B”H THE SHUL WEEKLY MAGAZINE SHABBOS PARSHAS VAYELECH SHABBOS SHUVA TISHREI 5 - 6 OCTOBER 4 -5 CANDLE LIGHTING: 6:46 PM SHABBOS ENDS: 7:37 PM YOM KIPPUR TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY CANDLE LIGHTING / FAST BEGINS: 6:42 PM FAST ENDS: 7:33 PM WELCOME CHAZZAN MOTZEN The Shul - Chabad Lubavitch - An institution of The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson (May his merit shield us) Over Thirty five Years of Serving the Communities of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek and Surfside 9540 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Fl 33154 Tel: 305.868.1411 Fax: 305.861.2426 www.TheShul.org Email: [email protected] www.TheShul.org Email: [email protected] www.theshulpreschool.org www.cyscollege.org THE SHUL WEEKLY MAGAZINE EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK NACHAS AT A GLANCE CONTENTS MIVTZOIM IN 33154 Yom Kippur Message: 3 The Shul Bochurim visit offices and Yom Kippur Message from The Rebbe stores all around 33154 and help the Jews in the neighborhood put Weekly Message: 4 on Tefillin Thoughts on the Parsha - Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar A Time to Pray: 5 Check out all the davening schedules and locations throughout the week Celebrating Shabbos: 6 - 7 Schedules, classes, articles & more... Everything TEEN BOYS CHASSIDUS you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience High School boys meet at Starbucks The Month of Tishrei 8 - 15 once a week before school to learn Everything you need to know for the High Holidays Chassidus. Community Happenings: 16 -17 Sharing with your Shul Family Inspiration, Insights & Ideas: 20 - 28 Bringing Torah lessons to LIFE Get The Picture 29 -35 The full scoop on all the great events HEBREW SCHOOL MINYAN around town Children from The Shul Hebrew School, who attend Public School, French Connection 36 Reflexions sur la Paracha come to Shul every weekday morning to daven before heading Latin Link 37 to school. Reflexion Semanal In a Woman’s World 38 Issues of relevance to the Jewish woman HEBREW SCHOOL DOES TASHLICH Networking 39 - 40 Efective Advertising The children from The Shul Hebrew School walked to the Bay Harbor Numbers To Know 41 bay and did Tashlich this week. Contacts at The Shul Daily Study 42 A complete guide to all classes and courses ofered at The Shul Get The Picture 43 -44 The full scoop on all the great events around town Boys Mishmar QUOTABLE QUOTE After a full day of school the Shul It would have been fitting that the boys come together to learn more, rebukes (in the Book of Deuteronomy) have delicious snacks and play be pronounced by Balaam, and that the sports. blessings (in the Parshah of Balak) be said by Moses... But G-d said: Let Moses, who loves them, rebuke them; and let Balaam, who hates them, bless them – Midrash Yalkut Shimoni YOM KIPPUR MESSAGE FROM THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE - RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSOHN AT ONE WITH G-D More than Absolution from Guilt person’s Torah observance: his intellect one’s inner bond renews our connection he name Yom Kippur means grapples with Torah study, his emotions with G-d at all lev els. “Day of Atonement”; it is “the find expression in the love and fear culmination of forgiveness and of G-d, and his potential for activity When, by contrast, one atones for sin T through teshuvah, the deeper connection pardon for Israel.” The Hebrew term for is actualized in the performance of “atonement” — kapparah , implies not mitzvos. he establishes breaks through the bar- only that the sinner will not be punished riers he has created by his past conduct. for his transgressions, but also that The second level of connection is deeper Revealing one’s innate inner bond with the spiritual blemishes caused by sin than that which can be achieved through G-d is even more powerful: it leaves no will be washed away from his soul. thought or word or deed. This bond possibility of imperfection. When a person turns to G-d in sincere surfaces even when the Torah-based connection to G-d has been severed. This is the meaning of saying that “the teshuvah, the process of change can essence of the day atones.” On Yom purge, and even transform, the negative At this level, though sin may separate a person from G-d, he will be inspired Kippur, one’s essential bond with G-d spiritual influences generated by sin. It is revealed, and in the process, every is, however, difficult to understand how to turn to Him through the potential for teshuvah. element of our spiritual potential is can this be accomplished by the arrival revitalized. of Yom Kippur on the calendar. How can Finally, there is a level of connection Yom Kippur itself bring about such a to G-d which stems from the fact that Locked In, Alone With G-d dramatic change in a person’s being? the essence of the Jewish soul is one The revelation of this essential bond with the essence of G-d. This bond on Yom Kippur is reflected in the High The Essence of the Day Atones Priest’s entry into the Holy of Holies, This question lies at the heart of a is constant. At all times, our essence “cleaves to You.” This bond is not the during which he came into direct contact difference of opinion among our Sages. with the Divine Presence. No human or Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi maintains that result of our efforts, and consequently, neither our thoughts nor our words nor spiritual being was permitted to intrude atonement is granted on Yom Kippur upon his connection with G-d. whether or not a sinner repents, our deeds can weaken it. because “the essence of the day (itzumo Transcending Separation This same degree of connection can shel yom) atones.” The majority of the The connection to G-d established be achieved by each of us through our Sages differ with this view, maintaining through Torah observance is limited by divine service on Yom Kippur, and in that Yom Kippur atones only for those the extent of each individual’s religious par ticular, during the concluding Neilah who repent. commitment and actual observance. service. Neilah means “closing” or “locking”. At this time, every individual However, even those Sages acknowledge Furthermore, since this connection is humanly generated, it is limited, no Jew is locked in, alone with G-d. At this the power of “the essence of the day,” time, the essence of his soul, the level in their statement that on Yom Kippur matter how inspired and complete our observance is. that is one with the essence of G-d, is we can atone for sins which cannot be revealed. completely atoned for on other days. Even teshuvah — though it results in a The difference between the Sages and deeper connection than that effected by Neilah is the fifth prayer service of Yom Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, then, is that observance — is limited, because it too Kippur. Our Sages explain that there the Sages maintain that “the essence requires human input: our yearning not are five levels within the soul. The fifth of the day” can only affect an individual to be separated from G-d. and deepest is called yechidah, from who through teshuvah has opened his the word yachid which means “singular heart to its influence. Rabbi Yehudah The essential bond we share with G-d, oneness.” This is the point in the soul HaNasi, by contrast, maintains that the however, does not depend on us at all, that is united in singular oneness with influence of “the essence of the day” is coming about instead, because our souls G-d; this is the level that surfaces during so powerful that it atones even without are “an actual part of G-d from above.” Neilah. teshuvah. In order to understand this At this level of essential connection, difference of opinion, we must analyze there is no existence outside G-dliness, The level of soul experienced during the nature of “the essence of the day” no possibility of separation from G-d, Neilah foreshadows the Era of the and how can it bring about an internal no possibility that the soul be affected Redemption, for Mashiach represents change within a person. by sin. The very revelation of this level the yechi dah of all existence and will of connection removes the blemishes reveal this unique connection in every Three Levels of Connection which sin causes. This kind of cleansing aspect of our being. May this take place We relate with G-d at three levels. The is a natural process, for the revelation of in the immedi ate future. first level of con nection is based on a 3 THOUGHTS ON THE PARSHA FROM RABBI SHOLOM LIPSKAR PARSHAS VAYELECH - YOM KIPPUR his week’s parsha just preceding Yom concentrate on the more sublime aspects Kippur contains the last two of the 613 of our being. Tprecepts. 1) The Mitzvah of Hakhel – Communal gathering, where the Jewish Thus, at the outset of the next 6-year cycle people are charged to make pilgrimage of material involvement and pursuits, we during the holiday of Sukkot, on the first are directed to bring our entire family to the year of the Sabbatical / Shmita cycle. holiest place in the world where the leader The year after the last Shmita year, men, of the Jewish people teaches the Torah women, children, even infants would all and inspires the multitudes gathered. It gather together to hear the Torah read (the is more than an intellectual experience as entire book of Deuteronomy) by the King on we also bring infants who are affected by a special stage built for this occasion.