Aur Torah Sephardic Minyan Marks Shavuot Festival Preparation with A Torah Dedication
Edited by: TJVNews.com
On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in New Springville, Staten Island at the Aur Torah Sephardic Minyan was the site where Nir, Daniela & Israel Kahalani dedicated a brand-new Sefer Torah to the Congregation. A Sefer Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament written in Hebrew by a qualified calligrapher (Sofer) on vellum or parchment and enshrined in the Ark of the Law (Aron Ha-Kodesh) in a Synagogue. Written entirely in Biblical Hebrew, a Torah scroll contains 304,805 letters, all of which must be duplicated precisely by a trained scribe, an effort which may take as long as approximately one and a half years. One of the purposes of the timing of this dedication was to commence the celebratory preparation for the upcoming Shavuot festival which this year commences sunset of Saturday, June 4, 2022, through sunset Monday, June 6, 2022.
The Hebrew word Shavuot translates to “weeks” in English. This holiday marks the completion of the seven-week counting period between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot. The holiday commemorates God giving the Torah at Mount Sinai. During these seven weeks, the Jewish people cleansed themselves of the scars of Egyptian slavery and became a holy nation, ready to enter an eternal covenant with G-d with the giving of the Torah.
The evolution from the mindset of slavery to becoming a free people was a complicated process. The journey from slavery to freedom required an intense cultural change as well. A slave’s mind and body are entirely under the domination of another. We were freed with what is now Passover, but it took the passage of time for us to reach Mt. Sinai- literally and figuratively. It took an epic journey — with setbacks and mistakes along the way — for our ancestors to change as individuals and as a people. Only after we began to incorporate our sense of self as a free people could we be given the Torah.
“As a Rabbi I cannot think of a more fitting way to observe the Shavuot holiday then to have a newly written Torah Scroll to read from during Services. Especially now as we transition to a healthier reality, the Torah Scroll symbolizes a healthy rebirth to our world that has been afflicted which so much suffering. May we start a fresh in an optimistic and positive note. I cannot thank the Kahalani family enough for their generosity and making this year’s Shavuot so much more spiritual and meaningful with the dedication of a new Sefer Torah, so remarked Rabbi Aharon Zeev, Spiritual Leader of the Aur Torah Sephardic Congregation.
Rabbi Zeev further thanked Iva Reuven, wife of Aur Torah’s President Oshri Reuven who supervised all the detail that went into making the Torah dedication a successful event.
Mendy Mirocznik, President of the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island (COJO) he commented, “Aur Torah, its Rabbi Aharon Zeev, President Oshri Reuven and his wife Iva Reuven who also serves as COJO’s Service Committee Chairperson and the wonderful Synagogue family are an important and integral part of the heart and soul of the Staten Island community. This great Synagogue has been on the forefront in supporting the borough in anyway it can. The activism of this Congregation is heartwarming and legendary it is comprised of people who truly dare to care. In recent years the COJO Food Pantry under Iva’s watch has assisted many fellow Staten Islanders with food, PPE, resources and above all hope. This great Synagogue truly has members who get deep down to solve problems and bring hope and optimism to all they connect with. The Kahalani family are renown for the charity work, they are respected for being there and for takin the charge in helping with all community projects. Today’s Torah Dedication by the Kahalani family is an affirmative blessing that they wish that the world recovers in a healthy way.
They wish the world learns that unity, love, respect and tolerance and appreciation for life is the only way to restart a normal and healthy world. On behalf of COJO we thank the Kahalani family for being the good people and the inspiration they are. Thank you for being there for us during the darkest of times and for the most joyous of times. Thank you for being there for all of Staten Island, it is thanks to your vision and leadership the world has a bright future.”
Also participating in the Torah Dedication was Captain Eric Waldhelm, Commanding Officer, Pct. 121, Officer Antony Crecca, and Officer James Taylor. “Whose community partnership and support truly enhances the quality of life for Staten Island. The NYPD truly is a great community partner and I thank you for your continued support,” so said Mirocznik.
Captain Waldhelm remarked, “these important community events such as tonight’s Torah dedication by the Kahalani family truly exemplifies the diversity and beauty of Staten Island. I thank the Aur Torah Synagogue for allowing me to part of this important community event and I look forward to further collaboration with COJO in building community trust and confidence in the NYPD. Thank you Rabbi Aharon Zeev, Mendy Mirocznik, Oshri & Iva Reuven for being an important connection for this important task of trust building.”
