YOU THINK THAT'S A MIRACLE?

27 Adar 5773 / 8-9 March 2013
Parashat Vayak'hel/Pekudei (Shabbat Hachodesh)
Torah: Exodus 35:1 - 40:38
Maftir: Exodus 12:1-20
Haftarah: Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18 (Ashkenazim); Ezekiel 45:18 - 46:15 (Sephardim)

Elsewhere on my blog is a “Mini Passover Workshop” to help you prepare to prepare for Pesach! Go to:

http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2013/03/rav-richs-lil-ol-mini-passover-workshop.html

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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You Think That's A Miracle?

"Take from among you an offering to the Lord; everyone with a willing heart shall bring it…. And Moses commanded, and it was proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, 'No man or woman shall make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.' So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." Exodus 35:5; 36:6-7

It is not clear that everybody gave, but sufficient numbers of the Children of Israel gave more than enough gold, silver, jewels, cloth, etc., to construct the Tabernacle and all of the implements needed to conduct the worship service, according to the precise plans that God had given Moses. There was so much stuff donated that Moses had to order the people to stop - it was too much for the workers' needs.

If it was sufficient, how could there be too much, and what did they do with the extra donations? Or HaChaim says that, in order that every donation would be used, and contributors not embarrassed by the return of their gifts, a miracle occurred and everything that was extra was used, without the Tabernacle exceeding God's specifications.

Allow me to be cynical. You think that's a miracle? The miracle is that so many people gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop! Or at least it seems so these days. When was the last time your congregation or some other charity told you not to give any more, because they had too much? Even the best-run and best-funded organizations have just enough. And "extra" can always be put to some good use.

We have it in our power to be part of a miracle - and we don't even have to pray for it. We only need be so willing of heart in our donations of money and time to our congregations, our schools, our pet charities, that they have enough to meet their needs. In the end, only when they are able to meet their needs will they be fully able to meet our needs.

Shabbat Shalom v'Chodesh Nisan Tov.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
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"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still." Isaiah 62:1
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Candlelighting: 5:37 pm

Lunch and Learn is an ongoing program of Beit Midrash Shalom that meets Tuesdays to discuss Jewish texts and other topics of Jewish interest. It is open to all regardless of affiliation. Next meeting is Tuesday, March 12, 12:00 noon, at Congregation Beth Meier, 11725 Moorpark St., Studio City 91604. PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD UNLESS IT IS IN ITS ORIGINAL SEALED CONTAINER AND BEARING A HEKHSHER AS DAIRY OR PAREVE. Lunch will be provided by Congregation Beth Meier. Donations gratefully accepted.

This d'var torah is offered in honor of my mother, Annabelle Flom, celebrating her birthday on Monday, March 11. Yom huledet sameach, ima! Ad meah v'esrim!

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Deb Berenbach, Gabor ben Devorah, Selby Horowitz, Pamela Huddleston, Micah Kosche, Sara Lanxner, Emily Levin, Helen Reiter, Len Reiter, Gil Robbins, Rachel Robbins, Judith Sakurai, Kitty Schmerling and Helen Tomsky.

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