Thursday, July 28, 2016

ZEALOTS NEED NOT APPLY

Parashat Pinchas
Torah: Numbers 25:10 - 30:1
Haftarah: Jeremiah 1:2 - 2:3
24 Tammuz 5776 / 29-30 July 2016

Calendar of Events and Dedications follow. Full calendar and lots more info about our community available at: http://www.bethmeier.org 

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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ZEALOTS NEED NOT APPLY

"Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set over the congregation a man who will go out before them, and who will come in before them, and who will lead them out, and who will bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep which have no shepherd." Numbers 27:16-17

Rashi, quoting Tanchuma: "Appoint over them a leader who will be patient with each and every one according to his mind."

Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk: When Moses saw how great Pinchas was, he was afraid that he would be chosen as leader, but he was not pleased with the prospect of having such a zealot as the leader of the Jewish people. He therefore asked God that the leader be a tolerant man and not a zealous one.

It seems curious that Moses would not want a zealot to lead the people after his death. This would seem particularly true in the case of Pinchas, who was, after all, "zealous for his God". (Numbers 25:13) What could be wrong with a man who is zealous on behalf of God?

Zealots are, in the words of Eric Hoffer, "true believers" who are by definition intolerant of any view other than their own. Anyone who disagrees with them is “the enemy”. Intolerance all too often leads to hatred and war. Regardless of religious or political persuasion, all who worship at the altar of their particular god of hate and who destroy those with whom they disagree, are to be opposed – but within limits.

In the global fight against terrorism, we must nevertheless be careful to avoid extremism and intolerance ourselves, lest we become that which we fight against. Similarly, in our interpersonal relations, particularly in our discussions of the great issues of the day, we must avoid such zealotry. This past Sunday was 18 Tammuz, a deferred fast day from 17 Tammuz, associated with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. We would do well to remember that the Talmud teaches that Jerusalem fell because of sinat chinam - baseless hatred. Rabbi B. Y. Natan, quoted in Itturei Torah, says, "It appears that the verse here hints that the way of peace is always better and more effective than that of zealotry and war." To which verse is he referring? "Therefore say, 'Behold, I give him my covenant of peace.'" (Numbers 25:12)

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier - Studio City, CA
Twitter: @DrahcirMolf
"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: 7:38 pm

Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 Noon.
Friday, 5 AugustNO Shabbat Evening Service – Rabbi family function.
Saturday, 6 August: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Tuesday, 9 August: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 Noon.

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 for a refuah shleimah for  Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, HaRav Yisrael Shimon ben Liebah Breina, Yaakov Rani Ben Margalit, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah bat Devorah, Jackie Aaronson, Susan Arbetman, Connie Axelson (Raizel Sura bat Leah), Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Barry Glass (Berel ben Feigel), Myra Goodman, Fouad Kay (Yehoshua ben Salima), Stephanie Kane, Philip Kovac, Carolynne Lavoie-Schwartz, Toni Linder, David Parkhurst, Deborah Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Beatrice Weide (Bayla bat Malkah), and Naomi Zimmermann (Naomi bat Yorma).

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.

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call!
Cyber Torah list management:
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net  with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net   with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.
To dedicate a 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  with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

IS YOUR TORAH HEALTHY?

Parashat Chukkat
10 Tammuz 5776 / 15-16 July 2016
Torah: Numbers 19:1 – 22:1
Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33

Dedications and Calendar of Events follow below. Full calendar and other information about our community may be found at: www.bethmeier.org

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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IS YOUR TORAH HEALTHY?

"‘And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "This is the chok of the Torah which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the Children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, which has no blemish, and upon which there has never been a yoke.’"’ Numbers 19:1-2 

The Rabbis teach that a "chok" is a law in the Torah for which there is no rational explanation. And yet, Jews have struggled for millennia to make sense of this chok especially, for we might read this verse as, "this is the very ultimate chok in the Torah". Or, perhaps it’s a chok about Torah itself.

An anonymous teaching in Itturei Torah: “Since this is the chok of the red heifer, why doesn’t the Torah say ‘this is the chok of the heifer’ rather than ‘this is the chok of the Torah’? The reason is that the ashes of the red heifer can make ritually impure one who was pure, and make ritually pure one who was impure. That is generally true for all of the Torah: if one uses it properly, it is like an elixir of life, but if one abuses it, it is like poison.”

Torah may be used as a caress or a bludgeon. (See also BT Sukkah 49b, where Rabbi Elazar teaches that there is a Torah of lovingkindness and a Torah that is not of lovingkindness) One’s Torah learning and practice can improve and spiritually elevate the self; or one can use it to denigrate and dehumanize others. An elixir or a poison: not only for the practitioner, but for everyone around him. Choose your potion.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier - Studio City, CA
Twitter: @DrahcirMolf
"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: 7:46 pm

Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows. Service conducted by Melinda and Warren Trauman.
Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Service conducted by Cantor Steve Pearlman. Kiddush lunch follows.
Tuesday: NO Lunch and Learn – Rabbi Flom out of town.
Friday, 22 July: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday, 23 July: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Tuesday, 25 July: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 Noon.

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 Ben Levitt and Brittany Allen, who are getting married on Sunday. Mazal Tov!

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for  Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, HaRav Yisrael Shimon ben Liebah Breina, Yaakov Rani Ben Margalit, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah bat Devorah, Jackie Aaronson, Susan Arbetman, Connie Axelson (Raizel Sura bat Leah), Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Barry Glass (Berel ben Feigel), Myra Goodman, Fouad Kay (Yehoshua ben Salima), Stephanie Kane, Philip Kovac, Carolynne Lavoie-Schwartz, Toni Linder, Deborah Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), and Beatrice Weide (Bayla bat Malkah).

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.

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call!
Cyber Torah list management:
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net  with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net   with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.
To dedicate a 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  with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

SHOW SOME RESTRAINT!

Parashat Korach
3 Tammuz 5776 / 8-9 July 2016
Torah: Numbers 16:1 - 18:32
Haftarah: 1 Samuel 11:14 - 12:22

Dedications and Calendar of Events follow below. Full calendar and other information about our community may be found at: www.bethmeier.org

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.

I offer this d’var torah as a lesson (especially) to myself, as well as to everyone else, to be more issue-oriented, and less personal-oriented.
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SHOW SOME RESTRAINT!

"And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all Korach's people, and all their possessions." Numbers 16:32

In the Talmud (Chullin 89a), Rabbi Ila'a teaches, "The world exists only on account of one who restrains (boleim) himself at a time of provocation, as it says in Job, '(God) suspends the earth upon restraint (b'limah).'" Rashi says that b'limah (literally, "nothingness") and boleim are related words. One who considers himself as nothing is able to keep his mouth shut and restrain himself in the face of provocation.

The commentary Harei Bashamayim says this is why Korach and his followers were punished in this way. Not only did they not restrain themselves, they used their mouths to challenge Moses and God, and in a sense, the natural order. They were provocateurs, and the earth could not abide by it.

There are ways to challenge that which we perceive to be wrong. If we publicly attack someone and stoke the passions of others against that person, if we let our desires eat at us, we risk being swallowed up. Show some restraint!

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier - Studio City, CA
Blogging at:  www.rav-rich.blogspot.com
Twitter: @DrahcirMolf
"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: 7:49 pm

Friday: Family Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch in honor of Leonard Foint’s 90th birthday follows.
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 Noon.
Friday, 15 July: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday, 16 July: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Tuesday, 19 July: NO Lunch and Learn – Rabbi Flom out of town.

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 Leonard Foint, celebrating his 90th birthday. Ad meah v’esrim! Mazal tov!

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for  Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, HaRav Yisrael Shimon ben Liebah Breina, Yaakov Rani Ben Margalit, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah bat Devorah, Jackie Aaronson, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Barry Glass (Berel ben Feigel), Myra Goodman, Stephanie Kane, Philip Kovac, Carolynne Lavoie-Schwartz, Toni Linder, Deborah Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), and Beatrice Weide (Bayla bat Malkah).

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.

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call!
Cyber Torah list management:
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net  with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.
To dedicate a 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 with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.

NO IFS, ANDS, OR BUTS!

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