September 20, 2025 - 27 Elul 5785 Shabbat Candle Lighting– 6:44 pm Shabbat Ends– 7:41 pm According to myzmanim.com Shabbat - Parshat Nitzavim Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat - 6:44 pm Shabbat Morning Services followed by Kiddush -9:00 am Mincha/Seudah Shelishit/Haftarah Study & Maariv- 6:29 pm
Selichot will be on Saturday night at 11pm.
Upcoming Events (click on the images to visit the website)
*The "Shofar" is now available online here.* Bais Abraham Schedule of Services-High Holidays 5786-2025
Learning Opportunities with Rabbi Finkelstein Weekly Haftarah Class Shabbat afternoons at Seudah Shelishit
Join Rabbi Finkelstein for a weekly study of the Haftarah.
*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
Mazel Tov to Baruch and Shayna Chaya Usprich on the birth of a baby girl, Chana Yiska Adamina Usprich, last Shabbat!
Volunteer Greeters Needed for High Holidays The Chagim are fast approaching! We look forward to seeing you at shul for services. If you would like to volunteer to help greet people at services, you may sign up here . Thank you for helping with this important task! Do not hesitate to be in touch with Ruth if there are any questions.
High Holiday Childcare Registration We look forward to celebrating the High Holidays with you and your family! We are pleased to offer childcare (through TLC Family Care) for children between the ages of 0-5. Please help us prepare by signing up your child(ren) on the Bais Abewebsite or by calling the office. The cost is $25 per child per session. If cost presents a challenge, please be in touch with the shul office. Age appropriate activities and snacks will be offered. The deadline to sign up is extended to Tuesday, September 16 at 5 pm. We cannot accommodate walk-ins for childcare.
Volunteers Needed! Bais Abe Garden Are you a master gardener? Or a novice to the gardening world who would like to learn more? Either way, we need your help! All you need is an interest in jumping in to help with weeding, trimming, and planting in the Bais Abe garden. No prior experience is necessary, and we can help everyone interested in finding a task that suits them. Please be in touch with Rebecca Swartz or the Bais Abe office if you would like to help!
Cooking: Do you like to cook or bake? Or are you interested in learning more? Come help prep, cook, and bake for Kiddushes and events at shul! Be in touch with Abbyfor more information.
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
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.
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. Rabbi Finkelstein's Perek of the Day WhatsApp group has transitioned to join the 929 cycle of Tanach. We just started Bereishit this week. To join, please click 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.
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.
Reminders
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.
New Fruit on Rosh Hashanna
There are a number of “sweet” traditions at our meals on Rosh Hashanna, symbolizing the wish for a sweet year. The most famous (outside Israel) is to eat an apple dipped in honey. In Israel the custom is to use one of the fruits listed as the sheva minim (seven species, Deuteronomy 8:8), one of which is a pomegranate. The pomegranate is also popular because its many seeds are said to symbolize a year in which we hope we will do many good deeds.
One practice involving fruit at a Rosh Hashannah meal is more than just a custom, it involves a halachic issue: eating a “new fruit,” a fruit that you have not yet had this season, on which you would say the blessing Shehecheyanu, on the second night of Rosh Hashannah. Even though the other major Jewish holidays are not kept for two days in Israel, Rosh Hashanna is. This is because Rosh Hashanna falls on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei. Before the Jewish calendar was adopted (in about the 3rd Century C.E.), it was not always known which of two days was the the first day of the month until a few days into the month, when the Court declared which had been the first day. So the rule was that everyone should celebrate Rosh Hashanna for two days. Some sages thought of the two days as actually being a Yoma Arichta, one long day. If so, we would not make Shehecheyanu, which is only said for something new, in Kiddush on the second night, as we do on the first night.
But the prevailing view is that Rosh Hashannah is two separate days, so that we should say Shehechayanu in Kiddush on the second night too. Still the custom arose to do something on the second night to give us an independent reason for saying Shehecheyanu (Shulchan Aruch, Orech Chayim, 600:3). If you do not have a new fruit on the second night, you still say Shehecheyanu in Kiddush that night, as on the first night. Shanah Tovah, everyone, from me and Phyllis,
Jack Shapiro
St. Louis Jewish Community News and Messages
**The Vaad Hoeir - Pas Yisroel list for 5786 is now available here.**
October 7th Community Commemoration - Sunday, October 5th On Sunday, October 5, 2025, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis invites you to join our community as we mark two years since the October 7, 2023 attacks. We will honor the memory of the lives lost and stand together in tribute to the strength and resilience of the Israeli people.
All are welcome to this interactive and meaningful gathering, designed to unite our community in remembrance, solidarity, and hope.
5:00-6:30 pm Interactive Experiences for All Ages 7:00 pm Program Begins
The program will be at a convenient location. The exact address will be shared before the event.
Light Kosher snacks will be provided. No cost to attend. Pre-registration is mandatory. Visit the website for more information.
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
