Carnegie Shul Chatter – May 10,2013

Candle lighting time is 8:06

Parshah Bamidbar

This week we begin the book of Numbers with parshah Bamidbar.  The Children of Israel are in the desert in the second year of their journey from Egypt to  the Promised Land when God instructs Moses  to conduct a census  of all men between 20 and 60 years of age who would be available for war.  The tribe  of Levi is excluded because, “you shall appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its vessels and over all that belong to it; they shall carry the Tabernacle and they shall minister to it, and they shall encamp around the Tabernacle.”

The total census was 603,550 men and 22,300  Levites who were one month of age or older.

Following the census, the Israelites continued their journey.  The Levites camped in a circle around the Sanctuary, while the other tribes camped in groups of three tribes each outside of the Levite circle.

Shavuos

This week we observe the holiday of Shavuos, the Feast of Weeks,  for two days beginning at sundown on Monday.  Shavuos commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai.  We, therefore, read the Ten Commandments in shul on Shavuos.

The Book of Ruth is also read on Shavuos.  Ruth was a Moabite who converted to Judaism and told her mother in law, Naomi,  “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”  Ruth was also the great-grandmother of King David.

Traditionally many Jews eat dairy on Shavuos and cheesecake is a popular Shavuos treat.

Come pray with us on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings when services will begin at 9:30.

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our wonderful Mothers!

 

???

Here is an interesting question for you to ponder.   Can God create a rock that is too heavy for Him to lift?  If you said yes, are you saying that there something is God can not do – that he can not lift a rock.  If you said no, are you saying that there is something that God can not do – that he can not create an enormous rock.

But isn’t God capable of doing anything?

Please feel free to comment.

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