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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 from an article by Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman entitled "Unified Diversity" which elaborates on the contemporary message behind the beginning of the Tochecha.

[...] The beginning of this week's Torah portion delineates the details of a census that God commanded Moses to take of the Jewish males over the age of twenty. The numbers presented are divided by the different tribes and the specific formation that the tribes took in the desert is described as well. The first verse communicates the exact date that God spoke to Moses, namely, the first day of the second month of the second year after they were taken out of Egypt. Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky asks, why is that they waited until the second year to take this census and create the tribal formations? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to do this in the first year?

Rabbi Kamenetsky explains that there is a danger inherent in the tribalism that is presented in this week's Torah portion. Separating by groups and standing behind flags creates an us-versus-them mentality. When people stand in groups behind their own flags, they will favor their own group and be hostile to the other groups. One way to overcome this natural human tendency is to create a unifying, superordinate goal. In our case, that is the function of the Torah. Only with the Torah in the center can we attempt to create a healthy, cooperative group dynamic. Only with the mishkan, the tabernacle, in the center of the formation could the tribes march around in their own group.

This is why God waited until the second year, after the Torah was given and after the mishkan became the epicenter. Only then was the danger of having different tribes mitigated. [...]

As we prepare for Shavuot, may we merit finding our own unique voices and contributions to the Jewish people, while not allowing these differences to create divisiveness. This can be accomplished if our focal point is serving God, not ourselves or our groups, and then we can stand unified in heart and mind as we accept the Torah.

Hoping and praying for a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Davies
Rabbi@SOICherryHill.org

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

Thank you to Sarah Zanger, Ilana Mindel, Amelia Kaye, Oze Henig and the kids for helping prepare last week's kiddush, to Suzie Mindel for shopping, and to
​​​​​​​Tamar Wiener for making the cholent.
​​​​​​​
Thank you to Eric Klein, Jonathan Delman, Yaakov Zeffren, Aaron Zeffren,
Jeffrey Weiss, Matti Rosenberg, Yaakov Linder, Aaron Yeres, and
Ezra Newfeld for helping with last weeks Seudah Shlishit.

Thank you to Adam Shulman, Jeff Liss, Robbie Friedner, Eytan Irwin, Rachael Shuster, Debbie Fineberg, JFed Security Officer Bill DiCola and Sam Tilonsky for providing security on Shabbos.

Security Volunteer Needed
Team 7 needs one (1) person to complete the team.  The open position is at 9:00am.  Please consider donating 30 minutes of your Shabbos or Yom Tov to participate in our security program. Contact Sam Tilonsky (drsamod@gmail.com) or Debbie Fineberg (dfineberg2@gmail.com) to volunteer.

We’re Building Team 8
Only three (3) more people are needed to complete Team 8. That means we are 50% of the way there. This will be the last team we will be putting together of our security volunteers.  

Once completed, thanks to all of our fantastic volunteers, each team will only have security duty every 8 weeks. Contact Debbie Fineberg
or Sam Tilonsky to volunteer.

The names below have been added to the Cholim list

Menachem Gershon Ben Shoshana Malka

The names below have been added to the Chayalim list

Yaakov Moshe ben Chana Raizel
Yitzchak Netanel ben Aliza Chaya
Eitan Baruch ben Nechama Malka
Aryeh Shlomo ben Syma Rosa
Gavriel Yonatan ben Eris
Yaakov Shmuel ben Faiga Tzipora

A complete list of Cholim and Chayalim that have been submitted to SOI can be  www.soicherryhill.org/cholim-chayalim
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