The New Shul

Parshat Sh’lah L’kha

This week’s parashah, Sh’lah L’kha, ends with God reminding us that “I am YHVH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. . . “ [literally “to be for you for God”].

Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin understood that phrase to mean that what is “for you” should also be “for God.” In other words, religious life is not a zero-sum game, in which God can win only if we lose. Religion is not about surrendering our own needs and desires for the sake of something greater. Instead it is about sanctifying our needs and desires, raising them to a higher level, so that they are no longer only about us. That is what we are doing when we say blessings over things that bring us pleasure, such as eating. By taking what is for us, and making it an opportunity to serve God as well, we help to bring heaven and earth together.

  • 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 Ora Kurland and Eric Steinberg in honor of their 19th wedding anniversary and Ora’s birthday.
  • Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings.Beyond Bim Bom I for grades K to 3 is from 10:15 to 11:15 am this Shabbat. Parashah study for teens is also from 10:15 to 11:15 am.
  • Minyanim during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, and on Wednesday mornings at 7 am.
  • Please note that this will be our last email bulletin until Thursday August 1. In the mean time, Friday night and Shabbat morning services, and Sunday and Wednesday morning minyanim will continue throughout June and July at their regular times.