Mazal Tov's View More

Do I Have to Wear the Beard?

By Paul Grondahl for the Times Union

Maimonides Hebrew Day School eighth grade student Elimelech Backman poses as Abraham Lincoln during a celebration Thursday, Feb. 12, in honor of the 200th anniversary of his birth

ALBANY, NY — Rabbi Israel Rubin turned a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday into a Talmudic inquiry Thursday at the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District in Albany.

Kabbalah Workshop Offers Encouragement to Find Deeper Meaning

By Magdalena Wegrzyn for the Longmont Times-Call

Neria Cohen, a scholar of Judaism from New York, gives a workshop about Jewish mysticism Feb. 4 at the Chabad Jewish Center in Longmont. Cohen encouraged participants to seek the deeper meaning behind paintings they completed in the workshop.

LONGMONT, CO — Allison Cole released the week’s frustrations on a 9-by-12-inch canvas at the Chabad Center of Longmont’s Jewish painting and meditation workshop last week.

The Weekly Sicha from the Rebbe – Parshas Yisro

By Shalom Goldberg

The Rebbe says:

1. Our Sages comment on a verse in this week’s Torah portion which reads, “And Yisro (Jethro) said, “Blessed is Hashem (G-d) Who rescued you (the Jewish people)”, and say, “It is a blemish in Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) and the Jewish people who did not say, ‘Blessed’, until Yisro came and said, ‘Blessed’”.

However we must understand what this means because, as we read in last week’s Torah portion, Moshe Rabbeinu and the Jewish people did indeed thank Hashem when they sang to Him as they were walking through the Yam Suf (the sea of reeds)! Why do our Sages say that “it is a blemish in Moshe Rabbeinu and the Jewish people”?

2. The Rebbe begins the journey of answering this question by introducing another issue:

Special Shiur for BM Attendees

CROWN HEIGHTS [CHI] — This week the Yagdil Torah Beis Midrash will host Rabbi Yosef Barber, who will be covering the topic of “What You Do If You Don’t Have Lechem Mishna”. It is well known that the most fulfilling shiurim are the ones that are thoroughly understood due to familiarity with the subject being learned. Rabbi Barber, who will be giving this week’s shiur following the Beis Midrash learning, will kindly provide a list of Marei Mekomos for those who wish to prepare for an enjoyable shiur during the first hour of the Beis Midrash. The list of source texts will be available exclusively at the Beis Midrash.

Mazal Tov! – 7 Sholom Zochors this Week!

Yaakov and Shaindel (nee Keselman) Siev.
IYH at 595 Lefferts Ave, [between Kingston and Albany Ave].

Yoske and Batshevah Strassberg.
IYH at 356 Crown St, [between New York and Brooklyn Ave].

Lipman and Shulamis (nee Kagan) Heller.
IYH at 600 Empire Blvd, [between Kingston and Albany Ave].

Levi and Chana Matusof.
IYH at 626 East New York Ave, [between Kingston and Albany Ave].

Yisroel and Toby Baron (Sunny Isles Beach, FL) .

Berel and Ita (nee Lipszyc) Raices (Toronto, Canada) .

Dovid and Esta (nee Adelist) Berkovits (Melbourne, Australia) .

Please stay tuned as we update this list as information becomes available. However, in an unfortunate event that we do not get all the Sholom Zochors this week, we are sorry. But you can help! If you know of any Sholom Zochors or Mazal Tovs you can email it to us at mazaltov@crownheights.info! Thank You.

Shidduch Crisis?! – Record Engagements Thursday!

Stock Photo – L’Chaim

CROWN HEIGHTS [CHI] — In the past 24 hours there were as many as 10 new engagements became official, in the Chabad-Lubavitch comunity. CrownHeights.info has learned that there has never been this many recorded engagements in this time span. The Chassanim and Kallahs are listed in the Extended Article. CrownHeights.info would like to wish the families Mazal Tov! Mazal Tov! And wishes them Brochos for a Binyan Adei Ad, Binyan Beis Chabad…

Remember, you can email your Simchas or Mazal Tovs to MazalTov@CrownHeights.info.

Wake Up and Smell the Roses – The Key To Divine Triumph

By Rabbi Yoseph Kahanov Shliach to Jacksonville, FL

At a metro station in Washington DC sat a man one cold January morning playing the violin. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. It was calculated that thousands of people passed through the station during this time, most of them on their way to work. It took three minutes before the first passerby, a middle aged man, stopped for a few seconds to listen before he quickly moved along.

Pakistan Says it Arrests Mumbai Attack Plotters

By Kamran Haider for Reuters

Rehman Malik, Pakistan’s adviser to the prime minister on the interior, shows pictures of fishing trawlers used by the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, during a news conference at the interior ministry in Islamabad February 12, 2009.

ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani government said on Thursday for the first time that last November’s attack on Mumbai was launched and partly planned from Pakistan, and it was holding in custody a ringleader and five other suspects.

Mazal Tov! – New Engagement!

We would like to wish Mazal Tov to Moshe (ben R Yossi) Avtzon (Crown Heights) and Devorah Leah Carlbach (New Brunswick, NJ) on their engagement.

Their L’Chaim will IYH be tonight, Thursday at Chovevei Torah 885 Eastern Parkway [between Albany and Troy Ave].