Weekly Newslinks

Announcement & Upcoming Events

Schedule for the Weekend

Erev Shabbat, October 6: Hoshana Rabah (Tishrei 21)
6:00am Shacharit
8:00am Shacharit
6:15pm Mincha/Maariv
6:16pm Candle Lighting

Shabbat, October 7: Shmini Atzeret, Yizkor, (Tishrei 22)
8:00am 8AM Minyan
8:30am Sephardic Minyan
9:00am Main Sanctuary Minyan
10:00am Youth Groups
10:30am Tot Shabbat
10:45am Yizkkor (approx.)
12:00pm Kiddush is sponsored by Jeffrey and Ilana Weiss
5:45pm Tot Hakafot
6:05pm Mincha
7:00pm Maariv and Hakafot
7:14pm Candle Lighting

Sunday, October 8: Simchat Torah (Tishrei 23)
8:30am Sephardic Minyan
9:00am Main Sanctuary Minyan
10:00am Hakafot (approx.)
1:30pm Simchat Torah Luncheon
6:15pm Mincha/Maariv
7:12pm Havdalah

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 with you an excerpt of an article by Rabbi Yehonasan Gefen entitled "Vezos HaBracha - Moses' Greatest Deed" which emphasizes the importance of doing the right thing even in the face of great loss.

The Torah concludes with a stirring eulogy for Moses, ending with praise for, “the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Israel.” (Vezos HaBracha, 34:12) The Medrash, cited by Rashi, explains that the phrase, “before the eyes of all Israel” refers to Moses’ decision to break the two tablets that he had just received in front of the Jewish people. Why, of all Moses’ great deeds, does the Torah choose to single this one out at its finale as perhaps the greatest of them all?

The Ateres Mordechai offers a profound insight to answer this question. Moses had invested great effort over many years in bringing the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt to the point of the Giving of the Torah, and now he had just spent 40 days without food or drink fending off the angels and securing the Tablets for the Jewish people. When he returned from the mountain and saw the people worshipping the Golden Calf he realized that they were not on the level to receive the Tablets and that he must destroy them. However, imagine what a test it must have been to forsake all that effort and energy that he had invested to get to this moment. He surely could have rationalized that although they did not deserve the Tablets now, perhaps things would change soon and it wasn’t necessary to destroy them right away. But Moshe did not do so; he showed great integrity and intellectual honesty to break the Tablets purely because that was the correct course of action.

Very often in life, we are placed in similar situations to that of Moses - we invest time or energy into something and then we are faced with the possibility that we have made a mistake and need to start again or that there has been a new turn of events that makes our original stand obsolete. There is a great temptation in such instances to dig our heels in and stand by our initial plan against our better judgment. It is very hard to admit that we are wrong or need to start again after putting in so much effort into something. And perhaps the most difficult aspect of knocking down what we have already built is that we are showing that we have made a mistake - it is extremely difficult for people to admit that their opinions, lifestyle or attitude is wrong. [...]

This lesson is strongly connected to the day of Simchas Torah with which Vezos Habracha always coincides. We end the Torah and then immediately restart it again, reading the opening verses of Bereishis. This alludes to us that even though we have completed the whole Torah, we should not feel that we do not need to repeat it again. We can relearn it and develop new insights, sometimes even contradicting our present understanding and we should not feel embarrassed to acknowledge that we were wrong.

Rav [Yissochor] Frand suggests that this idea is also alluded to in the marriage ceremony. The custom is that the groom breaks a glass, and most commentators explain that this is a remembrance of the destruction of the Temple. However, he notes that one commentator connects this custom to the breaking of the Tablets. Why do we need to be reminded of that event during a wedding? He answers that perhaps it is to teach the new couple that in order for their marriage to work, they must strive to emulate Moses’ actions in breaking the Tablets. In order for a marriage to work, both husband and wife must be willing to act with great honesty and admit their mistakes rather than stand on their pride. Both need to be prepared to let go of their preconceived notions and prejudices and strive for truth. These are not easy demands, but if we see that Moses was ready to break the most valuable thing in the world because it was the right thing to do, then we too can surely be prepared to make changes when it is clearly God’s will.

Have a Shabbat Shalom and a Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Davies
Rabbi@SOICherryHill.org

We are excited to be partnering with Mizrachi World Movement to provide their publication of HaMizrachi Parasha Weekly.

Israel Trip Scholarship Opportunity
Do you have a teen going on an organized trip to Israel between now and September 2024? If so, they may be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship from the Jewish Federation. If you are interested in this opportunity, email Iris Snyder at  isnyder@jfedsnj.org  by November 1st to learn more. Please note in your email that you are affiliated with Sons of Israel. 

Mazal Tov to grandparents Don and Audrey Becker on the birth of a granddaughter and Mazal Tov to parents Cheryl and David Chakrin on the birth of a baby girl, Sarah Leah Chakrin.

Thank you to Suzie Lubin, Suzie Mindel, Ilana Mindel, Martyne Greenblatt, Debbie Fineberg, Neely Elisha & Alise Panitch for helping with kiddush last week. 

Thank you to Avi Rynderman, Baila Silverman, Andy Rauer, Jeff Liss, Shlomo Aronoff, Yaakov, Zeffren, David Mendelovitz, Meir Miskin, Nate Wiener, Blake Daugherty, Debbie Fineberg, Debbie Pester, Ken Panitch, Bill from JFeds, Kevin from JFeds, Chani Wiesman Berliant and Sam Tilonsky for providing security during Shabbos and Yom Tov.
​​​​​​​

Gavriel Yehuda ben Chaya Sarah 
David Partnow - David Avram ben Tilla Razel 
Aaron Moshe ben Ruth
Gaela bas Pinina
Chayim Gedalya haLevi ben Henya
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
Esther bat Yehudit Nechamah
Yitzhak Dovid ben Gruna Leah
Reizel bas Yentel
Peretz Yirmiyahu ben Elka
Moshe Simcha ben Sarah
Ester Chavah Nachamah bat Rifka Miriam
Gershon Daniel ben Malka Chaya
Terry ben Helen
​​​​​​​Cohat Sivel ben Leah
​​​​​​​Yehudit Sarah bat Esther

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.

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​​​​There are many ways to support our Shul:

(check out our website for more oportunities)

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Shabbat Security ($180)

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Mr. Finklestein Bottle Club ($36)

Kiddush (starting at $180)

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Congregation Sons of Israel
720 Cooper Landing Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002