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Dear friends,

This week's Parsha, Va'Etchanan, continues Moshe's discourse to the Jewish people before they enter the Promised Land. It contains the first paragraph of the Shema as well as the Ten Commandments. Moshe lays out what the Israelites must do to attain the greatness that they have been promised since the days of Abraham, and how they will grow and thrive. 

In his commentary on the Parsha, Rabbi Sacks z"l is puzzled by one fact.  After speaking about the great nation they have become and how they will thrive and grow, Moshe tells the Jewish people that they are "the fewest of all peoples." Even after growing since the time of our forefathers, they were still tiny compared to the other nations they would be battling. The simple answer is that many had died in Egypt but the Israelites would continue to grow while other nations disappeared over the course of time. 

The deeper reason is more compelling. Moshe is telling the people that there is a fundamental difference between being many and being great. A small nation can still be great, and a large nation can crumble. When a mighty nation succeeds, no reason is given. It's obvious. But when a tiny nation triumphs, we are forced to figure out why. As we read in Zecharia: "not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit." Everything we accomplish is thanks to Hashem. 

The parallel to our shul is obvious. We are a small synagogue but have continued to serve our community for over 30 years, through hard work and faith in Hashem. Full text of the devar is here . 

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Now that we have left Tish B'Av behind, we can start getting ready for the High Holidays and the rest of the year. We’ll have a tent again for davening for both Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. If you haven't already, please send in your membership dues so your seat(s) will be assigned. 

For those of you who have not yet seen the sisterhood lineup, Holly, Brooke and their team have planned a tremendous variety of activities for the coming year. The Israel monthly lecture series will kick off in November with speakers on Israeli culture, history and politics. The Rabbi has also organized lectures and a shabbaton over the next few months, as well as a book signing for the newly completed biography of his grandfather, Rabbi J J Hecht, z"l.  Mazal Tov to him and his family on this tremendous accomplishment!

I want to thank everyone who commented, applauded or offered constructive criticism for the code of conduct. It’s to serve as a framework going forward for how we want our Shul to be, and what we can do to get it there. Just to be clear, the code was sent to everyone, and was not meant to address any issues in the past, but only as a guide going forward.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish a special Mazal Tov to Mitch and Beth Garbow on the birth of a baby boy to their children Chana and Elya in Israel. May they all have great nachas from him and may he grow into Torah, Chupah and good deeds.  

Wishing you all a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat Shalom,

Steven Inker