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Apply in person to our shul on any or all of the following times & dates 2008 Friday 22 August 2008 / 21 Av 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Light Shabbat Candles at 7.49pm Sunset: 8:07pm Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 23 August 2008 / 22 Av 5768 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Eikev Sunset: 8:05pm Shiur: 7.15pm Mincha: 7:45pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 8.58pm Sunday 24 August 2008 / 23 Av 5768 Shacharit:8.30am Sunset: 8:03pm Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm B/Hol Monday 25 August 2008 / 24 Av 5768 Shacharit:8.30am Sunset: 8:01pm Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 26 August 2008 / 25 Av 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:59pm Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 27 August 2008 / 26 Av 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:56pm Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 28 August 2008 / 27 Av 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:54pm Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 29 August 2008 / 28 Av 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Light Shabbat Candles at 7.34pm Sunset: 7:52pm Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 30 August 2008 / 29 Av 5768 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Re'eh Sunset: 7:50pm Mincha: 7:30pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 8.42pm Sunday 31 August 2008 / 30 Av 5768 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit:8.15am Sunset: 7:48pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 1 September 2008 / 1 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.15am Sunset: 7:46pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Rosh Chodesh Tuesday 2 September 2008 / 2 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:44pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 3 September 2008 / 3 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:41pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 4 September 2008 / 4 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:39pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Friday 5 September 2008 / 5 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Light Shabbat Candles at 7.19pm Sunset: 7:37pm Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 6 September 2008 / 6 Elul 5768 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Shoftim Sunset: 7:35pm Mincha: 7:15pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 8.25pm Sunday 7 September 2008 / 7 Elul 5768 Shacharit:8.30am Sunset: 7:32pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 8 September 2008 / 8 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:30pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Tuesday 9 September 2008 / 9 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:28pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 10 September 2008 / 10 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:26pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 11 September 2008 / 11 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:24pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Friday 12 September 2008 / 12 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Light Shabbat Candles at 7.03pm Sunset: 7:21pm Mincha: 7:15pm Shabbat 13 September 2008 / 13 Elul 5768 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Ki Teitzei Sunset: 7:19pm Mincha: 7:00pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 8.09pm Sunday 14 September 2008 / 14 Elul 5768 Shacharit:8.30am Sunset: 7:17pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 15 September 2008 / 15 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:14pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Tuesday 16 September 2008 / 16 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:12pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 17 September 2008 / 17 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:10pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 18 September 2008 / 18 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:08pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Friday 19 September 2008 / 19 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Light Shabbat Candles at 6.47pm Sunset: 7:05pm Mincha: 7:00pm Shabbat 20 September 2008 / 20 Elul 5768 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Ki Tavo Sunset: 7:03pm Mincha: 6:45pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 7.52pm Sunday 21 September 2008 / 21 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 7:01pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 22 September 2008 / 22 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 6:59pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Tuesday 23 September 2008 / 23 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 6:56pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm There is one week to go to Rosh Hashanah Five things you may not know about Rosh Hashanah 1: Rosh Hashanah is commonly referred as the New Year (literally translated as "head of the year"). The day falls on the first of the seventh month of Tishrei, the first month being Nissan. Nowhere in the Torah is the holiday called Rosh Hashanah. In Leviticus 23:24 it is referred to as "the day of the blowing of the horns (Shofar)" (Yom Terua). In Ezekiel 40:1 the day is referred to as "the beginning of the year" and not the first day of the year. 2: During the afternoon of the first day occurs the practice of tashlikh, in which prayers are recited near natural flowing water, and one's sins are symbolically cast into the water. Many also have the custom to throw bread or pebbles into the water, to symbolis0e the "casting off" of sins. In some communities, if the first day of Rosh Hashanah occurs on Shabbat tashlikh is postponed to the second day. The traditional service for tashlikh is recited individually and includes the prayer "Who is like unto you, O God...And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea", 3: Rosh Hashanah meals often include apples and honey, to symbolise a "sweet new year". Various other foods with a symbolic meaning may be served, depending on local minhag (custom), such as tongue or other meat from the head (to symbolise the "head" of the year). Other symbolic foods are dates, black-eyed beans, leek, spinach and gourd, all of which are mentioned in the Talmud. Pomegranates are used in many traditions: the use of apples and honey is a late medieval Ashkenazi addition, though it is now almost universally accepted. Typically, round challah bread is served, to symbolise the cycle of the year. 4: In Jewish thought, Rosh Hashanah is the most important judgement day, on which all the inhabitants of the world pass for judgement before the Creator, as sheep pass for examination before the shepherd. It is written in the Talmud, in the tractate of Rosh Hashanah that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah , wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days till Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous ; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living" 5: A distinctive feature of Rosh Hashanah is the shofar blast, which fulfils the biblical command for a "blast of horns" in Leviticus 23:24 and Numbers 29:1. A total of 100 blasts are sounded from the synagogue on each day of Rosh Hashanah, using four different tones. The shofar is not blown if Rosh Hashanah falls on a Sabbath. The great rabbi Maimonides regarded the shofar blast as an allusion, as if to say, "Awake, O you sleepers, awake from your sleep! O you slumberers, awake from your slumber! Search your deeds and turn in repentance!" Wednesday 24 September 2008 / 24 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 6:54pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 25 September 2008 / 25 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Sunset: 6:52pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm One week to Fast of Gedaliah Things you may not know about the Fast of Gedaliah 1: The Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah) is a fast day from da till dusk to lament the assassination of the righteous governor of Judah of that name, which left Judah devoid of any Jews and Jewish rule, and made the destruction of the First Temple complete. 2: When the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he killed and exiled most of its inhabitants and appointed Gedaliah, son of Achikam as governor of the now-Babylonian province of Judah. Many Jews who had fled to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other neighbouring lands returned to Judah, tended the vineyards again, and enjoyed a new respite after their earlier suffering. Baalais king of Ammon, however, hostile and envious of the Judean remnant, sent and encouraged a Jew, Yishmael Ben Netaniah to assassinate Gedaliah. In the seventh month (Tishrei), Yishmael came to Gedaliah in the town of Mitzpa and was received cordially. Gedaliah had been warned of his guest's murderous intent, but refused to believe his informants, having the belief that their report was mere slander. Yishmael murdered Gedaliah, together with most of the Jews who had joined him and many Babylonians whom the Babylonian King had left with Gedaliah. The remaining Jews feared the vengeance of the Babylonian King (seeing as his chosen ruler, Gedaliah, had been killed by a Jew) and fled to Egypt. Friday 26 September 2008 / 26 Elul 5768 Shacharit:7.30am Light Shabbat Candles at 6.32pm Sunset: 6:50pm Mincha: 6:45pm Shabbat 27 September 2008 / 27 Elul 5768 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Nitzavim Sunset: 6:47pm Mincha: 6:30pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 7.36pm Sunday 28 September 2008 / 28 Elul 5768 Shacharit:8.30am Sunset: 6:45pm Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 29 September 2008 / 29 Elul 5768 Erev Rosh Hashanah: Shacharit:7.30am Light Candles at 6.25pm Sunset: 6:43pm Mincha: ??? Tuesday 30 September 2008 / 1 Tishrei 5769 Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Shacharit: 9:15am Light Candles at 7.29pm Sunset: 6:41pm Mincha: ??? Wednesday 1 October 2008 / 2 Tishrei 5769 Rosh Hashanah Day 2 Shacharit: 9:15am Sunset: 6:38pm Mincha/Maariv: ??? Holiday ends at 7.27pm Thursday 2 October 2008 / 3 Tishrei 5769 Fast of Gedaliah: 5.27am - 7.09pm Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:36pm Mincha/Maariv: 6:00pm It's one week to Yom Kippur Five things you may not know about Yom Kippur 1: Leviticus 23:27 decrees that Yom Kippur is a strict day of rest and of fasting. Five additional prohibitions are traditionally observed, as detailed in the oral tradition (Mishnah tractate Yoma8:1): Eating and drinking - Wearing leather shoes - Bathing/washing - Anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions - Marital or sexual relations 2: Total abstention from food and drink usually begins 30 minutes before sundown and ends after nightfall the following day. Although the fast is required of all healthy adults, it is waived in the case of certain medical conditions. 3: Virtually all Jewish holidays involve a ritual feast, but since Yom Kippur involves fasting, Jewish Law requires one to eat a large and festive meal on the afternoon before Yom Kippur, after the mincha prayer. Wearing white clothing is traditional to symbolise one's purity on this day. Many orthodox men immerse themselves in a mikvah on the day before Yom Kippur. 4: Many married men wear akittel, a white robe-like garment for evening prayers on Yom Kippur. They also wear a tallit , the only evening service of the year in which this is done. Prayer services begin with the prayer known as Kol Nidre, which must be recited before sunset, and follows with the evening prayers (ma'ariv or arvith), which includes an extended Selichot service. 5: In Israel, by law, there are no radio or television broadcasts on Yom Kippur, airports are shut down, there is no public transportation, and all shops and businesses are closed. In 1973, an air raid siren was sounded on the afternoon of Yom Kippur and radio broadcasts were resumed to alert the public to the surprise attack that launched the Yom Kippur War. Beyond state-enforced restrictions, it is considered bad form to eat in public on Yom Kippur or drive a motor vehicle. Allowance is only made for ambulances and emergency vehicles. Over the last few decades, bicycle-riding on the empty streets has become a new "tradition" among secular Israeli youngsters, especially on the eve of Yom Kippur. In consequence, Yom Kippur is jocularly referred to as the "Festival of Bicycles." Bicycle sales rise in the weeks before Yom Kippur, and companies have taken to advertising children's bicycles as "Yom Kippur specials." Friday 3 October 2008 / 4 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 6:34pm Light Shabbat Candles at: 6.16pm Mincha: 6:30pm Shabbat 4 October 2008 / 5 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayelech Sunset: 6:32pm Mincha: 6:15pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 7.20pm Sunday 5 October 2008 / 6 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:8:30am Sunset: 6:30pm Mincha/Maariv: 6:00pm Monday 6 October 2008 / 7 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 6:27pm Mincha/Maariv: 6:00pm Tuesday 7 October 2008 / 8 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 6:25pm Mincha/Maariv: 6:00pm It's one week to Sukkot Five things you may not know about Sukkot 1: Sukkot is a Biblical pilgrimage festival lasting for 7 days. Outside the land of Israel, many people continue to sit in the Sukkah on the following day Shemini Atzeret (8th day). In Judaism it is one of the three major holidays known collectively as the Shalosh Regalim (three pilgrim festivals), when historically the Jewish populace travelled to the Temple in Jerusalem.. 2: The festival is also known as The Feast of Tabernacles, but do you know what a Tabernacle is? To put it in a nutshell, it�s a portable shul! Tabernacle in Hebrew is "Mishkan" which means dwell, rest or to live in. When Moses lead the Exodus, God gave him the plan for the Tabernacle to be built and take with them for the 40 years they wandered in the desert. 3: The word Sukkah means booth or hut. During the holiday, Jews are instructed to build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep. The Sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during the Exodus and is intended to reflect God�s benevolence in providing for all the Jews' needs in the desert. It can be built of any materials, but its roof must be of organic material and partially open to the sky. The decor of the interior of the Sukkah may range from totally unornamented to lavishly decorated. 4: On each of the seven days of Sukkot, the Torah requires the Jew to take Four Species of plants and to grasp and shake them in a specific manner. These species are: the lulav (date palm frond) hadass (bough of a myrtle tree), aravah (willow branch)� these three are actually bound together and collectively referred to as the lulav�and the etrog (a citron, a lemon-like citrus fruit). 5: Some rabbinic authorities hold that the Four Species are meant to reflect four categories of plants that grow in Israel: those with a good taste and pleasant fragrance (the etrog), those with a good taste and no fragrance (the palm), those with a pleasant fragrance and no taste (the haddasim), and those with neither taste nor fragrance (the aravah). By taking all four, Jews symbolically request that God provide sufficient rain for all types of plants and crops to grow and thrive. Wednesday 8 October 2008 / 9 Tishrei 5769 Kol Nidrei: Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 6:23pm Fast begins and candles should be lit by 6.05pm Kol Nidre Service: ??? Thursday 9 October 2008 / 10 Tishrei 5769 Yom Kippur Shacharit: ??? Sunset: 6:21pm Fast Ends 7:10pm Friday 10 October 2008 / 11 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 6.01pm Sunset: 6:19pm Mincha: 6:15pm Shabbat 11 October 2008 / 12 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Ha'Azinu Sunset: 6:17pm Mincha: 6:00pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 7.05pm Sunday 12 October 2008 / 13 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:8:30am Sunset: 6:14pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:00pm Monday 13 October 2008 / 14 Tishrei 5769 Erev Sukkot: Light Candles 5.54pm Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:12pm Mincha/Maariv: ??? Tuesday 14 October 2008 / 15 Tishrei 5769 Sukkot Day 1: Light candles after 6.59pm Shacharit: ??? Sunset: 6:10pm Mincha/Maariv: ??? It's one week to Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah Five things you may not know about Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah 1: Tishrei 22, the day after the seventh day of Sukkot, is the holiday Shemini Atzeret. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret is also the holiday of Simchat Torah. Outside of Israel, where extra days of holidays are held, only the second day of Shemini Atzeret is Simchat Torah: Shemini Atzeret is Tishrei 22 and 23, while Simchat Torah is Tishrei 23. 2: These two holidays are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot, but that is technically incorrect; Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right and does not involve some of the special observances of Sukkot. We do not take up the lulav and etrog on these days, and our dwelling in the sukkah is more limited, and performed without reciting a blessing. 3: Shemini Atzeret literally means "the assembly of the eighth (day)." Rabbinic literature explains the holiday this way: Our Creator is like a host, who invites us as visitors for a limited time, but when the time comes for us to leave, He has enjoyed himself so much that He asks us to stay another day. 4: Simchat Torah means "Rejoicing in the Torah." This holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. Each week in synagogue we publicly read a few chapters from the Torah, starting with Genesis Ch. 1 and working our way around to Deuteronomy 34. On Simchat Torah, we read the last Torah portion, then proceed immediately to the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a circle, and never ends. 5: This completion of the readings is a time of great celebration. There are processions around the synagogue carrying Torah Scrolls and plenty of high-spirited singing and dancing in the synagogue with the Torahs. Drinking is also common during this time; in fact, a traditional source recommends performing the priestly blessing earlier than usual in the service, to make sure the Kohanim (Priests) are not drunk when the time comes! Wednesday 15 October 2008 / 16 Tishrei 5769 Sukkot Day 2 Shacharit: ??? Sunset: 6:08pm Holiday ends 6.57pm Thursday 16 October 2008 / 17 Tishrei 5769 Sukkot Day 3 Shacharit: ??? Sunset: 6:06pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 17 October 2008 / 18 Tishrei 5769 Sukkot Day 4 Shacharit: ??? Light Shabbat Candles at: 5.46pm Sunset: 6:04pm Mincha: 6:00pm Shabbat 18 October 2008 / 19 Tishrei 5769 Sukkot Day 5 Shacharit 9.15am Sunset: 6:02pm Mincha: 5:45pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 6.51pm Sunday 19 October 2008 / 20 Tishrei 5769 Sukkot Day 6 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 6:00pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:00pm Monday 20 October 2008 / 21 Tishrei 5769 Sukkot Day 7: Light candles 5.40pm Shacharit: ??? Sunset: 5:58pm Mincha/Maariv: ??? Tuesday 21 October 2008 / 22 Tishrei 5769 Shemini Atzeret: Light candles after 6.45pm Shacharit: 9:15am Sunset: 5:56pm Mincha/Maariv: ??? Wednesday 22 October 2008 / 23 Tishrei 5769 Simchat Torah: Shacharit: 9:15am Sunset: 5:54pm Mincha/Maariv: ??? Thursday 23 October 2008 / 24 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:52pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:00pm Friday 24 October 2008 / 25 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 5.32pm Sunset: 5:50pm Mincha: 5:45pm Shabbat 25 October 2008 / 26 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Bereishit Sunset: 5:48pm Mincha: 5:30pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 6.38pm Sunday 26 October 2008 / 27 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:46pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:00pm The Parshah of Noach is being read next Shabbat Everything you need to know about life. Learn from Noah`s Ark One : Don`t miss the boat Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat Three : Plan ahead. It wasn`t raining when Noah built the Ark Four : Stay fit. When you are 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big Five : Don`t listen to critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done Six : Build your future on high ground Seven : For safety`s sake, travel in pairs Eight : Speed isn`t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs Nine : When you`re stressed, float awhile Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs. The Titanic by professionals Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there`s always a rainbow waiting... Monday 27 October 2008 / 28 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:44pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:00pm Tuesday 28 October 2008 / 29 Tishrei 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:42pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:00pm Wednesday 29 October 2008 / 30 Tishrei 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit:7:15am Sunset: 4:40pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:00pm Thursday 30 October 2008 / 1 Cheshvan 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 4:39pm Mincha/Maariv: 4:00pm Friday 31 October 2008 / 2 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 4.19pm Sunset: 4:37pm Mincha: 4:30pm Shabbat 1 November 2008 / 3 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Noach Sunset: 4:35pm Mincha: 4:15pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.26pm Sunday 2 November 2008 / 4 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset:4:33pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 3 November 2008 / 5 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:32pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 4 November 2008 / 6 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:30pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 5 November 2008 / 7 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:28pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 6 November 2008 / 8 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:27pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 7 November 2008 / 9 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:25pm Light Shabbat Candles at: 4.07pm Mincha: 4:15pm Shabbat 8 November 2008 / 10 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Lech - Lecha Mincha: 4:00pm Sunset: 4:23pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.16pm Sunday 9 November 2008 / 11 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:8:30am Sunset: 4:22pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 10 November 2008 / 12 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:20pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 11 November 2008 / 13 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:19pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 12 November 2008 / 14 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:18pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 13 November 2008 / 15 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:16pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 14 November 2008 / 16 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 3.57pm Sunset: 4:15pm Mincha: 4:00pm Shabbat 15 November 2008 / 17 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayeira Mincha: 4:00pm Sunset: 4:13pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.07pm Sunday 16 November 2008 / 18 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:8:30am Sunset: 4:12pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 17 November 2008 / 19 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:11pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 18 November 2008 / 20 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:10pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 19 November 2008 / 21 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:09pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 20 November 2008 / 22 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:07pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 21 November 2008 / 23 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:06pm Light Shabbat Candles at 3.48pm Mincha: 4:00pm Shabbat 22 November 2008 / 24 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Chayei Sarah Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 4:05pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.00pm Sunday 23 November 2008 / 25 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:8:30am Sunset: 4:04pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 24 November 2008 / 26 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:03pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 25 November 2008 / 27 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:02pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 26 November 2008 / 28 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:02pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 27 November 2008 / 29 Cheshvan 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:01pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 28 November 2008 / 1 Kislev 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit:7:15am Light Shabbat Candles at 3.42pm Sunset: 4:00pm Mincha: 3:45pm Shabbat 29 November 2008 / 2 Kislev 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Toldot Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 3:59pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 4.55pm Sunday 30 November 2008 / 3 Kislev 5769 Shacharit:8:30am Sunset: 3:59pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 1 December 2008 / 4 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:58pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 2 December 2008 / 5 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:57pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 3 December 2008 / 6 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:57pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 4 December 2008 / 7 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:56pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 5 December 2008 / 8 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:56pm Light Shabbat Candles at 3.38pm Mincha: 3:45pm Shabbat 6 December 2008 / 9 Kislev 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayeitzei Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 3:56pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 4.52pm Sunday 7 December 2008 / 10 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 8 December 2008 / 11 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 9 December 2008 / 12 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 10 December 2008 / 13 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 11 December 2008 / 14 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 12 December 2008 / 15 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Light Shabbat Candles by 3.37pm Mincha: 3:45pm Shabbat 13 December 2008 / 16 Kislev 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayishlach Mincha: 3:30pm Sunset: 3:55pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 4.52pm Sunday 14 December 2008 / 17 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm It's one week to Chanukah Five things you may not know about Chanukah 1: The word �Chanukah� shares the same root as �chinuch� which means �Education� in Hebrew. The occupying Greeks had forced their beliefs on the Jews so after the Maccabees had driven them out the Jewish people had to be �re-educated.� 2: There are three main reasons for giving children Chanukah gelt. To teach them to give some to charity - To keep things festive and happy but mostly because we love them! By the way, some people think the correct custom is to give the children chocolate money. Wrong! That rumour was started by the chocolate manufactures! 3: Here�s something you may not know about the dreidel. Outside Israel the four letters on the dreidel are nun, gimel, hei & shin, which is the acronym for "nes gadol haya sham" � "A great miracle happened there" � but in Israel the shin is replaced with a Pei � changing it to "a great miracle happened here" 4: In our area Brighton Lubavitch erect a giant menorah somewhere in the town. The Lubavitch in Venice mount one on a gondola and sail it around the canals! 5: Before you get stuck in to the doughnuts remember this. It takes about 45 minutes of brisk walking to burn off the calories of one single average sized plain doughnut! Monday 15 December 2008 / 18 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 16 December 2008 / 19 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 17 December 2008 / 20 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 18 December 2008 / 21 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:56pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 19 December 2008 / 22 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:56pm Light Shabbat Candles at 3.38pm Mincha: 3:45pm Shabbat 20 December 2008 / 23 Kislev 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayeishev Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 3:57pm Maariv & Shabbes ends 4.54pm Sunday 21 December 2008 / 24 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 3:57pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Light 1 Chanukah Candle after 3.57pm Monday 22 December 2008 / 25 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:58pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Chanukah Day 1 Light 2 Chanukah Candles after 3.58pm Tuesday 23 December 2008 / 26 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:58pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Chanukah Day 2 Light 3 Chanukah Candles after 3.58pm Wednesday 24 December 2008 / 27 Kislev 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:59pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Chanukah Day 3 Light 4 Chanukah Candles after 3.59pm Thursday 25 December 2008 / 28 Kislev 5769 Bank Holiday Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 3:59pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Chanukah Day 4 Light 5 Chanukah Candles after 3.59pm Friday 26 December 2008 / 29 Kislev 5769 Bank Holiday Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:00pm Light Shabbat Candles at 3.42pm Mincha: 3:45pm Chanukah Day 5 Light 6 Chanukah Candles before 3.42pm Shabbat 27 December 2008 / 30 Kislev 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Mikeitz Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 4:01pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 4.58pm Chanukah Day 6 Light 7 Chanukah Candles after 4.58pm Sunday 28 December 2008 / 1 Tevet 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 8:15am Sunset: 4:02pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Chanukah Day 7 Light 8 Chanukah Candles after 4.02pm Monday 29 December 2008 / 2 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:03pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Chanukah Day 8 Tuesday 30 December 2008 / 3 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:04pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm It's a week to the Fast of Tevet Five things you may not know about the Fast of Tevet 1: The Tenth of Tevet commemorates the onset of the siege that Nebuchadrezzar of Babylonia laid to ancient Jerusalem almost 2,500 years ago, an event that ultimately led to the destruction of Solomon�s Temple (the First Temple) and Babylonia's conquest of southern Israel's Kingdom of Judah. 2: Thirty months after the siege began -- -- the city walls were breached on Tammuz 9, and on Av 9th of that year, the Holy Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years. 3: There are no additional physical constraints beyond fasting on this fast (such as the prohibitions against bathing or of wearing leather shoes). Because it is a minor fast day, Halacha exempts from fasting those who are ill, even if their illnesses are not life threatening, and pregnant and nursing women who find fasting difficult. 4: Although this fast is considered a minor fast, it has an additional stringency not shared by any other fast except Yom Kippur, namely that if the Tenth of Tevet were to fall out on a Shabbat, then this fast would actually be observed on Shabbat. This is because of the phrase "the very day" that appears in Ezekiel 24:2, similar to the phrase describing Yom Kippur in Leviticus 23:28. However under the current calendrical scheme, the Tenth of Tevet cannot fall out on Shabbat. 5: A few have chosen to observe the Tenth of Tevet as a "general kaddish day" for the victims of the Holocaust , many of whom lack identifiable yahrzeits. Wednesday 31 December 2008 / 4 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:05pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm 2009 Thursday 1 January 2009 / 5 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:05pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 2 January 2009 / 6 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:06pm Light Shabbat Candles at 3.48pm Mincha: 4:00pm Shabbat 3 January 2009 / 7 Tevet 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayiqash Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 4:07pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.04pm Sunday 4 January 2009 / 8 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:08pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 5 January 2009 / 9 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:09pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 6 January 2009 / 10 Tevet 5769 Fast of Tevet: 6.14am – 4.49pm Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:10pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 7 January 2009 / 11 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:12pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 8 January 2009 / 12 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:13pm Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 9 January 2009 / 13 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:14pm Light Shabbat Candles at 3.56pm Mincha: 4:00pm Shabbat 10 January 2009 / 14 Tevet 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayechi Mincha: 4:00pm Sunset: 4:16pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.12pm Sunday 11 January 2009 / 15 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:17pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 12 January 2009 / 16 Tevet 5769 Shacharit:7:30am Sunset: 4:18pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 13 January 2009 / 17 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:20pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 14 January 2009 / 18 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:21pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 15 January 2009 / 19 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:23pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 16 January 2009 / 20 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:24pm Light Shabbat Candles at 4.06pm Mincha: 4:15pm Shabbat 17 January 2009 / 21 Tevet 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Shemot Mincha: 4:00pm Sunset: 4:26pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.21pm Sunday 18 January 2009 / 22 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:27pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 19 January 2009 / 23 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:29pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 20 January 2009 / 24 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:31pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 21 January 2009 / 25 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:32pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 22 January 2009 / 26 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:34pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 23 January 2009 / 27 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:35pm Light Shabbat Candles at 4.17pm Mincha: 4:30pm Shabbat 24 January 2009 / 28 Tevet 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Va'eira Mincha: 4:15pm Sunset: 4:37pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.31pm Sunday 25 January 2009 / 29 Tevet 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:39pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 26 January 2009 / 1 Shvat 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 4:40pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 27 January 2009 / 2 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:42pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 28 January 2009 / 3 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:44pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 29 January 2009 / 4 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:46pm Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 30 January 2009 / 5 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:47pm Light Shabbat Candles at 4.29pm Mincha: 4:30pm Shabbat 31 January 2009 / 6 Shvat 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Bo Mincha: 4:30pm Sunset: 4:49pm Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.42pm Sunday 1 February 2009 / 7 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:51 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 2 February 2009 / 8 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:53 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm It's one week to Tu B'shvat Five things you may not know about Tu B’shvat 1: Tu B'Shvat marks the "New Year of the Trees" Customs include planting trees and eating dried fruits and nuts, especially figs, dates, raisins, carob, and almonds. In Israel, the flowering of the almond tree, which grows wild around the country, coincides with Tu Bishvat. 2: In the Middle Ages, Tu Bishvat was celebrated with a feast of fruits in keeping with the Mishnaic description of the holiday as a "New Year." In the 1600s, the kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safedand his disciples instituted a Tu Bishvat seder in which the fruits and trees of the Land of Israel were given symbolic meaning. The main idea was that eating ten specific fruits and drinking four cups of wine in a specific order while reciting the appropriate blessings would bring human beings, and the world, closer to spiritual perfection. In Israel, the kabbalistic Tu B’shavt seder has been revived, and is now celebrated by many Jews, religious and secular. Special haggadot have been written for this purpose. 3: Some Jews pickle or candy the etrog (citron) from Sukkot and eat it on Tu Bishvat. Some pray that they will be worthy of a beautiful etrog on the following Sukkot. 4: On Tu Bishvat in 1890, Rabbi Zeev Yavetz, one of the founders of the Mizrachi movement, took his students to plant trees in the agricultural colony of Zichron Yaakov. This custom was adopted in 1908 by the Jewish Teachers Union and later by the Jewish National Fund , established in 1901 to oversee land reclamation and afforestation of the Land of Israel. Over a million Israelis now take part in the Jewish National Fund's tree-planting activities organised every year on Tu Bishvat. 5: In keeping with the idea of Tu B’shvat marking the revival of nature, symbolised by the budding of the almond tree, many of Israel's major institutions have chosen this day for their inauguration. The cornerstone-laying of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem took place on Tu Bishvat 1918; the Technion in Haifa, on Tu Bishvat 1925; and the Knesset, on Tu Bishvat 1949. Tuesday 3 February 2009 / 9 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:54 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 4 February 2009 / 10 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:56 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 5 February 2009 / 11 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:58 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 6 February 2009 / 12 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:00 Light Shabbat Candles at 4.42pm Mincha: 4:45pm Shabbat 7 February 2009 / 13 Shvat 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Beshalach Mincha: 4:45pm Sunset: 5:02 Maariv & Shabbat ends 5.53pm Sunday 8 February 2009 / 14 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 5:03 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 9 February 2009 / 15 Shvat 5769 Tu B'Shevat Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:05 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 10 February 2009 / 16 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:07 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 11 February 2009 / 17 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:09 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 12 February 2009 / 18 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:10 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 13 February 2009 / 19 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:12 Light Shabbat Candles at 4.54pm Mincha: 5:00pm Shabbat 14 February 2009 / 20 Shvat 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Yitro Mincha: 5:00pm Sunset: 5:14 Maariv & Shabbat ends at 6.04pm Sunday 15 February 2009 / 21 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 5:16 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 16 February 2009 / 22 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:18 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 17 February 2009 / 23 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:20 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 18 February 2009 / 24 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:22 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 19 February 2009 / 25 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:23 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 20 February 2009 / 26 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5;25 Light Shabbat Candles at 5.07pm Mincha: 5:15pm Shabbat 21 February 2009 / 27 Shvat 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Mishpatim Mincha: 5:00pm Sunset: 5:27 Maariv & Shabbes ends 6.16pm Sunday 22 February 2009 / 28 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 5:29 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 23 February 2009 / 29 Shvat 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:31 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 24 February 2009 / 30 Shvat 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 5:32 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 25 February 2009 / 1 Adur 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 5:34 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 26 February 2009 / 2 Adur 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:36 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 27 February 2009 / 3 Adur 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:37 Light Shabbat Candles at 5.19pm Mincha: 5:30pm Today is the anniversary of the completion of the Second Temple in 349BCE. The first had been destroyed by the Babylonians exactly 70 years before hand. The second, of which just the Western Wall remains, was destroyed by the Romans in 70BCE. Since then, the Babylonians and the Romans have gone - we haven't - so although today is not classed as a festival - raise your glass and have a l'chaim to all those who came before us and brought us this far. Shabbat 28 February 2009 / 4 Adur 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Terumah Mincha: 5:15pm Sunset: 5:39 Maariv & Shabbes ends 6.27pm Sunday 1 March 2009 / 5 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 5:40 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 2 March 2009 / 6 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:42 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 3 March 2009 / 7 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:44 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Today is the 3,281st yartzheit of Moses, but it's not a sad day because it was also his birthday. Moses died aged 120. It's one week to Purim Five things you may not know about Purim 1: It is customary at Purim to give gifts of food and drink give charity to the poor and eat a celebratory meal. Other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration. 2: During a 180 day drinking feast (and today’s teenagers think drink bingeing is a new thing!) the King of Persia. King Ahasuerus who had had a few, ordered his wife Vashti to display her beauty before the people. Some interpret the story that she was told to appear in public wearing her crown – and only her crown! She refused so he divorced her. He then ordered all the young women to be presented to him and he chose Esther who had been pushed in the line by cousin Mordechai. 3: We always refer to Ahasuerus as King of Persia but in those days Persia wasn’t simply Iran. It was a huge area from India right down to Ethiopia in Africa. His palace was in Shushan, about 150 miles to the north of the head of the Persian Gulf. The mass of ruins can still be seen to this day. 4: Purim is celebrated on 14 Adar which is the day the Jews rested after beating their enemy. Shushan Purim, is the following day. Because it was a walled city it took an extra day to win that battle. 5: The day before Purim is the Fast of Esther. The fast is intended to hone the soul and galvanise Jewish strength for the challenges ahead. Wednesday 4 March 2009 / 8 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:46 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 5 March 2009 / 9 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:47 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 6 March 2009 / 10 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 5.31pm Sunset: 5:49 Mincha: 5:45pm Shabbat 7 March 2009 / 11 Adar 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Tetzaveh Mincha: 5:30pm Sunset: 5:50 Maariv & Shabbat ends 6.39pm Sunday 8 March 2009 / 12 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 5:52 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 9 March 2009 / 13 Adar 5769 Fast of Esther: 4.50am - 6.26pm Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:54 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 10 March 2009 / 14 Adar 5769 Purim Shacharit: 9.15am Sunset: 5:56 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 11 March 2009 / 15 Adar 5769 Shushan Purim Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:57 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 12 March 2009 / 16 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:59 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 13 March 2009 / 17 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 5:43pm Sunset: 6:01 Mincha: 5:45pm Shabbat 14 March 2009 / 18 Adar 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Kitisa Mincha: 5:45pm Sunset: 6:02 Maariv & Shabbat ends 6:51pm Sunday 15 March 2009 / 19 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 6:04 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 16 March 2009 / 20 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:06 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 17 March 2009 / 21 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:09 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 18 March 2009 / 22 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:09 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 19 March 2009 / 23 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:10 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 20 March 2009 / 24 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 5:54pm Sunset: 6:12 Mincha: 6:00pm Shabbat 21 March 2009 / 25 Adar 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayak'hel-Pekudes Mincha: 6:00pm Sunset: 6:14 Maariv & Shabbat ends 7:03pm Sunday 22 March 2009 / 26 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 6:15 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 23 March 2009 / 27 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:17 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Tuesday 24 March 2009 / 28 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:19 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 25 March 2009 / 29 Adar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:20 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 26 March 2009 / 1 Nissan 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 6:22 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Here’s a lovely custom you may not have come across before. Today, being the 1st of Nissan, is the first opportunity to recite a lovely blessing upon seeing a fruit tree in bloom. "Blessed are you Lord our God, king of the universe, who left nothing lacking in His world, and has created within it good creatures and good trees with which He gives pleasure to people. This brochah can be said at anytime during Nissan. Friday 27 March 2009 / 2 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 6:06pm Sunset: 6:24 Mincha: 6:15pm Shabbat 28 March 2009 / 3 Nissan 5769 Shacharit 9.15am Torah Reading: Vayikra Mincha: 6:00pm Sunset: 6:25 Maariv & Shabbat ends 7:15pm Sunday 29 March 2009 / 4 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 7:27 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 30 March 2009 / 5 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:28 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Tuesday 31 March 2009 / 6 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:30 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 1 April 2009 / 7 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:32 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 2 April 2009 / 8 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:33 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Pesach starts in a week's time Five Things you may not know about Pesach 1: Did you know that not all the Jews became slaves of the Egyptians? All the other tribes had assimilated into the Egyptian way of life and this is what upset the Egyptians. However, the Levis had kept themselves to themselves down in Goshem running the Torah Academy started by their leader’s father – Jacob. 2: Just before the Israelites set off to conquer the Promised Land, Joshua sent two spies into the city of Jericho to gather info for the coming battle. There, they met a lady named Rahab who helped them and even put them up for the night. Later on Joshua married her. 3: Most people know the story of how the Red Sea parted during the Exodus, but not many realise that the Red Sea wasn’t the only water to part. The River Jordan, which had to be crossed at the end of the 40 years to enter the Promised Land, also parted. All sorts of reasons have been given regarding the Red Sea parting – "It was a low tide" – "At certain times of the year there’s a path going across that the Egyptians didn’t know about" (nobody has ever explained how come the Jews knew about it) – but for it to happen TWICE? A bit more than a coincidence I think. 4: While Moses was playing on Pharaoh's lap he did what most young kids would do, he made a grab for his crown. Pharaoh was a superstitious old thing and asked his advisors what this meant. Most of them said it means that Moses was a threat to him and should be killed but one of them said "let’s give the lad a second chance. Let’s put two bowls in front of him. One containing gold and jewels and the other one red hot coal. If he goes for the gold – Off with his head!" The baby Moses looked at both bowls and started to reach out for the jewels but then an angel directed his hand to the red hot coal. Moses picked one up and put it to his lips burning his tongue. After that he had a speech defect but it saved his life. 5: By the last Shabbat before the Exodus the Egyptians, having seen 9 plagues, were getting a bit edgy about the coming 10th – especially the eldest in each family. So on that Shabbat --Nissan 10th on that year--the first-born of Egypt who occupied the senior positions in the priesthood and government fought a bloody battle with Pharaoh's troops in an effort to secure the release of the Israelites and prevent the Plague of the Firstborn. Sorry guys – too late! Friday 3 April 2009 / 9 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 7:17pm Sunset: 7:35 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 4 April 2009 / 10 Nissan 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Tzav Mincha: 7:15pm Sunset: 7:37 Maariv & Shabbat ends 8:27pm Sunday 5 April 2009 / 11 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 7:38 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 6 April 2009 / 12 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:40 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Tuesday 7 April 2009 / 13 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:41 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 8 April 2009 / 14 Nissan 5769 Erev Pesach: 1st Seder tonight Chametz News: 10:48am - sell by 11:55am Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:43 Mincha/Maariv: 6:00pm Light Candles 8.36pm Thursday 9 April 2009 / 15 Nissan 5769 Pesach Day 1: 2nd Seder tonight Shacharit: 9.15am Sunset: 7:45 Mincha/Maariv: 6:00pm Light candles 8.36pm Count 1 Day to the Omer tonight Friday 10 April 2009 / 16 Nissan 5769 Pesach Day 2 Shacharit: 9.15am Light Shabbat Candles at: 7.28pm Sunset: 7:46 Mincha: 7:30pm Count 2 days to the omer tonight Shabbat 11 April 2009 / 17 Nissan 5769 Pesach Day 3 Shacharit: 9:15am Mincha: 7:30pm Sunset: 7:48 Maariv & Shabbat ends 8.39pm Count 3 days to the omer tonight Sunday 12 April 2009 / 18 Nissan 5769 Pesach Day 4 Shacharit: 7.30am Sunset: 7:50 Mincha/Maariv: 7:30pm Count 4 days to the omer tonight Monday 13 April 2009 / 19 Nissan 5769 Pesach Day 5 Shacharit: 7.30am Sunset: 7:51 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 5 days to the omer tonight Tuesday 14 April 2009 / 20 Nissan 5769 Pesach Day 6 Shacharit: 7.30am Sunset: 7:53 Mincha/Maariv: 7:30pm Light candles 7.35pm Count 6 days to the omer tonight Wednesday 15 April 2009 / 21 Nissan 5769 Pesach Day 7 Shacharit: 9.15am Sunset: 7:54 Mincha/Maariv: 7:30pm Light candles 8.47pm Count 7 days to the omer tonight Thursday 16 April 2009 / 22 Nissan 5769 Pesach Day 8 Shacharit: 9.15am Sunset: 7:56 Mincha/Maariv: 7:30pm Holiday ends 8.49pm Count 8 days to the omer tonight Friday 17 April 2009 / 23 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at: 7:40pm Sunset: 7:58 Mincha: 7:30pm Count 9 days to the omer tonight Five things you may not know about the Omer 1: Counting of the Omer is a verbal counting of each of the forty-nine days between the holidays of Passover andShavuot. This mitzvah derives from the Torah commandment to count forty-nine days beginning from the day on which the Omer was offered in theTemple in Jerusalem, up until the day before an offering of wheat was brought to the Temple on Shavuot. The Counting of the Omer begins on the second day of Passover and ends the day before the holiday of Shavuot. 2: The idea of counting each day represents spiritual preparation and anticipation for the giving of the Torah, which was given by God on Mount Sinai on the fiftieth day, Shavuot. The Sefer HaChinuch states that the Jewish people were only freed from Egypt at Passover in order to receive the Torah at Shavuot and to fulfil its laws. Thus the Counting of the Omer demonstrates how much a Jew desires to accept the Torah in his own life. 3: The omer is a Biblical measure of volume of grain. On the second day of Passover, an omer of barley was offered in the Temple, signalling the allowance of the consumption of chadash (grains from the new harvest). On the 50th day after the beginning of the count, corresponding to the holiday of Shavuot, two loaves made of wheat were offered in the Temple to signal the start of the wheat harvest. 4: As soon as it is definitely night (approximately thirty minutes after sundown), the one who is counting the Omer recites this blessing:"Baruch atah A-donai E-loheinu Melekh Ha-olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu al S'firat Ha-omer." ("Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to count the Omer.") Then he or she states the Omer-count in terms of both total days and weeks and days. For example, on the 23rd day the count would be stated thus: "Today is twenty-three days, which is three weeks and two days of (or "in") the Omer." The count is said in Hebrew. According to the Halakha, a person may only recite the blessing while it is still night. If he or she remembers the count the next morning or afternoon, the count may still be made, but without a blessing. If one forgets to count a day altogether, he or she may continue to count succeeding days, but without a blessing. 5: "Omer-counters" are typically offered for sale during this time, and are displayed in synagogues for the benefit of worshippers who count the Omer with the congregation at the conclusion of evening services. Omer-counters range from decorative boxes with an interior scroll that shows each day's count through a small opening; to posters and magnets in which each day's count is recorded on a tear-off piece of paper; to calendars depicting all seven weeks and 49 days of the Omer (a small pointer is advanced from day to day); to pegboards that keep track of both the day and the week of the Omer. Reminders to count the Omer are also produced for hand-held computers and via SMS services for cell phones. Shabbat 18 April 2009 / 24 Nissan 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Shemini Mincha: 7:45pm Sunset: 7:59 Maariv & Shabbat ends 8:52pm Count 10 days to the omer tonight Sunday 19 April 2009 / 25 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:01 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 11 days to the omer tonight Monday 20 April 2009 / 26 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:02 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 12 days to the omer tonight Tuesday 21 April 2009 / 27 Nissan 5769 Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:04 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 13 days to the omer tonight Wednesday 22 April 2009 / 28 Nissan 5768 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:06 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 14 days to the omer tonight It's one week to Israel Independence Day Five things you may not know about Yom Ha’Atzma’ut – Israel Independence Day 1: Yom Ha’Atzma’ut, which falls on the 5th of Iyar, celebrates the declaration of the state of Israel by David Ben-Gurion in Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948 (5 Iyar, 5708), and the end of the British Mandate of Palestine. It is always preceded by Yom Hazikaron, the Israel fallen soldiers Remembrance Day on the 4th of Iyar. The message of linking these two days is clear: Israelis owe their independence--the very existence of the state — to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for it. 2: An official ceremony is held every year on Mount Herzl on the eve of Yom Ha'atzmaut. The ceremony includes a speech by the speaker of the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament), a dramatic presentation, a ritual march of soldiers carrying the Flag of Israel, forming elaborate structures (such as a Menorah, Magen David and a number which represents the age of Israel) and the lighting of twelve beacons (one for each of the Tribes of Israel). Every year a dozen Israeli citizens, who made a significant contribution in a selected area, are invited to light the beacons. 3: The festival is celebrated on the 5th of Iyar unless that falls on a Friday or Saturday. This is to avoid having the festival either on Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath, or immediately before it. If this happens it is brought back to the preceding Thursday ( 3rd/ 4th Iyar). In 2004, the law was changed to include if the 5th of Iyar falls on Monday, the festival is postponed to Tuesday Iyar 6, so that Yom Hazikaron will not be immediately after the sabbath. 4: Other than the official ceremonies, Israelis celebrate Yom Ha-Atzmaut in a variety of ways. In the cities, the night time festivities may be found on the main streets. Crowds will gather to watch public shows offered for free by the municipalities and the government. Many spend the night dancing Israeli folk dances or singing Israeli songs. During the daytime thousands of Israeli families go out on hikes and picnics. Army camps are open for civilians to visit and to display the recent technological achievements of the Israeli Defense Forces. Yom Ha-Atzmaut is concluded with the ceremony of granting the "Israel Prize" recognizing individual Israelis for their unique contribution to the country's culture, science, arts, and the humanities. 5: The religious character of Yom Ha-Atzmaut is still in the process of formation, and is still subject to debate. The Chief Rabbinate of the State (which consists of Orthodox rabbis) has decided that this day should be marked with the recital of Hallel (psalms of praise), similar to other joyous holidays, and with the reading of a special haftarah (prophetic portion). Most ultra-Orthodox Jews, in Israel and abroad, have not accepted this ruling, and some Orthodox Jews chant the Hallel psalms without the blessing which precedes it. Thursday 23 April 2009 / 29 Nissan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:07 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 15 days to the omer tonight Friday 24 April 2009 / 30 Nissan 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Light Shabbat Candles by: 7:51pm Sunset: 8:09 Mincha: 7:30pm Count 16 days to the omer tonight Shabbat 25 April 2009 / 1 Iyar 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Tazria-Metzora Mincha: 7:45pm Sunset: 8:11 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:05pm Count 17 days to the omer tonight Rosh Chodesh Sunday 26 April 2009 / 2 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:12 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 18 days to the omer tonight Monday 27 April 2009 / 3 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:14 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 19 days to the omer tonight Tuesday 28 April 2009 / 4 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:15 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 20 days to the omer tonight Wednesday 29 April 2009 / 5 Iyar 5769 Yom Ha’Atzma’ut (Israel Independence Day) Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:17 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 21 days to the omer tonight Thursday 30 April 2009 / 6 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:19 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 22 days to the omer tonight Friday 1 May 2009 / 7 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:20 Light Shabbat Candles at 8:02 Mincha: 7:30pm Count 23 days to the omer tonight Shabbat 2 May 2009 / 8 Iyar 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Acharei-Kedoshim Mincha: 8:00pm Sunset: 8:22 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:19pm Count 24 days to the omer tonight Sunday 3 May 2009 / 9 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:23 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 25 days to the omer tonight Monday 4 May 2009 / 10 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:25 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 26 days to the omer tonight Tuesday 5 May 2009 / 11 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:26 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 27 days to the omer tonight It’s Lag B’omer in one week 5 Things you may not know about Lag B’omer 1: Lag Ba'Omer is the shorthand way of saying the thirty-third day of the omer. It falls on the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, as counted from the second day of Passover until the holiday of Shavuot. This corresponds to the 18th day of the month of Iyar. 2: "Lag" is not a word. In ancient Hebrew, letters were used for numerals and the number 33 was therefore written with the letters "lamed" (value 30) and "gimel" (value 3), making up "Lag" (33) 3: The origins of the holiday begin with the time of Rabbi Akiva. The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) states that 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva's students died from a mysterious divine-sent plague. The Talmud then goes on to say that this was because they did not show proper respect to one another, befitting their level. Jews celebrate Lag Ba’omer as the traditional day that this plague ended. This is the view recorded in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, 120:1-10. 4: Others say that these students were killed in the Bar Kokhba revolt (in which Rabbi Akiva was a major figure), the plague being the Roman occupation. As an act of censorship, the Talmud attributed their deaths to lack of respect to one another, afraid attributing their deaths to resisting the Roman empire would be viewed as treachery. Viewed in this context, the lighting of bonfires on this evening seems logical, since in ancient times bonfires were used as signals in wartime. 5: Lag Ba’omer is special in that the prohibitions of the omer period may be suspended for the day, or cease, according to one's custom. It is a time of dancing and singing. Families go on picnics and outings and it’s a first hair-cut for 3 year old children. Wednesday 6 May 2009 / 12 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:28 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 28 days to the omer tonight Thursday 7 May 2009 / 13 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:30 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 29 days to the omer tonight Friday 8 May 2009 / 14 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:13pm Sunset: 8:31 Mincha: 7:30pm Count 30 days to the omer tonight Shabbat 9 May 2009 / 15 Iyar 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Emor Mincha: 8:15pm Sunset: 8:33 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:32pm Count 31 days to the omer tonight Sunday 10 May 2009 / 16 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:34 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 32 days to the omer tonight Monday 11 May 2009 / 17 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:36 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 33 days to the omer tonight Tuesday 12 May 2009 / 18 Iyar 5769 Lag B'Omer Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:37 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 34 days to the omer tonight Wednesday 13 May 2009 / 19 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:39 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 35 days to the omer tonight Thursday 14 May 2009 / 20 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:40 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 36 days to the omer tonight Friday 15 May 2009 / 21 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8.24pm Sunset: 8:42 Mincha: 7:30pm Count 37 days to the omer tonight It's Yom Yerushalyin in one week Five things you may not know about Yom Yerushalayim 1: Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim) is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the re-establishment of Jewish control over the Old City in 1967. 2: The day is marked by state ceremonies, memorial services for soldiers who died in the battle for Jerusalem, parades through downtown Jerusalem, reciting the Hallel prayer in synagogues, lectures on Jerusalem-related topics, singing and dancing, and special television programming. Schoolchildren throughout the country learn about significance of Jerusalem, and schools in the city itself hold festive assemblies. The mayor holds a reception open to the general public. 3: Under the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Jerusalem was to be an international city, neither Arab nor Jewish. The Jewish leadership accepted the plan but the Arabs turned it down. As soon as Israel declared its independence in 1948, it was attacked en masse by its Arab neighbours. Jordan took over east Jerusalem and the Old City. Israeli forces made a concerted attempt to dislodge them, but were unable to do so. The Jewish residents were forced out, the Old City's 58 synagogues were demolished and the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives was plundered for its tombstones, which were used as paving stones and building materials. The area around the Western Wall was turned into a public dump. 4: Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem during the 6 Day War on June 7th 1967. Later that day, Defence Minister Moshe Dayan declared: "This morning, the Israel Defence Forces liberated Jerusalem. We have united Jerusalem, the divided capital of Israel. We have returned to the holiest of our holy places, never to part from it again. To our Arab neighbours we extend, also at this hour—and with added emphasis at this hour—our hand in peace. And to our Christian and Muslim fellow citizens, we solemnly promise full religious freedom and rights. We did not come to Jerusalem for the sake of other peoples' holy places, and not to interfere with the adherents of other faiths, but in order to safeguard its entirety, and to live there together with others, in unity." 5: On May 12, 1968, the government proclaimed a new holiday - Jerusalem Day - to be celebrated on the 28th of Iyar, the Hebrew date on which the divided city of Jerusalem became one. On March 23, 1998, the Knesset passed the Jerusalem Day Law, making the day a national holiday. One of the themes of Jerusalem Day, based on a verse from the Book of Psalms, is "Ke'ir shechubra la yachdav - "Built-up Jerusalem is like a city that was joined together" (Psalm 122:3). Shabbat 16 May 2009 / 22 Iyar 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Behar-Bechukotai Mincha: 8:30pm Sunset: 8:43 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:45pm Count 38 days to the omer tonight Sunday 17 May 2009 / 23 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:45 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 39 days to the omer tonight Monday 18 May 2009 / 24 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:46 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 40 days to the omer tonight Tuesday 19 May 2009 / 25 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:47 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 41 days to the omer tonight Wednesday 20 May 2009 / 26 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:49 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 42 days to the omer tonight Thursday 21 May 2009 / 27 Iyar 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:50 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 43 days to the omer tonight Friday 22 May 2009 / 28 Iyar 5769 Yom Yerushalayim Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:34pm Sunset: 8:52 Mincha: 7:30pm Count 44 days to the omer tonight It's one week to Shavuot Five things you may not know about Shavuot 1: It’s a tradition for Jews to stay awake all night on the first night of Shavuot spending the night learning the Torah and preparing to receive the Torah anew the next morning. One explanation for this is that many Jews overslept on the day that God presented them with the Torah the first time round. Now we stay awake all night making sure it doesn’t happen again – alarm clocks or no alarm clocks! 2: It’s usual to eat dairy food on the first day of Shavuot. The Ten Commandments were given to us on a Shabbat and it was from that moment we had kosher rules to follow. This means we couldn’t slaughter any cows for dinner and even if we had one from yesterday the pot and pans couldn’t be koshered – so we went dairy for the day. 3: Besides receiving the Ten Commandments, Shavuot is also the Harvest Festival. Tis said that even though Mount Sinai is in the desert, when the Torah was given to us the mountain bloomed and sprouted flowers. Because of this it’s nice to have plenty of flowers and fruit at home and in the synagogue. 4: Before God gave us the Torah He wanted some guarantees. Remembering many of us had overslept he wanted to make sure He was doing the right thing. We made various suggestions which were thrown out until we said, ""Our children will be our guarantors that we will cherish and observe the Torah." That did the trick and that is why it’s important for our children to be in shul when the Ten Commandments are read. A promise is a promise. 5: We’ve been talking about Shavuot but do you know when the festivals of Yom Habikurim, Chag HaKatzir, and Atzeret take place? Yes you do! They are other names for Shavuot. The first one means "Day of the First Fruits", the second means the "Harvest Festival" and the third means "The Stoppage," a reference to the prohibition against work on this holiday. Shabbat 23 May 2009 / 29 Iyar 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Bamidbar Mincha: 8:30pm Sunset: 8:53 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:58pm Count 45 days to the omer tonight Sunday 24 May 2009 / 1 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 8:15am Sunset: 8:54 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 46 days to the omer tonight Rosh Chodesh Monday 25 May 2009 / 2 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:56 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 47 days to the omer tonight Tuesday 26 May 2009 / 3 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:57 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 48 days to the omer tonight Wednesday 27 May 2009 / 4 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:58 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Count 49 days to the omer tonight Thursday 28 May 2009 / 5 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:59 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Erev Shavuot: Light Candles 8:41pm Friday 29 May 2009 / 6 Sivan 5769 Shavuot Day 1 Shacharit: 9.15am Light Shabbat Candles at: 8:42pm Sunset: 9:00 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 30 May 2009 / 7 Sivan 5769 Shavuot Day 2 Shacharit: 9:15am Mincha: 8:45pm Sunset: 9:02 Maariv, Holiday & Shabbat ends 10:09pm Sunday 31 May 2009 / 8 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 9:03 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 1 June 2009 / 9 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:04 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 2 June 2009 / 10 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:05 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 3 June 2009 / 11 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:06 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 4 June 2009 / 12 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:07 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 5 June 2009 / 13 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8.50pm Sunset: 9:08 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 6 June 2009 / 14 Sivan 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Naso Mincha: 8:45pm Sunset: 9:09 Maariv & Shabbat ends 10:19pm Sunday 7 June 2009 / 15 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 9:10 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Today was the birthday (and passing) of Judah, Jacob's 4th son. When Jacob died he passed the leadership of Israel to Judah. Monday 8 June 2009 / 16 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:10 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 9 June 2009 / 17 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:11 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 10 June 2009 / 18 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:12 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 11 June 2009 / 19 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:13 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 12 June 2009 / 20 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:55pm Sunset: 9:13 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 13 June 2009 / 21 Sivan 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Behaalotecha Mincha: 9:00pm Sunset: 9:14 Maariv & Shabbat ends 10:26pm Sunday 14 June 2009 / 22 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 9:15 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 15 June 2009 / 23 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:15 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 16 June 2009 / 24 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:16 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 17 June 2009 / 25 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:16 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 18 June 2009 / 26 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:17 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 19 June 2009 / 27 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:59pm Sunset: 9:17 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 20 June 2009 / 28 Sivan 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Shlach Mincha: 9:00pm Sunset: 9:17 Maariv & Shabbat ends 10:29pm Sunday 21 June 2009 / 29 Sivan 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 9:18 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 22 June 2009 / 30 Sivan 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 9:18 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 23 June 2009 / 1 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 9:18 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Rosh Chodesh Wednesday 24 June 2009 / 2 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:18 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 25 June 2009 / 3 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:18 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 26 June 2009 / 4 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 9:00pm Sunset: 9:18 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 27 June 2009 / 5 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Korach Mincha: 9:00pm Sunset: 9:18 Maariv & Shabbat ends 10:30pm Sunday 28 June 2009 / 6 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 9:18 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 29 June 2009 / 7 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:18 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 30 June 2009 / 8 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:18 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm . Wednesday 1 July 2009 / 9 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:17 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 2 July 2009 / 10 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:17 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm It's one week to the Fast of Tammuz Five things you may not know about the Fast of Tammuz 1: The Seventeenth of Tammuz is the second of the four fasts commemorating the destruction of the Temple and the Jewish exile. It is preceded seven months by the fast of the Tenth of Tevet and arrives three weeks prior to the full-day fast of the Ninth of Av. The last of the four fasts is the Fast of Gedaliah, which is observed on the third or fourth day of Tishri. 2: The Fast commemorates nine calamities that befell the Jewish people on this date: A: Moses descended Mount Sinai on this day and, upon seeing the Jews worshipping the Golden Calf, he proceeded to break the first set of Tablets carrying the Ten Commandments. Moses proceeded to destroy the Golden Calf and ascended back up Mount Sinai for the second time, where he spent another 40 days. B. The First Temple: The priests in the First Temple stopped offering the daily sacrifice on this day (Taanit 28b). C. The walls of Jerusalem were breached in the year 3184 (586 BCE) after many months of siege by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian forces. D. In the time of the Roman persecution, Apostomos, leader of the enemy forces, publicly burned the Torah. E. Titus, King of Rome, breached the walls of Jerusalem in 3760 (70 CE). F. Pope Gregory IX ordered the confiscation of all manuscripts of the Talmud in 4999 (1239). G. In 1391, more than 4,000 Jews were killed in Spain. H. In 4319, the Jewish Quarter of Prague was burned and looted. I. The Kovno ghetto was liquidated on this day in 5704 (1944). 3: The three weeks beginning with the Seventeenth of Tammuz and ending with the Ninth of Av are known as Bein haMetzarim ("between the straits," i.e. between the days of distress) or as simply the Three Weeks. Some customs of mourning, which commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem, are observed from the start of the Three Weeks. 4: Unlike the two fast days of Yom Kippur and Tishah B'Av, washing and wearing leather are permitted on this day. Special prayers, Vayechal and Anenu, are added to the morning and afternoon services. Ashkenazi Jews add the latter only in minchah. 5: The Mishna in Ta'anit 4:8 associates the 17th of Tammuz as the "Fast of the Fourth Month" mentioned by the prophet Zechariah. According to this Mishna, the 17th of Tammuz will be transformed in the messianic era in a day that"shall be joy to the House of Judah" full of "gladness and cheerful feasts." Friday 3 July 2009 / 11 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:59pm Sunset: 9:17 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 4 July 2009 / 12 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Chukat-Balak Mincha: 9:00pm Sunset: 9:16 Maariv & Shabbat ends 10:27pm Sunday 5 July 2009 / 13 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 9:16 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 6 July 2009 / 14 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:16 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 7 July 2009 / 15 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:15 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 8 July 2009 / 16 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:14 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 9 July 2009 / 17 Tammuz 5769 Tzom Tammuz: Fast 1:53am - 9:58pm Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:14 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 10 July 2009 / 18 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:55pm Sunset: 9:13 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 11 July 2009 / 19 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Pinchas Mincha: 9:00pm Sunset: 9:12 Maariv & Shabbat ends 10:21pm Sunday 12 July 2009 / 20 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 9:12 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 13 July 2009 / 21 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:11 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 14 July 2009 / 22 Tammaz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:10 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 15 July 2009 / 23 Tammaz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:09 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 16 July 2009 / 24 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:08 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 17 July 2009 / 25 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:49pm Sunset: 9:07 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 18 July 2009 / 26 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Matot-Massei Mincha: 8:45pm Sunset: 9:06 Maariv & Shabbat ends 10:12pm Sunday 19 July 2009 / 27 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 9:05 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 20 July 2009 / 28 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:04 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 21 July 2009 / 29 Tammuz 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:03 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 22 July 2009 / 1 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 9:02 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Rosh Chodesh Thursday 23 July 2009 / 2 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 9:00 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm It's one week to Tisha B'av Five specific events occurred on the ninth of Av that warrant fasting: Tisha B'Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar because of the incredible series of tragedies which occurred on that date throughout Jewish History. 1: The twelve scouts sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan returned from their mission. Two of the scouts, Joshua and Caleb, brought a positive report, but the others spoke disparagingly about the land which caused the Children of Israel to cry, panic and despair of ever entering the "Promised Land". For this, they were punished by God that their generation would not enter the land. Because of the Israelites' lack of faith, God decreed that for all generations this date would become one of crying and misfortune for their descendants, the Jewish people. (See NumbersCh. 13–14) 2: The First Temple built by King Solomon and the Kingdom of Judah were destroyed by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE and the Judeans were sent into the Babylonian exile. 3: The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, scattering the people of Judea and commencing the Jewish exile from the Holy Land. 4: Bar Kokhba’s revolt against Rome failed in 135 CE. Simon bar Kokhba was killed, and the city of Betar was destroyed. 5: Following the Roman siege of Jerusalem, the razing of Jerusalem occurred the next year. According to the Talmud in tractateTaanit, the destruction of the Second Temple began on the ninth and was finally consumed by the flames the next day on the Tenth of Av. Many other national disasters have been associated with this date, including the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, the beginning of World War I, and the Holocaust. Friday 24 July 2009 / 3 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:41pm Sunset: 8:59 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 25 July 2009 / 4 Av 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Devarim Mincha: 8:45pm Sunset: 8:58 Maariv & Shabbat ends 10:01pm Sunday 26 July 2009 / 5 Av 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:56 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 27 July 2009 / 6 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:55 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 28 July 2009 / 7 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:54 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 29 July 2009 / 8 Av 5769 Erev Tish'a B'Av Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:52 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Fast starts 8:52pm Thursday 30 July 2009 / 9 Av 5769 Tish'a B'Av Shacharit: Sunset: 8:51 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Fast ends 9:30pm Friday 31 July 2009 / 10 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:31pm Sunset: 8:49 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 1 August 2009 / 11 Av 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Va'etchanan Mincha: 8:30pm Sunset: 8:48 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:48pm Sunday 2 August 2009 / 12 Av 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:46 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 3 August 2009 / 13 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:44 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 4 August 2009 / 14 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:43 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 5 August 2009 / 15 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:41 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 6 August 2009 / 16 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:39 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 7 August 2009 / 17 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:20pm Sunset: 8:38 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 8 August 2009 / 18 Av 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Eikev Mincha: 8:15pm Sunset: 8:36 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:34pm Sunday 9 Aug 2009 / 19 Av 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:34 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 10 Aug 2009 / 20 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:32 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 11 August 2009 / 21 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:30 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 12 August 2009 / 22 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:29 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 13 August 2009 / 23 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:27 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 14 August 2009 / 24 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 8:07pm Sunset: 8:25 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 15 August 2009 / 25 Av 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Re'eh Mincha: 8:00pm Sunset: 8:23 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:19pm Sunday 16 August 2009 / 26 Av 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:21 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 17 August 2009 / 27 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:19 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 18 August 2009 / 28 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:17 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 19 August 2009 / 29 Av 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:15 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 20 August 2009 / 30 Av 5769 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 8:13 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 21 August 2009 / 1 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:15am Light Shabbat Candles at 7:53pm Sunset: 8:11 Mincha: 7:30pm Rosh Chodesh Shabbat 22 August 2009 / 2 Elul 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Shoftim Mincha: 8:00pm Sunset: 8:09 Maariv & Shabbat ends 9:03pm Sunday 23 August 2009 / 3 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 8:07 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 24 August 2009 / 4 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:05 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 25 August 2009 / 5 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:03 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 26 August 2009 / 6 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 8:01 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 27 August 2009 / 7 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:59 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 28 August 2009 / 8 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 7:38pm Sunset: 7:56 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 29 August 2009 / 9 Elul 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Ki Teitzei Mincha: 7:45pm Sunset: 7:54 Maariv & Shabbat ends 8:47pm Sunday 30 August 2009 / 10 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 7:52 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Monday 31 August 2009 / 11 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 7:50 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Tuesday 1 September 2009 / 12 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:48 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Wednesday 2 September 2009 / 13 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:46 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Thursday 3 September 2009 / 14 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:44 Mincha/Maariv: 7.30pm Friday 4 September 2009 / 15 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 7:23pm Sunset: 7:41 Mincha: 7:30pm Shabbat 5 September 2009 / 16 Elul 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Ki Tavo Mincha: 7:30pm Sunset: 7:39 Maariv & Shabbat ends 8:30pm Sunday 6 September 2009 / 17 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 7:37 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 7 September 2009 / 18 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:35 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Tuesday 8 September 2009 / 19 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:32 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 9 September 2009 / 20 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:30 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 10 September 2009 / 21 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:28 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Friday 11 September 2009 / 22 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 7:08pm Sunset: 7:26 Mincha: 7:15pm Shabbat 12 September 2009 / 23 Elul 5769 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Nitzavim-Vayelech Mincha: 7:15pm Sunset: 7:24 Maariv & Shabbat ends 8:13pm There is one week to go to Rosh Hashanah Five things you may not know about Rosh Hashanah 1: Rosh Hashanah is commonly referred as the New Year (literally translated as "head of the year"). The day falls on the first of the seventh month of Tishrei, the first month being Nissan. Nowhere in the Torah is the holiday called Rosh Hashanah. In Leviticus 23:24 it is referred to as "the day of the blowing of the horns (Shofar)" (Yom Terua). In Ezekiel 40:1 the day is referred to as "the beginning of the year" and not the first day of the year. 2: During the afternoon of the first day occurs the practice of tashlikh, in which prayers are recited near natural flowing water, and one's sins are symbolically cast into the water. Many also have the custom to throw bread or pebbles into the water, to symbolis0e the "casting off" of sins. In some communities, if the first day of Rosh Hashanah occurs on Shabbat tashlikh is postponed to the second day. The traditional service for tashlikh is recited individually and includes the prayer "Who is like unto you, O God...And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea", 3: Rosh Hashanah meals often include apples and honey, to symbolise a "sweet new year". Various other foods with a symbolic meaning may be served, depending on local minhag (custom), such as tongue or other meat from the head (to symbolise the "head" of the year). Other symbolic foods are dates, black-eyed beans, leek, spinach and gourd, all of which are mentioned in the Talmud. Pomegranates are used in many traditions: the use of apples and honey is a late medieval Ashkenazi addition, though it is now almost universally accepted. Typically, round challah bread is served, to symbolise the cycle of the year. 4: In Jewish thought, Rosh Hashanah is the most important judgement day, on which all the inhabitants of the world pass for judgement before the Creator, as sheep pass for examination before the shepherd. It is written in the Talmud, in the tractate of Rosh Hashanah that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah , wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days till Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous ; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living" 5: A distinctive feature of Rosh Hashanah is the shofar blast, which fulfils the biblical command for a "blast of horns" in Leviticus 23:24 and Numbers 29:1. A total of 100 blasts are sounded from the synagogue on each day of Rosh Hashanah, using four different tones. The shofar is not blown if Rosh Hashanah falls on a Sabbath. The great rabbi Maimonides regarded the shofar blast as an allusion, as if to say, "Awake, O you sleepers, awake from your sleep! O you slumberers, awake from your slumber! Search your deeds and turn in repentance!" Sunday 13 September 2009 / 24 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 7:21 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Monday 14 September 2009 / 25 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:19 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm One week to Fast of Gedaliah Things you may not know about the Fast of Gedaliah 1: The Fast of Gedaliah (Tzom Gedaliah) is a fast day from da till dusk to lament the assassination of the righteous governor of Judah of that name, which left Judah devoid of any Jews and Jewish rule, and made the destruction of the First Temple complete. 2: When the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he killed and exiled most of its inhabitants and appointed Gedaliah, son of Achikam as governor of the now-Babylonian province of Judah. Many Jews who had fled to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other neighbouring lands returned to Judah, tended the vineyards again, and enjoyed a new respite after their earlier suffering. Baalais king of Ammon, however, hostile and envious of the Judean remnant, sent and encouraged a Jew, Yishmael Ben Netaniah to assassinate Gedaliah. In the seventh month (Tishrei), Yishmael came to Gedaliah in the town of Mitzpa and was received cordially. Gedaliah had been warned of his guest's murderous intent, but refused to believe his informants, having the belief that their report was mere slander. Yishmael murdered Gedaliah, together with most of the Jews who had joined him and many Babylonians whom the Babylonian King had left with Gedaliah. The remaining Jews feared the vengeance of the Babylonian King (seeing as his chosen ruler, Gedaliah, had been killed by a Jew) and fled to Egypt. Tuesday 15 September 2009 / 26 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:17 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 16 September 2009 / 27 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:14 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 17 September 2009 / 28 Elul 5769 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:12 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Friday 18 September 2009 / 29 Elul 5769 Erev Rosh Hashanah Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 6:52pm Sunset: 7:10 Mincha: 7:00pm Shabbat 19 September 2009 / 1 Tishrei 5770 Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Shacharit: 9:15am Mincha: 6:45pm Sunset: 7:08 Maariv & Shabbat ends 7:57pm Light Candles after 7:57pm Sunday 20 September 2009 / 2 Tishrei 5770 Rosh Hashanah Day 2 Shacharit: 9:15am Mincha: 6.00pm Sunset: 7:05 Maariv & Holiday ends 7:54pm Monday 21 September 2009 / 3 Tishrei 5770 Tzom Gedaliah Fast 5:06am - 7:36pm Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:03 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm It's one week to Yom Kippur Five things you may not know about Yom Kippur 1: Leviticus 23:27 decrees that Yom Kippur is a strict day of rest and of fasting. Five additional prohibitions are traditionally observed, as detailed in the oral tradition (Mishnah tractate Yoma8:1): Eating and drinking - Wearing leather shoes - Bathing/washing - Anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions - Marital or sexual relations 2: Total abstention from food and drink usually begins 30 minutes before sundown and ends after nightfall the following day. Although the fast is required of all healthy adults, it is waived in the case of certain medical conditions. 3: Virtually all Jewish holidays involve a ritual feast, but since Yom Kippur involves fasting, Jewish Law requires one to eat a large and festive meal on the afternoon before Yom Kippur, after the mincha prayer. Wearing white clothing is traditional to symbolise one's purity on this day. Many orthodox men immerse themselves in a mikvah on the day before Yom Kippur. 4: Many married men wear akittel, a white robe-like garment for evening prayers on Yom Kippur. They also wear a tallit , the only evening service of the year in which this is done. Prayer services begin with the prayer known as Kol Nidre, which must be recited before sunset, and follows with the evening prayers (ma'ariv or arvith), which includes an extended Selichot service. 5: In Israel, by law, there are no radio or television broadcasts on Yom Kippur, airports are shut down, there is no public transportation, and all shops and businesses are closed. In 1973, an air raid siren was sounded on the afternoon of Yom Kippur and radio broadcasts were resumed to alert the public to the surprise attack that launched the Yom Kippur War. Beyond state-enforced restrictions, it is considered bad form to eat in public on Yom Kippur or drive a motor vehicle. Allowance is only made for ambulances and emergency vehicles. Over the last few decades, bicycle-riding on the empty streets has become a new "tradition" among secular Israeli youngsters, especially on the eve of Yom Kippur. In consequence, Yom Kippur is jocularly referred to as the "Festival of Bicycles." Bicycle sales rise in the weeks before Yom Kippur, and companies have taken to advertising children's bicycles as "Yom Kippur specials." Tuesday 22 September 2009 / 4 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 7:01 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 23 September 2009 / 5 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:59 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 24 September 2009 / 6 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:56 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Friday 25 September 2009 / 7 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 6:36pm Sunset: 6:54 Mincha: 6:45pm Shabbat 26 September 2009 / 8 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Ha'Azinu Mincha: 6:30pm Sunset: 6:52 Maariv & Shabbat ends 7:41pm It's one week to Sukkot Five things you may not know about Sukkot 1: Sukkot is a Biblical pilgrimage festival lasting for 7 days. Outside the land of Israel, many people continue to sit in the Sukkah on the following day Shemini Atzeret (8th day). In Judaism it is one of the three major holidays known collectively as the Shalosh Regalim (three pilgrim festivals), when historically the Jewish populace travelled to the Temple in Jerusalem.. 2: The festival is also known as The Feast of Tabernacles, but do you know what a Tabernacle is? To put it in a nutshell, it’s a portable shul! Tabernacle in Hebrew is "Mishkan" which means dwell, rest or to live in. When Moses lead the Exodus, God gave him the plan for the Tabernacle to be built and take with them for the 40 years they wandered in the desert. 3: The word Sukkah means booth or hut. During the holiday, Jews are instructed to build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep. The Sukkah is reminiscent of the type of huts in which the ancient Israelites dwelt during the Exodus and is intended to reflect God’s benevolence in providing for all the Jews' needs in the desert. It can be built of any materials, but its roof must be of organic material and partially open to the sky. The decor of the interior of the Sukkah may range from totally unornamented to lavishly decorated. 4: On each of the seven days of Sukkot, the Torah requires the Jew to take Four Species of plants and to grasp and shake them in a specific manner. These species are: the lulav (date palm frond) hadass (bough of a myrtle tree), aravah (willow branch)— these three are actually bound together and collectively referred to as the lulav—and the etrog (a citron, a lemon-like citrus fruit). 5: Some rabbinic authorities hold that the Four Species are meant to reflect four categories of plants that grow in Israel: those with a good taste and pleasant fragrance (the etrog), those with a good taste and no fragrance (the palm), those with a pleasant fragrance and no taste (the haddasim), and those with neither taste nor fragrance (the aravah). By taking all four, Jews symbolically request that God provide sufficient rain for all types of plants and crops to grow and thrive. Sunday 27 September 2009 / 9 Tishrei 5770 Kol Nidre Shacharit: 7:30am Mincha: Sunset: 6:50 Light Candles & Fast starts 6:32pm Monday 28 September 2009 / 10 Tishrei 5770 Yom Kippur Shacharit: Sunset: 6:47 Maariv & Fast Ends 7:36pm Tuesday 29 September 2009 / 11 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:45 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 30 September 2009 / 12 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:43 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 1 October 2009 / 13 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:41 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Friday 2 October 2009 / 14 Tishrei 5770 Erev Sukkot Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 6:20pm Sunset: 6:38 Mincha: 6:30pm Shabbat 3 October 2009 / 15 Tishrei 5770 Sukkot Day 1 Shacharit: 9:15am Mincha: 6:15pm Sunset: 6:36 Maariv & Shabbat ends: 7:25pm It's one week to Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah Five things you may not know about Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah 1: Tishrei 22, the day after the seventh day of Sukkot, is the holiday Shemini Atzeret. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret is also the holiday of Simchat Torah. Outside of Israel, where extra days of holidays are held, only the second day of Shemini Atzeret is Simchat Torah: Shemini Atzeret is Tishrei 22 and 23, while Simchat Torah is Tishrei 23. 2: These two holidays are commonly thought of as part of Sukkot, but that is technically incorrect; Shemini Atzeret is a holiday in its own right and does not involve some of the special observances of Sukkot. We do not take up the lulav and etrog on these days, and our dwelling in the sukkah is more limited, and performed without reciting a blessing. 3: Shemini Atzeret literally means "the assembly of the eighth (day)." Rabbinic literature explains the holiday this way: Our Creator is like a host, who invites us as visitors for a limited time, but when the time comes for us to leave, He has enjoyed himself so much that He asks us to stay another day. 4: Simchat Torah means "Rejoicing in the Torah." This holiday marks the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings. Each week in synagogue we publicly read a few chapters from the Torah, starting with Genesis Ch. 1 and working our way around to Deuteronomy 34. On Simchat Torah, we read the last Torah portion, then proceed immediately to the first chapter of Genesis, reminding us that the Torah is a circle, and never ends. 5: This completion of the readings is a time of great celebration. There are processions around the synagogue carrying Torah Scrolls and plenty of high-spirited singing and dancing in the synagogue with the Torahs. Drinking is also common during this time; in fact, a traditional source recommends performing the priestly blessing earlier than usual in the service, to make sure the Kohanim (Priests) are not drunk when the time comes! Sunday 4 October 2009 / 16 Tishrei 5770 Sukkot Day 2 Shacharit: Mincha: 6.00pm Sunset: 6:34 Maariv & Holiday ends 7:23pm Monday 5 October 2009 / 17 Tishrei 5770 Sukkot Day 3 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:32 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Tuesday 6 October 2009 / 18 Tishrei 5770 Sukkot Day 4 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:30 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Wednesday 7 October 2009 / 19 Tishrei 5770 Sukkot Day 5 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:27 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Thursday 8 October 2009 / 20 Tishrei 5770 Sukkot Day 6 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:25 Mincha/Maariv: 6.00pm Friday 9 October 2009 / 21 Tishrei 5770 Sukkot Day 7 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 6:05pm Sunset: 6:23 Mincha: 6:15pm Shabbat 10 October 2009 / 22 Tishrei 5770 Shemini Atzeret Shacharit: Mincha: 6:00pm Sunset: 6:21 Maariv & Shabbat ends/holiday begins 7:10pm Light candles after 7.10pm Sunday 11 October 2009 / 23 Tishrei 5770 Simchat Torah Shacharit: 9:15am Mincha/Maariv: Sunset: 6:19 Holiday ends 7:07pm Monday 12 October 2009 / 24 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:17 Mincha/Maariv:4.00pm Tuesday 13 October 2009 / 25 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:14 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 14 October 2009 / 26 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:12 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 15 October 2009 / 27 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:10 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 16 October 2009 / 28 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 5:50pm Sunset: 6:08 Mincha: 6:00pm Shabbat 17 October 2009 / 29 Tishrei 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Bereishit Mincha: 5:45pm Sunset: 6:06 Maariv & Shabbat ends 6:55pm Sunday 18 October 2009 / 30 Tishrei 5770 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 8:15am Sunset: 6:04 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm The Parshah of Noach is being read next Shabbat Everything you need to know about life. Learn from Noah`s Ark One : Don`t miss the boat Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat Three : Plan ahead. It wasn`t raining when Noah built the Ark Four : Stay fit. When you are 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big Five : Don`t listen to critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done Six : Build your future on high ground Seven : For safety`s sake, travel in pairs Eight : Speed isn`t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs Nine : When you`re stressed, float awhile Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs. The Titanic by professionals Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there`s always a rainbow waiting... Monday 19 October 2009 / 1 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 6:02 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Rosh Chodesh Tuesday 20 October 2009 / 2 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 6:00 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 21 October 2009 / 3 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:58 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 22 October 2009 / 4 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 5:56 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 23 October 2009 / 5 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 5:36pm Sunset: 5:54 Mincha: 5:45pm Shabbat 24 October 2009 / 6 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Noach Mincha: 5:30pm Sunset: 5:52 Maariv & Shabbat ends 6:42pm Sunday 25 October 2009 / 7 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:50 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 26 October 2009 / 8 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:48 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 27 October 2009 / 9 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:46 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 28 October 2009 / 10 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:44 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 29 October 2009 / 11 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:42 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 30 October 2009 / 12 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 4:22pm Sunset: 4:40 Mincha: 4:30pm Shabbat 31 October 2009 / 13 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Lech-Lecha Mincha: 4:15pm Sunset: 4:39 Maariv & Shabbat ends 5:29pm Sunday 1 November 2009 / 14 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:37 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 2 November 2009 / 15 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:35 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 3 November 2009 / 16 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:33 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 4 November 2009 / 17 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:32 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 5 November 2009 / 18 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:30 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 6 November 2009 / 19 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 4:10pm Sunset: 4:28 Mincha: 4:15pm Shabbat 7 November 2009 / 20 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Vayeira Mincha: 4:15pm Sunset: 4:27 Maariv & Shabbat ends 5:18pm Sunday 8 November 2009 / 21 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:25 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Monday 9 November 2009 / 22 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:23 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Tuesday 10 November 2009 / 23 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:22 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Wednesday 11 November 2009 / 24 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:20 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Thursday 12 November 2009 / 25 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:19 Mincha/Maariv: 4.00pm Friday 13 November 2009 / 26 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 4:00pm Sunset: 4:18 Mincha: 4:00pm Shabbat 14 November 2009 / 27 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Chayei Sarah Mincha: 4:00pm Sunset: 4:16 Maariv & Shabbat ends 5:09pm Sunday 15 November 2009 / 28 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:15 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 16 November 2009 / 29 Cheshvan 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:13 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 17 November 2009 / 30 Cheshvan 5770 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 4:12 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 18 November 2009 / 1 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 4:11 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Rosh Chodesh Thursday 19 November 2009 / 2 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:10 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 20 November 2009 / 3 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 3:51pm Sunset: 4:09 Mincha: 4:00pm Shabbat 21 November 2009 / 4 Kislev 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Toldot Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 4:07 Maariv & Shabbat ends 5:02pm Sunday 22 November 2009 / 5 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:06 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 23 November 2009 / 6 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:05 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 24 November 2009 / 7 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:04 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 25 November 2009 / 8 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:03 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 26 November 2009 / 9 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 4:02 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 27 November 2009 / 10 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 3:44pm Sunset: 4:02 Mincha: 3:45pm Shabbat 28 November 2009 / 11 Kislev 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Vayeitzei Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 4:01 Maariv & Shabbat ends 4:56pm Sunday 29 November 2009 / 12 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 4:00 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 30 November 2009 / 13 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:59 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 1 December 2009 / 14 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:59 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 2 December 2009 / 15 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:58 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 3 December 2009 / 16 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:57 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 4 December 2009 / 17 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 3:39pm Sunset: 3:57 Mincha: 3:45pm Shabbat 5 December 2009 / 18 Kislev 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Vayishlachi Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 3:56 Maariv & Shabbat ends 4:53pm It's one week to Chanukah Five things you may not know about Chanukah 1: The word ‘Chanukah’ shares the same root as ‘chinuch’ which means ‘Education’ in Hebrew. The occupying Greeks had forced their beliefs on the Jews so after the Maccabees had driven them out the Jewish people had to be ‘re-educated.’ 2: There are three main reasons for giving children Chanukah gelt. To teach them to give some to charity - To keep things festive and happy but mostly because we love them! By the way, some people think the correct custom is to give the children chocolate money. Wrong! That rumour was started by the chocolate manufactures! 3: Here’s something you may not know about the dreidel. Outside Israel the four letters on the dreidel are nun, gimel, hei & shin, which is the acronym for "nes gadol haya sham" – "A great miracle happened there" – but in Israel the shin is replaced with a Pei – changing it to "a great miracle happened here" 4: In our area Brighton Lubavitch erect a giant menorah somewhere in the town. The Lubavitch in Venice mount one on a gondola and sail it around the canals! 5: Before you get stuck in to the doughnuts remember this. It takes about 45 minutes of brisk walking to burn off the calories of one single average sized plain doughnut! Sunday 6 December 2009 / 19 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 3:56 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Monday 7 December 2009 / 20 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:56 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 8 December 2009 / 21 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 9 December 2009 / 22 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 10 December 2009 / 23 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 11 December 2009 / 24 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Light Shabbat Candles at 3:37pm Mincha: 3:45pm Sunset: 3:55 Light 1 Chanukah Candle this afternoon before 3:37pm Shabbat 12 December 2009 / 25 Kislev 5770 Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Vayeishev Mincha: 3:30pm Sunset: 3:55 Maariv & Shabbat ends 4:52pm Light 2 Chanukah Candles after 4:52pm Sunday 13 December 2009 / 26 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 3:55 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Light 3 Chanukah Candles this evening Monday 14 December 2009 / 27 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Light 4 Chanukah Candles this evening Tuesday 15 December 2009 / 28 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Light 5 Chanukah Candles this evening Wednesday 16 December 2009 / 29 Kislev 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:55 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Light 6 Chanukah Candles this evening Thursday 17 December 2009 / 30 Kislev 5770 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Sunset: 3:55 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Light 7 Chanukah Candles this evening Friday 18 December 2009 / 1 Tevet 5770 Rosh Chodesh Shacharit: 7:15am Light Shabbat Candles at 3:37pm Sunset: 3:55 Mincha: 3:45pm Light 8 Chanukah Candles this afternoon before 3:37pm Shabbat 19 December 2009 / 2 Tevet 5770 8th Day of Chanukah Shacharit 9:15am Torah Reading: Mikeitz Mincha: 3:30pm Sunset: 3:56 Maariv & Shabbat ends 4:53pm Sunday 20 December 2009 / 3 Tevet5770 Shacharit: 8:30am Sunset: 3:56 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm It's a week to the Fast of Tevet Five things you may not know about the Fast of Tevet 1: The Tenth of Tevet commemorates the onset of the siege that Nebuchadrezzar of Babylonia laid to ancient Jerusalem almost 2,500 years ago, an event that ultimately led to the destruction of Solomon’s Temple (the First Temple) and Babylonia's conquest of southern Israel's Kingdom of Judah. 2: Thirty months after the siege began -- -- the city walls were breached on Tammuz 9, and on Av 9th of that year, the Holy Temple was destroyed. The Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia for 70 years. 3: There are no additional physical constraints beyond fasting on this fast (such as the prohibitions against bathing or of wearing leather shoes). Because it is a minor fast day, Halacha exempts from fasting those who are ill, even if their illnesses are not life threatening, and pregnant and nursing women who find fasting difficult. 4: Although this fast is considered a minor fast, it has an additional stringency not shared by any other fast except Yom Kippur, namely that if the Tenth of Tevet were to fall out on a Shabbat, then this fast would actually be observed on Shabbat. This is because of the phrase "the very day" that appears in Ezekiel 24:2, similar to the phrase describing Yom Kippur in Leviticus 23:28. However under the current calendrical scheme, the Tenth of Tevet cannot fall out on Shabbat. 5: A few have chosen to observe the Tenth of Tevet as a "general kaddish day" for the victims of the Holocaust , many of whom lack identifiable yahrzeits. Monday 21 December 2009 / 4 Tevet 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:57 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Tuesday 22 December 2009 / 5 Tevet 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:57 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Wednesday 23 December 2009 / 6 Tevet 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:58 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Thursday 24 December 2009 / 7 Tevet 5770 Shacharit: 7:30am Sunset: 3:58 Mincha/Maariv: 3.30pm Friday 25 De