Chabad Times, September 2004

T o n VOL XIII NO. 1 Sept. 2004/Tishrei 5765 PUBLISHED BY CHABAD OF SOUTHERN NEVADA BE THERE FOR SOMEONE: Friendship Circle How High is High? I used to associate the 'High' in the High Holidays with our Synagogues' towering ceiling, and our cantor's high notes reaching ever higher pitches. After presenting our High Holiday admission tickets, the usher quietly escorted us to our seats. Looking up to dignified higher-ups seated up front, the rest of us listened passively. All was silent and sedentary except for the occasional page turning rustle, and for the "Congregation, please rise" as per the Rabbi's instructions. Who Dweiieth On High My eyes drifted from the prayerbook's Thous and Thees, wandered over to the Ark's red velvet curtain, and followed the exquisite woodwork and elaborate engravings up to the Ten Commandments perched on top. As my gaze ascended even higher unto the awesome above, I related the "He Who Dweiieth on High!" chants with the lofty chandeliered ceil-ing soaring overhead. The Sukkot Revolution I'd never heard of the Sukkot holiday. The "Feast of Tabernacles" posted on the Temple's marquee sounded so Southern Baptist that I ignored it. Who knew that the solemn High Holidays also involved nitty gritty action, rolling up sleeves, hammer and nails, noise and clatter, dancing and singing, joy and celebration. But my spiritual exploration led me to discover the modest ramshackle Sukkah located right behind the High Holidays. Roofless, Not Homeless It doesn't look grand and impressive as the Holy Ark, but the humble Sukkah is truly a Divine abode. In addition to abstract philosophical concepts way up there, Judaism encour-ageds me to get physical! And practical-ly, the Sukkah offers protective shelter, a small peaceful zone in a big busy world. Thank G-d you don't need a High Holiday ticket to enter. Its grassroots service welcomes in all, high and low. What's Inside? Inside Jonah, Inside the Fish 2 A New Suit for the New Year 3 Fallen But Not Forgotten 4 Wanderings 5 Chabad News 6-7 Enter My Beloved 8 Friendship Circle 9 The Shofar's Historic Timeline Holiday Laws and Customs . . . .12-13 Candle Lighting Times 24 Designer Sukkah 16 Going Around in Circles 17 Right On the Honey 18-19 High Holiday Hotline 20 The Ties That Bind 20 Your Unique and Ordinary Child .. .21 . . .23 Sky's the Limit! The heavenly stars peeking through the roofless Sukkah made me realize that my Temple's vaulted ceiling actually blocked my view of the Divine expanse. Without a plastered ceiling overhead, the creative Sukkah helps us think out of the box! The Sukkah erases socioeconomic differences, as even the rich leave their mansions to camp out at the grace of the elements. Mitzvah de Jour Celebrating in the Sukkah is as nour-ishing and fulfilling as the hot Holiday soup. Rosh Hashanah is the King of Prayer and Yom Kippur offers Atonement, but Sukkot brings it all down to earth. With ceilings everywhere limiting our visions and horizons, the Sukkah is liter-ally a breath of fresh air. And in our era of complicated structures and strictures, the Sukkah's simplicity is a major stress reliever. I'm not trying to escape reality. The Sukkah is just for one week, but it sets the tone for the rest of the year. Okay, the Holy Ark is professionally designed, while my flimsy Sukkah lacks polish. But the Sukkah is meant to be simple, raw and rustic. The exclusive Ark houses holy scrolls, but those very Torahs applaud the inclusive Sukkah for hosting my family and me, 'cause thafs where it's at. ? 2004 Eli Robin S U K K A H SECURITY Dear Friends, Besides the good feeling and unity we enjoy in a Sukkah, the Sukkah also symbolizes Divine Providence and protection when we are vulnerable and exposed. In addition to doing everything humanly possible to improve security, we pray for the ultimate peace, when "G-d will spread the sukkah canopy of peace upon us, and all of Israel, and upon Jerusalem." With our best wishes for a sweet and safe New Year, Rabbi Shea Harlig, Rabbi Yisroel Schanowitz, Rabbi Mendy Harlig, Rabbi Shmuel Attal Distribution: Direct mailed 5 times a year to over 3,000 homes in Las Vegas, NV Chabad of Southern Nevada NON-PROFIT ORG. 1261 South Arville St. U.S. POSTAGE Las Vegas, NV 89102 PAID (702)259-0770 PERMIT NO. 447 www.chabadlv.org LAS VEGAS, NV J Based on the Lubavitcher Rebbes' teachings By Yosef Y. Jacobson ON YOM KIPPUR AFTERNOON we read the Book of Jonah, popularly known as "Maftir Yonah," the chanting of which has become a coveted Synagogue honor. This dramatic adventure on high seas is contains within it a very poignant, moving and inspiring story of repen-tance and reflection. The story briefly: G-d summons Jonah to call on the wicked residents of Nineveh to repent, but Jonah seeks escape by boarding a ship bound elsewhere. A mighty storm at sea was about to break the ship, as the frightened sailors cried, 'each man pray to his god.' But Jonah lay fast asleep. The ship captain approached Jonah, 'How can you sleep? Arise! Pray to your G-d to save us,' as the passengers asked him, "What is your occupation? Where do you come from?" As an admitted fugitive, Jonah asked to be cast overboard, and the storm subsided. A large fish swallowed him, and he prayed from the watery depths: "I cried to G-d in distress, and He heard me. From the depth of hell I cried... You cast me into the deep, the heart of the seas; Your waves passed over me. I descended to the bottom of mountains, the earth's bars closed in on me; yet You raised my life from the pit, 0 L-rd..." G-d commanded the fish to spew Jonah unto dry land; he went to Nineveh and caused its people to repent. But Jonah became frustrated upon see-ing that his original threat of doom and destruction did not materialize and Nineveh was indeed spared. Jonah asked to die, "for death is better than my life." G-d corrects Jonah's negativity. As Jonah rested near Nineveh, a leafy vine rose to provide him shade and comfort, but the vine withered by morning. Jonah grieved over the loss, and G-d responded: "You pity a plant on which you didn't labor; it lived a night and perished. Shall I not have mercy and compassion on all of Nineveh's resi-dents?" ON A DEEPER LEVEL Divinely profound, G-d's multi-faceted Torah can be appreciated on different dimensions and various levels. In addition to their basic literal inter-pretation, the Torah stories contain allegoric interpretations with broad spiritual and psychological applica-tions. Besides highlighting a particular person at a specific time in a certain place, the Torah addresses us all direct-ly now, in September 2004, wherever we may be. Indeed, the Jonah story relates to "the entire life span of humans in this world." (Zohar Vayakhel p. 199) THE SOUL'S JOURNEY According to the Kabbalah, the name "Jonah" in Hebrew, "Yonah" literally means a dove. Throughout the Book of Song of Songs, the faithful loving "bride" is compared to a dove, because the dove is forever true and loyal to its mate. Similarly, the essence of our soul remains faithful to G-d, refusing to be led astray by material pleasure and temptation. "The City of Nineveh," by contrast, rep-resents a vain and corrupt society. Our souls are charged with the Divine mis-sion to reach out to the world and its inhabitants, to imbue and transform earthly life with G-dly light. DENIAL But as humans, we tend to shirk duty, and run from responsibility. We embark on a ship; our body containing the soul is as a ship vessel containing passengers. Amazingly, those who are charged with a mission remain detached, con-vincing themselves that there is no emergency. Oblivious to the turmoil and chaos all around them, they ask to be left alone; "Please do not dis-turb." But even as we slumber, a Divine nudge tries to bring us to our senses. The captain, our soul asks: 'How can you sleep? How long can you be in denial of a world gone mad? What more will it take to make you realize the problem?' "Where are you from? Remember your origins!" the inner voice speaks to those craving to return to sleep. "Remember your occupation and from which people you are" it says. "Stop denying your roots; don't run from your destiny. Do not dismiss your calling as a witness at Sinai, your Divine mission to repair this world." YONAH by A/nram EbgL The focus of Egbfs work is Jewish fife and culture, reflecting his love for Jewish tradition, expressed with reverence and joy. Bom in Morocco, immigrated to Israel in 1951 and relocated to Miami in 1981, Bag's works collected by private and public institutions and museuns. You can see more of his work at amramebgi.ccim. Using our physical body as a getaway and escape vehicle, we rumble off freely without any sense of mission. We cruise off happily on a worry-free jun-ket, sailing away blithely without a care or concern for Authority or for our fellow man. WARNING: TURBULENCE AHEAD Everything may seem to go along fine, until we hit a bump. The sunny skies turn overcast and gloomy as we begin to encounter major turbulence that threatens our very existence. The sud-den shakeup arouses some of us from our illusions. Ironically, even simple, common folk realize quickly that something extraor-dinary is happening, and are moved to action. Yet those who hear the calling and should know better doze off and sleep soundly. RESIGNATION AND SURRENDER Rudely awakened, we must confront reali-ty. But a melancholy moral honesty takes over Jonah. He finds perverse expression in offering to be thrown overboard, to rid others of the burden he imposes. This existential depression overwhelms one confronted by G-d, but afraid to embrace G-d. Unable to run from Him, a person is resigned to death. Surrendering his last vestige of spiritu-al dignity, he allows himself to be swept away, to be swallowed and con-verted into a different being. WANDERLUST In the Midrash, fish are used as a metaphor for prolific procreation. Jonah being swallowed by a fish expresses a person who is losing his soul to unbridled lust and desire. The Hebrew term "dagah' used in this story also translates as "Daagah" anxi-ety, an alternative response to turmoil. The person throws himself wholly into materialistic pursuits, so the stress of climbing the financial ladder over-whelms his soul's spiritual angst. Totally engulfed by his career and pro-fession, he forgets his true goal and purpose in life. HITTING ROCK BOTTOM At this crucial time, our soul encoun-ters G-d. Until falling to the lowest depths, we run from G-d and from our-selves. Constantly in flux, the soulful flow can't remain static, but in which direction? Is it running to G-d or from Him? Once the soul hits rock bottom, it must begin to rise upward. CHALLENGE Rediscovering its mission, the soul leaves behind all its addictions and misdeeds. It embarks on a journey to bring purity and holiness into itself and into the mundane society. Yet, once discovering Divine truth, the soul craves to remain in a sacred envi-ronment, removed from human degener-ation. "Must I deal with pettiness, politics and profanity?" cries the soul, yearning to escape the confining world and become absorbed in G-d's infinite light. G-d now reveals to the Yonah soul that the ultimate plan is fulfilled only by transforming and elevating the secular and unholy. The beauty of the Divine-human partnership shines forth only in the earthly muck. Despite its resist-ance, the soul learns to emulate G-d and embrace the world, rather than try to escape it. TWO TYPES OF SLEEPERS There are light sleepers who awaken at the slightest sound. These people are aroused by the sound of Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. The primal piercing sounds inspire Repentance. But there are those who can sleep even through a powerful explosion. Nothing bothers or budges them. They sleep through the sound of the Shofar. The ship is about to break, but they sleep. The Titanic is sinking but they bask in their first-class accommo-dations. We are confronted by September 11th, bombings and beheadings, internation-al maneuvering and Global Terrorism, but some remain asleep. As innocent men, women and children are blown to pieces, seizing the world with fear and confusion, there are those that are busy with self-gratification. In Israel we've been paralyzed by the fantasy that if we tolerate evil, the world will finally love us. Some of us are still asleep, pretending that life is, more or less, normal. COVER-UP Ifs Yom Kippur, the one true day of the year that tolerates no facades. On this holiest day, G-d's sheer truth reaches even those who are try to hide under covers and blankets. On Yom Kippur, even those deep in slumber hear the captain cry; "Arise! Call to G-d!" I lost my suit back in February, traveling from Denver to Frisco one Friday night. In my rush to catch the plane I left my suit by the seats at the boarding gate. I called the airline a number of times, but I never heard from them... My life and priorities have shifted since last September. Appropriately enough, it began in time for the Rosh Hashanah New year. A friend had invited me to Rabbi Dubov's High Holy Day services at Chabad in Princeton. After the High Holy Days, I continued attending Shabbat services and also taking some one hour evening classes. It helped me reconnect with myself after a hectic work week. Saturdays have become my "breather." From someone who wouldn't even consider visiting a synagogue, I now look for-ward to my time there. The classes have also been helpful, and the rabbi's sharing has been neither pushy nor patron-izing. While as a kid, I disliked my required time in Hebrew school, the rabbi's insights have drawn me e w My first reaction was not enthusiastic. I was never a big "shul goer," and was afraid I'd feel out of place in what I expected to be a roomful of "Chasidic veterans." My friend assured me that most of the people who attended services there had a Hebrew school education similar to mine, and some had even less background. Although unsure, I decided to check it out. To my surprise, I found a lot of "regular" Princeton area people. Most were dressed casual; a few were in jeans. No one except the rabbi had major back-ground in Judaism. I was relieved when the rabbi cordially welcomed me, without asking embarrass-ing questions as to my current or historical Jewish observance. The services were obviously traditional, but I felt a warm comfort I hadn't sensed in other "tradi-tional" services. into the wonders I never knew existed in Torah. In a relaxed fashion we've delved into various topics from holiday customs to Talmudic law. I find it fascinating how Torah relates to our everyday lives. I'm beginning to appreciate Torah's wealth of wisdom, understanding and knowledge that is more than just intellectual. I am discovering that the mitzvot offer a framework in which to live life with joy, meaning and direction. When I scheduled the flight for that Friday night out of Denver, I did so about four months before my renewed interest in Judaism. When February came around, I never bothered to change my flight plans, and although I figured that in the future I would schedule my trips to better observe Shabbat ? since these plans were already made, I'd just follow through with them this one last time. Life is different from last Rosf. H askanak. l or one tiling, I won t be wearing my favorite suit. As Rabbi Dubov led the congregation, I could feel his real feeling, deep commitment and involve-ment with the prayer. Although I had to read the English to understand what he was saying, his heartfelt words carried me upward to Heaven. When I realized that I had left my suit behind, my first reaction was negative: "Uh-oh! I'm being punished for traveling on Shabbat." With the help of continued classes, however, I now see it differently and in a positive light. I've learned that 'Everything is for the good' ? everything ? and although my limited perspective may not always understand G-d's Divine plan, it is always for the good. Now when I think of my lost suit, I see it as G-d's gentle but humorous way of showing me that my old way of doing things doesn't fit anymore, that it's time to get a new suit! Dr. Kaplan is a psychologist in Edison, New Jersey. Reprinted from the Chabad Times, Mercer County e w l e a r by Dr. Eliot P. Kaplan office to inquire about enrolling their children in our school." When asked why the Chabad school is continu-ing to grow, Rabbi Rodman, school principal answered, "People like our school because their children are in a safe and secure environment. We also offer a high quality secular education that we are constantly improving with new and innovative programs. This year, students in sec-ond through eighth grades will be participating the Accelerated Reading Program. Children will read books at their own individual level and take computer-generated tests on the books they've read. We are also offering an individual challenge program for our students who have scored in the 80th percentile or higher on stan-dardized tests. The Rabbi continued, "People also appreciate our Judaic program. It's important to note that the program is not only for Chabadniks. Rabbis and congregants of many local Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Temples send their children to our school. Many of our school fam-ilies are not even affiliated with any Temple. Our students come from Sephardic and Ashkenazi backgrounds. Our Judaic staff is trained to expose their students to the beauty of Judaism without imposing the teacher's individ-ual beliefs on the students. Our students and their families grow in their religious observance at their own pace." To find out more about Desert Torah Academy or to arrange a tour, please call the school office at 259-0777. Mrs. Dina Harlig, Director of Desert Torah Academy, recently announced that Desert Torah Academy is looking forward to record-breaking attendance for the coming school year. "We are hoping to reach one hundred and eighty stu-dents this year,"said Mrs. Harlig. She added, "While some classes are full others still have room. We are still encouraging people to call our After serving in the IDF for many years, I am still amazed by the humanity, honor, and dedi-cation of our forces - qualities that have become specially poignant during recent tragic events. I belong to the IDF Burial Unit, a section of the Rabbinical Corps, whose mission it is to ensure that the bodies of soldiers who are killed are treated according to Jewish law and tradition. The laws involving the treatment of the deceased are both complex and intricate. There is such a high degree of respect for the dead, including not leaving the body unattended from the moment of death until burial, removing any spilled blood from the ground, and doing everything possible to bury the body in its completeness. Our job is far from pleasant, yet it is permeated with a sense of importance and holiness. It is our duty to ensure that these soldiers, who dedicated their lives to serving and protecting Israel, leave this world in a respectable manner. May 13th and 14th, 2004, were difficult days in our current war. On these successive days, armored vehicles filled with soldiers and laden with explosives were attacked, resulting in incredible explosions that As always before a mission, we took a group picture, praying that this would not be the last time we would stand together. onto a bullet proof vehicle which brought us to the modified tanks which would take us into the battlefield area. The commander of the 17th Golani Battalion gave us orders to create mecha-nisms to stop the Palestinian fire, to allow us to conduct our search. Each vehicle had three members from the Burial Unit alongside seven soldiers who were to protect us as we searched. We approached the outskirts of Rafah on the Egyptian border, an extremely dangerous area filled with sharpshooters waiting for us to make our appearance. The first row of abandoned houses was being used for the express purpose of hiding terror-ists who aimed to destroy us. We proceeded to our destination in a convoy, as fighter helicopters hovered above for additional pro-tection. As soon as we entered the hostile territory, our engine heated up, pour-ing Shortly before Shabbat, the armored vehicles started returning from the fields to spend Shabbat at the army base on the outskirts of the Philadelphia Road, where one of the original attacks had taken place. Yet the retreat was not so simple and some of the APCs were stuck on the field, the last not return-ing until 3:00 am. The body parts that we recovered on Friday were immediately transferred to Abu Kabir, the Israeli Forensic Medical Institute. We were informed Shabbat night that another body part was also recovered. After intense discussion with the General Staff, the Fallen but not smoke and hot water into the vehi-cle. We were immediately commanded to jump outside with our weapons in firing position. The APC was all that shielded us from enemy fire. Every one of us wondered if we would live to tell this story. Another APC was called over to protect us. Meanwhile, the H J j l rest of the APCs entered the area and began their search and collec-tion of body parts. From the moment they arrived they came under heavy fire and attack. Once our vehicle cooled down, we were ordered to go back into it and wait inside. We endured a two hour nerve-racking wait inside the sti-fling vehicle. We were finally pulled threw body parts of our 11 boys as far as 400 meters away. As if this terrible loss was not enough, we then had to endure the horrid mistreatment of our beloved soldiers as Palestinians grotesquely paraded their body parts through the streets. As all Israel witnessed this inhumanity in disbelief, we knew that it would be our mission to retrieve whatever we could, regard-less of the risk involved. Thus began the most difficult mission in my years of service. Early Friday morning, we were ordered to search for the remnants of two soldiers who were blown up in their Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) on the Egyptian border. We gathered to receive instructions, weapons, and other defense systems. As always before a mission, we took a group picture, praying that this would not be the last time we would stand together. We climbed into a safe zone where we had the unfortunate task of tend-ing to our two most recent vic-tims. Two of our dear IDF soldiers had given their lives while trying to protect their com-rades whose sole mission was to sanctify the deaths of other soldiers. The fact that these boys were killed while trying to peacefully retrieve body parts was too much to bear. by Itzik Blau IDF Chaplain, and other rabbis, we continued our search on Shabbat morning. We were out in the field again first thing in the morning for additional searches and were successful. Yet our work came to an abrupt end when a missile was fired at us, which could have been devastating. Miraculously, the missile was a dud, and never exploded. At that point we were instructed to return, and we spent the rest of Shabbat with the IDF sol-diers on the Rafah border. We returned home around midnight Saturday night, only to begin another week of reserve duty at 8:00 am Sunday morning. The great love of our soldiers for their comrades, in most cases people they had never met, is unprece-dented. It is a privilege to serve with such fine young men. Beyond that, I can only say that this was an experience that I hope to never repeat, and certainly one that I will never for-get. Reprinted with permission of chabad.org D E V O R E pleased to announce THE GRAND OPENING of his new office at: TOWN CENTER DENTAL 8504 DEL WEBB BLVD. (Rampart and Del Webb) 360-TOWN (3696) Evening. Appointments Available ^ffiRHHRP Providing the umtle care and treatment that you deserve! GRAND OPENING!! Dr. Devore is proud to be the official dentist of the Chahad Rabbis! The orange haze of the lights mixes with the fog two hours before dawn. I'm not sure where I am ? it smells like the Tenderloin, or Skid Row in L.A., one of the many down-town streets I've wandered at night. I'm actually South of Market, 11th and Howard. It's gotten cold. I stop in the 24- hour doughnut shop on Market to buy some black tea and a doughnut. I started walking in places I "wasn't supposed to" on the New Year's Eve after my bar mitzvah. I was at a friend's party, and as midnight rolled around I couldn't sit still. I had to be out walking. I head-ed under a bridge, a "bad" place. It was dark and scary, but I felt like I needed to be on the edge of something. Drugs did-n't appeal to me, but the so-called limits of my L.A. suburban experience were more of a tease than a barrier. Now here I am, at 32. The only cus-tomer in the doughnut shop besides me is asleep, his head in his arms, his cup of coffee long cold. He has a bookniJlSt to him. Curious, I crane my neck over to see that he's reading the Bible. No one's looking ~ I borrow his text and look through it. I skip the Christian stuff and head for the parts that belong to me. The part about the wilderness. I started walking in places I "wasn't supposed to"...after my bar mitzvah... the so-called limits of my L.A. suburban experience were more of a tease than a barrier. My bar mitzvah coincided with my first real thoughts about the world around me. I found myself preparing to climb the bimah while also waking up to the fact that skepticism was my natural mode of being. So I gave a bar mitzvah speech on Sartre and doubt. The rabbi seemed nervous. The Hebrews wandered through unknown lands and found a home, even-tually. A Temple was smashed, and Jews spread across the world as lost tribes. I identify more with the wandering and the wilderness than with the Land of Milk and Honey. When I wander through urban land-scapes of my city, South of Market, I see the unsettled disputes, the unsolved problems, the things that make me uncomfortable. I am forced to see the consequences of the way we live as peo-ple who are just part of a whole. Not only do our actions have consequences, but our inaction and lack of awareness can be equally powerful. When I wander, I see things that are conventionally hidden and convenient to ignore. I also sense the sadness and richness of history ? whether it's the former syna-gogue near my house in the Mission that's now an apartment building or parts of the Western Addition that used to be a Jewish district in San Francisco ? and I feel the past almost as if it were in the air. Hanging like a halo in the streets is a sense that the present will also pass away into vaguely remembered bits. Between the residue of the past and the vanishing present, I watch people shuffle by on the otherwise empty street. Sipping tea in the doughnut shop, flipping through Numbers and Deuteronomy, I think about The Pianist, when Adrien Brody's character is holed up in an apartment for what seems like months and all he can do is hear history unfold beneath hirn. I think of the immeasurable loss of the last century for the Jewish people, and it's like trying to picture a million of something. You can't do it. How can you imagine the Holocaust horrors, even alone in the mid-dle of the night? It's when you wander that you can wrestle with these things. The man whose Bible I borrowed stirs. I carefully put it back and walk out. The street is unusually quiet. I look up Market Street toward the Ferry Building in the distance. For some reason my head is filled with images of Jews around the world ? Jews in Ethiopia, Peru, Iraq. What do they all have in common? Besides their prayers, they all wan-dered to those far-flung corners. And I am restless in the sadness and richness of their journey. Jay Schwartz plays trap drums in San Francisco, where he lives with his wife and canine. He writes for the Jewish News of Northern California Chabad Hebrew Center Plans for New Year and for Opening of New Center Excitement is growing as the Chabad Hebrew Center plans to start up oper-ations at if s new center in the coming year. A 5000 square foot trailer will soon be erected on the property at the corner of Durango and Vegas Dr. The trailer will serve as the headquarters of Chabad Hebrew Center until a perma-nent structure can be built. The trailer is currently slated to be installed towards the end of September. Consequently, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are being planned at nearby locations. Rosh Hashana services will take place at the Las Vegas Indoor Sports Park, 1400 N. Rampart Blvd. Evening serv-ices will be held on September 15 and 16 at 6:30 pm and shacharit will be on September 16 and 17 at 9:00 am. Blowing of the shofar will be a 1:00 pm. All the prayer services are held in Hebrew, with a Sephardic touch. Each service will be followed by a delicious, traditional holiday meal. At the meal participants get a real taste of Rosh Hashana (in a physical as well as spiritual sense). The meal includes all the delicious, traditional holiday foods, accompanied by song, story and good conversation. Anyone interested in participating in the holi-day meal should contact Rabbi Attal at 271-8025 to make reservations. There is no charge for participation in the services or meals at the Chabad Hebrew Center. Chabad Hebrew Center is planning to hold the following Yom Kippur obser-vances: Kol Nidre services will be on September 24 at 6:15 pm and morning services on September 25 will be at 8:30 am. Yizkor services are at 1:00 pm. The Neilah service on September 25 is at 5:00 pm. Blowing of the shofar will be at 7:00 pm. For more specific information please contact Rabbi Attal. Rabbi Attal is anticipating that the new trailer will be up and running before the beginning of the Sukkos holiday. A gala Sukkos Experience and Simchas Torah Celebration will hopefully be held to inaugurate the new facility. Once the holidays are over the new Chabad Hebrew Center will offer Shabbat and holiday servic-es, adult education classes, youth activities and a variety of social serv-ices. Currently the Chabad Hebrew Center offers the following weekly classes: Monday night 7:30 pm Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism), Wednesday afternoon, Jewish Law for Women, Wednesday night 7:30 pm Halacha (Jewish Law) For more information about any of the Chabad Hebrew Center activities call Rabbi Attal at 271-8025. CHABAD OF GREEN VALLEY PLANS EXCITING YEAR OF ACTIVITIES Chabad of Green Valley has been busy planning a full schedule of activities for the coming year. A full array of events is in the works, from the mystical to the whimsical, from Kabbalah to Friday Evening Dinners, to Guest Lecturers, to hol-iday arts and crafts. Regardless of your background or affiliation we are confident that you will find something to spark your intellect and enlighten your soul. Whether it's Hebrew school, holiday cele-brations or stimulating education-al courses and lectures, our doors are always open to the Las Vegas Jewish Community. This year Chabad of Green Valley will once again host several COMMUNITY SHABBATONS AND LECTURES, featuring guest speakers from around the globe. Last year, our highly suc-cessful Shabbatons, which each hosted close to 100 people, fea-tured such renowned speakers and fascinating topics as: Rabbi Shea Hecht on "Confessions of a Cultbuster", and Dr. Edwin Susskind on "Jews are From Sinai, Not Mars or Venus." Our first Shabbaton for the coming year is slated for November 5, when Rabbi Dov Ber Pinson will be our scholar in residence. After a deli-cious, traditional Shabbat dinner, Rabbi Pinson will be addressing the topic, "Journey of the Soul - Reincarnation and the Kabbalah." Rabbi Pinson will also present a lecture the following Sunday addressing the age old question, "Why Bad Things Happen to Good People." Look for information concerning other community Shabbatons later in t