UPDATED COVID MESSAGE – DECEMBER 2020
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
SHMINI – “the eighth day……”
The third section of the book of Leviticus opens with the description of the eighth (Shmini, in Hebrew) and final day of the installation rituals of the Priests. After this, it records which animals are permitted for Jewish consumptions.
After detailing which land animals, fish, and fowl that are permitted for Jewish consumption, G-d instructed Moses to teach the Jewish people the laws of ritual defilement.
G-d instructed Moses to teach the Jewish people how, “to distinguish between the defiled and the undefiled……..” (11:47)
Spiritually, this refers to making the moral distinction between what is acceptable, healthy behaviour and what is not.
This distinction is easy enough when matters are clear and obvious. However, all too often, the distinction is blurred, and what is in fact defiled can easily be taken as being undefiled.
By studying Torah, we remain connected to G-d, who is not subject to the limited reach of human intellect. Thus attuned to Divine consciousness, we instinctively know what is spiritually healthy and what is not.
Wishing you and your dear Family a joyous and meaningful Shabbos followed by a successful and meaningful week.
