Why a building on Ocean Parkway needs you to make oceanic waves
What is an ocean? An ocean is a vast body of water. An ocean nourishes. An ocean nurtures. An ocean waters. An ocean slakes. An ocean quenches your thirst. And makes you thirsty for more. An ocean is fathomless, deep, profound, inspiring. An ocean makes waves. You can swim in an ocean forever.
The Torah is analogous to an oceanic body of water. The Torah is the Jew’s ocean of life, deep wisdom, practical guidance, and embracing community.
There is a building on Ocean Parkway that is about to culminate, spreading outward the ocean of Torah. There is a Rabbi, an ocean of inspiration, a wellspring of warmth, whose waves ripple across continents. There is a digital platform, an oceanic online portal through which to surf the waves of Torah anytime, anywhere.
The culminating building is the Edmond J Safra Synagogue on the corner of Ocean Parkway and Avenue U. The Rabbi is the beloved Rabbi Eli Mansour, whose local and international lecturing and leadership has uplifted countless families and individuals. The digital platform is iTorah, the revolutionary online home of Torah scholarship from the world’s preeminent Torah scholars.
After more than a decade of planning, building, ups, downs, floods, laughes, tears, and much mesirat nefesh, this trifecta of space, teacher, and platform is on the cusp of a majestic culmination.
And you are a part of it!
ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש — And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation (Yitro 19:6 / שמות יט ו). Inspired by this eternal description of how Hashem envisions the Jewish people, as A HOLY NATION, the local and global community is launching a building completing campaign aptly entitled, A HOLY culmiNATION.
Together as one, like one person with one heart, the Jewish people, a holy nation, will unite to help culminate this incredible building, provide Rabbi Mansour with the home he so desperately needs and deserves, and concretize the multimedia headquarters of the earth-transforming and heaven-opening iTorah.
Like the Mishkan upon which every holy building is modeled, every dollar given will accomplish three things simultaneously: 1) it will build the physical home for the local community and visiting guests; 2) from it will emanate great light, acting as the homebase for soulful international teaching; 3) it will be a home and headquarters for Torah, reverberating near and far.
The physical space will house countless spiritual endeavors, celebratory events, and educational experiences. More than a local community center, this magnificent mikdash m’at, micro holy house, will serve as the global headquarters for R’ Mansour’s international light and for iTorah, the revolutionary digital portal for holy content and educational programming.
The backstory, like the backstory of the Jewish people, is long, memorable, and not without its challenges.
Like the ocean it represents, the space experienced a flood of biblical proportions. For months, it seemed as if every city, state, and federal agency was camped out at the building site. Would the dream ever become a reality?
But as Shlomo Hamelech writes in Shir Hashirim (8:7) מים רבים לא יוכלו לכבות את האהבה ונהרות לא ישטפוה, Many waters cannot quench the love, nor can rivers flood it.
And now, as the Torah, our heritage, and Rabbi Mansour has taught time and again, we transform that which threatens to destroy us into an energy that helps us build and realize our dreams.
We take the oceanic waters of Torah, of Ahavah, of Chessed, and we flood the world with generosity, light, and joy.
You are part of A HOLY NATION! You take part in A HOLY culmiNATION! Your contribution is essential to the individual and collective holiness of all Klal Yisroel! R’ Mansour needs you! I need you. You need you! We need you! The world needs you!
Thanks to our generous matchers, every dollar you give will be Doubled 2x.
After you give with an open hand and generous heart, please help us CULMINATE by sharing this message with all of your contacts, friends, and family. Your partnership will surely result in overflowing blessings, now and forever!
On March 3rd and 4th, 2020, thanks to our generous matchers, every dollar you give will be Doubled 2x. Please go to charidy.com/ejss to give with an open hand and share this message with your family and friends.
Thank you!
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