Newslink for Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Av Parshat Matot-Masei (July 25th - July 26th)
07/24/2025 05:00:34 PM
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Announcements & Upcoming Events
Kiddush is sponsored by Brett Steenbarger in honor of Moshe Moskowitz and his wonderful teaching.
Seudah Shlishit is sponsored by Sandra Crass and Sharon Podrup in the yearly yarzeit of their beloved father, Pesach ben Mendel. Summer Women's Shiur Series: Shabbat afternoons at 5:30pm. Open to all women in the community! July 26th, given by Sharona Linetsky and hosted by Devorah Sachs - 334 Cherry Hill Blvd. For more information reach out to Suzie Lubin or Yehudeet Gore.
Gemara Shiur with Jeff Schwartz: Shabbat afternoon in the SOI Chapel 80 minutes before Mincha. Beginning a new chapter this week - a great time to join! Come join for an in depth study of Talmud.
VINTAGE Event - Monster Golf & Pizza Night: Wednesday, July 30th at 5:30pmat 2040 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill. Price is $25 per person. To register, Venmo and RSVP to Debbie Friedner at 609-315-6094. Don’t miss out on this monstrously good time!
Semichas Chaver Program: Wednesday evening, July 30th beginning five minutes after Maariv. Studying the laws of Brachot/Blessings, a very practical topic. Come and join this international program!
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.
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.
Rabbi Kelemen's Inner Circle: Sessions will resume on August 25th.
Schedule for the Weekend Please note - Rabbi Davies will be away this Shabbat!
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 Avraham Kovel entitled "The Secret to Lasting Blessings" which speaks to how we should best use the gifts we are given.
[...] After Israel's miraculous victories over the armies of Sichon and Og, the tribes of Reuben and Gad approach Moses with a request: "The land that God has conquered is a land for flocks, and your servants have great flocks. If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a holding; do not move us across the Jordan (into Israel)." (Numbers 32:4-5) Their argument appears sound[, y]et Moses responds with shocking intensity, comparing their request to the sin of the spies who had doomed their generation to wander for forty years. "Will your brothers go out to war while you stay here?" he demands. "Why do you dissuade the Israelites from crossing into the Land?!" What did Moses see in their request that we missed? The Torah gives us a subtle hint in its introduction to this episode: "Now the Children of Reuben and the Children of Gad had much livestock." This seemingly innocuous detail reveals everything.
In the words of the Midrash: God created three precious gifts in the world: wisdom, strength, and wealth. When received as divine gifts, they become the most desirable things in existence. But when someone snatches these gifts for themselves the gifts cannot endure. The tribes of Reuben and Gad made this exact mistake - they separated themselves from their brothers because of their animals and money. Therefore, their cities were devastated and they were the first to be exiled to foreign lands. Wealth has no permanence when the Holy One does not want it, since everything comes from God.
[...] “Money is a great servant but a terrible master” - Francis Bacon
I want to draw our attention to a fascinating detail in the Midrash: the tribes' wealth came from God through their military victories, yet the Midrash describes them as having "snatched it for themselves." How can the same wealth be both a divine gift and something stolen? The answer reveals a crucial principle: the same resource, even if received directly from God, can either be a divine gift or a spiritual liability, depending on how we use it. As the Midrash indicates, when wealth (or any blessing) serves as a means to fulfill God's will, it remains connected to its Source and endures. But when we turn it into an end in itself, we effectively cut it off from its Source – like a flower severed from its roots, destined to wither.
Divine gifts remain divine only when they lead us closer to God and community Moses saw this potential for destruction at its outset. He therefore gave the tribes of Reuben and Gad the harshest rebuke. Nonetheless, the tendency that Moses sought to uproot eventually played itself out. As the Midrash teaches, by prioritizing wealth above community and even their own children, they became the first tribes to be exiled from their land.
The message for us is clear: divine gifts remain divine only when they lead us closer to God and community. Take a moment now to conduct a personal inventory: Identify Your Gifts - List the gifts you've been blessed with, whether that be wealth, health, talents, looks, charisma, relationships, etc. Examine Their Purpose - For each gift, ask yourself: Am I using this primarily to serve myself or to serve God? Have I ever let this gift pull me away from community or higher priorities? [...] Remember: the true value and longevity of a gift lies not in its possession, but in its purpose. May we be successful in using our gifts to serve the highest purpose possible! 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.
2025-2026 membership dues! All past members should have received their new dues invoice by email. Please log into your Shulcloud account to set up payment. We are grateful to have you as members of our shul, and we appreciate your partnership with us in continuing to create meaningful experiences, enriching friendships, and opportunities for learning and growth. Please email financialsecretary@soicherryhill.org with any questions.
To maintain your member in good standing status, please be sure to either pay your balance in full, have your account set up for automatic monthly payments, or pay 50% of your dues by August 15th.
Additionally, all members in good standing are entitled to fobs for entry to the shul during weekday minyanim. Fobs will be reset on August 31st to be active for current members only. If you are a member and have not previously been issued a fob, please contact the office at officeadmin@soicherryhill.orgto obtain one.
If you are a new family and would like to become members of SOI please visit www.soicherryhill.org and complete the Membership Application Form.
Chulent Fund - We are at 32% Chulent at our weekly kiddish has become a valued and appreciated aspect of kiddush 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!
Kiddush: Volunteers wanted to help with Kiddush - preparation, set up, and clean up! Please contact Yaakov Linder 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 the volunteers who helped with last week's Kiddush.
Thank you to the volunteers who helped with last week's Seudah Shlishit.
Shabbos Water Thank you to Sandy Crass for sponsoring water this Shabbat
Thank you to Meir Miskin, David Mendelovitz, Aaron Rubenstein, Jeff Liss, Eytan Irwin, Debbie Fineberg, Sam Tilonsky and JFed Security Officer Bill DiCola for providing security on Shabbos. Security Volunteers Needed We are looking for people to help with Shabbos security. We have multiple positions available. Please contact Sam Tilonsky drsamod@gmail.com or Debbie Fineberg dfineberg2@gmail.com for information and to sign up.
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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