationship
with them is not bound to
whether or not we bought them
a Nintendo Wii, took them to
Plett and filled out everything
else on their shopping list, then
we can show them true love.
A love that is there when we
sacrifice their desires as much
as when we fill them, a love that
is guided by a higher calling to
our Divine mission in Torah and
mitzvot, a love that shows them
that they too have a purpose to
live for - then we have shown
them love.
No, being good parents may
not be easy, but it can - and
should - always be filled with a
love for our precious children,
even when we have to say no.
We buy and sell cars
Shabbos Project 2016: Best one yet?
PAULA LEVIN
Now in its fourth year in South Africa, and third year internationally,
The Shabbos Project shows no signs of slowing
down. This year, communities across South Africa interpreted
the Chief Rabbi’s call to keep one complete Shabbat
together in increasingly unique and unexpected ways.
“You might think that the novelty would have worn off
by now, but each year it gets more powerful,” said Rebbetzen
Natalie Altman of Phyllis Jowell School, Cape
Town. “It’s starting to feel like a Yomtov,” said Rebbetzen
Michele Zail of Ohr Somayach, Glenhazel.
It truly is a grassroots movement that has captured
the country’s imagination, not to mention its worldwide
impact on an estimated million people in 1 150 cities. It
kicked off with a challah bake in Johannesburg. A record
6 000 women braved a fierce Johannesburg downpour, hot
on the heels of the city’s worst storm in 100 years, to celebrate,
pray and make challah together.
Emmarentia and Victory Park Shuls as well as other
communities co-ordinated simultaneous challah bakes for
those too frail to take part in the main event.
Said Emmarentia Shul’s Wendy Richard: “We also had
people staying over at the shul and at friends in the area
and my daughter ‘adopted’ three little girls who were keeping
Shabbat and were at shul the whole day. It was so inspiring
seeing people take it to heart.”
Ohr Somayach, Glenhazel, held a musical-themed Shabbat
with the various groups who share the campus, joining
together. Rebbetzen Zail explained: “The men had a musical
kumzits before Shabbos and the singing continued
throughout Shabbos.
“We had an amazing number of new faces. We felt like
we were a part of something bigger than ourselves and
every person got involved, from marketing to catering to
organisation. The kids especially were so inspired because
the Chief Rabbi had visited the school.
“Just knowing they were connected to Jewish children in
over 1 000 cities, made such an impact.” (Rabbi Goldstein
had in fact visited every Jewish school in the country leading
up the the Shabbos Project.)
Shaarei Torah channelled their inspiration into “The
Cholent Project”, singing, dancing and handing out cholent
to KosherWorld shoppers as people stood in lines for
Shabbos Project helium balloons to decorate their homes.
In Cape Town, Robyn Smookler led a challah bake at the
V&A Waterfront, urging the crowd of 1 800 women to turn
their plastic challah bowls into makeshift drums, as a deafening,
almost primal clatter wafted over the waters of the
Atlantic Ocean. “This was the best one yet,” said Altman.
The sentiment was echoed by Umhlanga Jewish Community
Centre’s marketing director, Angie Sacks. “We had
over 250 women at the challah bake, organised by the Union
of Jewish Women, and we’ve never had so many people
book for a communal meal.”
An afternoon thundershower ensured that those who
attended a lunch at the centre stayed for the afternoon
and enjoyed Seuda Shlishit, Shabbat’s third meal, together.
“I’ve never felt so connected,” said community member
Sandy Furman.
Back in Johannesburg, the weather seemed to conspire
to disrupt The Shabbos Project celebrations - unsuccessfully
as it turned out. At first, “it was as if G-d was smiling
down on us,” said Taryn Marcus who hosted an open Friday
night at her home in Atholl, Johannesburg.
“There wasn’t a drop of rain until all 100 guests were in
the marquee, then the heavens opened up and it poured
outside all night. But we were bullet- and lightning-proof.
The connection between neighbours and friends kept us
warm all night and by the end it had cleared up so people
could walk home.
“My father said: ‘Where in the world would you have 100
strangers rushing to book a Friday night dinner at a random
person’s house?’ It’s because we are not strangers. We
share the common tradition of Shabbat.”
Despite ominous clouds on Shabbat afternoon, families
in the Sandringham area made their way to Jabula Park
where Rabbi Zevi Wineberg ran a children’s afternoon programme
with stories, snacks and Torah verses.
Said Devorah Leah Wineberg: “It was such a beautiful
gathering turning an ordinary stroll to the park into something
so meaningful.”
Huge storms earlier in the week, however, had almost
put a damper on plans to host a street party at the bottom
of Orchards Road, when a tree fell down in last week
Wednesday’s storm.
“Even a marquee wouldn’t have worked,” said Pine
Street Shul’s Rabbi Anthony Gerson. “As we were not using
our hall that night, we offered our neighbours the use of
our venue. People quipped that Orchards Road had been
washed into Pine Street Shul.”
The next day, the shul hosted a cholent lunch for 300
people, an all-day kids programme and a musical havdalah.
Cholent was not on the menu for Sandton Shul, though,
who hosted an “African Shabbos under the Stars” with dinner
for 350 and lunch for 700. “We served biltong and bo-
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