Torah Study, 1st and 3rd Saturdays 8:30 am via Zoom
Torah Study November 21 and December 19th
ZOOM LINK BELOW
Contact Suzanne (suz_darby@hotmail.com) for information and study guide
Topic: Torah Study Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 845 9030 4211
Shabbat Morning: Brothers, Rivalries, and the Stories We Tell
Saturday, November 14, 10:00 AM
From Cain and Abel to Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, and Joseph and his brothers, Genesis offers us a remarkable collection of sibling relationships filled with rivalry, jealousy, ambition, and family tension.
But there’s something especially interesting about the way these stories are told. In the Torah itself, the brothers are depicted as different in significant ways, but one is rarely portrayed as categorically more evil than the other. They are complicated human beings, but not heroes and villains.
The Rabbis of the Talmud, however, paint these same characters in much sharper colors, emphasizing the pure goodness of one brother and the relentless wickedness of the other. What were they trying to accomplish? And what can we learn from these stories?
Come for music, prayer, and a fresh look at how some of the most familiar stories in the Torah were transformed by the Rabbis. Stay to enjoy a kiddush lunch with our community.
We look forward to sharing Shabbat with you!
A Message From Our President
Dear Congregation Sha’are Shalom,
CSS Board Financial Secretary Stuart Richman has secured three proposals for installing protective bollards at our synagogue’s front entrance. This security enhancement will be funded by a government grant.
Please note that the proposed pricing is guaranteed for 30 days. To enhance our facility’s security against vehicle ramming, and with the support of a majority of the Board of Directors, we have decided to move forward with this project.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me or Financial Secretary Stuart Richman.
Your safety remains our top priority.
Respectfully,
M. Jones
President, Board of Directors
Congregation Sha’are Shalom
18 Henry Ford Circle, Waldorf, MD 20602
Phone: 301-645-4606
Since we are meeting this coming Shabbat, I will talk about last week’s Torah portion rather than the one that’s coming up. The portion last week was Chayei Sarah. As we find throughout the Book of Genesis, it is filled with familiar family stories. These include the introduction of Rebekah as a bride for Isaac and their early years together.
The one storyline that is all Isaac is fascinating, and I have mentioned it on Rosh Hashanah in past years. After the Akeida, he does not go home with Abraham but goes off on his own. He vanishes from the narrative while we follow Abraham’s actions after the death of Sarah. We meet Isaac again only when Rebekah is being brought to him – and he is coming from Be’er-Lahai-Ro’i. Wait, we’ve seen this place before! That’s where Hagar went with Ishmael when they were banished from the family.
Later on in this parasha, after Abraham dies, Isaac and Ishmael come together to bury him. So there is a hint in the Torah itself that Isaac and Ishmael were in contact. A lot of midrash has Isaac seeking out Hagar and Ishmael after the Akeida: His mother is dead and Hagar is his remaining mother-figure; Ishmael was his brother and we don’t hear of any animosity between them; he can seek comfort and healing from other people who sympathize because they too suffered at the hands of Abraham. I find these readings very persuasive!
I truly hope that every one of us has a “safe space,” a place we can go to and people we can be with – be ourselves with – in times of need. And may our congregation itself serve as a haven for us all.
******************************
Thank you!
Shalom,
Rabbi Gail Fisher
Congregation Sha’are Shalom
Waldorf, MD
(703) 314-9581
Join Your Fellow CSS Members and Guests for a Fall Hike!
Come join your fellow CSS members and guests for an afternoon hike at Cedarville State Forest on Sunday, November 15, at 2:00 p.m.
We’ll be hiking the White Tail Trail, a scenic route of approximately 3.5 miles. The trail is mostly flat, with only a few gentle climbs, making it suitable for most.
We’ll meet in the parking lot near the charcoal kiln before setting out. After the hike, stay and enjoy fellowship with friends with hot apple cider and light snacks.
Cedarville State Forest is located just north of Waldorf and offers beautiful woodland scenery that is especially enjoyable in the fall.
If you have any questions, please contact Stuart Richman at srichman4@verizon.net.
We hope to see you there! 
Here are directions. Some GPS directions will take you to the roads in the back of the park that are closed.
Go north on RT5/301 past Pinefield to Cedarville Rd (WaWa and 7 -11 on corner). Make a right at the next light onto Cedarville Rd. Follow the Cedarville Rd to Bee Oak Rd. Make a right on Bee Oak. Follow Bee Oak into the Park (must pass $3 entracne fee) to Forest Road. Follow Forest Road to the Blue/White/Charcoal kiln parking lot on right (about 1/2-3/4 mile).
CSS Foodrive
CSS is conducting a food drive through November 14. We are asking everyone to bring at least one can or box of nonperishable food each time you visit the synagogue. Together, we can help support our neighbors in need during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Your generosity can make a meaningful difference in the lives of local families. Thank you for helping us share the spirit of compassion and community.
Men’s Club Outing: Washington Wizards Jewish Heritage Night
The Men’s Club is considering a group outing to the Washington Wizards Jewish Heritage Night game on December 12 at 7:00 PM, when the Wizards take on the Charlotte Hornets.
Tickets are expected to cost approximately $32 each for Upper-Level End seating, depending on availability.
We are trying to gauge interest, and everyone is welcome to attend.
If you would be interested in joining us, please let Matt or Stuart know by November 28:
- Matt Pontarelli: mdompontarelli@gmail.com
- Stuart Richman: srichman4@verizon.net
We hope you’ll join us for an enjoyable evening of basketball and community
URGENT ONEG FOR SATURDAY SERVICES
It has been our custom for years to have a light lunch on Saturday Services. It is our way to have lunch with the Rabbi and the members and to enjoy everyone’s company.
We have 10 Saturday services left this year. We normally have a diary lunch. Please pick a Saturday that works for you or maybe join up with another family and plan a luncheon.
It is not hard.
If you can not sign up, maybe make a donation of $50.00 and someone will do the luncheon for you in your name.
Please contact Mark Holt, Vice-President, mark.edward.
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL SCHEDULE FALL 2026
11/22
11/29
Fund Raiser For Safety Personnel
Dear Members,
Congregation Sha’are Shalom has started a never ending Fundraiser to pay for Security at our synagogue.
We want all our members to feel safe coming to services and events at the Synagogue, so we will be having
Security Personnel there at all events.
There will be a tab under Donation on our website where you can make a donation for Security.
Thank you in advance.
Jackie – Treasurer
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR MEMBERS
The Brag Space for Members to share special moments and events
Brava to Valerie Holt
Our cantorial soloist Valerie Holt — who’s been part of Sha’are Shalom since age 2 — has been nominated for Best Supporting Role in a Musical in the BroadwayWorld Baltimore Awards, for her role last summer as Fraulein Schneider, the gentile (!) landlady in Cabaret, at the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre.
Valerie will also be appearing as a soloist on Sunday evening, Dec. 13, with Annapolis’s Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus (Naptown is a nickname for Annapolis) — and along with a funny operatic take on “Jingle Bells,” she’ll also be singing the popular Hanukkah song “Don’t Let the Lights Go Out.”
Valerie with her long hair tucked into a gray wig as Fraulein Schneider
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Our prayer book makes it easy — just choose your favorite reading from each two-page spread, either in English or Hebrew, spoken or sung. We even have some pre-chosen plans to use. The pressure is very low — the audience is usually small and supportive. If you’d rather not write a brief d’var Torah (a mini-sermon on how something from the week’s Torah portion might apply to our lives today), Suzanne Darby has volunteered to write it; and if you’re hesitant about leading songs, I can help out with that.
We’d just like more of our members to come up and play a part in services, and so we’re eager to help any way we can.
You don’t have to know Hebrew, and you just have to be past bar/bat mitzvah age. You can even enlist your spouse and/or kids to be your co-leaders. We’re looking for volunteers for Friday evenings. Please contact me at myerspat@gmail.com to sign up or for more information.
See you at our next service
HELP WANTED
Shar’are Shalom each Saturday morning (every 2nd Saturday) and Friday night (every 4th Friday) service at the temple ends with the pleasure of fellowship. A little nosh usually makes this fellowship last longer and adds to its delightfulness. Each post service nosh or oneg requires an Oneg Sponsor. Whether it is wine, juice, a challah, and some cookies, or even more – it is always appreciated by those in attendance.
Contact Mark Holt (mark.edward.holt@gmail.com)