THE TEST

24 Iyar 5774 / 23-24 May 2014
Parashat Bamidbar
Torah: Numbers 1:1 – 4:20

Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22

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THE TEST

“The Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after their exodus from the land of Egypt, saying.” Numbers 1:1

This parashah, and the book of the Torah named for it, is called “Numbers” in English. But in Hebrew, it is “Bamidbar”, which means “in the wilderness”. The census taken in this parashah, the numbering, is done in the wilderness. The wilderness is a fearful place, with dangers both physical and spiritual. It is a place to be tested, to stand up and be counted.

The giving of the Torah will be commemorated on the holiday of Shavuot in less than two weeks. In the Midrash, Bamidbar Rabbah, it is taught that the Torah was given in fire, in water and in the desert. In a sense, this wasteland where our ancestors ultimately will spend 40 years, serves as a forge. Just as a sword is hammered and shaped, plunged into fire and water and sand, tested for durability, so were the Israelites.

Often, people having a life cycle event, whether a bar/bat mitzvah, wedding, graduation, or even a divorce or a death, feel they have passed a test. While that may be true, it is not the end, but the beginning. Now it is time to do something positive with the test results, and more especially with the knowledge and experience by which the passing grade was accomplished. It is life itself that is the ultimate test. And the Torah, given to our ancestors and to us, is the study guide.

Good luck on your exams!

Shabbat Shalom!

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

Candle lighting: 7:35 pm

Tonight: Shivah Minyan for Steven Kleiger at Kleiger residence – 7:30 pm

Friday: Shabbat evening service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am.  Kiddush lunch follows. Shivah minyan for Steven Kleiger at Kleiger residence – 8:00 pm.

Sunday: NO Religious School – Memorial Day weekend. Shivah minyan for Selma Schimmel at CBM – 7:30 pm.

Monday: Memorial Day. Shivah minyan for Selma Schimmel at CBM – 7:30 pm.

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn - Noon.

This d’var torah is offered in honor of Jaclyn Aviva Schwartz and Joseph Adam Yashinsky, who are celebrating their marriage on Sunday. Mazal tov!

This d'var torah is offered in memory of Steven Kleiger, who passed away last Friday. Y'hi zikhro liv'rakhah.

This d'var torah is offered in memory of Selma Schimmel, who passed away yesterday. Y'hi zikhrah liv'rakhah.

This d'var torah is offered in memory of all the military personnel who died in service to the United States.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Howard Ehrlich, Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Jayne Kaplan, Frank Marcovitz, Marshall Neiman, and Phil Raider.

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

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