WHO FREES THE SLAVES?

27 Iyar 5775 / 15-16 May 2015

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai

Torah: Leviticus 25:1 - 27:34
Haftarah: Jeremiah 16:19 - 17:4

Calendar of Events follows below. For more information about our community, visit: http://www.bethmeier.org

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WHO FREES THE SLAVES?

"For the Children of Israel are servants (or, slaves) to Me, they are My servants, whom I have taken out of the land of Egypt - I am the Lord your God. You shall not make idols for yourselves, and you shall not erect for yourselves a statue or a pillar, and in your land you shall not emplace a flooring stone upon which to prostrate oneself - for I am the Lord your God." Lev. 25:55-26:1 

In the verses preceding our quote, the Israelites are told that they may not sell themselves into slavery to idol worshippers - should any Israelite do so, his/her family are required to redeem the slave (25:48-9). We are servants of God, and may not be slaves of other humans. 

You might think that these verses are irrelevant today - nobody sells themselves into slavery to idol worshippers, nobody erects idols, statues or pillars to worship, etc. - humanity has gone beyond all that. Or has it? Actually, people sell themselves into slavery all of the time.  Think of alcohol, drugs (including tobacco), gambling, and prostitution - all forms of enslavement. The people who run these businesses, whether legal or not, are the slave masters. The customers and the employees are the slaves. The idolatrous vice is the form of coercion used to enforce the slavery, through addiction. 

Why should we care? Aren't addicts responsible for putting themselves into this position? Why are we responsible for redeeming them? Because it would be unjust not to do so. 

R. Yitzchak Breuer, quoted by R. Yehudah Nachshoni, says: "If, through animalistic desires one man is made the slave of another, it is nothing less than a tremendous desecration of the honor and glory of mankind, for all have but one Father. There is no greater injustice than 'human justice' which recognizes slavery." If this applies to forms of addiction, how much the more so are we obligated in cases of actual slavery and human trafficking!

We are all responsible for freeing people from any type of slavery. That is the way to give meaning to another verse from this parashah, found on the Liberty Bell: "Proclaim freedom throughout the land for all its inhabitants." (25:10) It’s a tough job, but someone's got to do it, and that someone is you and I.

Have a wonderful Shabbat!  It's our weekly Liberation Day! 

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier - Studio City, CA

www.bethmeier.org

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Candle lighting: 7:29 pm

Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat, sponsored by the Kleiger Family in memory of Steven Kleiger (first yahrzeit), follows service.

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon, sponsored by Elsbet Brosky in memory of John Todd Brosky (shloshim), follows service.

Sunday:  Religious School – 9:30 am! Adult Hebrew class – 10:00 am.

Tuesday: NO Lunch and Learn – Rabbi Flom away.

Friday, May 22: Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 am. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, May 23: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows. Saturday evening, May 23 – “Tikkun Leyl Shavuot – A Night of Torah Study”. Rabbis Deborah Silver, John Carrier, Richard Flom and others will conduct this traditional study session at Adat Ari El beginning at 8:30 pm. A wonderful opportunity to learn, meet members of other congregations, and get in the spirit of receiving Torah at Mount Sinai. A flyer with more information is available at Rabbi Flom’s blog (http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2015/05/tikkun-leyl-shavuot.html) and at the Beth Meier website (www.bethmeier.org).

Sunday, May 24: Shavuot Morning Service – 10:00 am. NO Religious School. NO Adult Hebrew class.

Monday, May 25: Shavuot Morning Service and Yizkor - 10:00 am. It’s also Memorial Day – we will offer special prayers at Yizkor in memory of America’s fallen service personnel.

Sunday, May 31: Congregation Beth Meier Movie Night – 7:00 pm. Movie TBD. No charge, but donations gladly accepted! Join us for a Jewish-themed movie with popcorn and soda! In winter, we’ll be doing this on Saturday nights and include Havdalah and kids’ games.

This d’var torah is offered in honor of Baby Girl Omoss, born to Chelsea and Albie Omoss this past Shabbat. Mazal tov to the Omoss family!

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, Naomi bat Yorma, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah Mindel bat Toby, Jeannie Berger, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jacob William Cohen, Howard Ehrlich, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Chanah Bella bat Kreina), Gig Flom (Gittel Tobi bat Blanca), Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Betsy Kleiger, Philip Kovac, Chelsea Omoss, and Annie Rivera.

My weekly divrei torah are also available via free e-mail subscription to the Cyber Torah list. 

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