🗓️ Save the date 📝
Annual General Meeting 2026
Motzae Shabbat 10th January 2026 at 7:45 pm
AGENDA
1. Minutes of the 2025 Annual General Meeting
2. Matters arising from the Minutes
3. Parnas Presidente’s Report
4. Adoption of the Report
5. Treasurer’s Report and Presentation of Accounts
6. Discussion and Adoption of Report
7. *Election of Hon Officers and Members of the Mahamad
a) Parnas Presidente
b) Parnas Vice Presidente
c) Treasurer
d) Gabbai
e) Hon. Secretary
f) Ladies Committee Chair
g) Mahamad (6 members – sub-group duties to be defined)
8. Election of delegates to:
a) Manchester Shechita Board b) Manchester Jewish Rep Council
9. A.O.B.
CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE MAHAMAD 5785
a) Parnas Presidente: Mordechai Maman
b) Parnas Vice Presidente: Benjamin Hassan
c) Treasurer: Yehoshua Jacobs
d) Gabbai: Eli Shoshana
e) Hon. Secretary: Yehoshua Lewis
f) Ladies Committee Chair: Mrs. Elaine Marshall
g) Mahamad: Mrs Loretta Hodari
Raphi Marshall
Paul Delmonte
Thank you in advance for attending – your support for this meeting is important.
On behalf of the Mahamad
*Nominations should reach the Hon. Secretary before Thursday, 8th January 2026.
YOU ARE RESPECTFULLY REMINDED THAT UNDER THE PROVISION OF ASCAMA 28 YEHIDIM BEING ARREARS IN THE PAYMENT OF THEIR ACCOUNT FOR A LONGER PERIOD THAN SIX MONTHS SHALL FORFEIT THE RIGHT OF VOTING AT ALL MEETINGS
PLEASE NOTE: VOTING IS BY ATTENDANCE ONLY – PROXY VOTES ARE NOT VALID FOR AGM’s
📝AGM Nominations form attached to this email
*****
לוח זמני תפלה לחורף תשפ״ו
Winter Timetable 5786 – 2025/26
מוצאי שבת | ערבית (מוצ״ש) | שקיעה | מנחה שבת | סוף זמן קריאת שמע | הדלקת נרות | מנחה וקבלת שבת | תאריך | שבת פרשת |
Shabbat Ends | Arbit | Sunset | Minha | Shema before | Candle Lighting | Minha & Kabbalat Shabbat | Date | Parasha |
PM | PM | PM | PM | AM | PM | PM |
|
|
5:10 | 5:06 | 4:11 | 3:35 | 10:19 | 3:55 | 3:55 | 9/10 Jan | שמות |
*****
🕯️WINTER TIMES FOR SHABBAT MORNING🕯️
שבת
קרבנות
8:45 am
הודו
9:00 am
*****
********
With the death of Yosef, the Book of Bereishet (Genesis) comes to an end. The Book of Shemot (Exodus) chronicles the creation of the nation of Israel from the descendants of Yaakov. At the beginning of this week's Torah portion, Pharaoh, fearing the population explosion of Jews, enslaves them. However, when their birthrate increases, he orders the Jewish midwives to kill all newborn males.
Yocheved gives birth to Moshe and hides him in the reeds by the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter finds and adopts him, although she knows he is probably a Hebrew. Miriam, Moshe's sister, offers to find a nursemaid for Moshe and arranges for his mother Yocheved to be his nursemaid.
Years later, Moshe witnesses an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and Moshe kills the Egyptian. Realizing his life is in danger, Moshe flees to Midian where he rescues Tzipporah, whose father Yitro approves their subsequent marriage. On Chorev (Mount Sinai), Moshe witnesses the burning bush where G-d commands him to lead the Jewish People from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael, the Land promised to their ancestors.
Moshe protests that the Jewish People will doubt his being G-d's agent, so G-d enables Moshe to perform three miraculous transformations to validate himself in the people's eyes: transforming his staff into a snake, his healthy hand into a leprous one, and water into blood. When Moshe declares that he is not a good public speaker, G-d tells him that his brother Aharon will be his spokesman. Aharon greets Moshe on his return to Egypt and they petition Pharaoh to release the Jews. Pharaoh responds with even harsher decrees, declaring that the Jews must produce the same quota of bricks as before but without being given supplies. The people become dispirited, but G-d assures Moshe that He will force Pharaoh to let the Jews go.
בגדי לבן
ובדורות הקודמים היו מקומות שאנשים, לא היו לובשים בגדי שבת, אלא ביום השבת, בבוקר, אבל בליל שבת היו מגיעים לבית הכנסת עם בגדי החול. ומרן החיד”א בספר ברית עולם (עמוד נז), כתב על הנוהגים כן, שהם מחללים עוז והדר קדושת השבת, והוסיף דברים בגנות ההנהגה הזו. ומרן זצ”ל בספר חזון עובדיה (ח”א עמוד כו) הביא עוד מרבותינו הפוסקים שהעירו על המנהג הגרוע הזה שחובה קדושה לבטלו.
ומרן זצ”ל השמיענו בזה את דברי הרב המאירי (בבא קמא דף פא:), שכתב להוכיח מדברי הגמרא, שכל דבר שההיתר שלו פשוט בהלכה, ורצה אחד להחמיר על עצמו, יזהר שלא לעשות כן בפני מי שגדול ממנו בתורה, שזה מראה גדולתו בפניו, וכמתחסד יותר ממה שאינו חובה עליו. והוסיף המאירי, שאין לנהוג כן, אלא למי שהוא נודע ומפורסם בחסידות ובשלימות.
וכן כתב בשו”ת פנים מאירות (ח”ב סימן קנב), לגבי בגדי לבן בשבת, שכיון שבזמנינו נוהגים כולם ללבוש בגדים בצבע שחור או בצבעים אחרים, ולא לבן, אם איזה אחד רוצה להחמיר וללבוש בגדי לבן, אינו רשאי לנהוג כן. והוסיף, שגם המקובלים לא כתבו שילבשו לבן, אלא דוקא במקומותיהם שהיו אנשים שלובשים לבן, אבל בזמנינו שכולם לא לובשים לבן, יש בזה יוהרא וזחיחות הלב.
ולכן גם מרן זצ”ל כתב, שרק מי שהוא שלם בשלימות בכל הדברים ומפורסם בחסידות, רשאי ללבוש בגדי לבן.
והמקובל הרה”ג רבי בניהו שמואלי שליט”א, היה בא לעתים קרובות למרן זצ”ל במוצאי שבת, בבגדי לבן, ומרן זצ”ל לא העיר על זה כלום, כי המקובל רבי בניהו, הוא מפורסם לטובה בחסידות, והוא ראש ישיבת מקובלים, ועושה מעשיו לשם שמים. ולכן במקרה כזה אין בזה יוהרא.
ובדור הקודם היו הרבה חכמים גדולים שהלכו בבגדי לבן, ובימים הנוראים היו גם יחידי סגולה שהלכו בבגד בהיר מאד שעשוי כולו מפשתן, שיש בבגד כזה תועלת מרובה על פי הקבלה, בפרט בימים הנוראים, וכן נהג הגאון רבי מרדכי עזראן זצ”ל, שהיה מחכמי פורת יוסף, ועוד יחידי סגולה.
והגאון רבי משה צדקה שליט”א, בשיעור שנשא בערב ראש השנה (שנת התשפ”ו), הביא את דברי רבינו יוסף חיים, בבן איש חי (פרשת נצבים אות ג), שבראש השנה לובשים בגדי לבן. והגאון רבי משה הסביר, שבימות החול יש נוהגים ללבוש דוקא בגד שחור, שהוא מכניע את הדינים, מפני שהוא בגד שמסמל עצבות ושברון לב. ולכן בראש השנה הולכים בבגדי לבן, להורות על השמחה והבטחון שלנו בה' יתברך. אבל בזמנינו שבגדים כהים אינם מסמלים עצבות, אלא רבים מאד הולכים כך, אין מניעה ללכת בבגדים שחורים, אפילו בשבת, ואמר, שגם על פי הקבלה אין חסרון בדבר, מאחר ובזמנינו אין בלבוש שחור חוסר כבוד. אמנם הביא שיש חולקים על זה, ובכללם הגאון המקובל רבי ששון מזרחי זצ”ל. אך למעשה כך היה מנהג מרן זצ”ל, ללבוש בגדי שבת שחורים, ורק החולצה היתה לבנה. וכן נוהג הגאון רבי משה צדקה שליט”א. וכן נוהג הגאון המקובל רבי מנשה שוע שליט”א ועוד.
White Clothing on Shabbat
Shabbat Clothes
We learned last week that there is a Mitzvah to wear nice, specially-designated clothes for Shabbat. Indeed, the Gemara (Shabbat 113a) expounds the phrase “And you shall honor it” the Navi uses in reference to Shabbat to mean that one’s clothing on Shabbat should not be like one’s weekday clothing. One should therefore designate special clothing for Shabbat that one does not wear on weekdays.
In prior generations, there were places where people would only wear Shabbat clothes on Shabbat morning; however, on Shabbat night, they would show up to the synagogue still wearing weekday clothes. Maran Ha’Chida decries this custom in his Sefer Berit Olam (p. 57) and writes that people who do so desecrate the splendor and honor of Shabbat. Maran zt”l (Chazon Ovadia- Shabbat, Vol. 1, p. 26) quotes the words of the Poskim on this matter and explains that this custom should be abolished.
White Clothing
The Ba’er Hetev (Ch. 262) quotes the saintly Ari z”l who said that one should wear specifically white clothing on Shabbat according to Kabbalah. The Ba’er Hetev adds that in places where wearing white clothing is not the norm, one may not follow the directive of the Ari, for doing so would be perceived as arrogance, i.e., observing a stringency no one else is.
Maran zt”l complimented this with the words of the Meiri (Baba Kama 81b) who writes that if something is clearly permitted by Halacha and one wishes to act more stringently, one must make sure not to do so in front of those who are greater than him in Torah knowledge, for this would constitute a show of arrogance. One may only do so if one is known for his piety and sincerity in the service of Hashem.
Thus, Maran zt”l rules that only one who is truly well-known for his piety and near-perfection in all other matters of Judaism may wear white garments on Shabbat.
Indeed, the great Mekubal, Hagaon Harav Benayahu Shmueli Shlit”a, would come visit Maran zt”l every so often on Motza’ei Shabbat while still bedecked in his white Shabbat clothing and Maran never pointed anything out to him about this behavior because Harav Shmueli is well-known for his piety, stands at the helm of a Yeshiva of Mekubalim, and his actions are for the sake of Heaven. Thus, in this scenario, such behavior does not constitute arrogance.
In the previous generation, there were several great sages that wore white clothing on Shabbat. There were others who wore a very lightly-colored linen robe specifically during the Days of Awe, as prescribed by Kaballah. This was the practice of Hagaon Harav Mordechai Azran zt”l, one of the sages of Porat Yosef, among others.
Hagaon Harav Moshe Tzadka Shlit”a, Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef, in a lecture delivered on Erev Rosh Hashanah 5786 quoted the words of the Ben Ish Hai (Parashat Nitzavim, Section 3) who writes that one should wear white garments on Rosh Hashanah. Harav Tzadka explained that there are those who are particular to wear specifically black garments during the week in order to quell Heavenly judgment since these garments are symbols of sadness and broken-heartedness. For such people, it behooves them to wear white garments on Rosh Hashanah as a symbol of joy and trust in Hashem. Nevertheless, nowadays when dark-colored garments do not symbolize sadness at all and many people commonly wear black garments throughout the week, there is no issue to wear black clothing on Shabbat either. He added that even according to Kabbalah, there is no problem with wearing black garments on Shabbat since nowadays, black garments are not seen as a lack of respect to Shabbat. Although, he explained, there are those who disagreed with this premise, such as Hagaon Harav Sasson Mizrahi zt”l, nevertheless, the custom of Maran zt”l was to wear black garments on Shabbat and only his shirt was white. This is also the custom of the great Mekubal, Hagaon Harav Menashe Shua Shlit”a.
The Garb of Torah Scholars
The Gemara (Baba Batra 98a) states that one who adorns himself in the garb of Torah scholars when one is not a Torah scholar will not be brought into the inner sanctum of Hashem. The Rashbam (ibid.) explains that this refers to the long, outer robe that is unique to Torah scholars. In those times, laymen would wear a long inner robe on the body and on top of it, a shorter outer robe that did not reach the floor, which would allow the inner robe that did to be seen. Torah scholars, on the other hand, would wear a long outer robe as well such that their inner robe was fully covered by the outer one and could not be seen. This was an overly modest behavior that was appropriate only for Torah scholars, but laymen were expected not to behave that way. It is for this reason that in the previous generation, there were several great Torah scholars who dressed like real simpletons because they did not want to be perceived as Torah scholars.
AGM-Nomination-Form-2026.pdf