Monthly Archives: April 2011

Jew of the Week: Alexander Mashkevich

Mineral Baron, Media Baron

Alexander Mashkevich

Alexander Mashkevich (b. 1954) One of Kazakhstan’s “Trio” of super-rich men, he owns major reserves of natural resources, particularly aluminum and gas, all over the world. Mashkevich spends much of his time in Israel, where he is the 5th richest man with an estimated $3.5 billion. A very bright individual, he was made dean of a university at age 26. He is currently the president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and a close friend of Shimon Peres (current President of Israel) and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazabayev. His most recent move was to found a Jewish version of Al-Jazeera.

 

Words of the Week

The Jewish people are a single unit, as it says [Vayikra 19:18]: “You shall not take revenge and you shall not bear a grudge against the members of your people.” It is as if you were cutting meat and the knife slipped and cut your hand. Would that hand cut your other hand in revenge?
– Talmud Yerushalmi, Nedarim 9:4

Jew of the Week: Moshe Rabbeinu

The Greatest Prophet

“Moses Leads the Jews out of Egypt”, by Stephen Howard

Moshe “Moses” ben Amram (c. 1393-1273 BCE) The Pharaoh’s astrologers told him that the “Saviour of the Hebrews” will be born in the month of Adar. Pharaoh decreed all male newborns be drowned in the Nile river. Yocheved was able to hide little Tuviah for 3 months until placing him in a basket on the river. The Pharaoh’s daughter found the floating baby and named him Moshe – meaning “draw” for she drew him from the river. He would later “draw” the Jews out of Egypt. Ironically, the baby that Pharaoh was trying to kill was raised in his own palace! More ironic still, just as Pharaoh drowned the children, his men were ultimately drowned in the Red Sea. Moses was the greatest prophet that ever lived, as well as the humblest man to walk the Earth. He wrote the Torah, as dictated by God, and brought down the 613 commandments of Judaism. It is thus no surprise that the numerical value of “Moshe Rabbeinu” (משה רבינו) in gematria is 613. This coming Monday night begins the 3323rd Passover since Moses led us out of Egypt.

Words of the Week

In the Haggadah we read, “The Torah speaks of four sons: One is wise, one is wicked, one is simple and one does not know how to ask.” In our generation, however, we also have a “fifth son” – the Jewish child who isn’t even at the seder! Our task is to go seek out these sons and daughters and bring them to the Passover table.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, in a public letter issued shortly before Passover of 1957

Jew of the Week: Carl Sagan

A Beloved Scientist

Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan (1934-1996) Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn, Sagan went on to become one of the greatest and most beloved scientists of the last century. He published more than 600 scientific papers and at least 20 books, one of which was the novel Contact, since adapted to a Hollywood blockbuster. He is most famous for being the host of the popular 1980s TV show Cosmos. Sagan had degrees in physics, astrophysics and astronomy, lectured at Harvard and was a full-time professor at Cornell. One of the central figures at NASA, Sagan helped develop many space missions, and designed the famous golden plaque launched with most space crafts. When asked if he was an atheist, Sagan replied “An atheist has to know a lot more than I know. An atheist is someone who knows there is no god. By some definitions, atheism is very stupid.”

Words of the Week

“How great are Your works, Hashem, how deep are Your thoughts… How abundant are Your creations; with wisdom You made them all…”
– King David (Psalms)