What a beautiful simcha it was last weekend! Jesse Ernstein did a great job as a Bar Mitzvah and our shul was packed with visitors from out of town and in town. I heard positive feedback from around the community how everyone enjoyed the services and celebration, even those who had never been in Orthodox synagogue before. This speaks well of the Bar Mitzvah boy but also of our Kehilla. This was a proud moment for BIAV. Mazel Tov again, Ernstein family!
This then led into a truly wonderful Purim holiday! Children and adults came in costume and heard the Megillah, night and day. Hamman was jeered, candy was abundant, and our Purim Scavenger Task/Hunt gave families fun and meaningful activities to bring home with them.
Minyan Men, get ready! BIAV has a longstanding practice of asking men to commit to one minyan a week to support our daily minyan. One member, a longtime attendee on Monday evening, had the creative idea to create an apparel line, BIAV Minyan Man, to encourage men to sign up for one minyan a week. Now in its 5th year, the fashionable clothing line has evolved into an accompanying Men’s Minyan Man Dodgeball Tournament. All men aged thirteen and older are required to attend 🙂 The tournament will take place this Saturday night at 9pm. We hope everyone can make it. If you sign up to attend one minyan a week, you will receive the latest in the Minyan Man clothing line.
The event will be a fun and fashionable way to encourage camaraderie, temporary adolescent competitiveness, and of course Minyan attendance! And included is my guarantee that if you attend Minyan at least once during the week, you will also find increased well-being and Mitzvah opportunities.
Finally, BIAV will be lending a Sefer Torah to a new shul in a small community off the coast of Mexico, Isla Mujeres. (Visit http://chabadisla.com) This is being done in exchange for their paying for the repairs to this Torah which otherwise has not been used in decades. The individual who helped make this happen, Mr. Tomi Revai of Miami, will be arriving on Tuesday, April 1st to pick up the Torah. We will have a short program after Maariv (approximately 7:45pm) to hear about the community in Mexico. Please join us for this unique event!
This Shabbat we read the Parsha of Shemini about the day of the inauguration of the Mishkan. It is also Parshat Parah, the third of the special Parshiot before Pesach. I look forward to seeing everyone in shul!