Weekly Newslinks

Announcements & Upcoming Events

Schedule for the Weekend

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 Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein entitled "What Story Do You Tell?" about the importance of how we percieve our life experience.

[...I]n many ways, storytelling is what makes us human. Our sages refer to the human being as the medaber, "the speaker". Animals also communicate with one another through sounds and gestures, but it is human beings alone who construct narratives and interpret events. This could be what our sages meant when they described the human being as the medaber – the speaker.

Interpreting events and constructing narratives about our lives is something we all do, all the time. Things happen to us – the basic, factual elements of a story – but as humans, we have unique perspectives that determine how a story is relayed, which give shape and meaning to our experiences. [...] Positive and negative experiences happen to us all the time, but it is within our power to construct the narrative around these experiences. We make a choice every day about how we tell the story of our lives, whether we construct a narrative that is pessimistic, or choose to be optimistic in how we see life. To construct a positive narrative is not to deny the pain or the difficulties – it is to frame those experiences in a broader context, appreciating our blessings and finding meaning even in the darkness.

The sages of the Talmud highlight an episode from this week's Torah portion, Vayigash, to emphasise the importance of constructing a positive narrative. In the wake of famine, Jacob and his family journey to Egypt where they join Jacob's son, Joseph, who has risen up the ranks to become viceroy of Egypt, and is shepherding the country's economy through the years of famine. The episode in question sees Joseph introducing Jacob to Pharaoh. When Pharaoh asks him about his life, Jacob responds: "Few and bad were the days of the years of my life." (Bereishit 47:3)

The Talmudic sages are critical of Jacob's negativity. Of course, Jacob was greater than we can begin to understand, but let's understand this. Jacob indeed objectively had a very difficult existence. [...] His entire life is a study in trauma, so you could say he is entirely justified in reflecting on those experiences with an element of sadness. Yet our sages say that even under such circumstances, we need to find a way to maintain a positive outlook. This does not mean repressing the pain and difficulty we've endured – it's important that we let it out, relay it and not bottle it up. But maintaining a positive outlook means seeing the big picture, counting our blessings, appreciating our lives in a holistic sense – not allowing negativity to overwhelm the narrative. Obviously, the sages of the Talmud make this point not to be critical of Jacob, but rather to teach us how to live. [...]

But the power of narrative goes beyond positivity and negativity. Storytelling has the capacity to transform our lives, to make everything we do meaningful; it can tell us who we are and why we are here. And this is the true power of the Torah. [...] God created each of us with a purpose. He created us for the purpose of doing good, doing mitzvot, making the world a better place. Living in accordance with our higher calling means living a life that is ethical and upright, a life filled with compassion and kindness, a Godly life in which everything we do – even the most mundane undertaking – is infused with sanctity and significance. This is the life set out by the Torah. [...] 

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.

A silver watch was recently found in the front lobby.  

Please contact Sam Tilonsky to claim this item if it is yours.

Welcome to Adam & Alison Kaye and family
who have moved to Cherry Hill this week.

Your text goes here!

CHOLIM:

Gavriel Yehuda ben Chaya Sarah 
David Partnow - David Avram ben Tilla Razel 
Aaron Moshe ben Ruth
Chayim Gedalya haLevi ben Henya
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
​​​​​​​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 Tzvika Herschel
Akiva Noam ben Yael Chana
Mordechai Avrohom ben

Malka Yocheved

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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Below is a listing of the names of Israeli Soldiers connected to our community that we have collected thus far:

Avigdor Yosef ben Aviva Rachel-Leah
Tzvi Yehuda ben Aviva Rachel-Leah
Chaim yehoshu Ben shifra cherna
Avraham Yehuda Ben shifra cherna
Alter Ben-Zion Ben Shifra Cherna
Mordichai yisroel ben Yocheved Mina Esther
דוד יעקב בן עטיא
​​​​​​​חיים ברוך בן עטיא
Tamir Chaim Shmuel ben Haizel Rut
עזרא גבריאל בן לאה
אביה בן עינת
Gal ben Orit
Alon ben Orit
Adi bat Orit
Matan ben Irit
Aryeh Yisroel ben Sarah Miriam
עודד בן חוה
אבישי בן בת שבע
Gil ben Alice
Nitzan bat Tovale
Hallel bat Tovale
Yedidyah Yisroel ben Nissa Yehudit
Simcha Mayer ben Perel
טל בן דרורה
נועה בת דרורה
אורי בן דרורה

Asher Raphael Ben Devorah Bracha
Yisrael Yitzchak ben Shafrira Ninah
Yair Eitan ben Orit Piri
Ariel Zev ben

Rina Chaya
Tal Bat Nomi
Nitsan Bat Nomi
Uri Ben Bilha
Pinchas ben Rivkah Itta
Daniel Yair ben

Mina Mirrel
Tzvi Matityahu ben Mina Mirrel
Shmuel ben

Sara Raisel
Ephraim ben

Sara Raisel
אורן בן יהודית
אלידן בן חוה
אורן חנן בן מלכה מנדל
Daniel ben Chava
Elad ben Anat
Pe'er bat Carmit
Finn ben Rachel
Porat ben Gelilah
Daniel ben Ahuva
Clil Or bat Shlomit
רבקה פניה בת ציפורה
Yitzchak ben Esther

Yaakov Yonatan

ben Chana
Gideon ben Tamar
Avichai ben Hila
Elana Noa bat

Rachel Chana

Dovid ben Malka
Yonatan Asher Dov Ben Chana Bracha
Eran ben shoshana
Ohad ben Orna
Yiftach ben Malka
Boruch ben Miri
שחר הושמנד בן דבורית
אשר שרגא בן לאה אסתר
Yosef Ben Elisheva
Meir Yisrael ben Devorah Kayla
Michael ben

Leorah Yaffa
Gilad ben Sarit
Ariel ben Sarit
Yair ben Iris
Sroya ben Chana
Oriel ben Chana
אליאסף בן אורנה
Tov ben Maya
Ram Yosef ben Rivka
Maayan ben Gaya
Yonadav ben Chana
Uriah Shmuel

ben Denise
Yakir ben

Ghislaine Chaya Chava
Adiv Channan ben Ghislaine Chaya Chava
Nadav Gavriel ben Ghislaine Chaya Chava
Shai ben

Ghislaine Chaya Chava
Yaniv ben Izavel
Yochai Avraham

ben Izavel

If you have names to add to this list, please click the link to fill out the form - https://forms.gle/VxGUncLvHqSHptpd8

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Congregation Sons of Iarael
720 Cooper Landing Road
Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08002