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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 Shraga Simmons entitled "Down-to-Earth Spirituality" that gives us a perspective on how to engage with the Torah in all its detail, especially on this challenging day.
 
Last week's Parsha told of the dramatic giving of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. It was a spiritual trip so powerful that every Jew literally had an out-of-body experience. The ultimate "wow!" This week's follow-up, Mishpatim, is one of the longest Torah portions, containing an exhaustive list of over 50 separate mitzvot. Included are laws regarding kidnapping, personal injury and property damage, occult practices, helping the poor and vulnerable, returning lost objects, and alleviating the suffering of animals.

The juxtaposition between the two Parshas is striking: After the spiritual high of Mount Sinai, why would God "bring us down" (so to speak) with all these details of daily life? It's like being all heated up and then thrown into a cold shower. The two Parshas, it seems, are 180 degrees apart. Actually, they're two sides of the same coin. The spiritual high of Sinai is gratifying, but it doesn't solve one problem of the world in which we live. Spirituality is not achieved by meditating alone on a mountaintop or by learning in an out-of-the-way monastery. Jewish spirituality comes through grappling with the mundane world in a way that uplifts and elevates. Jews don't retreat from life, we elevate it. On Friday night, we raise the cup of wine – not to get drunk – but to make Kiddush and sanctify the Sabbath day. Spirituality, says Judaism, is to be found in the kitchen, the office, and yes, even the bedroom.

If that's true, why do we need Mount Sinai in the first place? Because a powerful spiritual experience is what jump-starts our engines. We've all had such a moment of insight – whether at a Discovery Seminar, or standing atop Masada. But that feeling lasts only a short time. [...S]ays Maimonides, one burst of inspiration may need to last for years. The many practical, everyday scenarios described in this week's parsha send a very clear message: To maximize a moment of insight, we must concretize it, allowing the spiritual insight to take root in the reality of our physical world. Thus after being commanded in last week's parsha "Thou shall not steal," this week's parsha describes how to prosecute a thief. The lofty level of yesterday is no guarantee we'll retain that level tomorrow. Only through the laws of daily life can we hope to transform ourselves and our world.

Modern society professes ideals of justice and compassion. Yet to what extent do these ideals find expression in everyday life? Do we always 'walk the walk'? The key is legislation. By legislating Mitzvot like returning lost objects and caring for the widow and orphan, the Torah builds a framework for profound personal transformation. This raises the whole issue of "letter of the law" versus "spirit of the law." "Letter of the law" is performing an act because it is prescribed by the Torah. "Spirit of the law" is performing an act because of an inner emotional sense. [...] "Doing" is more important than "feeling." This is one of the great lessons that Jews could teach in the post-'60s world which celebrates feelings. "How do you feel about it?" is not the Jewish question. "What do you do about it?" is the Jewish question.

[...] The opening line of this week's Parsha is Aileh hamishpatim asher tasim lefneyhem – which can be translated as "these are the laws which you should place inside of them." The Zohar explains that the ideals of Sinai must be internalized and absorbed into our very bones. Whenever we have a moment of insight and clarity, we must channel that energy into a concrete act of renewal and repair. That, the Torah tells us, is how we bring the heights of Sinai... down to earth.

We are all reeling from the news out of Eretz Yisrael today. The Bibas children were forced into the limelight by the devastating actions of our enemies. Through their unimaginable suffering they have become household names, which makes their loss all the more painful, heartbreaking, and unbearable. Through the pain, it is important for us to remember to carry on for them, to continue to live lives of meaning that their smiling faces have encouraged us to live over the past 500 days, to bring G-dliness down to earth even and especially in the darkest times. Yehi Zichram Baruch.

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.

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!

Do you enjoy small fix-it projects or just love helping out? We’re looking for friendly hands to assist with minor repairs, like sealing doors and patching up little gaps. No special skills needed! Just a willingness to pitch in and help make a difference! If you’d like to help, please reach out to Dan Malamud or Oriel Weinberg. We truly appreciate it!

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 Dan Malamud and Avi Rynderman for their help in addressing another tree that fell down on SOI property after the wind storm this past week.

Mazal Tov to Michael and Marcy Partnow, Avi and Aliza Sadiky, and Allen and Debbie Fineberg on being named as honorees at this year's SOI Annual Gala taking place on June 9th.

Mazal tov to Rafi and Tovah Kurlansik and family on the bar mitzvah of their son, Benjamin! 

Thank you to Don Becker, Rachael Shuster, Mordecai Krumbein, Brittany Yeres, Mayer Miltz all from Seal Team 6, Debbie Fineberg, Sam Tilonsky and JFed Security Officer Bill DiCola for providing security on Shabbos.

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