Rabbi's Blog

RSVP FOR THE OZ VIRTUAL DINNER WITH MODI: WWW.OZNY.ORG/CELEBRATE

Dear OZ family,

This week’s Parsha contains a verse that has made it into our Shabbos Ma’ariv liturgy and into the afternoon Kiddush, and is the source of the idea that on Shabbos, we are blessed with an extra soul, the “Neshama Yeseira” (Beitza 16A). This extra soul enables us to do certain things on Shabbos that we could never consider doing on a weekday. If we were to spend two and a half hours, slowly eating lunch and singing songs, telling stories and Divrei Torah, on a Tuesday afternoon, we would consider it a colossal waste of time. Imagine davening taking two hours on a Wednesday morning, or someone giving a 15 minute D’var Torah in the middle of davening on a Thursday, or a scholar delivering a 45 minute lecture after davening on a Friday. Who would suffer such things during the week? The Neshama Yeseira makes this possible on Shabbos. The source of this idea is the word, “Vayinafash”, describing God’s completion of the workings of creation and His subsequent rest. God was not tired. The word means that after creation, He handed over the world to us to impart the spirit He breathed into our lungs. We were “Souled” by this action and we tap into that when we keep Shabbos.  

The showcase of any shul takes place on Shabbos. Yossele Rosenblatt did not sing here on Mondays. During Covid, it hasn’t been easy, but we have kept our doors open every day with minyanim that hardly ever sleep, with an office open for business every day, and an ongoing activity of Torah, Chesed, Tzedaka, and children’s programming that continues unabated. This week, the Shabbos of our annual dinner is dedicated to the Mesirus nefesh of all those who have made this possible. Right after the dinner we will be pushing ahead with our capital campaign to refurbish and beautify our shul. This presents an excellent opportunity to put our names onto a piece of history. So often in the past 33 years, people have pointed to their great-grandparents to me, whose names are on a plaque in the shul lobby. When our current building went up in 1926, no one could have imagined that we’d still be here almost a century later. OZ had occupied 5 different buildings in its first 50 years. But here we are, looking to invest in the future, with the help of the community.

OZ has added a “Neshama Yeseira” to the West Side and this is an excellent time to be part of our history. I look forward to seeing you at the zoom dinner Sunday night.

Be safe. Be healthy. Be excellent.

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Rabbi Allen Schwartz

Congregation Ohab Zedek

118 West 95^th Street | New York, NY  10025-6604

Phone 212.749-5150, ext 200 | Fax 212.663-3635

E-mail ras@ozny.org

Website:  www.ozny.org