Newslink for Shabbat Parshat Balak (June 30 -July 2)
06/29/2023 05:01:20 PM
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Announcements & Upcoming Events
Kiddush this week is sponsored in honor of Dr. Yaakov "Marc" Zeffren's graduation from Cooper University Hospital's 5 year Urology Residency Program and his official completion of his 10+ years of medical training. We are so proud of all you have achieved, and are so excited for you to take the next step in your career as Attending Physician at Cooper University Hospital starting this August IYH! Wishing you continued hatzlacha, mazal, and lots of success helping all the patients who are lucky enough to have you as their doctor! Love, Avital, Penny, Aaron and Johnny
Seudah Shlishit this week is sponsored by Duke McCarthy. Semichas Chaver Program with Rabbi Davies: Wednesday evenings after Maariv. The class is on a break. For more information or to sign up please contact rabbi@soicherryhill.org.
Summer Women's Shiur Series: Weekly beginning this Saturday, July 1 at 4:30pm, The topic is Lessons from Pirkei Avot given by Moriya Chesler and hosted by Liz Liss, 1 Lafferty Lane. Email Chani Wiesman chaniwiesman@gmail.com or Yehudeet Gore yehudeet@gmail.com for more information. Schedule for the Weekend
Excerpt from the article – Positive Sleep by Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman
[…] As much as Bilam wanted to curse the Jews, God wouldn’t let him. Instead of curses, we read of some of the most beautiful blessings that speak straight to the heart of the strong spiritual characteristics that personify Bnei Yisrael. […] The blessings then abruptly switch from spiritual praise to physical prowess – “The people will arise like a lion cub and raise itself like a lion; It will not lie down until it consumes prey, and drinks the blood of the slain” (Bamidbar 23:24). This is quite a radical transition from spiritual loftiness to savagely guzzling down the blood of the enemy.
Rashi, following the lead of the Midrash, explains that even this physical praise is a spiritual allusion. [This] is referring to the ritual of reciting the Shema before going to sleep. The connection requires some elaboration. What does saying the bedtime Shema have anything to do with slaying enemies?
The Talmud (Berachot 5a) relates in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak, that “anyone who recites Shema on his bed, it is as if he holds a double-edged sword” guarding him from evil, and that even the “demons stay away from him.” Some understand these demons, known in Aramaic as mazikin, as dangerous metaphysical entities that can physically harm people. Saying Shema in bed protects one from being damaged by them. Meiri, however, takes a more rational and psychological approach to the concept of mazikin, explaining the mazikin should be understood as irrational, rebellious thoughts that can entrap people when they are not busy. Because one’s mind tends to wander into these negative thoughts before bed, it is essential to sanctify and unify one’s thoughts for spiritual purposes. Reciting Shema at night protects us from harmful thinking patterns.
The thoughts we think right before we go to bed have a profound impact on our sleep. Many people have trouble falling asleep, disturbed by anxious and other disturbing thoughts. By mindfully reciting Shema, we can ward off whatever “mazikin” we may have, allowing us to sleep more peacefully. By so doing we also have the capability of transforming the physical experience of sleep into a deeply spiritual endeavor.
Sleep is an important part of our day, and vacation is an important part of our year. I look forward to seeing you upon my return from what I hope to be a rejuvenating and energizing break.
MEMBERSHIP DUES Membership dues for the new fiscal year have been updated in ShulCloud for all current members. Please take a moment to log in and view/pay your dues. If you would like to join SOI membership, please complete the online membership form: https://www.soicherryhill.org/form/membership-application2.html For any questions about membership status or your Shulcloud account, please contact Yaeli Sokolic at financialsecretary@soicherryhill.org 551-206-7385 or Michael Partnow at mrpmjp@aol.com 609-760-9083 We appreciate your continued support of SOI and look forward to a wonderful year ahead together!
Thank you to Oze Henig, Alisa Fox, Tamar Wiener, Sarah Zanger, Dan Malamud & Sylvia Lerner for helping with the kiddush last week. Thank you to Elon and Neely Elisha for all their help preparing for kiddush the week of graduation kiddush!
Thank you to Malka Moskowitz, Yaakov, Aaron & Penny Zeffren, Matti Rosenberg, Eric & Yair Klein, Yochai Yares & Rachel Folowoshele for helping with last week's seudah shlishit.
Thank you to Team 3 for providing security on Shabbos. They are Yaakov Linder, Matti Rosenberg, Michael Morgenstern, Elon Elisha and Dan Eisenstein. Also thank you to Hector from OPS, Chani Wiesman Berliant, Ken Panitch and Sam Tilonsky.
Shabbos Lock Installation of the Shabbos Lock is now complete. The lock can only be used to enter the shul on Shabbos and Yom Tov. It will not work at any other time. Please use your fob or ring the office to enter.
Farewell We wish Hector from OPS a fond farewell as we transition to a new security arrangement with JFeds Security. He was a strong, familiar and friendly presence in our shul for many years. May you have success in all of your future endeavors. You will be missed!
Welcome This Shabbos please stop by to introduce yourself and welcome our new guards from JFeds Security.
Gavriel Yehuda ben Chaya Sarah David Partnow - David Avram ben Tilla Razel Aaron Moshe ben Ruth Gaela bas Pinina Chayim Gedalya haLevi ben Henya Tobie Cohen - Tova Lieba bas Esther Chaya Alan Friedman - Avraham Pinchas ben Hudda Kayla Chaya bat Bayla Simcha Avraham ben Datya Leba Inga bat Bella Shaindel bas Gruna Leah Moshe Krumbein - Moshe ben Yehudit Sarah Shmuel ben Ita Ettle Tinok ben Esther Esther bat Yehudit Nechamah Avigail Sarit bat Emilia Yitzhak Dovid ben Gruna Leah Reizel bas Yentel
Please help us keep this list up to date. If you have names to add or would like to have a name removed from this list, please email memberhotline@soicherryhill.org.
Click below for a link to the prayers for good health and healing that you can recite for our ailing members
Please note: Semichat Chaver Chaburah is on a break.
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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 receiving our weekly email, please let the office know Office hours next week are Monday - Friday 10am-2pm Rabbi Davies will be away until Wednesday, July 5th. For all SOI related matters and/or items of an urgent nature, please contact Rabbi Heshy Chaitoff at copresident@soicherryhill.org.
Congregation Sons of Israel 720 Cooper Landing Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
