THE WEARINESS OF PARENTHOOD

29 Cheshvan 5774 / 1-2 November 2013
Torah: Genesis 25:19 - 28:9
Haftarah: 1 Samuel 20:18-42 (Machar Chodesh)

For a complete Calendar of Events, as well as lots of other information on our community, check out our web site at: http://bethmeier.org/

 

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

 

"And Rebekah said to Isaac, 'I am weary of my life...'" (Gen. 27:46)

 

Rashi: It means "I despise (or reject) my life."

 

"And Isaac sent Jacob away; and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Betuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau."  (Gen. 28:5)

 

Rashi:  I do not know what (the addition of the words "the mother of Jacob and Esau") teaches us.

 

The Rabbis teach that there are no superfluous words in the Torah. Every word has meaning. Rashi, the medieval French commentator on Torah and Talmud, is unable to explain why the Torah identified Rebekah in this way, after the entire parashah had been devoted to the lives of Jacob and Esau, and to their relationships between themselves and with their parents.

 

Later commentators explain the "superfluous" words in the context of Rebekah's fear that one brother might kill the other. I would suggest, however, that those words may explain why Rebekah despised her life. She had favored Jacob throughout his life. After she helped Jacob deceive Isaac in obtaining the blessing meant for Esau, the Torah identifies her as the mother of both Jacob and Esau to remind her of her failed relationship with Esau. Esau is an avenging victim of Rebekah's cunning bent on murdering Jacob, which is as much her responsibility as it is that of Isaac, who had always favored Esau.

 

We teach our children in both positive and negative ways. Rebekah taught Jacob how to be an achiever, maybe even an over-achiever, through guile. She taught both sons that action, not passivity, was the way to get ahead in the world. Jacob learned to seize what he wanted at any cost. Esau literally developed a killer instinct, and purposed to hunt down his brother like any other prey. Realizing her responsibility for what both boys have become, she despises her life. Although neither will lose his life, Jacob will become physically distant from his parents, and Esau emotionally distant, as a direct result of Rebekah's actions. As far as can be told from the Torah, Jacob never sees his mother alive again after he leaves for Paddan-aram.

 

"One who makes trouble for his household shall inherit the wind." Proverbs 11:29  Rebekah had two sons and ended up with none. What are we teaching our children?

 

Shabbat Shalom.

 

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
http://www.bethmeier.org
Blogging at: rav-rich.blogspot.com/
Visit me on Facebook

 

"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: 5:49 pm

 

Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00pm. Join us for singing, blessings and Oneg Shabbat!

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows. Turn clocks back one hour tonight.

Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am. Introductory Hebrew – 10:00 am.

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Wednesday: (Re)Introduction to Judaism - 7:30 pm

 

Don't forget to bring non-perishable food items (no glass) for SOVA the next time you come to Beth Meier.

 

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Boaz ben Dina, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Meyta Zlata bat Leah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Eve Beatty, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Lizzie Legnine, Gloria Loera, Frank Marcovitz, Barney Meskin, Marsha Meyers, Colleen Pierce (Chaya Shoshanah bat Sarah Emanu), Phil Raider, Gil Robbins, and Rachel Robbins.

 

Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there is anyone who may be removed from this list.

 

My weekly divrei torah are also available by e-mail from the Cyber Torah list.

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

 

FAMILY COMES FIRST

Parashat Chayei Sarah

22 Cheshvan 5774 / 25-26 October 2014
Torah: Genesis 23:1 - 25:18
Haftarah: 1 Kings 1:1-31 

For a complete Calendar of Events, as well as lots of other information on our community, check out our web site at: http://bethmeier.org/

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

"But you shall go to my country, to my kin, and take a wife for my son, for Isaac." Genesis 24:4

For two thousand years, commentators have asked why Abraham commanded his servant, Eliezer, to not arrange a marriage for Isaac with Canaanites. Why did he have to go back to Babylonia, to Abraham's relatives, for Isaac's wife?

The answer frequently given is that this is a prohibition against intermarriage between Jews and Gentiles. However, Midrash Hagadol discounts this, at least in part, when it says, "Surely they (Abraham's family in the old country) were all idol worshippers, as it is written (Joshua 24:2), 'Your fathers dwelt of old beyond the River, even Terach, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods.' - and Abraham left them!"

 

So, what made Rebecca and her family better prospects than the local women and their families? The midrash continues by teaching that Abraham, who with Sarah specialized in proselytizing, decided to start with his own family, because "they come first", based on the text (Isaiah 58:7), "Do not hide yourself from your own flesh."

If Abraham felt it was important to bring his extended family to God, how much more so are we obligated to bring our own children to God and Judaism? In these tense and unnerving times, what better to teach our children than a spiritual and ethical tradition which has withstood the test of millennia? In doing so, we will find that we ourselves also are drawn nearer to God, like our ancestors before us.

Have a wonderful Shabbat!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
http://www.bethmeier.org/

Visit me on Facebook

"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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Beth Meier Schedule

Candlelighting: 5:49 pm

Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00pm. Join us for singing, blessings and Oneg Shabbat!

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am. Introductory Hebrew – 10:00 am. Tour of the retired battleship USS Iowa – meet 12:30 pm at the synagogue to carpool. Contact Rabbi Flom or Ken Chambers for more info.
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon. We will continue our discussion of the Jewish Medical Directive for Health Care, available at:

http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/public/publications/medical%20directives.pdf

Please bring a copy of the Directive, along with your questions.

Los Angeles Clippers Jewish Community Day

Congregation Beth Meier will again this year be going to the Clippers game on Sunday, December 1 to celebrate Chanukah. Everyone interested in purchasing a ticket needs to contact the office for further information. We have set a deadline of October 29 to purchase the group tickets from our office.

Trip to Israel

Please watch for an organizational meeting the second week of November to plan our trip to Israel. Notices will be in the synagogue as well as in our weekly Bulletins. Everyone is welcome to help plan and go on this trip.

Don't forget to bring non-perishable food items (no glass) for SOVA the next time you come to Beth Meier.

 
This d'var torah is offered in memory of Peter Price, who passed away last Friday. Condolences to Vivienne Price.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Boaz ben Dina, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Meyta Zlata bat Leah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Eve Beatty, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Lizzie Legnine, Gloria Loera, Frank Marcovitz, Barney Meskin, Marsha Meyers, Phil Raider, Gil Robbins, and Rachel Robbins.

Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there is anyone who may be removed from this list.

My weekly divrei torah are also available by e-mail from the Cyber Torah list.

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

HOSPITALITY

Parashat Vayera - 15 Cheshvan 5774 / 18-19 October 2013
Torah: Genesis 18:1 - 22:24
Haftarah: 2 Kings 4:1-37 (Ashkenazim; Sefardim read 4:1-23)
 
For a complete Calendar of Events, as well as lots of other information on our community, check out our web site at: http://bethmeier.org/

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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Hospitality
 
“And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and here three men were standing before him; he saw and ran to them from the tent opening, and he bowed toward the ground.” Genesis 18:2
 
According to the Rabbis, Abraham was the paradigm of hospitality. One midrash has him being famous throughout the land for his treatment of guests. There is a Chasidic teaching which asks, why only Abraham, and not also his nephew Lot? After all, our parashah recounts that Lot also greeted and fed, and even protected, the same angels that first appeared to Abraham. The difference is in the details.
 
Abraham “ran” to greet them. Lot “stood up” to meet them. Abraham offered them “a morsel”, but gave them a veritable feast of butter, milk, bread and meat (we’ll discuss the kashruth another time!) Lot “made a feast and baked matza” (the bread of poverty), implying that he promised a feast but gave them only crackers. These differences between Abraham and Lot are relatively unimportant when compared with this - Abraham saw “three men”; but “two angels” came to Lot.
 
Had he not known they were angels, Lot might have treated God’s messengers in the same way that everybody else in Sodom treated each other - with disrespect, if not downright contempt. Abraham, on the other hand, treated the messengers in a highly respectful if not downright holy way, even when he thought they were “merely” human beings. Now that’s the way to treat guests. There’s hospitality, and THERE’S HOSPITALITY!
 
Have a wonderful Shabbat!
 
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
http://www.bethmeier.org
Visit me on Facebook
 
"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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This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Boaz ben Dina, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Meyta Zlata bat Leah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Eve Beatty, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Meir Lanzner, Lizzie Legnine, Gloria Loera, Frank Marcovitz, Barney Meskin, Marsha Meyers, Phil Raider, Gil Robbins, and Rachel Robbins. 

(RE)INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM – UPDATED AND CORRECTED

THIS IS AN UPDATED AND CORRECTED SCHEDULE AND CURRICULUM

Chaverim nichbadim/Dear friends:

I am pleased to provide an outline of my adult education course, suitable for anyone post-bar/bat mitzvah age, “(Re)Introduction to Judaism”. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn or relearn everything they should have taught you in Hebrew School - and a whole lot more! The course includes workshops for enhancing Shabbat and Holiday observances. Participants may need to purchase some books; the only course requirements are that you attend with an open mind and a willingness to share your ideas.

 

Our motto: An educated Jew is our best customer! I look forward to learning with you this year.

 

B’virkat shalom / With the blessing of peace,

 

Rabbi Richard Flom

 

 

(RE)INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM – AN ADULT EDUCATION COURSE AT BETH MEIER

 

Course Goals:

1.       Expand participants’ knowledge of Judaism – its history, theology, holy texts, life cycle, holy days, rituals, laws, customs, culture, and liturgy.

2.       Encourage further study of Judaism in all its richness.

3.       Encourage greater participation in Jewish life, both communal and personal.

4.       Encourage greater Jewish observance.

5.       To prepare for conversion to Judaism those who are considering that step.

 

Course Texts:

 

Jewish Literacy, by Joseph Telushkin (2008 edition preferred; earlier editions are fine)

 

Tanakh – one of the following: Tanakh (Jewish Publication Society); Jerusalem Bible (Koren Publishing); The Stone Edition Tanach (Mesorah Publications); or, The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford University Press)

 

It’s A Mitzvah, by Bradley Shavit Artson

 

The Shabbat Seder, by Ron Wolfson, or a complete Shabbat bentscher

 

A Jewish calendar which includes all holidays and Torah readings

 

Hagaddah Shel Pesach (Passover Hagaddah) – Any complete traditional hagaddah in Hebrew/English

 

Siddur – one of the following: HaSiddur HaShalem (Birnbaum); Siddur Sim Shalom (Rabbinical Assembly); Siddur Ahavat Shalom – The Complete Artscroll Siddur (Artscroll)

 

Choosing a Jewish Life: A Handbook for People Converting to Judaism and for Their Family and Friends, by Anita Diamant (this book or Kling is REQUIRED for those considering conversion to Judaism – otherwise not necessary)

 

Embracing Judaism, by Simcha Kling, revised by Carl M. Perkins

 

Additional Suggested readings (in no particular order):

 

Mitzvah Means Commandment, by Elliott Dorff

 

Service of the Heart, by Evelyn Garfiel

 

Entering Jewish Prayer, by Reuven Hammer

 

My People’s Prayer Book, Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, ed. (10 volume series)

 

The Observant Life, Rabbi Martin Cohen, ed.

 

The Jewish Catalog (three volumes, Strassfeld et al.)

 

Days of Awe, by S. Y. Agnon

 

The Synagogue Survival Kit, by Jordan Lee Wagner

 

Seasons of Our Joy, by Arthur Waskow

 

The JPS Holiday Anthologies, Jewish Publication Society

 

Course Work:

 

There are regular reading assignments for each class. Additional materials will be distributed in class. Virtually every class is self-contained. You can attend any one or more of the classes without having attended others, although previous attendance and preparation of the assigned readings will provide a far better learning experience. Each session, we will discuss the parshiot (the Torah portions) since our previous meeting, the Torah readings for the upcoming Shabbat and holidays, and the reading assignments for the current topic. Participants, particularly those considering conversion or adult b’nai mitzvah, are strongly encouraged to keep a diary of their studies, activities, progress, emotions, etc. This is strictly for personal use.

 

Classes meet on Wednesdays, all at 7:30 pm, for a total of 22 sessions, starting October 16 and concluding on May 14. The rest of the schedule and readings will be posted after the first class meeting.

 

October 16: Organizational Meeting. Review of curriculum, book ordering, field trip planning.

 

October 23: Jewish History – The Second Commonwealth, Mishnah and Talmud.  Readings: Genesis 1:1 – 25:18 (a lot of Torah reading, in order to catch up with the weekly parashah.); Telushkin – sections 1-13 and 64-84

 

October 30 – NO Class

 

November 6: The Concept of Mitzvah – Part 1.  Readings: Genesis 25:19 – 32:3; Telushkin – sections 256-269; Artson – pp. 2-31

 

November 20: Hanukkah Workshop and The Jewish Calendar.  Readings: Genesis 32:4 – 40:23; Telushkin – sections 296-319; Handouts from Waskow and Hanukkah Anthology. Bring a wall-type Jewish calendar if you have one.

 

November 27 – NO Class

 

December 4: Mitzvah – Part 2.  Hanukkah Celebration - 6:30 pm. Latkes and sufganiyot! Class at 7:30. Readings: Telushkin – sections 270-295; Genesis 41:1 – 47:27

 

December 11: Torah Study.  Readings: Genesis 47:28 – 50:26; Artson – “Talmud Torah: Study and Learning”; Telushkin – Section 295 – Torah Study.

 

December 18: Shabbat Workshop.  Readings: Exodus 1:1 – 6:1; Telushkin – sections 320–323 and 14-24; Artson – pp. 130-147; Wolfson (entire)

 

December 25 – NO Class

 

January 1 – NO Class

 

January 8: More Jewish History – The Early Medieval Period.  Readings: Exodus 6:2 – 17:16; Judges 4:4 – 5:31; Telushkin – sections 85-104; a discussion of Jewish liturgical poetry

 

January 12 (SUNDAY): (Optional) A Tu B’Shevat Seder - 10:00 am – 12:00 noon. Congregation Beth Meir and Religious School celebrate the New Year of the Trees!

 

January 15: The Ten Commandments (The Ten Suggestions?). Readings: Exodus 18:1 – 20:22 and Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11; Telushkin – section 22; handouts

 

January 22: Kashrut.  Readings: Exodus 21:1 – 24:18; Artson – “Kashrut: The Dietary Laws” and “Tza’ar Ba’alei Hayyim: Compassion to Animals”; handouts

 

January 29: Even More Jewish History – The Late Medieval Period.  Readings: Exodus 25:1 – 27:19; Telushkin – Part 4 – sections 105-116

 

February 5 – NO Class

 

February 12: Zionism and Israel.  Readings: Exodus 27:20 – 34:35; Telushkin – Part 6 – sections 133-184 - a lot of reading!

 

February 19: The Jewish Life Cycle – From Birth to Death and Beyond. Readings: Exodus 35:1 – 38:20; Telushkin – Part 14 – Sections 324-336

 

February 26 – NO CLASS

 

March 5: Jewish History – Still More! The Modern Period.  Readings: Exodus 38:21 – 40:38; Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26; Telushkin – Part 5 – sections 117-132

 

March 12: Purim Workshop. Readings: Leviticus 6:1 – 8:36; Deuteronomy 25:17-19; Book of Esther; Telushkin – sections 56-63; handout from Purim Anthology.

 

March 19: Anti-Semitism and the Shoah.  Readings: Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47; Telushkin – Part 7 (sections 185-206) and Part 10 (sections 240-247)

 

March 26 - NO CLASS

 

April 2: Pesach Workshop – A Stroll through the Seder.  Readings: Leviticus 12:1 – 15:33; Telushkin sections 25-26; Haggadah shel Pesach; Mishnah Pesachim 10 (handout); handouts from Waskow and Passover Anthology.

 

April 6 (SUNDAY): A Kasher L’Pesach Tour of the Market – meet 10:00 am at Cambridge Farms Market

 

April 9 - NO CLASS

 

April 16 - NO CLASS – Happy Passover!

 

April 23: Prayer and the Jewish Prayer Book.  Readings: Leviticus 16:1 – 20:27; Artson – “Tefilah: Prayer, Tallit, Tefillin, Mezuzah”; Siddur Sim Shalom – Introduction and Selected Prayers(handout); handouts from Hammer book

 

April 30: The Toughest Mitzvot.  Readings: Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23; Artson – “Sh’mirat ha-Lashon: Guarding Your Tongue” and “Teshuvah: Repentance and Turning”

 

May 7: Shavuot Workshop.  Readings: Leviticus 25:1 – 27:34; Book of Ruth; handouts from Waskow and Shavuot Anthology.

 

May 14: Summing Up

THE NEW LAND

Parashat Lekh L’kha

8 Cheshvan 5774 / 11-12 October 2013

Torah: Genesis 12:1 – 17:27

Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27 – 41:16

 

For a complete Calendar of Events, as well as lots of other information on our community, check out our web site at: http://bethmeier.org/

 

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

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The New Land

"And the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your land and your birthplace and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.’" Genesis 12:1-2

Rashi: God did not immediately reveal the land to Abram, in order to make it beloved in his eyes, and to give him a reward for each and every word. Similarly, … (at Genesis 22:2) "on one of the mountains that I will tell you about."

In his book "Genesis – Translation and Commentary", author and literary critic Robert Alter writes, "The name Canaan is never mentioned, and the divine imperative to head out for an unspecified place resembles, as Rashi observes, God’s terrible call to Abraham in chapter 22 to sacrifice his son on a mountain God will show him."

This is how it is with Israel today in its search for peace. Israelis and Palestinians, all descendants of Abraham, are in the psychological "land" of their ancestors, a land we might name "conflict and terror". The "new land" of peace is seemingly distant, its exact parameters unknown. Yitzchak Rabin, z"l, a former general, a man of war, heard the call to go to that new land, and he sacrificed his life in answering that call. Five years later, Ehud Barak’s government fell because the Palestinians refused to heed the call.

Thousands of people have died because the call for peace has been drowned out by other calls for death and destruction. Israelis will have to give up the notion that they can indefinitely subjugate an occupied population that may soon outnumber them. Israelis will have to make other sacrifices in order to reach the new land. So will the Palestinians. They must give up their generations of hatred and the unrealistic, impossible goal of "return" within all of the present state of Israel. If the physical land is not divided between them, with each making the necessary political sacrifices, the psycho-spiritual land of peace will never be reached, and the physical sacrifices of their children will continue.

Only by going forward to the new land, together, will these peoples be truly blessed.

 

Shabbat Shalom!

 

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
http://www.bethmeier.org
Visit me on Facebook

 

"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: 6:05 pm

 

Friday: Shabbat Evening Family Service – 7:30pm. Join us for singing, blessings and Oneg Shabbat!

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. 

Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am.

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

 

Adult Education News 

Lynda Foster and Deb Sigel will be teaching Introductory Hebrew on Sunday mornings, beginning October 20, at 10:00 am.

 

Rabbi Flom’s (Re)Introduction to Judaism class will meet on 20-22 Wednesday evenings, at 7:30 pm, beginning October 16, through May. The first meeting is organizational in nature, to discuss curriculum, order books, and plan a field trip. Schedule, curriculum and reading list will be posted on my blog and on the synagogue website Sunday. (Note change in starting date and day of week)

 

Ralphs Community Contributions

For all people who shop at Ralphs, please register your Ralphs card at www.ralphs.com,  click on Community Contributions.  Ralphs donates a percentage of the amount you spend shopping for your groceries.  It is an easy way to contribute to Beth Meier.  Tell your friends and family to sign up, as well.  Thanks for you help.

  

USS Iowa

Beth Meier is planning a tour of the USS Iowa, a retired battleship docked in San Pedro harbor. The trip will be Sunday, October 27, departing by carpool from the synagogue at 12:30 pm. Contact Rabbi Flom or Ken Chambers for more information.

  

Los Angeles Clippers Jewish Community Day

Congregation Beth Meier will again this year be going to the Clippers game on Sunday, December 1 to celebrate Chanukah.  Everyone interested in purchasing a ticket needs to contact the office for further information.  We have set a deadline of October 29 to purchase the group tickets from our office.

 

Trip to Israel

Please watch for an organizational meeting the first week of November to plan our trip to Israel.  Notices will be in the synagogue as well as in our weekly Bulletins.  Everyone is welcome to help plan and go on this trip.

 

Don't forget to bring non-perishable food items (no glass) for SOVA the next time you come to Beth Meier.

 

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Boaz ben Dina, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Meyta Zlata bat Leah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Eve Beatty, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Frank Marcovitz, Phil Raider, Gil Robbins, and Rachel Robbins.

 

Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there is anyone who may be removed from this list.

My weekly divrei torah are also available from the Cyber Torah list.

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

DISPARAGING COMPLIMENTS

Parashat Noach
1 Cheshvan 5774 / 4-5 October 2013
Torah: Genesis 6:9 - 11:32
Maftir: Numbers 28:9-15
Haftarah: Isaiah 66:1-24 (Shabbat Rosh Chodesh)

For a complete Calendar of Events, as well as lots of other information on our community, check out our web site at: http://bethmeier.org/

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

"These are the generations of Noah - Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God." Genesis 6:9

Rashi: There are those of our rabbis who interpret this (his righteousness) as complimentary, for if he had lived in a generation of righteous people (as opposed to a generation of evil), he would have been even more righteous. And there are those who interpret it as disparaging, for if he had lived in the generation of Abraham, he would have been nothing special (by comparison).

As Rashi notes, there are many discussions in rabbinic literature concerning Noah's righteousness. But Rabbi Yaakov David of Amshinov sees a warning in Rashi's comment. He notes that those who understand the Torah as complimenting Noah are referred to as "our rabbis". But those who interpret it as disparaging lose the title of "our rabbis" - they are "others". The reason, he says, is that every person is entitled to the benefit of the doubt. For example, see Leviticus 19:15 - "In righteousness shall you judge your neighbor" and Pirkei Avot 1:6 - "Judge every person on the positive side of the scale."

In failing to give Noah the benefit of the doubt, some "lost" the title of rabbi. The term "rabbi" is a title of respect that means "my teacher". In a very real sense, we are all rabbis. We are constantly teaching other people, whether we know it or not. Our children, spouses, parents, friends, co-workers - everyone around us learns from us, and about us, by the words we use to describe others. If you want to be regarded with respect, give others the benefit of the doubt when you speak of them.

Shabbat shalom.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
http://www.bethmeier.org/

Visit me on Facebook

"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: 6:15 pm

Thursday: CBM Board Meeting - 7:00 pm.
Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Bat Mitzvah of Ashley Breakman – Mazal tov!Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Bat Mitzvah of Ashley Breakman – Mazal tov!
Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am.
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Adult Education News

 

Lynda Foster and Deb Sigel will be teaching Introductory Hebrew on Sunday mornings, beginning October 20, at 10:00 am.

 

Rabbi Flom’s (Re)Introduction to Judaism class will meet on 18-20 Thursday evenings, at 7:30 pm, beginning October 17, through May. Schedule, curriculum and reading list will be posted on his blog and on the synagogue website Sunday.

 

Don't forget to bring non-perishable food items (no glass) for SOVA the next time you come to Beth Meier.

 

This d'var torah is offered in honor of Ashley Breakman, becoming Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat. Mazal tov!

 

This d'var torah is offered in memory of my uncle, Merwin Erenbaum, whose yahrzeit falls on 7 Cheshvan (Friday). Y’hi zikhro liv’rakhah.

 

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Boaz ben Dina, 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, Gil Robbins, and Rachel Robbins.

 

Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there is anyone who may be removed from this list.

 

My weekly divrei torah are also available from the Cyber Torah list.

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