GOD HAPPENS!

Parashat Sh’mot

Torah: Exodus 1:1 - 6:1

Haftarah: Isaiah 27:6 - 28:13; 29:22-23 (Ashkenazim); Jeremiah 1:1 - 2:3 (Sephardim)

21 Tevet 5779 / 28-29 December 2018

Calendar and dedications follow below. For more information about our community, check out our web site at: http://www.bnaihayim.com

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

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GOD HAPPENS!

"... You shall go with the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, happened upon us. And now, please let us go on a three-day journey in the desert and we shall sacrifice to the Lord, our God.'" Exodus 3:18

A traditional take (Rashi and Sforno) on this verse is that the Israelites are telling Pharaoh that this was not something that they had asked for or intended - after all, Pharaoh hates them enough as it is! And yet, one has to wonder - perhaps the Israelites did cause God to "happen" upon them.

At the end of chapter 2 of Exodus, the Israelites groaned because of their slavery and cried out. Their cries reached God, Who "remembered" the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They turned to God and their outcry caused God to respond. One might say, then, that one can bring God into the world, cause God to "happen", by praying, or by crying out, or by searching for God.

On the other hand, Moses might have made God happen through his own actions. Moses acted righteously on several occasions before God chose him to save the Israelites - he struck down the Egyptian who was beating an Israelite, he saved Tzipporah and her sisters from the shepherds at the well, and he stopped to consider the burning bush. He was not seeking God, but he caused God to happen by acting justly, by defending the downtrodden, and by acknowledging a miracle.

We can cry out to God, we can pray to God, we can search for God, we can act in a Godly way - God comes into our lives, God happens, if we make God happen.

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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CALENDAR

Candle lighting: 4:34 pm

Friday – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday – Breakfast and Torah study - 8:45 am.  Shabbat Morning Service - 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Tuesday – NO Lunch and Learn. Happy Secular New Year! Resume 1/8

Friday, January 4 – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, January 5 - Breakfast and Torah study – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service - 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Friday, January 11 – Tot Shabbat! at 6:30pm. Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Next time you come to TBH/CBM, please bring some non-perishable canned and packaged foods and personal items (no glass) for SOVA.

TBH Religious School and TBH Pre-school have open enrollment. Enroll your children now! Contact the TBH office for information.

And be sure to tell your neighbors, friends, and relatives about our warm and welcoming community and our programs!

We are looking for volunteers for services: chant Torah or Haftarah, daven, lead English readings, and have aliyot and other Torah/bimah honors. Training available! Contact Rabbi Flom by e-mail for details and to sign up!

This d’var torah is offered in honor of my best friend and life partner, Lynn Kronzek, on the occasion of our 38^th wedding anniversary on Friday, December 28. Thank you for always being a blessing in my life!

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Elisheva bat Malkah, Ze’ev ben Adeline, Liora bat Sarah, Eilite bat Miriam, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Chanah Bella bat Kreina), Bernard Garvin, Leah Granat, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Barbara Levy, David Marks, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Bernie Seeman, Irwin Silon, William Sragow, and Jonathan Woolf.

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.

DOES YOUR FATHER YET LIVE?

14 Tevet 5779 / 21-22 December 2018
Parashat Vayechi
Torah: Genesis 47:28 - 50:26 (Chazak, chazak v'nitchazeik!)
Haftarah: 1 Kings 2:1-12

Calendar and dedications follow below. For more information about our community, check out our web site at: http://www.bnaihayim.com

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

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DOES YOUR FATHER YET LIVE?

"And when Jacob finished commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into his bed; and he expired and was gathered to his people." Genesis 49:33

We learn in the Talmud, Ta’anit 5b:

Rabbi Yitzchak taught in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: "Jacob our father did not die." He [Rabbi Nachman] objected: “Was it for nothing that he was bewailed and embalmed and buried?” The other replied: “I derive this from the verse, as it is said – ‘Therefore do not fear, O Jacob, My servant, says the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel, for, lo, I will save you from afar and your seed from the land of their captivity.’” The verse likens him [Jacob] to his seed [Israel]; as his seed will then be alive so he too will be alive.

In response to the other rabbi’s objections, Rabbi Yitzchak explains that just as Jacob's descendants are living, so too is Jacob still living (citing Jeremiah 30:10). This is the message of the song Jewish children learn: "Am Yisrael Chai! Od Avinu Chai!" - The People of Israel live! Our father yet lives!

The question we must ask ourselves is: what are we doing to assure that this sentiment will always be true? Do we study Torah regularly? Do we observe Shabbat, keep kosher and perform other mitzvot to the best of our ability and understanding? Do we serve as good Jewish role models for our children?

We are the ones who have the power to fulfill (or not) the promise of God's deliverance of the People of Israel. If we live Judaism, the ancestral inheritance of the community of Jacob (morashah kehillat Ya'akov), in a meaningful way, then indeed, Jacob our father still lives. If we do not, then our descendants will not be the people of Israel.

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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CALENDAR

Candle lighting: 4:30 pm

Friday – Cool Shabbat Evening Service – It’s a GAS (Guitar-accompanied service) – with Steve Pearlman and Rabbi Flom - 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday – Breakfast and Torah study - 8:45 am.  Shabbat Morning Service with Steve Pearlman and Rabbi Flom - 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday – NO Religious School - on break after this until January 6.

Tuesday – NO Lunch and Learn 12/25 and 1/1 – Federal holidays. Resume 1/8

Friday, December 28 – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, December 29 - Breakfast and Torah study – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service - 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Next time you come to TBH/CBM, please bring some non-perishable canned and packaged foods and personal items (no glass) for SOVA.

TBH Religious School and TBH Pre-school have open enrollment. Enroll your children now! Contact the TBH office for information.

And be sure to tell your neighbors, friends, and relatives about our warm and welcoming community and our programs!

We are looking for volunteers for services: chant Torah or Haftarah, daven, lead English readings, and have aliyot and other Torah/bimah honors. Training available! Contact Rabbi Flom by e-mail for details and to sign up!

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Elisheva bat Malkah, Ze’ev ben Adeline, Liora bat Sarah, Eilite bat Miriam, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Chanah Bella bat Kreina), Bernard Garvin, Leah Granat, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Barbara Levy, David Marks, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Bernie Seeman, Irwin Silon, William Sragow, and Jonathan Woolf.

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.

ONE BUT NOT THE OTHER?

7 Tevet 5779 / 14-15 December 2018
Parashat Vayiggash
Torah: Genesis 44:18 - 47:27
Haftarah: Ezekiel 37:15-28

Calendar and dedications follow below. For more information about our community, check out our website at: http://www.bnaihayim.com

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

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ONE BUT NOT THE OTHER?

"And they told him, saying, 'Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.' And Jacob's heart fainted, for he did not believe them." Genesis 45:26

The Kotzker Rebbe, Menachem Mendel (d. 1859) teaches: When one says a person is "alive", the implication is that he is righteous - for only that path is true living. Thus, Jacob was told that Joseph was both righteous and the ruler of Egypt. To Jacob, those were mutually exclusive.

The Kotzker may have been drawing upon a well-known teaching of the Rabbis: "Even in their lifetime, the wicked are called dead." (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 18) My question is: why would Jacob think that righteousness and rule over Egypt were contradictory?

In much of his teaching, the Kotzker emphasizes the search for truth, the need for humility, and constant self-examination and self-criticism - all of which he might characterize as righteousness. If indeed Joseph is the ruler of Egypt, with unimaginable power and ostentatious wealth, this could well prevent him from following the paths of righteousness.

An answer, according to Rabbi Chaim Sofer (d. 1886), is found in the next verse: "And they told him all that Joseph had spoken to them". He says that Jacob was revived, and he believed his sons, only after hearing that Joseph had said, "God has made me lord over all Egypt." (Gen. 45:9) Jacob knew that, so long as Joseph recognized that all he had had come from God, he truly could be both powerful and righteous.

May we all have the wisdom and righteousness of Joseph.

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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CALENDAR

Candle lighting: 4:27 pm

Friday – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday – Breakfast and Torah study - 8:45 am.  Shabbat Morning Service - 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday – Religious School – 9:30 am. Religious School on break after this until January 6.

Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon. NO Lunch and Learn 12/25 and 1/1 – Federal holidays. Resume 1/8

Friday, December 21 – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, December 22 - Breakfast and Torah study – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service - 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Next time you come to TBH/CBM, please bring some non-perishable canned and packaged foods and personal items (no glass) for SOVA.

TBH Religious School and TBH Pre-school have open enrollment. Enroll your children now! Contact the TBH office for information.

And be sure to tell your neighbors, friends, and relatives about our warm and welcoming community and our programs!

We are looking for volunteers for services: chant Torah or Haftarah, daven, lead English readings, and have aliyot and other Torah/bimah honors. Training available! Contact Rabbi Flom by e-mail for details and to sign up!

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Elisheva bat Malkah, Ze’ev ben Adeline, Liora bat Sarah, Eilite bat Miriam, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Chanah Bella bat Kreina), Bernard Garvin, Leah Granat, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Barbara Levy, David Marks, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Irwin Silon, William Sragow, and Jonathan Woolf.

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.

REPENTANCE, REDEMPTION AND FORGIVENESS

30 Kislev 5779 / 7-8 December 2018

Torah: Genesis 41:1 - 44:17 (Aliyot 1-6)

Shabbat Rosh Chodesh: Numbers 28:9-15 (Aliyah 7)

Maftir: Numbers 7:42-47 (Shabbat Hanukkah)

Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7 (Shabbat Hanukkah)

Calendar and dedications follow below. For more information about our community, check out our web site at: http://www.bnaihayim.com

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

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REPENTANCE, REDEMPTION AND FORGIVENESS

"And Joseph said to them, 'This is what I spoke to you, saying, you are spies.'" Genesis 42:14

The sons of Jacob are put to the test. In order to demonstrate that they are not spies, they must bring Joseph's full brother, Benjamin, before the viceroy of Egypt (who, unbeknownst to them, is Joseph). He puts them in the same position, vis-a-vis Benjamin, that they were in regarding Joseph, when they abandoned him in the pit.

Nechama Leibowitz suggests that this is also a test of whether they have done teshuvah - to see if they have repented of what they did to Joseph. She cites Maimonides, who teaches that the test of true repentance is whether, given the opportunity to commit the same sin, the sinner refrains - out of repentance, rather than fear or weakness.

The brothers agree to the demand. But another aspect of teshuvah is admission - one must acknowledge and accept responsibility for the transgression. This they do, at verse 21, when "They said to each other, 'We are being punished on account of our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul as he pleaded with us, and we would not hear.'" According to Rabbi David of Lilov, only then did their redemption begin - only then did God fill Joseph's heart with love and mercy.

Perhaps only then was Joseph able to forgive them. Repentance is a multi-step process. Neither words nor deeds alone suffice. The same is true of forgiveness. Ultimately, Joseph forgives not with mere words, but with hugs and kisses and gifts and acceptance - and reunion. It leads to one of the happiest scenes in the Torah. Try repenting for the hurt you've given others - try forgiving for the hurt you've endured. Hear the anguish of another's soul. You have nothing to lose but your unhappiness.

I wish you a Shabbat Shalom and a Chag Urim Sameach - a Shabbat and a Hanukkah of peace and light, joy and wisdom.

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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CALENDAR

Candle lighting: 4:26 pm – Light Your Hanukkiyah First

Friday – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday – Breakfast and Torah study - 8:45 am. Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Attn: all female members – your participation is needed! Contact Carol Herskowitz or Lynn Kronzek for details. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday – Religious School – 9:30 am. Community Menorah Lighting, Religious School Hanukkah Play, Reb Jason and his guitar, Latkes, Sufganiyot, and More! - 5:00 pm. Check our website or weekly bulletin for details. RSVP to TBH/CBM office.

Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, December 14 – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, 15 December - Breakfast and Torah study – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service - 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday, 16 December: Religious School – 9:30 am.

Next time you come to TBH/CBM, please bring some non-perishable canned and packaged foods and personal items (no glass) for SOVA.

TBH Religious School and TBH Pre-school have open enrollment. Enroll your children now! Contact the TBH office for information.

And be sure to tell your neighbors, friends, and relatives about our warm and welcoming community and our programs!

We are looking for volunteers for services: chant Torah or Haftarah, daven, lead English readings, and have aliyot and other Torah/bimah honors. Training available! Contact Rabbi Flom by e-mail for details and to sign up!

This d'var torah is offered in honor of the women of TBH/CBM as they lead us this Shabbat Hanukkah/Rosh Chodesh. Kol hakavod! All honor to you!

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Elisheva bat Malkah, Ze’ev ben Adeline, Liora bat Sarah, Eilite bat Miriam, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Chanah Bella bat Kreina), Bernard Garvin, Leah Granat, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Barbara Levy, David Marks, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Irwin Silon, William Sragow, and Jonathan Woolf.

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.