Parashat Pinchas
COME CELEBRATE WITH US NEXT SHABBAT!
With much excitement and gratitude to Hashem, we would love to celebrate Achiya’s birthday with you at a special Kiddush at AHC on Saturday 10th of July. Please RSVP for catering purposes via the link below.
Rabbi’s Drosh
This week our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Miami after the tragic building collapse there. Many of the residents were Jewish, including Leon Oliwkowicz (80) and his wife Cristina Beatriz (Rus) de Oliwkowicz (74). They were known for their kindness and generosity. Just three years ago, they donated a special Torah scroll to a Jewish school in memory of Leon parents.
“”Suffering is meaningless unless you decide otherwise...we should not be asking “Why did this happen to me?”... A better question would be “Now that this has happened to me, what am I going to do about it?””
How do we make sense when such horrible things happen to good people? Or indeed when we ourselves face difficulties?
I once read an article based on the work of Rabbi Harold Kushner with the subtitle ”Suffering is meaningless unless you decide otherwise”.
He goes on to explain that the question we should be asking when facing personal tragedy (or even difficulties) is not, “Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?” That is really an unanswerable, pointless question. A better question would be “Now that this has happened to me, what am I going to do about it?”
This shabbat we read about Moshe, knowing it was his time to die, asking Hashem to appoint a leader for the People of Israel. Moshe was dealing with the tragedy of grief and mourning and the knowledge that he would not enter the land of Israel. Instead of asking “Why did this happen to me?“ he asked the question, “What am I going to do about it?” and he looked to the future.
Whether making sense of tragedy or dealing with life’s daily changes and challenges, this is such a powerful lesson to us all!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Friedler
The Friedlers’ Highlights
School Tours and Interfaith
We are finishing off our term two school and interfaith tours of the Shul where visitors get the opportunity to learn about AHC and get up close to a Torah..
This week’s tour focused on the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith, our community and our connection to Israel.
Rabbi’s Class - Fear vs Hatred
At the Rabbi’s class we learned what really motivated Balak and the Moabites to enlist Bilaam to curse the Jewish people.
Using maps and the Chumash, we discovered why the People of Israel had to go around the long way!
Hafrashat Challah for Deli Pizza
Not everyone knows that the mitzvah of Hafrashat Challah (taking a portion of the dough) is not just for Challah.
This week we performed the Hafrashat Challah for the delicious Kosher Deli Pizza which Sam and the team were making..
If you want to learn more about the Halacha (Jewish law) of this special mitzvah then click on the link below.
Getting Ready for BA Camp
What a pleasure to get to work with parents and madrachim this week as we got busy in the kitchen getting ready for camp. Preparation to feed those hungry campers begins weeks in advance! While my main job for the camp team is Kashrut supervision, I am of course also always available for taste testing as well!
Catching up with Rose and the Meltzers
It is always so heart-warming to see the way in which members of our community are looking out for each other. This week when visiting Rose Benjamin, I also had the pleasure of catching up with Barrie and Veronica who visit her regularly too.
Seventeenth of Tammuz
This Sunday’s minyan was also the fast day of the 17th of Tammuz. This fast marks the day that the walls of Jerusalem were breached before the destruction of the second Temple.
JOIN US IN OUR HOME FOR TORAH LEARNING, DRINKS, AND NIBBLES AT…
RABBI’S CLASS
…NEXT CLASS IS WEDNESDAY 7TH OF JULY- CONTACT RABBI OR DEB FOR MORE DETAILS