Elul 28, 5779 / September 27-28, 2019
Parashat Nitzavim
Torah: Deuteronomy 29:9 – 30:20
Haftarah: Isaiah 61:10 - 63:9 (Seventh Haftarah of
Consolation)
Important note: If you have no place to worship for the High Holy Days,
or any day of the year, or if you think you cannot afford tickets or
membership, please, please join us for services. You can pay whatever you can
afford later. No one is turned away! Ever!
Rosh Hashanah begins Sunday evening! Please submit your Membership/High Holy Day
forms ASAP! Or call the synagogue office!
Dedications and Calendar of Events follow. For our
complete High Holy Day schedule, and
lots of other info about our community, please check out our web site at: http://bnaihayim.com
For the past few years, I have created a Cheshbon
HaNefesh Worksheet, to help us get ready for the spiritual side of the High
Holy Days (sorry, no recipes or floral arrangements!). You can pick up a hard
copy at TBH/CBM, or download it from my blog at:
Also, some excellent on-line resources are available for
your Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur preparations at:
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please
cite the source.
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ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER
These final few days leading up to Rosh
Hashanah and the Days of Awe and through Yom Kippur ought to be a time of
introspection and repentance. Jewish tradition teaches that during this time,
we should repent and make amends for all the wrongs we have done, to God, to
our relatives, to our friends, to everyone with whom we have a
relationship. The Hebrew word for repentance is "teshuvah". The
root of this word, "shuv", appears seven times in our parashah,
at Deuteronomy 30:1-10. The word connotes repentance, turning, returning,
turning around, and recalling. It has active and reflexive forms.
"... and you shall recall (v'hasheivota) them
to your mind ..." 30:1
"and you shall return (v'shavta) to the Lord
your God ..." 30:2
"and the Lord your God will return (v'shav)
your captivity and have compassion upon you, and will return (v'shav)
and gather you from all the peoples ..." 30:3
"and you shall return (tashuv) and hearken to
the voice of the Lord ..." 30:8
"... for the Lord will return (yashuv) to
rejoice over you for good ..." 30:9
"... if you turn (tashuv) to the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul." 30:10
R. Shlomo of Radomsk once asked, if the Torah states in
verse two that "you shall return to the Lord your God", implying
repentance, why does it say so again in verse eight? He answers that
before a person begins to repent, he doesn't even know what offenses he has
committed - he doesn't know what he doesn't know. Only after the first
steps of teshuvah, through the process of cheshbon hanefesh (accounting
of the soul) does he realize the enormity of his wrongs. So, he
begins to ascend, step by step, in his spiritual development. It's not a
one-shot deal.
What R. Shlomo doesn't say, perhaps because it was
obvious to him, is the role that God plays in all of this. It's a two-way
conversation. We turn toward God; God turns toward us. We move closer to
God; God moves closer to us. We repent; God draws us into greater repentance.
How do we start? The answer is found in the
concluding sentence of "Etz Chaim", recited at the conclusion
of every Torah service. "Bring us back (hashiveinu), Lord, to
You, and we will return (v'nashuvah); renew our days as of
old." Lamentations 5:21. We seriously ask God to help us repent,
and we are on our way!
Shabbt Shalom! L'shanah Tovah Umetukah Tikateivu
V'tichateimu - May you be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet new year!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
Visit me on Facebook
הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ
חָכָם
Who is wise? The one who learns from
every person.
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1
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Candle
lighting: 6:25 pm
Friday: Shabbat
Evening Service – 6:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: NO
Torah study/breakfast – resume October 19. Shabbat Morning
Service – 9:30 am. Junior Congregation – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch
follows.
Sunday: Religious
School – 9:30 am. Rosh Hashanah starts tonight!
Tuesday:
NO Lunch and Learn, of course! Resume October 29!
This
d’var torah is offered in memory of my grandmother, Cora Slome, whose yahrzeit
falls on Shabbat Elul 28. Y’hi zekherah liv’rakhah – her memory is a blessing.
This
d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Leah bat Sarah
Imanu, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Mark
Brownstein, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht
(Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Channah Bella bat Kreina), Bernard
Garvin, Leah Granat, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Philip Kronzek, Tonya Kronzek
(Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Imanu), David Marks, Sandra Raab, Josef Sands, Debra
Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat
Kreina), Anne Signett, and William Sragow.
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.
Next
time you come to TBH/CBM, please bring some non-perishable canned and packaged
foods and personal items (no glass) for SOVA.
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, deliver d’rashot, and have aliyot and other
Torah/bimah honors. Training available! Contact Rabbi Flom by e-mail for
details and to sign up!
Cyber
Torah list management (no salesman will call!):
To subscribe to
Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”
to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
Send requests
for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a
loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
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