IS YOUR TORAH HEALTHY?

Parashat Chukkat

Tammuz 10, 5782 / July 8-9, 2022

Torah: Numbers 19:1 – 22:1

Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33

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This d'var torah is offered in memory of my mother-in-law, Helena Kronzek, whose yahrzeit falls on Friday, Tammuz 16 (August 15). Y'hi zekherah liv'rakhah - her memory is a blessing.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Chanah Bella bat Kreina, Feigel bat Kreina, and D'vorah bat Feigel.

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Lunch and Learn  meets Tuesdays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya’akov. On July 12, we'll be at Chapter 9 of BT Berakhot 63(a) - 

"...תניא רבי אומר לעולם אל ירבה אדם ריעים בתוך ביתו” - "We are taught that Rabbi says: 'Never shall a man try to acquire too many friends within his house,...'" The reading may be found at page 35 of my pagination: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TK74GI6tqBSDugLsQmHTYEAzPqDUJxS0/view?usp=sharing 
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Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at: 
https://rebjasonblog.wordpress.com/blog/ 

Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you should read at: 
https://midrashsrp.wordpress.com   
 
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about becoming a Chaver and our various programs, at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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IS YOUR TORAH HEALTHY?

"‘And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "This is the chok of the Torah which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the Children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, which has no blemish, and upon which there has never been a yoke.’"’ Numbers 19:1-2 

Parah Adumah - Red Heifer

The Rabbis teach that a "chok" is a law in the Torah for which there is no rational explanation. And yet, Jews have struggled for millennia to make sense of this chok especially, for we might read this verse as, "this is the very ultimate chok in the Torah". Or, perhaps it’s a chok about Torah itself.

An anonymous teaching in Itturei Torah: “Since this is the chok of the red heifer, why doesn’t the Torah say ‘this is the chok of the heifer’ rather than ‘this is the chok of the Torah’? The reason is that the ashes of the red heifer can make ritually impure one who was pure, and make ritually pure one who was impure. That is generally true for all of the Torah: if one uses it properly, it is like an elixir of life, but if one abuses it, it is like poison.”

Torah may be used as a caress or a bludgeon. (See also BT Sukkah 49b, where Rabbi Elazar teaches that there is a Torah of lovingkindness and a Torah that is not of lovingkindness) One’s Torah learning and practice can improve and spiritually elevate the self; or one can use it to denigrate and dehumanize others. An elixir or a poison: not only for the practitioner, but for everyone around them. Choose your potion.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom - Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B'nai Hayim
Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/
Visit me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RabbiRichardFlom 
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
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My weekly divrei torah are also 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.

ON BEING AND DOING

Parashat Korach
Tammuz 3, 5782 / July 1-2, 2022
Torah: Numbers 16:1 - 18:32
Haftarah: 1 Samuel 11:14 - 12:22
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This d'var torah is offered in honor of Rabbi Jason Van Leeuwen and Gwen Wexler, who are marrying this Sunday. Mazal tov!

This d'var torah is offered in honor of Isaiah Dell, celebrating his bar mitzvah this Shabbat. Mazal tov!
 
This d'var torah is offered in honor of L.E. Saba and her son Mason, who this week joined the Jewish people! B'rukhim ha'baim! Mazal tov!

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Chanah Bella bat Kreina, Feigel bat Kreina, and D'vorah bat Feigel.
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Lunch and Learn  meets Tuesdays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya’akov. On July 5, we'll be at Chapter 9 of BT Berakhot 60(b) - "...אמר ר״ה אמר רב משום רבי מאיר” - "R. Huna said in the name of Rab, who spoke in the name of R. Meier,..." The reading may be found at page 27 of my pagination: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TK74GI6tqBSDugLsQmHTYEAzPqDUJxS0/view?usp=sharing 
-----------------------------------------------
Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at: 
https://rebjasonblog.wordpress.com/blog/ 

Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you should read at: 
https://midrashsrp.wordpress.com   
 
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about becoming a Chaver and our various programs, at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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ON BEING AND DOING
 
"They gathered together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, 'It is too much for you! For all of the assembly - all of them - are holy, and the Lord is among them; why do you lord yourselves over the congregation of the Lord?'" (Numbers 16:3)
 
Korach and his fellow rebels offer this challenge to the leadership of Moses and Aaron. What makes them holier than everybody else? Korach seems to have a point. After all, God did say to all of the Israelites that "you will be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy." (Leviticus 19:2) Even before the giving of the Torah at Sinai, God had told them, "You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy people." (Exodus 19:6)
 
The error that Korach and his followers make is that they didn't hear God as clearly as they thought. In the Exodus and Leviticus texts, God spoke in the future tense - "you will (or shall) be holy". It can be viewed as either a promise of future holiness, or as a commandment to become holy. How might holiness be accomplished? By observing God's commandments, of course.

Destruction of Korah Dathan and Abiram, illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible

 
Korach thinks that merely by being a Jew, he has done enough, he is holy. So it is with too many of us. We think that it is enough merely to be a Jew. As Korach fatally learns, to really be a Jew, to really achieve the holiness that God promises us, requires not passivity, but action - Jewish action. One can not simply "be" - one must “do".
 
There are many paths to the kind of holiness the Torah is talking about. One can kasher one's kitchen or attend prayer services more often or make Shabbat at home regularly. One might attend Jewish education classes or read more Jewish books. It certainly means taking responsibility for one’s actions (or inaction). But in Judaism, it is equally certain that mere belief is not enough. Deeds speak far louder than professions of faith.
 
Shabbat Shalom!
 
Rabbi Richard A. Flom - Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B'nai Hayim
Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/
Visit me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RabbiRichardFlom 
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
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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 

KEEPING FAITH AND SEEING TRUTH

Parashat Sh'lach L'kha
Sivan 26, 5782 / June 24-25, 2022
Torah: Numbers 13:1 - 15:41
Haftarah: Joshua 2:1-24
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This d'var torah is offered in honor of Dr. Martin Lee, President of Temple B'nai Hayim. Dr. Lee has served Temple B'nai Hayim, and before that Congregation Beth Meier, as President and in other Board positions for more than 10 years, and has done so with emunah shleimah - complete faith. We are honoring him this Sunday at our Annual Gala, and hope you can join us. Reservations are still available! For more information, call the synagogue office at (818) 788-4664 or go to:
https://bnaihayim.org/event-honoring-dr-martin-lee/ 
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This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Chanah Bella bat Kreina, Feigel bat Kreina, and D'vorah bat Feigel.
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Lunch and Learn  meets Tuesdays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya’akov. On June 28, we'll be at Chapter 9 of BT Berakhot (58a) - "...רבי שילא נגדיה לההוא גברא דבעל זונה” - "R. Shila lashed a certain man for having committed adultery..." The reading may be found at page 17 of my pagination: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TK74GI6tqBSDugLsQmHTYEAzPqDUJxS0/view?usp=sharing 
-----------------------------------------------
Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at: 
https://rebjasonblog.wordpress.com/blog/ 
 
Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you should read at: 
https://midrashsrp.wordpress.com   
 
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about becoming a Chaver and our various programs, at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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KEEPING FAITH AND SEEING TRUTH
 
"Send you men, who will spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites..."  Numbers 13:2

The Grapes of Canaan - James Tissot

Rashi: Why does the section of the spies follow the section of Miriam? Because she was punished for speaking evil about Moses, and these evil men saw this and did not learn from it.
 
After their mission, 10 of the 12 spies speak evilly about the land, and the Israelites refuse to enter it, even though God has promised it to them. Consequently, God punishes all of the people by making them wait 38 more years, until everyone who was an adult at the time is dead - except for the two spies who told the truth. Not only did the other spies not learn, neither did anyone else.

Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav quotes Ezekiel 1:1, "The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God." The anagram of the first letters of the Hebrew words here forms the word "emunah", which means "faith".
 
Had the spies and the people had faith, they would have seen the truth about the land and seen the lesson of Miriam's punishment for evil speech, and they would have been rewarded. When a person has faith, they see. 
 
Shabbat Shalom.
 
Rabbi Richard A. Flom - Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B'nai Hayim
Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/
Visit me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RabbiRichardFlom 
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
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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:
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 

BETWEEN THE LINES

Parashat B’ha’alot’kha

Sivan 19, 5782 / June 17-18, 2022

Torah: Numbers 8:1 - 12:17

Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7

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This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Chanah Bella bat Kreina, Feigel bat Kreina, and D'vorah bat Feigel.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Effective July 1, our community's official name will be Temple B'nai Hayim. Congregation Beth Meier will be merged in, and will no longer exist as a separate legal entity. If you donate to the community through purchases at Amazon Smile or Ralphs or any other such program, please update your beneficiary to Temple B'nai Hayim. The Social Hall will be undergoing major upgrades and will be renamed The Rabbi Meier Schimmel Social Hall, in loving memory of Congregation Beth Meier's founding rabbi.

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Lunch and Learn  meets Tuesdays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya’akov. On June 21, we'll be at Chapter 9 of BT Berakhot (55a) - "...אמר ר׳ ברכיה חלום” - "R. Berachia said: "There may be a dream ..." The reading may be found at page 9 of my pagination: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TK74GI6tqBSDugLsQmHTYEAzPqDUJxS0/view?usp=sharing 

-----------------------------------------------

Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at: 

https://rebjasonblog.wordpress.com/blog/ 

Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you should read at: 

https://midrashsrp.wordpress.com   

Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about becoming a Chaver and our various programs, at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 

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

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BETWEEN THE LINES

 

“Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say: ‘Rise up, Lord. May Your enemies be scattered, and may those who hate You flee before You.’ And when it rested, he would say: ‘Return, Lord, You who are Israel’s myriads of thousands.’” Numbers 10:35-6

Israelites Crossing the Jordan Carrying the Ark of the Covenant by Raphael

In a Sefer Torah and in the Chumash, these two verses are bracketed by upside down letters nuun (׆ ׆). According to the Talmud, they constitute a separate book of the Torah, the purpose of which is to avoid reporting three successive sins by the Israelites.  (For a wonderful look into the Midrash concerning these upside down letters, see Dr. Steve Pearlman's blog for this parashah: 

https://midrashsrp.wordpress.com/2022/06/13/behaalotecha/)  

 

In the liturgy, however, the two verses are themselves “bookends”. Verse 35 is sung when the Ark is opened in the synagogue at the beginning of the Torah service. The Torah scroll is removed, and it “sets out” around the sanctuary before it is read. At the conclusion of the Torah service, verse 36 is recited as the Ark is opened for the Torah to be put away, to “rest”.

 

What happens in the synagogue between the recitations of the two verses is a wonderful ritual pageant, carried out for the past two millennia in every synagogue in the world. The congregation rises and sings, the Torah is twice paraded around the sanctuary, the portion is read and discussed (and haftarah also on Shabbat and Yom Tov), anywhere from three to eight people are called for aliyot, prayers for healing, for thanksgiving, for the community and for our country are recited, babies are named, and more.

 

The Torah service is my favorite part of Shabbat morning. We are re-enacting history, and creating it as well, each time we conduct it. Since the Torah is the history of our people, and we read that history every week, one might say that all of our history occurs between these two verses. We publicize and renew our understanding of the Torah even as we stand at Mount Sinai. Most significantly, to my mind, we are making a statement about our commitment to Jewish heritage and Jewish continuity.

 

We Jews are a nation that learns the lessons of history more than any other. We re-enact it, we live it, and we make it. Go to your synagogue this Shabbat morning, and be a part of history.

 

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom - Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier

Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/
Visit me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RabbiRichardFlom 
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a

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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 

MASTERY OF MONEY, MASTERY OF SELF

Parashat Naso
Sivan 12, 5782 / June 10-11, 2022
Torah: Numbers 4:21 – 7:89

Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25 

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This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Chanah Bella bat Kreina, Feigel bat Kreina, and D'vorah bat Feigel.

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Don't forget that TBH/CBM will be having our annual fundraising gala, honoring our President Dr. Martin Lee, on Sunday, June 26. Contact the synagogue office or go to the website for more details and reservations.

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Lunch and Learn  meets Tuesdays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya’akov. On June 14, we'll be at Chapter 9 of BT Berakhot (54a) - "...ת״ר הרואה מעברות הים” - "The Rabbis taught: One who sees (the passages) of the crossing of the sea, ..." The reading may be found at: 

https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov_(Glick_Edition)%2C_Berakhot.9.1?ven=En_Jacob,_translated_by_SH_Glick,_1916&vhe=En_Jacob,_translated_by_SH_Glick,_1916&lang=bi 

I will be uploading a copy to Google drive as well, and will provide the link when that is completed.

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My Tikkun Leil Shavuot study materials are available at:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DciPH28b0BO9z9P11taj3tjnJFVjaWIN?usp=sharing  

Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at: 

https://rebjasonblog.wordpress.com/blog/ 

Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you can read here: 
https://midrashsrp.wordpress.com   

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

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MASTERY OF MONEY, MASTERY OF SELF

"Each person's holy things shall be his; whatever a person gives to the priest, it shall be his." Numbers 5:10

"...it shall be his" Who is meant by "his"?

The Talmud (Berakhot 63a), citing this verse, suggests that one who does not donate to the sanctuary ultimately ends up needy, while one who does donate becomes wealthy. There are several ways to look at this. One might read the Talmud literally; it also says that for the one who donates, "much money will be his" (they are talking about more than tax breaks!) Perhaps the Talmud is referring to spiritual need and wealth - the failure to give results in spiritual emptiness, but donating creates spiritual fulfillment.

"Thank offering unto the Lord - first fruits" - Providence Lithograph Company

Rabbi Y.Y. Tronk of Kutno says that a miser is not the master of his money; only someone who is willing to part with his money is the master of it. Only by giving it away does he show that the money is "his"; i.e., it is under his control. Of course, the ability to give up that which is permitted and desirable demonstrates self-control as well.  

Judaism does not prohibit the accumulation of wealth, nor does it require self-denial. But it does prohibit the complete retention of wealth and it does require self-control. So, all of the viewpoints are correct. When we make donations to our synagogue, we literally make our community wealthier. We also assure that when we require the synagogue to fill our spiritual needs, it will be there for us. Nor can we deny the inner sense of well-being that comes from donating to an institution we believe in, for we are gaining something of value as well. It feels good to know that we are helping to build and maintain something greater than ourselves. Finally, in doing so, we demonstrate that we truly are the masters of our selves.  

When we donate holy things for a holy purpose, we increase our own holiness.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom - Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/
Visit me on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RabbiRichardFlom 
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
---------------------------------------- 
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