DESPAIR AND HOPE IN THE CORN

Kislev 28, 5785 / December 27-28, 2024

Parashat Miketz

Torah: Genesis 41:1 - 44:17 

Maftir: Numbers 7:24-29 (Shabbat Hanukkah)

Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7 (Shabbat Hanukkah)

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This d'var torah is offered in honor of my wonderful life partner Lynn Kronzek, on the occasion of our 44th (!) wedding anniversary on Shabbat, December 28. It seems like only yesterday!

This d'var torah is offered in honor of our son, Robert Flom, who will be observing the 17th anniversary of his bar mitzvah by chanting his haftarah this Shabbat at Temple B'nai Hayim.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.

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Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. Due to scheduling conflicts, we'll be on hiatus until January 6. On January 6, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Vol. 3, Chagigah, p. 22 (BT Chagigah 14a): 

"... ונתתי נערים שריהם"

"And I will set up boys as their princes ..."

Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1symdqiuA-HHe7pqOezMo_zp79eTpNakc/view?usp=sharing 

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Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 
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Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.

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DESPAIR AND HOPE IN THE CORN

"Now Jacob saw that there was food (shever) in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, 'Why are you looking at each other?' And he said, 'Behold I have heard that there is food (shever) in Egypt. Go down there and buy (shivru) for us from there, and we will live and we will not die.'" Gen. 42:1-2

The Midrash goes to great lengths, using multiple puns and misspellings, to teach us that Jacob was prophetic. The word "shever" means both "food" and "brokenness" (literally, "rupture"). "Shivru" comes from the same root as "shever". And the Hebrew word "sever" (spelled with the letter "sin" rather than "shin") means "hope". In an unpointed Hebrew text, such as a Torah scroll, "shever" and "sever" are identical.

"It says that Jacob saw brokenness (and hope) in Egypt. There was brokenness, that was the famine. There was hope, that was the plenty. There was brokenness, that Joseph had gone down to Egypt. There was hope, that Joseph was in charge. There was brokenness, that there would be slavery and poverty. There was hope, that afterward they would come out with great wealth... For it had been revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive." Midrash B’reishit Rabbah 91

The Glory of Joseph (1896-1902, James Tissot)

Jacob is not only prophetic; he also gives a valuable lesson. One can find hope even in despair. Both despair and hope somehow arise in the same place, as a kernel within our souls. The result, despair or hope, really depends on how we nurture the seed. Even when we think there is no hope – there is hope.

Hanukkah Sameach! Shabbat Shalom! 

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B'nai Hayim

.אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם? הַלוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם

Who is wise? One who learns from every person. 

Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1
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My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call!

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PRINCE OR SLAVE?

Parashat Vayeishev

Torah: Genesis 37:1 – 40:23

Haftarah: Amos 2:6 – 3:8

Kislev 20, 5785 / December 20-21, 2024

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This d’var torah is offered in memory of my uncle, David Flom, whose yahrzeit falls this Sunday, Kislev 21. Y'hi zikhro liv'rakhah - may his memory be a blessing.

Hanukkah is coming! May the light of the holiday shine a refuah shleimah upon the hostages held by Hamas and may they be delivered speedily and safely to their homes and loved ones.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.

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Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. Due to scheduling conflicts, we'll be on hiatus until January 6. On January 6, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Vol. 3, Chagigah, p. 22 (BT Chagigah 14a): 

"... ונתתי נערים שריהם"

"And I will set up boys as their princes ..."

Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1symdqiuA-HHe7pqOezMo_zp79eTpNakc/view?usp=sharing 

----------------------------------------------------------
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.

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PRINCE OR SLAVE?

"And it came to pass after these things that the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker had sinned against their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry at his two princes - the prefect of the cupbearers and the prefect of the bakers." Genesis 40:1-2

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch says that the reference to the two courtiers as "princes" is mockery. To those who served beneath them, they were "princes", wielding great power; but to the king, they were nothing more than slaves with fancy titles. He threw them into prison for no apparent reason. The cupbearer and baker failed to understand that, when one's position is dependent solely upon the whim of one's superior, one's position is, at best, precarious.

Joseph Faithful in Prison - Providence Lithograph Company, 1907

So it is all too often with people who attain positions of power granted by another. They clothe themselves in self-importance. The opinions of those who work for them are irrelevant. These "princes" believe that direct contact with the king somehow makes them as powerful as the king.

The most desirable community, it seems to me, is one where every member, whether leader or not, fully understands that they are serving a higher purpose; where there is no self-aggrandizement, no delusion of grandeur interfering with their dedication and perseverance. Fortunate is that community whose leaders understand that they are NOT royalty. Equally fortunate are the leaders and workers who serve that community which does not treat them like slaves, but rather as partners. I am thankful to be a member of such a community! May it be thus for all of us.

Shabbat Shalom! Chag Urim Sameach!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B’nai Hayim
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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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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DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!

Parashat Vayishlach

Kislev 13, 5785 / December 13-14, 2024

Torah - Genesis 32:4 – 36:43
Haftarah – Ovadiah 1:1-21

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This d’var torah is offered in memory of my uncle, Daniel Flom, whose yahrzeit falls this Sunday, Kislev 14. Y'hi zikhro liv'rakhah - may his memory be a blessing.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.

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

Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. Normally we learn from the midrashic collection Ein Ya'akov. However, on December 16, we'll be at BT Chagigah 14a, learning some Merkavah Kabbalah that does not appear in Ein Ya'akov: 

"... כתוב אחד אומר לבושיה כתלג חיור"

"One verse says: His raiment was as white as snow ..."

Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1symdqiuA-HHe7pqOezMo_zp79eTpNakc/view?usp=sharing 

----------------------------------------------------------
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.

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DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!

'And (the angel) said, "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with humans, and you have prevailed.'" Genesis 32:29

Jewish tradition, going back to the opening chapters of Genesis, holds that names contain the essential being of the person, place or thing named. We Jews have been called the "Children of Israel" or the "People Israel" for longer than we have been called "Jews". The origin of the name is given in our verse. Does "Israel " describe our very essence?

Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (Alexander Louis Leloir - 1865)

Consider first the struggle with other people. In the course of the Tanakh itself, our people struggled with Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, and others. Since then, we have striven with Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Cossacks, Nazis, Soviets, and many others. We have not always prevailed, in the sense of military victory - quite the contrary - no significant military victories from circa 165 BCE until 1948 CE. Yet, to the extent any people or nations at all exist today using those names, they are quite different from what they were. And what about us? We are still here, so we have prevailed; but we are still "a people apart", still struggling with others and with ourselves to be "a light unto the nations", still fighting sometimes for the very right to be Jews.

Now consider contention with God. From Abraham until modern times, Jews have wrestled with God. Our people at times have refused to follow God's word, sometimes at a heavy price. More often, our people have listened to God, yet still paid a price. We ask, "God, what do you want from us?" "God, what do these words mean, why do you command us to do such and such?" "God, where were You when the Temple was destroyed, when our people were being slaughtered at Auschwitz, and all the other times?" "Shall not the Judge of the entire world act justly?" Sometimes, there is more than one "right" answer. Sometimes, there is no satisfactory answer. Sometimes, there is no answer, no response at all.

If we surrender to the forces around us, we give up the right to call ourselves Israel. It is not prevailing that matters; it is the very struggle with God and with other peoples who wish us ill that defines the essence of being a Jew. Don't give up the fight!

Shabbat Shalom Uv'rakhah! A Shabbat of Peace and Blessing!
 
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B’nai Hayim
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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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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AWESOME HOLY DREAMS

Parashat Vayetze

Kislev 6, 5785 / December 6-7, 2024
Torah: Genesis 28:10 – 32:3
Haftarah: Hosea 12:13 – 14:10 (Ashkenazim); Hosea 11:7 - 12:12 (Sephardim)

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This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.

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

Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. Normally we learn from the midrashic collection Ein Ya'akov. However, on December 9, we'll be at BT Chagigah 13b, learning some Merkavah Kabbalah that does not appear in Ein Ya'akov: 

"...אמר ריש לקיש מאי דכתיב אשירה"

"Resh Lakish said: What is the meaning of the verse: I will sing..."

Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1symdqiuA-HHe7pqOezMo_zp79eTpNakc/view?usp=sharing 

----------------------------------------------------------
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/ 
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.

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

AWESOME HOLY DREAMS

"And Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place and I, I did not know.' And he was afraid, and he said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'" Gen. 28:16-17

Rashi: For had I known, I would not have slept in such a holy place.

Shlomoh of Radomsk: "My I, I did not know." I erased everything that was in me; my self-awareness; ego consciousness; self-intention.

Jacob dreamt of angels going up and down a ladder. He realized that God was beside him, speaking to him, reaffirming the promise made to Abraham and Isaac. Then Jacob awoke. Had Jacob known that the place was holy, he would have slept elsewhere, according to Rashi. But then, perhaps he would not have had the dream. Perhaps God would not have spoken with him, and what would have become of the covenant with Abraham and Isaac? Was it mere ignorance through which Jacob came to sleep in such a holy place? How then did he merit a visitation from God?

Jacob's Ladder (ca. 1800, William Blake)

Shlomoh of Radomsk, a mid-19th century Polish Chasidic rebbe, suggests that it was not ignorance, but rather, intentional and practiced suppression of the ego, through which Jacob merited the dream and the promise. This seems to be the opposite of Rashi. Perhaps not.

By not being self-focused, Jacob became God-focused. Jacob became more attuned to the holiness around him when he stopped thinking of himself as the center of the universe. By living a minimalist physical (outer) life (he was using a rock for a pillow), Jacob maximized his spiritual (inner) life. Read Rashi, then, as, "Had I known (i.e., had I in my egocentric way been looking to know such a place), I would not have been able to sleep in such a holy place."

Holiness and communion with God come not when we look for them as entitlements, but rather, when we recognize the potential for holiness in every place and every person, and empty out our egos in order to become vessels for receiving that holiness.

Have an awesome Shabbat!

Shabbat Shalom Uv'rakhah! A Shabbat of Peace and Blessing!
 
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B’nai Hayim
הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם
Who is wise? The one who learns from every person.
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1

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