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The New Shul

Parshat T’tzaveh/Shabbat Zakhor

This week’s parashah, T’tzaveh, is unique in that — though it is full of commandments given to Moshe — Moshe’s name is never mentioned in it. An ancient midrash traces the absence of Moshe’s name to the story of the golden calf. In that story, God threatens to abandon the people because of their sin, but Moshe stands up to God and says, “If so, then erase me from the book that you have written.” In the end, God does not abandon the people, and does not erase Moshe’s name from the Torah. But God does erase Moshe’s name from this one parashah.

According to the author of Siftei Kohen, the lesson to be learned from that midrash is that one should never curse oneself — i.e. seek to “erase one’s name” — even for a good cause. Just as we feel Moshe’s absence in this parashah, we feel the absence of anyone who, for whatever reason, considers him/herself expendable. A true community depends on everyone being fully present.

  • 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 Ivan and Karen Brodsky, and Adam and Valerie Brodsky, in honor of their friends Cantor Neil and Saranee Newman.
  • Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings. Children’s services this Shabbat are: Munchkin Minyan for ages 2 to 4 from 11:00 to 11:30 am, Beyond Bim Bom I for grades K to 1 from 10:15 to 11:00 am, and Beyond Bim Bom II for grades 2 to 3 from 10:15 to 11:00 am.
  • Minyanim at The New Shul during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, and on Wednesday mornings at 7:00 am.
  • Erev Purim is next Wednesday evening Mar. 7. Join us for the reading of the megillah beginning at 7:00 pm. On the morning of Purim, Thursday Mar. 8, join us for minyan, including another reading of the megillah, at 7 am.
  • The New Shul will host a blood drive on Sunday Mar. 11, beginning at 8:15 am and continuing through the day. To sign up to donate, or for further information, please call or email.
  • On Shabbat morning, Mar. 17, we will celebrate the bat mitzvah of Anita Gutkin.