The New Shul

Parshat T’rumah

In this week’s parashah, T’rumah, God teaches Moshe how the children of Israel are to build the mishkan, the sacred structure that will enable God to dwell among them. Each member of the community will contribute to the building of the mishkan in his or her own way. 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.

  • The New Shul’s Shabbat services are on Friday evenings from 6 to 7 pm, and on Saturday mornings from 9 am to 12 noon. The kiddush-lunch this Shabbat, Februay 9, will be sponsored by the shul. The desserts will be sponsored by Ramey and Amanda Wyble in honor of the first birthday of their twins Uziel and Rivkah.
  • Childcare is available on Shabbat mornings from 10 am to noon.
  • Minyanim during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, and on Monday through Thursday evenings at 7 pm.
  • On Shabbat morning February 23, our guest teacher will be Rabbi Robert Dobrusin from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  • On Shabbat morning March 2, we will celebrate the bat mitzvah of Emily Pertsovsky, daughter of Igor and Julia Pertsovsky.
  • Join us for dinner at The New Shul on Friday night March 15, after the 6 pm service. The cost is $18 per adult and $9 per child under 18 (no charge for children under 5). Please make your reservations by Monday March 10. If you would like to pay on-line, you can do so here.