This is a year of 'Hakhel' – 'Communal Gatherings'
“A Whole is Stronger Than the Sum of Its Parts.
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I AM COMMITTED TO CELEBRATING AS A COMMUNITY...
Let us know how we can help facilitate in making the above possible:
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Two hundred years ago, there was a Chassidic Master known as Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov.
His synagogue's elders were disturbed by conversations in the pews during services.
After a great deal of discussion, they established a new rule for the synagogue: "From now on, no more trivial talk in this holy place. You come to worship, to study or to celebrate – and you go home. This is not a chicken market!"
But a few weeks later, Rabbi Moshe Leib got up and declared: "I am hereby revoking the new rule."
The elders were stunned. "Why, Rebbe?" "The shul is so much quieter, so it seems to be working!"
Reb Moshe Leib answered: "Before this rule, people would come to shul and they would hear who needs a job, who is sick, and who has a cause for celebration. They would open their hearts to others people's lives, and they would end helping each other. Now people come to synagogue, do their spiritual thing, and leave. They come as individuals and they leave as individuals; we've lost the communal connection.
The talking ban is lifted! Talk amongst yourselves — and motivate each other to be of help those who need it!"
The saintly Reb Moshe Leib didn't mean that people should, G‑d forbid, disrupt the sanctity of prayer.
He meant that a Jewish community is a place where people always think and care about each other. That's the way it's always been.
I told this story yesterday at Yom Kippur services, because it illustrates a critical point. We all have individual journeys in life, and each journey is uniquely important. But part of that journey is creating connections with others.
That's community.
Having friends is one thing. I'm talking about making new friends (every stranger may be a friend in the making); I'm talking about caring for community-members even if they aren't [yet] our friends is what I'm talking about.
That's the way it used to be. That's the way it can be.
We can each be part of creating this community, one relationship at a time.
That's why we distributed the attached 'Community-building Mitzvah pledge card' at services.
Over 100 pledges were made yesterday (they're all anonymous at this point since we don't write on Yom Kippur), and they're presently sitting in our Holy Ark.
Because they're that important.
Please click the link below to be part of this community campaign.
Let us know how wee can help; we're a community center, so we're here to facilitate community.
For starters, we'll be baking Challahs at Chabad on Thursday evening, Nov. 6th, for those who have invited friends for a Friday night/Shabbat meal.
We – you and I can do more to build community.
But relationships take effort.
Let's start today.
Click HERE to read and post Community response.
