WellspringsRosh Hashanah

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Guide & ScheduleFor Everything High

Holiday

Honey Sponge CakeDevorah’s Recipe Corner

Moving Forward With Chabad at Lehigh

B”H

FALL 2014/ HIGH HOLIDAYS 5775

A Little Nosh for the Soul Compliments of Chabad of the Lehigh Valley

Wisdom ofA Broken Ankle

Dedicated to the Love and Inspiration of the Lubavitcher Rebbe OB”M

Dear Friends,

This Season of Teshuvah (turning-to-G-d-in-repentance) is a powerful and elevated time. On these Holy Days we are celebrating the freedom and privilage that is extended to us to change. With the instruments of Repentance, Prayer and Charity, we are equipped once again to proceed in life with an opportunity to ‘make things better’. On Rosh Hashanah, each year, a cycle of renewal and repair begins, and so a new cycle of opportunities starts again for us to use these tools in order to make the world a better place.

There is no doubt that the High Holidays are special and cherished times of the year. There is no other time during the year that is as spiritually trying as these days, yet we refer to them as Yom Tovim, good and joyous Jewish holidays, being celebrated with delicious meals of delicacies that are sweet and reassuring of life.

‘Ktivah v’Chatimah Tova ~ May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life. We hope to see you this year at our holiday table.

Warmest Regards,Rabbi Yaacov Halperin

This Wellsprings Magazine ispublished by

Chabad of the Lehigh Valley.4457 Crackersport Road-

Allentown, PA 18104 and is sentto our Members and Friends

infrequently throughout the year.Issue #41

Torah Studies: A Weekly Journey into

the Soul of Torah

Wednesdays at 7:30 pm *$36/12 week series (textbook included)

Adult Hebrew School, Sundays, 9:30 am *FREE

All classes are located at Chadad

Contact our o ffice:Call: 610-351-6511Email:office@chabadlehighvalley.com

Class meets 1st

Monday of the

month.

(610) 351-6511office@chabadlehighvalley.com

It’s a Girl Thing!

PRODUCED BY: Chabad of Lehigh Valley

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Rabbi Yaacov Halperin

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Rebecka Dugum

DESIGNER: Sara Bressler-Rutz

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Yosef Y. JacobsonDevorah Halperin

Chani BenjaminsonKaila LaskyChana Elias

Sara Bressler-Rutz Srolic Barber

Designed for the contemporary Jewish woman, the Rosh Chodesh comprises

women of diverse affiliations and backgrounds who join together to have a good time, participate in workshops and

explore Jewish themes.

Cover Artwork by Anya Starr

(610) 351-6511office@chabadlehighvalley.com

www.sluhn.org • 1-866-STLUKES

According to a report from The National Institutes of Health, eight out of 10 Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives...

Most episodes of back pain are caused by over-exertion and will go away over a period of time. Others, however, experience chronic back pain, lasting more than six months. No matter what the type of pain, chronic back pain can take both a physical and emotional toll on a person.

Chronic back pain does not have to be continuous; it may be episodic. Nor does it have to be excruciating. It can be associated with leg pain and difficulties with bowel and bladder function as well. These later symptoms should prompt a visit with a health care provider.

Depending on the underlying condition, seeking the advice and support of a neurosurgeon may accelerate identifying the source of the pain. A series of imaging studies and electrophysiological tests may help identify the cause or causes of back pain. Neuro- surgeons work in collaboration with other specialists including physical therapists, pain management specialists and neurologists to improve patients’ quality of life.

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the entire nervous system including the spinal column, spinal cord, brain and peripheral nerves.

Chronic back pain is often considered to be the result of a musculoskeletal condition – meaning the bones and muscles of the body. Neurosurgeons evaluate the functioning of the nervous system in conjunction with the bones and muscles of the spine, thereby ensuring a comprehensive approach to treating patients for recovery from their chronic back pain. This allows patients a faster return to their active lifestyle and restored quality of life.

Doron Rabin, MD, of St. Luke’s

Neurosurgical Associates is a neuro-

surgeon specializing in the head, neck

and spine. Dr. Rabin works closely with

pain specialists, family physicians and

neurologists to diagnose and treat

degenerative cervical, thoracic and

lumbar spine disease. Dr. Rabin also

provides surgical management for

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

through St. Luke’s Normal Pressure

Hydrocephalus Center. Appointments

are available in Allentown, Bethlehem

and Easton at the St. Luke’s Bone

& Joint Institute.

For more information or consultation, call

484-526-6000 to schedule an appointment.

Doron Rabin, MD St. Luke’s Neurosurgeon

When Should You See a Neurosurgeon for

Chronic Back Pain?

movingforwardhere is a lot going on at Chabad at Lehigh, a trip to Israel, building

construction, and plans to serve over 400 students for the moth of Tishrei, just to name a few. In May of 2014, Chabad at Lehigh traveled with 30 students on a Birthright trip to Israel. There they spent time in the north touring and visiting holy sites. They c l i m b e d Masada and went to the Dead Sea, they spent time visiting Tel Aviv for some leisure time and Jerusalem for Shabbat, also Yad Vashem h o l o c a u s t memorial.

Perhaps the most moving was having seven active IDF solders join them for the trip, giving students great perspective of what Israelis have to live

with day to day. While the active IDF solders are of the same age and share the same interest and aspirations as the Chabad at Lehigh students, they are called upon to defend the Jewish Homeland. They have a rigorous schedule with a strong attention

to detail. They need to be ready at a moments notice to put their life on the line for the Jewish people, this commitment and sacrifice inspired the students to be strong leaders back

at school. The students are enriched with a strong scene of community and camaraderie that enables them to come back to the university with renewed Jewish pride and spirit. Chabad at Lehigh is excitedly planning their next trip during winter break.

Chabad at Lehigh is now 1 month into their construction of their new C h a b a d house. Much to everyone’s excitement, things are moving along well, and the new building is expected to be finished by the end of February

2015. The New 10,000 square foot Chabad House will include: a spacious student lounge, dining room for 150, large meat and dairy kosher kitchen, office space, Judaic library, synagogue

Chabad at Lehigh

T

movingforward and social hall, Greenberg family residence, as well as guest rooms, ample parking and a spacious backyard. The new Chabad house will enable them to accommodate all their programming as well as meet the needs of the ever growing Lehigh Jewish community. There are many reasons to be excited about this new construction, or some, it to have a designated room for services, for others it’s a student lounge,

and for the regulars its to not to have to give up there seat because of the lack of space. For Alum, it’s to have a place to come visit for a weekend.

For student Jonathan Cohen the benefits of  the larger space means having the capacity to sustain more Jewish programming to meet a growing population of students. “It is quite a challenge now despite the great work Rabbi Z and Dit have done to host events for large groups of people due to the

fact that they run Chabad through their home. However, I think the larger space will appeal to students who will see that there is always a space for them at Chabad.”

Jonathan has been involved with Chabad at Lehigh for 3 years, and to him it is a home away from home, and a perfect space to continue his Jewish heritage. “I got to know the rabbi and his family and I felt

comfortable with them and what they stand for, for Judaism. When reflecting upon my last three years at Lehigh I know that the Chabad community is where I belong, where my jewish values are manifested in every day life. I have created a bond with Rabbi Zalman that extends beyond typical clergy where I seek advice from him as a mentor, a teacher, and a friend.”

Despite trips to Israel and new building construction, the work and efforts continue

“When reflecting upon my last three years at Lehigh I know that the

Chabad Community is where i belong”

for Chabad at Lehigh. Hosting weekly Friday night and Shabbat day service and meals, as well as a variety of social events is also on the agenda. This fall they will host a highly anticipated “Welcoming BBQ” where as many as 200 students will attend. This gives the new students a chance to get to meet other Jewish students and become accustomed to Jewish life on campus. Jonathan recommends new students go to meet mentors and to meet friends. Whether they are

searching for a home cooked meal or a taste of the Judaism they were raised with Chabad at Lehigh is a great place for new students.

Chabad at Lehigh is thriving and moving forward, it’s another example of a small place with big ideas that make a big difference that only add to its’ growth. Jonathan, when asked to describe Chabad at Lehigh’s mission said, “I think Chabad at Lehigh’s mission is to be the home away from home when you are Jewish and off on your own for the first time. You always have your family when you’re home but when you are away at college, it is a completely different setting and I think their mission, at which they are extremely successful, is making sure everyone is comfortable in a jewish setting that they might not find elsewhere.”

Announcing the exciting launch of our new program: Smile on Seniors! An innovative program that aims to meet the needs of the seniors within our commu-nity by connecting them with willing and capable volunteers.

To find out more call:(610) 351-6511

High Holiday Guide

Rosh HashanahThe two-day festival of Rosh Hashanah is observed on the 1st and 2nd days of Tishrei.

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, “Head of the Year,” and as its name indicates, it is the beginning of the Jewish year. The anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, it is the birthday of man-kind, highlighting

the special relationship between G-d and humanity.

The primary theme of the day is our acceptance of G-d as our KingThe primary theme of the day is our ac-ceptance of G-d as our King. The Kabbalists teach that the renewal of G-d’s desire for the world, and thus the continued existence of the universe, is dependent upon this. We accept G-d as our King, and G-d is aroused, once again, with the desire to continue creating the world for one more year.

Much of the day is spent in synagogue. G-d not only desires to have a world with people, G-d wants an in-timate relationship with each one of us. In addition to the collective aspects of Rosh Hashanah worship, each man and woman personally asks G-d to accept the cor-onation, thus creating the bond of “We are Your people and You are our King.”

The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sound-ing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. The shofar is sounded on both days of Rosh Hashanah (unless the first day of the holiday falls on Shabbat, in which case we only sound the shofar on the second day). The sounding of the shofar represents, among other things, the trum-pet blast of a people’s coronation of their king. The cry of the shofar is also a call to repentance; for Rosh Ha-shanah is also the anniversary of man’s first sin and his repentance thereof, and serves as the first of the “Ten Days of Repentance” which will culminate in Yom Kip-pur, the Day of Atonement. Altogether, we listen to 100 shofar blasts over the course of the Rosh Hashanah service.

Rosh Hashanah ScheduleWednesday, Sept. 24, 2014Evening Services: 6:45 pm

Rosh Hashanah Community Dinner: 7:30 pmThursday, Sept. 25, 2014

Morning Services: 9:30 amShofar Sounding: 11:00 amTashlichService: 6:00 pmEvening Services: 7:30 pm

Friday, Sept. 26, 2014Morning Services: 9:30 amShofar Sounding: 11:00 am

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014Morning Services: 10:00 am

Candle Lighting Both Nights

Kiddush and festive meals, both nights and both

days

Apple dipped in honey first night

New fruit to enjoy, second night

Hear the shofar

Visit a body of water for Tashlich

Rosh Hashanah Checklist

Additional Rosh Hashanah observances include:We eat a piece of apple dipped in honey to symbolize our desire for a sweet year, as well as many other special foods. All have special significance and symbolize sweetness, blessings, and abundance.

We bless one another with the words Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim, “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

We go to a lake, river or to the sea and recite the Tashlich prayers, where we symbolically cast our sins into the water, in evocation of the verse, “And You shall cast their sins into the depths of the sea.” We leave our old short-comings behind us, thus starting the new year with a clean slate.

*Schedule for Chabad of the Lehigh Valley

High Holiday Guide

Yom KippurYom Kippur commemorates the day when G-d forgave the Jewish people for the sin of the Golden Calf. Forty days after hearing G-d say at Mount Sinai, “You shall not have the gods of others in My presence; you shall not make for yourself a graven image,” the Jews committed the car-dinal sin of idolatry. Moses spent nearly three months on top of the mountain pleading with G-d for forgiveness, and on the tenth of Tishrei it was finally granted: “I have pardoned, as you have requested.”

From that moment on, this date, henceforth known as the Day of Atonement, is annually observed as a com-memoration of our special relationship with G-d, a rela-tionship that is strong enough to survive any rocky bumps it might encounter. This is a day when we connect with the very essence of our being, which remains faithful to G-d regardless of our outward behavior.

And while it is the most solemn day of the year, we are also joyful, confident that G-d will forgive our sins and seal our verdict for a year of life, health and happiness.

For nearly twenty-six hours—from several minutes before sunset on 9 Tishrei until after nightfall on 10 Tishrei—we “afflict our souls”: we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or anoint our bodies, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from spousal intimacy. We are likened to the angels, who have no physical needs. Instead of focusing on the physical, we spend much of our day in the syna-gogue, engaged in repentance and prayer.

In the course of Yom Kippur we will hold five prayer services: 1) Maariv, with its solemn Kol Nidrei service, on the eve of Yom Kippur; 2) Shacharit—the morning prayer; 3) Musaf, which includes a detailed account of the Yom Kippur Temple service; 4) Minchah, which includes the reading of the Book of Jonah.

Finally, in the waning hours of the day, we reach the cli-max of the day: the fifth prayer, the Neilah (“locking”) prayer. The gates of heaven, which were open all day, will now be closed—with us on the inside. During this prayer we have the ability to access the most essential level of our soul. The Holy Ark remains open throughout. The closing Neilah service climaxes in the resounding cries of “Hear O Israel . . . G-d is one.” Then joy erupts in song and dance (a Chabad custom is to sing the lively “Napo-leon’s March”), followed by a single blast of the shofar, and the proclamation, “Next year in Jerusalem.”

After the fast we partake of a festive after-fast meal, mak-ing the evening after Yom Kippur a yom tov (festival) in its own right. We immediately begin to look forward to the next holiday and its special mitzvah: the construction of the sukkah.

Yom Kippur Checklist

On the Day Before Yom KippurOn this day the primary mitzvah is to eat and drink in abundance. Two meals – festive affairs – are eaten, one earlier in the day, and one just prior to the onset of Yom Kippur. In between the prayer services and preparing and eating the two meals, there is a lot to squeeze in:

Yom Kippur erases all the sins we have committed “before G-d”—but not the sins we may have committed against our fellow man. So we need to approach anyone whom we may have wronged and beg their forgiveness before Yom Kippur.

All immerse in a mikvah (ritual pool) on the day before Yom Kippur. See here for more information.At some point during the day it is customary to ask for and receive lekach (sweet cake). See here for the reasons behind this.

Minchah (the afternoon prayer service) is prayed relatively early to allow ample time to eat the final meal. Before Minchah, it is customary for all men to receive symbolic “lashes” as a humbling reminder to repent, as well as for everyone to give charity generously – a great source of merit.

Then we partake of the final meal. One must stop eating prior to candle-lighting time. Immediately before the fast begins, it is customary for parents to bless their children.

Then, 18 minutes before sunset, women and girls light candles, and the fast begins. Click here for more details.

Yom Kippur ScheduleFriday, October. 3, 2014

Kol Nidrei Services: 6:30 pmSaturday, October 4, 2014Morning Services: 9:30 am

Yizkor Memorial Service: 11:30 amAfternoon Service: 5:30 pm

Neilah Closing Service: 6:15 pmFast ends at: 7:21 pm

*Followed by brake fast

Kaparot and charity before Yom Kippur

Two festive meals before the fast

Yahzreit memorial candle is lit before Yom Kippur

(if applicable)

Candlelighting before sunset

Fast, from before sundown until after nightfall

Yizkor memorial prayers during daytime services

Break the fast after Havdalah service,

*Schedule for Chabad of the Lehigh Valley

High Holiday Guide

SukkotFor forty years, as our an-cestors traversed the Sinai Desert, following the Ex-odus from Egypt, miracu-lous “clouds of glory” sur-rounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discom-forts of the desert. Ever since, we remember G-d’s kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah--a hut of temporary construction

with a roof covering of branches--for the duration of the Suk-kot festival (on the Jewish calendar Tishrei 15-21). For seven days and nights, we eat all our meals in the sukkah and other-wise regard it as our home.

Another Sukkot observance is the taking of the Four Kinds: an etrog (citron), a lulav (palm frond), three hadassim (myr-tle twigs) and two aravot (willow twigs). On each day of the festival (excepting Shabbat), we take the Four Kinds, recite a blessing over them, bring them together in our hands and wave them in all six directions: right, left, forward, up, down and backward. Our sages in the midrash tell us that the Four Kinds represent the various types and personalities that comprise the community of Israel, whose intrinsic unity we emphasize on Sukkot.

Sukkot is also called The Time of Our Joy; indeed, a special joy pervades the festival. nightly Water-Drawing Celebrations, reminiscent of the evening-to-dawn festivities held in the Holy Temple in preparation for the drawing of water for use in the festival service, fill the synagogues and streets with song, music and dance until the wee hours of the morning.

The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshaana Rabbah (“Great Salvation”) and closes the period of Divine judgment begun on Rosh Hashanah. A special observance is the aravah--the taking of a bundle of willow branches.

Sukkot ChecklistCandle Lighting, first nights

Kiddush and festive meals, both nights and first two

days

Eat all meals in the Sukkah

Bless the four kinds each day, except Shabbat

On Hoshanah Rabbah, eat festive meal and tap the

aravot

Thursday, October 9, 2014Morning Services: 10:00 amFriday, October 10, 2014

Morning Services: 10:00 am Saturday, October. 11, 2014Morning Services: 10:00 amSunday, October 12 2014

Sukkot Family Event

Sukkot Schedule

*Schedule for Chabad of the Lehigh Valley

*To purchase a Sukkah, or Lulav and Etrog set please call (610) 351-6511

Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah

The holiday of Sukkot is followed by an inde-pendent holiday called Shemini Atzeret. In Isra-el, this is a one-day hol-iday; in the Diaspora it is a two-day holiday, and the second day is known as Simchat Torah. This holiday is characterized by utterly unbridled joy, which surpasses even the joy of Sukkot.

The special joy of this holiday celebrates the

conclusion—and restart—of the annual Torah-reading cycleThese two days constitute a major holiday, when most forms of work are prohibited. On the preceding nights, women and girls light candles, reciting the appropriate blessings, and we enjoy nightly and daily festive meals, accompanied by kid-dush. We are permitted to cook and to carry outdoors (unless it is also Shabbat).The first day, Shemini Atzeret, features the prayer for rain, of-ficially commemorating the start of the Mediterranean rainy season, and the Yizkor.

The highlight of the second day, Simchat Torah (“The Joy of the Torah”), is the hakafot, held on both the eve and the morning of Simchat Torah, in which we march and dance with the Torah scrolls around the reading table in the syna-gogue. (In many synagogues, hakafot are conducted also on the eve of Shemini Atzeret.)

On this joyous day when we conclude the Torah, it is custom-ary for every man to take part in the celebration by receiving an aliyah. The children, too, receive an aliyah!

After the final aliyah of the Torah, we immediately begin a new cycle from the beginning of Genesis, this is because as

soon as we conclude studying the Torah, G-d’s infinite wis-dom, on one level, we immediately start again, this time to discover new and loftier interpretations

Simchat Torah ChecklistCandle lighting, both nights

Kiddush and festive meals, both nights and both

days

Dance Hakafot, both nights and second day

Yizkor memorial prayers, first day

Wednesday, October 15, 2014Evening Services: 6:00 pm

Followed by Kiddush & HakafotThursday, October 16, 2014Morning Services: 10:00 am

Yizkor Memorial Service: 11:30 am

Hakafot Under the StarsEvening Services: 7:00 pm

Followed by Kiddush & HakafotFriday, October. 17, 2014

Morning Services: 10:00 amFollowed by Kiddush & Hakafot

Saturday, October 18, 2014Morning Services: 10:00 am

Simchat Torah Schedule

*Schedule for Chabad of the Lehigh Valley

BlessingsROSH HASHANAHWednesday, September 24thLight Candles at: 6:39 pmSay Blessings 1 & 4Thursday, September 25thLight Candles* after: 7:36 pmSay Blessings 1 & 4

SHABBAT SHUVAFriday, September 26, Light Candles: 6:36 pmSay Blessing 5

FAST OF GEDALYASunday, September 28Fast begins: 5:35 amFast ends at: 7:17 pm

YOM KIPPURFriday, October 9thLight Candles at: 6:24 pmSay Blessings 2 & 4 Fast Begins at: 6:24 pmSaturday, October 10thFast ends at: 7:21 pm

SUKKOTWednesday October 8thLight Candles at 6:16 pm Say Blessings 3 & 4

Thursday, October 9th

Light Candles after: 7:13pm

Say Blessings 3 & 4

SHABBAT CHOL HAMOED

Friday, Oct. 10th

Light Candles 6:13 pm

Say Blessings 5

Shabbat ends at: 7:10 pm

SHEMINI ATZERET &

SIMCHAT TORAH

Wednesday, Oct. 15th

Light Candles 6:05 pm

Say Blessings 3 & 4

Thursday, Oct. 16th

Light Candles after: 7:02 pm

Say Blessings 3 & 4

SHABBAT BEREISHIT

Friday, Oct. 17th

Light Candles: 6:02 pm

Say Blessing 5

Shabbat ends at: 6:59 pm

5 eggs2 cups sugar1 cup oil2 cups honey5 /4 cups all purpose flour2 tsp. baking powder2 tsp. baking soda1 1/2 cups cold water1 tsp vanilla1 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp ground cloved2 tbs. instant coffee with a bit of hot water to dissolve.

A sweet and easy treat for Rosh Hashanah that the whole family will love!

IngredientsHoney Sponge Cake

Preheat oven to 350.

First dissolve instant coffee mix in hot water. Next add all of your wet ingredients, stir until well blended. In a seperate bowl add dry ingredients until well blended. Mix all ingredients to-gether in mixing bowl. Pour batter into a greased pan, and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

USE: 10-inch panYIELDS: 1 cake

Directions

Running from G-d

By Yosef Y. Jacobson

A prophet escapes

The biblical book of Jonah, read during the afternoon service of Yom Kippur, re-lates one of the most moving and fantastic tales of the Bible. It is the story of a proph-et, Jonah, living in the year 700 B.C.E. who was determined to run from G-d. G-d called on him to travel from Jerusa-lem to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh1 and influence its large population to re-pent from its immoral and corrupt ways.

Instead, Jonah went to the old port city Jaffa and boarded a ship voyaging to Tu-nisia, Africa2 where he thought he would find respite from G-d.

“Then G-d cast a mighty wind toward the sea,” the Bible relates, “and there was a great tempest in the sea, so that the ship seemed likely to be wrecked.” Jonah ac-cepted upon himself the blame for the storm threatening their lives, since he had

attempted to run from G-d. Jonah sug-gested to them to heave him into the sea, “and the sea will calm down from upon you, for I know that that it is because of me that this great tempest is upon you.”

“So they lifted Jonah and heaved him into the sea, and the sea stopped its rag-ing.” While in the sea, a large fish swal-lowed Jonah, where he remained for three days.

Finally, Jonah takes on his divine mis-sion, traveling to the Assyrian capital and causing a moral transformation in the hearts of its people. An evil civiliza-tion committed itself to redefining its life and relationships. But when Jonah dis-covers that G-d had indeed accepted the population’s repentance and would not destroy the city, he is grieved. G-d then proceeds to demonstrate to Jonah, in a rather creative way, his error.

Why do we read this story on Yom Kip-pur? And what is the relevance of this ep-isode to our lives?

One of the most fascinating elements about Torah is that all of its stories con-tain, in addition to their literal concrete interpretation, a psychological and spiri-tual interpretation.

The same is true, of course, regarding the story of Jonah and the fish. In addi-tion to the simple, literal meaning of this moving episode, this tale should also be viewed as a metaphor for a mental and spiritual story transpiring on Yom Kip-pur. Indeed, the Zohar states, that the story of Jonah is really a story about “the entire life span of human beings in this world.”

Journey of a soul

The name Jonah in Hebrew -- Yonah -- means a dove, representing the inner soul of man, that fragment of truth, that little piece of G-d that constitutes the core of human identity. Once the dove encoun-ters its mate, remains forever loyal, never exchanging it for anybody else. Similarly, the soul embodies that part of the human animal that may run and hide, but ulti-mately never replaces the truth of G-d for the pleasures of the material world.

Nineveh, the large and powerful and cor-rupt city, is a metaphor for the planet we inhabit, filled with petty politics, vanity and corruption. Jonah, the human soul, is dispatched by G-d on a mission to revolutionize the earthly landscape; to introduce light into every aspect of ter-restrial life. Man is a messenger who car-ries a message; man is a witness to the presence of the living G-d.

Denying your reality

But very often, we choose to run from our life’s mission, rejecting our identi-ty as witnesses. We embark on a ship, represented by the body containing the human soul, just as a ship contains its passengers, and attempt to escape, phys-ically and emotionally, to a place where we can more easily embrace the illusion that we are bereft of mission and mes-sage, that we are no more than creatures seeking satiation and self-gratification. We sail blithely through the waters of life, ignoring the inner voice of G-d, all the while trying to convince ourselves that we are happy.

Turbulence

Everything seems fine and dandy, until turbulence begins to shake up our lives and palm pilots. The turbulence of the sea in the Jonah story is a metaphor for the tumultuous circumstances that life presents, threatening the very survival of our “ship” -- our body and existence. At this point, many people awake from their illusion.

Yet there are those who, precisely at such moments, become even more detached from their authentic reality. “The sailors became frightened, and they cried out, each man to his god... But Jonah went down to the ship’s holds; he lay down, and fell asleep.” Jonah, according to this interpretation, represents the human being who may see the world turn over, but he continues to sleep, making believe that all is normal. And the greater the turmoil, the more this person sinks into the muck of his slumber, oblivious to the disintegration of his reality.

A tickle

At this point, man usually experienc-es a tickle from his divine conscious-ness. “The shipmaster approached him, and said to him, ‘How can you sleep so soundly? Arise! Call to your G-d! “

The shipmaster, the captain of the body, represents the Good Inclination, the lit-tle spark of G-d residing within the hu-man soul. This spark calls out to the soul, asking, “How can you sleep so soundly?” How much longer will you make believe that you don’t get it?“Remember from where your soul came,” the inner voice speaks to a Jonah who ea-gerly craves to return to his sleep. Stop denying who you are; run not from your

“This spark calls out to the soul, asking, “How can you sleep so soundly?” How much longer will you make believe that you don’t get it?”

destiny as a witness to the voice at Sinai charging you with the mission of paving a road through the jungle of history.

Resignation and surrender

A strange and melancholy honesty takes over Jonah. His moral instinct finds per-verse expression in his suggestion to the sailors to throw him into the sea to rid themselves of the burden imposed by his existence.

This represents the profound existential depression that takes over many a soul upon discovering that it can never truly convince itself that G-d is nonexistent. Caught in a limbo state, afraid to embrace G-d fully and unable to run from G-d, the soul resigns itself to death.

At this devastating moment, the human being surrenders his last vestige of spiritual dignity, allowing his soul to be swept away by the raging waters of life. Ceasing to see himself as different from an animal, he is “free” at last to truly ignore the presence of G-d.

The Hebrew term used in the story for a fish, daga, can also be translated as anxiety, states the Zohar. This rep-resents an alternative emotional response to the turmoil of life. The person throws himself into materialistic pursuits, so that the extraordinary anxiety and stress in-volved in climbing the financial ladder eclipse the deeper anxiety of his soul. He allows himself to become swallowed up com-pletely in his career until he forgets that he is a hu-man being.

Rebirth

And yet, paradoxically, at this very moment, the soul, for the first time, en-counters G-d.

“From the belly of hell I cried out,” declares Jonah. Until the soul reached the bel-

ly of hell, it was busy running from G-d and from itself. Only when man reaches his nadir can he suddenly discover the pres-ence of a living and caring G-d. Why?

Because a soul, by its very nature, can never remain in one place. It must always be in a state of movement. The only question is in which direction it moves: Is it running to G-d or from Him? Therefore, once the soul hits rock bottom and can no longer move downward, it must begin to move upward.

The new challenge

Man’s rediscovery of the truth -- that he is here on a mission -- causes the fish to spit out the soul. He embarks now on his journey to make a difference in people’s lives, to bring holiness and G-dliness into his own life as well.

Yet, soon the soul becomes distressed over G-d’s loyalty to our world. The soul, once discovering the truth of G-dliness, craves to remain in a sacred environment, removed from the filth of many human environments.

For this is the predictable pattern: After the soul discovers G-d’s living presence, it craves to become an ascetic, to es-cape the confinements of a lowly universe and melt away in

His Infinite Light.The soul...must learn to emulate G-d and em-brace the world, not es-

cape it.At this stage, G-d reveals to Jo-

nah, to the soul, that by in-fusing the unholy with the

holy the ultimate plan of G-d is fulfilled. Only in the muck of plan-

et Earth does the glory of the Di-

v i n e - h u -man partnership shine

forth. The soul, despite its natural resistance,

must learn to emulate G-d and embrace the

world, not escape it.

‘once the soul hits rock bottom and can no longer move downward, it must begin to move upward’

Two types of sleepers

So why do we read this story on Yom Kippur?For there are two types of human sleepers. There are those who find themselves in a lighter sleep, who with a gush of inspira-tion or turbulence will awake; and those who are so submerged in their slumber that even the most powerful explosion will not budge them.

The first category of people wake up via the sound of the Rosh Hashanah shofar. The primitive, piercing sounds of the ram’s horn inspire the soul to return to who it really is.

But there are those people who sleep through everything, even the mighty sound of the shofar. The ship is about to break, but they are asleep. The Titanic is about to go under and they are stretched out on their first-class deck chair smoking cigars, oblivious and numb to reality. September 11th, massacres in Israel, but they are asleep. Children being blown to pieces and a world caught in the grip of fear and confusion, yet they are busy playing the game of vanity.

This is the profile of a person who can hear 100 blasts of a shofar, but he just puts the alarm clock on snooze and turns over in bed.

The day that tolerates no cover-ups

Then comes Yom Kippur.This is the one day a year that does not tolerate any facades. On this holiest day of the calendar, all the veils are lifted! The sheer truth of the living G-d breaks through all the walls, reaching even those who have tucked themselves away under a myriad of blankets.

On Yom Kippur, even those who have sunk into the deepest of slumbers can hear the voice of the captain, “How can you sleep so soundly? Arise! Call to your G-d!”

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Rabbi Yosef Y. Jacobson is the originator and director of //TheYe-shiva.net. He is also a widely sought speaker on teenage education and chassidic teachings, and the author of the tape series on Tan-ya, “A Tale of Two Souls.” He has been a dynamic guest teacher at Ascent-in-Safed nearly every summer for a number of years.Reprinted courtesy of chabad.org

3:15 AM

My toddler son wakes up crying, he has a bad cold and is quite uncomfortable. As I sleepily hold him and try to comfort him, it starts to rain; a few minutes later the lights go off. I notice that there was no popping sound which would indicate that there has been a short circuit in our apartment; I assume that the lights went out because of the rain (that could happen in this city), as there is no light coming from the street lamps nor from the surrounding buildings. Whatever the reason, it is literally pitch black, I cannot see anything, I am holding my son in my arms but cannot see him. I begin to understand what the Egyptians felt during the Plague of Darkness.

The darkness makes my son cry “la, la” (light, light!) and my husband braves the pitch black unknown to the kitchen where he finds a candle and lights it from the fire we have left on the stove in order to be able to cook during the holiday. As my hus-band brings that one candle into our room, the entire room is illuminated and the Divine words “and there was light” take on a new meaning.

ROur

RoshHashanahBlackout

My son calms down and eventually falls asleep. As I cradle him in my arms, I gaze at the candle, at the light it is generating, and notice its halo and how this small flickering flame has the power to produce so much light. Whereas just a few moments before fear and apprehension reigned, the candle now brought peace and tranquility. I am reminded of our Sages’ saying: Me’at or docheh harbeh choshech -- “a little bit of light pushes away much darkness.” If only each of us produced a little bit of light, by doing a good deed, any good deed, we would push away a great part of the darkness that obscures our world.

My last thought before drifting back to sleep is that I am happy that the lights went off on Rosh Hashanah. It gives me the feel-ing of returning to the primordial state of things and I think that it is so fitting that this occurred on this day.

9:30 AM

The lights haven’t gone on yet and I am starting to worry about the mounds of fluffy Gefilte Fish I lovingly prepared and stored

By Chani Benjaminson

“I get the feeling that everyone feels like me -- like they are on a different plane, removed from the day’s mundane matters.”

in the freezer for the holidays. The security guy arrives to guard the Synagogue which is in our home and tells us that the black-out is all over Italy. I am surprised and shocked but somehow this piece of news doesn’t touch me profoundly; I feel as if I am on another planet, a different dimension. For the first time in a long time, I truly feel Rosh Hashanah. Devoid of all technology, with only G-d’s natural light to illuminate our cloudy and light day, I feel more connected than I’ve ever felt.

I worry that people will fear terrorism and won’t come to the Syn-agogue. Thank G-d my fears were unfounded: by eleven-thirty the place is packed and overflowing; over 50 men, women and children from all walks of life have come to pray on Rosh Ha-shanah in our young congregation. Interestingly, no one talks about the black-out, no one talks at all, everyone is focused on the order of the day. I get the feeling that everyone feels like me -- like they are on a different plane, removed from the day’s mundane matters.

11:55 AMAs we prepare to blow the Shofar, the lights go back on.

Shofar blowing symbolizes, among other things, our coronation of G-d as our King. On Rosh Hashanah G-d chooses to recreate the world and gives it renewed life-force; at the same time, we humans acknowledge and accept G-d’s reign over us by blowing the Shofar.

When the lights went back on, my mind raced. How miracu-lous that the black-out did not occur just a month earlier during the unprecedented, blistering heat which plagued our country. If it had happened then, there would have been untold dam-age to people, animals, food... Yet G-d sent us the black-out on Rosh Hashanah, on a rainy cool Sunday when most stores were closed, thus dramatically limiting the damage and reminding us of what’s really important.

In the Rosh Hashanah prayers we beseech G-d for health, wealth and happiness in order to be able to serve Him better. What do we give Him in return? This Rosh Hashanah taught me that the biggest gift we can give Him --and us -- is that one small action. The little bit of light that pushes away much darkness.

Chani Benjaminson is co-director of Chabad of the South Coast, coordinator of Chabad’s Ask the Rabbi and Feedback departments, and is a member of the editorial staff of Chabad.org Reprinted courtesy of Chabad.org

Drama QueenShabbat Queen

toFr

om

Even before I was born, I was being groomed for stardom. The name chosen for me was Kelly Dianne Scott. Not only did it have the distinct advantage of being as non-Jewish as possible, it was carefully structured to look symmetrical up on the mar-quee.

By the time I was three, I was having Clairoxide combed through my hair to make it blonder and being entered in beauty pageants; Little Miss America, Little Miss Half Pint. At age eight, I was performing in local theater and at eleven I auditioned for and was accepted to the High School for the Performing Arts in Manhattan. Of course, I understood that the pinnacle of success was to be rich and famous and good looking.

Although I continued studying acting and performing in film, on TV and on the stage well past my mid 20’s, I have to admit that my acting career became a sideline very early on due to one incontrovertible fact: I was very possibly the worst wait-ress on the planet. On December 25, my fifth day of work at Churchill’s restaurant near Radio City Music Hall, when all the employees were given their bonuses, I got the pink slip. And who could blame them? Remembering whose steak was overdone, who needed ketchup and who got which drink was clearly beyond my skills set.

Except for those with trust funds, anyone I knew who stayed in show business was at one time a successful cater waiter, bar-tender or restaurant server. Not being independently wealthy and having been brought up to want the finer things in life, I needed a job. Not just any job, but one that would keep me in the style to which I so desperately wanted to become accus-tomed.

What was I trained for? What was I qualified to do? Look good and charm people. Naturally, I ended up in sales, first selling ridiculously expensive men’s clothing on Madison Avenue and eventually in real estate, where for most of my career, I man-

aged the leasing of the building advertised in The New York Times as “The Most Expensive Rental Building in Manhattan.”

I was surrounded by wealth, celebrity and power; everything I’d always coveted. And most importantly, the ultimate vali-dation of my personal worth: Can I get into the VIP room at the newest club in town? What meaning! What fulfillment! I did have fun, but, I certainly wasn’t happy. When the music stopped, I was alone with myself. There was emptiness, a void that was unbearable at times. Something huge was missing in my life, but I didn’t know what it was or where to look for it. I only knew to race to the next good time, running away from myself.

It was sometime during this whirlwind that I started forming a fragile connection to my Judaism. I’d always strongly identified as Jewish. The only plausible explanation I can think of for this is a vague memory of my grandfather taking me to synagogue when I was little. He died when I was only five, and from then on, we lit Chanukah candles. We attended some kind of Pass-over Seder. That was the sum total of my connection to Juda-ism for most of my life. I wasn’t even conscious of the fact that there was Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur until I was twenty years old!

When I heard that there was a Jewish New Year and Jews went to synagogue, I wanted to go too. But none of my friends at-tended services and I heard you had to have tickets. Too in-timidating! Unfortunately, I didn’t know that there were syna-gogues where everyone was welcome, no tickets, no judgment, no requirements. It would be another five years before I finally made it to a Rosh Hashanah service.

At the entrance of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue in Manhat-tan, there were two boxes, one containing yarmulkes, the other doilies. Even after it was explained to me that the doilies were for the heads of married women, I insisted on wearing one. I was finally doing something Jewish and I wanted it all, even if I did it wrong. The service was all in Hebrew; I didn’t un-

By Kaila Lasky

Reprinted courtesy of nheichabadnewsletter.com

derstand a word. I stood and sat and shook around, trying my best not to look like a complete idiot. The woman next to me, realizing how clueless I was, was kind enough to point out the place in English every so often. I prayed intently, in spite of the fact that, even in English, I didn’t know what I was saying. I survived the experience and went back, desperate for a piece of whatever was happening there.

Soon after, I attended my first Jewish class/gathering, a singles’ event on the Upper West Side. There was food and drink, some Torah and open questions. This was my first opportunity as an adult to ask a Jewish question. “Why are religious Jewish women treated like second-class citizens?” Mind you, I didn’t know and had never known any religious Jewish women, but I knew as well as I knew my own name that these women were barefoot, pregnant and chained to the stove. Someone needed to rescue them, educate them, liberate them.I was like a tourist in observant Judaism.My questions were answered with such logic and

sensitivity that I came back for more. I soon was at-tending a weekly class across town. We started at the beginning, with the very first word in the Torah, and would sometimes spend an entire hour on one sen-tence or paragraph! I later learned together with phy-sicians, physicists, attorneys, Jews from every walk of life. We all agreed that learning Torah is the most intellectually stimulating course of study known to man.

I found out about more Jewish holidays that I hadn’t heard of, like Purim, Shavuot and Sukkot. It was only years later that I could appreciate what it meant to keep four hungry kids waiting to begin one of the most exciting evenings of the year. And what kids they were! I couldn’t get over it. They were so articulate and intelligent, respectful and refined! They were like no one I had ever met. They were as far from me as possible, or at least the “me” I then knew. I will never forget turning to my mother and saying “Someday I want to have kids like these.” Now, this was so implausible as to be ludicrous. My life and values were so far removed from this family’s reality that there was no way that this could happen. But G-d obviously was listening when I spoke my heart’s desire and He had His own plans for me.

I was becoming a bit of an intellectual Jew through the learn-ing, I was definitely a gastrointestinal Jew, but I hadn’t changed my lifestyle one little bit. Not enough had penetrated past my

mind or my stomach. There was still something missing – ac-tion.

You see, the pull in the other direction was just too strong. I was living the life. There were so many great non-kosher restau-rants to explore, so much shopping to do, so many club open-ings to attend on Friday nights. I was like a tourist in observant Judaism. “It’s a nice place to visit, but I don’t want to live there. It’s not for me,” I assured myself.

I can’t honestly say what would have happened if my paral-lel worlds hadn’t come crashing together in the person of my husband, Eli. Here was someone who, to my eyes, had it all.

“I was like a tourist in observant Judaism.”

continued...Reprinted courtesy of nheichabadnewsletter.com

He was handsome, successful and Shabbat observant. We dated for three months as I slowly changed my ways. Four months later we married, at the second Orthodox wedding I had ever attended. I quit my job, left Manhattan and shuffled off to Buffalo to begin a new life.

To the outsider it had seemed I was really this fully immersed, Torah observant woman. There I was, keeping Shabbat, keep-ing kosher and the other commandments, I had two beautiful little girls. Life was wonderful…but I still didn’t get it. My Ju-daism felt hollow and empty. I felt like I was just going through the motions.

With my husband’s encouragement, I packed up my youngest and headed to a women’s Torah study retreat based on Chas-sidic philosophy. It was my first of many. A few years later, our whole family spent our summer vacation immersed in learning and and I had the opportunity to study, hike and dance with passionate, brilliant, beautiful Jewish women as role models. Their warmth and sincerity, as well as that of the rabbis and the light of the teachings, awakened my soul and transformed my being. I returned home, able to receive inspiration and express my Judaism on a deeper level and slowly, slowly to upgrade my observance.

The teachings that stood out most for me and that I try to share with others are as follows: Learning that I was just as Jewish as

the Rabbi! I didn’t know before it’s not what we eat or wear or even believe that makes us Jewish. We’re Jewish because we have a Jewish soul that’s a piece of G-d inside of us. You can’t be more or less Jewish, only more or less connected.

Crucial for me was finding out that Judaism is not an all-or-nothing proposition, that I didn’t have to be perfect. I could grow in my observance at my own pace and G-d still loved me totally. Every mitzvah I did stood alone and was worth a spiritual fortune.

It’s been seventeen years now since I started living a Torah ob-servant life. And upon reflection I can now say how true it is that even before my birth I was being groomed for stardom. It just took a while to discover that my most unique and special attribute was within me all along.

Mrs. Kaila Lasky is a motivational speaker nationwide specializing in Personal Growth, Women’s issues and Relationships.Adapted from an article in the N’shei Chabad News-letter, a magazine for Jewish women around the world that comes out five times per year. Reprinted courtesy of nheichabadnewsletter.com

Toward the end of the High Holiday season resides the holiday of Sukkot. Like most other Jewish holidays, it goes by a few other names, one being Hachag, or in English, The Festival. That sets a pretty high precedent of what this holiday is supposed to represent. This is the champion of all holidays in terms of rejoicing, topped off with an official mitzvah of rejoicing.

Sukkot of 5774 was about the least joyful holiday for me. A week or so before Rosh Hashanah, I broke my ankle in a desert on the other side of the country. Thank G-d, the people around me helped out, but they couldn’t help to heal my ankle before the High Holidays began. My whole world had suddenly changed, and Miss Independent now had to rely on other people for help. Before I broke my ankle, I had hiked 40 miles in the backcountry of national

parks by myself. The recurring theme in my life was that – I did everything by myself and viewed needing help as being weak. Now I had no choice but to be “weak,” to need assistance opening doors, sitting on the ground

and other tasks I used to take for granted.

Not only was Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur going to be difficult not being able to walk, but I later found out that surgery was necessary. The surgery took place two days before Sukkot began. I was laid up, in pain, ungrateful and mostly a ball of misery days before I was supposed to be joyously gathering in a strange house on someone’s deck.

In addition, I was also hosting someone the first and last days of the holiday (which are days where work is not permitted). The first days we were at someone else’s home, and the last days I was to make the meals and have this 17-year-old girl in my home as a guest. What kind of hostess would I be with a broken ankle that was just torn open and had various pieces of metal placed?

I stepped back, I let G-d take over and tried to enjoy myself – weakling and all – and enjoy the holiday for simply being able to observe it this year. Questions popped into my head left and right – how was my daughter going to get to Shul on Shabbat? Can I scooter to Shul on the holidays? This was my first

Wisdom of a Broken Ankle

by Chana Elias

continued...

year completely observing the holidays as prescribed by the Torah, and I was lucky enough to do this temporarily handicapped.

The first two days of Sukkot were spent with my 17-year-old guest and my 4-year-old daughter at the home of the family I observed my first Shabbat with. Their children provided laughter, an onslaught of questions and entertainment for my daughter. My guest returned the questions to them, asking them about all things imaginable. The wife provided me with support, laughter and someone to vent to. The husband provided a sense of stability and rules. I knew that we were completely taken care of. Sukkot fell upon the home at sunset, we all were in the sukkah eating the holiday meal together. Finally I was able to rejoice that even though I was so unsure of how anything was going to work out, thank G-d, everything had worked out, and better than I could have imagined.

Following services the next day, there was a shul-wide

sukkah hop, where each sukkah hosted a different course of the Kiddush luncheon. This brought more uncertainties, including whether I’d be able to make it to each sukkah and whether I could keep up with the group and not get left behind. Much to my surprise, every time someone stayed back and made sure that I was okay. Fellow congregants became crossing guards, conversation companions and child and chair finders.For the last days, I wasn’t completely moved into my new apartment, the kitchen wasn’t kashered and I was unable to stand for too long before my injured leg lost circulation.

My parents chose to put their own holiday preparations to the side to be able to come over and help me set up my kitchen, clean the apartment and prepare the meals for the three-day Yom Tov. I stood at my stove, cooking, completely grateful that my parents were not only accepting of my journey, but were helping my dreams come to fruition that they may not have chosen for me themselves.My independent life suddenly became very dependent and I finally was comfortable asking others for help. All of the assistance became a crutch for me as I was not only comfortable with help, but wanting it since I saw how it made life much easier. I felt angry as my ankle healed and people no longer were providing me with the constant assistance I once enjoyed.

Sukkot commemorates the protection that G-d gave to the Jewish people when He took them out of Egypt. The Jewish people were traveling in a barren desert, completely dependent on G-d for all of their needs. G-d provided them with three things – the Clouds of Divine Glory, the well of Miriam and the mann which fell from the sky and provided all of their sustenance. The Clouds of Divine Glory gave the Jewish people shelter, clothing and military defense. Without this protection, the Jewish people would not have been able to survive the trek from Egypt to, eventually, the Holy Land. However, this assistance became comfortable to them and they began to take it for granted.

When they reached Israel, they became skeptical of this land given to them by G-d, the one who had completely taken care of them in the desert. They wanted to send in spies to check out the land, to make sure it was fit for them. The spies

“They didn’t want to participate in the physical world.”

came back and told them they shouldn’t go into the land.In the desert, the Jewish people were completely enveloped in the spiritual world. What the spies saw and declared as unfit conditions was the fact that they would have to work for their daily needs and it wouldn’t be completely provided for them.

They didn’t want to participate in the physical world. The assistance and care provided to them by G-d was great and the thought of giving it up and connecting to G-d in a different way sounded scary. The sin of the spies cost the Jewish people an extra 40 years in the desert and the entire generation died. They died because G-d wouldn’t allow them to enter such a holy land following the sin of the spies.

Did the Jewish people not trust that G-d would still take care of them in the physical world, much like He did in the desert? Did they not want to take part in a “mundane” world without constant ability to study Torah?

After I broke my ankle, I felt stuck when I wasn’t able to provide for myself. In the beginning, I was unable to ask for help and people just started providing it to me. I became used to the idea of all of the extra help and became saddened when I had to go back to work, when people stopped helping me all of the time and when I had to be independent once again. Thankfully, I wasn’t commanded to die in the desert

of assistance. I was permitted to go on to Israel and to dwell in the joyfulness of the physical world, finding new ways to connect to G-d than the purely spiritual ways I was able to when I was handicapped.

The assistance of the community during Sukkot helped me realize how great the people were around me and how much I really appreciated having a community and not living off the grid in some forest. Much like our ancestors, I learned to appreciate help in my daily life, but to also want to perform tasks that I have the ability to do. Sukkot to me is like my personal reprieve back to the time where I had to rely on those to help me in a situation where I couldn’t help myself. I remember this, appreciate it and move on to the time where I’m even more grateful to be independent once again.

I was able to rejoice this past Sukkot, once I accepted the help from those who were willing and able to give it to me. I rejoiced for the fact that I had people willing to help and that I was able to accept it. This Sukkot I’m rejoicing for being healed and being put back into the physical world to reap a greater relationship with G-d than ever possible in my dependent, completely spiritual world.

At the request of the Scherline Family, Chabad of the Leigh Valley is honored to spearhead the Jay Card Program. Created in mem-ory of Attorney Jay Scherline, OBM... a long-time supporter of the Lehigh Valley community, this program plays a role in ensuring that his commitment and generosity will live on perpetuily. Pairing families in need with gift cards to local stores, Jay Card is a resource for local families in these uncertain economic times. If you would like to contribute to Jay Card and assist a local family

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(610) 351-6511

Camp Gan IsraelRosh Hashanah

1 First start with the light yellow and the gold paint. Have child dip their index finger in the light yellow and make dots across the canvas,

this will start the honey comb back-ground. Then rinse paint from hands and do the same thing but with the gold paint.

2 Next cut out your apple using the red and green patterned paper. Once the modge podge is dry coat the back of the paper in

Modge Podge, place on the canvas, and then coat the front.

3Using some of the dark-er yellow, make scattered thumb prints around the canvas.

Craft Time

• Blank Canvas• 2 Shades of yellow acrylic paint• Gold acrylic paint• Red patterned scrapbook paper

• Green Patterned scrapbook paper

• Modge Podge• Black paint pens or black Sharpie

Supplies

Researchers from the Michigan State University have found a very strong correlation between childhood engagement in creative arts and crafts and measurable success later in life. Okay, so maybe that’s a little dramatic for what we’re doing here but fun and easy crafts make for great bonding time. I’ve noticed that when I start making holiday themed crafts with my daughter while a holiday approaches, her anticipation builds and she has a stronger connection with the holiday.

4 Outline the thumb prints with your paint pen or Sharpie to make bees. Then write Shana Tova at the top. Voila!

Tips• Acrylic paint is NOT

washable, so be sure to have some old t-shirts handy when doing this project.

• The same formula works well for greet-ing cards, wooden jewelery boxes, etc. Your imagination is the limit!

By Sara Bressler-Rutz

Camp Gan IsraelSouvenir Pillow

Looking for something fun and easy to do with your old Camp Gan Israel t-shirts? Look no further, a fun and easy craft to turn your outgrown camp shirts into a momento!

• Camp Gan Izzy Shirt• Sewing Needle• Cotton filler• Thread

Supplies

1 First start by turning your Camp Gan Izzy shirt inside out. Begin the stitch by ty-ing a knot in the end of your thread. Then poke your nee-

dle about 1/8” in from the hem lines.

2 Next, poke the needle up through both layers of fabric so the needle and thread come up in almost the same place as in step 1. By doing

this, the thread should be wrapped around the edges of the fabric in one neat stitch. It is important to pull the stitches so that they are snug, but not overly tight. Do this around all open parts of the shirt except for enough room on the bottom to fit your hand through.

3With only a portion of the bottom of the shirt left to sew, turn the shirt right side out and stuff with cotton.

4 Sew the remaining open space closed. For a no sew version, you can use a low heat glue gun.

Tips• You can add some

extra flare with some ribbon and a glue gun.

• Commemerate the year by using fabric paint.

• Bring your cool new pillow to camp next year and have all of your friends sign it!

We had another amazing year at Camp Gan Israel. With wonderful counselors and exciting trips, who couldn’t have a great time? This year we visited The Crayola Factory, Putt U, Independence Family Fun Center, and Dutch springs, as well as other super fun places. Campers learned bunk cheers, they made dazzling crafts, swam their hearts out, played

Camp Gan Israel 2014

some great sports, watched a real mad scientist do experiments, reunited with old friends, and made some new friends as well. While we are sad to see our campers go, we know one thing: What’s the only thing better than Camp Gan Izzy 2014? Camp Gan Izzy 2015! We can’t wait to see you again next summer!

Camp Gan Israel 2014

Like One Person

I walk in the shade of the tree-lined boulevard. The sun peeks out from behind the clouds, staring at me with a look of con-fusion. What am I doing here?

Eastern European accents drift through the balmy air of a Brooklyn spring, mixing with the squeals of children running up and down the boulevard, laughing and dancing as they play tag. The men, clad in dark clothing, pass me with hurried steps, the tall brownstone synagogue their destination. Clutching large, worn-out books to their chests, and weaving through the crowded sidewalk, they aren’t surprised at my appearance; they barely notice that I look so different. Perhaps they don’t feel different?

I wander by several stores, their signs printed in Yiddish—to me, a scribble of foreign words. One sells paints and hardware in addition to a host of small household products. Another offers children’s clothing with brightly colored posters stating “40%,” and a Yiddish word I figure must mean “sale,” or “dis-count.” Women with covered hair hold babies in their arms and converse in brief whispers by the storefront, smiling as they look from their baby’s sleeping face to their friend, and back again.

The street has a genial air, an almost utopian feel, but my heart doesn’t embrace it. An afternoon breeze blows gently,

the springtime leaves waving in song, but my heart ignores the rhythm. Why do I feel so different?

We share the same history. Our ancestors walked the same path; we have triumphed together, we have suffered together, and yet we are so different.

I stop walking and stand surrounded by their darkness: dark blazers, dark trousers, dark hats and dark eyes, nearly swal-lowed by dark beards. Their pale faces peer at me from behind the cage of darkness, whispering something I cannot hear.

How can a 5,000-year-old heritage still leave one man feeling so distant, so estranged?

The sea of black continues to swell around me, and my thoughts stray from the street scene to this morning’s class: we were studying the Torah, the passage where the Hebrews camped at Sinai after their exodus from Egypt.

The Hebrews were likened to one man with one heart; whereas earlier in the story, the Egyptians were depicted as having one heart, like one man.

Why do I feel so different?“Two kinds of unity,” the rabbi had said.

A flash of red tears me from my thoughts, but as I blink, the burst of color disappears in the sea of black. Where did it go?

I walk in the direction where I had seen it—the small dot of red

“we have triumphed together, we have suffered together, and yet we are so different.”

By Srolic Barber

burning against the dark backdrop—and my thoughts drift back to the Hebrews and their unity. There are two types of unity, he had said: one only skin deep, and one even deeper. What had he meant?

The small dot of red comes into view again, and now it is bigger and redder.

He had used the terms “collaborative unity” and “essential unity.”

Pharaoh’s troops, seething with rage at having lost their slaves, were trailing the Hebrews. Pharaoh himself led the charge. They were united, but only in their pursuit of the Hebrews; it was a collaborative unity, like having one heart.

The Hebrews, however, at the encampment at Sinai, were united in self, beyond cause or reason. They were as one man, with one heart: an essential unity.

Almost in a trance, I walk towards the red dot. Now even bigger, now a red T-shirt.

A young man, clean shaven, and wearing a red T-shirt, speaks with two chassidic men. With his hand he brushes aside his long hair, bending his head to put on tefillin.

They pronounce the words for him to repeat, and he does so with difficulty. And yet, they seem at ease with each oth-er, the young man in his modernity and the chassidim in their tradition. They are, of course, wearing dark clothes—dark blazers, dark trousers, dark hats and dark beards—but their disposition no longer appears dark to me. Their eyes smile, and now I can hear the whispering of their pale faces.

Essential unity.

I smile, and continue walking.

Srolic Barber, of Sydney, Australia, has engaged in rab-binical studies and community activism in many places throughout the world, most recently for two years in Caracas, Venezuela. Reprinted courtesy of chabad.org For More Information

Call us at: (610) 351-6511Or Email: office@chabadlehighvalley.com

Chabad’s Terror Victims Project’s work with soldiers and others deeply traumatized by the recent conflict throughout Israel continues unabated during this time when a ceasefire is in place – a ceasefire we pray with all our hearts will continue.The lessening of immediate pressure, with rockets not raining down, is enabling CTVP to spend more time with the soldiers who are still stationed on the front lines near the Gaza border.

We are bringing them packages of essentials and special treats and hot meals. We are helping them to lay tefillin which has become a critically important emotional uplift

for the soldiers as they have told us on so many occasions.

For the soldiers who have returned home following the fighting, we are bringing them gifts to show our deep ap-preciation for all they have done and sacrificed for Israel and the Jewish people. continuing1.jpg

We recently met with a group of soldiers at a building that had suffered a direct hit from a rocket. As we passed out gifts and expressed our gratitude, they told us how much CTVP’s work means to them. They told us over and over again that they appreciate all of it more than they can say in words.

Goes OnOur Vital Work

Chabad’s Terror Victims Project

By Rabbi Yossi Swerdlov

Our visits to the wounded soldiers in hospitals and re-habilitation centers is ongoing. Besides the gifts and comfort we are bringing them directly, we are provid-ing many services to their families so they can spend as much time as possible at the bedsides of their loved ones.

For those who have suffered the greatest loss with the death of their loved ones during the con-flict, we arebringing financial support, emo-tional comfort, and practical help as they struggle to regain their lives. We are at their sides contin-ually.

Our work will continue with all these soldiers and their families, as well as with the 3000 other fam-ilies shattered by terror and war who were in our care before the

conflict began. And we will do so for as long as they need us – whether that is a month, a year, or many years. This is just a part of what makes CTVP unique – we are always there. And we can also be everywhere because of the resources of our 300 Chabad houses in every area of Israel.

for Someone LikeYou?

Of course they are! You and your family are invited to join us for

the High Holidays this year.See inside for more information.

Are the High Holidays atChabad of the Lehigh Valley

Guideline Services

Chabad of the Lehigh Valley4457 Crackersport RoadAllentown, PA 18104www.chabadlehighvalley.com

NON PROFIT.ORGU.S. POSTAGEPAIDLehigh Valley, PAPermit No. 294