Aharei-Mot/K’doshim

In the second of this week’s two parshiyot, K’doshim, we learn the Golden Rule:  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am YHWH.”

What does the second phrase, “I am YHWH,” have to do with the first: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”? Martin Buber understood the juxtaposition in this way: In our love for our neighbor, we meet God. When we recognize the infinite value of another human life, we uncover the image of God in that person. We bring God out of hiding, and come face to face with the divine.

Caring for others is not only a matter of ethical concern, but also of spiritual sensitivity. True kindness is a form of prayer, an opening to the transcendent. May our concern for one another’s welfare help to move us forward on our spiritual path.

• 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-lunch this Shabbat, May 2, is sponsored by Ora Kurland and Eric Steinberg.
• Childcare is available from 10 am to noon on Shabbat mornings. Our learning service for pre-K to grade 2 is from 11 to 11:45 am.
• Minyanim at The New Shul during the week are on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, Monday evenings at 7 pm, Wednesday mornings at 7 am, and Wednesday evenings at 7 pm.
• Shavuot begins on Saturday night May 23. Join us at The New Shul for our Tikkun Leil Shavuot (all-night study and discussion) beginning at 9 pm. We will end with morning prayers at sunrise. The theme this year is: “Romance and Revelation: Interpreting the Book of Ruth.” The Tikkun is co-sponsored by Valley Beit Midrash and by Temple Chai. For further information, please call or email.