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 Monday 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, Monday @ 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
TERUMAH – “Contribution”
TERUMAH – “Contribution”
The seventh portion of the Book of Exodus, opens with G-d’s command for the Jewish People to contribute (Terumah, in Hebrew) toward the construction of the Tabernacle. This He began by listing the materials needed, for its construction, as well as defining its purpose.
They must make me a Sanctuary, so that I may dwell in their midst……(25:8)
Not “in its midst” but “in their midst”: G-d told us to make a sanctuary so He may dwell within us. There are three types of sanctuaries included in this commandment: The physical Tabernacle that the Jews built in the desert; the personal inner sanctuary that each of us must construct out of our lives and our sphere of influence in the world; and finally, the world at large, which we must transform into God’s home.
In all three cases, the task is possible only because we are simply revealing the hidden, true nature of reality. The world at large and everything in it exists only because of the Divine energy pulsing within them. So making the world into a place where Divinity is revealed is simply a matter of removing the obstruction that hide this reality. Similarly, the essence of every one of us, is our Divine soul.
So making our lives into a Tabernacle for G-d, is nothing more than allowing our inner essence to shine through the excess material baggage that we have accumulated during our journey through life.
Have a wonderful week followed by a meaningful and peaceful Shabbat
