FUTURE PERFECT

Parashat Bereishit

Tishrei 27, 5780 / October 25-26, 2019

Torah Reading - Genesis 1:1 - 6:8

Haftarah - Isaiah 42:5 - 43:10 (Ashkenazim); Isaiah 42:5-21 (Sephardim)

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FUTURE PERFECT

"And the heavens and the earth and all their hosts were finished. And by the seventh day God finished all God's work that God had done, and God rested on the seventh day from all the work that God had done. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because on it God rested from all the work of creating that God had done." Genesis 2:1-3.

The above verses are chanted in the synagogue and at the Shabbat evening table as the lead-in to Kiddush. In their book, "Five Cities of Refuge", Rabbi Lawrence Kushner and playwright David Mamet point out that work and Shabbat observance go together – they are inseparable. Like God, we can truly bless our work only by refraining from it for a day, and then by reflecting on the work we have done.

They also point out that the chapter and verse structure of the Torah is a construct, which artificially separates Shabbat (Chapter 2) from the rest of Creation (Chapter 1). This is symbolic, they suggest, of our broken world. And it is a reason why we silently say the concluding words of Chapter 1, "and there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day", before chanting Kiddush.

I would note that the Jewish mystics have taught that a way to repair the world is through "yichidut", the Unification of God's Holy Name. One way we can “repair” Shabbat, then, might be to reunify Shabbat with the rest of the week - not by working on Shabbat, not by resting all week, but by realizing that our work, which is never done, can have meaning for us only if we take time off to contemplate that which we have not created - and understand that we play a role, however minor, in perfecting that Creation.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם

Who is wise?  The one who learns from every person.

Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1 

WHAT EXACTLY ARE SUKKOT?

Tishrei 20, 5780 / October 18-19, 2019

Shabbat Chol Hamo'ed Sukkot 
Torah: Exodus 33:12 - 34:26 
Maftir: Numbers 29:26-31

Haftarah: Ezekiel 38:18 - 39:16

Book of Ecclesiastes

22 Tishrei / October 21

Sh’mini Atzeret

Torah: Deuteronomy 14:22 – 16:17

Maftir: Numbers 29:35 – 30:1

Haftarah: 1 Kings 8:54-66

23 Tishrei / October 22

Simchat Torah

Torah: Deuteronomy 33:1 – 34:12; Genesis 1:1 – 2:3

Maftir: Numbers 29:35 – 30:1

Haftarah: Joshua 1:1-18

IMPORTANT NOTE ON SERVICE TIME:

This Monday, October 21, our Simchat Torah Celebration/Service will be at 6:30 pm. Please join us for songs, dancing with our Sifrei Torah, a Torah scroll roll-out, and of course, some treats.

Dedications and Calendar of Events follow. For more information about our community, visit:

http://www.bnaihayim.com 

Some excellent on-line resources are available for Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah at:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/

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

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WHAT EXACTLY ARE SUKKOT?

We read this past Monday and Tuesday, on the first days of Sukkot:

"So that your generations will know that I caused the Children of Israel to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 23:43

There is an interesting dispute among the Rabbis concerning the nature of the sukkot in which our ancestors dwelt. In the Talmud (Sukkah 11b), Rabbi Eliezer says the sukkot were "the clouds of glory" (ananei hakavod) that surrounded the Jews in the desert. But Rabbi Akiva says, "They built for themselves actual booths" (sukkot mamash). One might understand from Rabbi Eliezer that the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, surrounded them in the desert - that is something truly spectacular! Rabbi Akiva is a realist - they lived in flimsy structures, just like we build today.

What makes the discussion more interesting is that in the midrashic text Mekhilta D'Rebbi Ishmael (Pischa 14), Rabbi Eliezer says they were actual booths and Rabbi Akiva says they were clouds of glory! Which text is correct and which rabbi is correct?

The answer is - they all are! Sukkot are physical and metaphysical. It comes to teach us that when we spend a week fulfilling the mitzvah of residing in a flimsy hut, we surround ourselves with the Shekhinah. Spend some time in a sukkah, and get your head in the clouds!

BTW, whether or not you have been in a sukkah this year, you are invited to “Pizza in the Hut” (also pasta!) at B’nai Hayim this Friday evening. We will also be celebrating October birthdays, anniversaries, and other simchahs. Reservations are required, and there is a charge. Please let the TBH/CBM office know if you are attending by 1:00 pm Thursday, to make sure we have enough pizza!

We’ll see you here!

May we all dwell in sukkot shalom – shelters of peace.

Chag Sukkot Sameach! Shabbat Shalom! Sh’mini Atzeret Sameach! Simchat Torah Sameach!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier

Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com 

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:

Friday: 5:57 pm

Sunday: 5:55 pm

Monday: 6:53 pm

Friday: Simchah Shabbat Evening Service – 6:30 pm. Sukkot Dinner – Pizza in the Hut – 7:15 pm. Join us for our first Simchah Shabbat (third Friday every month) celebrating all the birthdays, anniversaries, and other simchahs of the month. Reservations a must! $15/adult - $10/ 6-12 – 5 and under/ no charge. Please call the office ASAP to reserve your spot!

Saturday: Torah study/breakfast - 8:45 am in the sukkah. Chol Hamo’ed Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Kiddush lunch follows.

Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am.

Monday: Sh’mini Atzeret Morning Service, including Yizkor – 9:30 am. Light kiddush lunch follows.

Monday: Simchat Torah Evening Celebration/Service – 6:30 pm. Light refreshments follow.

Tuesday: Simchat Torah Morning Service – 9:30 am. Light kiddush lunch follows. NO Lunch and Learn – resumes October 29.

Friday, October 25: Shabbat Evening Service – 6:30 pm. Light Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, October 26: Torah study/breakfast - 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Religious School Junior Congregation: 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.

Sunday, October 27: Religious School – 9:30 am. Lecture and Book Signing - Author Jonathan Dobrer will be discussing his latest book, Roots and Bitter Fruits of Anti-Semitism. Books will be available for purchase. 3:00 – 5:00 pm. Refreshments will be served.

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 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 Kronzek, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Imanu), Stuart Lytton, David Marks, Sandra Raab, David Russak, Josef Sands, Shirley Sands, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), 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.

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 

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 

YOU CAN’T GIVE UP!

Tishrei 13, 5780 / October 11-12, 2019

Parashat Ha’azinu

Torah: Deuteronomy 32:1-52

Haftarah: 2 Samuel 22:1-51

Tishrei 15-16, 5780 / October 13-15, 2019

Sukkot

Torah: Leviticus 22:26 – 23:44 (both days)

Maftir: Numbers 29:12-16 (both days)

Haftarah day 1: Zechariah 14:1-21

Haftarah day 2: 1 Kings 8:2-21

Lulav/Etrog: I ordered a number of sets to cover all those who purchased one through the synagogue last year, and a couple extras. They will be available for pick-up at the synagogue Friday (call first), Sunday morning, and of course at Sukkot services Monday and Tuesday.

Dedications and Calendar of Events follow. For more information about our community, visit:

 www.bnaihayim.com

Some excellent on-line resources are available for Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah at:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/

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

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YOU CAN’T GIVE UP!

“For from afar, you will see the land, but you will not come there, to the land I am giving the children of Israel.” Deuteronomy 32:52

Rabbi Tarfon taught: “It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task; neither are you free to refrain from it.” Avot 2:16

Moses already knows he is going to die – before he is able to completely accomplish the assignment he had been given forty years before – leading the Israelites into what will thereafter be known as the Land of Israel. Yet, even to his dying day, he continues to carry out his duties as the leader of the Israelites, still asking God to permit him to go into the land with them. Once he knew he would not be allowed, he didn’t throw in the towel – he didn’t say, “Well, there’s no further reason to do this anymore, since I can’t finish the job.”

That’s how it is to be a Jew – that’s how it is for every human being. It’s up to every one of us to strive to accomplish our work as long as we are able. Others will pick up where we have left off. Moses knew that Joshua would take up the mantle of leadership afterward – that’s one of the reasons he continued to serve as Joshua’s mentor. Similarly, we should all know that if we give up on the holy enterprise of living lives of meaning and goodness, our children and our community might well assume that there is no point to that task at all – pursuing the work means it will continue after us.

Another way to understand Rabbi Tarfon is this: The Israelites’ release from Egyptian bondage created the freedom to act on, rather than to reject, the responsibility to willingly serve others.

Don’t give up!

Shabbat Shalom! Chag Sukkot Sameach!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier

Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com

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:

Friday: 6:06 pm

Sunday: 6:03 pm

Monday: 7:02 pm

Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 6:30 pm. Minimal oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday: NO Torah study/breakfast this Shabbat. Resumes October 19. Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Religious School Junior Congregation: 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.

Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am. Sukkah Construction – 9:30 am. Sukkot begins at 6:10 pm.

Monday: Sukkot Morning Service – 9:30 am. Light kiddush lunch follows in sukkah.

Tuesday: Sukkot Morning Service – 9:30 am. Light kiddush lunch follows in sukkah. NO Lunch and Learn – resumes October 22.

Friday, October 18: Simcha Shabbat Evening Service – 6:30 pm. Sukkot Dinner – Pizza in the Hut – 7:15 pm. Join us for our first Simcha Shabbat (third Friday every month) celebrating all the birthdays, anniversaries, and other s’machot of the month. Reservations a must! $15/adult - $10/ 6-12 – 5 and under/ no charge. Please call the office ASAP to reserve your spot!

Saturday, October 19: Torah study/breakfast - 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Kiddush lunch follows.

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 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), Stuart Lytton, David Marks, Sandra Raab, David Russak, Josef Sands, Shirley Sands, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), 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.

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 

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

THIS IS AWESOME!

Tishrei 6, 5780 / October 4-5, 2019

Parashat Vayeilekh

Shabbat Shuvah - The Sabbath of Return

Torah: Deuteronomy 31:1-30
Haftarah: Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20

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!

Tashlikh – Sunday, 10:00 am at Los Encinos State Park – 16756 Moorpark St., Encino.

Yom Kippur begins Tuesday evening! Kol Nidrei Service is at 6:00 pm SHARP. If you have not already done so, 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 all 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:

https://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2019/09/cheshbon-hanefesh-worksheet-5780-edition.html

Also, some excellent on-line resources are available for your Yom Kippur preparations at:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/

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

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THIS IS AWESOME!

“And that their children who have not known may hear and learn to fear (to hold in awe) the Lord your God, all the days you live in the land where you go over the Jordan to possess it.” Deuteronomy 31:13

The word translated as “to fear”, l’yira, might also be translated as “to hold in awe”. Indeed, these days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as “Yamim Nora’im” - the Days of Awe, not the Days of Fear, even though nora’im and yira share the same root.

Note 1: The verses immediately preceding our verse instruct all the Jewish people to gather together to hear the reading of the Torah - to learn how to practice Judaism. We do this now in the synagogue, on Shabbat, Mondays and Thursdays, New Moons and Holy Days.

Note 2: Since the dispersion following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. until 1948, few Jews lived in the Land of Israel - i.e., “over the Jordan”. Yet, they continued, even to today, even though most Jews still do not live in the Land of Israel, to hold God in awe and to hear and to learn, and to practice Judaism. I want to suggest that it is not only God that is awesome, but that the verses mean to tell us that the Torah and Judaism as we know it (and as it is still developing) are also awesome! Our ancestors knew this – and so should we all!

The best way, perhaps the only way, to hear and learn how to practice awesome Judaism is to come together, in synagogues and in study halls and in living rooms, and study Torah. We don’t have to be over the Jordan, in the Land of Israel; we can be anywhere, and these days, thanks to the internet, we don’t even have to be in the same time zone, let alone the same room.

Go to a synagogue; join a Jewish learning program; gather together with other Jews and experience the awesomeness of it all!

Shabbat Shalom! Wishing you a g’mar chatimah tovah umetukah - May you be completely sealed for a good and sweet new year!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier

Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com 

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: 6:15 pm

Kol Nidrei: 6:10 pm

Friday:  A Cappella Shabbat Evening Service – 6:30 pm. Minimal oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday: NO Torah study/breakfast this Shabbat. Resumes October 19. Shabbat   Morning Service – 9:30 am. Kiddush lunch follows.

Sunday:  Tashlikh – 10:00 am at Los Encinos State Park – 16756 Moorpark St., Encino. Bring a dairy/pareve bag snack and drink, and a shofar if you like – NO crumbs, please, we will provide duck food.

Tuesday: NO Lunch and Learn – resumes October 15. Kol Nidrei Service – 6:00 pm SHARP.

Wednesday: Yom Kippur Services – 9:00 am. For full schedule for Yom Kippur and Sukkot, see: http://www.bnaihayim.com/calendar.html

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 in memory of my uncle, Sidney Schugar, whose yahrzeit falls on Yom Kippur. His 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), Stuart Lytton, David Marks, Sandra Raab, David Russak, Josef Sands, Shirley Sands, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Anne Signett, Hadassah Simani, 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.

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.

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

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net