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The New Shul

Parshat T’rumah/Rosh Hodesh Adar I

In this week’s parashah, T’rumah, God teaches Moshe how the children of Israel are to build the mishkan, the sacred structure in which God will dwell among them. Each member of the community will contribute, in his or her own way, to the building of the mishkan. No two contributions will be exactly alike in that they will be expressions of each person’s heart. Yet, in spite of the diversity behind it, the structure will be one. The whole will have a unity that transcends the parts.

According to the S’fat Emet, the oneness of the mishkan was not in spite of the diversity behind it, but because of that diversity. The secret of the mishkan’s unity, the oneness of the structure that enabled it to capture God’s oneness, was that it brought together everyone’s unique gifts.

We sometimes imagine that to build true spiritual community, the kind that brings God’s presence down to earth, we must suppress our differences and conform to a single standard. But it is actually the opposite. We bring God into the world by making the most of our diversity. By celebrating the uniqueness of each person’s contribution, we discover what we truly have in common. By recognizing that we need each other precisely because we are not the same, we build a oneness that reflects God’s oneness.

  • 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, February 1, is sponsored by Virginie and Jeremy Polster in honor of the new month of Adar I. The desserts are sponsored by Rachael and David Don in honor of Virginie Polster’s birthday.
  • Childcare is available from 10 am to 12 noon on Shabbat mornings.
  • Minyanim during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am and on Wednesday mornings at 7 am.
  • The annual meeting of The New Shul community is on Sunday morning February 2 at 10:30 am. All are welcome.
  • Join us at The New Shul on Saturday night February 8 at 7:30 pm for Havdalah and a Game Night. Please email Barry Zorman for further information.
  • On Presidents Day, Monday February 17, The New Shul community will serve meals to the hungry at St. Vincent de Paul’s Jackson St. dining room. Please let us know if you can help.