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
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
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.
