What's Happening

Announcing NEW Zoom Mishna & Maariv with Rabbi Schwartz

• Sunday - Thursday @ 745pm
• https://zoom.us/j/894744680

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• To check OZ Local Zmanim, click HERE

Mazel Tov

• Florence & Alan Siegelberg were blessed with a baby grandson, born to their children, Brahnna and Ricky Kreitner
• Gavriel & Emily Unger on their marriage
• Judy & Lenny Bloom, on the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Jenny to Jaki Levy​​​​​​​

Shabbat Vayikra 5780

FRIDAY

• 5:58pm - Plag HaMincha
• 5:30pm - ZOOM Family Friendly Tot Shabbat Program with Erez Cohen
• 6:15pm - ZOOM OZ Kabbalat Shabbat with Allen Katz
• 6:58pm - Candle Lighting
• 8:06pm - Tzeit HaKochavim

SHABBAT

• 6:45am - Netz HaChama
• 9:52am - Latest Shema
• 1:01pm - Chatzot
• 7:17pm - Shkiah
• 8:07pm - Havdalah / Tzeit HaKochavim
• 8:30pm - ZOOM Community Havdalah & Kumsitz with Erez Cohen

OZ - Partners in Caring Social Work Session

• Thursday, March 26 & April 2 @ 5:00pm - ZOOM Live at Five with Jane Blumenstein LMSW

Upcoming Events:

• Sunday, March 29, 10am - Zoom Tot Tefillah with Nava Silton-Brandwein - click HERE
• Monday, March 30, 8pm - Haggadah Highlights with Rabbi Schwartz - Click HERE
• TBA: In the Kitchen with Evan Markowitz - Preparing the Seder Plate

Don't Passover This Important Information...

Click HERE for the OU's Passover Kosher Guide

Click HERE for Online Sale of Chametz Form

Click HERE for Passover with OZ

• Pre-ordered Catered Holiday Meals for your Home
• Contribution to Maot Chittim Fund
• Order Rabbi's "4 Sons Haggadah"

Guest Dvar Torah by Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard, Hashkama Minyan

Midrash commentary understands the opening of Parashat VaYikra as teaching us:

1. The Divine Voice spoke only to Moses in this case, and 12 others - although it sometimes spoke both to Moshe and Aaron.

2. The Divine Voice stopped at the edge of the Tent of Meeting.

3. There were periods of silence [pauses] during which Moses was to contemplate what he had heard, and if this was necessary for Moses, it is even more so for others. 

While we are not Moses for the People of Israel, I think that we can still learn something important for ourselves from these comments. 

We sometimes have moments of profound insight. These moments often seem to have a sense of profound focus upon us alone. Whatever "voice" is speaking to us , is speaking to us, exactly in the place where we are now. Often this moment and this place have, or come to have, a kind of special, sacred meaning for us. The meaning and implications of these focused insight experiences, however, need to be contemplated and unpacked. How do we now understand our world differently? How do we now understand people differently? What implications does our insight have for our obligations and responsibilities?   

Views from the Pews (Submit your view at office@ozny.org)

Dr. Jeff Korenman, Vice President

"Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got til it's gone"

Joni Mitchell "Big Yellow Taxi"

As we approached Rosh Chodesh it was literally painful to think that our shul like those all over the country and the world would not be filled with leining and Hallel. The magnificent shul which we call home would be dark and silent. No one would open aron kodesh. No one would ascend the bima. Siddurim and chumashim are arranged on shelves in neat rows but no one would be there to open them. 

For many of us during the year we might find 1000 excuses to miss davening with a minyan. What would any one of us give to be able to even daven a "quick" Mincha now and be able to hear our fellow mispallim answer along to Kedusha or Kaddish?

Every morning from Simchas Torah onward I think about Pesach. 

In my closet are three very dry lulavim in their cases. Each year I preserve them in order to use in burning the chometz. 

They remind me now of Hallel. The last time they were used the walls of OZ reverberated with our tefillot as we took the arba minim in hand. 

Permit me for a minute to elaborate on the waving of these arba minim and how it relates to our current situation and OZ.

We take them when we praise Hashem, we take them when we ask for salvation and there are some among us who are careful to take them first thing in the morning at the earliest opportunity. 

That's the way we often are motivated to come to shul.

"Hodo....Ki Tov" - there's a bar mitzvah. There's a bris...there's a kiddush. We come excited to celebrate and share good times.

"Ana Hashem....Hosheah Na" - we come to shul to beg and implore Hashem to help us or someone we know thru a difficult time. We come to say a mishaberach or say tehillim because times are not so good.

Then there are some people who wake up and shake the lulav because they don't want to wait until Hallel. We know those people who come to OZ like clockwork without any ulterior motives or agenda.

Whatever the reason people have for connecting with Hashem there's one common factor and that is each of them seeks a relationship with Hashem and they all come to OZ as THE place to do it. 

I'm not asking for money. All I ask is that in this time when we are unable to be togther in that makom we all love so much to take stock and think about what you wouldn't do to be able to return speedily and in good health. THEN I want all us us to try and hold onto that longing and desire for as long as we possibly can and enhance our davening by coming as much as possible. Take advantage of our programs. Volunteer to teach, lein, daven and guard our shul. Get involved. 

We will all be togther soon (IYH) and we will again have many reasons to come early and stay late in that space that is like a second home to us all. Let's recommit ourselves during this uneasy time that when we are able to return we bring as much energy, love and enthusiasm as we would do if we were able to be together tonight or tomorrow morning.