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Rabbi Lipskar's weekly devar torah
Boruch HaShem
Vayelech 5779
The Torah portion Vayelech, read during this auspicious and crucial time in the 10 days of Teshuvah between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, underscores a connection between these two significant concepts, Vayelech and Yom Kippur.
Vayelech contains the two last Mitzvos of the Torah. The 612th Mitzvah / Hakhel mandates the gathering of all of men, women and children to come together as a community in Jerusalem every seven years to be inspired by hearing the Torah being read and taught by the King of Israel. The 613th mitzvah is the obligation for every Jew to write a Torah (which can be fulfilled by writing a letter in any kosher Torah or purchasing holy Torah Books).
The gathering every seven years/Hakhel follows after the Sabbatical / Shmita year. During the Sabbatical year, every person's fields, orchards and vineyards become accessible to the public to avail themselves of any produce growing in that private area. The rich and the poor, all have equal rights to enter anybody's property to gather whatever is growing there. The underlying principle for obviating the individual’s exclusive ownership is to emphasize that the entire land truly belongs to Almighty G-d. These concepts of everyone coming together and that everyone has access to each other's bounty emphasizes the ideals of unity, oneness, togetherness, community and equality.
The mitzvah of writing a Torah also emphasizes unity. Our Rabbis state that there are 600,000 letters in the Torah corresponding to the 600,000 souls that were at Sinai during Revelation representing the source of the souls of every single Jew throughout history. The Torah is a unifying factor that brings all Jews together in one entity. The Zohar states that “G-d, Israel and Torah are all interconnected and bound together as one”.
Yom Kippur, the singular holiest date of the year, also stresses oneness and unity. It is the only holiday which is celebrated for only one single day, whether in Israel or in the Diaspora. It is also a day when the service to G-d was represented by the one single High Priest who entered into the one single Holy of Holies and brought a special single offering.
This day also contains five formal prayers, different than any other holiday of the year. The fifth prayer, Neilah / Closing Prayer, represents the fifth level of soul, called Yechida. Yechida is the singular essential transcendent connection that binds every Jew with G-d. The word Yechida has as its etymological source the word Yachid /singular or Echad / One. It is noteworthy that Yom Kippur, which is the most serious and introspective day of the year, brings more Jewish people to Shul than any other day to connect with G-d, pray and experience spirituality.
All these three - gathering of Jews in the Hakhel year, having ownership in a Torah and Yom Kippur - express the significance of unity. There is nothing stronger than being unified and nothing weaker than fragmentation and separation. A very effective strategy overcoming even a stronger adversary is to divide and conquer.
As we approach the imminent Messianic era, the world needs Hashem’s blessings more than ever. The contrarian state of our world creates a disunity that is debilitative and detrimental. We, the Jewish People, who are charged to set the standards for a G-dly world, need to be the paradigm of true unity. When we are more unified, more integrated and more loving to each other, we create the wholeness wherein G-d’s blessings can manifest and bring positive results.
May we all together as one be granted the most incredible year as G-d showers His Bountiful, Infinite Blessings upon us, with health, peace, joyfulness, longevity, Nachas from our families, harmony in our homes, true peace, tranquility, security for our brothers and sisters in our Holy Land of Israel, peace for all of our brothers and sisters around the world, peace for inhabitants of the world, and the fulfillment of all of our hearts desires for good.
G-d bless you to have a great Shabbos, a very meaningful and successful Yom Kippur, and a great year.
G’mar Chasima Tovah. May we all be sealed for a good and sweet year.
Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar
The Shul Pushka Campaign
It's the little things in life that count. G-d fills the world every moment with His divine energy. Tzedakah is one of the special and significant ways to create an all-encompassing Mitzvah, and in today's world, we need more Mitzvot than ever. It doesn't matter where or how much you give, just make Tzedakah part of your day.
The Shul provides beautiful Pushkas (Charity Boxes)* to the community and to all those that would like to participate in the important Mitzvah of Tzedakah. To request a ShulPushka please call: The ShulShul Office: 305-868-1411 or fill out this form below.
To Learn More About The Meaning of Tzedakah Click Here
Jewish Holidays
All Jewish holidays begin the evening before the date specified on most calendars. This is because a Jewish "day" begins and ends at sunset, rather than at midnight. If you read the story of creation in Genesis Ch. 1, you will notice that it says, "And there was evening, and there was morning, one day."
From this, we infer that a day begins with evening, that is, sunset. Holidays end at nightfall of the date specified on most calendars; that is, at the time when it becomes dark out, about an hour after sunset.
List of All Holiday Dates
Below is a list of all major holiday dates for the next four years. All holidays begin at sundown on the day before the date specified here.
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5775 |
5776 |
5777 |
5778 |
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9/25/2014 |
9/14/2015 |
10/3/2016 |
9/21/2017 |
9/10/2018 |
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10/4/2014 |
9/23/2015 |
10/12/2016 |
9/30/2017 |
9/19/2018 |
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10/9/2014 |
9/28/2015 |
10/17/2016 |
10/5/2017 |
9/24/2018 |
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10/16/2014 |
10/5/2015 |
10/24/2016 |
10/12/2017 |
10/1/2018 |
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10/17/2014 |
10/6/2015 |
10/25/2016 |
10/13/2017 |
10/2/2018 |
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12/17/2014 |
12/7/2015 |
12/25/2016 |
12/13/2017 |
12/3/2018 |
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2/4/2015 |
1/25/2016 |
2/11/2017 |
1/31/2018 |
1/21/2019 |
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3/5/2015 |
3/24/2016 |
3/12/2017 |
3/1/2018 |
3/21/2019 |
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4/4/2015 |
4/23/2016 |
4/11/2017 |
3/31/2018 |
4/20/2019 |
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5/7/2015 |
5/26/2016 |
5/14/2017 |
5/3/2018 |
5/23/2019 |
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5/24/2015 |
6/12/2016 |
5/31/2017 |
5/20/2018 |
6/9/2019 |
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7/26/2015 |
8/14/2016 |
8/1/2017 |
7/22/2018 |
8/11/2019 |
For more information Click here
Project 33154
Project 33154 is a community wide program to create a neighbor to neighbor Jewish experience. The initial case study started Chanuka 2002 where 10 young Yeshiva boys visited every home in Bay Harbor to identify which ones were Jewish and give them the necessary items (Menorah, Candles, Guides etc.) for the Holiday of Chanuka.
Over 250 Jewish Homes were identified together with a color coded map or Members, Non-Members and Unaffiliated Jews. Over the next Purim and Passover the same idea was used in the Surfside and Bal Harbour area and over 800 new Jewish homes were contacted and had a taste of The Shul.
Block Shluchim
Together with color coded map each neighborhood was split up into different areas that include a lay leader from The Shul.
Before each Yom Tov The Shul prepares a special food package which promotes holiday awareness.
Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Succot, Chanukah, Purim, Pesach andShavout
Every newly identified Jewish household in the Bal Harbor, Bay Harbor Islands and Surfside areas has been contacted with thousands of Apples and Honey packages, Chanukah kits and Purim Mishloach Manos and food packages distributed this year.
Over 350 pounds of hand-made Shemurah Matzo (that’s about 2,450 pieces of matzah) has been distributed throughout 33154. If you are new on the 33154 area, please let us know so you can be included on this amazing and inspiring Jewish Program.
Send a letter to the Rebbe זי"ע
Throughout his lifetime, the Rebbe received hundreds of letters every day, from people of every conceivable background, occupation and faith. Today people continue to send letters to be placed at the Ohel for the Rebbe's guidance and intervention On High, in the age-old tradition of written prayer petitions at our holiest sites
Whether referring to one's own self or mentioning someone else's name in a letter, one should always include the name and mother's name (e.g. Isaac the son of Sarah) of both the one(s) who are in need of blessing and the signer.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/761128/jewish/Why-Use-the-Mothers-Name-When-Praying-for-Someone.html
http://www.ohelchabad.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/78445It is preferable to use one's Jewish name. (Customarily gentiles use their father's name.) Letters can be written in any language. You can fax directly to the Ohel at: (718) 723-4444 Or you can use the form below to have the rabbis at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch http://www.ohelchabad.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/78445personally bring your prayers to the Rebbe’s resting place.
The Rebbe
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory, the seventh leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, is considered to have been the most phenomenal Jewish personality of modern times. To hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of sympathizers and admirers around the world, he was -- and still is, despite his passing -- "the Rebbe."
Whether referring to one's own self or mentioning someone else's name in a letter, one should always include the name and mother's name (e.g. Isaac the son of Sarah) of both the one(s) who are in need of blessing and the signer.
Click Here to Know More Click Here.
Connect With The Shul
