18 Elul 5774 / 12-13 September 2014
Parashat Ki Tavo
Torah: Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8
Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22 (Sixth Haftarah of Consolation)
Parashat Ki Tavo
Torah: Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8
Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22 (Sixth Haftarah of Consolation)
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NO GOOD HABIT
"Then you shall say before the Lord your God, 'I have cleared out the sanctified portion from the house, and also I have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandment which You commanded me; I have not transgressed your commandments and I have not forgotten.'" Deuteronomy 26:13
The Sefat Emet, Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Ger (late 19th C.), is highly exercised by this verse. He says, "If you fulfilled the commandment, it is obvious you did not forget it! This is not what the verse means."
He takes a psychological approach. Consider how often you leave your house or go to bed and then say to yourself, "Wait a minute! Did I lock the door? Did I shut off the gas?" Our teacher says that if you fulfill a commandment without intent, unthinkingly, while distracted, by rote, or out of mechanical habit, it is as if you have forgotten it.
If you give to charity or say a blessing or perform any other mitzvah without considering the inner meaning, you nevertheless "get the mitzvah points", to put it crassly. You have "been there, done that", but without deriving any spiritual benefit from it whatsoever. According to the Chasidim, of which the Sefat Emet was a leader, one of the purposes of the commandments is "tikkun olam", repair of the world, through the gathering up of the scattered sparks of creation. But another equally important purpose is to close the gap between ourselves, on one hand, and God and other human beings, on the other, and thereby repair our souls. By not "forgetting" what we are doing, we can have a more positive impact on both our world and ourselves.
"Then you shall say before the Lord your God, 'I have cleared out the sanctified portion from the house, and also I have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandment which You commanded me; I have not transgressed your commandments and I have not forgotten.'" Deuteronomy 26:13
The Sefat Emet, Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Ger (late 19th C.), is highly exercised by this verse. He says, "If you fulfilled the commandment, it is obvious you did not forget it! This is not what the verse means."
He takes a psychological approach. Consider how often you leave your house or go to bed and then say to yourself, "Wait a minute! Did I lock the door? Did I shut off the gas?" Our teacher says that if you fulfill a commandment without intent, unthinkingly, while distracted, by rote, or out of mechanical habit, it is as if you have forgotten it.
If you give to charity or say a blessing or perform any other mitzvah without considering the inner meaning, you nevertheless "get the mitzvah points", to put it crassly. You have "been there, done that", but without deriving any spiritual benefit from it whatsoever. According to the Chasidim, of which the Sefat Emet was a leader, one of the purposes of the commandments is "tikkun olam", repair of the world, through the gathering up of the scattered sparks of creation. But another equally important purpose is to close the gap between ourselves, on one hand, and God and other human beings, on the other, and thereby repair our souls. By not "forgetting" what we are doing, we can have a more positive impact on both our world and ourselves.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom - ZSRS '00
Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
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PROGRAM
NOTES:
1. Beth Meier is sponsoring “Team Selma” for a 5K
walk/run in the race to defeat ovarian cancer this Sunday, September 14.
Info at: http://www.ovariancancerrun.com/
Registration at: http://www.ovariancancerrun.eventbrite.com/
For “team”, enter “Selma Schimmel”
2. Please get your membership and High Holy Day ticket
forms and fees in to Beth Meier at your earliest convenience. Yontiff waits for
no one!
3. If you shop at Ralphs, it’s time again to visit: www.ralphs.com and
re-register your card in order to continue donations to Beth Meier. Also, if
you are a user of www.amazon.com
you can designate Beth Meier as a donee by registering and using www.smile.amazon.com
instead. There is absolutely no difference in the shopping or the pricing, just
a small donation to CBM every time you buy. Both of these are easy as pie!
CALENDAR:
Candle
lighting: 6:45 pm
Friday: Family Shabbat
Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Join us for a joyful service, followed by Oneg Shabbat.
Saturday: Shabbat
Morning Service – 10:00 am. Light Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday: Beth Meier
Religious School – 9:30 am. Ovarian Cancer Walk – see the walk website for
details.
Tuesday: Lunch and
Learn – 12:00 noon.
Saturday,
September 20: Selichot service - (with dinner for a small fee and RSVP!).
Dinner at 8:00 pm, Havdalah and Selichot at 9:30 pm.
This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah Mindel bat Toby, Heidi Allyce, Bonnie Baird, Elsbet Brosky, John Todd Brosky, Howard Ehrlich, Dr. Samuel Fersht, Jerry Forman, Leo Hoenig, Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Jeannie Kottler, Marilyn Lee, Annie Rivera, Irwin Silon, and Ruth Silon.
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.
My weekly divrei torah are also
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