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The New Shul

Parshat Ki Tissa/Shabbat Parah

In this week’s parashah, Ki Tissa, we read the story of the golden calf. The Talmud teaches that, when God said to Moses, “Go down [from the mountain] because your people have sinned,”  Moses lost his strength, to the point that he could not speak. But when God went further and said “Leave me alone so that I may destroy them,” Moses said to himself “This thing depends on me.” At that moment Moses regained his strength and began to argue with God on the people’s behalf, until God gave in and spared them.

The point is that, when we realize that we are needed, we find reservoirs of strength that we did not know we had. Far from depleting our energy, the awareness that “this thing depends on me” renews our energy.

That is one of the secrets of true community. We gain strength from the support of others — but even more importantly, we gain strength from knowing that others need our support, that they depend on us. Being needed makes us grow.

  • Candle lighting this Friday evening March 10 is at 6:13 pm. Shabbat ends on Saturday night at 7:09 pm.
  • The New Shul’s Shabbat morning service is from 9 to about 11:45 am, followed by a kiddush-lunch open to all. The kiddush-lunch this Shabbat, March 11, is sponsored by Sandra Harris in honor of her 85th birthday.
  • Minyanim during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, and on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm. Kabbalat Shabbat is on Friday evenings at 6 pm (usually at our rabbis’ home – please contact us for directions).
  • On the Shabbat of March 17-18, our guest teacher will be Rabbi Shai Held, President and Dean of the Hadar Institute in New York. Rabbi Held will teach four times during the weekend: 1) over dinner at the shul on Friday night after Kabbalat Shabbat, 2) at our Shabbat morning service, 3) on Shabbat afternoon immediately after the kiddush-lunch, and 4) at seudah shlisheet (the third Shabbat meal) at our rabbis’ home. For further information, or to register for the Friday night dinner, please contact us.