Parashat
Metzora
5
Nisan 5774 / 4-5 April 2014
Torah:
Leviticus 14:1 - 15:33
Haftarah:
2 Kings 7:3-20
Calendar
of Events and Dedications follow. For more information about our community,
visit: http://bethmeier.org/
Please
feel free to pass this on this to a friend, and please cite the source.
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MATZAH
– THE ORIGINAL SOUL FOOD
Then
the priest will command for the one who is to be cleansed two pure living
birds, cedar wood, scarlet thread and hyssop. Leviticus 14:4
Rashi
- Because plagues come from pride. What is his remedy, that he should be
cured? He should lower himself from his pride like a worm (a play on the
Hebrew word for scarlet thread) and hyssop (a low bush).
For
seven days, chametz (leavening) shall not be found in your houses - anyone who
eats chametz, that soul shall be cut off from the assembly of Israel
For
the Rabbis, the “leprosy” (tzara’at) visited on the Israelites was the symptom
of a spiritual disorder. The ritual discussed in our portion was carried
out only after the victim had been separated from the community, and had taken
time to reflect upon his sins and to change his ways.
There
is another ritual which symbolizes the elimination of haughtiness and pride,
and that is the observance of Pesach. Chametz, such as yeast, causes dough
to bubble and rise, and is symbolic of the inflation of one’s ego. The
commandment to remove all of the chametz from our homes may be seen as an
instruction to remove pride from our lives. By reducing ourselves to
eating matzah for the Passover holiday, we remind ourselves of the sin of pride
and the need to deflate our egos. Pesach is "The Festival of Freedom",
and matzah is food for the soul.
Remove
the chametz from your home and your life for a time; attend a Seder (or two!),
and learn about freedom from the slavery of self-importance; eat only “the
bread of affliction” for the duration of the holiday; take the hot air out of
yourself. Removing chametz can be a spring cleaning of both the physical
and the spiritual.
Shabbat
shalom - a Shabbat of peace!
Rabbi
Richard A. Flom
Congregation
Beth Meier
Visit
me on Facebook
"For
the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the
sake of Jerusalem
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Candlelighting: 6:57 pm
Friday: Shabbat
Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday:
Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday: Religious School
Tuesday, April 8: Lunch and Learn - noon.
Wednesday, April 9: NO (Re)Introduction to Judaism class. Next meeting is April 23.
Tuesday, April 15: Beth Meier’s Community Seder. Deadline for reservations is this Friday,
April 4. Call the CBM office ASAP if you want to attend.
This d'var torah is offered in memory of my father-in-law, Abraham
Kronzek, z’l, whose yahrzeit was yesterday, Rosh Chodesh Nisan. Y’hi zikhrono
liv’rakhah.
This d'var torah is offered in honor of my wonderful wife, Lynn
Kronzek, whose birthday is April 8. Real cake this year! Yom huledet sameach,
my dear! Ad meah v’esrim!
This d'var torah is offered in honor of my aunt, Helen Schugar,
whose birthday is April 8. Ad meah v’esrim!
This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Blimah Reizel
bat Ruchel, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Serach bat Miriam, Eve Beatty, Howard
Ehrlich, Leonard Foint, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Jayne
Kaplan, Steven Kleiger, Frank Marcovitz, Phil Raider, Marguerite Rassiner,
Irwin Silon and Neil Turbov.
Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to the
refuah shleimah list or if there is anyone who may be removed from the list.
My
divrei torah are also available via e-mail from the Cyber Torah list.
Cyber
Torah list management (no salesman
will call!):
To
subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an
e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
To request dedications
of Cyber Torah in honor of a
simchah, in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
To
unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send
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