Newslink for Parshat Beshalach (February 7th - February 9th)
02/06/2025 05:01:35 PM
Feb6
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Announcements & Upcoming Events
8AM Kiddush is sponsored by Shaya and Leah Gindoff for Yaakov Linder's birthday.
Kiddush is sponsored by Harvey & Sharon Chaitoff and Rabbi Marty & Sheila Nashofer in honor of the birth of their new granddaughter to their children Heshy and Aliza.
Birthdays at the Shul with Family Seudah Shlishit: Shabbat, February 8th at 5:20pm in the SOI Kiddush room celebrating December, January and February Birthdays. Come join your friends & celebrate your birthdays together.Click Here to have your birthday announced or to sponsor. Gemara Shiur with Jeff Schwartz: SPECIAL DATE & TIME Shabbat afternoon at 3:30pm in the SOI Chapel. There will be no Shiur this coming Sunday evening. Come join for an in depth study of Talmud.
Rabbi Kelemen's Inner Circle:Monday evenings at 8:00pm, February 17th Video presentation with Rabbi Kelemen. February 10th & 24th review sessions with Rabbi Davies.You can attend one, the other, or both. Missed the first sessions? Click here to receive Rabbi Kelemen's first few presentations. Please note that, starting with the January sessions, Rabbi Kelemen presentations will only be available at the Monday evening screening for free or through paid subscription. Monday evening sessions with Rabbi Davies remain free of charge.
Semichas Chaver Program: Topic: Business Law, Wednesday, February 12th at 8:00pm. Contact Rabbi Davies to participate or for more information.
Women's Weekly Parsha Discussion: Wednesday evening, February 12th 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.
Coffee with the Rabbi: Whether you have a burning question, seek guidance, or just want to chat, this is the perfect opportunity. Secure a cup of coffee (or tea), and your 30-minute one-on-one slot for a conversation with Rabbi Davies. Click here to reserve your slot. VINTAGE Melave Malka: Saturday, February 22, at 7:30pm at the Raush Home. Hosted by Helene & David Raush and coordinated with Moshe & Malka Moskowitz. Join us for great food, great company, and singing. RSVP at Raushfamily@comcast.net and Click here to sign up to bring a dish.
Women's Open Mic Night at SOI: Sunday, February 23rd at 7:30pm.Share your talents or just come to watch and have a fun night out! Light refreshments will be served. Tickets are $5 in advance by February 20th at 6pm or $10 at the door subject to availability. Performers must be at least bat mitzvah age and register by February 9th. Click Here to sign up. For more information contact Michelle Goldstein at michellegoldstein6@gmail.com.
Join the Shnayim Mikra Initiative! Become part of our expanding group dedicated to daily study of the weekly Parsha. Choose between in-person morning sessions or follow along with recordings on WhatsApp. Click here to join the WhatsApp group. For more information contact Rabbi Davies.
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 Eitiel Goldwicht entitled "The Bitter and the Sweet" about what happened at Marah and why it was called by that name.
Names – of a place or a person – are significant in Judaism. In Hebrew the word for name is “Shem”, which is the root of the word Neshama, soul, because a name of a person or place represents their essence. In this week’s Torah portion, right after the inspiring splitting of the Red Sea and the outpour of singing from the men and women of Israel, the Torah tells us an interesting story. “Moses led Israel away from the Red Sea, and they went out into the desert of Shur; they walked for three days in the desert but did not find water. They came to Marah, but they could not drink water from Marah because it was bitter; therefore, it was named Marah.” (Shemot, 15, 22)
The name Mara means bitter, so it seems very simple, the place was called Mara bitter because it’s waters were bitter. I believe that Jewish wisdom is teaching us a deeper lesson here as well. [...]
The Jews were finally free! The sea just split, the Egyptians drowned, and they survived. It’s all over, they are never going back, and they have everything going for them. Yet three days go by and they start complaining. They themselves became bitter, and that’s what led them to a bitter place. How many times do we enter a bitter state of mind instead of focusing on the big picture and understanding the blessings we have in our lives?
The verse describes how they came to Mara, and they couldn’t drink from the water, because they were bitter. Perhaps the Torah is hinting that they were bitter, not just the water. That is why the remedy of sweetening of the water was through a bitter tree, to illustrate that sweetness is not a result of sweet things happening to us all the time, rather a shift in our mindset, a focus on the blessings in our lives. [...] Yes, there are hardships and challenges, but many times the bitterness and focus on the negativity, that itself is what makes certain situations bitter. Jewish wisdom teaches us: focus on the big picture, on the great things we have in our lives life, then even the bitterness of the tree can turn the bitter water and make them sweet.
Join Our Team: Event Manager Wanted! SOI is looking to hire a friendly and organized per diem Event Manager to oversee and assist with various events, such as Bar/Bat Mitzvot, parties, graduations..etc. This position involves being on-site to ensure everything runs smoothly—from coordinating with office staff and renters to making sure the building is set up and ready before and after each event. You’ll also help with any on-site needs, work closely with caterers, and warmly greet guests as they arrive. This is a paid position. If you’re interested, or to learn more, please reach out to Heshy Chaitoff at CoPresident@soicherryhill.org
Volunteers Wanted! Purim is on its way! We are looking for volunteers to help with the annual Mishloach Manot campaign. Please reach out to Oze and Maetal Henig, Chani or Heshy for more information or to volunteer.
SOI Gala: We are looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of the SOI Gala. Please reach out to Chani or Heshy to get involved!
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!
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with last week's Kiddush.
Thank you to the volunteers who helped with last week's Seudah Shlishit.
Thank you to Anna Schwartz, Marnie Rubenstein, and Naama Weiss for running our Mitzvah project at Community Mitzvah Day at the Federation last Sunday. Thank you to Lainie Fastman for providing a stimulating book discussion and to Susan & Yaakov Bagley for coordinating and hosting the Vintage event this past Sunday.
Mazal tov to Heshy & Aliza Chaitoff, family, and grandparents Harvey and Sharon Chaitoff on the birth of a baby girl!
Mazal tov Rabbi Hirsch and Talia Hollander on the birth of a baby boy! Shalom Zachor will be at the Hollander home 416 Hialeah Dr, Friday at 8:15pm Brit Milah will be on Saturday morning at 11:30am at the Hollander home.
Thank you to everyone who provided security on Shabbos especially with the difficulties encountered because of the power outage.
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!)
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