Shabbat Highlights

For the safety of our community, RSVP is required for all Shabbat meals.   Text Shabbat to 607-797-0015 to RSVP. 

New: Cozy Shabbat dinner option!  A smaller, more intimate Shabbat dinner in the Shul.

* 4:53pm ~ Light Shabbat candles in the Chabad social hall
* 5:30pm ~ Spirited Kabbalat Shabbat services 
* 6:30pm ~ Delicious, full course, home cooked dinner 
* Dessert buffet 

* 8:45am ~ Java, Cheesecake and Parsha
* 9:30am ~ Shabbat morning services and Kiddush
* 12:00pm ~ Shabbat lunch
* 1:40pm ~ Mincha services 
* 4:50pm ~ Seudah Shelishit 
* 5:50pm ~ Maariv and Havdalah
* 7:30pm ~ Chabad Cafe opens

The Sinai Scholars Society offers a fresh and exciting context for Jewish life and learning, with thought-provoking classes, social activities, and national networking opportunities, offered to Jewish  students with limited formal Judaic schooling. Sinai Scholars  invites students to engage in an open community of study and self-discovery. The program includes eight classes, an exciting trip and Shabbaton, and a $350 stipend upon completion.

Classes will meet on Wednesday evenings, 8:00 PM, at Chabad, or Monday evenings, 8:00 PM, at Chabad Downtown.

For more information, visit  www.MySinaiScholars.com. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want  to learn more about yourself, your history and heritage?  Take a look at JewishU!

Explore Judaism.
Easily.  Deeply.  Rewardingly.
Major in you!

Choose from a wide variety of courses that demystify all things Jewish. From history to philosophy and everything in between, there is no better place to continue and enhance your Jewish education.  Whatever your Jewish background or level of Jewish studies, there is a course for you.

JewishU offers:
* Fascinating four-week mini courses
* JewishU credits redeemable for trips, cash, Jewish scholarships, or donations to charity
* A relaxed and welcoming environment

Sign up at www.JewishBU.com/JewishU and feel the power of increased knowledge!

Week of January 29

Sunday: Shacharit at 9:00 AM, Mincha/Maariv at 5:00 PM
Monday and Tuesday: Shacharit at 7:30 AM, Mincha/Maariv at 5:00 PM
Wednesday and Thursday: Shacharit at 7:30 AM, Mincha/Maariv at 5:05 PM
Friday: Shacharit at 7:30 AM

“Finding your partner is as difficult as splitting the sea”. Rabbi Yochanan gave us this interesting comparison in the beginning of Gemara Sotah. What does he mean by this? In this week's Parsha, Beshalach, Moshe splits the sea and leads the Jewish people out of Egypt. The Maharal says that the water being split is a supernatural occurrence. Water flowing is ordinary, but water being split is miraculous. Let's compare this to Rabbi Yochanan’s idea. Like water naturally flows, humans naturally focus on themselves. When one can do something beyond themselves and focus on another person, this is considered “out of the ordinary”, just like water being split. Now, we can see Rabbi Yochanan’s reasoning for why it is so hard to find your partner. We live life almost always focusing on ourselves and our needs. When we put our hearts towards someone else, then we can break this barrier. We should all be blessed to witness our own splitting of the sea, and going beyond ourselves.
 

Kosher Food at Binghamton:
Just like many of you, I enjoy eating food. It can, however, be a little difficult to find Kosher food in a place like Binghamton. Have no fear, since I have the insider secrets on the best Kosher options in the Binghamton area. 

Kosher Korner - Hechshered by the Orthodox Union, Kosher Korner provides lunch and dinner every day of the week besides Shabbat and Saturday night (good thing Cafe is open then). Kosher Korner boasts fan favorite meals like mac and cheese and “tendies”, and is located in the convenient Chenango Champlain Collegiate Center.

Chabad Metropolis Deli - With the self proclaimed “best meat in the Southern Tier”, the Chabad Metropolis Deli features all the deli sandwiches and burgers you can dream of for purchase every “Deli Tuesday” between 6 - 7 PM. My personal favorite is The Metropolis Special although all their foods are delicious.

Local Stores - Many of the local grocery stores like Walmart, Target, and Wegmans each have hundreds of kosher products and are all a quick drive from campus.

AA Meats - If you want a cheap and local option to buy Kosher food, Adin Keiter and Adam Horowitz founded AA Meats where they sell all kinds of Kosher meat right in UClub. Reach out to them directly or keep an eye on What’s for Lunch for the menu.

Chabad Cafe - If you enjoy pizza, fries, mozzarella sticks, and Snapple, Chabad Cafe is the place for you. It’s open for purchase every Monday and Thursday night from 6 - 7 PM, and every Saturday night shortly after Shabbos ends.

Chabad Events - Outside of each of the 3 shabbos meals, Chabad hosts numerous weekly events with free food such as Pizza & Parsha and Supper & Study.

Thank you all for reading the second issue of Plotsker’s Perspective! Good luck with school, don’t fail, and enjoy eating Chabad’s homemade Shabbos food!
Matthew Plotsker

Thank you to Matthew Bitterman, Peretz Botvinnikov, Tzvi Berman, Nethaniel Darvishzadeh, Rachel Gorky, Ruthie Isler, Ariela Hope, Jack Margolius, DJ Mevorah, Matthew Plotsker, and Shira Rosencrantz, as well as our committee heads Michal Levine and Nora Monasheri