16 Sivan
5777 / 9-10 June 2017
Parashat
B’ha’alot’kha
Torah:
Numbers 8:1 - 12:16
Haftarah: Zekhariah 2:14 - 4:7
Haftarah: Zekhariah 2:14 - 4:7
Dedications and a Calendar
of Upcoming Events follow. For a full calendar and lots of other information
about our community, visit:
Please feel free to pass
this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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SHARE
SOME SPIRIT!
'And the
Lord said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel
At Exodus
18:13-26, Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law) had observed Moses' difficulty in
judging the people by himself, and he advised Moses to delegate responsibility
among a number of people. Moses did so. It is now a year later, and
Moses kvetches to God about the burdens of sole leadership. God tells
Moses He will distribute the burden of leadership by giving others the same
type of spirit that Moses has. Is Moses dense? Did he forget what
Jethro had told him?
No. In the short run, merely telling other people to do some of the work can be effective. But over the long haul, unless they have the same spirit as their leader, they falter. Moses had the spirit, but he could not or would not share it with others. God had to give some of that spirit to others, so they could help Moses bear the burdens of leadership.
There is a lesson here for rabbis, teachers, board members, religious and secular leaders of all types, and parents, too. We sometimes experience the failure or the inability to share our spirit with others. No matter how enthusiastic we might be about something, if we can't get others involved, it can turn into a burden. The difference here is that we can't expect God to do it for us, take some of that spirit and give it to others - we have to do that ourselves. But it's not only the ultimate leaders who have the responsibility of sharing their spirit.
The people to whom that responsibility was given (including Moses), the people suggested by Jethro, never took the opportunity to exercise that responsibility. They did not seize the spirit of the moment.
No. In the short run, merely telling other people to do some of the work can be effective. But over the long haul, unless they have the same spirit as their leader, they falter. Moses had the spirit, but he could not or would not share it with others. God had to give some of that spirit to others, so they could help Moses bear the burdens of leadership.
There is a lesson here for rabbis, teachers, board members, religious and secular leaders of all types, and parents, too. We sometimes experience the failure or the inability to share our spirit with others. No matter how enthusiastic we might be about something, if we can't get others involved, it can turn into a burden. The difference here is that we can't expect God to do it for us, take some of that spirit and give it to others - we have to do that ourselves. But it's not only the ultimate leaders who have the responsibility of sharing their spirit.
The people to whom that responsibility was given (including Moses), the people suggested by Jethro, never took the opportunity to exercise that responsibility. They did not seize the spirit of the moment.
Leaders
need to share their spirit, and subordinates and members of their organizations
have the primary responsibility of taking that spirit and distributing it even
more. Delegating responsibility isn't enough; it often takes leadership in
the form of enthusiastic sharing of spirit that really gets things done.
Enthusiasm is infectious. Leaders need to be both inspired and inspiring
to get the mission accomplished!
Have a spirited Shabbat!
Have a spirited Shabbat!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier
Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com
Visit me on Facebook
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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Candle
lighting: 7:45 pm
Friday – Family Shabbat Evening Service –
7:30pm. A joyful guitar-accompanied service with Kerry Katz. Oneg Shabbat
follows.
Saturday – Shabbat Morning Service –
10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.
Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.
Friday, June
16 – Shabbat Evening
Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday,
June 17 – Shabbat
Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.
Saturday,
June 24 – Temple
B’nai Hayim Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service. All women-led service
– leyning, aliyot, other readings available. Contact Carol Herskowitz at (818)
708-1906 for details. Men, be there too‼ We will not have a separate service at
Beth Meier on this date – we’ll be at B’nai Hayim!
This d'var torah
is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, Yaakov
Rani Ben Margalit, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet
Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Bryon Fendrich (Berel ben Chanah),
Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel),
Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon
Hartman, Dena Kosche (Dena bat Sarah Emanu), Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata
Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, Deborah Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat
Chaya Feiga), and Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina).
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!
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management:
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