Shabbat Parshah Noach

It's time for our monthly Erev Shabbat services this Friday night and in honor of this week's Torah portion I've decided to share a picture I made of a mixed herd of cattle pastured at one of the farms near Fort Dick. This looks like a herd of Long Horns and Bison and it is hard to describe how truly immense these animals are. I've seen bull dozers that would run away in fear of these monsters.

This week we will study parshah Noach, which got me thinking: what did the cattle on Noah's ark look like? Anyway, there are much more important lessons to learn from the parshah this week, but it gave me an excuse to share one of the photos I recently made.

Hope to see everyone at the synagogue in Crescent City this Friday and at the Torah study in Fort Dick Saturday morning. Until then, shavua tov.

Shemini Atzeret for This Saturday's Torah Study

This Shabbot is Shemini Atzeret, also known as the Eighth Day of Assembly. It is a special holiday in that it is considered both part of Sukkot and an entirely separate holiday. The traditional Torah portion for this day is Deuteronomy 14:22 - 16:17 & Numbers 29:35 - 30:1.

The very next day, beginning on Saturday evening, is also traditionally known as Simchat Torah, when we complete our annual reading cycle and read the final portion of the Torah know as Vezos Haberachah (Deuteronomy 33:1 - 34:12 & Numbers 29:35 - 30:1) then we immediately rewind the scroll and begin reading Bereshit to symbolize the eternal cycle of life and Torah granted to us by our Creator.

G-d willing, we will meet at 10:00 am this Saturday morning, October 10, at the Evergreen Bank in Brookings to study these portions of Torah together with Rabbi Les Scharnberg.