Weekly Newslinks

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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 from an article by Rabbi Shraga Simmons entitled "Individuality Within Sturcture" that talks about the reason for the repetitive nature of this week's Parsha.

[...] Often we hear a complaint about Judaism: "How can I find my unique expression in a system that is so bound by rules and structure?" Consider the game of basketball: The rules state that a player must dribble and not run with the ball. He is restricted from hitting other players. He must shoot within an allotted time. And he must always stay in-bounds. There are so many rules and limitations – he even has to wear a uniform!

But as every basketball fan knows, it is this structure that produces the greatest personal expression. Michael Jordan's greatness is because of what he can do within the rules. It is those very rules which give him discipline and direction.

The same is true with Torah. We have structured prayer because that gives us the framework to truly express ourselves. The words, precisely crafted by prophets, are the vessels which we fill with our own personal thoughts and feelings. Imagine the prayer book as the sheet music, our soul as the symphony, and each of us as the conductor. The music we make is beautiful and unique. Through the rules comes liberation.

We can now understand an interesting Midrash in this week's parsha. God says: "The offerings of the princes are as beloved to me as the song the Jewish people sang at the Red Sea." (The Midrash derives this from the identical word "zeh," used in both references, Exodus 15:2 and Numbers 7:17.)

At the Red Sea, 3 million men, women and children, witnessed the miraculous splitting of the Sea, as the verse says, "This is my God and I will glorify Him."
But shouldn't the verse say, "This is OUR collective God"? No. Millions of individuals saw the same thing, but each experienced it differently, as "my personal God." Hence the Midrash draws the comparison: Just as the Red Sea was a unique personal experience, so too each of the princes brought a unique personal offering. [...]

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.

New Jersey Legislature

The NJ Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee will hear S1292 and S2937, two bills to address antisemitism in
New Jersey, this Monday, June 17th at 9am. 
This will be a VIRTUAL MEETING. 
As such, ANYONE WHO WISHES TO TESTIFY MUST REGISTER BY
3PM ON FRIDAY, JUNE 14TH.  

If you would like to testify:
 Fill out the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee Registration Form. 
 Select June 17th on the calendar and click on the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee for the registration link.  Please check the box “Do you wish to testify?” on the Registration Form.  Testimony will be limited to 3 minutes.
You can also submit testimony electronically in lieu of oral testimony to:  OLSAideSSG@njleg.org

  The live proceedings may be viewed here https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/

Thank you to everyone who made Shavuos special at SOI. A full list of names will go out next week.

Thank you to Vicki Miltz, Sabrina Spector, and Neely Elisha for helping prepare last week's kiddush, and to Joyce Joseph for shopping.
​​​​​​​
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 The Bagel Bandits, Team 3 (Yaakov Levinson, Yaakov Linder, Matti Rosenberg, Michael Morgenstern, Dan Eisenstein), Eytan Irwin, Ken Panitch, Debbie Fineberg, JFed Security Officer Bill DiCola and Sam Tilonsky for providing security on Shabbos.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help provide security on Shavuot.  The list of individuals will be published in a future NewsLink.

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