Shabbat Hol Ha-Moed Sukkot

Every Friday evening, in the prayer Hashkiveinu (“Let us lie down in peace”), we ask God to “spread over us Your sukkah of peace.” As we prepare to face the vulnerability that night and darkness represent, we see the sukkah as a symbol of security and comfort.

Why is the sukkah, a flimsy temporary structure, a symbol of security? It would seem to be exactly the opposite, a symbol of vulnerability.

Perhaps those words, “Spread over us Your sukkah of peace” are intended to teach us that true security and comfort do not come with thick walls and locked doors. They come through the support of those around us, and the love of God. It is in the sukkah, with its vulnerability and openness, that we find real peace. It is there that we remember where our real strength lies.

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.
Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings. Beyond Bim Bom I, our learning service for grades K to 1, is from 10:15 to 11:00 am this Shabbat.
Minyanim during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am and on Wednesday mornings at 7 am.
Sh’mini Atzeret is on Monday October 8. Our service begins at 9 am, and includes Yizkor, the memorial prayer.
Celebrate Simhat Torah with us, with hakafot and dancing, on Monday evening October 8 beginning at 6:45 pm, and on Tuesday October 9 beginning at 9 am.
The New Shul book group meets on Wednesday October 17 at 7:30 pm. The book is The Dove Keepers by Alice Hoffman.
Finding Our Way, Rabbi Wasserman’s class on Jewish prayer, continues after kiddush on Shabbat afternoon, October 20.
On Shabbat morning, October 27, we will celebrate the bar mitzvah of Joel Olgin, son of Marc and Melissa Olgin.
Join us for Friday night dinner at The New Shul on November 2 after the 6 pm service. The cost is $18 per adult and $10 per child or teen under 18 (no charge for kids under 5). Please send in your payment to make your reservation by Oct. 26.