Parashat Yitro
Shevat 24, 5781 / February 5-6, 2021
Torah: Exodus 18:1 – 20:23
Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1 – 7:6; 9:5-6 (Ashkenazim); Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sephardim)
SPECIAL BULLETIN! PURIM IS COMING!
Anyone who wishes to take part in our annual Purim Spiel should contact Reb Jason at rebjason613@gmail.com ASAP. No one will be turned away. A virtual Purim spiel and megillah reading will be Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 pm. Thanks to Reb Jason for creating this year’s spiel!
Shevat 24, 5781 / February 5-6, 2021
Torah: Exodus 18:1 – 20:23
Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1 – 7:6; 9:5-6 (Ashkenazim); Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sephardim)
SPECIAL BULLETIN! PURIM IS COMING!
Anyone who wishes to take part in our annual Purim Spiel should contact Reb Jason at rebjason613@gmail.com ASAP. No one will be turned away. A virtual Purim spiel and megillah reading will be Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 pm. Thanks to Reb Jason for creating this year’s spiel!
A Special Letter for our community regarding Shabbat Rosh Chodesh - February 13:
Dear Friends,
Our Shabbat Rosh Chodesh service at Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier is a festive program honoring women. Aligned with the Hebrew calendar, it can occur from 1-3 times annually. TBH/CBM has celebrated the Rosh Chodesh ritual for quite some time, but the upcoming virtual event-- to take place on Saturday February 13-- elevates us farther than we expected: The Torah and Haftarah portions will be chanted entirely by women! This level of participation has not previously been achieved here.
As a result, we're now inspired to heighten women's involvement in davening, leading the Shabbat P'sukei D'Zimra, Shacharit, Hallel, and Musaf services. If you or another chavera seeks such participation, we would be thrilled to speak with you and offer the "technical support" of Rabbi Flom or Reb Jason. (Also, virtual transmission means that volunteers won't be facing "the crowds" directly, offering a more relaxed experience).
Nor do you need to chant Torah or lead prayer to absorb the Rosh Chodesh spirit. Join us on February 13 at 10:00 AM and invite friends to zoom into our community!
We look forward to hearing from you. In advance, thanks so much for your participation-- and inspiration!
Sincerely,
Susan Burke Lynn Kronzek
susanmburke@att.net lckronzek@sbcglobal.net
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing
A list of all of our on-line activities
can be found below.
All our services and programs are
available at:
https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim
Please feel free to pass this on to a
friend, and please cite the source.
----------------------------------------------------------------
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Yitro said to Moses (his son-in-law): “The thing you are doing is not right. You will surely wear yourself out, and these people as well. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me, and God be with you! You represent the people before God; you bring the disputes before God, and enjoin upon them the laws and the teachings, and make known to them the way they are to go and the practices they are to follow. You shall also seek out capable people who fear God, trustworthy people who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, and let them judge people at all times…. Let them share the burden with you. If you do this – and God so commands you – you will be able to bear up; and all these people too will go home unwearied.” Exodus 18:17-23
In a way, this sounds like the establishment of an army, or a government, or any other type of human organization. It looks a bit like a model for setting up a synagogue – a rabbi, a board of directors and committees. The difference is that, usually, but not always, the rabbi does not choose the board of directors – the congregation does. And unlike Moses, the rabbi is not sent by God – the congregation, directly or through the board, chooses the rabbi.
Yitro sees a necessary separation of management and spiritual leadership. The management guru Peter Drucker wrote many years ago that the difference between leadership and management is that leadership is doing the right thing, and management is doing the thing right. Sometimes leadership, doing the right thing, requires going out on a limb. Management is the antithesis of going out on a limb. Doing the thing right requires management to be sure that processes and outcomes have consensus. It’s often about risk avoidance and shared responsibility. The modern synagogue is a bit more complicated – rabbis must be managers, and managers must be leaders. And always, everyone should share the burden!
Yet, the Israelites have problems. When the system breaks down, bad things happen. Sometimes Moses fails to lead, sometimes the managers go beyond their authority. When Aaron’s sons, the “managers” Nadav and Abihu, try to usurp Moses and Aaron, God punishes them – they are struck down. When Moses fails to rebuke the Israelites while the Moabite women are enticing them, the result is a civil war and a plague among the Israelites. But ultimately, they all manage to get through the desert together, because they take care of each other. They fight for each other, not with each other.
Leaders, managers, followers, workers – we all must join in the Jewish enterprise together, as a unified people – even when we disagree. This is how it is explained by Pirkei Avot. “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh” – All Israel are responsible for each other.
----------------------------------------------------------------
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Yitro said to Moses (his son-in-law): “The thing you are doing is not right. You will surely wear yourself out, and these people as well. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me, and God be with you! You represent the people before God; you bring the disputes before God, and enjoin upon them the laws and the teachings, and make known to them the way they are to go and the practices they are to follow. You shall also seek out capable people who fear God, trustworthy people who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, and let them judge people at all times…. Let them share the burden with you. If you do this – and God so commands you – you will be able to bear up; and all these people too will go home unwearied.” Exodus 18:17-23
In a way, this sounds like the establishment of an army, or a government, or any other type of human organization. It looks a bit like a model for setting up a synagogue – a rabbi, a board of directors and committees. The difference is that, usually, but not always, the rabbi does not choose the board of directors – the congregation does. And unlike Moses, the rabbi is not sent by God – the congregation, directly or through the board, chooses the rabbi.
Yitro sees a necessary separation of management and spiritual leadership. The management guru Peter Drucker wrote many years ago that the difference between leadership and management is that leadership is doing the right thing, and management is doing the thing right. Sometimes leadership, doing the right thing, requires going out on a limb. Management is the antithesis of going out on a limb. Doing the thing right requires management to be sure that processes and outcomes have consensus. It’s often about risk avoidance and shared responsibility. The modern synagogue is a bit more complicated – rabbis must be managers, and managers must be leaders. And always, everyone should share the burden!
Yet, the Israelites have problems. When the system breaks down, bad things happen. Sometimes Moses fails to lead, sometimes the managers go beyond their authority. When Aaron’s sons, the “managers” Nadav and Abihu, try to usurp Moses and Aaron, God punishes them – they are struck down. When Moses fails to rebuke the Israelites while the Moabite women are enticing them, the result is a civil war and a plague among the Israelites. But ultimately, they all manage to get through the desert together, because they take care of each other. They fight for each other, not with each other.
Leaders, managers, followers, workers – we all must join in the Jewish enterprise together, as a unified people – even when we disagree. This is how it is explained by Pirkei Avot. “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh” – All Israel are responsible for each other.
We either
build each other up, or we tear each other down. To tell you the truth, this sounds like
pretty good advice for our society in general.
I wish you Shabbat Shalom Uv’rakhah – A Shabbat of Peace and Blessing.
TBH/CBM
הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1
------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO!
Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Service - February 13 at 10:00 am. See the letter at the top of the page for details.
Downloadable and printable Siddur
for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat/Festival Ma'ariv, Shabbat/Festival Morning, and
more, including the weekly Parashah and Haftarah, all available at:
https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0
Fill out the form - the download is
free.
David Silon’s on-going class “Jewish
History” meets Sunday at 11:00 am.
Join us every Tuesday at
12:30 pm for Lunch and Learn, a 60-90 minute study session. We're
learning Hasidic and classic teachings on the weekly parashah.
Some excellent on-line Jewish resources
are available at:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/
You can subscribe to the Conservative Yeshiva’s weekly Torah Sparks via email here:
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, and receive Cyber Torah every week in your mailbox, 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
