Madison Heights, MI

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October Newsletter

Shalom from Jewish Madison Heights!


Finish the holidays on a high note!

Shalom, Mishpacha! October is here, and with it comes the joy of Sukkot, the celebration of Simchat Torah, and the cozy embrace of autumn in Madison Heights. As we welcome the new month, it’s a perfect time to reflect on how far we’ve come over 5784. Jewish Madison Heights has grown from a spark of an idea into a vibrant community organization, hosting events that have brought together new friends and old, young families, and seasoned members of the Madison Heights Jewish community.

In the last year, we’ve seen what can happen when people come together with a shared vision. None of this would have been possible without the support and enthusiasm of all of you—our community. Thank you for showing up, for lending a helping hand, for sharing your stories, and for being part of this journey. It’s your spirit and dedication that have made Jewish Madison Heights a place where everyone can feel at home. We look forward to continuing this journey with you in the coming months and years, building a space filled with laughter, light, and warmth. Together, let’s make October a month to remember and keep the spirit of Sukkot and Simchat Torah alive throughout the year!

Upcoming Dates


  • Erev Sukkot (the eve of Sukkot):
    • Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2024
    • Candle Lighting: 6:35pm
  • Sukkot (Festival of the Huts):
    • Dates: Thursday, October 17 – Wednesday, October 23, 2024
    • Candle Lighting:
      • Oct 17: 7:34pm
      • Oct 18: 6:32pm
    • A seven-day festival commemorating the Israelites’ 40 years in the desert and celebrating the fall harvest.
  • Shemini Atzeret:
    • Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024
    • Candle Lighting: 7:19pm
    • A separate holiday that directly follows Sukkot, focusing on prayers for rain and marking the transition out of the Sukkot season.
  • Simchat Torah:
    • Date: Friday, October 25, 2024
    • Candle Lighting: 6:16pm
    • Simchat Torah marks the completion and immediate restarting of the annual Torah reading cycle, with joyous dancing and celebrations.

Holiday Highlights


Sukkot

Sukkot, also known as the festival of the huts, is a week-long holiday that begins on the 15th day of Tishrei, sunset on October 15th this year. It commemorates the Israelites’ 40-year journey through the desert after leaving Egypt, during which they lived in temporary shelters. To commemorate, the Jewish people build small huts in which they eat all their meals.

For more about how to build a sukkah or what the halachic requirements for one are, visit the Chabad Sukkah resource here.

In addition to the sukkah, some have the custom to shake the lulav and etrog. The luvav is made of a palm branch (lulav), two willows branches (aravot), and a minimum of three myrtles (hadassim). The Etrog is a kind of citron. Click here to learn more about the lulav and esrog.

Holiday Highlights


Simchat Torah

As the holiday of Sukkot draws to a close, everyone gathers for Simchat Torah. Literally “the celebration of the Torah”, this day marks the completion of the annual reading cycle of the Torah, and the immediate restarting with Bereshis. This holiday is marked with dancing and singing. Many have the tradition of hakafot, which is the circling of the bima with the torah scrolls. All the scrolls are taken from the ark and the congregation dances around the space, passing the scrolls to various people to honor them. The holiday is full of joy and celebration, emphasizing the circular nature of the world and the importance of torah education.

Quick Word From Our Leaders


Joy, GRATITUDE, and Celebration!

Shalom Chevre! We survived Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur! I can’t speak for everyone, but this year’s fast was particularly challenging. With all chaos in the world, and our personal challenges, 5784 closed on difficult days for us as a Jewish people. Never before in my lifetime has hate and antisemitism been so out in the open, making me wonder if the world my grandparents thought was history is, in fact, still here and stronger than ever. As I thought through these things I realized that while the negativity is more visible, so is the love, care, and unity in our community. The more our enemies try to engulf us in darkness, the brighter we light our candles and come together to shine. With Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur behind us, we enter the next season of celebration with Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. The focus shifts from introspection and self-improvement to one of joy, gratitude, and celebration.

Sukkot is known as Z’man Simchateinu, the time of our rejoicing. The Talmud teaches, “Whoever has not seen the joy of the water-drawing ceremony has never seen joy in their life” (Sukkah 51a). The celebration of Sukkot was a time when our ancestors expressed and experienced great joy and gratitude for the blessings they received—water, sustenance, and the miracle of life itself. As we sit in our sukkot, with our friends and family, we need to take a moment to appreciate how precious and wonderful it is that we are able celebrate together.  In his Halakhic Man, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik wrote “To be grateful is to recognize the hand of G-d in everything that happens to us”. Through the days of Sukkot we remember the huts we lived in during our 40 years in the desert, protected by the clouds of glory, and we try to see the hand of G-d protecting us still in our modern day.

Simchat Torah pushes our joy even further, as we dance and sing with the torah. Our joy transitions from the moment to something eternal as we connect it to the torah itself and through the circular dance around the bimah we join the continuous cycle of learning, renewal, life, and that every moment holds the potential for growth and gratitude.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, often spoke about the transformative power of gratitude. He wrote, “Happiness is not made by what we own. It is made by what we appreciate. Simchah, happiness, is a gift of love: love of life itself, a love that grows as we contemplate the small miracles that make up every day” (Celebrating Life). Gratitude shifts our perspective, allowing us to see beyond what we lack and instead focus on the blessings that are already ours.

As we make our way through this very busy month, let us take the days full of simcha, true joy that comes from a deep rooted connection to good in our lives. As we sit with friends in the sukkah, or dance with the torah, let us remember the little blessings that make life beautiful: community, traditions, and being present in both.

Chag Sameach Chevre.

Upcoming Events


Havdalah In the Heights

Nov 9. Location TBD

Join us for “Havdalah in the Heights,” an ongoing gathering where we come together to bid farewell to Shabbat and welcome the new week with warmth and community. Led by Daniel, our founder, this event blends traditional rituals with modern inclusivity, making it accessible to Jews of all levels of observance as well as the general public. Held in the heart of Madison Heights, “Havdalah in the Heights” is more than just a ceremony – it’s a time to connect, share stories, and build relationships that extend beyond the event itself. Whether you’re a longtime resident or new to the area, join us as we usher in a new week with joy, unity, and the spirit of togetherness

Facebook event to come, please stand by.