Shabbos, December 31 (Tevet 7) Parsha VaYigash 7:30am Hashkama 8:45am Haftorah Class in Library 9:15am Main Minyan Youth Groups in the School Building Delicious Kiddush following Shacharis 3:30pm Text & Context 4:00pm Mincha 4:20pm Men's Daf Yomi 4:20pm Shalosh Seudos 5:20pm Maariv 5:28pm Havdalah
Tuesday, January 3 (Tevet 10) Fast of Tevet 6:08am Fast Starts Shacharis 6:15am, 6:50am, 7:50am 4:20pm Mincha, Dvar Torah, Maariv 5:23pm Fast Ends 6:30pmTNLP Talk: 10 Teves + Book Launch 7:30pm TNLP on Zoom 8:00pm Late Maariv
Wednesday, January 4 (Tevet 11) Shacharis 6:15am, 7:00am, 8:00am 7:00am Men's Daf Yomi 4:30pm Zman Mincha Maariv 8:00pm Late Maariv 8:00pm Sisterhood Wellness: Dr. Gila Leiter
Thursday, January 5 (Tevet 12) Shacharis 6:15am, 6:50am, 7:50am 7:00am Men's Daf Yomi 4:30pm Zman Mincha Maariv 7:00pm Bible Behind The Scenes: Exodus 8:00pm Late Maariv
Does the story of human history have a conclusion, and what might that conclusion be if it does? Perhaps all things--our plans, our tasks, our ideals- come together, and our work here is done. Or, may we think of the idea of an end to human history as an image or idea that we approach but never actually reach? We may expand the scope of our question. Is there somewhere, in reality, a place or a point at which the life or history of a human group--a clan, a tribe, a people, a country, or a nation--forms a final unity, or are we always "on the road," or simply nowhere at all? Life often seems too complex, too filled with ambiguity, to have a single final point or goal. Even on an individual level, we struggle to imagine " pulling it all together." How can we even contemplate such an "end" for humanity? But it might feel satisfying and reassuring if we could. Are there no prophets or seers who can help us see what " the long run" looks like?
Ask yourself: Do you see your life going somewhere? Is your life more than a journey without a goal? Do you see yourself as a part of some larger group that has a world-transforming mission? If so, what is that mission?
Reflections on Genesis 49:1 & rabbinic commentary
1. Rashi ואגידה לכם THAT I MAY TELL YOU — He wished to reveal to them the end of Israel’s exile, but the Shechinah departed from him and he began to speak of other things (Genesis Rabbah 98:2).
2. Ibn Ezra THAT WHICH SHALL BEFALL YOU. Prophecies foretelling that which shall befall you in the future. Those who base themselves on Scripture’s closing remark....and conclude that they (Jacob’s words) are blessings, err.1....For if it were so, where are the blessings of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi?... The way to understand this is that their father spoke unto them and blessed them is as follows: and this (v. 3-27) is what their father spoke unto them through prophecy, after which he blessed them. Scripture omits the blessings.
3. Ramban AT THE END OF DAYS. These are the days of the Messiah...our Rabbis have said [Pesachim 56a]. that Jacob wished to reveal the end of Israel’s exile, but the Shechinah (the Divine Presence) departed from him. Thus in the opinion of all scholars, the end of days is a reference to the days of the Messiah.
4. Sforno באחרית הימים, at the end of the period allocated to life on earth as we know it. Yaakov speaks of the arrival of the Messiah which will signify the end of the existence of the nations that oppose G’d, and the Kingdom of G’d on earth.
5. Baal HaTurim Then Yaakov called for his sons: He sought to reveal the appointed time for the end, but it became concealed from him (Pesachim 56a.) Yaakov asks, "Perhaps there is sin (חטא) among you?" They said, "No if you examine our names, you will not find the letters ח or ט in them. Then he said unto them, "Arise, there is also no ק or ץ letters (end) in them.
Congregation Ohab Zedek 118 West 95th Street New York, NY 10025
