23rd January 2021 / 10th Shevat 5781 / Bo Dear Member,
Please see below for our weekly e-newsletter.
The Shul is now closed for all services and all other events until further notice.
The Shul office will remain open for phone calls only. Please do not visit the Shul office for any reason. If you are due to make a payment, this can be done by debit/credit card by ringing Michelle on 020 8629 2783 or by cheque through the post.
If you know of anyone that needs our help please contact the Shul office.
This week's Cranbrook News is sponsored by Michael Griver in loving memory of his brother Harry Griver z"l. Details of our Zoom services are detailed below. Shabbat Shalom
Cranbrook US
News and Views In this week’s parasha, Moshe is told to warn Pharaoh that he is about to unleash a whole new set of plagues on Egypt. However, G-d tells Moshe that Pharaoh will not listen because his free will has been taken away. This begs two questions: how it is possible for G-d to take away an individual’s free will? Free will differentiates man from the animals, it differentiates man from the angels themselves. An angel also doesn’t have free will, it can only do what G-d commands it to do. Man is unique in that he or she has the free will to decide on his destiny, to choose. How then can G-d take away Pharaoh’s free will? The second question is related to the first - if Pharaoh has no free will, what point is it in trying to tell him to do something which he simply can’t agree to? Why then does G-d tell Moshe to tell Pharaoh to let the Jewish people go, something that Pharaoh CANNOT do, because God will not let him!!
Maimonides deals with our first question. He states that a person can sin repeatedly until he is unable to repent. How does this solve our first issue - How is it possible for Pharaoh’s free will to be taken away from him? The answer is as follows. Pharaoh has been brought up with the knowledge that he is g-d of the Nile river. This knowledge has been pushed into Pharaoh from his youth, from his first breath, until his dying day. Every behaviour, every thought, every emotion that he experienced until Moshe and Aharon tell him: G-d will bring down wrath upon you and your country, so that You will know that I am in control of the world. This is an interpretation of the Rambam. Pharaoh is completely unable to make a positive choice, because all of his choices until now have existed in a world which denies G-d, and enhances his own perceived immortality.
That deals with our first question. What about our second? If Pharaoh cannot make a choice, why is Moshe warning him? What purpose would it serve? The answer to that is that everyone, even a Pharaoh has the ability to change. It doesn’t matter who you are. We can change, we can develop. We can overcome previous conceptions. We can be more.
The lesson of Pharaoh is this: we all have the capacity to change, we all have the capacity to develop. It is never too late, and it is never impossible. It can be done. You are you, not because of your past, but because of the future decisions that you are about to make. This makes us uniquely human, this makes us uniquely special, with the power to transform our lives at any time. Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom
At Raphael Jewish Counselling Service we are very aware of the toll the pandemic has taken on people’s emotional well being, often in addition to ongoing issues, such as anxiety and depression and relationship difficulties. Raphael offers a confidential counselling service please click here to read the latest newsletter
Weekday Shacharit: On Zoom Monday 25th - Friday 29th at 8am.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86385039085?pwd=aHU4bTJrT2I5b0syODU1T0szK3N6QT09
Meeting ID: 863 8503 9085 / Password: 695854
Ma'ariv: On Zoom Monday 25th to Wednesday 27th at 7:30pm. See below for Thursday, 28th details
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82329373357?pwd=bmdvaGpMa2wrYkdDVFFSTDllTnBMZz09
Meeting ID: 823 2937 3357 / Password: 582038
Times - Bo
Kabbalat Shabbat on Zoom at 3.15pm Candle Lighting at 4.17pm Shabbat ends at 5.25pm Shabbat Candle lighting and Shabbat Begins next week (Beshalach) at 4.29pm.
There are occasions that we need men to help make a minyan at a levoya, this is a great mitzvah. We appreciate that during this difficult time men do not want to go out, perhaps some of our younger members would like to help out.
If members go into hospital to Queens, King George or Whipps Cross or any other hospital could they please inform the Shul office so that we can keep up to date as to how they are.
Maisie Barnett, Shirley Bernstein, Henry Berman,
Elizabeth Elvins, Rachel Falk, Jeffrey Haimov, Joseph Kaye, Vera Miller, Angela Morris, Irene Silverman on their respective birthdays.
Sponsorship
If you would like to mark a birthday or Simcha, or want to commemorate a Yahrzeit, this can be done by sponsoring Cranbrook News. In the forthcoming weeks, there are many dates that are available. The cost of sponsoring Cranbrook News is £15.
Sponsorship is available for the on-line version of Cranbrook News on the following dates: January 30th; February 27th; March 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th.
To book any of these dates please call the synagogue office on: 020-8629 2780 or e-mail admin@cranbrooksynagogue.org.uk
E-Mails
Over the past few week's a few members will have noticed that they are no longer receiving e-mails from us. This is something that is out of our control. If you have an alternate e-mail address to the one that you used receive e-mails on please let us have it and we will add you back into the system.
Condolences to: Peter Spill on the loss of his wife, Rosalynn Spill.
Jeremy and Robbie Spill on the loss of their mother, Rosalynn Spill.
Warren Vickers on the loss of his sister, Rosalynn Spill.
David Rein on the loss of his wife, Yvonne Rein.
Andrew Rein and Stephanie Knight on the loss of their mother, Yvonne Rein.
Morris Huberman on the loss of his wife, Edith Huberman.
David Huberman on the loss of his mother, Edith Huberman.
Connie Dent, Bertha Granger and Sissy Hackerman on the loss of their sister, Edith Huberman.
We wish Long Life to everyone who is observing a Yahrzeit this week:
Stephen Arbiter, Cynthia Benson, Claire Borchardt, Hilary Clapper, Phillip Cohen, Lynne Cohen, Monica Cohen, Jacqualyn Conner, Betty Cooper, Sandra Curran, Mavis Danziger, Frances Darwin, Peter Davis, Kitty Dessau, Joan Dobin, Alan Donn, Barbara Evans, Susan Faber, Philip Fagelson, Debra Feldman, Sonny Finberg, Marilyn Finegold, Corinne Fishman, Howard Foreman, Gerald Fox, Michael Freed, Susan Gadian, Beryle Ginsberg, Priscilla Gold, Gerald Gold, Frederick Goodman, Pamela Grant, Jeanette Grant, Sheila Green, Ernest Green, Saul Green, Adele Griver, Michael Griver, Rita Grossman, Sara Harris, Cyril Hyman, Shirley Kingsley, Bernard Klinger, Gloria Kovler, Raymond Leslie, Julian Lewis, Hetty Liborwich, Louise Malina, Jennifer Marks, Cyril Marks, Anita Miller, Linda Myers, June Noah, Sharon Portnoy, Stephanie Powell, Debra Rein, Melissa Richardson, Betty Rothfarb, Josephine Russell, Jeffrey Scott, Barbara Seider-Benson, Helen Selner, Ruth Sherman, Edna Shutz, Helen Silver, Carol Silverman, Stanley Simmons, Anita Sluys, Martin Solomons, Rita Stedman, Howard Sterne, Barbara Stone, Irene Sumray, Harvey Tibber, Jean Tondy, Eileen Vilka, Millicent Vincent, Yvonne West and Ronald Young.
Pesach 5781 - Shalom Magazine
Many thanks to everyone who submitted articles for the Rosh Hashanah Edition of the Shalom Magazine. We have had some excellent feedback from our readers. The next edition of the Shalom Magazine will be the Pesach 5781 Edition.
If you have any interesting or amusing articles with a Jewish content that you would like us to include, please email them as soon as possible to Philippa Stanton at stanton.philippa@gmail.com.
All articles, pictures and stories must be received by 1st February 2021 - however, I have already started collecting new articles, so please email me as soon as you can! Get your Company's name in print!
Not only do we need articles for the shul magazine, but we also need advertisements too. Adverts can be full size in colour, half page or quarter page.
Get your company's name seen by all our members, nearly 2000 of them. Contact the shul office on 020 8629 2780 for more details. The 200 Club The 200 Club aims to raise funds for building and maintaining the Shul, but has extended its function to help with various events that need organising.
To join please fill out the application form by clicking here.
Congratulations to our latest winners.
November 1st prize £250 Yaffa Nathan 2nd price £100 Anne Jayson
December 1st prize £250 Martin Bloomberg 2nd price £100 Ivor Martin
Shul Office Opening Hours As the Shul office is not open currently please call Estelle on 020 8629 2780 or Michelle on 020 8629 2783.
Rabbi Dansky is available out of hours. You can contact him directly on his mobile 07780 236697 or by calling the Shul office and selecting option 3.
Reverend Newman is available out of hours. You can contact him directly on his mobile 07882 054321 or by calling the Shul office and selecting option 4.
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