KAY's Torah Study Opportunities

Talmud class
Talmud class in room D106-7 at the SDJA, Tuesday evening, 7:30pm. All are invited.

KAY Chavurot: Join an informal, social Chavurah study group this year. Meet once a month for social Torah meetings about whatever area of Jewish life you are interested in. Please contact Rav Menashe.

Community events

Yom Ha'atzmaut Festival
Join the Yom Ha'atzmaut Festival on Sunday May 18, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. …celebrating Israel's 60th birthday. Over 6,000 members from the community will attend this FREE event and enjoy entertainment, a special Israel@60 performance, an Israel photo exhibition, Walk the Land Program, a visit from Mayor Jerry Sanders, delicious kosher food, children's activities and more! To learn more visit http://israelat60sandiego.com/event/31 or call 858-571-3444.

JCC Maccabi Games
The JCC Maccabi Games are coming to San Diego next summer, August 3-8, 2008. This Olympic-style event provides a unique combination of sports, cultural and social activities and will be the largest Jewish event in San Diego's history. The JCC Maccabi Games offer a transforming and powerful experience to Jewish teens by integrating sports with Jewish identity and values. The Games will welcome over 1,500 Jewish teen athletes, their families and friends, more than 1,000 volunteers and 650 host families.
The JCC MAccabi games website is now open for registration for all volunteers and/host families. Go to www.jccmacreg.org to register.

Kef Li San Diego
Connect to Israel from San Diego. Check out this website for Israel-inspired programs for the whole family, year round. www.keflisandiego.org Contact Jennie Starr for more
info 858-245-9375 or jennie@keflisandiego.org.

Refuah Sheleima
Please contact Rav Menashe to let him know of any family or friends who are ill.

Member news

New members - we are delighted to welcome our new members Ronald & Leslie Fellman & Family!

Happy birthday to Gregg Rabinowitz (Mar 29), Merle Gaylis (Mar 30), Jeremy Burland (Apr 1), Naomi Love (Apr 2) and Carmela Kramer (Apr 3)!

Wedding anniversaries - mazal tov to Jim & Sari Esserman (Mar 28), Brett & Denise Matus (Mar 29), Eli & Linda Berman and Shaya & Claudia Fainman!

Kiddush
Kiddush this Shabbat is sponsored by by James & Shannon Love to wish Naomi a happy birthday, by Yitzchak Pomeranetz in honor of his late mother's shloshim, and by Alain Luxembourg to say goodbye on his departure from San Diego!
Please contact Barbara Lurie at 858/792-7942 if you would like to sponsor kiddush on Shabbat morning.

Membership registration
Your support is vital! Please complete and send in your membership form as soon as possible. To discuss your monthly contribution in strict confidence, please contact Geoff Patz at 858/733-3777. All donations are tax deductible and should be made payable to Kehillat Ahavat Yisrael and mailed to 13030 Brixton Place, San Diego CA 92130-1325. Thank you for your support!

Shabbat services
Friday night services: 6.15 pm. Shabbat morning: 9.30 am. Children's service 10.30 am. Services are held every week in the Bet Midrash of the San Diego Jewish Academy's Carmel Valley campus. Please see our web site for more information and directions.

Shabbat times
- Fri Mar 28: Candle lighting 6.48 PM
- Sat Mar 29: Shabbat ends 7.48 PM

Thought for the week

Attention Please

After almost ten Torah portions and nearly a thousand verses, the Tabernacle is finally ready for use in our Torah reading this Shabbat, Parshat Shemini. But a terrible tragedy befalls the people and their joy is stunted: Two sons of Aaron, the young priests, Nadav and Avihu, offer a ‘foreign fire' on the altar. They both die for their trespass. (Leviticus 10:1)

On a cursory reading of the text, it is not clear what Nadav and Avihu do wrong. However, after the incident, G-d speaks to Aaron, telling him not to drink wine when entering the temple. (ibid, 9) The juxtaposition suggests a correlation. The command for sobriety while worshipping in the temple serves to demonstrate the security measures to prevent this catastrophe from occurring again. (See Vayikrah Rabba, 12:1) In fact, this conversation between G-d and Aaron does not remain between them alone; this serves as the source text for the commandment that a priest should never serve in the temple under the influence of alcohol. (See Rambam, Sefer Hamitzvot, negative command #73)

Our Rabbinic tradition, however, extends the application of this commandment beyond the confines of the temple walls. G-d's warning serves also as reproof for Torah educators, as well, not to offer instruction when intoxicated. "If one drinks a quarter cup of wine, he should not teach." (Eruvin 64a; also see Rambam, Laws of Temple, 1:3)

Though the two commandments seem far apart from each other, one is concerned with interaction with G-d in the Temple and the other with the teacher student relationship, there is a significant meeting point. The Sefer Hachinuch connects these two ideas by saying that it is not fitting to be involved with holy matters, such as worship and Torah study, when we cannot give our full attention to the matter. (Sefer Hachinuch, #152)
Alcohol disrupts our ability to genuinely give our heart to anything.

As we begin to move into the season of Pesach and Jewish peoplehood, let us remember the significance of making a heartfelt, inspired commitment to G-d and to one another.

Shabbat Shalom Umevorach,
Rav Menashe


Kehillat Ahavat Yisrael (Love of Israel - the nation and the land) is a warm, caring Orthodox community welcoming Jews of all backgrounds to personal exploration and growth within Judaism. Our name symbolizes our passionate love for both fellow Jews and the State of Israel. Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who you think might be interested. Let us know at any time if you'd like to be removed from this email list.

Contact information:

Rabbi: Rav Menashe and Donna East 858/605-1111

Board:
- President: Michael Lurie 858/794-8278
- Marketing: Ian Aires 858/481-2706
- At large: Barbara Berkovich 858/353-1420
- Programs: Gary Lewis 858/538-2330
- Programs: Jeff Max 858/481-7627
- Finance: Selwyn Lurie 858/792-7942
- Ladies: Barbara Lurie 858/792-7942
- Membership: Geoff Patz 858/733-3777