The New Shul

Parshat Noah

The rabbis of the Talmud taught that Noah was one of a select few who “saw a new world.”  What did the rabbis mean by that? Certainly Noah saw a new world when he came out of the ark. Nothing was as it had been before.

But, at a deeper level, Noah had seen a new world even before the flood, while he was still living in the old one. Were it not for Noah’s ability to envision something different, a transformed reality, he never would have found the strength to build the ark and get everyone on board.

All transformations, all new realities, begin with an act of imagination, with a vision of something other than what is. One of the purposes of Shabbat is to help us to imagine what a better world might look and feel like. The ancient rabbis taught that Shabbat is a foretaste of messianic redemption. Once a week, we step back from the world as it is in order to imagine what it might be. In that way Shabbat gives meaning to the other six days. It helps us to remember, as we return to work, what we are ultimately working for.

  • 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 Sam and Ruth Schindler in honor of Sam’s 90th birthday.
  • Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings.
  • Finding Our Way, Rabbi Wasserman’s class on Jewish prayer, continues after kiddush this Shabbat afternoon, October 20.
  • Minyanim during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am and on Wednesday mornings at 7 am.
  • On Sunday October 21 at 7:30 pm, The New Shul will host a lecture sponsored by the Women’s Jewish Learning Center. Dr. Bonnie Morris, Professor of Women’s Studies at Georgetown and George Washington Universities, will speak on “Jewish Women’s Communities from the far right to the far left: the common threads between them.” On Monday October 22 at 8:00 pm, Dr. Morris will present a one-woman play, “The Revenge of The Women’s Studies Professor.” The Sunday evening lecture is free. Admission to the Monday evening performance is $5 (at the door). Both events are open to all, women and men alike.
  • 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.
  • On Shabbat morning November 10, we will celebrate the bar mitzvah of Aaron Nach, son of Adam Nach and Beth-Jo Zeitzer.