This week’s parsha tells us: Kedoshim tihiyu ki kadosh Ani Hashem Elokeichem. Be holy, because I, Hashem your G-d, am holy.
It is a big statement. But the Torah does not leave holiness floating in the clouds. The parsha immediately brings it down to real life. Honor your parents. Keep Shabbos. Leave the corners of your field for someone else. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t stand by while another person is in danger. Love your fellow as yourself.
In other words, holiness is not running away from the world. Holiness is how a Jew stands inside the world.
That is exactly the feeling behind our upcoming Lag B’Omer Kumzitz with Bondi Hero Leibel Lazaroff.
Our nephew's Leibel’s story is not just a story of survival. It is a story of a Jew who was thrown into a moment of darkness and answered with light, courage, faith, and Jewish pride. That is holiness. Not dramatic holiness from a different century, but the kind we need right now.
The event is produced by YJP Houston, but it is open to the entire community and all ages. Because a story like this is bigger than one crowd. Lag B’Omer is a night of fire, music, warmth, and Jewish unity, and this year it feels especially fitting that we gather together around the fire to hear from someone whose life reminds us what it means to keep that Jewish flame burning.
Join us for an evening of music, inspiration, great food, and real Jewish strength!
Rabbi Chaim and Chanie Lazaroff
THE COHEN CORNER
The meaning of life is to give life meaning
The mitzvah of Orlah and Neta revai presents a strikingly counterintuitive progression. A person invests time and effort into cultivating a tree, only to find that its initial yield is entirely off-limits for three years. In the fourth year, the fruit remains beyond ordinary use, designated instead for a higher, sanctified purpose. Only in the fifth year does the fruit become fully permitted. The sequence appears inverted; one would expect a gradual ascent from the permissible to the sacred, not a movement from prohibition to sanctity and only then to ordinary use.
This structure reflects a deeper principle in service of Hashem. The majority of human activity exists not in the realm of the explicitly commanded or forbidden, but within the domain of the permissible. This is the arena in which meaning is not prescribed, but created. The discipline imposed by the earlier stages cultivates restraint and awareness, shaping an individual who no longer relates to the world through instinct alone. By the time one reaches what is permitted, the question is no longer whether something may be used, but how it will be used. It is specifically within this realm of the ordinary that Judaism locates the greatest potential for growth: the transformation of the neutral into the purposeful, and the elevation of the everyday into an expression of divine service.
Have a fantastic Shabbos!
Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka & Mendel Cohen
UPCOMING CLASSES:
- Shabbos, April 25, 9:00 am - Likkutei Torah - Kabbala of the Parsha - Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's Masterworks on the weekly Parsha.
- Monday, April 27, 8 pm - Hebrew Language: The Tanya with Rabbi Menny Raichik
- 4 Tuesdays Apr. 28-Jun. 1, 7:30-9 pm - JLI Course: For All Humankind - Discover Judaism’s ethical message for all people and the values that shape a good life, a just society, family, education, and a more peaceful world. Registration required.
- 6 Wednesdays, April 29-June 10, 7:30-9:00 pm: CYP Academy: Judaism Decoded - Discover the origins and evolution of Jewish tradition in this new 6 week course exploring the inner workings of Torah interpretation and Jewish law. Complete the course and receive a $200 voucher toward any upcoming CYP trip. www.yjphouston.org/decoded
- Thursday, April 30, 8:00 pm - Heart of Prayer
- Tuesday, May 12, 12 pm - Lunch & Learn: Book of the People - Discover how the wisdom of G-d can be determined by humans. Register: www.chabaduptown.org/lunch
- Sunday, May 31, 12 pm - End of Life Pre-Planning Luncheon - Gain practical guidance on Jewish perspectives, funeral planning, and estate preparation with expert insights. Register, www.chabaduptown.org/plan
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Sunday, April 26, 7:30 pm - Ladies Sefirah Paint Night - A relaxing evening for women of personal growth and art with meaningful Sefirah inspiration. www.chabaduptown.org/watercolor
- Thursday, April 30, 8 pm - Virtual Speed Dating - Values Based Matches metatchabad.com/speeddating
- Friday, May 1, 7:30 pm - Cinco de Shabbat, First Fridays - Join YJP Houston for a festive Taco Shabbat Dinner with great food, high spirits, and Uptown flair. www.yjphouston.org/cinco
Monday, May 4, 8:00 pm - Bondi Hero Kumzitz, Lag B'Omer - An unforgettable evening of music, inspiration, fire pit, steaks, and soulful connection featuring Leibel Lazaroff’s story of survival and recovery after the Bondi attack. www.yjphouston.org/kumzitz - Thursday, May 21, 11:30 pm - Shavuos: Take the Mic! - An evening of Torah and inspiration featuring 5-minute insights, panels, and debates. Share your own Torah insight and join a night of learning. www.chabaduptown.org/shavuotschedule
- Friday, May 22 at 11:15am - Hear the 10 Commandments read on their 3,338th anniversary, followed by our annual Dairy Kiddush & Ice Cream party! Fun-filled Children's Program! More info at www.chabaduptown.org/shavuotschedule
- Friday, May 22, 7 pm - YJP Shavuot Ice Cream Social - For the love of ice cream, & the love of Torah, we are excited to invite you to join us in celebrating Shavuot with an elegant evening with 10 gourmet toppings & 10 Commandments! 7 pm - Ice Cream Social & 10 Commandments, 8 pm - Shavuot Holiday Services Followed by Traditional Holiday Dinner www.yjphouston.org/icecream
- Sun.-Mon., June 28-July 6 - Volunteer in Israel - Chabad of Uptown Volunteer Mission with Birthright Israel - Israel Needs Us Again. Let’s Go Back. A community volunteer mission for active adults 18 and up, including those 50+! www.chabaduptown.org/israeltrip
SHABBOS PARSHAS ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM
FRIDAY, APRIL 24, IYAR 7
7:30 pm Mincha & Shabbat Services
7:36 pm Shabbos Candle Lighting
Omer Count 23
RSVP for Shabbat Dinner www.chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner
SHABBOS, APRIL 25, IYAR 8
9:00 am Chassidus
10:00 am Services
Shabbos Lunch Kiddush & Farbrengen
7:35 pm Mincha
Ethics of our Fathers, Chapter 3
8:32 pm Maariv, Havdalla and Shabbos ends
Omer Count 24
Living Torah
SUNDAY, APRIL 26, IYAR 8
8:00 am Shacharis
MONDAY & THURSDAY APRIL 27 & 30, IYAR 10 & 13
6:45 am Shacharis