Golf Manor SynagogueSHABBOS BULLETIN

S.E.E.D.Synagogue Education Excellence DirectiveAn initiative of the Jewish Federation

of Cincinnati

Rabbi Yosef Alt rabbi 6442 Stover Avenue, Cincinnati OH 45237Rabbi Stuart Lavenda rabbi emeritus golfmanorsynagogue@gmail.com Rabbi Hanan Balk rabbi emeritus golfmanorsynagogue.orgYosef Kirschner chairman (513) 531-6654

Serving Cincinnati Jewry

since 1901

Keeping the Congregation ConnectedMinyan Reopening: Our minyan will remain outdoors until after Shavuos. Registration is required to join. Please contact Rabbi Alt (RabbiAltGMS@gmail.com or 716-316-0426) if you would like to join an outdoor minyan for Shavu’os. Phase 2 of reopening will begin after Shavu’os; stay tuned for details next week.

Women’s group video chat—contact Mrs. Roodman: breadsnspreads613@gmail.com or 516-993-5654.

SponsorshipsOutdoor minyan canopies have been sponsored by the Wilheim family. Thank you to Rabbi Preis for coordinating the project, and to Levi Scherer and Kalman Weinrib for delivery and assembly!

Shul AnnouncementsShavu’os Sounds, on Thursday! Rabbi Alt’s Shavu’os message.

Shavu’os learning resources:

Sinai at Home: A solution for all-night-learning—many shiurim to choose from, each accompanied by a downloadable, printable source packet that you can use on Shavu’os night! https://www.ou.org/sinai/

Vayichan: Find recordings of Sunday morning’s classes at vayichan.com .

Matching Campaign: GMS call-a-thon this Sunday, May 31. All donations will be matched! Seize this opportunity to “give a little and help a lot.”

Parenting course: A six part follow-up to Yeshaya Lieber’s “Parenting During Quarantine.” Space is limited. www.bookwhen.com/gms

COVID-19 Plasma Initiative: www.covidplasmasavealife.com , or at Cincinnati’s Hoxworth Blood Center: https://bit.ly/covid19plasma .

Shavu’os 5 b’Sivan 5780 • Thursday, May 28, 2020

Refuah Sh’laima

Bracha Leah bas Rochel Mushka

(Barbara Nagler)

Eitan Chaim ben Elisheva (Ethan Kadish)

Gavriel ben Pesha (Gary Walsh)

Chana Rivka bas Ethel (Juanita Weiss)

Nesanel ben Chaya Rochel

Tzvi Michoel ben Leah (Hirsch Wise)

Chaim Dovid Ephraim ben Chana

Daisy bas Lulu (Mrs. Daisy Kattan)

Z’ev Shmuel ben Malkah Rochel

Reuven ben Malkah

Simcha Leib haLevi ben Devorah

Esther Hitzel bas Gitel (Esther Deutch)

Yitzchok Meir ben Chaya Freidel

(Rabbi Lifshitz)

Erev Yom Tov May 28

Make an Eruv Tavshilin.

Please see the Tefillah Guidelines

on pp. 3–5.

Virtual Beis Midrash

Now on our home page!www.golfmanorsynagogue.org

Understanding G-d’s WorldMondays ........................... 8–8:40 pm

Pasuk 2 P’sakMondays ........................... 9–9:45 pm

Hands-On HalachaTuesday .............................8:20-9 pm

Beginners’ TalmudTuesday ............................9–9:4o pm

Daf Yomi has its own link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/3179258587

Sunday .................................... 7–8 amMonday—Friday .............6–6:30 am

Shmuel Plotsker’s classes:712-770-4945,

access code 664943#

Intro to Midrash (Ruth Rabbah)Sundays ������������������������� 8:45–9:45 am

Hebrew Reading OFF till regular classes resume

Torat Eretz Yisrael Mondays ..... 1–2 pm

Tanach Tuesdays (M/W)I Kings 15 ..................7:30–8:30 pm

First Evening / Day May 28–29

Candle Lighting (20 min.): ..........................8:35 pm

Sunset ...............................................................8:55 pm

Daven Ma’ariv ..................................... after 9:35 pm

Earliest Tallis .................................................5:17 am

Sunrise .............................................................6:15 am

Last Shema (Gr”a) ........................................ 9:55 am

Earliest Mincha .............................................. 2:13 pm

Second Evening / Day May 29–30

Candle Lighting ............................earliest: 7:24 pm 20 min: 8:36 pm

Sunset .............................................................. 8:56 pm

Repeat Shema ......................................after 9:36 pm

Last Shema (Gr”a) ........................................9:54 am

Say “Yizkor.”

Earliest Mincha .............................................. 2:13 pm

Sunset ...............................................................8:57 pm

Shabbos/Shavu’os end (40 min.) .............. 9:37 pm

A Torah HomeEVEN WITH OUTDOOR MINYANIM ALREADY POPULATING OUR parking lots and backyards, one part of Shavu’os will be quite dif-ferent this year. We will not be able to have all-night learning at shul. Everyone will have to study at home. This will present chal-lenges, with our beds so nearby, not having the stimulation of being part of a larger group engaged in study, and not having the typical smorgasbord of Torah classes and an all-you-can-eat buffet (with both dairy and pareve options, of course!).

As with all the challenges we have faced while riding the coro-na roller coaster, never quite sure if the next turn will take us up or crashing down, there are unique opportunities for growth. Here, too, we are presented with a special opportunity to bring Torah learning into our homes.

This change has incredible value, in two ways: it emphasizes one of our core beliefs as Jews, and it embodies a powerful way of teaching Torah values to our children.

The core belief which is emphasized by this change is embodied by the words of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. Many years before the world knew of COVID-19, Rav Hirsch wrote something, as if he were writing it for what we are experiencing today. In his introduc-tion to Horeb (“Introduction by Translator,” “The Classification of the Mitzvoth,” p. lxix), he wrote:

If I had the power, I would provisionally close all syn-agogues for a hundred years. Do not tremble at the thought of it, Jewish heart. What would happen? Jews and Jewesses without synagogues, desiring to remain such, would be forced to concentrate on a Jewish life and a Jewish home. The Jewish officials connected with the synagogue would have to look to the only opportu-nity now open to them—to teach young and old how to live a Jewish life and how to build a Jewish home. All synagogues closed by Jewish hands would constitute the strongest protest against the abandonment of the Torah in home and life.

We certainly do not want our shul to remain closed for a hun-dred years, but we can appreciate the point Rav Hirsch is making. It is all too easy to become “Shul Jews,” to whom Torah and mitzvos are for shul, and who focus on other things when they are at home.

This year, we have brought “shul life” into our homes: davening at home, Pesach at home, Shabbos at home. As we celebrate Shavu’os, the time that we received the Torah, it is particularly important to focus on bringing the Torah into our homes, through study (all night, or as long as you last) and practice.

This idea speaks to the essence of accepting the Torah. Our acceptance of the Torah is a 24/7 commitment. Unlike other reli-gions, Judaism does not stay in the Sanctuary. Torah and mitzvos, the manifestations of our relationship with our Creator, play a role in every time and place in our lives.

There is another benefit to this approach, one of transmitting Torah to our children, that we can learn from the Talmud. It teaches of the greatness of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Gamla.

…For if not for him, the Torah would have been forgot-ten from the Jewish people. Originally, a child who had a parent capable of teaching Torah would have the oppor-tunity to learn Torah, and a child who did not have such a parent would not learn Torah at all. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Gamla placed teachers in Yerushalayim [and cre-ated the first school system]. This still posed a problem for children who could not make it to Yerushalayim to study. He therefore established teachers in every prov-ince… (Bava Basra 21a)

The Tosafos (ad loc.) explain why Yerushalayim was chosen as the first place to establish Torah schools.

The children would see the great holiness [of Yerusha-layim], and the kohanim doing the avoda (the service in the Beis Hamikdash), and this would stir their hearts to yir’as shamayim (fear of Heaven) and Torah study. [Likewise,] Ma’aser Sheni is great, for it must be eaten in Yerushalayim, and while the owner remains in Yerusha-layim he sees everyone busy with spiritual pursuits, and he too is inspired to yir’as shamayim and Torah study.

Those of us who have had the privilege to visit Yerushalayim, or study there, can relate to the Tosafos. To witness a culture that is focused on Torah and mitzvos more than anything else, with people who genuinely value it and enjoy it, is a life-changing experience which leaves a powerful impression!

The Talmud teaches us that Rabbi Yehoshua be Gamla felt that this practice of going to Yerushalayim was important for children of all ages. This is a concept well-known both in education and parenting. Modeling is one of the most important ways to teach. Lectures and memorization aid in mastery of knowledge, but mod-eling is transformative; it molds a child’s character.

On a personal note, I have seen the value of learning at home. My son will chant the words of the Talmud that he hears me say, with the classic Talmudic chant, as he plays nearby with his Lego, with-out understanding at all what he is saying. I don’t intend to abandon the Beis Midrash for the rest of my Torah-study career, but I have learned that Torah study at home is critical, even when it isn’t with the children. They need to see that this is how a Jew lives—Torah and mitzvos encompass one’s life all of the time, not just in shul.

It is my blessing that the reopening of our country, our state, our community, and our shul should continue without any “bumps” in the road. As we experience what will hopefully be the last phase of this virus, Hashem should help us learn new things, grow in our Judaism, and emerge from isolation stronger than we were before. May we accept the Torah anew this Shavu’os, renewing our dedi-cation to make our homes Jewish homes, Torah homes.

Good Yom Tov,Rabbi Yosef Alt

Shavu’os 

V’Dibartah Bam

Golf Manor SynagogueSHAVU’OS TEFILLAH GUIDELINES

Erev Shavu’os Thursday, May 28

✶✶ Eruv Tavshilin should be prepared. ✶✶ Candle lighting should take place at 8:35 pm.

Shavu’os—Day 1

First Night May 28–29

✶✶ Ma’ariv for Yom Tov with the proper insertions for Shavu’os. Kiddush (and, ideally, Ma’ariv) should not be recited till after tzeis hakochavim, which is at 9:35 pm.

✶✶ Kiddush for Yom Tov with Shehechiyanu.

✶✶ Shavu’os night learning at home. Visit Sinai at Home for re-sources, ou.org/sinai/

First Day Friday, May 29

✶✶ The earliest time for tallis is misheyakir, which is at 5:17 am. One who stayed up for the entire night, should try to time davening so that one reaches the Amidah at sunrise, which is at 6:15 am.

✶✶ Berachos for one who stayed up the entire night:

✶✶ If one slept for a half hour at night, even if it was in the course of learning, one may recite all of the berachos.

✶✶ The beracha of netillas yadayim may be recited when washing one’s hands (with a cup) after using the restroom, provided that it is after alos hashachar (5:02 am).

✶✶ The beracha on tallis (gadol) may be recited. If someone doesn’t wear a tallis and wants to fulfill the beracha on tzitzis, one can either hear the beracha from someone who wears a tallis or one can switch to a different pair of tzitzis (either before or after davening) and recite the beracha.

✶✶ Elokai Neshama and Hama’avir Sheina are usually recited by someone who slept that night on behalf of those who didn’t. If nobody is available to recite those berachos, they are omitted. In such a situation, one should have in mind to fulfill the be-racha of Elokai Neshama when reciting the beracha of Mechaye HaMeisim in the Amidah. If a member of the household who didn’t stay up wakes up before the learner who stayed up the whole night goes to sleep, that person can recite these two berachos for the learner.

✶✶ If one slept on Thursday afternoon (and certainly if one slept Thursday night), one may recite Birchos HaTorah. If not, one can listen to the berachos from someone who did sleep. If nobody is available to recite the berachos, one should have in mind to fulfill these berachos when reciting Ahavas Olam. If one fulfills these berachos with Ahavas Olam, one must learn a portion of Torah immediately after davening without inter-ruption (reading the Torah portion would count).

✶✶ Birchos K’rias Sh’ma begin with “Hamey’ir la’aretz�”

✶✶ Shacharis Amidah for Yom Tov with the proper insertions for Shavu’os followed by complete Hallel with its berachos.

✶✶ The Torah reading for the first day is “Bachodesh hash’vi’i” (Shemos 19:1-20:23), the maftir is “Uv’Yom haBikkurim” (Bam-idbar 28:26-31), and the haftarah is from Yechezkel 1:1-28, 3:12.

✶✶ There is no requirement to recite Akdamos when davening at home but one is permitted to do so.

✶✶ Mussaf Amidah for Yom Tov with the proper insertions for Shavu’os.

✶✶ Anim Zemiros should not be recited without a minyan. Shir shel yom for Friday.

✶✶ Mincha Amidah for Yom Tov with the proper insertions for Shavu’os. Mincha should be recited before shekiyah (sunset) which is at 8:56 pm. If one is accepting Shabbos early, one should recite Mincha before plag hamincha which is at 7:24 pm.

✶✶ If one prepared an eiruv tavshilin before Yom Tov, one may cook on Yom Tov for Shabbos. One should try to ensure that all of the food that is cooked is potentially edible by sundown (8:56 pm). For this reason, some communities have the practice of accepting Shabbos early whenever an eiruv tavshilin is used. This is the recommended practice. One cannot accept Shabbos before plag hamincha (7:24 pm). Friday night candle lighting should take place after plag hamincha and no later than 8:36 pm. Once the candles are lit, all of the stringencies of Shabbos are in effect.

✶✶ The beracha for candle lighting is “L’hadlik ner shel Shabbos v’Yom Tov�”

continues on next page

Shavu’os—Day 2

Second Evening Friday, May 29

✶✶ An abridged Kabbalas Shabbos is recited, that begins with “L’David Mizmor,” and includes an abridged “L’cha Dodi�”

✶✶ We recite both “V’sham’ru” and “Vay’daber” before the Amidah.

✶✶ Ma’ariv Amidah is for Yom Tov with proper insertions for

Shavu’os and Shabbos.

✶✶“Vay’chulu” is recited after the Amidah, followed by Aleinu.

✶✶ Kiddush for Yom Tov with proper Shabbos insertions. Kiddush begins with “Yom hashishi�” Shehechiyanu is recited.

Second Day Saturday, May 30

✶✶ Birchos K’rias Sh’ma begin with “Hakol yoducha,” followed by “Keil Adon�”

✶✶ Shacharis Amidah for Yom Tov with the proper insertions for Shavu’os and Shabbos, followed by complete Hallel with its berachos.

✶✶ Megillas Rus: The custom to read Megillas Rus was clearly instituted only for a tzibur. Nonetheless, one may read Megil-las Rus without a tzibur. One should be conscious of the fact that such a reading would not constitute a fulfillment of the original minhag.

✶✶ The Torah reading for the second day is “Aseir ta’aseir” (De-varim 14:22-16:17), the maftir is “Uv’Yom haBikkurim” (Bam-idbar 28:26-31), and the haftarah is from Chabakuk 2:20-3:19. One may recite Yetziv Pisgam (though it is not required).

✶✶ Yizkor can be recited without a minyan. One should make sure to pledge money to tzedakah before reciting Yizkor.

✶✶ Av HaRachamim should be recited (even if one does not recite Yizkor).

✶✶ Mussaf for Yom Tov with proper insertions for Shavu’os and Shabbos.

✶✶ Anim Zemiros should not be recited without a minyan. Shir shel yom for Shabbos.

✶✶ Mincha for Yom Tov with proper insertions for Shavu’os and Shabbos.

✶✶ Shekiyah (sunset) is at 8:57 pm. Mincha should be complet-ed before shekiyah and Shalosh Seudos should begin before shekiyah.

Motzo’ei Shabbos Saturday, May 30

✶✶ Weekday Amidah should be recited, including “Atah Chonan-tanu�”

✶✶“Vee’hee no’am” is recited.

✶✶ Kiddush Levanah should be recited (weather permitting).

✶✶ Havdalah is the standard Havdalah for Motzo’ei Shabbos.

Golf Manor SynagogueSHAVU’OS TEFILLAH GUIDELINES

“Thank you!” to all of our

Shavuos Gift Packagesponsors

GoldRabbi & Mrs. Yosef & Tova Alt Mr. & Mrs. Greg & Gabby Schwartzberg

SilverMr. & Mrs. Reuven & Lori Charron Mr. & Mrs. Moshe & Tovah Kirschner

SupportersRabbi & Mrs.Menachem & Miriam DeutchMrs. Nadezhda MarkinMr. Paul OsbourneMr. & Mrs. Eli & Yehudis Polsky

Mr. & Dr. Shmuel & Elana PlotskerMr. & Mrs. Alter & Chana RaubvogelRabbi & Mrs. Dov Aharon & Anne Wise

FriendsRabbi & Mrs. Hanan & Barbara BalkRabbi & Mrs. Moshe & Janet BerloveMr. & Mrs. Joey & Adena GoldbergMr. & Mrs. Avi & Chagit HagageMrs. Haviva HorvitzRabbi & Mrs. Stuart & Karen Lavenda

Mr. Andy NadelMr. & Mrs. John & Lisa RicheyMr. & Mrs. Yitz & Shoshana RoodmanDr. & Mrs. Mitch & Susan Shapiro Mr. & Mrs. Greg & Pearl SpitzMr. & Mrs. Bill & Elinor Ziv

Dear Members and Friends,

As the sun sets this Thursday, May 28, we usher in the Holiday of Shavuos. On this special day we celebrate the greatest moment in our Nation’s history, receiving the Torah on Har Sinai. The Torah is much more than a book of Jewish code, it is the word of G-d that gives our lives definition and meaning. The Torah is also our Kesuba, the marriage document that forged the bond between G-d and Israel. As we celebrate Shavuos each year, we renew our dedication to G-d and His holy Torah.

When the Torah describes the encampment of the Jewish people at the foot of Mount Sinai, the word vayichan is used. Our Sages note that the Torah uses the singular conjugation instead of the more appropriate plural conjugation. This modification was made to describe the unity of the Jewish people when they encamped at the foot of Mt. Sinai, “as one person with one heart,” in the words of our Sages. These brief and concise words of our Sages speak volumes to the importance of unity in the Jewish people, especially as we prepare to receive the Torah.

Yom Tov will not be the same as our Shul remains closed; we won’t be able to spend time together as we are used to doing. We have prepared this Shavuos gift package to let you know that we are thinking of you and to unite our congregation. We hope that it will enhance your Yom Tov celebration.

I want to thank the many people who made this project possible: our sisterhood for making over one hundred coffee cakes, the volunteers who assembled all the beautiful packages, the many sponsors who contributed to this meaningful program, and the many delivery volunteers who gave their time to bring this gift to your door. Our ability to execute this project despite the circumstances is testimony to what we are capable of when we work together; together we can do anything.

Wishing you good health and a Chag Samayach!

Sincerely,

Rabbi Yosef Alt

P.S. The appropriate safety precautions were taken in the execution of this project.