THE MOSAIC

Parashat Bamidbar
5 Sivan 5775 / 22-23 May 2015
Torah: Numbers 1:1 – 4:20
Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22

Shavuot 1

6 Sivan 5775 / 23-24 May 2015

Torah: Exodus 19:1 – 20:22; Numbers 28:26-31

Haftarah: Ezekiel 1:1-28; 3:12

Shavuot 2

7 Sivan 5775 / 24-25 May 2015

Book of Ruth

Torah: Deuteronomy 15:19 – 16:17; Numbers 28:26-31

Haftarah: Habakkuk 3:1-19

Calendar of Events follows below. For more information about our community, visit: http://www.bethmeier.org

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THE MOSAIC

“Every man with his own standard, with ensigns according to their fathers’ houses, so shall the Children of Israel pitch the camp; at a distance from the tent of meeting shall they encamp.” Numbers 2:2

One should not for a moment believe that this verse is a license for each of us to go our individual ways. We are indeed to maintain our individual identities, but only within the context of the larger community.

The commentary Bet Aharon makes this point in an interesting way. “Every Jew must know and think that he is unique in the world, and there has never been another person exactly like him. If there had been someone just like him, there would have been no need for him. In truth, every person is someone new in the world, who needs to improve his character and his Torah for the sake of his soul, until the entire world has been repaired through the effort of the Jewish people.”

It’s a pretty tall order. Look at it this way. Each of us is a mosaic "work-in-progress", made of many tiles (nature, nurture, experience, education, relationships, etc.) that needs to be completed and put back together; each of us is a tile in a much vaster communal/societal mosaic that each of us has a responsibility for assembling. When we put together the pieces of our own lives and our own souls, and place the tiles of our own selves into the mosaic of the community, we are contributing to the improvement of the world as well.

It all starts with you.

Have a wonderful Shabbat! Chag Shavuot Sameach! See you at Mount Sinai!

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: 7:34 pm

Saturday: 8:35 pm

Sunday: 8:36 pm (also light Yizkor candle)

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

Saturday: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows. Saturday evening – “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 815 pm. A wonderful opportunity to learn, meet members of other congregations, and get in the spirit of receiving Torah at Mount Sinai. A flyer with more information is available at Rabbi Flom’s blog (http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2015/05/tikkun-leyl-shavuot.html) and at the Beth Meier website (www.bethmeier.org).

Sunday: Shavuot Morning Service – 10:00 am. NO Religious School. NO Adult Hebrew class.

Monday: Shavuot Morning Service and Yizkor - 10:00 am. It’s also Memorial Day – we will offer special prayers at Yizkor in memory of America’s fallen service personnel.

Tuesday: Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, May 29: Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, May 30: Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush lunch follows.

Sunday, May 31: Congregation Beth Meier Movie Night – 7:00 pm. Movie TBD. No charge, but donations gladly accepted! Join us for a Jewish-themed movie with popcorn and soda! In winter, we’ll be doing this on Saturday nights and include Havdalah and kids’ games.

This d’var torah is offered in memory of my father, Martin Flom, whose yahrzeit falls on Monday, 7 Sivan. Y’hi zikhro liv’rakhah.

This d’var torah is offered in memory of my grandfather, Jacob Slome, whose yahrzeit falls on Tuesday, 8 Sivan. Y’hi zikhro liv’rakhah.

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, Jeannie Berger, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky, Jacob William Cohen, Jerry Daniels, 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 through free e-mail 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