YOU GOTTA WANT IT!

Parashat T’rumah

1 Adar 1 5774 / 31 January - 1 February 2014

Torah: Exodus 25:1 - 27:19

Maftir: Numbers 28:9-15 (Shabbat Rosh Chodesh)

Haftarah: Isaiah 66:1-24 (Shabbat Rosh Chodesh)

 

Dedications and this week’s calendar are below. For more information about our community, visit: http://bethmeier.org/

 

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

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You Gotta Want It!

 

“And you shall make a menorah of pure gold; of hammered work the menorah shall be made, its base and its shaft; its cups, its calyxes and its flowers shall be of one piece with it... Look and do; according to their pattern which is shown to you on the mountain.” Exodus 25:31, 40

 

“'Of hammered work the menorah shall be made' -­ of itself (i.e., it was spontaneously created by itself, and not by humans). Moses was perplexed by it, so the Holy One Blessed Be He said to him: 'Cast the mass into the fire’; thus it is not written, 'You shall make’ but ‘it shall be made’." Rashi, citing Midrash Tanchuma.

 

 

 

"'Look and do.' Look here, on the mountain, the pattern that I show you. This tells that Moses was perplexed by the construction of the menorah, until the Holy One Blessed Be He showed him a menorah made of fire.” Rashi, citing B. Talmud Menachot 29.

 

Yehudah Aryeh Leib (the Sefas Emes) asks in his book Gur Aryeh, “If the menorah was made spontaneously, why did God show Moses a menorah made of fire (as a pattern for making it)?” He answers that human beings are unable to completely fulfill the will of God. But through a person’s innermost and heartfelt yearning to fulfill His will, God helps in fulfilling the desire. The Gerer concludes, “The yearning of a person influences a given undertaking so that it can actually complete itself.”

 

If you really want to fulfill a mitzvah that is hard for you, it will in the end seem to happen by itself - but only if you try, only if you want it, and only if you let God meet you halfway, to show you how to complete it. If you want it, here it is, come and get it.

 

Have a Shabbat of light and happiness - it's Adar!

 

HaRav HaGa’on Abba Reuven Flom, Sh’lita

Av Beis Din – Chelm

Mishenichnas Adar, Marbim Simcha.

From the beginning of Adar, we increase joy.

 

"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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Candle lighting: 5:04 pm

 

Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Torah: Rabbi Flom, Avremi Manzur; Haftarah: Avremi Manzur. Kiddush lunch follows.

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

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn - noon.

Wednesday: NO (Re)Introduction to Judaism class this week.

 

This d'var torah is offered in memory of my aunt, Mildred Flom, whose yahrzeit falls on Sunday. Y’hi zikhronah liv’rakhah – May her memory be a blessing.

 

This d'var torah is offered in honor of Avremi Manzur, celebrating his 75^th birthday this Shabbat by leyning Torah, chanting haftarah, and sponsoring Kiddush luncheon. Ad me’ah v’esrim! Mazal tov!

 

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Blimah Reizel bat Ruchel, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Connie Rosen Axelson, Eve Beatty, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Steven Kleiger, Lizzie Legnine, Frank Marcovitz, Sheldon Mazo, Marshall Neiman, and Phil Raider.

 

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 divrei torah are also available via 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

WHO, OR WHAT, COMES FIRST?

24 Sh'vat 5774 / 24-25 January 2014
Parashat Mishpatim
Torah Reading: Exodus 21:1 – 24:18
Haftarah Reading: Jeremiah 34:8-22, 33:25-26


Dedications and this week’s calendar are below. For more information about our community, visit: http://bethmeier.org/


Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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Who, or What, Comes First?


“Now these are the rules which you shall set before them.” Exodus 21:1


     The rules set forth in this parashah are primarily two types: civil and criminal legislation and humanitarian matters. This follows last week’s receiving of Aseret Hadib’rot (the “Ten Commandments”). Having initially identified God and prohibiting worship of other gods, the Torah here continues to deal with matters arising between humans, such as: how to treat slaves, strangers, converts, widows and orphans; the requirement to pay damages for personal injuries; protecting others from dangerous livestock and conditions of property; and much more. Some brief laws regarding sacrifices and the observance of the holidays come later in the parashah.
     The Chasidic Master Simcha Bunim of Pshischa wonders why it says “before them”. He suggests that “them” is not the Israelites. Rather, it is to teach us that the commandments between fellow humans (mitzvot bein adam l’chavero) come before the commandments between humans and God (mitzvot bein adam la’Makom). Not just literally, as in the text, but in terms of importance as well. Heresy?  Hardly.
     Our teacher is on to something. What is the point of rigid ritual observance as a form of worshiping God, if one is going to mistreat fellow human beings, who are made in God’s very image? It's not only hypocritical, it's a chillul hashem (a desecration of God's name).
     This is not to downplay the importance of the mitzvot bein adam la’Makom. Rather, based on Simcha Bunim, I would suggest that observance of the mitzvot bein adam l’chavero will lead one to observance of mitzvot bein adam la’Makom. This follows from this well-known teaching on teshuvah (repentance): For sins against our fellows, we must do teshuvah with them before we do teshuvah with God.
     HaMakom (God, the One in Every Place, the Eternal) might have “needs”, but we learn here that people’s needs come first. That is how one properly observes the mitzvoth and serves God.


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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Candle lighting: 4:57 pm

Friday: New Member Shabbat Dinner – 6:00 pm. Join us as we welcome our new members for 5774. RSVP essential! Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am. Adult Hebrew class – 10:00 am.
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn - noon. Minyan and Memorial Service for Colleen Pierce – 7:00 pm. Light refreshments and the opportunity to give condolences to the Pierce family follow.
Wednesday: (Re)Introduction to Judaism class – 7:30 pm. This week’s topic: “Jewish History – The Late Medieval Period." NOTE: NO Class on Wednesday, February 5.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Blimah Reizel bat Ruchel, Dina bat Sarah Emanu, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Connie Rosen Axelson, Eve Beatty, John Todd Brosky, Jo Cardona, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Steven Kleiger, Lizzie Legnine, Frank Marcovitz, Sheldon Mazo, Marshall Neiman, and Phil Raider.


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

SAME AS IT EVER WAS

Parashat Yitro
Torah Reading: Exodus 18:1 - 20:23
Haftarah Reading: Isaiah 6:1 - 7:6, 9:5-6 (Ashkenazim); Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sephardim)

Dedications and this week’s calendar are below.

For more information about our community, visit: http://bethmeier.org/

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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Same As It Ever Was

     "In the third month, when the Children of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day they came to the wilderness of Sinai." Exodus 19:1

Rashi: "What is the meaning of 'the same day'? That the words of the Torah should be as fresh to you as if they had been given today."

     We learn in the Zohar that when reciting Shirat Hayam (the Song at the Sea), which is read from the Torah on Parashat Beshallach (we read it last week) and on the seventh day of Passover, and in the siddur every morning, that we should rise and sing it with great joy, as if we ourselves were standing at the shore, witnessing the great miracle. Similarly, when Aseret Hadibrot (The Ten Comandments) are read from the Torah, as we will this Shabbat, we rise and listen with great intensity, as if standing at the foot of Mt. Sinai, hearing them for the very first time.

     This is explained in Miginzeinu Ha'atik (From Our Ancient Genizahs). "You should not say that the Torah was given in the wilderness nearly 3,000 years ago, and it was only appropriate for that time and the conditions which existed then - 'The same day' - as if they had been given today - the laws of the Torah and our traditions are eternal, and they are relevant in every place and at every time."

     This idea of irrelevance is often applied to any number of Torah laws, such as kashruth, Shabbat, and tefillin. And yet, one never hears anyone say that "honor your father and mother" or "you shall not murder" have gone out of fashion. (Although, in some quarters, even those commandments are regarded as optional.) Why is that? The discussion often turns on notions of personal freedom, the needs of society, and the desire not to stand out.


     I would suggest that the whole of Jewish law and tradition is a complete, unitary system, subject to debate and changes in circumstances (like the destruction of the Temple), but never irrelevancy. God gives the Torah to the Jews for a very specific reason - "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:6) We are here, and we receive the Torah, specifically to minister to the world by acting in accordance with its teachings, and to sanctify ourselves and others through that ministry. Stand up at Sinai! The Torah, which is your blueprint and your job description, is being given, and it hasn't changed!


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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Candle lighting: 4:50 pm


Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Come on down for a joyful way to bring in Shabbat! Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday: NO Religious School – MLK weekend.
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn - noon.
Wednesday: (Re)Introduction to Judaism class – 7:30 pm. This week’s topic: Kashrut
Friday, 24 January: New Member Shabbat Dinner – 6:00 pm. Join us as we welcome our new members for 5774. Contact the office for details – RSVP essential! Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm.


This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Blimah Reizel bat Ruchel, Dina bat Sarah Emanu, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Connie Rosen Axelson, Eve Beatty, John Todd Brosky, Jo Cardona, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Steven Kleiger, Lizzie Legnine, Gloria Loera, Frank Marcovitz, Sheldon Mazo, Marshall Neiman, and Phil Raider.


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

KVETCHING BY THE SEA

Parashat Beshallach (Shabbat Shirah)10 Shevat 5774 / 10-11 January 2014
Torah: Exodus 13:17 - 17:16
Haftarah: Judges 4:4 - 5:31 (Ashkenazim); Judges 5:1-31 (Sephardim)


Dedications and this week’s calendar are below. For more information about our community, visit: http://bethmeier.org/


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


This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shirah, the Shabbat of Song, for it contains the beautiful Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1-19), in which the Israelites praise God for saving them. They certainly changed their tune from what it had been only a few verses previously:


And they said to Moses, “Were there no graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us from Egypt? Was it not this very thing that we had told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians, for it is better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness?'"  Exodus 14:11-12


But the good feeling after the song doesn't last. No sooner are the Egyptians dead, then the Israelites start complaining about the lack of water and food. One very modern view, by Edward Sorel, in a cartoon entitled "Exodus Outtakes", suggested that even as they were crossing the Reed (not Red) Sea, the Israelites were kvetching: “Some miracle!  If I don't get pneumonia from all this, that'll be a miracle”; “You mind telling me where he thinks he's going?”; “You call this parting the sea? Look! The water is up to my ankle!”; “If he's so smart, why doesn't he make these dead fish disappear?"; and so on.


Isn't that the way of it? Whether it's God, Moses, religious leaders, political figures, all the people in our lives, you name them, if they aren't at peak performance all of the time, we complain. No matter what they have done for us in the past, no matter what they will do in the future, even no matter what they might be doing right now, it's never enough. We always find something to complain about. It doesn't have to be that way.


How different the world would be if, after each and every miracle, after each and every act of kindness, even after each and every day, even if it had not been perfect, we would sing a song of praise for the One Who allowed us to experience it! It is noteworthy that no one ever thanks Moses for leading them through the wilderness. How different might that experience have been had "thank you" been uttered occasionally? Perhaps it would have been forty days instead of forty years!


Memo to self and to all: We are all on a journey together. How each of us chooses to react to the bumps and hazards, as well as the beautiful scenery, will effect the experience of all of us. Let's make the most of it, by singing more, and kvetching less.


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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Candle lighting: 4:44 pm


Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Come on down for a joyful way to bring in Shabbat! Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday: Tu B'Shevat Seder at 10:00 am for the Religious School and entire congregation. Join us for snacks and songs of Eretz Yisrael (no cost but RSVP required). Adult Hebrew Class – 10:00 am.
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn - noon.
Wednesday: (Re)Introduction to Judaism class – 7:30 pm. This week’s topic: The Ten Commandments – The Ten Suggestions?


This d'var torah is offered in memory of Colleen Pierce, who passed away last Shabbat. Y’hi zikhronah liv’rakhah – May her memory be a blessing.


This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Blimah Reizel bat Ruchel, Dina bat Sarah Emanu, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Connie Rosen Axelson, Eve Beatty, John Todd Brosky, Jo Cardona, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Steven Kleiger, Lizzie Legnine, Gloria Loera, Frank Marcovitz, Sheldon Mazo, Marshall Neiman, and Phil Raider.


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 

UNLEAVENED MITZVOT

Parashat Bo

3 Shevat 5774 / 3-4 January 2014

Parashat Bo

Torah: Exodus 10:1 – 13:16

Haftarah: Jeremiah 46:13-28

 

Dedications and this week’s calendar are below. For more information about our community, visit: http://bethmeier.org/

 

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

"And you shall observe the matzot; for on this very day I brought out your hosts from the land of Egypt; and you shall observe this day for your generations - it is an ordinance forever." Ex. 12:17

"Rabbi Josiah says: Do not read thus (as 'matzot'), rather as, 'And you shall observe the mitzvot.' Just as one should not leaven (chametz) matzah, one may not leaven a mitzvah.  Rather, if a mitzvah comes to your hand, perform it immediately." Mechilta, Tractate Pischa, Ch. 9

The Hebrew words "matzot" and "mitzvot" may appear identical when written without vowel marks, as in a Torah scroll. Rabbi Josiah, noting this, goes on to say that just as matzah is observed to assure that it does not rise (from leavening), so must mitzvot be carried out lest they too start to rise. What does it matter if a mitzvah becomes leavened (chametzdik)? For that matter, how can a mitzvah become chametzdik?

Matzah must be baked within 18 minutes of the formation of the dough, or else it may become leavened by airborne organisms, such as yeast. This contamination renders the dough unfit to be baked into matzah for Passover. A mitzvah also can become contaminated by delay - it becomes chametz.

Think of a mitzvah, or any other worthy act, you intended to perform and put off, for whatever reason. The longer you waited, the more you felt guilty about it, the more burdensome it became, until it was no longer desirable to perform. We are all familiar with this type of procrastination. It turns something sweet into something sour. And in fact, 'chametz' is also the word for 'vinegar'.

If you are considering performing any mitzvah, whether it is reciting prayers or kashering your kitchen or giving tzedakah or calling your mother, don't delay. The sooner you do a mitzvah, the sweeter it will be. 

Have a wonderful Shabbat full of unleavened mitzvot!

 

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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Candle lighting: 4:38 pm

Friday: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Come on down for a joyful way to bring in Shabbat! Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch sponsored by Irwin Silon in honor of Ronnie Silon’s birthday follows.

Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am; Adult Hebrew Class – 10:00 am.

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn - noon.

Wednesday: (Re)Introduction to Judaism class – 7:30 pm.

Sunday, 12 January: Tu B'Shevat Seder at 10:00 am for the Religious School and entire congregation. Join us for snacks and songs of Eretz Yisrael (no cost but RSVP required)

 

This d'var torah is offered in memory of Ira Reiff, father of Ethan Reiff. The funeral took place in New York – conducted by Rabbi Benson. The congregation extends its condolences to Ethan, Xinhua, Skylar, Izzy and Sarah.

 

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Blimah Reizel bat Ruchel, Dina bat Sarah Emanu, Dov Nechemya Hakohen ben Rachel Chaya Sarah, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Eve Beatty, John Todd Brosky, Jo Cardona, Howard Ehrlich, Joshua Erenmark, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Steven Kleiger, Lizzie Legnine, Gloria Loera, Frank Marcovitz, Marshall Neiman, Colleen Pierce (Chaya Shoshanah bat Sarah Emanu) and Phil Raider.

 

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: mailto:ravflom@sbcglobal.net T 

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe”