COVID UPDATES FOR THIS SHABBAT Reminder: Masks are required in the building for Shabbat for everyone at ALL minyanim. Out of concern for fellow Shul attendees, if you are feeling sick we ask that you please refrain from attending. Thank you. Rabbi Michael Davies, Donna Moskowitz, and the Covid Task Force
A Deep Look at Sefer Bereishit with Rabbi Davies: Next Class Monday, January 24 8:00pm-9:00pm https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88211049415 Meeting ID: 882 1104 9415
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 Nechemia Coopersmith entitled 'How Can Judaism Command to Know G-d Exists?', which speaks about the difference between believing and knowing.
The first of the Big Ten is the commandment to know that God exists. But how does this commandment make sense? Either you believe in God, or you don’t. If you do, what point is there in being given the commandment – you already believe in God. (The Jews who stood at Mount Sinai and received this commandment directly from God certainly knew God existed – they were speaking to him!) And for those who don’t believe in God, the commandment is irrelevant. There can be no commandment without prior recognition of the Commander. It’s just a line written in an ancient book that has no bearing on my life. So for whom is this commandment? It’s either redundant or irrelevant.
To answer this question, we need to first define two important terms: belief (in Hebrew emuna) and knowledge (in Hebrew da’at). Interestingly, The Way of God, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato’s classic work on Jewish philosophy, starts: “Every Jew must believe and know that there exists a first Being, without beginning or end…” He uses both verbs – to believe and to know – indicating that they are two distinct entities. How do we define these terms and why does belief come before knowledge? [...]
The deepest form of knowledge doesn’t reside only in the head; it needs to penetrate the heart. Full knowledge is integrated wisdom; it’s being intimate with what you know. [...] The commandment to know God exists is the directive to integrate your belief, your intellectual understanding, and make it part of the very fiber of your being. Assimilate it, live with it. It’s very easy to ignore God if one only has an intellectual belief that He exists. We do it every day. The first commandment is giving us the enormous challenge to live with what you know to be true, to feel that God is an active, dynamic part of your life, right here with you. Without the emotional component, God is just an abstract, sterile concept that could have no impact on your life.
Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, a leading Jewish philosopher of the 20th century, said that the distance between the mind and the heart is greater than the distance between the earth and the moon. Coming to the conclusion that God exists is the easy part. Integrating that belief is the far greater challenge.
According to this explanation, belief is the intellectual realm. The mind comes first; it’s what tells us what is true. Then comes knowledge, da’at, bridging the gap between the mind and heart. Living with the reality of God’s existence and building a passionate relationship with Him is a constant challenge for every person who believes in God. Have a Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Davies Rabbi@SOICherryHill.org
A tapestry is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, “a piece of thick textile fabric with pictures or designs that are formed by weaving many different colored weft threads together, or by embroidering on canvas by hand, and are then used as a wall hanging or furniture covering”. All of these different colored threads are joined together to make a beautiful pictorial design. This is similar to how our board is constructed; supporting the needs of our beautiful SOI community. Our SOI Board, filled by very diverse people, are woven together to form a cohesive unit working towards creating a great shul for all.
Chemmie Sokolic started our meeting with a very brief d’var torah about Parsha Yitro. Along with the 10 commandments we are also presented with an over-worked Moshe, who, through the help and suggestions of his father-in-law, learns to delegate and manage his people more efficiently, placing competent people at the helm of smaller factions, similar to how the SOI Board is run; Which leads us to our January committee reports.
The Resolution for SOI to start construction on our front entrance was passed by the Cherry Hill Planning Board Tuesday night allowing us to move forward with the renovations. The COVID Task Force is continuing to recommend masks for all of Shabbat and all indoor activities/events. Outdoor kiddush continues to be recommended when weather permits. When kiddush is set up indoors, we encourage social distancing and mask wearing when approaching tables with food, and when near others, and spreading out as much as possible when masks are off for eating. The HEPA filters, recently purchased, will be running for all indoor kiddushes and programs in the social hall. The Chesed Committee is looking towards the future for matanot l'evyonim and a maot chittim campaign. Weekday vibrant Torah Learnings, lead by Rabbi Davies, have gotten off to a great start. We had about 40 people attending the first Wednesday night Ten Paths to G-d class and 30 people for the Monday night Chumash class. We are looking into adding a few other classes in the near future - Rabbi Ian Shaffer and Chazzan Moshe Moskowitz have offered to teach courses in Navi and Tefillah respectively. This is all in additional to daily Divrei Torah at minyan times, Shabbat Drashot and Shiurim, and Jeff Schwartz's Sunday evening Gemara Shiur. The second Executive Management Retreat started discussing the management and communication structure at SOI - specifically the core functions and committees, and focused on the kitchen/kiddush requirements. Since the last meeting, Fundraising initiated a Learning Dedication program with daily and weekly sponsorship opportunities as well as sponsorships for an entire series. You can find details and the ability to sponsor athttps://www.soicherryhill.org/form/learning. We also have a "Proud of SOI" document to share showing some of the highlights that make SOI a wonderful shul to take pride in. The MCAT Committee made final edits to documents for advertisements and started discussing refreshing the Newslink (including both hard copy and electronic versions). The Membership Committee has been reaching out to members regarding dues/ balances. We welcome Rabbi Hirsh and Talia Hollander, Ari and Jillian Daniels, Moshe Rozental and Evan Fishman as our newest SOI members! The Personnel Committee is continuing with rabbinic onboarding sessions after a brief hiatus and is also discussing parameters surrounding the banquet manager position. The Programming Committee has several upcoming events: Moroccan Cooking Demonstration and Kitchen Shower on February 26th and a Family Glow Havdallah on January 29th. The 50 Mile Challenge is ongoing through May with prizes awarded. Even though you can’t actually log your miles on Shabbat, they do count toward your 50 miles (including your walk to and from Shul). The outdoor minyan moved indoors and is now the 8AM Minyan, requiring social distanced seating, HEPA filters in the room, and masks for everyone including the shaliach tzibur and ba'al koreh. Mishloach Manot committee is working hard on taste testing various products and putting together a beautiful and delicious, special Jubilee Mishloach Manot package. They will be needing volunteers to help package the gifts, deliver, and update the database. Volunteer greeter staffing continues to be a major challenge for the Security Committee. Please volunteer 1/2 hour/month to help keep SOI safe. New cameras, a larger monitor in the office, door alarms and other items purchased through our security grant should be installed within the next couple of weeks. Planning and discussions are underway for upcoming grant proposals. The Welcome Committee welcomed Chaim and Alisa Fox who moved to Cherry Hill with their twin 4 year old daughters and helped make their transition here easier with getting them connected to SOI communications and providing meals as they were getting settled. There were great, well-attended, Tu B’Shevat Youth Programs and the first, monthly, Donuts and Discussion for Middle Schoolers. Middle School Ice Skating is coming up on January 22.
It was a very productive meeting with great plans for the future of SOI. If you are interested in weaving into the tapestry of SOI please reach out to me.
Singer-songwriter Carole King, formerly Carol Joan Klein, achieved stardom with the release of her album "Tapestry" in 1971. The album won four Grammy awards and eventually sold more than 10.5 million copies, more than either Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water (9 million) or the Beatles' Abbey Road (6 million). Born in Brooklyn in 1942, King briefly attended Queens College, where two of her classmates were Paul Simon and Neil Diamond. After a year, she left college to marry Gerry Goffin, who also became her songwriting partner. They had their first hit in 1961, when the Shirelles took their "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" to the top of the charts. In its time, "Tapestry" connected with listeners like few records before it, and it remains an illuminating experience decades later.
January 24, 2022 22 Shevat 5782 Monday's Day of Learning is Sponsored by Sue & Leonard Cohen In memory of Refuel Yisroel ben Laibish HaCohen
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.
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.
Shoprite Scrip Now Available SOI Office Monday-Friday 10-2 Yaeli Sokolic at ycsgraphix@gmail.com Flo Shulman at florence.shulman@gmail.com
Thank you to Sabrina Spector, Meital Henig, Hannah Kaufman, Flo Shulman, Aliza Levy, Sharona Linetsky, Shmulik Linetsky, Devora Linetsky, Gali Brody, and Ethan Brody for making Tu B'Shevat so special for our youth.
Thank you to Anna Schwartz, Malka Moskowitz, Oze Henig and Adam Shulman for helping with kiddush last week.
Condolences to Debby Pester and Family on the passing of Hillel Pester. Remaining Shiva Visiting Hours: Thursday 3-5:30pm, 7-9pm Friday 7-11am Saturday 7-9:30pm Remaining Shiva Minyan Schedule: Mincha/Maariv at 4:45pm, Thursday Shacharit at 7:00am, Friday Shacharit at 7:30am, Sunday The family requests that all visitors wear masks and are fully vaccinated
A very big thank you to Bill Jungreis, Debbie Fineberg, Avi Rynderman, Baila Silverman, Jeff Liss, Chemmie Sokolic, Mike from OPS and Sam Tilonsky for providing security this past Shabbos.
Volunteer for a 30 minute shift helping to protect our congregation. Contact Sam Tilonsky at drsamod@gmail.com to volunteer or more information.
Join the NEW SOI Updates Whatsapp group!
For all the news and announcements you don't want to miss.
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
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 Robert Shapiro - Doniel-Avraham ben Hannah Aaron Moshe ben Ruth Refael Shimon ben Chanina
Refuah Sheleima to Rabbi Rothman who is recovering from recent surgery. You can contact him to wish him well ateyk1savta1@gmail.com. The Congregation would like to send Rabbi Rothman a gift package wishing him a speedy and complete recovery while he recuperates at his daughter's home. Any excess funds raised will be added to the synagogue's Chesed Fund in honor of Rabbi Rothman. Click Here to Donate
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
JFCS to hold Jan. 25 panel discussion about domestic abuse The Netflix original series Maid explores a young mother’s struggle to provide for her child after fleeing an abusive relationship. Released in October 2021, the critically acclaimed ten-part series has been widely viewed and discussed. On Tuesday, January 25 at 7:00pm, Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) will host a virtual program entitled “Maid” to Survive: Cleaning up the Myths about Domestic Violence. An expert panel will discuss various aspects of Maid, including the harsh financial and logistical realities facing women who want to leave abusive relationships. The program will also dispel the myth that domestic abuse is limited to physical violence—exploring the emotional and financial hurdles that prevent many victims from leaving abusive situations. The panel will be moderated by Hilary Platt, coordinator of the JFCS Project SARAH domestic violence program. “Maid” to Survive is free and open to the entire community. For the best possible experience, individuals are encouraged to watch the Netflix series in advance. Register at https://jfcssnj.org/maid.
COVID UPDATE - Mask Protocols - All vaccinated and unvaccinated adults and children must wear masks properly indoors at all times on Shabbat (except while eating at Kiddush). - Everyone on the bima must wear a mask except for vaccinated baalei tfillah and baalei kriya in the main minyan. - It is recommended that high risk individuals remain masked indoors at all times for their protection - Masks and social distancing are required at all times in the 8AM Shabbat Minyan 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.
UPCOMING/ONGOING SOI EVENTS & PROGRAMS
Now that we’re already into the first week of 2022, time to get moving toward that 50 mile goal! Start the new year off right by adding some exercise to your week. Yes it's cold out, so bundle up and embrace the crisp air ~ you won't regret it and your body will thank you for it! Here are log sheets to record your progress. Feel free to print and stick on your fridge. If you have any questions, email Hildy at hberlin610@gmail.com
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 to Friday
Congregation Sons of Israel 720 Cooper Landing Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
