AS IN MANY OTHER CONGREGATIONS, THIS IS ONE OF OUR MAJOR FUND RAISERS. We are often asked “how can you sell the baskets for $5 and make any money.” We can make money because no matter how many baskets are ordered for an individual, that person will receive one basket with a card. The card will list the names of everyone who purchased a basket for that individual.
The baskets (gift boxes) will contain:
• Child: Hamantaschen, cracker jacks, candy, cheese crackers, bag pretzels, package of Oreos, and a mask
• Adult: Hamantaschen, nuts, piece of fruit, dark chocolate bar, Danish Pastry, and a choice of herbal tea or mocha cappuccino hot chocolate mix.
Price is $5 per basket. Discount: Send a basket to every synagogue member for $150.

We are sorry, but we cannot mail the baskets; they must be picked up. Baskets will be available for pick-up at the Purim Party, March 10th. For those not coming to the party, you can pick up your baskets one hour prior to the party.
So we ask that you begin thinking about people that you would like to send a basket. Send a check, payable to Sha’are Shalom, to Elaine McVinney 2703 Hidden Valley Road, Accokeek, MD, 20607. On your list of recipients, please indicate if it’s an adult or child’s bas-ket. If it’s an adult let us know if you want the basket to include herbal tea or mocha cappuccino hot chocolate mix.
The last day to place an order is March 3rd.
Hamantaschen Sales

The Little Bakers at Sha’are Shalom will once again be busy making hamantaschen for sale. You have a choice of prune, apricot, or poppy seed for $6 a dozen. Chocolate is $7 a dozen.

The minimum order is one dozen a flavor. Deadline to place an order is March 3.
You may place your order by completing the order form on page 8 and mailing to Elaine McVinney 2703 Hidden Valley Road, Accokeek, MD, 20607, or via email pmcv@dishmail.net or call her at 301-283-3427.
Make checks payable to Sha’are Shalom and send them to Elaine. Checks must be received by March 3. Hamantaschen will be ready for pick up March 10.

Sha’are Shalom Hamantaschen Order Form

Order yours today, but no later than March 3

Hamantaschen will be ready for pick-up on March 10

Place your order by completing the form below.   Make checks payable to Sha’are Shalom. Send the form and check to Elaine McVinney, 2703 Hidden Valley Road, Accokeek, MD 20607.
You can also order by email at pmcv@dishmail.net

Checks must be received no later than March 3

Note:  Minimum of 1 dozen per flavor ordered (no half dozens)

Name:  _________________________________________________________________

Phone:  _______________________________    Email:  __________________________________________________

Note:  The chocolate filling has ground hazel nuts.

Pharaoh has finally agreed to let the Israelites out of Egypt.  G-d deliberately leads the people out by a longer route because He fears that “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.”  As we shall see, G-d’s fears are not completely unfounded.

Almost immediately Pharaoh changes his mind and decides to pursue the Israelites with his mighty army.  As the Egyptians draw closer, the Israelites become frightened and turn on Moses:  “Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness?  What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt?  …it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

G-d instructs Moses to hold his rod over the sea and the sea splits, allowing the Israelites to pass on dry land.  The Egyptians try to follow them, but G-d tells Moses once again to hold his rod over the sea.  Moses does so, and the waters close back in, and all of the Egyptians are drowned.

But even after this great miracle the people continue to complain. After several days of wandering in the desert, they begin to grow thirsty.  The only water they can find is bitter and therefore undrinkable.  G-d tells Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water.  Moses does so, and the water becomes sweet.

Next the people complain of being hungry.  They grumble to Moses:  “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt…when we ate our fill of bread!  For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve the whole congregation to death.”

G-d then tells Moses that He will “rain down bread…from the sky” and he sends manna.  But even this is not enough.  Once again the Israelites complain of being thirsty.  They nearly start a riot, demanding water, and crying out:  “Why did you bring us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?”  Moses cries out to G-d in frustration:  “What shall I do with this people?  Before long they will be stoning me!”  G-d tells Moses to take his rod and strike a nearby rock.  Moses does as G-d commands, and water pours out of the rock.

Why are the Israelites so difficult?  Why do they act like children, constantly whining and complaining and refusing to do anything to help themselves?  Why do they lack any kind of faith or hope, even after G-d performs repeated miracles?

The answer is that this generation of Israelites had been born into slavery and they still had a slave mentality.  As Americans sayings like “Give me liberty or give me death!” or “Live free or die!” are part of our culture.  But the Israelites believed that it was better to live as slaves in Egypt than to die in the wilderness.  While Americans take the whole idea of being able to control one’s destiny for granted, the Israelite slaves didn’t know how to take responsibility for their own lives or do things for themselves.  Their confidence was so low, that G-d even had to lead them out through a longer route because He knew from the very beginning that they had no will to fight.  Even after they eventually reached Canaan where they could finally live as free men in their own country, the Israelites lacked the courage to rise up and fight.  It was for this reason that G-d decreed that they would have to wander in the desert for forty years.  The experience of slavery had simply been too traumatic.  The only hope would be to wait for the next generation, which would be born into freedom.

There is one more interesting incident in this parsha.  As the Israelites are fleeing Egypt, they are attacked by the Amalekites.  G-d performs one more miracle and helps the Israelites defeat them.  Now, the interesting thing is that G-d despises the Amalekites even more than the Egyptians.  In Deuteronomy Jews are specifically commanded not to abhor an Egyptian.  However, after the battle with the Amalekites, G-d declares “I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven!” and Moses states “The Lord will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.”  Later on in Deuteronomy, G-d tells the Jews:  “Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt…you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.  Do not forget!”

We have just finished discussing how the Jews suffered terribly as slaves under the Egyptians.  Why this extreme hatred for the Amalekites rather than the Egyptians?

The answer is that the Amalekite attack was unnecessarily vindictive.  They attacked the Israelites without provocation and as they were fleeing Egypt and were particularly vulnerable.  Remember, these are people who had been struggling to survive in the desert and were completely beaten down.  In more recent times, an American-Jewish poet named Emma Lazarus wrote a poem that appears at the base of the Statue of Liberty:  “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” She was inspired to write these words when she saw the Russian-Jewish immigrants who were fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe.  But she could have just as well been describing the Israelites fleeing Egypt.  Not only did the Amalekites attack these pathetic refugees, but they also attacked from the rear, where the weakest stragglers were located: women, children, and the sick.

G-d is so angry with the Amalekites that hundreds of years later, He commands King Saul to kill ALL of them—men, women and children, even their livestock!  When Saul fails to completely carry through with this command, sparing the Amalekite king Agag as well as the livestock, G-d rejects Saul and eventually replaces him with David.

In the Book of Esther we find out that Haman is descended from this same King Agag.  This is why, during Purim, when the Megillah is read, Jewish children are encouraged to make as much noise as they want every time Haman’s name is mentioned:  because of the commandment to “blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven”.  Since then the Amalekites have come to symbolize extreme anti-Semitism.  In Jewish tradition, anyone who has a rabid, irrational hatred of Jews is supposedly descended from the Amalekites.  Many people have even suggested that Adolph Hitler himself was a descendant of the Amalekites.

In conclusion, I’ll simply say this:  As Jews we must always be aware of bigotry and hate.  We must always fight genocide and its twin evil, slavery.  As Jews we have a special responsibility to learn from our history and to make sure that such things never happen again—to anyone, anywhere.

President shall be the official representative of the congregation and shall act as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors. The President shall supervise the activities of the officers of Sha’are Shalom in accordance with the policies and directives approved by the Board of Directors and with the purpose of the congregation. The President shall appoint all standing and special committee chairpersons.

Secretary shall prepare and maintain all official documents of the congregation, including these By-Laws, and submit these documents to the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall maintain a record of official correspondence of the congregation, provide notices of meetings to the general membership and to the Board of Directors, maintain an accurate record of the proceedings of all general meetings and meetings of the Board of Directors (including a record of all votes taken), and perform all other duties customarily associated with the office or that the Board of Directors may direct.

Financial Secretary shall present to the Board for approval an annual budget for the following fiscal year and will monitor income and expenses reported by the Treasurer for compliance with the approved budget. He/She will recommend to the Board appropriate dues and fee structure and resolve any dues or fee issues with a member on behalf of the Board maintaining to the maximum extent possible the privacy of individual members. The Financial Secretary shall monitor the investment of non-operational and reserve funds to ensure the best use of those funds. The Financial Secretary shall review any and all financial reviews ensuring any discrepancies and/or recommendations are addressed by the Treasurer and presented to the Board.

It’s never to early to start planning fun for next summer. I encourage all our religious school parents to consider sending our students to one of the URJ summer camps in our area. For many of us who attended Jewish summer camps as children, camp was the stand-out Jewish experience that taught us songs, built life-long friendships, and made us realize how fun being Jewish can be! For more information on URJ camps in our area visit www.urjcamps.org.

Sha’are Shalom Religious School is held Sundays at 9 am. There is a family service, open to the congregation, which lasts from 9-10am and then 2 class sessions which cover prayer based Hebrew and Jewish Studies. Classes are available for students grades K-7. New students are welcome any time throughout the year.

Shalom,
Jasha Levenson
Religious School Principal
shaareshalom@gmail.com, 301-645-4606