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» To Learn is to live!
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Through our variety of educational programs we aim to reach our goal.
Every Jew is welcome. A Jew is a Jew is a Jew.
Our Objectives are:
- To make many different levels of Jewish learning available to people of all affiliations and knowledge backgrounds.
- To create a community based around Jewish learning.
- To create a home for the “wondering Jew”
Classes at the The Chabad Aleph House are open and attended by people from across the entire spectrum of the Columbia community. No previous background or membership is required.
Unless otherwise noted classes are held at the Chabad Aleph House House 2509 Decker Blvd Columbia, SC 29206
For more information please call 803.237.7330or email [email protected]
The Creation
The word of G-d brought everything into being: heaven and earth, mountains and rivers, and every living thing. In the beginning, G-d called into existence the heaven and earth. Within six days He shaped a world of order and beauty.
The First Day
On the first day, G-d said, “Let there be Light” -- and there was Light.
The Second Day
On the second day G-d made the sky, and called it Heaven.
The Third Day
On the third day, G-d put the earth into good shape. At His command the waters of the earth gathered together at certain places. The waters formed seas and oceans, lakes and rivers, so that in other parts, the dry land became visible.
At G-d’s further command, the earth was made to produce all kinds of plants, grass, and trees, shrubs and flowers. Each contained its own seed for further growth and reproduction.
The Fourth Day
On the fourth day, G-d made the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, to shed light upon the earth. And so He set a time for day and a time for night, a time for the week, the month, and the year, and a time for each of the four seasons.
The Fifth Day
On the fifth day, G-d filled the seas with fishes and other water animals. In to the air above the earth He put many birds of all kinds and colors and sizes.
The Sixth Day
On the sixth day, were created all the other animals, large and small, those that walk and those that creep or crawl on the earth. And towards the end of the sixth day, G-d put a divine soul into a body which He made of earth and clay. This was the human.
To the human G-d granted high mental ability that one could think and reach one’s own conclusions. G-d also gave the human the power of speech and He made humans superior to all other creatures of the earth.
G-d placed all the creatures of the earth and the powers of nature in the control of the human.
The Seventh Day
By the seventh day, everything was created and put into shape and order. And G-d rested on the seventh day and He glorified it as a day of rest. Therefore we should work for six days and rest on the Seventh day, Shabbat, which G-d blessed and sanctified for all time to come. By observing the Shabbat day, we show that we believe in G-d as the Creator of the world.
Question:
Our dream to move to Israel is finally becoming reality. We are making aliyah next month. I know it will be challenging. Any advice?
Answer:
Israel is unlike any other country in the world. Every other place you could live, as long as you like it there all is fine. But with Israel it isn't enough that you like it there. Israel has to like you too.
Israel is a land with a soul of its own. It is the Holy Land, the place of divine blessing. If Israel finds you worthy, she shares her blessing with you, and no matter how hard life gets there, you will feel at home. But if you are undeserving of her holiness, you won't feel settled there for long.
The move to Israel is called making aliyah, which means "going up." This is not merely because Israel has a higher altitude to its surrounding countries. You need to go up to Israel because Israel is one step closer to heaven than the rest of the world. To reach Israel you need to be going upwards in your spiritual life. It is a land of higher spiritual frequency that has little tolerance for stagnant souls. Only those who are willing to grow can feel at home there.
So along with all the paperwork and preparations for moving, prepare your soul for the journey ahead. Take a step up in your own spirituality by choosing a new mitzvah to observe, and taking on a new project of Torah study. The aliyah ascent begins now, long before you set foot in the Holy Land.
Life in Israel is not always easy. But for a soul on the way up, it really is a land flowing with milk and honey.