CORRECTED Newslink for Shabbat Parasha Noach (October 24th - October 26th)
10/24/2025 10:01:02 AM
Oct24
Author
Date Added
Automatically create summary
Summary
Please note that Rabbi Davies will be away from Monday, October 27th, through Sunday, November 2nd. Rabbi Davies will be somewhat limited in his communication due to travel and the time difference, but he will be checking WhatsApp and Email periodically throughout his trip.
Announcements & Upcoming Events
Kiddush is sponsored by Donna and Robert Moskowitz in memory of their daughter, Esther Chava Nechama, may her neshamah have an aliyah.
Seudah Shlishit is sponsored by Judy and Steve Herzberg in memory of Steve's mother, Shirley Herzberg, on the occasion of her Yahrzeit. Women's Halacha Shiur: Thursday, October 23rd at 8:00pm in the SOI Chapel. Studying the Laws of Shabbat with Rabbi Davies. Gemara Shiur with Jeff Schwartz: Sunday evenings at 7:30pm in the SOI Chapel. Come join for an in depth study of Talmud.
Community Mitzvah Day at New Camden Cemetery: Sunday, October 26 from 11:00am - 1:00pm. Volunteers are encouraged to join in refurbishing the Jewish sections of New Camden Cemetery. Participating in this Volunteer Mitzvah Day event will be three groups of teens, including a group from Sons of Israel. Adults and teens from the broader Jewish community are welcome to attend as well! Teens must be accompanied by adults. All volunteers must complete this registration form. Learn more about the cemetery here: jcfsnj.org/ncc. For questions, please contact Jewish Community Foundation Assistant Director Mike Staff at 856-673-2528 or mstaff@jfedsnj.org.
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.
Rabbi Kelemen's Inner Circle:Sessions will re-start on November 3rd. Join SOI's very own Mussar Vaad, studying Rav Shlomo Wolbe's Alei Shor and working on improving ourselves. Monday evenings at 8pm.
Semichas Chaver Program:Session will resume November 5th. Wednesdays at 8pm. Starting a new and exciting topic: Studying the laws of Basar B'Chalav. Come and join this international program!
Bnei Akiva Middle School Friday Night Oneg: All 6th - 8th graders are welcome to join for a Friday Night Oneg on November 7th from 7:45 pm - 9:15 pm at the Yeres Home - 22 Knollwood.
Be Your Own Advocate - Bikur Cholim Event: Wednesday, November 12th at 7:30pm. Join us for a public health lecture organized by Cherry Hill Bikur Cholim at SOI, with speaker Bob Kieserman. Light refreshments will be served.
Kids Musical Havdallah: Motzai Shabbat Saturday, November 15th. Geared towards ages 0-10, but all are welcome.
Vintage Event - Mosaic Craft Workshop: Thursday, November 16th at SOI. Unleash your creativity at our Mosaic Craft Workshop, led by the talented Rena Fruchter! Join for an evening of artistic fun as you design your own mosaic mirror. Early bird rate - $25 until October 30th. After, price is $36. To RSVP, call/text Joyce Joseph at 609-471-2770. Scholar in Residence - Friday Night Dinner with Rabbanit Noa Lewis: Friday, November 21st at 5:30pm at SOI. Inspirational presentation sharing Torah and experiences from Israel, following dinner. Childcare will be provided during the talk. Click here to register for Friday night dinner, registration deadline is 11/12. Generously sponsored by the Zichron Aryeh Visiting Scholar Series Fund.
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. With the new cycle, we've added a ten minute review of Rashi's commentary on the daily Aliyah. Click here to join the WhatsApp group. For more information contact Rabbi Davies.
Shabbat, October 25: Noach (Cheshvan 3) 8:00am 8AM Minyan 8:30am Sephardic Minyan 9:00am Main Sanctuary Minyan 10:00am Youth Groups 10:02am Latest Shema 10:30am Tot Shabbat 5:30pm Teen Minyan 5:30pm Mincha 5:55pm Seudah Shlishit 6:45pm Maariv 6:48pm Havdalah
Sunday, October 26 (Cheshvan 4) 7:00am Shacharit 8:00am Shacharit 5:45pm Mincha/Maariv 7:30pm In Depth Gemara Shiur
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 Stephen Baars entitled "This is Boring!" that shares a novel perspective on Noach and the flood with a central lesson on how we approach meaning in life.
[...] "Man is exceedingly gifted at taking any aspect of life and turning it into a habit." (Rav Noah Weinberg) It is equally evident that there are no aspects of meaninglessness to which human beings won't apply great thought. Marriage, children, friends and family are engaged with numbing routine. Yet we read books, discuss ad-infinitum, think and rethink our work, our exercise, our diet, our clothes and even our dishes. Do you think these two phenomena are related? In other words, to the degree we obsess with making the meaningless meaningful, we in turn, make the meaningful meaningless. [...]
Noah's Ark was gigantic - about the size of a football field. The great flood was coming and God told Noah to build it to save himself and the future. The project took Noah 120 years of hard work. People came from far and wide to ask Noah what it all meant. Noah told them of the coming destruction. Nobody listened and many in fact ridiculed him. Noah was subject to tremendous alienation and social pressure. The Midrash says that people even wanted to kill him for building the Ark. However, when the waters finally came, a curious thing happened, Noah hesitated to enter the Ark. He wasn't ready to be saved through the very means he'd labored so hard to build. It was not until the waters came in great torrents that Noah finally entered the Ark. (Rashi - Genesis 7:7)
What happened? Anything, and more importantly, everything, when done repeatedly, can become boring. The more familiar, the less thought. At one time, driving was exciting. At one time eating was fun. There is an endless supply of examples. Look at your own life and see how many things you do that at one time you thought were thrilling. It means that the things you think would be thrilling are just as boring if done repeatedly.
"In of itself, nothing is meaningful except change, and changes are only meaningful when things stay the same." There are two types of changes, the ones that happen on the outside. Those occur when we move, do something different, drive a new car, etc. Those kind of changes don't make any difference: "The more things change the more they stay the same." (Alphonse Karr) Listen carefully to what Mr. Karr is telling us: The more things stay the same, the more they change. When we don't distract ourselves, then we think about what is really important. Anything meaningful needs repeating, and in the repetition, it will become more meaningful. The less we change on the outside the better we become on the inside.
Unless of course, we don't want to. There is a simple word for when we don't want to deal with a life filled with meaningful acts: boredom. You can be bored teaching the illiterate, feeding the poor, learning about life, even saving the world. That is, if you let it become a habit. Habit is not limited to saving the world. Marriage can never be boring if you face the inner challenges you would rather avoid. Anything and everything can be a habit, with disastrous effects. [...] 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.
Volunteers Wanted! Volunteers wanted to help with Kiddush - preparation, set up, and clean up! Please contact Yaakov Linder to get involved. _____________
Looking for someone to help with an organizing project in the shul. Please reach out to Chani Wiesman if this is your area of expertise and you may be willing to help out! _____________
Volunteers are needed to help with a Kitchen project. Please contact Debbie Fineberg with questions or to get involved.
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.
Thank you to Aharon Yeres, Avi Rynderman, Baila Silverman, Andy Rauer, Shlomo Aronoff, Debbie Fineberg, Stuart Reiter and JFED Security Officer Bill DiCola for providing security on Shabbos.
Reflective Belts Please return any reflective belts that are not being used. They can be deposited in the box in the lobby in front of the Holocaust Memorial. Returning the reflective belts allows us to reuse them each year to help keep everyone safe.
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.
