This past Tuesday, we initiated the Memphis Jewish Community Beis Midrash program held at the Cooper Yeshiva High School. The hour-long program (8:30 to 9:30) for men – which concluded with Ma’ariv at 9:30 – was attended by community rabbis, members and students. Four people deserve particular acknowledgement for their contribution – Rabbi Joel Finkelstein, Rabbi Yedidya Shifrowich, David Katz and David Schlesinger – each of whom led a chabura (learning group). Our next program will be held on Tuesday, May 10 at 8:30 pm. The message below was inspired by the learning David Katz, Yoni Freiden and I did at last Tuesday’s program. In this week’s parasha , Achare Mot, the Torah says, “And any man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that takes in hunting any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he will pour out the blood of it, and cover it with dust.” These pesukim present the mitzvah of kisui hadam - covering the blood of chayyot /wild animals (such as dee...
Rabbi Benjy Owen, Dean, Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South, Memphis, TN