COMMUNION MEANS COMMUNITY

Parashat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim

13 Iyar 5775 / 1-2 May 2015

Torah: Leviticus 16:1 - 20:27

Haftarah: Amos 9:7-15 (Ashkenazim); Ezekiel 22:2-20 (Sephardim)

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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COMMUNION MEANS COMMUNITY

“Speak to all the congregation of Israel and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’” Leviticus 19:2

Rashi: This teaches that this parashah was said at a gathering of all of the Israelites together (based on the use of the word “all”).  

Chatam Sofer: The Torah does not demand a holiness of withdrawal and asceticism, and the command to be holy was stated at a gathering, when everyone stood together.

Daniel Boyarin, in his book Carnal Israel, discusses the differences between Rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity. One of the principal points of departure (beside the obvious) was that Judaism rejects the notion of monastic withdrawal from the physical world, i.e., the world of the flesh, and that Judaism frowns upon ascetic practices such as constant fasting, sexual abstinence, or any other forms of self-denial or self-affliction. Judaism is clearly “of this world” and not about “the next world”. And it is clearly about community.  

That is the real point of “You shall be holy” - spoken in the plural. Whatever holiness is, it is not attained in a vacuum. Nor are we holy because God says we are. When someone says, “I don’t belong to a synagogue, but I am a spiritual Jew”, or when one says, “I observe in my own way”, that person is claiming independence from God and from the community. Such a person is, in the words of the havdalah service, "chol" (ordinary), as opposed to "kodesh" (holy). However, when we pray and learn and observe together, we achieve holiness through communion with God and with each other. Learn from the words of Hillel: “Do not separate yourself from the community.” (Pirkei Avot 2:5) Be an active member of the Jewish community - be holy. We’re all in this together!

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier - Studio City, CA

www.bethmeier.com

Visit me on Facebook

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Candle lighting: 7:18 pm

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

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

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

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, May 8: Family and Children’s Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, May 9: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am.

Saturday, May 23: Tikkun Leyl Shavuot – A Night of Torah Study. Rabbis Deborah Silver, John Carrier, Richard Flom and others will conduct this traditional study session at Adat Ari El beginning at 8:30 pm. A wonderful opportunity to learn, meet members of other congregations, and get in the spirit of receiving Torah at Mount Sinai.

This d’var torah is offered in honor of the Casino Nite committee. Thanks for your hard work and mazal tov for a successful event!

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all those injured in the Nepal earthquake. You can help by making a donation to American Jewish World Service: http://www.ajws.org  or American Friends of Magen David Adom: http://afmda.org

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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jacob William Cohen, Howard Ehrlich, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Chanah Bella bat Kreina), Gig Flom (Gittel Tobi bat Blanca), Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Betsy Kleiger, Philip Kovac, and Annie Rivera.

My weekly Divrei Torah are also available via e-mail through 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 to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

TAKE A SECOND LOOK

Parashat Tazria-Metzora

6 Iyar 5775 / 24-25 April 2015

Torah: Leviticus 12:1 – 15:33

Haftarah: 2 Kings 7:3-20

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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TAKE A SECOND LOOK

“And the priest will look on the nega (plague) in the skin of the flesh, and if the nega has turned white and the appearance of the nega is deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a negaof tzara'at (usually translated as "leprosy"); and the priest will look on him, and pronounce him impure." Leviticus 13:3

Rabbi Y. Y. Tronk of Kutno teaches: This is a hint that when one looks at a person, one should not see only the bad points - where he has been afflicted - but should look on him as a whole, including the good points. This is why it first says, "the priest will look on the nega", and afterward it says, "the priest will look on him" - as a whole human being. (Quoted in Itturei Torah)

Just as beauty may be only skin deep, so may the ugliness of tzara'at (often viewed as a punishment for slander) be only at the surface. We don't judge a book by its cover – we look inside - why do less for a human being? Perhaps this is why Pirkei Avot says, "When judging any person, give the benefit of the doubt" (1:6) and "Do not judge your fellow until you arrive to his situation" (2:5).

Look twice before judging others.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier - Studio City, CA

www.bethmeier.org

Visit me on Facebook

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Candle lighting: 7:13 pm

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

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Bat Mitzvah of Tovi Snyder – Mazal tov! Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday:  Religious School – 9:30 am.  Adult Hebrew class – 10:00 am. Casino Night with Beth Meier, Valley Beth Israel, B’nai Hayim and Hugat Haverim at VBI – 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Contact the CBM office or website for details. Tickets still available at $40/person at the door! Let’s have a great turnout!

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, May 1: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, May 2: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. 

This d’var torah is offered in honor of Tovi Snyder on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat. Mazal tov!

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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jacob William Cohen, Howard Ehrlich, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Gig Flom (Gittel Tobi bat Blanca), Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Betsy Kleiger, Philip Kovac, and Annie Rivera.

My weekly divrei torah are also available via e-mail through 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 to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

THE ORDER OF THE TORAH

Parashat Sh’mini

29 Nisan 5775 / 17-18 April 2015

Torah: Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47

Haftarah (Machar Chodesh): 1 Samuel 20:18-42

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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THE ORDER OF THE TORAH

“This is the law (torah) of the beast, of the fowl, and of every living creature that moves in the waters and of every creature that swarms upon the earth. It is to separate between the impure and the pure, and between the living thing which may be eaten and the living thing which may not be eaten.” Leviticus 11:46-47

Rabbi Simlai taught that just as the creation of humanity came after that of all the animals, the Torah of humans comes after the Torah of the animals. He was referring to next week’s reading, Tazria-Metzora, as well as to this week’s reading. Here, the kosher (clean; permitted to be eaten) and tahor (ritually pure) animals, on the one hand, and the treif (unclean; forbidden to be eaten) and tamei (impure) animals are discussed. In Tazria-Metzora, various conditions of ritual purity and impurity of human beings are described. For each condition, just as with the animals, the Torah concludes with the words “this is the law” - “zot hatorah”.

The 18th-19th century rabbi, the Chatam Sofer, teaches that the reason the animals come first, in creation and in matters of purity, is to knock us humans down a peg. An animal can become impure only after it is dead, by happenstance. But we become impure (physically, ritually and spiritually) while we are alive, through our thoughts and deeds. It is our arrogance and our pride in believing and acting as if we are the rulers of the world and of all creation that cause our impurity. Not only do we treat animals in that way, but we all too often treat each other that way.

It's time to reorder our priorities. We can not change the Torah to make ourselves come first. But we can change ourselves to make the ethics of the Torah come first.

Shabbat Shalom! Chodesh Tov!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier - Studio City, CA

www.bethmeier.org

Visit me on Facebook

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Candle lighting: 7:07 pm

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

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am. Bar Mitzvah of Noah Kluger – Mazal tov!

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, April 24: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, April 25: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Bat Mitzvah of Tovi Snyder – Mazal tov!

Sunday, April 26: Casino Night with Beth Meier, Valley Beth Israel, B’nai Hayim and Hugat Haverim at VBI – 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Contact the CBM office or website for details. Tickets still available at $40/person! Let’s have a great turnout!

This d’var torah is offered in honor of Noah Kluger on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah on Sunday. Mazal tov!

This d’var torah is offered in honor of Lily Kleiger on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat. Mazal tov!

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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jacob William Cohen, Howard Ehrlich, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Gig Flom (Gittel Tobi bat Blanca), Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Betsy Kleiger, Philip Kovac, and Annie Rivera.

My weekly divrei torah are also available via e-mail through 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 to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

FREEDOM’S JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR … RESPONSIBILITY?

21 Nisan 5775 / 10-11 April 2015 - Pesach - Day 7

Torah: Exodus 13:17 - 15:26

Maftir: Numbers 28:19-25
Haftarah: 2 Samuel 22:1-51

Additional reading: Shir Hashirim - The Song of Songs (some congregations read this on Pesach Day 8)

22 Nisan 5775 / 10-11 April 2015 - Pesach - Day 8
Torah: Deuteronomy 14:22 - 16:17
Maftir: Numbers 28:19-25
Haftarah: Isaiah 10:32 - 12:6

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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FREEDOM’S JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR … RESPONSIBILITY?

"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had sent the people away that God did not lead them through the way of the Philistines, though that was near, for God said, 'Lest the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.'" Exodus 13:17

The Torah reading for the 7th day of Pesach includes the famous Song of the Sea. This song is the Israelite victory song, a paean to God after the destruction of the Egyptian army at the Reed Sea. But the victory and song follow just a few verses after the Israelites complained to Moses about their fears, and their desire to return to Egypt. In its first fragile moments, while the oppressors were still around, freedom was a scary proposition! Who will feed us? How will we survive? Who is this Moses? Where are we going? What are the Egyptians going to do to us? Let's go back to the security of slavery! We miss it! And the kvetching begins again shortly after the Reed Sea events. All the while, Moses must have been thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?"  

Rabbi Barukh Abba Rakowsky suggests that the Israelites had dreamed only of being free of their hard labor, but had not dreamed of total liberation from slavery. Absent such a dream, God feared that the first time they faced difficulty they would want to return to Egypt and to slavery. That is why He sent them "the long way". Maybe that is why the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert.

One thing that is abundantly clear throughout the Torah and rabbinic texts is that we each have responsibility - to God, to ourselves, to each other, to the world. Freedom, whether from slavery, or from political oppression, or from chemical addiction, or from anything that prevents us from living up to our potential, often frightens us, because then we are responsible for at least trying to live up to that potential.

That is the difficulty to which Rabbi Rakowsky refers. Slaves have no choice but to do what they are told - so they are not responsible for their actions. Similarly, according to Jewish law, slaves are exempt from many of the mitzvot - but free people are obligated for observing all of them. This means that we are not truly free until we accept responsibility for ourselves and take up the challenges of life.

Mo'adim L'Simchah! Shabbat Shalom! 

Seasons of Joy and a Shabbat of Peace!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier -  Studio City , CA

www.bethmeier.org

Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/

Visit me on Facebook

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Candle lighting:

Thursday: 7:01 pm

Friday: 7:02 pm (light memorial candle first)

Thursday: Seventh Day of Pesach begins – sundown

Friday: Seventh Day Pesach Yom Tov Morning Service – 10:00 am. NO evening service.

Saturday: Eighth Day Pesach Shabbat/Yom Tov Morning Service with Yizkor – 10:00 am. Pesach ends – 8:00 pm. 

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

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon

Thursday, April 16: Yom HaShoah. Beth Meier has special yellow yahrzeit candles for commemorating the day. Pick one up at the office. Light at sundown Wednesday.

Friday, April 17: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, April 18: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday, April 19: Religious School – 9:30 am. Bar Mitzvah of Noah Kluger – Mazal tov!

Saturday, April 25: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Bat Mitzvah of Tovi Snyder – Mazal tov!

Sunday, April 26: Casino Night with Beth Meier, Valley Beth Israel, B’nai Hayim and Hugat Haverim at VBI – 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Contact the CBM office or website for details.

This d’var torah is offered in honor of my wonderful wife Lynn Kronzek on the occasion of her 60^th birthday. Ad me’ah v’esrim – ‘til 120! Mazal tov!

This d’var torah is offered in memory of John Todd Brosky, who passed away on Tuesday. A memorial service will be held at Beth Meier in the near future. Condolences to his wife Elsbet. Y’hi zikhro liv’rakhah – May his 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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jacob William Cohen, Howard Ehrlich, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Gig Flom (Gittel Tobi bat Blanca), Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, Philip Kovac, and Annie Rivera.

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

PESACH 5775

Pesach 5775

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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ON CHAMETZ AND THE FIFTH CHILD

Chaverim Nichbadim/Dear Friends:

I want to share some thoughts with you as we prepare for the Festival of Pesach.

We should consider the nature of the chametz we are commanded to eliminate from our homes and elsewhere for the duration of the holiday. We generally think of it as bread, leavening, beer and the like, which is correct - at one level. But at a deeper level, our rabbis have taught that chametz is symbolic of pride and an inflated ego. Just as leavening causes dough to inflate with the creation of bubbles of hot air, so do our egos often cause us to fill up with pride and the belief in our own self-importance. Chametz also means vinegar, which is made sour by fermentation - so only certain types of vinegar are permitted on Pesach.

The lesson to be learned is that we need to remove not only the physical chametz, but also the spiritual chametz - the chametz in our souls. We can shrink our souls to their most basic components, reducing bitterness and egos so that we can truly appreciate what it means to be the stranger and to address the needs of others. "For you know the soul of the stranger" - the suffering soul of the alienated. That is why the Seder Shel Pesach opens with the words, "Let all who are hungry, come and eat! Let all who are in need come and celebrate Pesach!" Pesach is not just about us - it's about us attending to the physical and spiritual needs of the Other.

We know from the Hagaddah Shel Pesach that there are four types of children, each of whom is to be taught a lesson at the Seder - the wise child, the wicked, the simple and the one who does not know what questions to ask. We often see ourselves and others in these various models. But there is another child, the one we don't ever consider, because that child, that fifth child, is invisible or not even present! (Note: There was a fifth Marx brother who was not part of the act - Gummo) At least the wicked one is with us, even as s/he causes trouble - that child can be addressed, challenged, perhaps changed. But the one who is so far removed, whether by personal choice or by rejection, that s/he is not present - that child is one that we need to reach out to and bring back to the community - I believe we are commanded to do so. That effort of keruv, of outreach and bringing close, requires the elimination of chametz from our very selves, because the Other is often feared (and fearful), unapproachable, undesirable, perhaps unclean.

The Seder Shel Pesach should be more than a formulaic ritual and a good dinner. It should teach us and our children that we are obligated to remove the chametz of hubris. Pesach presents a wonderful opportunity to reconsider and reorganize our lives into a new Seder - a new order, that will improve the world and make us worthy of having Eliyahu Hanavi, Elijah the Prophet, knock on our doors.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Pesach Sameach!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier - Studio City, CA

www.bethmeier.org

Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/

Visit me on Facebook

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Candle lighting:

Friday (First Seder) - 6:57 pm

Saturday (Second Seder) – 7:53 pm

Thursday: Bedikat Chametz (Search for Chametz) – evening.

Friday: Erev Pesach – Ta’anit Bechorim Torah Study and Siyyum with Rabbi Flom – 8:00 am. Sale/Destruction of Chametz – 12:00 noon. First Seder – light candles, Pesach begins before sundown. NO evening service.

Saturday: Shabbat/Yom Tov Morning Service – 10:00 am. Community Second Seder at CBM – 8:00 pm. RSVP has closed!

Sunday: Yom Tov Morning Service – 10:00 am.

Tuesday: NO Lunch and Learn – Resume April 14.

Friday, April 10: Yom Tov Morning Service – 10:00 am. NO evening service.

Saturday, April 11: Shabbat/Yom Tov Morning Service with Yizkor – 10:00 am. Pesach ends – 8:00 pm.

Sunday, April 12: Religious School – 9:30 am. Adult Hebrew and Leyning Class – 10:00 am.

Sunday, April 26: Casino Night with Beth Meier, Valley Beth Israel, B’nai Hayim and Hugat Haverim at VBI – 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Contact the CBM office or website for details.

This d’var torah is offered in honor of Judith Munoz and Chelsea Omoss, who joined the Jewish people yesterday, 11 Nisan, just in time to leave Egypt! Blessed are those who come! Mazal tov!

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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, John Todd Brosky, Jacob William Cohen, Howard Ehrlich, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Gig Flom (Gittel Tobi bat Blanca), Jerry Forman, Pamela Huddleston, and Annie Rivera.

My weekly divrei torah are also available through 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 to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah” to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net