Shalom!
Welcome to Clifton Park Chabad Jewish Center! Here at Chabad, you will find a wide array of programming designed to enhance Jewish life in southern Saratoga County. We strive to create an environment where every person is welcome, every individual Mitzvah is cherished, and where Judaism is an accessible reality to all Jews regardless of background, affiliation or age!
Through Shabbat Dinners, Holiday events, Jewish Womens circle, Chabad Hebrew school and everything in between, we are cultivating a community together. We look forward to meeting you in person at a Shabbat dinner, Torah class or a casual coffee date.
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Clifton Park Chabad
Where every Jew is family! Come join our ever-growing family in Southern Saratoga County.
Archaeologists in Jerusalem recently uncovered massive charred wooden beams from the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.
Even more fascinating, it appears that when the Jewish people later returned to rebuild Jerusalem, they left some of those burned ruins in place, building their new city above them rather than erasing them.
That image reminded me of Rabbi Yehoshua's teaching in the Talmud (Bava Batra 60b). After the destruction of the Second Temple, some Jews stopped eating meat and drinking wine out of grief. Rabbi Yehoshua gently led them to see that if mourning governed every part of life, there would eventually be nothing left to eat or drink.
He concluded with words that have guided the Jewish people ever since: “Not to mourn at all is impossible.” We cannot pretend tragedy never happened. “But to mourn excessively is also impossible.” We cannot allow destruction to destroy everything that comes afterward.
This balance lies at the heart of Judaism. At a wedding, we break a glass to remember Jerusalem - and then we dance. We remember the past not to remain trapped in it, but to help shape the future.
This is the message of Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbos of comfort. Our comfort is not only that what was destroyed will one day be restored. It is deeper than that. Every mitzvah, every act of kindness, every moment of faithfulness throughout this long exile is another stone in the future Beit HaMikdash. We are not merely waiting for redemption, we are helping to build it.
Each of us has ruins beneath the surface. We should not erase them, but neither should we live in them. Like those who rebuilt Jerusalem, we remember what we have survived— and then we build above it, trusting that one day all that we have built in exile will become part of the eternal future.
Shabbat Shalom!
Light candles at 8:06 pm
Shabbat ends at 9:13 pm
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In moments that define us, community and strength matter more than ever. Join us for "Leadership in the Shadow of Oct 7" this July 29th for an insightful discussion on resilience, unity, and guiding our community forward.
Bring your thoughts, your perspective, and a friend. We’d love to have you with us!
📍RSVP: jewishcliftonpark.org/events/leadership-in-the-shadow-of-oct-7/
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