BEING MINDFUL OF BEING THERE

25 Shevat 5775 / 13-14 February 2015

Parashat Mishpatim (Shabbat Shekalim)

Torah: Exodus 21:1 - 24:18
Maftir: Exodus 30:11-16                     
Haftarah: 2 Kings 12:1-17 (Ashkenazim); 2 Kings 11:17 - 12:17 (Sephardim) 

Next Thursday and Friday are Rosh Chodesh Adar - Mishenichnas Adar, marbim b'simchah - with the entry of Adar, we increase joy! Purim's coming!

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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BEING MINDFUL OF BEING THERE

'And the Lord said to Moses: "Come up to Me to the mountain; and be there; and I will give you the stone tablets and the Torah and the commandments that I have written, that you may teach them."' Exodus 24:12

Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (aka The Kotzker Rebbe; Poland, 1787-1859) says, "There is a difficulty here. If Moses went up the mountain, of course he would be there! Perhaps this is to show that one may struggle to climb the peak, being able to arrive there, yet not really be there. He may be standing at the summit, but his head is in another place. The main thing is not the ascent, but to be there, and only there, and not to be going up and down at the same time."

This is more than a rejection of the notion that the journey is more important than the ultimate goal. For the Kotzker, "being there" is not just physical, to be in a specific location. Being there is temporal and spiritual. The mind, heart and soul, having struggled to reach God, must remain focused on the moment - what came before, and what will come after, are not then relevant. If this seems very much like the Buddhist concept of mindfulness – it is; and you can be pretty sure the Kotzker Rebbe never had any exposure to Buddhism. Mindfulness is equally a Jewish concept, and always has been so.

When engaged in prayer, when lighting the Shabbat candles, when reciting Kiddush, when blessing your children, when performing any mitzvah - be there. When you are fully present in the present, you experience the wonder of the moment. The awesomeness of the summit can only be experienced - and only for so long as one does not think about how one got there or how one will get down or what it all means. Our ancestors knew this. That is why they said, "All that the Lord has said, we will do and we will hear." Exodus 24:7. In short - do it, experience it - then try to understand.

Have an awesome Shabbat!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom – ZSRS ‘00

Congregation Beth Meier

Studio City, CA

http://www.bethmeier.org

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Candle lighting: 5:16 pm

Friday: Shabbat Dinner – 6:00 pm. We’ll light, we’ll eat, we’ll sing …, followed by Family and Children Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 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 – 12:00 Noon.

Friday, 20 February: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm

Saturday, 21 February: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am

Sunday, 22 February: Religious School – 9:30 am; Adult Hebrew – 10:00 am; Rosh Chodesh Women’s Group – 12:00 noon.

The quadrennial elections for the World Zionist Congress are taking place NOW. This Congress, through the elected delegates, exercises control over budgets/expenditures of Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael (JNF), the Jewish Agency (aliyah and absorption) and the World Zionist Organization. Any Jew 18 years and older, residing in the United States, is eligible to participate. MERCAZ, the Zionist arm of the Conservative/Masorti movement, of which Beth Meier is an affiliate, is on the ballot. A very handy guide to the issues, parties and voting can be read at:

http://www.jewishjournal.com/religion/article/world_zionist_congress_elections_a_voters_guide

Watch your in-box for a brochure about a planned trip to Israel – May 7 – May 18, 2015. Estimated cost: $4,100/person (double occupancy) using via non-stop El Al.

This d’var torah is offered in honor of my sister Lorrie Flom and her husband, Dr. Jay Goodman, on the occasion of their wedding anniversary this Saturday. Mazal tov!

This d’var torah is offered in memory of Shirley Kronzek, Lynn’s aunt, who passed away last week. Y’hi zichronah liv’rakhah – May her memory be a blessing.

This d’var torah is offered in memory of Renee Licht, mother of my cousin Arthur Licht, who passed away last week. Y’hi zichronah liv’rakhah – May her memory be a blessing.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, Naomi bat Yorma, Miriam Minya bat Alisa Batya, Sarah Mindel bat Toby, Stewart Benkle, Elsbet Brosky, John Todd Brosky, Howard Ehrlich, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Gig Flom, Jerry Forman, Leo Hoenig (Leib ben Bella), Pamela Huddleston, Rose Jordan, Jayne Kaplan, Lina Kniter (Lina bat Batya), Jeannie Kottler, Avremi Manzur, Annie Rivera, and Rabbi Marc Wilson.

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