Parshat Vayikra/Shabbat Hahodesh

This Shabbat, we begin to read the third book of the Torah, the book of Vayikra or Leviticus. The book begins:  “God called to Moshe and spoke to him. . . ” According to Rashi, that opening sentence tells us  how God communicated with Moshe in general, not just on that particular occasion.  Rashi commented that “all communications and commandments from God were preceded by a call, which is an expression of love.”

To call a person is to single that person out by name.  It is to acknowledge that person’s uniqueness, to recognize who that person truly is.  Often, in the rush of life, we speak to people as if they were interchangable. But to take a moment to acknowledge that the person to whom we speak is an individual, unlike anyone else, is a great gift.  It is to grant that person his/her dignity as an image of God.  In that sense, it is an act of love.

When we speak to one another, may we always start by recognizing who it is that we are speaking to.

• 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 Debby and Kenn Harris and by Dale and Alan Singer.
• Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings. Children’s services this Shabbat are: Beyond Bim Bom I for grades K to 1 from 10:15 to 11:00 am, and Tween Tefillah for grades 4 to 6 from 10:15 to 11:30 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.
• Join us for an adult workshop, In Every Generation: Preparing for Pesah, on Monday March 26 at 7:30 pm.
• Services for the first two days of Pesah are on Shabbat morning April 7 and Sunday morning April 8 beginning at 9 am.  Services for the last two days of Pesah are on Friday morning April 13 and Shabbat morning April 14 beginning at 9 am.