Parashat Bo
Torah: Exodus 10:1 – 13:16
Haftarah: Jeremiah 46:13-28
4 Shevat 5775 / 23-24 January 2015
Candle lighting: 4:56 pm
Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am. Adult Hebrew class – 10:00 am. Congregation Beth Meier Annual Members’ Meeting – 2:00 pm. Be there!
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 Noon.
Watch your in-box for a brochure about a planned trip to Israel – May 7 – May 18, 2015
For a full calendar of events and other info about the Congregation Beth Meier community, check out: www.bethmeier.org
This d’var torah is
offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella,
Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah Mindel bat
Toby, Bonnie Baird, Stewart Benkle,
Jeff Bluen, Elsbet Brosky, John Todd Brosky, Howard
Ehrlich, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr.
Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Gig Flom,
Jerry Forman, Leo Hoenig (Leib ben Bella), Neal
Hoffman (Nachum ben Dina), Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan,
Jayne Kaplan, Lina Kniter (Lina bat Batya),
Jeannie Kottler, Shirley Kronzek, Dr. Martin Lee, Annie Rivera, and
Rabbi Marc Wilson.
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
Pharaoh called to Moses and said, "Go - serve the Lord; only your flocks and herds shall remain; even your little ones may go with you." And Moses said, "... And our livestock will go with us; not a hoof will remain; for from it we will take to serve the Lord our God." Exodus 10:24-26
The Yehudi Hakodesh of Pshischa understands this conversation as follows: Pharaoh said, "One may serve God purely in one's mind, without any action. If in truth you desire to serve God, why do you need your animals? Go - serve the Lord, with pure heart and intention, and you will need no animal sacrifices." Moses replied, "Intention alone, with no action associated with it, is unimportant and meaningless. The whole point is the action, which makes the intention profound." The Holy Jew concludes, "It is through action that one is aroused to serve God enthusiastically and to adhere to Him."
Let me be clear - prayer is an important and wholly (holy?) proper way to serve God. That is why we call prayer “avodah” - service. On the other hand, words may be viewed as cheap - we give up nothing, we make no sacrifice, in uttering them. And truthfully, the passive nature of prayer may have no lasting impact on anyone, including ourselves - unless the words ultimately motivate us to action. It’s easy to talk the talk. But walking the walk? Well, that doesn't have to be hard, but it still needs to be done.
If we are to have a positive effect on the world itself (tikkun olam), if we are to truly improve ourselves - then it is through the observance of the physical mitzvot. Whether charity, deeds of loving kindness and promoting peace, or kashrut, teaching our children and lighting Shabbat candles - it is through these actions that we truly serve God. We can improve our inner spiritual selves by going beyond ourselves. If you want God to act, you have to act. You too can be an action hero!
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom – ZSRS ‘00
Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
http://www.bethmeier.org/
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