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The New Shul

Parshat Ki Tavo

In this week’s parashah, Ki Tavo, Moshe promises that, if we follow God’s teachings, God’s blessings “will come upon you and overtake you.”  But why would blessings need to “overtake” us unless we were running away from them?

The Degel Mahaneh Efrayim explains that, much of the time, that is exactly what we do. We run away from God’s most precious gifts in pursuit of things that cannot really make us happy. We chase after the wrong things. But, if we are lucky, the blessings that we ignore do not let us get away so easily. They pursue and overtake us, even though we were not wise enough to pursue them.

Shabbat is one of those gifts that does not let us get away so easily. We may ignore it, but it keeps coming back every week. Shabbat pursues us until, finally, when we can no longer keep up the frantic pace of our lives, it overtakes us. Then, under its shelter, we rediscover the image of God in ourselves and in each other.

May this Shabbat, and every Shabbat, remind us what our greatest blessings really are.

  • 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, September 13, is sponsored by Harriet and Gil Rosen in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary.
  • 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 Wednesday mornings at 7 am.
  • 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 us to arrange a drop-off time.
  • On Sunday September 21 at 1:30 pm, The New Shul will host a CPR training workshop, led by Dr. Ben Bobrow. There is no charge, and all are welcome.
  • Join us as we gather for S’lihot, with singing, prayer, and story-telling on Saturday night September 20 at 10 pm.
  • Rosh Hashanah begins on Wednesday night September 24, and Yom Kippur begins on Friday night October 3. Complete information on The New Shul’s services for the Days of Awe is available here.