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The New Shul

Parshat B’shalah

This Shabbat is called Shabbat Shirah, the Shabbat of Song, because in this week’s parashah we read the Song of the Sea, the song that the children of Israel sang after the waters had divided for them.  The ancient rabbis taught that the experience of redemption at the sea was also an experience of revelation, that God’s presence became a living reality for the children of Israel as they witnessed the miracle.  Their song was a response to their experience of God’s nearness.

The Slonimer Rebbe taught that it can also work the other way around.  Just as song can be a way of responding to God’s nearness, it can also be a way of bringing God near, by opening our hearts to the transcendent. Sometimes we sing not because the sea has divided for us, but because we wish to make the sea divide, to feel God’s presence as our ancestors did.  In our services each Shabbat, we use melody in that way, to open our hearts as words alone cannot.  In our life as a community of prayer, may we always know the power of song to bring God near.

  • Shabbat services at The New Shul are on Friday evenings from 6 to 7 pm, and on Saturday mornings from 9 am to 12 noon. The kiddush this Shabbat is sponsored by Michael and Sharon Klausner in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary.
  • Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings.  Beyond Bim Bom, for grades K to 3 is from 10:30 to 11:15 am.  
  • Our guest this Shabbat Feb. 4, in honor of Shabbat Shirah, is Yisroel Juskowicz, a singer and song writer from New York.  He will lead us in song over seudah sh’lisheet (the third Shabbat meal) beginning at 6 pm at The New Shul   At 7 pm, he will perform his music.  There is no charge, and everyone is invited.
  • Minyanim at The New Shul during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, and on Wednesday mornings at 7 am. \
  • Next Tuesday Feb. 7 at 7:30 pm, Rabbi Ed Feinstein of Valley Beth Shalom in L.A will lecture at The New Shul on “A Curriculum of Wonder:  The Genius of Abraham Joshua Heschel.” His lecture is co-sponsored by the Valley Beit Midrash and the Women’s Jewish Learning Center, and is free and open to all.
  • On Shabbat morning Feb. 11, and on Shabbat afternoon after kiddush, Dr. Joel Gereboff, the Chair of Religious Studies at ASU, will be our guest teacher.
  • The New Shul’s 10th Anniversary celebration is on Sunday Feb. 26 at 6 pm at the Hilton Scottsdale. Rabbi David Wolpe will be the keynote speaker. The cost is $54 per person. For further information please visit our website.  You can RSVP by replying to this email (the deadline is Feb. 13).
  • The New Shul will host a blood drive on Sunday March 11, beginning at 8:15 am and continuing through the day.  To sign up to donate, or for further information, please call or email.