Shul front


Ohel Shalom Torah Center Newsletter

Shimini Atzeret/Simchat Torah
Shabbat Bireshit/Shabbat Mivarchim Cheshvan  5774 
 

Contact Us

 Ohel Shalom 

 

Check out our new and improved website at

ohelshalomchicago.org 

Join Our Mailing List
In This Issue
This Week at Ohel Shalom
Simchat Beit HaSho'eva Recap
Sewing Needed
Cemetery Plots Available for Sale
Geshem
Ohel Shalom Tape Library
State-funded Help for Mortgage Problems
Kollel Korner

Davening Times

 

Wed. Erev Shimini Atzeret

Eruv Tavshilin

Candle lighting

6:22 pm

Mincha 

6:30 pm

Arvit

6:45 pm

Thurs. Shimini Atzeret

Shacharit 

8:15 am

Mincha

6:25 pm

Arvit

6:40 pm

Hakafot

7:00 pm

Candle lighting

not before

7:31 pm

Friday Simchat Torah

 Shacharit 

8:15 am

 Hakafot

12:00 pm

Candle lighting for Shabbat

no later than

6:19 pm 

Mincha

6:35 pm

Shabbat
Shacharit 8:15 am

Shabbat Mincha 5:55 pm

Shabbat Ends 7:27 pm 

 

Regular Weekdays 

Shacharit

Sunday 

7:45 am

Monday, Thursday, and  Friday (of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan) 

6:15 am

Tuesday and Wednesday

6:30 am

Mincha/Arvit

Sunday-Thursday

6:17 p.m.

 

10:00 pm Late Arvit following Kollel

On hiatus while Kollel is on break, and will restart BE"H Tues. Oct. 1  

 

Regular Shiurim  

 

Kollel 

 Open Seder 
Sunday-Thursday

 8-10pm

 

Rabbi Olstein
Parasha Shiur
Wed 8:30pm (Hebrew)
Thurs 8:00pm (English)

Rabbi Cohen
Chok L'Yisrael
Weekdays 

after Shacharit 

 

Men and Women 

 

Ner Foundation 

Rabbi Raccah
Wednesdays at 8:30pm

Topic: 

Parashat HaShavua

Due to the Yom Tov of Sukkot, the next Shiur will BE"H be on Oct 2nd  

 

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES  

 

20 Chamesh Ta'aniyot

(14 sold - 4 left)

$10.00 each 

 

Chair Sponsors
(96 sold - 154 left)

 

New Set of Artscroll Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi
($30.00 for Talmud Bavli

$35.00 for Talmud Yerushalmi) 

 

Siddurim Shaarim Ba'Tifilla

($15.00 each) 

 

Chumash w/simanim  

($20 each) 


20 New Talitot  

(4 sponsored - 16 left)

$75.00 each 

 


This Week at Ohel Shalom
 
Please Daven  for Chacham Chaim Ovadia Yosef Shilita
 
With sadness we follow the reports regarding the serious health status of Chacham Chaim Ovadia Yosef Shilita. As his condition declined, the name Chaim was added and hopefully Hashem will hear our prayers to add many healthy years to his life.  

Please continue your Tifilot for
Rav Chaim Ovadia Yosef ben Gorjia Shilita 
 רבי חיים עובדיה יוסף בן גורג'יה שליט"א  

M
ay Hashem hear our prayers, amongst the prayers of all the others, to grant the Rav Shilita many more years of good health.
 
Eruv Tavshilin Reminder
 
Once again, in order to be able to prepare for Shabbat on Friday, Erev Yom Tov, it is imperative that each household prepare an Eruv Tavshlin, which should be made today, Wednesday, September 25th before the beginning of Yom Tov. 
 
Simchat Torah
 
We are looking forward to a very exciting Simchat Torah here in our Kehillah. Once again, there will be Mitzvot available for purchase.  No meals will be held in the social hall during this Chag. However, there will be a refreshments for those at Hakafot, both Thursday evening September 26th and Friday morning September 27th.

BE"H there will be the usual Kiddush on Shabbat Bireshit
 
Kollel Break

Kollel is now on break and will restart BE"H on Tuesday, October 1st. Please remember that when the Kollel is on break, the 10 pm Arvit does not meet. 
 
Seuda Shilishit Fish Fund

  

The Kehilla has begun a Seuda Shelishit Fish Fund into which people can contribute $20/Month to support extra food add-ons. If you wish to participate in this Mitzvah and at this very affordable price, please contact the office. Some people have already contributed. Please join them in this Mitzvah!  

  

Food4Less Cards

 

Don't forget to pick up your card from the office. At least one member was able to get gas for $3.44 this week with the card and a percentage of grocery purchases goes to the Kehilla. The store is on Main and McCormick with the new gas station giving at least 3 cents off per gallon just by swiping your card! 

Simchat Beit HaSho'eva Recap

 

Sukkot is a very lively holiday in Chicago as numerous Simchat Beit HaSho'evas are held throughout the city. Last year Ohel Shalom and the Sephardic Community Kollel held the first Sephardic Simchat Beit HaSho'eva in memory. Due to the success of the event, it was B"H decided that this year as well we would hold a Simchat Beit HaSho'eva.

 

This past Monday, Sept. 23rd, the evening of the 4th day of Chol HaMo'ed, we held our second Simchat Beit HaSho'eva. Over 100 people came to sing, dance and join in the festivities. Music was provided by Reb Shimon Gendelman (of Gendelband) on the keyboard and Ruby Harris on the violin and electric guitar.

The dancing was exciting, propelled by the lively music. We were graced with the presence of Rabbi Avraham Lipschutz, Menahel Ruchani of Telshe Yeshiva - Chicago and Rabbi Binyamin Olstein, Rosh Yeshiva in the Skokie Yeshiva, as well as many other community rabbis and lay leaders
 
As with any Ohel Shalom event, the refreshments were B"H splendid. In addition to the usual, there were pastries, generously donated by Tel Aviv Bakery, and a parve Chamin prepared by Moshe Gatenyo, as well as a delicious potato kugel.

 

Thanks to all of the people who helped make this event a success, including the many children who were such an active part of the dancing and the cleanup. We are very appreciative to our volunteers who share some much with us. Special thanks to our devoted Kollel Coordinator, Rabbi Yosef Olstein, for being the driving force behind this beautiful event. Tizku LiMitzvot! 

 

 

Sewing Needed

The Kehilla is in possesion of a Talit in need of some light sewing repair.  If this is possibly something you can help with, please contact Tamar in the office.  
Cemetery Plots Available for Sale

There are a number of Jewish cemetery plots available in the cemetery by Old Orchard Mall for a reasonable price. For more information, please contact Tamar in the office. 
The Geshem Fund

The High Holiday season is a beautiful time of year. As we all know, these magnificent holidays also bring with them an increased financial commitment. At this most important time of the year, please open your hearts and your wallets and make checks out to the order of GESHEM FUND and give to Rabbi Raccah or put in the mailbox of the office or the shul and Tamar will give it to Rabbi Raccah.  As you thank Hashem for all that He has blessed you with, remember the less fortunate who are struggling and in desperate need of assistance. Thank you.
Ohel Shalom Tape Library

Once again, audio cassette tapes of past shiurim given by Rabbi Raccah are available to borrow from the office, during Tamar's regular hours. A small deposit of $5 will be requested each time tapes are borrowed. Please contact Tamar when she is in the office to arrange a time to select the tapes you wish to borrow. Loan time will be one week. At present there are only cassette tapes, not CDs.

Please note: The tapes are not organized in any type of order, you will need to look through them all yourself in the order they are in.  Of course, if anyone would like to volunteer to organize the tapes, it would be most appreciated!  
State-funded Help for Mortgage Problems

If you are having trouble making your mortgage payments or in danger of foreclosure, you may qualify for state assistance through the Illinois' Hardest Hit Program.  Illinois' Hardest Hit will contribute up to $35,000 towards your mortgage, roughly two years of payments, to qualified homeowners.  For more information go to www.illinoishardesthit.org or call 855-873-7405.

The funds are there and there's no reason not to begin the process! People we know have already been approved for this amazing opportunity. Don't delay to check into this.



Are you having trouble paying your mortgage? The State of Illinois is here to help you keep your home. Governor Pat Quinn's Illinois Foreclosure Prevention Network is a free, one-stop resource that connects homeowners with important tools aimed at keeping them in their homes. Access counseling services, legal advice, mortgage payment assistance programs such as the Illinois Hardest Hit Program, foreclosure prevention events and tips on how to avoid mortgage fraud.

For more information, visit www.keepyourhomeillinois.org or call 1-855-KEEP-411 (toll-free).

The Illinois Hardest Hit Program offers help of up to $35,000 in mortgage payment assistance for homeowners faced with unemployment or underemployment. The last day to apply is September 30, so do not delay. Act now and keep your home!

Kollel Korner of the Sephardic Community Kollel

Sephardic Community Kollel

 

Come learn with the Sephardic Community Kollel from 8:00pm to 10:00pm, Sunday through Thursday. Please contact the Kollel Coordinator, Rabbi Yosef Olstein to arrange a learning partner or to receive information about the Kollel and its programs. Rabbi Olstein can be reached at 773-338-8046 or by email at Sephardic Community Kollel   

 

Donations to the Kollel

 

Donations to the Kollel can also be made  via credit card. Please call the shul at 773-465-5274 or email the Kollel for details.

 

Sponsor Learning in the Kollel

 

Our Rabbis tell us of the great power and merit associated with supporting Torah learning. To that end, consider sponsoring a night, a week or a month of learning in the Kollel. Examples of sponsorship purposes include: in memory of a deceased loved one for their Azkarah, to merit a Rifuah Shilamah, or to honor a loved one or friend. In addition to the great merit of supporting Torah in our community, your sponsorship will be marked with printed pages noting the intent of your support that are placed in stands on the tables in the Beit HaMidrash for the duration of your sponsorship period. 

 

Here are the costs for the various sponsorships:

A night of learning -  $52

A week of learning -  $100

A month of learning - $400   

 

  

Kollel Break

  

The Kollel will be on break, and restart BE"H on Tuesday night, Oct. 1st. Remember that when the Kollel is on break, the 10 pm Arvit minyan does not meet and the Halacha of the Week as well as the Machshava will not appear here. All are scheduled to resume when the Kollel returns. 

EVENTS CALENDAR

If you have a Simcha occurring within the next few months that you would like to have added to the calendar, please call the office at 773-465-5274 or email the office with the link provided in the sidebar at the top of the email.