YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS – THAT MEANS YOU!

Parashat Yitro
Torah: Exodus 18:1 - 20:23
Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1 - 7:6; 9:5-6; (Ashkenazim); Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sephardim)

18 Shevat 5778 / 2-3 February 2018

Calendar and dedications follow below. For a full calendar of events and other info about Temple B’nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier, check out: www.bnaihayim.com

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YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS – THAT MEANS YOU!

"You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the water beneath the earth. You shall not bow down to them, and you shall not worship them, for I am the Lord your God...." Exodus 20:3-5.

"Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; they have noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; they have feet, but do not walk; they do not utter through their throats. Those who make them are like them, as is everyone who trusts in them." Psalms 115:4-8.

The Psalmist makes the obvious connection - statuary idols are worthless, and so, it seems, are the people who worship them. Not many people today prostrate themselves before images of Baal or Astarte, but plenty of people still have idols. Cars, houses, big screen TVs, etc. - it's all stuff that so many of us are impressed by and bow down to. In the old days, also, pharaohs, kings and emperors declared themselves to be gods, and forced their subjects to worship them. I suspect there are few such monarchs today, nor people who would be prepared to bow down and worship those monarchs. We have "matinee idols" - and how could we forget "American Idol"? But is there still the possibility that people try to set themselves up as gods?

What about worship of the self? Can one be so self-centered, so uncaring and unfeeling of others, that one regards oneself to be a god? Consider the psalm, consider the current state of American society, and then read in this week's haftarah:

'(God) said, "Go and say this to the people: '"You surely hear, but you do not understand; you surely see, but you do not perceive.'" Isaiah 6:9.

The rest of the Ten Commandments (the Second is above) tell us how to treat other people – so do dozens of other commandments in the Torah (See, e.g., The Holiness Code at Leviticus 19). Isaiah, here and elsewhere, and the other Prophets speak even more extensively on the manner in which we are to treat our fellow human beings, our fellow images of God. When we close our eyes and ears to the suffering of others; when we do not speak out against injustice; when we think that we are more important than everyone else around us; then, we turn ourselves into wood and stone - blind, deaf and dumb idols, soul-less objects of self-worship.

Do not make of yourself an idol.

Writing from “The Media Capital of the World”, where image is often everything, I wish you a Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Temple B’nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com
Visit me on Facebook
Twitter: @DrahcirMolf
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
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Candle lighting: 5:06 pm

Friday – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm – followed by Oneg Shabbat

Saturday – Breakfast and Torah study - 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows. Sponsored this week by Avremi and Brenda Manzur, in honor of his birthday. Yom huledet sameach, Avremi!
Sunday – Religious School – 9:30 am. Adult Hebrew – 10:00 am. First Rehearsal for Purim Shpiel, written and directed by Reb Jason – 12:30 pm. Everyone is invited to join in!
Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.
Friday, February 9 / Saturday, February 10 - Sharsheret Pink Shabbat to educate our community about breast and ovarian cancer, how it impacts the Jewish community, and how to be proactive about our health. We encourage you to not only join us for this program, but to take a moment to follow this link:

www.sharsheret.org/sharsheretsignin

Saturday, March 17 – Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service. Contact Carol Herskowitz or Lynn Kronzek for details.

Next time you come to TBH/CBM, 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, Ze’ev ben Adeline, HaRav Chana Rivka bat Doronit, Eilite bat Miriam, HaRav Tzvi Hersh ben Frimet, Sarah bat Devorah, Hiroe Andriola, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Bernard Garvin, Myra Goodman, Leah Granat, Simon Hartmann, Jack Howland, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Lyndia Lowy (Leah bat Sarah), David Marks, Gil Robbins, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Jonathan Woolf, Howard Yudell, and Meagan Yudell.

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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