Shabbat Newsletter - October 28, 2022

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Friday

6:15 PM

Shabbat Evening Services

In person and live-streamed

Saturday

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Services

followed by Kiddush lunch sponsored by Nicolas Bell in gratitude to the Shir Chadash community as he moves to Seattle

In person and live-streamed

Saturday

10:30 AM

Jr. Congregation with

Izzy Epstein-Bagneris

Sunday

9:15 AM

Minyan with

Men's Club

In person in the Chapel,

followed by breakfast.

Also available on Zoom.

Sunday

10 AM

Shul School Zoo Trip

at Audubon Zoo

RSVP HERE

Sunday

4:30 PM

Teen/Tween Learning

at Rabbi Hoffman's home

COVID-19 UPDATE

Our Health Committee update as of August 12, 2022 is as follows:

In the last 2-3 weeks, we have seen a precipitous drop in the rate of positive tests in the New Orleans area, and we are starting to see a drop in the hospitalization rate as well. In addition, our community threat level has been reduced from "High" to "Medium." All very encouraging news!

Unfortunately, we have also learned that with the recent highly contagious variants, vaccination does not prevent infection nor the ability to transmit the virus to others. However, it does continue to help protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Therefore, vaccination remains important for one's personal protection but is less essential to the community's health at large.

As a result, the Health Committee has recommended that we lift our vaccine requirement for shul entry, and the recommendation was approved by the Board on Monday, August 8th. This decision is also in keeping with current local guidelines for schools and businesses.

We do continue to encourage everyone to be vaccinated, if eligible. The CDC recommends COVID-19 primary series vaccines for everyone ages 6 months and older, a booster for everyone ages 5 years and older, and a second booster for everyone ages 50 and older. Please note that special rules apply to those who are immunocompromised. Please visit the CDC website to learn more about staying up to date with vaccination.

We also continue to encourage everyone to mask while indoors, most especially for those at risk of serious disease (e.g. those who are moderately/severely immunocompromised).

Please click HERE to read our guidelines in full.

Our Sages Speak:

Rabbinic Reflections on the Torah Portion

An interesting question is whether we measure something in absolute terms or relative terms. When we say that a person is intelligent, we try to measure that against an objective benchmark of knowledge and reasoning skills. When we say that same individual is athletic, we have to take into account things like age. In my case, it’s fair to say that I have (thank G-d) not declined cognitively, but my speed and strength can only be called “good” when measured against age-graded standards.

When portion Noah opens, the Torah states that Noah was a righteous man “in his generation.” This can be taken either as praise or denigration. If it’s the first, then what the Torah is saying is that Noah was righteous despite living in a degenerate period of history. Had he lived in more normal times, he would have been even more righteous. But the latter interpretation is also possible. Noah was righteous, but the benchmark against which he was measured was abysmal. In an age which included its share of righteous people, he wouldn’t have stood out.

The Talmudic tractate Sanhedrin expresses the idea this way:

Noah was a just, perfect man in his generation; according to R. Yochanan in his generation, but not in others [among more righteous]. And according to Resh Lakish: In his generation [among the wicked], so much the more in other generations. "R. Yochanan's theory," remarked R. Chanina, "should be likened unto the following parable: If a barrel of wine is placed among barrels of vinegar, in that place, the good smell of wine is marked, which would not be the case if placed among other barrels of wine." R. Oshia said: "Resh Lakish's theory may be likened unto the following parable: If a glass of perfume is placed in a filthy place, and its odor is marked, how much more would it be marked if it were placed among spices?" (Gen. 7:23)

The truth is, it doesn’t always matter whether a person is righteous in an absolute or a relative sense. Life forces us to choose from the alternatives we have, rather those we wished we had.

More significantly, I think that the Torah is starting with an obvious moral progression. In Adam and the subsequent ten generations, no one is described as righteous. In Noah, we see a man who is at least somewhat righteous. It’s not until Abraham – ten generations after Noah – that we can once and for all declare an individual righteous – with no need for further clarification.

- Rabbi Scott Hoffman

Parashat Noach

Torah: Genesis 6:9 - 8:14

Maftir: Genesis 8:12-14

Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10

The Torah reading for this week is in the panel above. If you do not have a Chumash at home, you can find it on the link below. We are reading Triennial Year 1, but you might like to read the full portion (“Full Kriyah”).

Brochure

Our Shabbat brochure with yahrzeits and simchas for this week is attached. You might wish to take special notice of those who are sick, and take a moment to direct your thoughts towards them.

Thank you!

Thank you to all those listed below who performed the mitzvah of supporting our community this past week.

Caring Committee Fund

To: Bonnie Lustig

In memory of your brother, Ed Hoffman

From: Sanford Pailet

To: Bonnie Lustig & Family

In memory of your brother, Ed Hoffman

From: Eileen & Dana Wallen

Children's Fund

To: N'Ann and Jan Glade

In honor of N'Ann and Jan Glade's 50th Anniversary