Shabbat Services 12/21 and 12/22

Congregants and Friends,

We are having our regular Friday night and Saturday morning services this weekend, December 21 and 22.  Tonight, Friday night services start at 7:00 pm. Tomorrow, Saturday morning services start at 9:00 am with the Torah reading around 10:00 am.  Tomorrow, we are going to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Adam and Ilana Heller’s grandson Isaak Heller.  We wish Adam, Ilana and his whole family a hearty Mazal Tov.  Please join us in this exciting simcha.

Cantor Ben Moshe Message:  In this week’s parshah, Vayigash, we see one of the most beautiful turns of phrase in the Torah. Judah, explaining to Joseph why he cannot face his father’s grief if he fails to bring Benjamin home, says “…nafsho k’shurah b’nafsho”, “…their souls are bound together”. Indeed, our souls are bound together with those of our loved ones-we share in their joy as well as in their grief. If we take a wider view, the souls of all of the People of Israel are bound together, and those of all the human family.  Our souls are bound up with those of those families affected by last week’s horror in Newtown, CT-not only the Jewish family that lost a child, but all of those whose loved ones were senselessly taken from them. May God comfort them along with all those who mourn, and may we as a society take every possible step to ensure that events like these never reoccur.