Newslink for Shabbat Parshat Noach (October 20 - October 22)
10/19/2023 05:01:33 PM
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Announcement & Upcoming Events
Kiddush is Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey to show support for those who have family on the front lines, who have lost loved ones, who have family in harms way, and to show Solidarity with Israel.
Seudah Shlishit is sponsored by Jeffrey & Ilana Weiss in honor of the Seudah Shlishit volunteers and the one year anniversary of its return at SOI.
Women's Halacha Shiur: Thursday, October 19th at 8:30pm in the SOI Chapel. Beginning the Laws of Shabbat. Come join and learn.
Gemara Shiur with Jeff Schwartz: Sunday evening, October 22nd at 7:30pm in the SOI Chapel. Come join in for an in depth study of Talmud.
A New Chapter in Sefer Bereishit - an In Depth Look at Re-Creation and Noach: Monday evenings beginning October 23rd at 8:00pm in the SOI Kiddush Room or on Zoom ID 88211049415. Click Here to Join the Zoom
Semichas Chaver Program with Rabbi Davies: JUST BEGAN A NEW TOPIC. Wednesday evening, October 25th at 8pm. For more information or to sign up please contact rabbi@soicherryhill.org
Congregational Meeting: Thursday, October 19th at 7:30pm at SOI. See details in announcement below.
Donuts and Discussion: Saturday, October 21st at 10:30am in the Politz Library. Women's Parsha Discussion: Wednesday evenings beginning October 25th from 8:30-8:45pm. Join us on Zoom for a brief peer led discussion on the weekly parsha. Click Here to Join the Zoom
Birthdays in the Park:Saturday, October 28 3:30pm-4:30pm. Come join your friends to celebrate birthdays, enjoy treats and have some fun at Ivy Park. Event is free but sponsorships available. Click here to register .
Shamos Burial: Sunday, October 29th at 9:00am at SOI to help load truck & 10:30am at New Camden Cemetery to unload truck & assist in the burial.
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 Lord Jonathan Sacks ZT"L entitled "The Courage to Live with Uncertainty" with a timeless message that is so poignant in these difficult moments for Klal Yisrael.
[... T]he Midrash [Rabbi Dr. Nachum Rabinovitch] quoted to us was extraordinary. [...] The text is in two parts, and it is a commentary on God’s words to Noah: “Then God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ark’” (Gen. 8: 16). On this the Midrash says: “Noah said to himself, Since I only entered the ark with permission (from God), shall I leave without permission? The Holy One blessed be He said, to him: Are you looking for permission? In that case I give you permission, as it says, ‘Then God said to Noah, Come out of the ark.” The Midrash then adds: “Said Rabbi Judah bar Ilai, If I had been there I would have smashed down [the doors of] the ark and taken myself out of it.”
The moral Rabbi Rabinovitch drew – indeed the only one possible – was that when it comes to rebuilding a shattered world, you do not wait for permission. God gives us permission. He expects us to go on ahead. This was, of course, part of an ancient tradition, mentioned by Rashi in his commentary (to Gen. 6: 9), and central to the sages’ understanding of why God began the Jewish people not with Noah but with Abraham. Noah, says the Torah, “walked with God” (6: 9). But God said to Abraham, “Walk on ahead of me …” (Gen. 17: 1). So the point was not new, but the drama and power of the Midrash were stunning.
Suddenly I understood that this is a significant part of what faith is in Judaism: to have the courage to pioneer, to do something new, to take the road less travelled, to venture out into the unknown. [...] Faith is precisely the courage to take a risk, knowing that “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Ps. 23: 4). It took faith to challenge the religions of the ancient world, especially when they were embodied in the greatest empires of their time. It took faith to stay Jewish in the Hellenistic age, when Jews and Judaism must have seemed small and parochial when set against the cosmopolitan culture of ancient Greece and the Alexandrian empire. [...]
In many cases – such is the fate of innovators – the people concerned had to face a barrage of criticism, disdain, opposition or disregard. You have to be prepared to be lonely, at best misunderstood, at worst vilified and defamed. [...] To be a pioneer – as Jews know from our history -- you have to be prepared to spend a long time in the wilderness. That was the faith of the early Zionists. [...] Some Zionists were religious, others were secular, but most importantly they all knew what the Midrash Tanhuma made so clear: when it comes to rebuilding a shattered world or a broken dream, you don’t wait for permission from Heaven. Heaven is telling you to go ahead. [...] Faith is the courage to take a risk for the sake of God or the Jewish people; to begin a journey to a distant destination knowing that there will be hazards along the way, but knowing also that God is with us, giving us strength if we align our will with His. Faith is not certainty but the courage to live with uncertainty.
If I may add, this message rings so true in these very uncertain times. We are seeing this response from the Jewish people all over - from those who voluntarily put themselves in harms way to protect their fellow Jews to those the world over who continue to jump at any opportunity to help and support in any way that they can. May we continue to have the courage and perseverance to endure through the challenges and uncertainty we face as a people and may our efforts, with G-d's help, quickly see us to salvation.
Hoping and praying for a Shabbat Shalom in every sense of the term, Rabbi Davies Rabbi@SOICherryHill.org
We are excited to be partnering with Mizrachi World Movement to provide their publication of HaMizrachi Parasha Weekly.
Congregational Meeting Notice There will be a congregational meeting on Thursday, October 19th at 7:30pm at SOI regarding the vote on Rabbi Davies' contract renewal. Please be aware that only members in good standing for both the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 years are eligible to vote. Voting will take place for 72 hours following the meeting and will be done online. You do not need to be present at the meeting to vote. It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet the above criteria and that Sons of Israel has the proper method for sending you your ballot.
To confirm your member in good standing status, you may contact Financial Secretaries Yaeli Sokolic at financialsecretary@soicherryhill.org or Michael Partnow at 609-760-9083. The email address for your ballot is the email address that is on file in your ShulCloud account.
Update on Bridge Between Knollwood & Baseball Field The Cherry Hill Township Engineering Department has been notified regarding the section of the bridge linking Knollwood Drive and the baseball field. They visited the site to assess the situation. The township is addressing the issue, and we will be kept informed of the progress. A special thank you goes out to Helen Baker for her dedicated efforts in managing this process.
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.
Lost and Found Someone mistakenly took Rabbi Bilinsky's Jos A Bank black raincoat . Please return it to the office as soon as possible. Thank you.
Thank you to Sarah Zanger, Gail Belfer, Maetal Henig & Yair Klein for helping with kiddush last week. Thank you to Yaakov Linder, Yaakov Zeffren, Eric Klein, Yair Klein and Malka Moskowitz for helping with seudah shlishit last week.
Thank you to The Bagel Bandits (Yaakov Linder, Michael Morgenstern, Elon Elisha), Steve Herzberg, Debbie Fineberg, Jeff Liss, Jeff Joseph, JFeds guards Bill and Paul and Sam Tilonsky for providing security on Shabbos.
Needed We are looking for several men and women to learn how to secure the sanctuary and direct an evacuation if necessary. Please contact Sam Tilonsky or Debbie Fineberg.
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 Debbie Friedner - Devorah Tzlotka bas Sarah Leah Robbie Friedner - Eliezer Ruvan ben Mordechi
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
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.
Shoprite Scrip Now Available SOI Office Monday-Friday 10-2 Yaeli Sokolic at ycsgraphix@gmail.com Flo Shulman at florence.shulman@gmail.com
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Congregation Sons of Israel 720 Cooper Landing Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
