Thank you to this week's valued DONORS! We are grateful to have such a committed community. Tax Substantiation Letters were sent out by email. If you donated last year and did not receive one or if your letter looks incomplete, please bein touch.
FROM RABBI LEEAD STALLER
DRASHA Parashat VaYakhel may not be everyone’s favorite Parshah, as it essentially repeats word by word all of Parshat Terumah– a portion which is hardly exciting the first time around as we read in excruciating detail the Tabernacle blueprints. One personal silver lining, though, is that I can feel confident that if people are sleeping or spacing out, I’m not the only one to blame this morning. But joking aside, the seemingly “boring” nature of our Parshah raises an important question. Why is our Parshah necessary at all? Couldn’t these chapters and chapters of verses have been summarized in one line at the end of Parashat Tetzaveh: “And the Jewish people did as God commanded and made a Tabernacle.” Done. But instead we get a whole rehashing of things, telling us line by line, word by word, “God said do X, and the Jewish people did X. God said do Y, and the Jewish people did Y.” Is the Torah trying to bore us?
Unsurprisingly, over the generations many commentaries have grappled with or apologized for the seemingly unnecessary repetition in our Parshah. One approach taken is to view our Parshah in its hyper-local context. Last week, we read about the Sin of the Golden Calf that necessitated a breaking of the Luchot and a second instance of revelation. Given that, perhaps we can read our Parshah as a byproduct of the Sin of the Golden Calf as well. The Jewish people’s sin was so radical and changed their standing and relationship with God in such a fundamental way, that just like there was a need for a new set of Luchot and a new covenant to reflect this new reality, perhaps there was a need for a “new” Tabernacle and a new meeting point between man and God, as well. Thus, the Torah repeats the Tabernacle blueprints in full to emphasize that while the Tabernacle that is built may look the same as the initial blueprints introduced in Parashat Terumah, the relationship with God it represents and which lies at its bedrock is forever changed. While certainly a clever and meaningful interpretation, and one that utilizes one of my favorite biblical methodologies– paying close attention to context– ultimately, this answer leaves what to be desired. On a very basic level, it is a famous debate amongst rabbis and commentators whether the Torah is actually presenting these Torah portions in chronological order, or if, perhaps, the very commandment to build the Mishkan in Parshat Terumah only took place after the events of the Golden Calf. Thus, according to Rashi who believes that the command to build the Mishkan only came after the sin of the Golden Calf, obviously this answer would be incoherent. The whole concept of a Mishkan only came into play after the Jewish people sinned and showed the need for a physical sanctuary, so obviously the repetition is not indicating some post-Eigel shift in the Mishkan....continued
P U R I M is Fast Approaching Fulfill the Mitzvot of Mishloach Manot and Matanot l'Evyonim with The Stanton Street Shul
To sign up, clickhere and select "shalach manot" from the donations drop down menu.
With a $180 Contribution:
Pick up a mishloach manot/shalach manos/gift basket after our Megillah Reading at shul
Be listed as a contributor and have an opportunity to send Purim greetings in a congregation-wide announcement
Fulfill the Purim mitzvah of Matanot l'Evyonim - a special charity for the poor on Purim
Thank you to everyone who filled out our shul survey. We appreciate, deeply, your contributions to the shul and to strengthening our community. And thank you to everyone who signed up to volunteer to help continue to foster our vibrant and intimate shul on the Lower East Side.
Misheberach:We pray that all who are sick may have a full recovery. To add a name to our communal misheberach prayer list, email us.
Refuah Shleimah to Leslie Levinson as she continues to heal.
While scaling back because of Omicron has been hard on all of us, we've found beautiful moments as a Shul in those opportunities we do have to gather together. Since reducing in-person activities two months ago, we've been able to host a handful of weekday Yhartzeit Minyanim for congregants, facilitating their Kaddish, learning about their lost loved ones, and sharing in snacks and Mitzvot in their memory.
If you have a Yhartzeit coming up, please reach out to Rabbi Leeadto organize a Yhartzeit Minyan! These moments of gathering are so meaningful and special, but they need a little bit of forewarning to plan so don't be shy.
And, as always, feel free to update your Shul account info with Yhartzeit dates either on your own, at www.stantonstshul.com, or email me or Jill with the info and we an input it for you.
May we soon have a happy occasion to safely gather in person. The Stanton Street Shul COVID PROTOCOLS (as of January 19, 2022)
While things in New York are starting to head in the right direction, as of right now, Omicron is still a threat and we remain cautious. Our vaccine and mask policy remain in place, and we will continue to suspend Kiddush, but we are hopeful that we will be able to, safely, resume in-person events in the near future.
Security Protocols for Entering Shul: At all times as a security precaution, please use the code to enter the door on the right side of the building. If you do not know the code, knock and someone will let you in.
Future Events: April 9th, 30th May 7th, 21st June 5th (Sunday [Shavuot]), 18th
Join Morah Eliza and Leslie for games, celebration of holidays, snacks, songs and davening
Women's Tefillah Group Starting in February, the WTG will meetvia ZOOMonce a month on Sunday morning at 9:30am for tefillah, dvar Torah, and brunch. This will replace the WTG Zoom Rosh Chodesh services, which were held for over a year.
From February through May, WTG will meet on the 1st Sunday of every month, and from June through August on the 2nd Sunday of the month. See the schedule below for details. Sunday, March 6th Sunday, April 3rd Sunday, May 1st (Rosh Chodesh - hopefully this will be an in-person tefillah) Sunday, June 12th Sunday, July 10th Sunday, August 14th Please emailRachel if you would like to give a 5-10 minute dvar Torah on one of these dates. The February slot has already been filled.
UPCOMING EVENTS. Stay Tuned... There will be two opportunities to get together with the Rabbi and Shoshana over Zoom, share personal interests, and hang out:
February 2022: Monologues from the Makom: Intertwined Narratives of Sexuality Wednesday, March 16th: Women's Megillah Reading on Purim: Please contact Rivky Friedman to coordinate if you would like to read a portion of Megillat Esther (no experience necessary) and please spread the word!!
Shabbat Shmooze Another way to stay connected to congregants and let people know we care! Each Thursday, we will call a few congregants to chat, touch base, and wish them Shabbat Shalom! Send all call requests, recommendations, or interest to Rabbi Staller
For those of you who missed our Volunteer Recruitment Meeting last week, it was a great start to enriching our community engagement and participation. Check out Rabbi Staller's slide show to review what we discussed and survey the committees and tasks available as volunteer opportunities.
Some examples of ways to get involved:
Try your hand at being a Gabbai for a week Plan fun events. Help maintain and improve our building. Extend chesed to our members in need. Brainstorm ways to grow membership in our shul. Strengthen connections to our external community and within our internal community.
(Note: You will always have support and assistance. If you want to try something you've never done before, we will guide you. You won't have to figure it out on your own. We encourage you and welcome you to give as little or as much of your time as you are able.)
If anything strikes your fancy, please fill out this google form. And consider grabbing a buddy with whom to volunteer.
For our health and that of our city, country and world -- get vaccinated and boosted! Walk-in vaccines and booster shots are now available throughout the city. Or speak to your doctor. Or call the main vaccine hotline for NYC: 877-VAX-4NYC or 877-829-4692. Or visithttps://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/or https://www.turbovax.info/
ONLINE ARCHIVES Click HERE for an archive of shiurim by Rabbi Staller ClickHERE for an archive of drashot by Rabbi Staller Click HERE to go to our YouTube Channel for an archive of our ZOOM classes
