WELCOME TO CHABAD HAVERING
Chabad North East London & Essex launches the foundation for its latest Chabad Branch.
Chabad N.E. London & Essex are delighted to announce the recent launch of its newest chapter in the area of Havering, which covers amongst others the area of Collier Row, Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster & Rainham.
With the ongoing migration of the Jewish Community across Essex, Chabad locally have been mapping where families are choosing to live outside the well-known areas of Ilford, Redbridge & beyond.
Activities began in January with regular meetings, discussion groups, one to one learning and a Challah bake led by Mrs Devorah Sufrin. Last week a joint Challah bake was held in Romford Synagogue to which there were some twenty five participants. A new website displaying recent and ongoing services is live on www.chabadhavering.co.uk.
Rabbi Sufrin MBE, Exec Director Chabad N E London & Essex says; “continuous requests have been made to us over a fair period of time, asking Chabad to get more involved in the area of Havering. In discussion with my wife Devorah, we decided that we must respond. In addition to three thriving Chabad Houses, based in Ilford, Buckhurst Hill & Epping with full time Chabad Emissaries, regular activities are held in Southend and now Havering.”
For now, these additional areas are serviced in the main by Rabbi & Mrs Sufrin, as the foundations are laid and relationships are built, scouting the wider areas mapping where Jewish people are living. This is often the way that in due course the seeds are sown in order to secure further Shluchim (emissaries) leading to full time Chabad Centres.
Funding will have to be secured to bring these new areas into realities, but as Rabbi Sufrin tells us,
“even though funding is always a concern and a challenge, however, as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Schneerson zy”o taught us so well, that when it comes to Jewish Education and the needs of securing Jewish Communities, we cannot allow funding to hold us back”
Rabbi & Mrs Sufrin celebrate their 37th anniversary of Chabad leadership locally picking up the baton of his late Parents Rev Aron Dov & Hennie Sufrin z”l who laid the first seeds for Chabad back in 1976, from which Chabad across Essex continues to flourish.
Thought for the week from Rabbi A. M. Sufrin MBE
TETZAVEH…to command / ZACHOR….remember..
The Eighth section of the Chumash / Book of Exodus, begins as G-d tells Moses to command (Tetzaveh, in Hebrew) the Jewish people to provide the oil to be used to fuel the lamps of the Tabenacles Candelabra. He then describes the special garments that the priests were to wear, finally describing the Altar for incense.
G-d told Moses, “The Breastplate must not come loose from the Ephod.” (an apron like garment that tied around the waist)” 28:28
The Ephod hung from the high priest’s back down to his heels, whilst the Breastplate rested in front, opposite his heart. The “back” represents that which is external and mundane – the aspects of life that maybe necessary but are not the focus of our main interests. In contrast, the “front” signifies the internal and sublime – the real focus of interest – just as our face, which expresses our inner thoughts and feelings, is on the front of our body.
The fact that the Breastplate must not become disconnected from the Ephod therefore means that the high priest was not allowed to have any gap between the sublime and the mundane, the essential and external aspects of his life.
PARSHAT ZACHOR..
This week we read the second of the special portions that are read before Passover.
On the Shabbat before Purim, the holiday on which we celebrate the foiling of Haman the Amalekite’s plot to destroy the Jewish people, the weekly Torah reading is supplemented with the Zachor (“Remember!”) reading (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) in which we are commanded to remember the evil of Amalek and to eradicate it from the face of the earth.
When the Israelites left Egypt, no nation dared pick a fight with them. Who would start up with a people whose G‑d just smacked around the mighty Egypt with ten awesome plagues, and drowned the surviving few in the sea? Only Amalek, driven by profound hatred which defied logic, came to wage battle.
According to many Halachic authorities, there is a Biblical requirement for all men to hear the special Zachor reading.
Wishing you a successful week followed by a meaningful Shabbat and joyous Purim to follow, Monday night 2nd March Tuesday 3rd March.
With our continued prayers for an everlasting peace in Isarel and a round the world with the arrival of Moshiach.
