Camp calendars have now been published with awesome trips, theme days and amazing activities planned for summer 2019!
Get ready for another awesome summer adventure! We still have a few spots in some divisions. Click to Enroll Some job openings are also still available. Click to Apply
Our commitment to keep everyone safe continues!
We are continuing our commitment to security. This week we installed a new set of lockable doors on the inside which act as a second layer of security. All our glass doors are bullet and blast proof. We are working on more security plans which we will share with you in the coming weeks. You can help by making a donation today.
Shavuos Women's Night: Wednesday, June 5 at 8pm
Join for a women's night out, enjoy a great evening with friends and community, creating your own beautiful flower arrangement, wine and cheese desserts, and insights about the holiday!
Lag Ba'omer was celebrated with our community joining for an outdoor bbq dinner, games and inflatables, music, and marshmallow roasting around the fire. The children recited Torah passages, while learning about the importance of this special holiday!
Thank you to all for joining, and thank you to our incredible teen volunteers for making it an awesome celebration!
Thank you to Gregory Baranovsky, Pastel Images, for the beautiful photos.
Saturday, June 1
Morning Service 9:30am
Torah Reading and Sermon: 10:30am Kiddush Brunch: 12:00pm
Evening Service 8:00pm Shabbos ends: 9:12pm
Schedule of Synagogue Services June 2- June 6
Morning Service Shacharis
Sun-Fri 8:15am
Followed by breakfast
Evening Service Mincha & Maariv
Sun-Thu 8:10pm
Fair Lawn Jewish Day Camp Enroll today for the full summer and save big! Enroll your child now!
You want a paid and impacting internship this summer for your high school and college age kids? Because of the dedicated staff that join our team each summer, our camp has been one of the fastest growing Jewish camps in North Jersey since 2008. Together, we serve over 400 campers each summer, and growing!
Production of the new 5780 Jewish calendar has begun.
Support the calendar by placing an ad or a dedication. Click Here
Moms and Tots Shabbat
Saturdays 11am-12pm Give your child an opportunity to explore, learn and discover with songs, story time with Russian language, and kiddie play area! Bond with your little one while connecting with other moms in our area.
Shavuos Women's Night Out
Wednesday, June 5, at 8pm
Join for a women's night out, enjoy a great evening with friends and community, creating your own beautiful flower arrangement, wine and cheese desserts, and insights about the holiday!
By Reservation only.
Hear the Ten Commandments, and enjoy a buffet of ice cream and dozens of toppings.
Fun for the entire Family!
Free admission! Come and bring your friends!
A Biselleh Humor....
Mrs.Rosen was trying to come up with an appropriate booklist for the new book club she was starting, so she decided to canvas some of her friends about their favorite books. Mrs. Rosen asked Shirley Cohen, "Which book has helped you most in your life?"
And Shirley replied, "My husband's check book!!"
Weekly E- Torah
As we conclude the third book of the Torah in synagogues around the world this week, I am reminded of the traditional prayer recited upon completion of a tractate of the Talmud. In it, we thank G‑d for the great opportunity to toil in the study of Torah. The prayer contains a line that goes like this: “We toil and they toil. We toil and receive reward, while they toil and don’t receive reward.” The prayer is obviously contrasting Torah study with all other activities and forms of work: while Torah study offers meaningful compensation, other endeavors don’t.
But this needs further explanation. Is this really so? Is there really no meaningful compensation in other fields of work? Last I heard, people were being compensated in other areas as well! So, how does Torah study differ?
The explanation lies in careful examination of the words of the prayer: “. . .they toil and receive no reward.” Why did the author of this prayer of thanksgiving choose the word “toil” as opposed to, let’s say, “work” or “achieve”?
The answer, I believe, is that Torah study is all about the effort and the “toiling,” in contrast with other endeavors or sciences, where the main focus is on accomplishment and the final product.
Torah study is mostly about the means, not so much about the ends. In other areas of life, who cares about your toiling? Toiling is just a means to an end. There is no reward for hard work and shvitzing. In fact, if you could accomplish the same job without toiling, that would be just as good. No extra reward is given for the toiling. It is mostly the results that count! In Torah study, however, it’s the opposite. Even if you were to toil in Torah study without any tangible results, that itself is worthy of reward!
The reason for this is because unlike other sciences, Torah study is not about accumulating knowledge. Unlike other self-help books and religious manuals, the Torah is not only about learning how to observe. Torah study is primarily about forging a relationship with G‑d. When we toil in the study of Torah, and connect to the fountain of G‑d’s wisdom, we are at that moment experiencing oneness and forging a relationship with our G‑d—regardless of whether we succeeded in totally mastering the subject we are studying. The relationship with G‑d is experienced mostly while toiling and studying, not in the results or accomplishments.
This thought is echoed in this week’s Torah portion, which tells us: “If you will walk in my statutes” (Leviticus 26:3), explained by Rashi to be a reference to “toiling in Torah.” Again, the emphasis here is on the effort and not so much on the results.
What a refreshing approach and dramatic contrast to all those other areas, where the only thing that matters are your results! From a Torah perspective, what is most cherished and valued by G‑d is the hard work and effort that you put into your Torah studies! The quality and effort while on the journey of Torah study is way more important than the destination.
