Work on the community calendar and program guide for the new Jewish 5781 year, is almost complete.
Please help support this great project by placing an ad for your business in the calendar. You can also dedicate a date in honor or memory of an occasion. Click for calendar information.
With all the uncertainty in the world, one thing that remains certain is that Jewish children must continue to learn, as such we are happy to present you with Hebrew School attendance options that will allow you to choose from “In person” or “Online”. Click for Hebrew School information.
More great programs coming soon, plus an entire school year of exciting Jewish programs and activities for every age, as we continue to live, celebrate and grow better and bigger than ever before.
Supporting our community
As we open Synagogue, we continue to provide online resources for you, and for those who are not ready to join Synagogue just yet.
Harry owns a local car repair garage.
One day, Marty, one of his customers, arrives to pick up his car.
Harry goes over to him, shakes his hand and says, "I’d just like to say thanks for your patronage. I wish I had 10 customers like you."
"Wow! It’s nice to hear you say that," says Marty, "but why are you thanking me? You know I always argue with your prices and I always complain about the work you do on my car."
"I know," says Harry, "but I'd still like 10 customers like you - the trouble is I have at least 50 like you."
WEEKLY eTORAH
The fifth of the Five Books of Moses describes the final 37 days of Moses’ life. During this time, Moses repeats many of the laws he has already taught, rebukes the people, and retells some of the major happenings of the previous 40 years.
Moses also takes on a new role: translator. Until this point, Moses had been the conveyer of the Torah, communicating the Divine wisdom to the Jewish people, but now he translated it into 70 languages for them.
His audience, the Children of Israel about to enter the Promised Land, all spoke Hebrew and had no practical use for a translation in Egyptian, Babylonian, or Cantonese. Centuries later, when the translation of the Torah would become an important priority, would it not suffice for the great scholars of the time to translate it? Why did Moses himself have to dedicate the last days of his life to this extensive task? Language captures culture. It’s not enough to translate the word; each language captures a unique perspective, a distinctive way of understanding the world, which is why translation is a tricky business. Moses understood this. He knew that translating the Torah was not simply a pragmatic matter that could be left to future generations. G‑d’s infinite will and wisdom is relevant not just in Hebrew and not just to the people living in ancient Israel. The Torah is the ultimate truth, and applicable to all places, times, and cultures, and therefore can, and must, be translated into all languages by someone who deeply understands the nuances and sensitivities.
There is also a deep mystical significant to the translation. The goal of the Torah is to unite all people with the one G‑d. The 70 languages, by contrast, are a source of division. Initially, all people spoke one language, leading to a deep sense of unity, which they tried to preserve by constructing the Tower of Babel. G‑d, however, disrupted their unity by confusing their language and forcing them to scatter across the earth. The act of translating the Torah, therefore, is an awesome spiritual undertaking—one so radical it had to be spearheaded by Moses himself. The act of translation is the bridge which brings the unity of G‑d into the diversity of existence. It is the thread that transforms diversity into harmony.
As we read about the last precious days of Moses’ life, we take this message to heart. We understand that, yes, the message of the Torah is as true in ancient Hebrew as it is in modern English. We remind ourselves that we too must be translators of the Torah, carrying on the task of connecting the plurality of existence with the oneness of G‑d, and revealing that the incredible diversity of the universe is an expression of the one G‑d.
