WELCOME TO CHABAD SOUTHEND
We are delighted to welcome you to our new website for Chabad Southend, a branch of Chabad North East London & Essex.
Now in our third year, we have been working in partnership with the Southend & Westcliff Synagogue Community and its leadership, to provide additional educational opportunities from children through adults.
We currently provide:
– Cheder classes each Tuesday for children aged Year 1 – through to Bar / Bat Mitzvah, with exciting, challenging and fun interactive classes. Innovative reading learning programme tailor made to each child’s ability and level of growth and development. Jewish knowledge taught by way of interactive arts and crafts projects, hands on experiences, all led by Mrs Devorah Sufrin and our Shluchos based in Gants Hill.
– JWC Jewish Women’s Circle, monthly discussion and activity groups on Jewish topics with social interaction led by Mrs Devorah Sufrin
– Men’s monthly discussion groups in an interactive manner on varying Jewish topics relevant to today’s challenges in the Jewish world led by Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin MBE
The monthly discussion groups are hosted in private homes. If you would like to host a meeting or find out more please contact us.
Chabad N E London & Essex currently has three Cheder opportunities for your children each week accross Essex.
Sunday @ Chabad Gants Hill, Tuesday @ Westcliff & Southend Synagogue, Finchley Road, Southend. Wednesday @ Chabad Buckhurst Hill.
We are continuously looking at ways of enhancing Chabad’s educational & social services for the Community and look forward to sharing more with you as time goes on.
Thought for the week from Rabbi A. M. Sufrin MBE
TETZAVEH – “Command”
TETZAVEH
The Eighth portion of the Book of Exodus begins, as G-d tells Moses to command (Tetzaveh, in Hebrew) the Jewish People to provide the olive oil to be used to fuel the lamps of the Tabernacles Candelabra. G-d taught Moses the procedure for kindling the lamps, and then how to fashion the special garments for the priests.
“you must draw you brother Aaron to you, together with his sons, to minister to Me (as priests).(28:1)
It would seem that we should all want to be priests, consecrated to G-d. This is indeed a worthy ideal, but if it were put into practice, it would undermine the purpose of creation. G-d created us not to be angels but human beings who dwell in the mundane world. Only in this way can we elevate the world, refine it, and fill it with Divine Consciousness.
On the other hand, in order to elevate the world, we need to preserve the image of the totally Divine way of living that we are striving to elevate it to. Hence, a select minority of the people had to live out this ideal in practice; they were the priests.
Similarly, we must all consecrate a portion of our personality to the sole purpose of serving G-d. By creating (installing) this “inner priest”, we can than relate to the world at large as we are meant to, guiding and leading to to its Divine fulfilment. This is how we fulfil G-d’s promise to us when He gave us the Torah: “you will be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Enjoy a lovely meaningful Shabbos and a fulfilling week to follow.
