Newslink for Shabbat Nachamu / Parashat Va'etchanan
08/15/2024 05:01:09 PM
Aug15
Author
Date Added
Automatically create summary
Summary
Announcements & Upcoming Events
Seudah Shlishit & Teen Seudah Shlishit is sponsored by Duke McCarthy. Summer Women's Shiur Series: This Shabbat afternoon, August 17th at 4:30pm at the home of Mirel Adler - 327 Cherry Hill Blvd with speaker Ilana Weiss. Vintage Event - A Delightful Day at Grounds for Sculpture! Sunday, August 18th at 10:30am. Pack a picnic lunch and join us for an informal outing and walk through the beautiful Grounds for Sculpture. Explore nearly 300 contemporary sculptures set across 42 landscaped acres, and enjoy indoor exhibitions from both established and emerging artists in six galleries.
Semichas Chaver Program with Rabbi Davies: Wednesday, August 21st following Maariv (Approximately 8:00pm). Contact Rabbi Davies to participate or for more information. Women's Weekly Parsha Discussion: Wednesday evening, August 21st from 8:30-8:45pm. Join us on Zoom for a brief peer led discussion on the weekly parsha. Click Hereto Join the Zoom. Important Notice: SOI Office Manager Yael Israilov will be away from August 20th - August 25th. During this time, if you have any urgent matters or require assistance, please reach out to Chani Wiesman at president@soicherryhill.org or Heshy Chaitoff at copresident@soicherryhill.org.
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 Lord Jonathan Sacks Z"L entitled "The Infinite Game" which discusses the connection between the theory of one of my favorite books and a phrase in this week's Parsha.
[…R]eflections are prompted by two verses in today’s parsha: Be sure to keep the commandments, decrees, and laws that the Lord your God has enjoined upon you. Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord… (Deut. 6:17-18) The problem here is that the first verse seems to cover all 613 of the Torah’s mitzvot. They are commandments, decrees or laws. Why then does the Torah add, “Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord”? Surely doing what is right and good is no more and no less than keeping God’s commands, decrees and laws. Are these not two ways of saying the same thing?
However, as the Talmud explains: “And you shall do that which is right and good in the eyes of the Lord” means that one should not perform an action that is not right and good, even if he is legally entitled to do so. [...] Rashi [...] says that doing the right and good in the eyes of the Lord means “compromise, acting beyond the strict demands of the law.” Ramban agrees with this but goes on to make a fascinating and fundamental point: [...] Rashi is saying: keep the law and go beyond it. Ramban is saying that there are some things that cannot be specified by law: “because it is impossible to mention in the Torah all the details of people’s behaviour.” The Torah gives us specific examples: don’t gossip, don’t take revenge and so on. But the rest depends on the situation, the circumstances, and the person or people you are dealing with.
[...] Ramban’s point [...] (made also by the Maggid Mishneh) is that there are significant areas of the moral life that cannot be reduced to rules. That is because rules deal in generalities, and human lives are particular. We are all different. So is every situation in which we find ourselves. Good people know when to speak, when to be silent, when to praise, when to challenge. They hear the unspoken word, sense the concealed pain, focus on the other person rather than on themselves, and are guided by a deeply internalised moral sense that leads them instinctively away from anything less than the right and the good. [...]
I believe that we make a fundamental error when we think that all we need to know and keep are the rules governing interactions bein adam le-chavero, between us and our fellows. The rules are essential but also incomplete. We need to develop a conscience that does not permit us to wrong, harm or hurt someone even if the rules permit us to do so. The moral life is an infinite game which cannot be reduced to rules. We need to learn and internalise a sense of “the right and the good.”
Website Update: We are pleased to share that thanks to a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern New Jersey, SOI will be redesigning our website. As a ShulCloud-based site, updates take place in real time. This means that users will see updates to the design, navigation, and pages as they take place in all phases of the project, rather than only once the project is completed. It may take a few months for the website to display in its final form. We look forward to our site being easier to navigate for our members and better communicate what we offer to those seeking information about SOI. We appreciate your patience throughout this process!
Chulent Fund Chulent at our weekly kiddish has become a valued and appreciated aspect of kiddish for our community. Aside from a treat after davening, it helps create an environment of community and achdut.
In an effort to replenish the chulent fund, we are asking for your help. Please consider donating $36 or more to the "Chulent Fund". At full community participation, we will be able to have chulent at kiddush throughout the year. The success of this project will determine our ability to have chulent featured weekly at Kiddush. Click the link below to Donate! https://www.soicherryhill.org/form/Donate_CholentFund
**No Chulent This Week** We are still working towards our goal and have reached 40% of the way there. We are excited to bring back cholent regularly in September, or sooner if we hit our fundraising target. Let's come together and make it happen!"
Kiddush Sponsors Needed We are grateful to all of our kiddush sponsors! We do not have any kiddush sponsors signed up for the next upcoming weeks. Please consider sharing your celebrations with the community and signing up to sponsor kiddush so we can continue to have weekly kiddush for the community to share together.
Welcome to Aryeh and Chani Gurvich who have recently moved to Cherry Hill and become members of SOI
402 Saratoga Drive, Cherry Hill Estates. Less than a half mile walk from the surrounding area houses of worship. 4 Bedrooms & 2.5 Baths. Huge backyard (Pool, Swing Set, basketball court, etc.) Children’s amazing playground. Well maintained home for a family. Over 21 years in this home. We raised 3 beautiful children in this home. Please call Dr. Ray 215-913-1223. Price: $489,000 or OBO.
We regret to inform you of the passing of Barry Crass, Shmuel Beryl ben Dovid, Husband of Sandra Crass.
Sandy will be sitting Shiva at her home 3 Forge Lane Shiva Visiting Hours Thursday, and Sunday 11:00am - 5:00pm and 7:00 - 9:00pm Friday - 11:00am - 5:00pm
המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים May the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion & Jerusalem
Thank you to Debbie Friedner, Ilana Weiss, Shira Baratz, and Aharon Yeres for helping prepare last week's kiddush.
Thank you to Eric Klein, Jonathan Delman, Jeffrey Weiss, Matti Rosenberg, Ezra Newfeld, and Yaakov Zeffren for helping for helping with last weeks Seudah Shlishit.
Thank you to Red Squadron (Team 5 - Yaakov Zeffren, Meir Miskin, David Mendelovitz, Aaron Rubenstein, Blake Dougherty), Debbie Fineberg, Ken Panitch, Jeff Liss, JFed Security Officer Bob Dugan and Sam Tilonsky for providing security on Shabbos.
Perimeter Fence Replacement Beginning the week of August 19th, we will be replacing the left side of the SOI perimeter fence. Removal of the current structure and installation of the new fence will take approximately 2 days. The replacement of the right side will begin in 2-3 weeks.
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.
House of Kosher Donation Program SOI will automatically earn 2% of your total purchase when you use our code when checking out! SOI's code is 0720
(Think of our shul's address and add a "0" at the start!)
All submissions for the Newslink are due by noon on Wednesday
Reminder: If your mailing information has been changed, please update it on our website by logging on at soicherryhill.org If you know someone who is not receiving our weekly email, please let the office know. Regular Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 9:30am - 3:00pm (In-Office) Wednesday & Friday: 9:30am - 3:00pm (Remote)
Congregation Sons of Iarael 720 Cooper Landing Road Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08002
