Parashat Ki Tavo
Torah: Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8
Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22 (Sixth Haftarah of Consolation)
Dedications and Calendar of Events follow.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Every Day Is A New Day!
"This very day the Lord your God commands you to perform these decrees and statutes; and you shall observe and do them with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 26:16
Rashi (citing Tanchuma): Every day they should seem new in your eyes, as though on that day you had been commanded concerning them.
"Moses and the priests, the Levites spoke to all
Rashi (citing B.T. Berakhot): Every day it should seem in your eyes as though today you enter into the covenant with Him.
In my view, one of the very wonderful aspects of Judaism is that one need not dwell on the past in order to live the good life. It is true that one must do teshuvah, repentance, with both God and human beings in order to ultimately achieve a life of goodness. Having done so, however, one is not required to continue beating oneself forever. Rashi tells us that the commandments and the covenant, and by extension, all of the Torah, are given to us anew, every day. That is the reason often given for the language of the blessings recited before and after reading the Torah - "Blessed are You, O Lord, Who gives the Torah." It seems to have almost a Zen quality to it - we need to live in the "now". The past is ... past. We remember it, we learn from it, we improve ourselves, we move onward.
What does not have a Zen quality is the Torah's view of the future. Year in, year out, the holy days come and go. Week in, week out, Shabbat comes and goes. "Thou shalt ..." "Thou shalt not ..." "And it shall be that on that day, you will ...." The Torah anticipates that at some point in the future, we will be better than we are now. We will be more learned, more observant, more experienced, more spiritual - closer to God and our fellow human beings in every way. And we will always have opportunities to become so - literally, every day.
The philosopher Franz Rosenzweig said that, when asked whether we observe any particular mitzvah, we should answer either "yes" or "not yet". What we do (or fail to do) now has implications for the future, but it does not necessarily determine the future. But when is the best time to start? You already know the answer to that - "this very day"!
Have a wonderful Shabbat!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom - ZSRS '00
Studio City
http://www.bethmeier.org/
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Beth Meier Calendar:
Candlelighting: 7:12 pm
Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Torah: Lynn Kronzek and Rabbi Flom; Haftarah: Melinda Trauman. Kiddush luncheon follows.
Tuesday: NO Lunch and Learn this week. We resume on September 3 - Noon. Our discussion of Rambam’s Hilkhot Teshuvah continues. Lunch provided. Donations accepted.
Friday, 30 August: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm.
Saturday, 31 August: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Selichot program and service. See website for details.
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This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah (complete healing) for Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Eve Beatty, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Sara Lanxner, Frank Marcovitz, Phil Raider, Rachel Robbins, and Virginia Sullivan.
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