Parashat
Pekudei
Torah: Exodus
38:21 – 40:38 (Chazak!)
Haftarah: 1
Kings 7:51-8:21 (Ashkenazim); 1 Kings 7:40-50 (Sephardim)
2 Adar 2 5776
/ 11-12 March 2016
Calendar of
events follows. For a full calendar and other info about our community, check
out: www.bethmeier.org
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SOME BEAN
COUNTER!
“These are the accountings (pekudei) of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of Testimony, which was accounted for (pukad) at the behest of Moses ... “Exodus 38:21
I must confess that, all too often, the subtleties of Hebrew grammar are lost on me. The Hebrew root "pkd" gives rise to words which, in various constructions, mean “account”, “count”, “command(er)”, “deposit”, “official”, and “bureaucrat”, among others. Some are laudatory, some are derogatory. How exactly was it used in our verse?
“These are the accountings (pekudei) of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of Testimony, which was accounted for (pukad) at the behest of Moses ... “Exodus 38:21
I must confess that, all too often, the subtleties of Hebrew grammar are lost on me. The Hebrew root "pkd" gives rise to words which, in various constructions, mean “account”, “count”, “command(er)”, “deposit”, “official”, and “bureaucrat”, among others. Some are laudatory, some are derogatory. How exactly was it used in our verse?
One could
read this verse to mean that Moses was acting merely as a functionary, a
bureaucrat, a pencil pushing bean counter - you get the idea. Somehow, I do not
believe that this is the way that Moses would have liked to be remembered. Because
of the passive voice, it's not clear what his motivation was.
The midrash
suggests that Moses ordered the accounting because he did not want anybody to
accuse him of stealing. This sort of self-protective mentality is
laudable, in one respect, because it shows that Moses had nothing to hide. Everything
that had been collected for the Tabernacle had actually been used in its
construction. On the other hand, it is a bit unseemly, showing that he
perhaps did not believe the people trusted him. Why should Moses have
feared the Children of Israel? After all, they believed so strongly in
him, that when he did not reappear after climbing Mount
Sinai , they assumed that God had abandoned them!
A third
possible way to look at this is that Moses ordered the accounting because he
believed that the people had a right to know. He wasn't a drudge and he wasn't
afraid. Rather, he was shedding light where there was potential for
darkness; he was an early advocate for transparency. Note also that God
did not command Moses to do this.
Lost in all
this, and in our attitudes towards bureaucrats, is that ultimately, Moses'
motivation is irrelevant. The bottom line is that the people were
reassured. He was a good public servant. That is all that we can hope
to expect from anybody that works on behalf of the community. And a job well
done is something you can take to the bank!
Shabbat
Shalom!
Grand Rabbi
Abba Reuven ben Menachem Mendel Flom, Sh’lita
Der Heiliger
Shlabodkieville Rebbe
Av Beis Din - Chelm
Av Beis Din - Chelm
Mishenichnas
Adar Marbim Simcha! With the entry of the month of Adar, we increase joy! Be
Happy! Adar 2 is here!
Congregation
Beth Meier - Studio City , CA
Website: http://bethmeier.org
Blogging
at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com
"From
the place where we are absolutely right, flowers will never grow in the spring."
"מן המקום שבו אנו צודקים לא יצמחו לעולם פרחים באביב"
Yehuda
Amichai
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Candlelighting:
5:39 pm
Friday: Family Shabbat
Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Shabbat morning service –
10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows. TURN CLOCKS AHEAD TONIGHT – DAYLIGHT SAVING
TIME BEGINS
Sunday: Religious School
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn –
12:00 noon
Friday,
18 March:
Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday,
19 March:
Shabbat morning service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday,
20 March:
NO Religious School
Tuesday,
March 22: Lunch
and Learn – 12:00 noon
Wednesday,
March 23:
Purim Program – 7:00 pm. Abbreviated Megillah; Purim Shpiel; Refreshments!
Barukh Mordechai! Arur Haman!
Next
time you come to Beth Meier, please bring some non-perishable canned and
packaged foods and personal items (no glass) for SOVA.
This
d'var torah is offered in honor of my mother, Annabelle Flom, celebrating her
birthday this Friday. Yom huledet sameach, Ima! Ad meah v’esrim!
This
d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen
ben Bella, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah bat Devorah, Ken
Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Peter Chernack (Pesach ben Idit), Jerry
Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel
Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry
Forman, Lynda Foster, Pamela Huddleston, Stephanie Kane, Philip
Kovac, Suzanne Rosenthal (Sima Devorah bat Chanah), Deborah Schugar Strauss
(Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), and Lily Snyder.
Please
let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there
is anyone who may be removed from this list.
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