Unique Opportunity - Renewing a Torah

What makes Jews unique? No, it's not our control of the weather nor is it the taste of chicken soup.

The Torah is our most precious item, the laws, and wisdom sustaining the Jewish people throughout history. It tells us that every Jew, regardless of background or knowledge, has an equal share in the Torah.

You probably have seen a Torah scroll at some point in your life. You may have seen one up close and looked inside. Every scroll is handwritten on parchment, all 304,805 Hebrew letters.

When I look at a Torah scroll I am awed by the work and dedication that created it, by the history and meaning encapsulated in it, and by the knowledge that it contains the wisdom of G-d for us as given to Moses 3,334 years ago.

We have a wonderful and unique opportunity.

There is a Torah that was written for Chabad of Austin at UT in 1984, back when Austin was a sleepy college town and there was only one Chabad House.

This Torah has been cherished for its first 28 years, but has slowly fallen into disrepair.

We want to renew this Torah and bring it to a new home at the YJP community. We will use it every Shabbat and on the holidays, but most importantly we will have a Torah of our own. A community Torah, a concrete symbol of our history, our wisdom and our future.

Take part in renewing this Torah!

There are many levels of participation, each will bring this Torah to our community.

You will get a beautiful certificate with your portion or letter described on it.

You can dedicate a Torah portion, one that might have special meaning to you, maybe your Bar or Bat Mitzvah, or one of the special portions in the Torah.

This is also an opportunity to honor someone by renewing a section in their name.

Our goal is to have the Torah ready for the High Holidays during which we will celebrate this beautiful treasure.

Huge credit goes to Freddy and Brynn Brick for spotting the opportunity and getting this Torah Renewal rolling.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Mendy & Mussy

p.s. As always, we would love to chat with you over coffee or drinks, about Judaism, or just life - reply to this email.

 Watch:

We're taught that the cause of the second Temple's destruction was the senseless hatred that existed amongst the Jewish people. A major theme of this time is to focus on having unwarranted love for our fellow Jew.

A beautiful story of the Rebbe encouraging a rabbi to live out that value.

  Upcoming: 

RSVP here or at yjpaustin.org/events

TONIGHT! 8/5: First Friday's August

• The White Party - presented by Loewy Law Firm - August 25th -
• 2 tickets left in the first ticket tier

• 9/18: Mega Challah Bake

RSVP at challahatx.com

📖 Read:

 When Is a Jew No Longer Jewish? A lesson from Iron Lazar Kaganovitch.

 From Argentina, a surprisingly delightful movie about a rabbi in Taiwan. In ‘Shalom Taiwan,’ a synagogue leader travels far out of his comfort zone to discover the secret to happiness

 Israeli startup SavorEat serves up 3D-printed kosher pork patties, turkey burgers. The food tech company launches new vegan products that can be customized via ‘robot chef.’

🌱 Chai Society: 

Special thanks to our Chai Society members:

Yankee Andrusierׁ • Carolina Bueno • Marc Cooper • Nate Firebaugh • Paulina Flasch • Matt Ford • Sara Guccione • Ari & Sandra Hoffman • Michael Nadel • Chaim & Amanda Pollak • Daniel Speiss

Together, we’re High Energy!

Join here

Shabbat Devarim

Light your candles at 8:04 pm

in Austin, TX

Special thanks to our Chai Society members - the monthly giving circle.

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