Dear Friends,
This makes me really happy and proud!
Every Friday, our junior teens ages 11-13 who are part of the MVP, Mitzvah Volunteer Program, go to a senior home in Fair Lawn for a Pre-Shabbat program to bring joy and smiles to seniors.
Every week, they play games, do crafts, sing songs and enjoy Kiddush and Challah.
This Friday, Feb 28 we are celebrating the 100th birthday of one of those seniors who is also a holocaust survivor. Your pre teen can also join our MVPs at 4pm this Friday at the Maple Glen Center on Saddle River Rd. Our MVPs are just great, we are very proud of them.
The ever popular Moms and kids Hamantashen bake is completely sold out, we regret we do not have space for all who wanted to join. We need to expand our building, but that's a topic for another conversation.
Don’t miss out on our other Purim events and make your reservations before it sells out. Checkout all our upcoming events and regular programs below.
SHABBOS TIMES
Friday, February 28 Candle Lighting 5:28pm
Evening Service Mincha 5:30pm
Saturday, February 29
Morning Service 9:30am
Kiddush Brunch 12:00pm
Evening Service Mincha 5:30pm
Shabbos Ends 6:28pm
Jteens join for a Pre-Purim evening of Hamantashen baking, refreshments, and Purim gift packing!
A portion of the hamantashen will be brought to the senior center to share the holiday joy with the residents there!
Celebrate Purim "Fiddler on the Roof" style, with reading of the Megillah, a full festive sit down dinner, Open Bar, Live Music and Dancing!
By reservation only
6:30pm: Megillah Reading 7:00pm: Festive Dinner, Music and Dance Party, Purim under the sea crafts and activities, Mishloach Manos, and grand costume masquerade!
Connect with over 100 teens from our community for a unique Shabbat experience exclusively for teens!
Cocktail hour, candle lighting ceremony, Kiddush, challah, sit down Shabbat dinner and dessert buffet.
Dressy, modest attire. Free admission!
A warm environment for our community of teens.
.Hang out, and get connected with other Jewish teens in the area for casual, social meet and discussions.
MITZVAH VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Fridays from 4pm-5pm
Geared for boys and girls ages 11-13, MVP is for volunteering and Mitzvah madness!
MVP's meet at the Maple Glen Center in Fair Lawn, for a Pre-Shabbat program with the senior residents.
MOMS AND TOTS SHABBAT
Saturday mornings 11am-12pm
Discover, learn and explore with Shabbat songs, drama and kiddie play area. Bond with your little one, while connecting with other Moms in the area!
A BISSELE HUMOR
The Chief Rabbi of Israel was being driven on a tour of some kibbutzim in the north of Israel. Having never driven a limo, he asks the chauffeur if he can drive for a while. Since the chauffeur really doesn't have much of a choice, he climbs in the back of the limo and the Chief Rabbi takes the wheel.
The Chief Rabbi starts accelerating to see what the limo can do. He gets to about 90 MPH, and suddenly he sees the red & blue lights of the police. The Chief Rabbi pulls over and the officer comes to his window.
The officer, seeing who it is, says, "Just a moment please, I need to call in." The officer calls in and asks for the chief. He tells the chief that he's got a REALLY important person pulled over, and asks how he should handle it.
"Is it a famous person?" asks the chief.
"No sir!" replies the officer, "This guy's more important."
"Is it a Member of Knesset?" asks the chief.
"No! Even more important!" replies the officer. "Is it the Prime Minister??? asks the chief.
"No! Even more important!" replies the officer.
"Well WHO IS IT?" screams the chief.
"I don't know," replies the officer, "but he's got the Chief Rabbi as his chauffeur!"
WEEKLY eTORAH
In this week's Torah portion G‑d instructed Moses to tell the people, “They shall make for Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.”
Now the question is, was G‑d really homeless? Wasn’t He already dwelling with the people? Why, it was just the other week that we read of the revelation at Sinai, where G‑d came down from heaven to earth. So why suddenly the need for a Sanctuary for Him?
The answer is that there is a fundamental difference between Sinai and the Sanctuary. Sinai represents a revelation thrust upon the people from above. G‑d initiated and activated that encounter. In this experience, the Jewish people were somewhat passive. All the thunder and lightning, physically and spiritually, came at them from on high.
The Sanctuary, however, had to be built by the people themselves. They had to take the initiative. From the fundraising campaign to collect the raw materials needed for the sanctuary, down to the nuts and bolts of construction, the Mishkan was a human-made edifice.
At Sinai the heavens opened for the greatest sound-and-light show on earth, leaving a nation mesmerized and awe-inspired. But they themselves were passive recipients of this unique, never-to-be-repeated gift from above.
To build a Sanctuary took a whole building campaign. Men and women, young and old, everybody rolled up their sleeves. It took weeks and months of hard labor, meaningful contributions by every individual, planning and programming, designing and then actually building a holy house for G‑d. We made it happen. And thereby, it was the people who brought G‑d down to earth.
Apparently it was important for the Jews to appreciate the value G‑d attaches to self-help and to DIY projects of a spiritual nature. It is not good enough to sit around waiting for the extraordinary revelations, those once-in-a-lifetime supernal visits the good L‑rd might bestow upon us. It is necessary for us to create the infrastructure, to take the building blocks in our hands and “make me a Sanctuary.”
To put it simply, are we waiting for G‑d, or is G‑d waiting for us? Who makes the next move?
That’s what Sinai was all about. He gave us a dose of revelation, of spiritual shock-and-awe that has saturated us with an eternal capacity to fly high, to touch the divine. But those were just the tools; now we have to learn to fly. We may have been endowed with the potential to develop our connection to G‑dliness, but after Sinai it’s up to us to make it happen and to actually bring our innate power to the fore.
True revelation is rare. While there certainly are those special moments when we witness the unmistakable presence of G‑d in our lives, we cannot wait for lightning to strike. We need to build our personal sanctuaries for G‑d in order to embrace Him and bring Him into our homes and families.
The Rebbe of Kotzk was once asked by his teacher, “Where is G‑d?” He answered, “Wherever you let Him in.”
-adapted from www.chabad.org
