SOME BEAN COUNTER!

Parashat Pekudei/Shabbat HaChodesh

Torah: Exodus 38:21 – 40:38 (Chazak!)

Maftir: Exodus 12:1-20

Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18 (Ashkenazim); Ezekiel 45:18 - 46:15 (Sephardim)

Adar 29, 5785 / March 28-29, 2025

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My annual Pesach Resources Guide is now available. Check it out occasionally before Pesach as I do make edits and updates.

https://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2025/03/pesach-resources-5785.html 

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This d’var torah is offered in memory of my father-in-law, Abe Kronzek, whose yahrzeit falls on Sunday, Rosh Chodesh Nisan. Y'hi zikhro liv'rakhah - May his memory be a blessing.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the hostages.

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. On March 31, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Vol. 3, Yevamot, p. 32 (BT Yevamot 6a): 

"...תניא איש אמו ואביו תיראו" 

"We are taught in a Baraitha Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father ...'"

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at: 
https://hebrewbooks.org/9632

A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 

https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents 

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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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SOME BEAN COUNTER!

“These are the accountings (pekudei) of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of Testimony, which was accounted for (pukad) at the behest of Moses ... “Exodus 38:21

I must confess that, all too often, the subtleties of Hebrew grammar are lost on me. The Hebrew root "pkd" gives rise to words which, in various constructions, mean “account”, “count”, “command(er)”, “deposit”, “official”, and “bureaucrat”, among others. Some are laudatory, some are derogatory. How exactly was it used in our verse?

 

One could read this verse to mean that Moses was acting merely as a functionary, a bureaucrat, a pencil pushing bean counter - you get the idea. Somehow, I do not believe that this is the way that Moses would have liked to be remembered. Because of the passive voice, it's not clear what his motivation was.

Moses Beheld All the Work - Marc Chagall

 

The midrash suggests that Moses ordered the accounting because he did not want anybody to accuse him of stealing. This sort of self-protective mentality is laudable, in one respect, because it shows that Moses had nothing to hide. Everything that had been collected for the Tabernacle had actually been used in its construction. On the other hand, it is a bit unseemly, showing that he perhaps did not believe the people trusted him. Why should Moses have feared the Children of Israel? After all, they believed so strongly in him, that when he did not reappear after climbing Mount Sinai , they assumed that God had abandoned them!

 

A third possible way to look at this is that Moses ordered the accounting because he believed that the people had a right to know. He wasn't a drudge and he wasn't afraid. Rather, he was shedding light where there was potential for darkness; he was an early advocate for transparency. Note also that God did not command Moses to do this.

 

Lost in all this, and in our attitudes towards bureaucrats, is that ultimately, Moses' motivation is irrelevant. The bottom line is that the people were reassured. He was a good public servant. That is all that we can hope to expect from anybody that works on behalf of the community. And a job well done is something you can take to the bank!

 

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard Flom, Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B'nai Hayim
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent."
BT Yevamot 87b

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My weekly divrei torah are 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 email to ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading "Dedicate Cyber Torah" and provide details in the message body. 

PESACH RESOURCES – 5785

PESACH RESOURCES – 5785

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Chaverim yekarim - Dear friends:
 
Well, it’s almost time for Pesach! You know, the “Festival of Freedom”, the holiday on which we celebrate our release from slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt by abiding by the very strict dietary and ritual rules created by the Rabbis and Jewish Tradition, including eating the hardtack called matzah for eight days. Freedom, you say? God said, “Send forth My people, so they may serve me.” That’s how it is typically translated. But the Hebrew word for “so they may serve me”, “v’ya’avduni”, might easily be translated as “so they will slave for Me”. The root for “serve”, “avad”, is also the root for “eved” – “slave”. So, how do you manage Pesach in such a way as to avoid complete slavery?
 
Here are some simple rules:
1. Accept that you are not perfect – and neither is anyone else! You don’t have to do it all! You can’t do it all!
2. Prepare the house by cleaning and removing the chametz. A short but very useful guide to kashering your kitchen and home and identifying foods that are or are not kosher for Passover can be found at: 

https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/holidays/pesah-guide-2025

3. Prepare the food for the Seder.

4. Prepare the food for the remainder of the holiday by shopping for it before Pesach.
5. Prepare yourself and your family spiritually.
6. Prepare yourself and your family intellectually.
7. Do not drive yourself or anyone else crazy – see number rule #1.
8. Remember that Pesach really is about freedom; freedom is fun; have fun! See rule #7.
9. Any questions? Ask a rabbi!

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Seder Plate with Orange

Shmurah Matzah

Are you looking for ways to make your Seder more meaningful, more accessible, more involving for children, more interesting, shorter, etc.? Then check out these resources on-line:

 
a. The Rabbinical Assembly’s Pesach Guide 5785 can be downloaded at the following site: 

https://www.rabbinicalassembly,org/holidays/pesah-guide-2025  

 a.1. The Rabbinical Assembly has published "A Prayer for the Hostages in Gaza" by our colleague Rabbi Maayan Belding-Zion of Rishon LeZion as a haggadah supplement. I am sad to say this was published last year and hostages are still being held by the terrorists. Please feel free to read/download at the following link. And please don't wait until your seder to offer this prayer:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AhsQSvgS6yc4StWUEwn09TMXX0b8zPot/view?usp=sharing  

a.2 IMPORTANT! Because Pesach begins/first Seder on a Saturday night, i.e., immediately after Shabbat, there are special procedures for preparing, kashering, etc. Rabbi David Golinkin has published a responsum on this topic: "What do we do when Erev Pesah falls on Shabbat?". His responsum is available here:

https://schechter.edu/preparing-for-the-festival-when-erev-pesach-falls-on-shabbat/ 

b. Additional Pesach kashrut and other resources from the Rabbinical Assembly may be found at: 

https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/jewish-law/holidays/pesah/pesah-prep-and-resources  

c. Pesach kitchen kashering from a strictly Orthodox perspective can be found at:
 
https://artscroll.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/kosher-kitchen_ch-15.pdf
 
d. MyJewishLearning.com is, IMVHO, the best Jewish educational resource on the web, and has material on virtually everything you might ever want to know about Judaism, but don't know how or whom to ask. The homepage is easily navigable. For Pesach, explore this page, with its 33(!) additional pages of links to all kinds of information and resources:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/category/celebrate/passover/    

 

e. Passover according to Chabad in a straightforward manner. Lots of useful material. Follow the various links on this page:
 
https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/default_cdo/aid/109747/jewish/Passover.htm  

f. Especially good for beginners, National Jewish Outreach Program’s extensive and accessible collection of how-tos, background materials and videos, from the folks who bring you Shabbat Across America (also has Shabbat and other holiday resources):
 
https://njop.org/passover/passover-seder-101-web-series/

g. How about a downloadable Haggadah? Check out:

The Express Haggadah at: https://expresshaggadah.com 

A Google search for "free downloadable haggadah" will lead to many useful and many not-so-useful resources. If you go this route, be sure they are legitimate and not come-ons from missionary groups.

h. A newly available on-line resource this year is excellent, and includes in Spanish and French (Be sure to follow all the internal links):

https://www.exploringjudaism.org/holidays/passover/ 

i. Courtesy of the Rabbinical Assembly, a useful source sheet with discussion questions that is appropriate for group study or around the seder table can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e-ScNLM410otHt7UqP4wTChAT3A0lfyV/view?usp=drive_link

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One of my seminary teachers suggested that, in addition to whichever Haggadah of choice you use for your Seder, you should every year acquire a new Haggadah with commentary and illustrations to help you prepare and make your Seder more enjoyable. Ask your local Jewish bookseller, consult with a rabbi, explore the web – there are beautiful and accessible Haggadot available. My Jewish Learning has a nice article about choosing a Haggadah for your seder here:  https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/how-is-this-haggadah-different/ 

Here are some of my favorites for getting ready:

 
1. Passover Haggadah – The Feast of Freedom. The Rabbinical Assembly, 1982. Clear spiritual commentary. 

 
2. A Passover Haggadah – Go Forth and Learn. Rabbi David Silver. Jewish Publication Society, 2011. A new classic.
 
3. The Haggadah Treasury. Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Artscroll, 1978. Midrash and traditional teachings.
 
4. From Bondage to Freedom – The Passover Haggadah. Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D. Shaar Press, 1995. Tradition blended with insights relating to addiction and dependency.
 
5. A Different Night – The Family Participation Haggadah. Noam Zion and David Dishon. Shalom Hartman Institute, 1997. Difficult to use at the seder, but lots of great ideas - especially in the leader's guide.
 
6. Studies on the Haggadah from the Teachings of Nechama Leibowitz. Urim Publications, 2002. Deep Torah from a great scholar.
 
7. The Hirsch Haggadah. Samson Raphael Hirsch. Feldheim Publishers, 1993. The 19th century voice of Orthodoxy.
 
8. A Feast of History. Chaim Raphael. Steimatzky’s, 1972. (Out of print but available used) The lengthy historical essay is interesting and useful.
 
9. The Origins of the Seder. Baruch Bokser. JTS Press, 2002 (Paperback edition). Not a Haggadah, but for those interested in an academic treatise that opens the eyes to history.
 
10. Passover – The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration. Dr. Ron Wolfson. Jewish Lights Publishing, 2010 (2d edition) A straight-forward how-to guide with explanations and insights for the table.
 
Some other important reminders about Pesach and the lead-up to the holy days:
 
1. All first-borns (except Levi’im and Kohanim) are obliged to engage in a fast, called Ta’anit B’chorot, others say Ta'anit B'chorim, in recognition of the 10th plague, USUALLY from pre-dawn until the seder on the 14th of Nisan. However, this year, because the first seder is motzaei Shabbat, Saturday, April 12, Ta'anit B'chorot occurs on Nisan 12, Thursday, April 10, from pre-dawn until sundown. To avoid the fast, the custom has become for the firstborn to engage in Torah study and then have a festive "meal" (a siyyum) at the completion of their study. Reb Jason will hold on-line Torah study and siyyum on April 10, at 8:30 am, streaming at https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim/ and via Zoom - Zoom details will be in the synagogue e-mail notices, or you can contact me at:

ravflom@sbcglobal.net for the Zoom link.

 

2. Temple B'nai Hayim is holding an in-person Community Second Seder this year, Sunday, April 13 at 6:30 pm.

For more information on the Community Second Seder, contact the synagogue at (818) 788-4664 or office@bethmeier.org  

3.  DON’T FORGET TO REMOVE AND SELL CHAMETZ!! – AUTHORIZE RABBI VAN LEEUWEN TO SELL ON YOUR BEHALF NO LATER THAN 3:00 pm, April 4, 2025.

A fillable on-line form is available here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhHGoS9dxhmFRom8H82SFu2XZ6Nacdd9ck2TgkgSsli0nysg/viewform 

 
4. Kitniyot (beans, rice, corn) on Pesach? Yes! Read the latest from the Rabbinical Assembly at:
 
http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/halakhah/teshuvot/2011-2020/Levin-Reisner-Kitniyot.pdf

I guess it's time to start thinking about Pesach!
 
Wishing you a Chag Pesach Sameach, Kasher U’Mashma’uti – A Passover that is Happy, Kosher and Meaningful!

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

WE MIGHT NOT BE PERFECT...

Parashat Ki Tisa

Adar 15, 5785 / March 14-15, 2025
Torah: Exodus 30:11 - 34:35

Haftarah: 1 Kings 18:1-39 (Ashkenazim); 1 Kings 18:20-39 (Sephardim)

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This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the hostages.

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. On March 17, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Vol. 3, Yevamot, p. 32 (BT Yevamot 6a): 

"...תניא איש אמו ואביו תיראו" 

"We are taught in a Baraitha Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father ...'"

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at: 
https://hebrewbooks.org/9632

A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 

https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents 

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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.

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

WE MIGHT NOT BE PERFECT...

‘The LORD spoke to Moses, "Go, get down; for your people have corrupted themselves, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt!”’ Exodus 32:7

In his midrashic commentary in Humash Etz Hayim on this verse, Rabbi Harold Kushner, z’l says that the words “your people” not only minimize God’s relationship to them, they emphasize Moses’ close relationship to them. He then cites the Mekhilta d’Rebbi Yishmael (Shirata 1) as teaching the following: “Moses devoted his life to three things – the Torah, the people Israel, and the pursuit of justice.”

This brings to mind the teaching of Shimon HaTzaddik: "The world stands on three things: On the Torah, on service to (or worship of) God, and on deeds of lovingkindness." (Pirkei Avot 1:2) This Mishnah from Avot is so well known that it’s become a song that most Jews learn and sing in religious school and the synagogue. But the teaching from the Mekhilta? Not so much.

I’m not proposing that we set the Mekhilta to music. But I do believe that Moses’ life’s devotions should be incorporated with the teaching of Shimon HaTzaddik to give us the following: The Jewish world depends on Jews committed to Torah, service to God, the Jewish people, justice for all, and lovingkindness towards all.

Moses Destroys the Tables of the Ten Commandments (c. 1896–1902 by James Tissot)

All we can do is try to do the best we can to the best of our abilities. We might not always be able to fulfill our commitments, but that does not mean we have failed or that we are corrupt beyond redemption. Because another thing that Rabbi Kushner teaches, as we will see next week in the Maftir for Shabbat Parah, is that the sacrifice of the unblemished, perfect Red Heifer implies “that perfection does not belong in this world…; this world is given to the inevitably flawed and compromised.” That’s us. But we can make our world a better place by striving to improve ourselves.

Purim Sameach! Shabbat Shalom! 

HaRav HaGa'on HaTzaddik Abba Reuven ben Menachem Mendel, Shlita

Rosh Yeshivah - Shlabodkieville Bartender Academy

Av Beis Din Chelm

משנכנס אדר, מרבין בשמחה

From the beginning of Adar, we increase joy.

BT Ta’anit 29a

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My weekly divrei torah are 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 email to ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading "Dedicate Cyber Torah" and provide details in the message body. 

DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER!

Parashat Tetzaveh (Shabbat Zakhor)

Torah: Exodus 27:20 - 30:10

Maftir (Shabbat Zakhor): Deuteronomy 25:17-19

Haftarah (Shabbat Zakhor): 1 Samuel 15:1-34

Adar 8, 5785 / March 7-8, 2025

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This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the hostages.

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. NO meeting on March 10. On March 17, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Vol. 3, Yevamot, p. 32 (BT Yevamot 6a): 

"...תניא איש אמו ואביו תיראו" 

"We are taught in a Baraitha Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father ...'"

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at: 
https://hebrewbooks.org/9632

A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 

https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents 

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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.

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

DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER!

"And you shall put the two stones upon the shoulder pieces of the ephod, stones of remembrance for the Children of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a remembrance... And Aaron shall bear the names of the Children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, for a remembrance before the Lord perpetually." Exodus 28:12, 29

Kohen Gadol wearing the Choshen Mishpat (Breastplate of Judgment)

"Remember (zakhor) what Amalek did to you, on the way when you were leaving Egypt ... you shall wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens - don't forget!" Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (the maftir for this Shabbat - Shabbat Zakhor)

“Memory is redemption; forgetting is exile.” Baal Shem Tov to Exodus 28:12

There are so many ways to take the short but deep statement of the Besht – the Baal Shem Tov. At one level, I have often used his statement at shivah minyanim to teach that, by remembering those who have passed on, we keep them alive in a meaningful way – if we forget them, it is as if they never lived. In remembering, we redeem them from oblivion.

It is worth noting that, among the Hasidic followers of the Besht, and more generally within the Jewish mystical tradition, there is the concept that every time a Jew observes a mitzvah, it is an act of tikkun olam – of restoring a fractured world to its ideal state. Thus, we might understand the Besht in this way – if we remember to observe the mitzvot, we redeem ourselves and our people – maybe even the entire world; if we forget, then we exile ourselves from our people and our tradition, and contribute nothing to tikkun olam.

One might finally see the Torah and the Besht as the basis for George Santayana’s saying: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This teaches us the power of memory, and the danger of forgetting. We Jews remember the baseless hatred of Amalek, Haman, Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Almohades, Cossacks, Nazis, Communists, and the ongoing hatred of Hamas and their supporters – among others. We remember what happens when others want to forget – and we remind the world – sometimes at great sacrifice. Because we are commanded to remember.

Who would have thought that “merely” remembering takes on redemptive qualities for us all.

Shabbat Shalom! Purim Sameach!

HaRav HaGa'on HaTzaddik Abba Reuven ben Menachem Mendel, Shlita

Rosh Yeshivah - Shlabodkieville Bartender Academy

Av Beis Din Chelm

משנכנס אדר, מרבין בשמחה

From the beginning of Adar, we increase joy.

BT Ta’anit 29a

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

My weekly divrei torah are 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 email to ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading "Dedicate Cyber Torah" and provide details in the message body.