Weekly Newslinks

You can sponsor a newslink for $36 in honor or in memory of a dear one.

I am very excited for the opportunity to share words of Torah with you. Each week, in this spot, I look to share an idea I've found that speaks to me and that I think will resonate with you as well. This week, I share an excerpt from an article by Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski entitled 'Different Blessings for Jacob and Esau', which speaks about what it truly means to have it all.

When Isaac blesses Jacob, the verse states: “And may God give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth” (Genesis, 27:28). When he blesses Esau, the verse says, “Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew of the heavens from above” (Genesis, 27:39).

Although the blessings to Jacob and Esau appear similar, there are two striking differences between them. To Jacob, Isaac said, “May God give you,” whereas in Esau's blessing he does not invoke the Name of God. Secondly, in Jacob's blessing, the blessing of “the dew of the heavens” precedes the blessing of “the fatness of the earth,” whereas in Esau's blessing the order is reversed.

Although Isaac thought he was blessing Esau, the Divine Spirit motivated him to give Jacob the blessing appropriate for him. Jacob was to know that everything he possesses, even if it appears to be the result of his own efforts, is a gift from God.[...]

The Divine Spirit also bestowed upon Jacob the awareness that the goal and purpose of life is spiritual, “the dew of the heavens.” This is achieved via the fulfillment of the Divine will. Inasmuch as one cannot fulfill the mitzvot without the physical means to do so, earthly belongings, “the fatness of the earth,” are a necessity, but they should be seen only as a means, not as an ultimate goal. [...]

The two nuances are related. We can live spiritual lives only if we are aware that all mundane possessions are Divine gifts. If we lose sight of our utter dependence on God, we can degenerate into creatures that seek only physical pleasures, and we thereby lose the dignity of spirituality that elevates us above all other living things.

Have a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Davies
Rabbi@SOICherryHill.org

Food is ever present in our society, especially the Jewish communities.  What home do you walk into where you are not offered something to eat.  My mom always said, "You never go to someone's home empty handed", you usually bring a gift of food.  BH we have plenty of food, but that isn't so for everyone.  SOI is participating in a can drive to benefit the Betsy & Peter Fisher Food Pantry.  Before we deliver the cans, we will attempt to create a "CAN"ukiyah - a Chanukiyah made out of cans.  Please bring all donations to the lobby and add them to our sculpture.  How high can we go? 
Please make sure all donations are kosher and not expired.

In our family, soup plays a prevalent role on Shabbat.  Not just chicken soup.  We have gotten very creative and serve anything from Roasted Red Pepper, Cilantro and Tomato Soup to our own version of Hot and Sour Soup.  Following is our recipe for Red Lentil Soup that we have created and tweaked over the years and serve every year at Parsha Toldos.  Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup
(Well-worth Esau’s birthright)

Ingredients:
1 large sweet onion                                   2 red hot peppers
4 garlic cloves – crushed                          1 cinnamon stick 
2 cups red lentils- rinsed                           6 cardamom pods                          4 tomatoes-roughly chopped                    1 Tbl. Lime juice
1-28oz can crushed tomatoes                  1/2- 1 lb. flanken
1 ½ tsp. Tumeric                                       12 mini sliced carrots
2 tsp. ground cumin                                  salt & pepper to taste
8 cups water or vegetable stock                                               
 
Directions:
1.    Combine Cardamom pods, cinnamon stick & hot peppers in a cooking bag.
2.    Place all ingredients in a large pot (except meat and carrots).  Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3.    Remove bag of spices and puree the soup with an immersion blender
4.    Add flanken with the bones and carrots. 
5.    Simmer for at least 1 hour.
6.    Season with salt and pepper to taste
                                Serve hot with hearty bread.
        ******************************************************************

Kiddush sign-ups and prep are going strong.  This week we have a group of boys coming to learn food safety and prepare kiddush.  Pleae sign-up below to volunteer and/or sponsor a kiddush.  If you have any suggestions/feedback, please reach out to Dan Malamud at daniel@furn1.com or Flo Shulman at florence.shulman@gmail.com to volunteer.
 
Follow this link to volunteer or sponsor:
Kiddush Volunteer: CLICK HERE
Kiddush sponsor : CLICK HERE

Shabbat Shalom,
Donna Moskowitz

Average College Tuition Rates In 1971 the tuition, fees, room, and board per year for a public 4-year college was $8,734 in Dec. 2017 dollars ($1,410 unadjusted)

WAYS TO HELP SOI PAINLESSLY

 Just go to smile.amazon.com, search for Congregation Sons of Israel Synagogue.  Every qualifying purchase will send 0.5% of the total to our Shul. Over time, this will add up.

https://www.kosherwine.com/?rfsn=5940204.12e2a2

SOI  members and affiliates can click the link to go to the JCommerce websites and purchase their products. You can support SOI through the commission we earn. 

Welcome new members Judi Krumbein and her fiance David Barg

Thanks to kiddush helpers: Syliva Levine, Judy Herzberg, Flo Shulman, Vicki Miltz, Sharon Chaitoff, Sandy Crass

Thanks to Welcoming Committee for helping to organize the Newcomer’s Kiddush

Thanks to Janet Miller for organizing the Boscov's Friends Helping Friends Fundraiser. 

Thank you to Bill Jungreis, Avi Rynderman, Seth Cohen, Eyal Levy, Chemmie Sokolic, Jeff Liss, Harvey Chaitoff, Mike from OPS and Sam Tilonsky for providing security this past Shabbos.

Thank you to Sam Tilonsky for getting the front doors repaired.

Welcome Eyal Levy to the Security Greeters ranks.  Your participation is greatly appreciated.  

Everyone, please give 30 minutes on Shabbos to help keep our community safe and secure.  Contact me to volunteer - drsamod@gmail.com. 

______________________________________________________
                          SOI Committees 2021-2022
MCAT                    Chemmie Sokolic  chemsok@aol.com
Chesed                  Karen Cohen        karen.e.cohen@gmail.com
Bikur Cholim          Janet Miller           twinks-3043@msn.com
Fundraising           Yaeli Sokolic         ycsgraphix@gmail.com
                              Ilana Weiss           weiss.ilana@gmail.com
Historical Society                               president@soicherryhill.org
Jubilee                 Helene Raush        raushfamily@comcast.net
                            Sabrina Spector      sabrinaspector@gmail.com
                            Helen Baker            bakera412@comcast.net
Kitchen                Dan Malamud          daniel@furn1.com
Membership        Heshy Chaitoff         heshychaitoff@gmail.com
                            Michael Partnow     mrpmjp@aol.com
Programming      Sabrina Spector      sabrinaspector@gmail.com
                            Suzie Mindel           suziepm@yahoo.com
Ritual                   Heshy Chaitoff        heshychaitoff@gmail.com
                            Chani Wiesman      chaniwiesman@gmail.com
Security               Sam Tilonsky          drsamod@gmail.com
Sisterhood           
Youth                   Sabrina Spector     youth@soicherryhill.org       
Welcome             Aliza Chaitoff           alizachaitoff@gmail.com

Volunteers are needed. You do not need to be a Board member to be involved.

Mr. Finklestein L'Chaim Bottle Club
David & Leba Sheri Shatz

Join the NEW SOI Updates Whatsapp group!
For all the news and announcements you don't want to miss.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/J2uWWdEVNogLTdyHvoYEJ4

            JFCS to Hold Thanksgiving Food Drive on Nov. 10 
JFCS will hold a Thanksgiving “drop & go” food drive on Wednesday, November 10 from 10am to 1pm to help bring the warmth and comfort of the holiday to local families in need. Community members are encouraged to bring Kosher, nonperishable food items to the new JFCS Rhona Fischer Family Assistance Building / Betsy & Peter Fischer Food Pantry, located at 6 East Miami Avenue in Cherry Hill. Most-needed holiday items include stuffing, canned vegetables, rice, canned sweet potatoes, boxed mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, applesauce, gravy, cornbread mix, cake mixes, boxed bread mixes, shelf-stable graham cracker crusts, and canned pie fillings. For more information, click HERE or contact Donna Broecker at 856-818-3604. 

Florence Axelrod – Fruma bas Sarah
Estelle Lerner- Esther Ethel bas Rochel
Andy Rauer – Avigayal bas Peshe Ella
Sheryl Malamud 
Amy Goldwasser
Gavriel Yehuda ben Chaya Sarah 
Eytan Raphael Shraga ben Dina Sarah
David Partnow - David Avram ben Tilla Razel 
Marvin Korff - Moshe ben Bessie
Elyse Greenberg - Elisheva Miriam bas Dovah
Hillel Yochanan ben Bracha 

 Since the tehillim group is not meeting again until after COVID, following is a link to the prayers for good health and healing that you can recite for our ailing members

SOI Members Get Great Benefits
We are so excited about the many families who have recently joined Sons of Israel. As a member in good standing, you are entitled to a fob which would give you access to the building for minyanim. Please reach out to Heshy Chaitoff for more information at heshychaitoff@gmail.com

There are many ways to support our Shul:
Yartzeit Plaque ($400)
Shabbat Security ($180)
Chumash for the sanctuary ($75)
Newslink ($36)
Siddur for the sanctuary ($50)
Welcome Basket ($18)
Bottle Club ($36)
https://www.soicherryhill.org/sponsor ​​​​​​​

ERUV UPDATE
Sign up to receive email communications by clicking here and filling out a short formPlease check your spam if you are not getting notifications from the new Eruv Hotline

                                       COVID UPDATE - Mask Protocols
- All unvaccinated adults and children must wear masks indoors at all times.
- Masks (properly worn) will be required for all indoor attendees whenever social distancing is not possible due to increased synagogue attendance. An announcement will be made when this occurs and we hope to have a sign visible to make it clear.
- All synagogue attendees should have a mask with them for when masking is necessary.
- Everyone on the bima must wear a mask except for vaccinated baalei tfillah and baalei kriya
- It is recommended that high risk individuals remain masked indoors at all times for their protection
- Masks are optional at the outdoor minyan

Kiddush will be outdoors for greater inclusivity.   In the event of inclement weather, kiddush is allowed indoors, though all unvaccinated attendees must remain masked - If a sponsor specifically would like an indoor kiddush, weather permitting an outdoor option should be made available so all congregants can partake
 
      We will continue to seek guidance from the CDC, the NJ Department of Health, and the rabbinic and medical leadership of the OU to help keep our synagogue safe and we expect that our policies and recommendations may change as the pandemic continues to unfold. Thank you all for helping to keep our synagogue and our community safe.

Reminder:  If your mailing information has been changed, please update it on our website by logging on at  soicherryhill.org 
If you know someone who is not receving our weekly email, please let the office know
The office will be open from 10-2 Monday - Friday