Parashat Va’era
Torah:
Exodus 6:2 – 9:35
Haftarah:
Ezekiel 28:25 – 29:21
26 Tevet 5775 / 16-17
January 2015
Calendar
and dedications follow below. For a full calendar of events and other info
about Congregation Beth Meier, check out: www.bethmeier.org
Please feel free to pass
this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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BREATHLESS IN EGYPT
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BREATHLESS IN EGYPT
"And Moses spoke thus (as God had instructed him) to the Children of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses because of shortness of breath (mikotzer ruach) and hard work." Exodus 6:9
Rashi: Whoever is troubled, his wind and his breathing are short, and he cannot breathe a long breath.
Sforno: Their spirit prevented them from having faith in God, and they did not focus their hearts to understand.
Moses, following God's directions, has told the Israelites that they will be redeemed by God. But they ignore Moses, apparently because they are worn out - they are out of breath from being worked so hard by the Egyptians.
The 16th-century commentator, Sforno, understands "kotzer ruach" to mean a shortness of spirit ("ruach" can mean breath or spirit). Although we might think that their spirits were broken by slavery, so they could not listen to Moses, Sforno says “no”. He suggests that they were spiritually weak, unfocused, and consequently, they were punished by not being taken to the Promised Land - only their children, who had not had their spirits broken, would enter the land of Israel.
This seems rather harsh, somewhat like blaming the victim. But it is just the beginning of a pattern. No matter what God promises or does for the Israelites, before and after the exodus from Egypt, they never really believe - they never have faith. Even after all of the miracles, as we shall see in a few weeks, the Israelites create a golden calf to worship.
We often believe we are entitled to be redeemed simply because we have suffered. But we should also know that, just as one cannot recover from alcoholism (an insidious slavery) without working through the necessary steps, and just as one cannot firm up flabby muscles without physical exercise, one cannot be spiritually healed without doing spiritual work. We have to exercise our spiritual muscles the same way we work out at the gym - study Torah, pray, work at finding God, meditate, practice and live Judaism. You can get a spiritual rush - if you get pumped up!
Feel the
burn - have a great Shabbat workout!
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom – ZSRS ‘00
Congregation Beth Meier
Studio City, CA
http://www.bethmeier.org/
Blogging at: rav-rich.blogspot.com/
Visit me on Facebook
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Candlelighting: 4:49 pm
Friday: 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. Women's Rosh Chodesh
Group - "New Moons, Shofars, and Women: Celebrating Rosh Chodesh Then and
Now", presented by Jeannette Hartmann. 12:00 Noon - light lunch served.
RSVP to office.
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn –
12:00 Noon.
Sunday, 25 January:
Congregation Beth Meier Annual Members’ Meeting – 2:00 pm.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah
for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, Boaz ben Dina, Michah ben Dina, Miriam
Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah Mindel bat Toby, Bonnie Baird, Stewart
Benkle, Jeff Bluen, Elsbet Brosky, John Todd Brosky, Howard Ehrlich, Maya
Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Jerry
Forman, Leo Hoenig (Leib ben Bella), Neal Hoffman (Nachum ben Dina), Pamela
Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Jayne Kaplan, Lina Kniter (Lina bat Batya), Jeannie
Kottler, Shirley Kronzek, Dr. Martin Lee, and Annie Rivera.
My weekly divrei torah are also available by free
subscription to 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
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