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Celebrate the Holidays with us!

Click here for the schedule of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Services. Enjoy our our warm, inspiring and uplifting tefilot and cantorial renditions.

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President's Message: Tetzaveh

Dear Friends,

I want to express our deepest condolences to the Rabbi and his family on the passing of his grandmother, Rebbetzin Chava Hecht z”l. From everything I’ve seen and heard, she was a traiblazer and a true Aishet Chayil. May her neshama have an aliyah.

All who have been fortunate to hear the Rabbi speak about his family know that the Raskin and Hecht names have great Yichus within Chabad, as well as the broader Orthodox community. They carry with them great responsibility to live up to the standards set by the earlier generations. In this week’s Parsha, Parshat Tetzaveh, an interesting observation has been made. Although the entire Parsha involves G-d giving instructions to Moshe about building the Mishkan and the clothing of the Kohen Gadol, Moshe’s name is never mentioned. 
 
Rabbi Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, comments that Parshat Tetzaveh is usually read around the Yahrtzeit of Moshe, 7th Adar. His feeling is, by keeping Moshe’s name out of the Parsha, we concentrate on his actions. Legacy is not about names but rather about our accomplishments. May Rebbetzin Hecht z”l be remembered not just for her name but for  all of her accomplishments and the life she led.
 
• • • 

I will be back before Shabbos and more will follow next week about finishing the repair work on the Shul. We apologize for the inconvenience and for any rescheduling that needed to be done.

On a positive note, the  NYS mask mandate has been lifted so masks will now only be optional in the  Shul for davening as well as kiddush. The early minyan on Shabbos will still require masking, for those who have more concerns in terms of getting sick, missing work or school etc. Let’s hope this is the beginning of more good news to come.

If the numbers of attendees remain low, this requirement may also be removed if adequate spacing can be assured.  We want everyone to be comfortable coming to Shul.

Wishing you all a safe and peaceful Shabbat Shalom,

Steven Inker 

Join us for weekday Maariv

Rabbi Raskin video: Terumah

Message from the President: Terumah

Shalom from Israel!
 
This Shabbat we read Parshat Terumah.  We start learning about building the Mishkan, the temporary Tabernacle that the Israelites carried through the desert during their trek to the Promised Land. Most of the remainder of the Book of Exodus is spent recounting all of the minutiae involved in its construction, its dimensions, its materials. But … if it’s a temporary structure, why is so much importance given to it?
 
Rabbi Sacks, among many, suggests an answer. He compares the Israelites before the building of the Mishkan, to the nation after. The nation before constantly complained — about water, about food, about attacks, about everything. Even when they would benefit from what was given to them, they complained! But once they were given a task, a chance to be an active participant in their future, the complaining stopped.  
 
The building of the Mishkan allowed the people to come together and build something together, to honor G-d and to make themselves worthy at the same time. (Here is a link to Rabbi Sacks’ full Dvar Torah, which includes a great comparison to de Tocqueville’s analysis of state and society, for anyone who is interested.)
 
• • •
 
We also had our share of building and fixing our Shul these past two weeks. Dealing with all of the repairs has been time consuming and expensive, but we expect all to be fixed in the next few weeks. We will reassess the budget in light of the monies needed for building repairs and contingencies, as well as the need for increased security. I should have more information in a couple of weeks about that. 
 
In the meantime, I wish you a safe and peaceful Shabbat.
 
Steve Inker

Thu, September 18 2025 25 Elul 5785