CRUEL KINDNESS

26 Nisan 5777 / 21-22 April 2017

Parashat Shemini

Torah: Leviticus 9:1 – 11:47
Haftarah: 2 Samuel 6:1 – 7:17 (Ashkenazim); 2 Samuel 6:1-19 (Sephardim)

IMPORTANT REQUEST: I and Lynn will be out of town Shabbat of April 28-29. Several CBM members have volunteered to conduct services, chant Torah and Haftarah, etc. If you would like to take an active role in those services, please let me know ASAP. And of course, please make every effort to attend one or both of those services to assure a minyan and a complete and meaningful service.

Dedications and a Calendar of Upcoming Events follow. For a full calendar and lots of other information about our community, visit:

http://www.bethmeier.org/

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
CRUEL KINDNESS

“… They shall not be eaten…. the stork …” Leviticus 11:13, 19

The Torah refers to non-kosher birds as an abomination. Interestingly, Rabbi Yehudah taught that the stork is called chasidah (the kind one) because it acts with chasidut (kindness) toward its fellows. On the other hand, Rambam (Maimonides) taught that every non-kosher bird is naturally cruel. So, why is the stork considered not kosher?

Chidushei Ha-Rim ("Insights of Rabbi Yitzchak Meir", the first Gerer rebbe) says it is because the stork helps only “its fellows”, other storks, and no others. He continues, “One must help all others, for a person who helps only his own is not kind, but cruel.”

The Gerer’s teaching is a logical extension of the more familiar teaching of Hillel: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?” (Avot 1:14)

Indeed, neither the quality nor the timing of our kindness should depend upon our attitude toward or our relationship with the one who requires kindness. The bottom line is taught in Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your fellow (human being, who is, after all) like yourself.”

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier

Studio City, CA

http://bethmeier.org

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

Visit me on Facebook

Twitter: @DrahcirMolf

"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"

"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”

BT Yevamot 87b

-------------------------------------------------------

Candle lighting: 7:11 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 – 10:00 am. Yom HaShoah Commemoration at Temple B’nai Hayim, co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Meier – 7:00 pm. Please attend and remember The Six Million.

Tuesday - Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, April 28 – Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, April 29 – Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday, April 30 –Religious School – 9:30 am. Adult Education – 10:00 am.

Tuesday, May 2 – NO Lunch and Learn. Resume May 9.

This d'var torah is offered in memory of The Six Million.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, Yaakov Rani Ben Margalit, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Kyree Beacham, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Byron Fendrich (Berel ben Chanah), Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Chanah Bella bat Kreina), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Fouad Kay (Yehoshua ben Salima), Elaine Kleiger, Dena Kosche (Dena bat Sarah Emanu), Philip Kovac, Evan Kronzek, Philip Kronzek (Pinchas Yosef ben Sarah), Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, Roy Miller, Leo Pomerantz, Deborah Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), and Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina).

Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there is anyone who may be removed from this list.

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call!

Cyber Torah list management:

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to:

ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to:

ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.

To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.

THE SINGINGEST HOLIDAY

Shabbat Chol Hamoed Pesach
Torah: Exodus 33:12 - 34:26

Maftir: Numbers 28:19-25

Haftarah: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Additional reading: Song of Songs

Seventh Day of Pesach (Monday)

Torah: Exodus 13:17 - 15:26

Maftir: Numbers 28:19-25

Haftarah: 2 Samuel 22:1-51

Eighth Day of Pesach (Tuesday)

Torah: Deuteronomy 15:19 - 16:17

Maftir: Numbers 28:19-25

Haftarah: Isaiah 10:32 - 12:6

Dedications and a Calendar of Upcoming Events follow. For a full calendar and lots of other information about our community, visit:

http://www.bethmeier.org/

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE SINGINGEST HOLIDAY

On the seventh day of Pesach, the Torah portion includes the beautiful Shirat Hayam - The Song of the Sea - the Israelites' paean of thanksgiving to God for the destruction of the pursuing Egyptian army. When this section is read during the year (Parashat Beshallach), the haftarah is Judges 4:4 - 5:31. It comprises Deborah and Barak's song, celebrating their military victory over the forces of the Canaanite general Sisera. In a similar vein, the haftarah for the seventh day is a song of thanksgiving (a variant is found at Psalms 18), chanted by David.

Song of the Sea - Miriam and Moses and the Israelites

There is a lesson in these choices of public readings. In Shirat Hayam, the people as a whole thank God for the miracle of the sea. Just when they feared they were doomed, they were instead saved. In Shirat Devorah, which in many ways resembles Shirat Hayam, Deborah and Barak thank God for both the collective victory of the people and their own personal salvation. Shirat David is strictly personal, completely in the first person singular, reviewing a lifetime of blessings. In each case, pleas for deliverance were answered. This is all in addition to reading Song of Songs on Shabbat Chol Hamoed and the singing of Hallel (Psalms of Praise) every day of Pesach, including at the Seder.

What we learn is that we can and should thank God, individually and collectively, for all the miracles and blessings in our lives, great and small, personal and national. Only then can we truly appreciate the wonders of our lives.

Shabbat Shalom! Moadim L'simchah!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier

Studio City, CA

http://bethmeier.org

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

Visit me on Facebook

Twitter: @DrahcirMolf

"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"

"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”

BT Yevamot 87b

-------------------------------------------------------

Candle lighting: 7:05 pm

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

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

Sunday – NO Religious School or Adult Education. Both resume April 23.

Monday – Passover Morning Service – 9:30 am at Temple B’nai Hayim.

Tuesday - Passover Morning Service with Yizkor – 10:00 am at Beth Meier. Pesach ends at 8:05 pm.

Friday, 21 April – Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, 22 April – Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday, 23 April –Religious School – 9:30 am. Adult Education – 10:00 am.

Tuesday, 25 April – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, Yaakov Rani Ben Margalit, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Kyree Beacham, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Fouad Kay (Yehoshua ben Salima), Elaine Kleiger, Dena Kosche, Philip Kovac, Evan Kronzek, Philip Kronzek (Pinchas Yosef ben Sarah), Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, Roy Miller, Leo Pomerantz, Deborah Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), and Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina).

Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there is anyone who may be removed from this list.

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call!

Cyber Torah list management:

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net  with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.

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

To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.

STUDYING MATTERS

URGENT TZEDAKAH/CHESED NEED – LOS ANGELES

Chaverim:

A member of our community is in urgent need of a place to live, as soon as possible. She is 70ish, relying on Social Security, looking for a one-bedroom or studio or in-law apartment or caretaker cottage. She would also be interested in shared housing. She is willing to perform light-duty services in exchange for all or part of rent.

If you are able to help, please contact me via e-mail at: ravflom@sbcglobal.net ASAP, and I will put her in touch with you. Thank you for your consideration.

12 Nisan 5777 / 7-8 April 2017

Parashat Tzav

Torah: Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36
Haftarah: Malachi 3:4-24 (Shabbat Hagadol)

My Annual Pesach Resources Guide is available at my blog:

http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2017/03/pesach-resources-5777-edition.html

Also at my blog is Congregation Beth Meier’s Pesach 5777 Bulletin, including a Calendar of Events for Passover:

http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/2017/03/beth-meier-pesach-5777-bulletin.html

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source

--------------------------------------------------------------

STUDYING MATTERS

"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Command Aaron and his sons, thus: This is the law (literally, "the Torah") of the burnt offering ...'" Leviticus 6:1-2

Rabbi Simchah Bunem compares our verse with one from 1 Samuel 15:22: "And Samuel said, 'Does the Lord delight as much in offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.'" To Samuel, "obeying" must mean something other than obeying the commandments to offer the sacrifices. Simchah Bunem attempts to reconcile the apparent contradiction between the two verses by citing the following passage from the Talmud: "All who engage in Torah study have no need for the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, or the guilt offering." BT Menachot 110a

One might think that the Talmud here means that while one is studying Torah, one is exempt from bringing the sacrificial offerings. Simchah Bunem says it means much more than that. According to him, the study of the Torah of the offerings is even better than actually bringing them!

But what about the obedience that Samuel referred to? The answer might be found in the notion that we are commanded to study Torah. Note the blessing in the daily morning service that concludes, "... and Who commands us to be engaged with matters (or, words) of Torah." (la’asok b’divrei torah)

Observing the commandment of study leads to practice. If we learn the Torah regarding how to treat each other, and put it into practice, we do not need to seek atonement, so we need not bring sacrifices. Study of the Torah of the offerings will not only suffice, it will be better than sacrificing. Hence the Rabbinic dictum: talmud torah k'neged kulam - Torah study is equivalent to all the commandments - because it leads to observance of them.

In this regard, please note that Monday evening is the first Seder shel Pesach. From sunrise Monday until the Seder, it is traditional for first-born Jews (except Kohanim and Levi’im) to observe Ta’anit Bechorot, Fast of the First-Born. How might one avoid the fast? By studying and completing a section of Talmud, then celebrating with a siyyum, a feast, in honor of that completion. Take this opportunity, even if you are exempt from the fast, to study on Monday with me at 8:00 am at Congregation Beth Meier in preparation for your liberation from slavery!

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Pesach Kasher, Sameach V’Mashma’uti!

Have a wonderful Shabbat, and a kosher, happy, and meaningful Pesach!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

Congregation Beth Meier

Studio City, CA

http://bethmeier.org

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

Visit me on Facebook

Twitter: @DrahcirMolf

"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"

"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”

BT Yevamot 87b

-------------------------------------------------------

Candle lighting: 7:00 pm

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

Saturday – Sh’MA (Shabbat Morning Adventure) Service – 10:00 am. Guitar-accompanied sing-along service with Cantor Steve Pearlman. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday – Religious School – 9:30 am. Adult Learning Program – “A Walk Through the Hagaddah” – 10:00 am

Monday – Fast of the First-born – Torah Study and Siyyum – 8:00 am. Sell or/and destroy chametz by 12:00 noon. First Seder at sundown.

Tuesday - Passover Morning Service – 9:30 am at Temple B’nai Hayim. Community Second Seder at Beth Meier – 7:00 pm.

Wednesday - Passover Morning Service – 10:00 am at Beth Meier.

Friday, 14 April – Shabbat Chol Hamoed Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, 15 April – Shabbat Chol Hamoed Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Sunday, 16 April – NO Religious School or Adult Education

Monday, 17 April - Passover Morning Service – 9:30 am at Temple B’nai Hayim. 

Tuesday, 18 April - Passover Morning Service with Yizkor – 10:00 am at Beth Meier. Pesach ends at 8:05 pm.

This d'var torah is offered in honor of my wonderful wife, Lynn Kronzek, celebrating her birthday this Shabbat. Yom huledet sameach, my dear! Ad me’ah v’esrim!

This d'var torah is offered in honor of my aunt, Helen Schugar, celebrating her birthday this Shabbat. Mazal tov! Ad me’ah v’esrim!

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, Yaakov Rani Ben Margalit, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Kyree Beacham, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Fouad Kay (Yehoshua ben Salima), Philip Kovac, Evan Kronzek, Philip Kronzek (Pinchas Yosef ben Sarah), Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, Roy Miller, Leo Pomerantz, Deborah Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), and Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina).

Please let me know if there is anyone you would like to add to this list or if there is anyone who may be removed from this list.

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call!

Cyber Torah list management:

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net  with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.

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

To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.