24 May 2025 - 26 Iyar 5785
Shabbat Candle Lighting – 7:55 pm
Shabbat Ends –  9:01 pm
According to  myzmanim.com

Shabbat - Parshat Behar-Bechukotai
Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat - 7:00 pm
Shabbat Morning Services followed by Kiddush  – 9:00 am
Mincha, Seudah Shelishit and Maariv - 7:40 pm 

Thank you to Rabbi Finkelstein & Danya Bocarsly for sponsoring a cholent this week, and thank you to Danya for preparing it! 


Note: The eruv is currently DOWN and it is not kosher. Please see below for guidlelines from Rabbi Finkelstein as well as for a letter from the Eruv Committee.

Upcoming Events (click on the images to visit the website)

Celebrating 131 Years: Bais Abraham to Hold Installation of Rabbi Eliezer Finkelstein, in Conjunction with Annual Spring Fundraiser

RSVP and Donate here! 

Bais Abraham Congregation proudly announces the installation of its new spiritual leader, Rabbi Eliezer Finkelstein, at a penthouse reception in Clayton on Tuesday, June 17 as the culmination of its annual Spring Fundraiser taking place May 15 to June 15.

This year’s campaign marks two milestones as the synagogue commemorates its 131st anniversary and the installation. 

Throughout its more than a century of service to the St. Louis Jewish community, Bais Abe, as it is affectionately known by its congregants, has consistently rekindled its relevance by adapting to the evolving needs of modern Orthodox life while remaining deeply rooted in tradition. In keeping with the Congregation's name, Bais Abraham, a home open to all, all are welcome to attend the installation celebration. The keynote speaker will be Rabbi Yonah Berman, Dean of Rabbinic Initiatives at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Additionally, there will be a recorded greeting from Rabbi Avi Weiss, Founding President of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah,  as well as remarks from Rabbi Joshua Finkelstein of Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael (and father of Rabbi Eliezer Finkelstein). Heavy hors d’oeuvres (Vaad certified meat and pareve options) and drinks will be served.

“The Finkelstein family moved to St. Louis almost a year ago, and has already become an integral part of the Bais Abe community. We’re proud to celebrate our rich history and embrace an exciting future with Rabbi Finkelstein at the helm,” said Bais Abraham Executive Director Ruth Schachter-Cohen. “For generations, we’ve adapted and grown, remaining a meaningful part of the modern Orthodox community and this event is a powerful expression of that legacy.”

For the associated fundraiser campaign, themed “Spring Into Action,” members of the congregation will be reaching out by phone to encourage support from the community. 

“Spring Into Action” was the obvious theme, as we want to inspire ourselves and others to honor the past, celebrate the present, and invest in the future together," said Judith Hoffman, fundraising co-chairperson. “This year, we’re encouraging everyone to match last year’s gift and to consider giving a little bit more as a meaningful gesture of welcome and appreciation for our new rabbi.”
Funds raised will support operations and growth under Rabbi Finkelstein’s leadership.

“I believe that Bais Abe is a special place, one that is committed to Jewish law as interpreted by our tradition, as well as one that welcomes all people of all backgrounds,”said Rabbi Finkelstein.  “Our commitment to God's teachings inspires us to be open to all Jews who are looking for a sense of community, and we hope to continue in that goal.”

RSVP and Donate here! 

Learning Opportunities with Rabbi Finkelstein

Pirkei Avot in the Park
Shabbat afternoons at 4:30pm at Lewis Park (if raining at 4:20 pm, meet at Bais Abe)

Join Rabbi Finkelstein for a Shabbat afternoon study of Pirkei Avot, using Rabbi Dr. Binyamin Lau's, The Sages, as a guide.

Weekly Haftarah Class
Shabbat afternoons at Seudah Shelishit

Join Rabbi Finkelstein for a weekly study of the Haftarah.

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 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 

This coming Thursday, we will start a new teshuva, discussing whether or not one can brush our teeth on Shabbat (don't worry, you can).
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.

*If you would like to study a different topic, or in a smaller group, please feel free to reach out to set up an individual chevruta.*

Bais Abe Community News

A Message from Rabbi Finkelstein about When the Eruv is Not Up 
Dear Bais Abe Community,
Unfortunately, the Eruv is still not up this week, and thus one cannot carry on Shabbat. To help those who are unfamiliar with what needs to be done before Shabbat, I am sharing some guidelines that my colleague and teacher, Rabbi David Wolkenfeld, shared with his community:

1. If you are going to be a guest at someone's home for a Shabbat meal bring the wine or food-gift before Shabbat (although your hosts will also understand if you don't bring them a gift). If you are hosting a meal you may use anything that a guest who does not know that the eruv is down (or does not understand the significance of the eruv being down) brings to your home on Shabbat.

2. Think ahead about how you are going to get into your home since it won't be possible to carry keys.
          A) You could leave it unlocked or leave someone at home.
         B) Hide a key outside within 6 feet of the door. Pick up the key; unlock the door; remove the key; open the door; and put the key back in its hiding place. If you have an enclosed porch, you can ignore the 6-foot limitation, and put it anywhere on the porch.

"Wearing" a key (e.g., hanging from a bracelet or a belt) is forbidden, unless the key is actually serving a purpose for your clothing (e.g., serving as a belt buckle).

A key cannot be considered "jewelry" unless it is so beautiful that you would wear it even if it were not functional.

If you live in an apartment building:
A) Key to the building: If you don't want to have to wait for somebody else to come along to open the door, follow the above instructions, leaving the key outside the building. Please note, however, that if your building has two sets of front doors, and it is the inner set that is locked, you must hide the key in the vestibule between the doors, as you may not bring it from outside into the vestibule.
B) Key to your apartment: Follow the above instructions, though you may hide the key anywhere in the building hallways (with no 6-foot limitation).

3. Strollers cannot be used when the eruv is down.
Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz unreservedly permits hiring gentile babysitters to push strollers on Shabbat. This can be relied on for the (thankfully) rare occasions when our eruv is down. (I would be wary to endorse this position in communities without an eruv altogether, lest it introduce divisions between those who can and those who cannot afford to hire someone to push a stroller).

4. Children cannot be carried on Shabbat. However, if a child who is capable of walking a certain distance (e.g. from home to shul), has a "melt down" (the technical term), that child can be carried the rest of the way.

5. You may carry to and from your apartment to other parts of the building if the apartments are rental units owned by a common owner and if the appliances or other furniture is owned by thebuilding's owner. You may not carry to or from the common areas of a condo building without first making an "eruv hatzerot." The process for making an eruv hatzerot is found in the Koren Siddur on page 305 and in the Artscroll Siddur on page 656.

You may carry anywhere within the hallways and other public areas of the building. E.g., you may leave some toys in the hallway or playroom before Shabbat, and they may then be used throughout the building and brought back into your apartment after Shabbat ends.

6. One may wear any article of clothing even if it is not a piece of clothing you need at that moment: your glasses, your watch, your jewelry, your hearing aid, and even a shoe insole, a bandage, or a wrist guard.

Canes, walkers, crutches etc. may be used on Shabbat if one cannot walk without them.

7. If you wear a talit or bring your own siddur to shul, make arrangements to bring them to shul before Shabbat or else wear a talit under your coat when you come to shul on Shabbat morning (or use a talit or siddur from the shul's supply).

8. You will not be able to carry shoes or any other personal items that you might normally bring to shul, so if you need to wear boots, you may want to bring them or shoes to shul before Shabbat or wear your boots all morning.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eliezer Finkelstein

Storm Aftermath
As we wrote earlier in the week, we hope that you are staying safe in the aftermath of last week's storms. Bais Abe's power has been restored, and please do not hesitate to be in touch if there are any questions or if we can help with anything. Staff and lay leaders are reaching out to members of our community who are in affected areas. Please continue to contact Rabbi Finkelstein or any staff members if there is something we can help with. There are a number of organizations locally collecting money and resources for those impacted by the devastating storms. 

Security at Bais Abe 
We are in regular communication with Scott Biondo, Community Security Director at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, as well as with University City Police and other resources to make sure our security protocols are up to date. 

Shabbat Services on the First Floor
To make Bais Abe's services more accessible to all, Shabbat services will be held downstairs on the second Shabbat of the month. The schedule for the remainder of 2025 is: 

June 14
July 12
August 9
September 13
October 11
November 8
December 13

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.

Sign Up for Perek 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 group has now completed Psalms and has transitioned to the Book of Yeshayahu (Isaiah). If you would like to join this group and learn more about Yeshayahu, please join here. 

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.   

Opportunities to Support Bais Abe

Let Your Old Car Benefit Bais Abe! 
Do you have an old car that you thinking about donating? Let your donation benefit Bais Abe! Contact Ruth in the office or visit the website, https://careasy.org/bais-abraham-congregation, to find out more information.

• 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.

                               YOM YERUSHALAYIM (JERUSALEM DAY)
          This coming Monday, May 26, is the 28th of Iyar on the Jewish calendar, is Yom Yerushalayim. The day commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, with the capture of the Old City by Israeli forces during the Six Day War.  It's a day of national pride and remembrance, with celebrations including prayers, parades, and memorial ceremonies.  The holiday marks the unification of Jerusalem, which fulfilled a centuries-long yearning for the city to be under Jewish control. 
          The Chief Rabbinate of Israel, headed at the time by Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman (1886-1976) and Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim 1896-1981), declared that the 28th day of Iyar should be a day of thanksgiving for all of Israel. To fulfill that from a halachik perspective, they decided that Tachanun (a prayer of sorrow) should be left out of Shacharit and Mincha services, and that Hallel (a prayer of rejoicing) should be said during Shacharit with a blessing, despite it being during the counting of the Omer.  Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin (1890-1978), who founded the Encyclopedia Talmudit, agreed with this decision, though not all halachik authorities do.

Jack Shapiro
         

St. Louis Jewish Community News and Messages

Message from the Eruv Committee - May 22, 2025
Dear Community,

As you know, the recent storm caused major damage to our Eruv. Utility
poles and lines were torn down, leaving the entire system non-functional
for this Shabbos (Parshas Behar-Bechukosai).

We want to make it _unmistakably clear _that our top priority is
restoring the Eruv to halachic functionality as soon as possible.

Please know that while we are always looking to upgrade and improve the
Eruv, our immediate mission is focused solely on emergency repairs and
getting the Eruv operational once again.

The utility crews are still repairing the poles and wires that are
integral to our Eruv, and they have made incredible progress in the last
few days. Accordingly, we are hopeful to be able to sketch out a
timeline for the Eruv repair sometime next week.

Again, please note that the Eruv will not be able to be fixed before
Shabbos, and CANNOT be relied upon or used for this week, May 23-24,
Parashas Behar-Bechukosi.

Please plan accordingly and please notify others.

We thank you for your patience and support, and we will continue to keep
the community informed as work progresses.

The Eruv Committee.

Now Hiring:  Office Assistant/Bookkeeper
Chesed Shel Emeth Society is seeking a part-time Office Assistant/Bookkeeper (25-30 hrs/week).
Duties include:
Basic bookkeeping, payroll, data entry, financial reporting, and general office tasks.
Requirements:
QuickBooks & Microsoft Office experience, strong organizational skills, and ability to work independently. Good phone/email manners a must.
Flexible hours, no weekends or major holidays.
Wage based on experience.
Email resumes to: info@chesedshelemeth.org.

SHEIMOS Notice Regarding Spring 2025 Issue of Jewish Action
We are reaching out to share an important halachic notice regarding the Spring 2025 issue of Jewish Action. Page 27 of this issue contains Hashem's name, and we respectfully ask that this be taken into account when disposing of the magazine.
 
What to Do When Disposing of the Magazine:
• Physical copies: Please remove page 27 and place it in genizah or bring it to your shul for proper disposal.
• The rest of the magazine may be discarded respectfully, either by:
• Double-wrapping it before disposal, or
• Placing it in a recycling bin.

שבת שלום
Submit articles and announcements for publication by Tuesday morning to   shmooze@baisabe.com . Advertise in the Shmooze Classified section and on Bais Abraham’s website for two weeks for $18.  For further news and general information about our shul please check out our website at  www.baisabe.com. The Shmooze© is a community publication of Bais Abraham Congregation.