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The New Shul

Parshat K’doshim

This week’s parashah, K’doshim, begins with God’s command to Moshe: “Speak to the whole community of Israel, and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I YHWH your God am holy.'” This passage stands out in the Torah not only because of what is being commanded, but because of who is being commanded. The Torah goes out of its way to emphasize that this challenge is addressed to the entire community.

The S’fat Emet saw a connection between the who and the what of this commandment. True holiness, he taught, can be achieved only collectively. If we think of spirituality as something strictly personal, a matter of cultivating our inner life, then we will never achieve the real thing. Our culture tends to privatize its highest values, including the search for God. But authentic holiness means finding God not just within ourselves, but in relationship to one another.

That is why the most sacred passages in the prayer book, the Kaddish and K’dushah (whose names come from the word for holiness), are recited only in the presence of a minyan. It is only in community that we can reach that high.

May we strive as a community for that which we cannot achieve alone.

  • 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, April 26, is sponsored by the shul.
  • Childcare is available from 10 am to 12 noon on Shabbat mornings. Munchkin Minyan for pre-schoolers and parents meets this Shabbat from 11:00 to 11:30 am. Beyond Bim Bom for grades 2 to 5 meets from 10:15 to 11:30 am.
  • Minyanim during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am and Wednesday mornings at 7 am.
  • Join us for Friday night dinner at The New Shul on May 2, after the 6 pm service. The cost is $18 per adult, and $9 per child under 18 (no charge for children under 5). Please contact us to make your reservation by Sunday April 27. If you wish to pay on-line, you can do so here.
  • The New Shul is collecting food donations for “Just Three Things,” to help young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. Please bring packaged items that are either ready-to-eat or require only microwave preparation. Contact usto arrange a drop-off time.