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
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.