Dear Friends,
WOW the week flies by!
These past weeks rains have finally filled the Mikvahs at Chabad on Fondren after a long winter drought! The dish Mikvah is now open and the new Women's beautiful Mikvah is almost complete!
As I viewed the film of a young american boy making aliya and joining the army, at the moving Yom Hazikaron ceremony held by the Israeli Consulate, I could not help but think about my youngest brother Shmuly. Shmuly, 22, has also made aliya and has joined the Tzahal special forces, and is currently undergoing rigourous extensive training. May Hashem protect him along with all of the Tzahal and Klal Yisroel. Among the many victims counted this year, we also recount the tragic attack at Mumbai where six our dear friends at he Chabad House were killed along with the Rabbi & Rebbetzin Holtzberg, a"h may Hashem avenge their blood.
Mazel Tov to my sister Chassi and husband Hirsh Meilech Rivkin of Morristown, NJ upon the birth of a baby boy!
Mazel Tov to Marc & EllenAnn Sands upon the Bar-Mitzvah anniversary of their son Sam. He did a wonderful job reading the Torah for us this past Shabbos at Chabad of Uptown.
Mazel Tov to Mrs. Rivka Fishman who has just won the 2009 Irving L Samuels Outstanding Teacher Award for Judaic Studies. This is awarded each year to an outstanding Jewish day school educator, chosen from among all the Jewish Day Schools in the city. Mrs. Fishman has been teaching at Torah Day School for 10 years and has contributed to the Jewish community through her Teen Club, Girls’ Organization (G.O.) and many other extracurricular programs. Mrs. Fishman will be heading the middle and high school girls’ division for Torah Day School next year. The award ceremony will be held at TDS on May 20.
This Shabbos we will have many special guests on Friday night for an Israeli themed Shabbat. Please join us for the minyan and / of RSVP for dinner!
Shabbos Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim
Friday, May 1:
- 7:30 pm Shabbos Services & Count Omer
- 7:40 pm Candle Lighting
- 8:30 pm Shabbos Dinner - Israeli Style!
Shabbos, May 2:
- 9:00 am PrePrayer Chassidus Study
- 10:00 am Shacharis
- 11:00 am approx. Torah Reading
- followed by Buffet Kiddush
- 7:45 pm Mincha
- Ethics of Our Fathers, Chapter 3
- 8:37 pm Maariv, Count Omer & Havdalla
- Kiddush Levana - Weather permitting
Join us this week for our Thursday Class at 12-1:15 pm or 8-9 pm! This week's topic:
Acharei-Kedoshim: Looking Upward, Downward & Forward
There is one day a year that practically every Jew is aware of: Yom Kippur. Most Jews make the effort to be in synagogue for at least part of the day, and fast, pray and reinvigorate their spiritual energy for the coming year. Much of the prayer service on Yom Kippur recalls the Temple service on this day, and many of the day’s instructions for the High Priest appear in this week’s Torah portion. But the parsha concludes with a seemingly unrelated topic — the dos and don’ts of our most intimate relationships, and refers to some of mankind’s lowliest behaviors. In this week’s class we will learn how these subjects are not contradictory, but compliment each other. Their juxtaposition is fully in keeping with the Torah’s objective of having us be mindful every day of the year of the spiritual heights that we should aspire to, the aspects of the material world that we can elevate, as well as the mundane depths of human behavior that we must avoid descending to.
Save the Dates for Shavuos!
- All night Torah learning, Thursday, May 28!
- 10 Commandment Torah reading and Ice Cream Party on Friday, May 29!
Looking forward to seeing you Shabbos!
Rabbi Chaim & Chanie