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Can Science Prove G-d? Find Out This Shabbos - PHOTOS

Friday, August 28, 2026 - 2:03 PM

New Year. New Beginning.

School is back, routines are starting again, and Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner. What better way to get ready than with a meaningful and uplifting Shabbos together?

This Shabbos, join us for a special Community Shabbaton with Rabbi Yechiel Krisch, “When Science Meets Ultimate Power.” Friday night we will explore Can Science Prove G-d? and at Shabbos lunch, The Nuclear Question, looking at nuclear power through a Torah lens.

And we cannot have a complete Shabbaton without YOU!

A heartfelt thank you to our Shabbaton sponsors: the Benjaminov Family, in honor of the community; the Pfrenger Family and Daniel Casslasy in memory of Yona David ע״ה ben Yaffa; the Mesulati Family, in memory of Fortuna bat Gemila; and the Van Dam Family, for a refuah shleima for Moshe ben Arieh.

Looking forward to having you join us this Shabbos! www.chabaduptown.org/shabbaton

Rabbi Chaim & Chanie Lazaroff

THE COHEN CORNER
The way to love anything is to realize it may be lost.

The tribe of Levi always occupied a unique place within the Jewish people. They were set aside for Divine service and Torah study, and while every other tribe would receive a portion of the Land of Israel, the tribe of Levi would not. “Hashem is their inheritance.” That distinction could easily leave an ordinary Jew wondering whether closeness to Hashem really belonged to everyone equally. So when Moshe, on the final day of his life, gave the Torah scroll specifically to the tribe of Levi, the Jewish people objected. We also stood at Sinai. The Torah is ours too. Moshe was thrilled. Their protest revealed that Judaism had become personal to them. They could no longer tolerate the thought that Torah might belong more to someone else than to themselves.

This message begs us to reflect: What really matters to us? The answer is often found less in what we say and more in where we express passion, what we participate in regularly, and what we make room for even when life gets busy. Where does Judaism fit into that picture? Do we approach Shabbat dinner as something meaningful that we want to be part of, or as a burden to fit in when convenient? The Jews in the desert cared enough to protest when they feared Torah might not fully belong to them. Their reaction challenges us to do the same.

Have a fantastic Shabbos!

Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka and Mendel Cohen

Chabad of Uptown looks forward to celebrating the holidays with you. Our doors are to the entire Jewish community to daven and to celebrate, regardless of background or affiliation. For the complete schedule of services, to RSVP for holiday dinners or lunches, visit www.chabaduptown.org/services.

Now is also the time to join or renew your voluntary membership to Chabad. Your partnership allows us to provide free, open and welcoming services to all, for the holidays and year round! www.chabaduptown.org/membership

CHABAD IN PHOTOS:

A beautiful evening of food, friendship and inspiration as women from across Houston gathered for our annual Pre Rosh Hashana Cooking Demo. We enjoyed delicious recipes, great company and meaningful ideas to help us prepare for a sweet and meaningful New Year. CLICK FOR PHOTOS
Residents at Brookdale Galleria got into the Rosh Hashana spirit with a special Honey Cake Bake. Together we mixed, baked and shared the sweetness of the upcoming New Year, along with warm conversation, Jewish tradition and plenty of smiles CLICK FOR PHOTOS

THIS WEEK AT CHABAD:

Friday, August 28, 8:30 PM and Shabbos, August 29, 1:00 PM – Community Shabbaton: When Science Meets Ultimate Power with Guest Rabbi Yechiel Krisch - Explore a rational case for G-d and a Torah perspective on nuclear power over Friday night dinner and Kiddush lunch. RSVP required. www.chabaduptown.org/shabbaton
Shabbos, August 29, 9:00 am - Likkutei Torah - Kabbala of the Parsha - Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's Masterworks on the weekly Parsha.
Monday, Aug. 31, 7:00 pm – Building a New Day Benefit Dinner – Celebrate nearly 50 years of Jewish education in Houston, honor community leaders, and help launch the next chapter of the Chabad Lubavitch Educational Campus. BuildingANewDay.com
Tuesday, September 1, 12:00 pm - Lunch & Learn: Tehillim, Faith in Uncertain Times - RSVP at chabaduptown.org/lunch.
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00 PM – Grand Challah Bake - A pre-Rosh Hashanah evening of braiding, bonding and live music. A joint partnership of the Chabad centers in Uptown, Bellaire and Medical Center. RSVP at GrandChallahBake.com
Wednesday, September 2, 8:00 pm - YJP Dinner, Class & Social
Thursday, September 3, 8:00 pm - Evening Chassidus
Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 pm - September First Fridays: Sweet & Sour Shabbat - Join Young Jewish Professionals for a Sweet & Sour themed Shabbat dinner at YJP Houston with great food, new friends, and a lively Shabbat atmosphere. www.yjphouston.org/sweetsour

HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES & EVENTS:
www.chabaduptown.org/celebrate

Fri.-Sun., Sept. 11-13 - FREE Rosh Hashana Services, RSVP for Dinner and Luncheons
Sun.-Mon., Sept. 20-21 - Yom Kippur Services and Break Fast
Fri. & Sat. Sept. 25 & 26, 7 pm - Community Sukkot Dinners Under the Stars
Tues. Sept. 29, 12 pm - Sukkot Lunch & Learn - Enjoy an upscale lunch in the Sukkah with like-minded friends for a spirited Torah class and meaningful discussion.
Tues. Sept. 29, 7 pm - Sukkot Men's Social: Sushi & Scotch in the Sukkah - Join us in the Sukkah for a relaxed guys’ night with fresh sushi, a great selection of Scotch, and plenty of good company. Enjoy a l’chaim, catch up with friends, meet some new faces, and spend a great Sukkos evening together under the schach..
Thursday, October 1, 6:30 pm - Smoke, Mirrors & Sukkot w/ YJP, YAD & Olami - Join young professionals in their twenties and thirties for an evening of magic, dinner, drinks and joy in the Sukkah under the Stars! www.yjphouston.org
Friday, Oct. 2 6:45 pm - YJP October First Fridays Shemini Atzeres Edition - Simchas Torah warm-up brief dancing and dinner in the sukkah
Shabbos. Oct. 3 12:15 pm - Shemini Atzeret Yizkor with special Service to Honor the Memory of the Oct. 7 massacre
Shabbos, Oct. 3, 6:45 pm - Saturday Night ALIVE! Simchat Torah Uptown - Dance like a Star!

SHABBOS PARSHAS KI SAVO

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, ELUL 15
7:30 pm Mincha & Shabbat Services
7:31 pm Shabbos Candle Lighting
RSVP for Shabbat Dinner with Guest Rabbi Yechiel Krisch chabaduptown.org/shabbaton
Topic: Can Science Prove G-d?
Shabbaton Sponsored by the Benjaminov Family, in honor of the community; the Pfrenger Family and Daniel Casslasy in memory of Yona David ע״ה ben Yaffa; the Mesulati Family, in memory of Fortuna bat Gemila; and the Van Dam Family, for a refuah shleima for Moshe ben Arieh

SHABBOS, AUGUST 29, ELUL 16
9:00 am Chassidus
10:00 am Services
Shabbos Lunch Kiddush & Farbrengen with Guest Rabbi Yechiel Krisch
Topic: The Nuclear Question
7:30 pm Mincha
Ethics of our Fathers, Chapter 3 & 4
8:24 pm Maariv, Havdalla and Shabbos ends
Living Torah

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, ELUL 17
8:00 am Shacharis

MONDAY & THURSDAY, AUGUST 31 & SEPT. 1, ELUL 18 & 21
6:45 am Shacharis

During the month of Elul:
We reciting Psalm 27, L’David Hashem Ori, daily
We blow the Elul shofar after Shacharis each day through Erev Rosh Hashanah.
We recite the daily chapters of Tehillim as divided by the Baal Shem Tov for the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur.

We barely got home...

Friday, August 21, 2026 - 1:54 PM

After an extraordinary week in Israel, we returned home to Houston and jumped right back into the energy of Elul.

It was wonderful to have so many women together last night for our Pre Rosh Hashanah Cooking Class, and now, hello from New York, where a group of the guys is heading into a special Shabbos together at the Ohel.

This week’s parsha, Ki Seitzei, tells us, “Ki sivneh bayis chadash” — “When you build a new home.”

The Torah goes on to tell us that even before the home is complete, we have to think about how it will be lived in and make the proper preparations.

That feels very much like Elul.

The new year has not started yet, but this is our time to prepare for it. To think about what we want the coming year to look like and what we can do now to begin building it that way.

For us, that preparation has taken a few different forms this week. Coming home inspired from Israel. Women gathering together to prepare for Rosh Hashanah. And now a group of men spending Shabbos at the Ohel.

Rosh Hashanah may still be a few weeks away, but the building of the new year has already begun.

Wishing you a good Shabbos and a meaningful Elul.

Rabbi Chaim & Chanie Lazaroff

P.S. Chabad of Uptown looks forward to celebrating the holidays with you. Our doors are to the entire Jewish community to daven and to celebrate, regardless of background or affiliation. For the complete schedule of services, to RSVP for holiday dinners or lunches, visit www.chabaduptown.org/services.

P.P.S. Now is also the time to join or renew your voluntary membership to Chabad. Your partnership allows us to provide free, open and welcoming services to all, for the holidays and year round! www.chabaduptown.org/membership

THE COHEN CORNER
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

“When you go out to battle against your enemy, and G-d delivers him into your hands…” Our parsha begins with an important sequence. First, you go out to battle. Then Hashem delivers the enemy into your hands. Anxiety can reverse that order. We want to know that we will succeed before we are willing to act. When we cannot see that certainty, we retreat into our own mental fortress. What was meant to protect us from failure can become the very thing preventing us from moving forward.

The Torah says we go al oyvecha, “over your enemy,” rather than simply “against” it. Chassidic teachings explain that we enter the struggle already knowing that we have the advantage. If Hashem placed this challenge before us, then the challenge itself is part of our path and we have been given what we need to meet it. The practical work is getting ourselves off the diving board. Instead of waiting for certainty, identify what fear is keeping you stuck and take the first real step anyway. Once we move forward, we create the space for the Divine assistance that the verse promises.

Have an empowering Shabbos!

Have a joyous Shabbos!
Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka and Mendel Cohen

UPCOMING CLASSES:

Wednesday, August 26, 8:00 pm - YJP Dinner, Class & Social
Tuesday, September 1, 12:00 pm - Lunch & Learn: Tehillim, Faith in Uncertain Times - RSVP at chabaduptown.org/lunch.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Shabbos Weekend, August 21-23 - Men’s Shabbos at the Ohel - Whether it’s your first visit or a return trip, this Shabbos is a chance to recharge, reflect, and connect with the Rebbe’s timeless vision during an inspiring weekend of Jewish growth and brotherhood.
Sunday, August 23, 12:30 pm - FCYA Shofar Factory with Friends - Create it, blow it, own it! Join volunteers of YJP Houston with FCYA (Friendship Circle of Houston - Young Adults) to fabricate shofars together with Young Adults with special needs for a morning of fun, camaraderie and integration. $10 prepaid with coupon code “advance,” $18 at the door. RSVP at yjphouston.org/fcyashofar.
Friday, August 28, 8:30 PM and Shabbos, August 29, 1:00 PM – Community Shabbaton: When Science Meets Ultimate Power with Guest Rabbi Yechiel Krisch - Explore a rational case for G-d and a Torah perspective on nuclear power over Friday night dinner and Kiddush lunch. RSVP required.
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00 PM – Grand Challah Bake - A pre-Rosh Hashanah evening of braiding, bonding and live music. A joint partnership of the Chabad centers in Uptown, Bellaire and Medical Center. RSVP at GrandChallahBake.com.
Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 pm - September First Fridays Shabbat Dinner - Join Young Jewish Professionals For a Themed Shabbat Dinner at YJP Houston – where spirits run high! www.yjphouston.org

HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES & EVENTS:
www.chabaduptown.org/celebrate

Fri.-Sun., Sept. 11-13 - FREE Rosh Hashana Services, RSVP for Dinner and Luncheons
Sun.-Mon., Sept. 20-21 - Yom Kippur Services and Break Fast
Fri. & Sat. Sept. 25 & 26, 7 pm - Community Sukkot Dinners Under the Stars
Thursday, October 1, 6:30 pm - Smoke, Mirrors & Sukkot w/ YJP, YAD & Olami - Join young professionals in their twenties and thirties for an evening of magic, dinner, drinks and joy in the Sukkah under the Stars! www.yjphouston.org
Friday, Oct. 2 6:45 pm - YJP October First Fridays Shemini Atzeres Edition - Simchas Torah warm-up brief dancing and dinner in the sukkah
Shabbos. Oct. 3 12:15 pm - Shemini Atzeret Yizkor with special Service to Honor the Memory of the Oct. 7 massacre
Shabbos, Oct. 3, 6:45 pm - Saturday Night ALIVE! Simchat Torah Uptown - Dance like a Star!

IN PHOTOS

Volunteer in Israel Summer Trip - See the photos from our unforgettable Volunteer in Israel trip and relive the incredible week of giving, connecting, and experiencing Israel together. Click here.

SHABBOS PARSHAS KI SEITZEI

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, ELUL 8
7:30 pm Mincha & Shabbat Services
7:38 pm Shabbos Candle Lighting
RSVP for Shabbat Dinner chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner

SHABBOS, AUGUST 22, ELUL 9
10:00 am Services
Shabbos Lunch Kiddush & Farbrengen
7:35 pm Mincha
Ethics of our Fathers, Chapter 1 & 2
8:32 pm Maariv, Havdalla and Shabbos ends
Living Torah

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, ELUL 10
8:00 am Shacharis

MONDAY & THURSDAY, AUGUST 24 & 27, ELUL 11 & 14
6:45 am Shacharis

A Wink from Hashem in the Judean Foothills

Friday, August 14, 2026 - 11:01 AM

Shalom from the Anava Vineyards in the Judean foothills near Jerusalem, between Kiryat Gat and Chevron!

As I write this, we are sitting in the shade of the olive groves, about to begin helping with the grapevines.

We began our day with Rosh Chodesh Elul Shacharis and, for the first time this month, the sound of the shofar.

Standing here among the olives and grapes, there is a beautiful Elul message all around us.

Olives must be crushed to release their oil. Grapes must be pressed to produce their wine. Sometimes, a little pressure is exactly what brings out something deeper and more precious.

And then there is the shofar.

The shofar begins narrow and opens wide. We blow from the narrow end, giving physical expression to the words of Tehillim:

“Min hameitzar karasi Kah, anani vamerchav Kah.”

“From the narrow place I called to G-d, and He answered me from the wide open space.”

That feels especially meaningful after the extraordinary week we have experienced here to Volunteer in Israel with Mayanot Birthright-Israel.

We packed mikvah kits in Tzfat for the wives of IDF soldiers. We danced and sang with residents of an old age home in Tiberias. We packed food for families in need at Colel Chabad’s Pantry Packers in Jerusalem. We worked the land at Kibbutz Re’im, clearing an area that will become a beautiful new grove. We visited Sderot and heard about the remarkable strength of the community. We traveled through the Gaza Envelope to pay our respects at the Nova Festival site, where we heard the incredible firsthand story of Nova survivor Barak Nixon, and visited the Tekuma memorial of vehicles destroyed on October 7. Throughout the week, we have met Israelis whose courage, warmth and determination have inspired us.

One of the highlights was visiting an IDF base near Nachal Oz, where we brought a huge barbecue for the soldiers of Paratroopers Battalion 202. We sang, danced and ate together, spoke with the soldiers, put tefillin on several of them, and had the privilege of expressing our gratitude to those protecting Am Yisrael. Their spirit and appreciation made it an incredibly uplifting experience.

Everywhere we have gone, we have seen the same thing: the strength, warmth, and determination of Am Yisrael to keep building.

Planting. Building. Volunteering. Singing. Helping one another. Protecting one another. Living Jewishly with tremendous pride.

And now, on Rosh Chodesh Elul, we find ourselves literally among the vines of Eretz Yisrael.

And then we discovered one more remarkable bit of Divine Providence.

One section of the vineyard we were working in is now in its fourth year. Today is Friday, and in today’s sixth portion of Parshas Shoftim, the Torah speaks about soldiers preparing to go to war and says:

“U’mi ha’ish asher nata kerem v’lo chil’lo”

“Who is the man who planted a vineyard and has not yet redeemed it?”

Rashi explains that this is referring specifically to the fourth year of the vineyard, when its fruit was to be eaten in Jerusalem, or redeemed so that its value could be enjoyed there.

Here we were, after spending yesterday with Israeli soldiers, standing today in a fourth year vineyard in the hills outside Jerusalem, on the very day the daily Torah portion speaks about soldiers and a fourth year vineyard.

Sometimes Hashem gives you a little wink and reminds you that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

Perhaps that is the message of the olive, the grape and the shofar.

The olive does not remain crushed. It produces light.

The grape does not remain pressed. It produces wine and joy.

And the shofar does not remain in the narrow place. Its sound emerges into the wide open space.

That is Elul.

It is an invitation to look at our own lives and ask: What more can I become? What strength, goodness and holiness can I bring out of myself? How can I make this coming year broader, brighter and more meaningful than the year before?

“Min hameitzar karasi Kah, anani vamerchav Kah.”

May the sound of the shofar this Elul carry all of us from narrowness to expansiveness, from potential to action, and from strength to even greater strength.

As the sun will soon set here in Jerusalem, we wish you a Good Shabbos from Eretz Yisrael. We are looking forward to an incredible Shabbos in Yerushalayim, followed by one final day of volunteering and experiences together on Sunday before heading home.

Chodesh Tov and Kesivah Vachasimah Tovah from the vineyards of Eretz Yisrael!

Rabbi Chaim & Chanie Lazaroff

P.S. Speaking of shofars… Come join us for the FCYA Shofar Factory, where you can make your own shofar while celebrating friendship and inclusion together with young adults with special needs.
yjphouston.org/fcyashofar

THE COHEN CORNER

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

In a Jewish court of law, the only form of acceptable testimony is from two valid witnesses. There is one fascinating exception: when it comes to money owed, a person’s admission about himself is accepted, but when the result of his admission is a punishment that will affect his body, it is not. Why the difference? Your money belongs to you, but your body belongs to Hashem, entrusted to you for a purpose. You are its caretaker, not its owner.

That idea offers a powerful perspective on fitness. Judaism does not dismiss exercise, healthy eating, or strength. The question is why we do it. Fitness can easily become an obsession with appearance, performance, or seeing just how far we can push the body. But if the body belongs to Hashem, taking care of it becomes something much deeper. We exercise so we have the strength and energy to live well, care for our families, help others, and serve Hashem. The goal is not to make the body the center of our lives, but to make it capable of carrying out what our lives are really about.

Have a joyous Shabbos!
Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka and Mendel Cohen

Mazel tov to Anthony and Mathilde Attal on the birth of a baby boy!
May they raise him to Torah, Chuppah, and good deeds and merit to bring him in to the covenant of Avraham Avinu!

Mazel tov to Corey Weinberg on the occasion of his marriage to Abbey Cumnock this coming week! Please join us in shul as he is called to the Torah in preparation for their special day.

UPCOMING CLASSES:

Shabbos, August 15, 9:00 am - Likkutei Torah - Kabbala of the Parsha - Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's Masterworks on the weekly Parsha.
Monday, August 17, 8 pm - Hebrew Language: The Tanya with Rabbi Menny Raichik
Wednesday, August 19, 8:00 pm - YJP Dinner, Class & Social
Tuesday, September 1, 12:00 pm - Lunch & Learn: Tehillim, Faith in Uncertain Times - RSVP at chabaduptown.org/lunch.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Thursday, August 20, 6:30 pm - Women’s Pre-Rosh Hashanah Cooking Demo & Tasting with Chanie and Chanale at Chabad of Uptown, 4311 Bettis Drive. chabaduptown.org/cook
Shabbos Weekend, August 21-23 - Men’s Shabbos at the Ohel - Whether it’s your first visit or a return trip, this Shabbos is a chance to recharge, reflect, and connect with the Rebbe’s timeless vision during an inspiring weekend of Jewish growth and brotherhood.
Sunday, August 23, 12:30 pm - FCYA Shofar Factory with Friends - Create it, blow it, own it! Join volunteers of YJP Houston with FCYA (Friendship Circle of Houston - Young Adults) to fabricate shofars together with Young Adults with special needs for a morning of fun, camaraderie and integration. $10 prepaid with coupon code “advance,” $18 at the door. RSVP at yjphouston.org/fcyashofar.
Friday, August 28, 8:30 PM and Shabbos, August 29, 1:00 PM – Community Shabbaton: When Science Meets Ultimate Power with Guest Rabbi Yechiel Krisch - Explore a rational case for G-d and a Torah perspective on nuclear power over Friday night dinner and Kiddush lunch. RSVP required.
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00 PM – Grand Challah Bake - A pre-Rosh Hashanah evening of braiding, bonding and live music. A joint partnership of the Chabad centers in Uptown, Bellaire and Medical Center. RSVP at GrandChallahBake.com.

SHABBOS PARSHAS SHOFTIM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, ELUL 1
7:30 pm Mincha & Shabbat Services
7:45 pm Shabbos Candle Lighting
RSVP for Shabbat Dinner chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner

SHABBOS, AUGUST 15, ELUL 2
9:00 am Chassidus
10:00 am Services
Shabbos Lunch Kiddush & Farbrengen
7:50 pm Mincha
Ethics of our Fathers, Chapter 6
8:40 pm Maariv, Havdalla and Shabbos ends
Living Torah

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, ELUL 3
8:00 am Shacharis

MONDAY & THURSDAY, AUGUST 17 & 20, ELUL 4 & 7
6:45 am Shacharis

Biggest Project in Chabad of Texas History

Friday, August 7, 2026 - 1:07 PM

Something special is happening in Houston, and it has a very personal connection to our Chabad of Uptown and YJP Houston family.

On Monday, August 31, Chabad Lubavitch of Texas will hold the Building A New Day, Building Inheritance Campus Benefit Dinner, and we are proud that several of this year’s honorees are so closely connected to our own community.

We are proud to honor Dr. Ron (and Mollie) Karni. Ron is Rabbi Chaim’s childhood friend, and their family has been part of Chabad of Uptown for many years, with all of their children celebrating their Bar and Bas Mitzvahs with us.

We are also especially proud to honor Dr. Rebecca Attal, a member of YJP Houston whom Chanie had the privilege of teaching years ago in early childhood preschool. To now see Rebecca as an accomplished young Jewish professional and active part of YJP Houston beautifully reflects what Jewish education and community are ultimately about.

They will be honored together with Shmuel and Michele Amber, whose lead generosity is helping make the new campus possible, and Rabbi Chaim's mother, Rebbetzin Chiena Lazaroff, for her lifetime of dedication to Jewish education in Houston for young and old.

The dinner will benefit the largest project Chabad Lubavitch of Texas has undertaken to date: the development of a new educational campus on 12 acres, designed to create the capacity for the continued growth of Jewish education in Houston.

The vision for the next phase includes a new preschool, a Motherhood Center providing a social and play space for new mothers and young families together with education, wellness, newborn support and parenting resources, as well as expanded opportunities for Torah Day School and Camp Gan Israel.

This week’s Parsha, Re’eh, contains a verse that speaks directly to this moment:

“When Hashem your G-d expands your boundary, as He has promised you…”

Ki yarchiv Hashem Elokecha es gevulcha.

Baruch Hashem, Houston’s Jewish community is growing, and so are the opportunities before us. This campus is about creating the space and capacity for that growth to continue.

In many ways, the people we are honoring tell that story themselves: a lifelong educator, transformational donors, a family whose children grew up celebrating their Jewish milestones at Chabad of Uptown, and a former preschool student who is now part of the next generation of YJP Houston.

Rabbi Chaim is personally leading this historic project, and we would truly appreciate having you be part of it.

Please join us on Monday, August 31 as our table guests and/or consider placing an ad in the dinner journal. BuildingaNewDay.com

Your participation would mean a great deal to us as together we build the foundation for the next chapter of Jewish growth in Houston.

Good Shabbos Kesivah vachasimah tovah, may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

Rabbi Chaim and Chanie Lazaroff

P.S. Chabad of Uptown looks forward to celebrating the holidays with you. Our doors are open to the entire Jewish community to daven and to celebrate, regardless of background or affiliation. For the complete schedule of services, to RSVP for holiday dinners or lunches, visit www.chabaduptown.org/services.

THE COHEN CORNER
Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.

Do you know the holiest Jewish site in the world? Of course you do. Everyone does. Yerushalayim and the Temple Mount have been at the center of Jewish life for thousands of years. We face Yerushalayim three times a day in prayer, remember it in our times of joy, and have prayed for generations to return there. Yet Moshe spends enormous amounts of time teaching the Jewish people exactly how the Temple service should work, but never tells them where the Temple will be built. Instead, the Torah repeatedly calls it simply “the place that Hashem will choose.” Why keep the location of the holiest place in Judaism a secret?

The answer may lie in the Torah’s own words: “You shall seek His presence and come there.” Hashem wanted the Jewish people to seek out the place themselves. Yerushalayim could not simply be an address handed down from Heaven; the Jewish people had to desire it, search for it, and take the initiative to make it Hashem’s home. Only after King David sought out and chose the site did Hashem confirm that choice. And perhaps that is the lesson for us as well. We often wait for the right moment to become better, more connected, or more purposeful. But holiness doesn’t always begin with a sign from above. Sometimes it begins when we make the first move: setting aside time for Torah study, taking on another mitzvah, making Shabbat more meaningful, or being there for someone who needs us. Hashem chooses the place, but first He asks us to seek it.

Have an outstanding Shabbos!

Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka & Mendel Cohen

UPCOMING CLASSES:

Shabbos, August 8, 9:30 am - Likkutei Torah - Kabbala of the Parsha - Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's Masterworks on the weekly Parsha.
Monday, August 10, 8 pm - Hebrew Language: The Tanya with Rabbi Menny Raichik
Wednesday, August 12, 8:00 pm - YJP Dinner, Class & Social
Tuesday, September 1, 12:00 pm - Lunch & Learn: Tehillim, Faith in Uncertain Times - RSVP at chabaduptown.org/lunch.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Friday, August 7, 7:30 pm - Welcome to Houston: Citrus & Herbs August First Fridays Shabbat Dinner - New to Houston or already part of the YJP family? Join us for our August First Fridays Citrus & Herbs Shabbat. Whether you just moved here or have been with us for years, come enjoy a fresh summer dinner, welcome new faces, reconnect with friends and celebrate Shabbat together with the YJP Houston community. Services 7:30 pm, Candle Lighting 7:52 pm, Dinner 8:45 pm. $20 using coupon "advance" until Thursday. $36 after that. yjphouston.org/w elcome.
Sunday, August 9 - Met at Chabad: The Biggest Global Jewish Dating Virtual Event. Jewish singles from around the world will come together for the biggest virtual Jewish dating event, an opportunity that has already led to hundreds of matches, engagements, and marriages, including many from right here in Houston, and could be the conversation that changes your life. RSVP at metatchabad.com.
Sunday, August 9-Monday, August 17 - Volunteer in Israel: Chabad of Uptown Volunteer Mission with Birthright Israel. A community volunteer mission for active adults ages 18 and up, including those 50+. Israel needs us again. We are going back! - www.chabaduptown.org/israeltrip.
Thursday, August 20, 6:30 pm - Women’s Pre-Rosh Hashanah Cooking Demo & Tasting with Chanie and Chanale at Chabad of Uptown, 4311 Bettis Drive. chabaduptown.org/cook
Shabbos Weekend, August 21-23 - Men’s Shabbos at the Ohel - Whether it’s your first visit or a return trip, this Shabbos is a chance to recharge, reflect, and connect with the Rebbe’s timeless vision during an inspiring weekend of Jewish growth and brotherhood.
Sunday, August 23, 12:30 pm - FCYA Shofar Factory with Friends - Create it, blow it, own it! Join volunteers of YJP Houston with FCYA (Friendship Circle of Houston - Young Adults) to fabricate shofars together with Young Adults with special needs for a morning of fun, camaraderie and integration. $10 prepaid with coupon code “advance,” $18 at the door. RSVP at yjphouston.org/fcyashofar.
Friday, August 28, 8:30 PM and Shabbos, August 29, 1:00 PM – Community Shabbaton: When Science Meets Ultimate Power with Guest Rabbi Yechiel Krisch - Explore a rational case for G-d and a Torah perspective on nuclear power over Friday night dinner and Kiddush lunch. RSVP required.
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00 PM – Grand Challah Bake - A pre-Rosh Hashanah evening of braiding, bonding and live music. A joint partnership of the Chabad centers in Uptown, Bellaire and Medical Center. RSVP at GrandChallahBake.com.

SHABBOS MEVARCHIM ELUL, PARSHAS RE'EH

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, MENACHEM AV 24
7:30 pm Mincha & Shabbat Services
7:52 pm Shabbos Candle Lighting
RSVP for Welcome to Houston: Citrus & Herbs August First Fridays Shabbat Dinner yjphouston.org/w elcome
Sponsored in part by Yonatan & Liora Tzion

SHABBOS, AUGUST 8, MENACHEM AV 25
8:00 am Shabbos Mevarchim Tehillim
9:30 am Chassidus
10:00 am Services
Shabbos Mevarchim Lunch Kiddush & Farbrengen sponsored by the Gandjian family in memory of their grandfather Yosef Mordechai ben Saltanat V'Rabi, a"h
7:50 pm Mincha
Ethics of our Fathers, Chapter 5
8:47 pm Maariv, Havdalla and Shabbos ends
Living Torah

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, MENACHEM AV 26
8:00 am Shacharis

MONDAY AUGUST 10, MENACHEM AV 27
6:45 am Shacharis

ROSH CHODESH ELUL
THURSDAY & FRIDAY, AUGUST 13-14, MENACHEM AV 30 & ELUL 1
6:45 am Shacharis w/ Hallel, Torah Reading & Musaf
On Rosh Chodesh Elul:
We begin reciting Psalm 27, L’David Hashem Ori, daily
Beginning Friday, we blow the Elul shofar after Shacharis each day through Erev Rosh Hashanah.
Beginning Friday, we recite the daily chapters of Tehillim as divided by the Baal Shem Tov for the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur.
Shacharis will be followed by our monthly Rosh Chodesh breakfast

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