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19 Tishrei 5786 - October 11, 2025

Chol Hamoed Sukkot

Rabbi's Reflections

-Holy Lingering: The Power of Presence-

Shemini Atzeret is perhaps one of the least understood holidays in the Jewish year. What is Shemini Atzeret exactly? If we look at its source in the Torah, we learn: “Say to the Israelite people: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month there shall be the Feast of Booths to the Lord, [to last] seven days. The first day shall be a sacred occasion: you shall not work at your occupations; seven days you shall bring offerings by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall observe a sacred occasion and bring an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a solemn gathering: you shall not work at your occupations.” (Vayikra 23:34–36)

There is much discussion in the Talmud concerning the nature of Shemini Atzeret. Is it the eighth day of Sukkot, or is it a festival in its own right? While the latter view prevails, the question remains: what is the essence of this day? Unlike Sukkot, which is rich in symbols, rituals, and customs, Shemini Atzeret appears bare. So what exactly are we celebrating?

The Sefer HaChinuch gives us a beautiful answer: “If Shemini Atzeret is such a joyful occasion for the Jewish people, why then do they not hold the lulav on that day? The explanation is that the eighth day is dedicated completely to God, as our Sages taught in the parable of the King who invited his children to a feast, and at the end said, ‘Stay with me just one more day, for parting from you is so painful.’ Therefore, it is called Atzeret—to hold back—and for this reason it requires no commemorative act”

(Mitzvah 285).

The Chinuch teaches that Shemini Atzeret is not defined by ritual, but by relationship. After the long journey of the Yamim Nora’im and Sukkot—days filled with awe, repentance, joy, and mitzvot—God asks for something simple: not our lulav, not our etrog, but us. It is the day of quiet love that comes after the music fades. A moment when God, so to speak, says to us, “Don’t rush away just yet.”

Shemini Atzeret is that last, lingering moment when the feast has ended, but no one wants to leave the table. There’s no need for more symbols or ceremonies, because the essence of the day is presence itself. Just as one doesn’t need a grand occasion to spend a little more time with a loved one, Shemini Atzeret is that intimate pause—a sacred stillness between God and Israel—before we return to the noise and routine of the world.

So this Shemini Atzeret, as we gather in shul, as we sing Hallel and share the joy of being together, let us take a few moments to appreciate what this day really means. It is the festival of lingering—the holiday of stillness. It invites us to hold onto the holiness we’ve built over the past weeks, and to carry it with us into the year ahead.

May we all use this Shemini Atzeret as a time to rest in that closeness with God—to feel, even without words or symbols, that our relationship with the Divine is not ending, but deepening. And may the quiet love of this day strengthen us for all that lies ahead.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!

-Rabbi Dan

Schedule of Services at B'nai Abraham

CTI Schedule 5785/2025

Friday, October 10

Chol Hamoed Sukkot

6:47PM - Candle Lighting

6:45PM - Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat

Saturday, October 11

Chol Hamoed Sukkot

9:00AM - Shacharit

9:45AM - Megillat Kohelet (approximate, please arrive early)

6:40PM - Mincha

7:41PM - Havdalah

Sunday, October 12

Chol Hamoed Sukkot

8:30AM - Shacharit

Monday, October 13

Hoshana Rabah

7:05AM - Shacharit

6:43PM - Candle Lighting

6:40PM - Mincha & Maariv

Tuesday, October 14

Shmini Atzeret

9:00AM - Shacharit

10:45AM - Yizkor (approximate, please arrive early)

6:35PM - Mincha

After 7:37PM - Candle Lighting

Simchat Torah Evening

Tuesday October 14^th

Maariv: 7:37PM

Hakafot: 7:50PM

Wednesday, October 15

Simchat Torah

9:00AM - Shacharit and Hakafot

6:35PM - Mincha

7:36PM - Havdalah

Thursday - Friday

7:05AM - Shacharit

Welcome New Members

• Karen and Jordan Blashek
• Abe Selig
• Eliora and Yoni Lubin
• Tori and Saul Gorman (and their twins Ruth and Phineas)
• Maya and JJ Kimche (and their son Eitan)
• Claire and Nathan Bernstein
• Sunitha and Joshua Barron (and their sons Jordan and Aden)
• Jenna Shadowitz and Justin Newhart (and their twins Levi and Max)
• Elana and Sharon Hagi (and their daughters Arielle and Leora)

Unveiling for Carol Rubin

Our immediate family will be gathering this Sunday, October 12 at 2 PM at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, 2800 Hancock Drive, to remember our beloved wife, mother and grandmother Carol on the unveiling of her headstone. Rabbi Dan will lead a brief ceremony. Friends and fellow congregants are more than welcome to join us if you're available to remember Carol who passed away 11 months ago following a long hospitalization in Houston.

Carol was an active participant at CTI throughout our nearly two decades in Austin and would have been thrilled to see the extraordinary growth of our community during the past two years.



-Jay Rubin

CTI Announcements

People can pick up their extra Aravot sets at the synagogue on Monday October 13 immediately preceding morning services.

Jerusalem Winery

Ehud Adler, father of five and commander in the Golani reconnaissance unit, has been serving on the frontlines in Gaza and Lebanon since October 7th.

Before the war, Ehud was ready to plant a vineyard on ancestral Jewish land — the same hills where our people grew wine 2,000 years ago. His grapes would supply Jerusalem Winery, producing kosher wine rooted in Jewish history and faith.

But while Ehud defends Israel, he cannot fund this dream. And this year, new farmers receive no state support.

This vineyard is more than wine.

It is life. It is resilience. It is our future.

Help Ehud plant deep roots in our homeland. Donate today to Jerusalem Winery.  

https://www.amyisroelchai.com/donate

Shmira, watching over the deceased, is a sacred mitzvah. If you would like to find out more information about how CTI engages shmira, or think you might be interested in participating in this mitzvah, please contact Larry Smith, CTI's Shmira Coordinator at lsmith@egsanalytics.com, or (512) 923-3964. 

Support Israel

SHALOM AUSTIN EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN

AIPAC

FRIEND OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES

ISRAEL AMERICAN COUNCIL

HADASSAH

ACH GADOL FOR LONE SOLDIERS

B’NAI B’RITH ISRAEL

EMERGENCY FUND

DONATION FORM

MOGEN DAVID ADOM

WORLD ZIONIST ORGANIZATION

ISRAEL BONDS

JNF

Thank you Ori & Emmaline Skittel for sponsoring Kiddush in honor of their marriage.

Donations

Thank you to Yitzchak Kravetz, Steven Swernofsky, Robert Linkin, Offer Shavit, Arthur Altman, Sean Clifford, David Chapin, and Harel Rush for their Aliyah donations.

Thank you to Stuart & Jennifer Tendler, Offer & Ilana Shavit, Isaac & Angela Raschkovsky, Charles & Vonne Kaufman, Jean & Eveline Wolozko, Loretta Magill, Joshua & Kendra Rosenberg, Stuart & Suzanne Newberg, Julie Van Keer, Joshua & Toriann Rogalski, Isaac & Angela Raschkovsky, Elimelekh Talamantes, Sean & Meredith Clifford, Jake Wolfson, Neil & Natalie Yechsin, Jay Rubin, and Steven & Sarah Swernofsky for their donations to the Kol Nidre fundraiser.

Thank you to Loretta Magill for her Yizkor donation.

Thank you to Gabriel & Emily Yaffe for their donation in honor of Jeanette Brickman, Eran and Naomi Sharon, Mehul & David Rupani, and Rabbi & Yael Millner for arranging and hosting them on the high holidays.

Thank you to Trent Fereday for his donations to the General fund.

Thank you to Isaac & Angela Raschkovsky for their donation to the Torah fund.

Thank you to Rabbi Daniel & Amanda Septimus for their donation to the Rabbi’s Discretionary fund in honor of Rabbi Dan Millner, Dan Ledeen and CTI leadership.

Thank you to our anonymous donors.

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Refuah Shelayma To:

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• Avshalom ben Hannah Bassa
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• Baruch Akiva Ben Rivka
• Miriam bat Helen
• Rivka Michal bat Sarah Chana
• Lori Garza 
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• Masha Gitil bas Chaya Yita
• Allen Levinson; Avraham Yitzchak ben Gittel
• Moshe ben Reizel
• Avigail Malkah bat Devorah
• David Moshe ben Sylvia
• Shoshana bat Yocheved
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• Alta Shoshana bat Shulamit
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• Geni Berman Abitbol
• Beilya Golda bat Leah
• Yosef Yehoshua ben Sarah
• Jonathan Malawer (Yosef ben Bracha)
• Rafael ben Sheindal Leah
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• Esther Reva bat Malka
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• Sheva Eva bat Bella.
• Moshe ben Rut
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