Dear Congregants, As summer begins and we begin spending more and more time outdoors, I thought I might give you a preview of my upcoming Newsletter article. Enjoy.

Nearly two-thousand years ago Rabbi Tarfon said: "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it." (Pirke Avot)

This Sunday Or Chadash joins together as we do our part to complete some of the never-ending work of repairing the world (Tikkun Olam). We are fortunate to have an amazing response from all of you. I am looking forward to seeing nearly 150 of you on Sunday at 8:45 a.m. Please be prompt. We will be serving a light breakfast of muffins, coffee and oj at the Temple, Zoe will be leading us in song and Betsy will be announcing Team Captains and Mitzvah Day assignments.

"When you are asked in the world to come, 'What was your work?' and you answer: 'I fed the hungry', you will be told: 'This is the gateway of the Divine, enter into it, you who have fed the hungry'" (From Midrash Psalms 118:17)

Summer is a great time to catch up on reading. There are far too many titles to even begin to imagine that one could, though, really catch up or even keep up. When I was younger, the dentist had

In one of my favorite summer songs, James Taylor sings: "Summer's here/ I'm for that/ Got my rubber sandals/ Got my straw hat/ Got my cold beer/ I'm just glad that I'm here". Summer is now officially here, and with it arrives a universal condition that may have its roots in this week's Torah portion, Chukat.

Most Jewish holidays are as old as the Bible itself. Some, like Hanukkah, are a bit newer. And Israeli Independence Day is quite recent, having emerged in the 20th century. When asked how long we have been celebrating Founders' Day at Or Chadash, I was quick to reply, certain of the answer due to my (not very) painstaking research on the matter: our first celebration is this week!

Most Jewish holidays are as old as the Bible itself. Some, like Hanukkah, are a bit newer. And Israeli Independence Day is quite recent, having emerged in the 20th century. When asked how long we have been celebrating Founders' Day at Or Chadash, I was quick to reply, certain of the answer due to my (not very) painstaking research on the matter: our first celebration is this week!

This week is quite the week in history. 40 years ago Israel defeated the Arab world’s armies which sought to destroy her. In only six days, the modern Israeli army reclaimed much of ancient Israel. The result of this short battle is a trying series of repercussions that have endured until today – and have no end in sight.