End of Year Office Schedule The Bais Abe office will be closed December 25-January 1. Email and phone messages will be checked periodically during this time.
Email Issue Please be advised that Rabbi Finkelstein's email address, rabbifinkelstein@baisabe.com, is not working correctly at the moment. We hope to have it fixed shortly. Please contact him by phone or contact the shul office, office@baisabe.com.
Time to Make Year End Donations Now is the time to make your 2024 year end donations to Bais Abe. Your support and participation help our shul thrive! Click on the hourglass or make your donationonline. Please be in touch with Ruth if there are any questions about year end giving. *Also note, if you donate via a third party (such as a charitable giving account), please be sure to let us know of your donation so we can properly give attribution and thank you. If you do not receive a thank you note for your donation in a timely fashion, please let Ruth know. Thank you for your support!
Rabbi Finkelstein's Office Hours Rabbi Finkelstein will have open office hours on Mondays from 1-3pm, Wednesdays, from 9am-12pm, and Thursdays from 12-3pm. Come say hi and chat! If you have any questions, or would like to speak further, feel free to reach out, rabbifinkelstein@baisabe.com.
Update Your Info in the Bais Abe Directory Did you know that Bais Abe members have access to an online shul directory? View and edit your listing by singing in to your Bais Abe account; directions can be found here. After you log in, you can click on "My Account" and view and/or edit your directory entry. You can also upload a photo so that everyone can put faces with names. This will also help Rabbi Finkelstein as he gets to know everyone! Please be in touch with Ruth if you have any questions about logging in to your account and making updates.
Sign Up for Psalm of the Day WhatsApp Group In the aftermath of the attacks on October 7th, Rabbi Finkelstein started a Psalm of the Day WhatsApp group for his shul in Baltimore, so that people could find a time during the day to focus our minds and hearts into meaningful prayer through the Book of Psalms. The Whatsapp Group just began its third cycle of Psalms, so if you would like to join this group and learn more about the Book of Psalms, please joinhere.
Bais Abe Stands With Israel We are brokenhearted and devastated over current events in Israel. We stand with our brothers and sisters during these unprecedented times. We have created a page of some resources on our website. The Jewish Federation of St. Louis also has a comprehensive resource page here.
Please refrain from wearing perfume/cologne in the synagogue because some of our members are highly allergic. If you inadvertently arrive at the shul wearing any scents, please wash them off. Thank you.
Please be sure to close any windows you open before you leave the building.
Join Connect Bais Abe to get the most up-to-date news from Bais Abe and your fellow Bais Abers. To join the conversation, just send an email to connectBaisAbe+subscribe@groups.io.
Upcoming Events
THIS Sunday at 10am - Bikkur Cholim Committee Meeting The Bikkur Cholim Committee will meet next Sunday, December 22nd at 10am at the shul. All are welcome to attend even if you didn't attend the previous training in the fall.
THIS WEEK - Bais Abe Trivia Night Join us for a casual night of trivia. We will have jelly donuts and other dairy treats. Bring the whole family! $5 per person. Please pay cash at the door so we have a good "pot" for the winning table. Teams up to ten people welcome. No team necessary for participation. Let us know you are coming here so we have enough donuts! Doors open at 6:30. Trivia starts at 7:00.
Learning Opportunities with Rabbi Finkelstein
Shemonah Perakim Shabbat afternoons at Seudah Shelishit
Join Rabbi Finkelstein for a study of Shemonah Perakim, Rambam’s introduction to Pirkei Avot, where he describes the important values through which we should live our lives.
Jewish History Through Its Great Religious Leaders Sundays at 9:15AM - in person and on Zoom
Every Sunday morning, join Rabbi Finkelstein as we journey through the great Done religious leaders of Jewish History, and look at how history shaped them, and was shaped by them. We will be learning in installments of four weeks for each figure. Find out more here.
Halachah with Chacham Ovadya Yosef Thursdays at 7:00PM - in person and on Zoom
Every Thursday night, join Rabbi Finkelstein as we learn halacha, Jewish law, by following the framework as set up by Rav Ovadya Yosef in his work of responsa, Yabia Omer. Find out more here.
Lighting Channuka Candles Away from Home
We are now in the month of Kislev, and next Thursday, 12/26, will be the first day of Channuka. One halachic question is whether a person away from home should light candles on Channuka. By way of background, the different degrees of obligation in candle lighting are referred to in the Talmud, Shabbat, 21b, as Mehadrin (meticulous) and Mehadrin min HaMehadrin (the most meticulous). The Shulchan Aruch/ Orach Chayim (Code of Jewish Law, 677), authored by Rabbi Yoseph Karo (1488-1575), takes the view that if you are away from home and candles are being lit by someone else at home, you need not light yourself. In fact, he quotes a source that says that even if you do light you might not be permitted to make the blessings. The Ramah (Rabbi Moshe Isserles, 1520-1572) disagrees and believes that people who are away from home must light candles, even if candles are being lit at home, if they want to be considered among the Mehadrin. The more modern Aruch HaShulchan (Rabbi Yechiel Epstein, 1829-1908), goes into details about different possibilities. Among them is that if you are staying at someone else’s home you might be able to fulfill your Mehadrin obligation to light candles by contributing to your host’s candle lighting, by, for example, paying for the candles. The Aruch HaShulchan also holds that if you are away from home, alone, it is proper to light candles yourself with a blessing, even if candles are being lit at home. This is the opinion that is followed today.
Jack Shapiro
St. Louis Jewish Community News and Messages
Message from the Vaad - 12/18/24 Effective immediately, due to Krispy Kreme's decision to end certification, Krispy Kreme donuts purchased at any Krispy Kreme store or at any grocery store, etc. in the St Louis area are no longer kosher certified.
MIKVAH CAMPAIGN The mikvah is in significant need of funds and must raise at least $75,000 to cover urgent repair expenses. We are currently a third of the way to our goal. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help sustain our mikvaot. Online at STLMikvah.org/donate or send a check payable to Taharath Israel of St. Louis, 4 Millstone Campus Drive, 63146.
Bais Abraham Congregation Office Hours: 6910 Delmar Blvd. Monday-Thursday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm University City, MO 63130 Friday: Closed Phone: 314.721.3030 Email: office@baisabe.com
