Welcome to Adas Yeshurun Herzlia, Winnipeg’s only Modern Orthodox synagogue. We offer traditional services, interesting classes, and programs for every age. It is a place where everyone is welcome regardless if you are Ashkenazi or Sephardic, observant or not so observant. We invite you to join our welcoming and caring Jewish community where you’ll feel right at home.

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This Week’s Dvar Torah

The Ten Commandments

Parshat Yitro recounts the monumental event of revelation at Sinai. Before receiving the commandments Hashem sets a number of instructions. One of the commands required making a boundary line around the mountain to ensure that nobody among the nation would approach the mountain during the event. In fact, anyone who touched the mountain during revelation would die. This restriction would extend until the conclusion of revelation. Once the event of revelation was over the nation could once again approach the mountain. The sign that they could approach is related as follows, “bi-mshokh ha-yoveil heima ya’alu va-har”, “when the sound of the horn (shofar) is extended, then they may ascend to the mountain” (19:13). Until the shofar was sounded it remained forbidden to approach the mountain.

Rashi explains that an extended shofar sound would be blown to signify “siluk Shekhina” – the departure of God’s presence from the mountain, at which point the people would again be permitted on the mountain. 

Rashi continues with a startling statement. Rashi, quoting the Midrash, writes that the horn sounded at Mount Sinai was none other than the horn of “eilo shel Yitzchak” – the ram which Avraham offered in Yitzchak’s place. After Avraham complied with God’s command to sacrifice his son, placing Yitzchak on the altar and lifting the knife, God then told Avraham to desist, that the command to sacrifice Yitzchak was merely a test of his faith and devotion, whereupon Avraham proceeded to sacrifice a ram, in place of his son. According to the Midrash, the horn of this ram was the horn which produced the extended blast at the conclusion of the Revelation at Sinai.

What message was the Torah trying to convey? Why was the shofar at Sinai the very same horn from the ram of the akeidah?
The Ramban (Nachmanides) explains that the Midrash’s intent is to associate the sounding of the shofar at Mount Sinai with “pachad Yitzchak” – Yitzchak’s unique level of fear of God, which led him to offer his life in fulfillment of God’s will. The shofar of the akeidah teaches the great self sacrifice Yitzchak had agreeing to fulfil G-ds will. So much so that he was willing to give up his life to do G-ds will.

In the same way every Jew must have the same self sacrifice to perform the commandments. As the saying goes it’s not easy to be a Jew. Keeping the mitzvot requires tremendous self sacrifice. It requires a serious change in lifestyle. It requires a tremendous amount of concessions. The shofar of Yitzchak reminds us to make the same sacrifice that Yitzchak made. More than that the sacrifice Yitzchak made ensured the future of the Jewish people. In the same way our self sacrifice ensures our survival.

Wishing you all
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Yosef Benarroch
Adas Yeshurun Herzlia

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This Week’s Shabbat

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Weekday Prayer Services

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The Adam Anhang Learning Center

Virtual classes will be conducted using the Zoom app.
Meeting ID: 279 466 0776
Password: 359636

Sunday after breakfast	Sefer Hachinuch
Monday 12:00 pm	Beresheet, creation in depth
Tuesday after Maariv	Talmud
Wednesday 8:00 pm	Weekly Parsha

Listen to Rabbi Benarroch’s latest classes below:

Weekly Parsha: Bamidbar is Army service a Mitzvah?

Beresheet class four: The Lonely Man of Faith

Go to Archived Classes


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This Week’s Yahrzeits

Sivan 4	May 24, 2023	Morris Levinson
Sivan 12	Jun 1, 2023	Marcie Tenenbaum

In loving memory we remember them. May their memory be blessed !

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Recent Posts

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Address: 620 Brock St, Winnipeg, MB R3N 0Z4 , Canada
Phone: (204) 489-6262
Email: reception@adasyeshurun.ca