Page 3 - The Jewish Voice - September '21
P. 3
The Jewish Voice, Page 3
From the rabbi
Prayer from a Fresh looking intently at the plaque. “Rabbi Resnick, what is constitution presented by God to Moses after we were
“Good morning, Rabbi,” replied the young man, still
liberated miraculously from Egypt, is the Bible. In it is
Perspective this?” Adam asked. written, “And you shall labor — serve God with all your
“Well, it is a memorial to all the young men and women heart.”
By Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui who died in the service.” Soberly, they stood together, The Talmud, which explains the Bible, asks,
On Rosh Hashanah staring at the large plaque. Little Adam’s voice was barely “What is the service and labor of the heart?” And it
morning, the rabbi noticed audible when he asked, “Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur answers, “tefillah,” liberally translated as “prayer.”
little Adam was staring up at service?” God is commanding us to “serve” Him. We fulfill this
the large plaque that hung in Children say the darndest things. Often, if not always, commandment through the formula of our Siddur, prayer
the foyer of the synagogue. It they are mimicking what they have heard from others. books designed by the rabbis of the great assembly during
was covered with names, and Even for many adults, let alone the children, services and after the times of the temple in Jerusalem.
small American flags were at the synagogue are a boring chore, like having to go to Prayer, or services, is meant to be the time set aside
mounted on either side of it. the dentist — and that may not be a bad thing! Why do we at the beginning of every day — and on a larger scale, at
The seven-year-old had call going to synagogue “services”? I think for many it is the beginning of a New Year — for us to labor, to serve,
been staring at the plaque for because they expect to be served entertainment, titillated to worship, and to connect wholly with God.
some time, so the rabbi walked and tantalized with all sorts of amusement and jokes. The mystical book of the Zohar says, “When is the
up, stood beside him, and said quietly, “Good morning, Adam.” Our instruction manual as Jewish people, our time for war, internal struggle, this is the time of prayer.”
Prayer is a very special moment in which we are
granted the opportunity, because of God’s commandment,
to serve Him and to connect with spirituality; to become
more than just body, to view the world and life from a
higher, purer perspective.
The world in all its coarseness drags us down. The
denser the matter, the more gravity pulls on it. The more
materialistic we are, the more we get sucked into its black
hole. Ultimately, running after worldly pleasures leaves
us feeling empty and unaccomplished, more painful and
more persistent than a bad toothache.
Prayer is a time to focus entirely on the tension that
Join the Jewish exists between the drives of the body and the yearnings of
the soul. While the body seeks the superficial, immediate,
community synagogue and fleeting, the soul craves deep and enduring Godliness.
After all, that is where the feelings of the soul are coming
from. It is a war both within ourselves and with our
for surroundings; an internal struggle to discover where we
may be veering off course, and where we may need to
Rosh Hashanah reroute our lives to put us on track for more valuable
purposes.
Regarding these days, the prophet says, “Seek God
and Yom Kippur when He could be found, call Him when He is close.” This
reaches its zenith on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
2021 prayer book, put yourself into the words entirely. See
The next time you pick up the Siddur, an authentic
yourself from the perspective of the words, as they sing
Our synagogue is a family and everyone is welcome to join. and cry out to God. Let your soul soar in the direction of
Tickets are complimentary, donations are appreciated. the psalmist, King David, the sweet singer of Israel.
Going to a synagogue will never be the same. Not only
I look forward to meeting you! will you start looking forward to going to synagogue for
Email me at leib@jewishcommunitysynagogue.com the tremendous spiritual high it brings, but you will not
want to leave anymore! It is with this kind of inspiration
or call (561) 624 - 7004 #4 that our days and our years, our entire lives, become a
Rabbi Shlomo and Leib Ezagui true blessing.
Rabbi Shlomo Ezagui is spiritual leader of Chabad
House Lubavitch of Palm Beach. Contact him at
Rabbi@chabadpalmbeach.org, 624-7004, or www.
chabadpalmbeach.org.
PRESENTING THE 2 0 2 1 / 2 0 2 2
SEASON 20% OFF TICKETS
OF DANCE Valid August 20 through September 9
Use code: BPB2021
October 14-17, 2021 March 4-6, 2022
December 4-5, 2021
RINKER PLAYHOUSE DREYFOOS HALL RINKER PLAYHOUSE
Photo credit: ©Janine Harris. All rights reserved Photo credit: ©Steven Caras. All rights reserved Photo credit: ©Janine Harris. All rights reserved
Visit the Center’s official
website kravis.org
or call 561.832.7469 or
800.572.8471 S A VE THE D A TE
SEASON OF DANCE GALA
THE COLONY PALM BEACH • JANUARY 27, 2022 balletpalmbeach.org