Shabbat - Parshat Noach October 25, 2025 - 03 Cheshvan 5786 Shabbat Candle Lighting– 5:52 pm Shabbat Ends– 6:50 pm According to myzmanim.com
Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat - 5:52 pm Shabbat Morning Services followed by Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Finkelstein, "Honoring and Enjoying Shabbat (Kavod and Oneg) - 9:00 am Thank you to Greg Storch & Lisa Ring for sponsoring this Lunch and Learn series Mincha/Seudah Shelishit/Haftarah Study & Maariv- 5:37pm
THIS WEEKEND!
Sunday, 10/26 - Annual Parshat Noach Petting Zoo and Mesiba! Help us prepare accordingly by RSVPing here. Walk-ins will also be welcome.
Upcoming Events (click on the images to visit the website)
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
The plaque for Gan Zissa, Bais Abe's garden in memory of Jessica Friedlander z"l, arrived this week. Come see the beautiful garden!
Mazal Tov to Rabbi Joe and Ashira Ozarowski and Eva Ozarowski on the birth of a grandson and great-grandson, Asher Meir Ozarowski (named after Rabbi Joe’s father and Eva’s husband, alav hashalom, whose plaque is on the Bais Abe wall).
Born to Rabbi Raphi and Liora Ozarowski of Skokie IL. This is Rabbi O’s 20 grandchild and Eva’s 20th great grandson! Mazal tov to the entire family!
Yom Kippur Appeal Dear Members and Friends of Bais Abraham,
As we do each year at this time, we ask for your financial support for the Yom Kippur appeal, a critical component of our shul’s budget. Bais Abe is more than just a place of worship, and it is your generosity that sustains our special community through both simchas and more challenging times. Thank you to those who have already given so generously.
This past year, your support enabled us to expand our programming for young families, including a Parshat Noach petting zoo and monthly Sunday gatherings filled with art, music and holiday enrichment. It enabled us to offer Shabbat meals and speakers on meaningful topics such as Sephardic culture, personal reflections on the situation in Israel, and more. Your generosity allowed us to make needed repairs to our nearly century old building, as well as quite literally keeping the lights on. And of course, your support helped make the installation of Rabbi Finkelstein and the dedication of Gan Zissa possible.
In the coming year, your financial support will ensure that we can continue to offer enriching classes, programs, and spiritual growth for people of all ages. Your contribution will allow us to welcome everyone, regardless of financial ability, and to support our community through lifecycle events. Your participation – as a donor, volunteer, and a participant – is a commitment to making Bais Abe a strong and vibrant Modern Orthodox presence in St. Louis.
Please consider making a meaningful gift to Bais Abe. You may remit your donation by sending a check, or by using a credit card or PayPal on the website . We offer naming opportunities to honor or memorialize a loved one, as indicated on the enclosed form. Your financial support and your participation in our beloved community are critical to our synagogue’s future.
We are deeply grateful for your partnership and support. With our best wishes for a happy and healthy 5786,
Dan Vianello President
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
Thank you to Stewart Shilcrat & Paula Lemerman for sponsoring lunchishes on these Shabbatot!
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.
TAL U’MATAR (A Scientific Halacha Highlight)
Jewish holidays and dates on which we start saying various prayers are almost always based on the lunar calendar. As noted in the last Halacha Highlight, the date on which communities outside Israel begin to add the phrase ten tal u’matar (send dew and rain) to the Shemone Esrei, is based on the solar calendar. In many Siddurim the start date is listed as being either the 4th or 5th of December, a date in the solar calendar. As stated in the Babylonian Talmud (Ta’anit 10a), “In the Diaspora one does not begin to request rain until 60 days after the Fall Equinox,” a solar calendar concept. The reason is that in Babylon it was the time rain was needed. This ruling was eventually accepted by all Jewish communities outside of Israel, even if it was not the correct time for rain for them. In Israel itself, the date was set as the 7th day of Jewish month of Cheshvan, which this year is on Wednesday, October 29. The Fall Equinox this year was on September 22, so 60 days after that is November 21, not December 4th or 5th. This discrepancy comes from the fact that the Talmud assumed that a year had exactly 365 1/4 days, while it is really 11 minutes and 14 seconds less than that. That is not very much, but when stretched over centuries, minutes begin to add up, and over the last 2,000 years it has moved at the rate of one day every 128 years. For a detailed mathematical and astronomical explanation of the discrepancy, see google ‘VeTen Tal U-Matar/The Lookstein Center.’
Jack Shapiro
St. Louis Jewish Community News and Messages
Save the Date - 8th Annual Winter Clothing Drive for the Unhoused As temperatures will drop across the St. Louis region, those who are unhoused or are experiencing a challenging hardship bear the brunt of the brutal cold. For the past seven years, the Jewish community has come together to gather winter clothes, warm outerwear, and blankets to donate to those in need. From November 2025 to February 2026, you can participate in the 8th annual Winter Clothing Drive (formerly Winter Outreach), a project of the St. Louis Rabbinical and Cantorial Association (STLRCA).
Desired donations include tightly woven blankets, adult jackets in larger sizes, men’s gloves in large sizes, men’s athletic clothing, children’s clothing and jackets, men’s belts, adult snow boots and work boots, new underwear and undergarments for men, women & children, socks, hats, scarves, and unused toiletries.
All collected donations will be transported to and distributed through the non-profit, TheBridge, a project of the MerryStarkey Charitable Foundation. TheBridge operates a brick-and-mortar store, open the second weekend each month as a thrift store and other days as a cashless, dignified shopping experience for those who have sufficient need. Regularly, TheBridge also travels into the community to host pop-up stores (for those unable to travel to the store), often giving away 200-500 pieces of clothing and other items of need.
The donation drive will run November 1, 2025 through February 28, 2026. If you would like to be Bais Abe's representative for these efforts, please be in touch with Ruth.
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
