TAKE NOTE

Parashat Chukkat

7 Tammuz 5777 / 30 June – 1 July 2017

Torah: Numbers 19:1 – 22:1

Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33

Dedications and calendar follow below. For complete listings and lots of other information about our community, see our web site at: http://bethmeier.org

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

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TAKE NOTE

"The Kohen will take cedar wood, hyssop and crimson thread, and throw them into the burning of the cow." Numbers 19:6

From the description of the inexplicable ritual of the Red Heifer, Rabbi Simchah Bunim of Pshischa teaches: The cedar alludes to haughtiness, while the hyssop implies humility. Every person must have a note in one pocket which says, "I am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27), and in the other pocket one must have a note which says, "For my sake was the world created" (Sanhedrin 37). The wise person knows when to use which.

Yechiel of Alexander explains that when the Yetzer Hara, the Evil Impulse, wishes to build us up, in order to make us arrogant and self-centered, we should read the first note. When the Evil Impulse wants to bring us down in sadness and depression over our failures, we should read the second note.

But what about the crimson thread? Perhaps we should tie one around a finger, to serve as a reminder that the notes are in our pockets. The thread has a unique characteristic - unlike the cedar and the hyssop, the crimson thread was created by human beings. This means we have power - the power to resist both arrogance and despair, the power to improve, the power to control our own destinies - as long as we are mindful of what those destinies might be.

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

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Candle lighting: 7:50 pm

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

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

Tuesday – Happy Birthday, United States of America! NO Lunch and Learn – resume July 11.

Friday, July 7 – Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, July 8 – Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Avi Shmuel Yosef Hakohen ben Bella, Yaakov Rani Ben Margalit, HaRav Tzvi Hersh ben Frimet, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Bryon Fendrich (Berel ben Chanah), Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Dena Kosche (Dena bat Sarah Emanu), Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, 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.

ON BEING AND DOING

Parashat Korach

30 Sivan 5777 / 23-24 June 2017

Torah: Numbers 16:1 - 18:32

Maftir: Numbers 28:9-15

Haftarah (Shabbat Rosh Chodesh): Isaiah 66:1-24, 23

Dedications and calendar follow below. For complete listings and lots of other information about our community, see our web site at: http://www.bethmeier.org/

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

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ON BEING AND DOING

"They gathered together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, 'It is too much for you! For all of the assembly - all of them - are holy, and the Lord is among them; why do you lord yourselves over the congregation of the Lord?'" (Numbers 16:3)

Korach and his fellow rebels offer this challenge to the leadership of Moses and Aaron. What makes them holier than everybody else? Korach seems to have a point. After all, God did say to all of the Israelites that "you will be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy." (Leviticus 19:2) Even before the giving of the Torah at Sinai, God had told them, "You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy people." (Exodus 19:6)

The error that Korach and his followers make is that they didn't hear God as clearly as they thought. In the Exodus and Leviticus texts, God spoke in the future tense - "you will (or shall) be holy". It can be viewed as either a promise of future holiness, or as a commandment to become holy. How might holiness be accomplished? By observing God's commandments, of course.

Korach thinks that merely by being a Jew, he has done enough, he is holy. So it is with too many of us. We think that it is enough merely to be a Jew. As Korach fatally learns, to really be a Jew, to really achieve the holiness that God promises us, requires not passivity, but action - Jewish action. One can not simply "be" - one must “do".

There are many paths to the kind of holiness the Torah is talking about. One can kasher one's kitchen or attend prayer services more often or make Shabbat at home regularly. One might attend Jewish education classes or read more Jewish books. It certainly means taking responsibility for one’s actions (or inaction). But in Judaism, it is equally certain that mere belief is not enough. Deeds speak far louder than professions of faith.

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

"From the place where we are absolutely right, flowers will never grow in the spring."

"מן המקום שבו אנו צודקים לא יצמחו לעולם פרחים באביב"

Yehuda Amichai

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Candle lighting: 7:50 pm

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

Saturday – Temple B’nai Hayim Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Note the time. Men, be there too‼ We will not have a separate service at Beth Meier this Shabbat morning – we’ll be at B’nai Hayim! B’nai Hayim is located at: 4302 Van Nuys Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 91403 (south of Ventura Blvd.)

Tuesday – NO Lunch and Learn – resume July 11.

Friday, June 30 – Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, July 1 – Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

This d'var torah is offered in honor of the women of Temple B’nai Hayim and Congregation Beth Meier, who are taking on Jewish action.

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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Bryon Fendrich (Berel ben Chanah), Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Dena Kosche (Dena bat Sarah Emanu), Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, 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.

YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY! OR HAVE YOU?

23 Sivan 5777 / June 16-17 2017

Parashat Sh’lach Lekha

Torah: Numbers 13:1-15:41

Haftarah: Joshua 2:1-24

Dedications and calendar follow below. For complete listings and lots of other information about our community, see our web site at: http://www.bethmeier.org/

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

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YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY! OR HAVE YOU?

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Send for yourself men to scout out the Land of Canaan that I give to the Israelites; send one man from each of the ancestral tribes, each man a prince." Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran at the word of God; all of them heads of the Israelites. Numbers 13:1-3

Rashi: Why does God say "send for yourself" and not simply "send"? "I am not commanding you - if you want, you may send."

Rabbi Ephraim of Lunshitz (1550 - 1619), author of the noted commentary Klei Yakar, takes Rashi one step further, and questions another word. He asks, why doesn't God want Moses to send "men"? He recalls the Rabbinic teaching that the Israelite men despised the Land, and wanted to return to Egypt. But the Israelite women loved the Land so much, their demand for an inheritance led to a change in the law as it was understood at that time (the daughters of Tzeloph'chad - Numbers 27). And because God knew what was going to happen (the spies would spread fear among the Israelites), He would have preferred that Moses send women. The women would have kept better faith with God, and not spread lies about the Land.

Historically, Jewish women were denied the right to observe many of the mitzvot, such as tallit and tefillin, or to engage in many Jewish rites of passage, like b'nai mitzvah. At the same time, as we see here, there was a strong undercurrent of Rabbinic teaching regarding the spiritual superiority and commitment of Jewish women.

The Torah, and all Jewish learning, is more of an open book than ever. There are a larger number of Jewish learning opportunities, more diverse in scope, than ever before. Jewish learning is for everyone, not a limited number of yeshivah bochers. How ironic it is, then, that now that more Jews than ever are free to practice Judaism without fear or hardship, a diminishing percentage of Jews (men and women) are taking advantage of these opportunities. In truth, like the Land of Israel, the landscape of modern Judaism indeed flows with milk and honey. Spy out the land, eat of its fruit, and be satisfied!

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

"From the place where we are absolutely right, flowers will never grow in the spring."

"מן המקום שבו אנו צודקים לא יצמחו לעולם פרחים באביב"

Yehuda Amichai

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Candle lighting: 7:48 pm

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

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

Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, June 23 – Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, June 24 – Temple B’nai Hayim Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service. All women-led service – leyning, aliyot, other readings available. Contact Carol Herskowitz at (818) 708-1906 for details. Men, be there too‼ We will not have a separate service at Beth Meier on this date – we’ll be at B’nai Hayim!

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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Bryon Fendrich (Berel ben Chanah), Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Dena Kosche (Dena bat Sarah Emanu), Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, 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.

SHARE SOME SPIRIT!

16 Sivan 5777 / 9-10 June 2017

Parashat B’ha’alot’kha

Torah: Numbers 8:1 - 12:16
Haftarah: Zekhariah 2:14 - 4:7

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.

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SHARE SOME SPIRIT!

'And the Lord said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be elders of the people, and officers over them; and take them to the tent of meeting, and they will stand there with you. And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take from the spirit that is upon you and put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, and you shall not bear it alone."' Numbers 11:16-17

At Exodus 18:13-26, Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law) had observed Moses' difficulty in judging the people by himself, and he advised Moses to delegate responsibility among a number of people. Moses did so. It is now a year later, and Moses kvetches to God about the burdens of sole leadership. God tells Moses He will distribute the burden of leadership by giving others the same type of spirit that Moses has. Is Moses dense? Did he forget what Jethro had told him?

No. In the short run, merely telling other people to do some of the work can be effective. But over the long haul, unless they have the same spirit as their leader, they falter. Moses had the spirit, but he could not or would not share it with others. God had to give some of that spirit to others, so they could help Moses bear the burdens of leadership.

There is a lesson here for rabbis, teachers, board members, religious and secular leaders of all types, and parents, too. We sometimes experience the failure or the inability to share our spirit with others. No matter how enthusiastic we might be about something, if we can't get others involved, it can turn into a burden. The difference here is that we can't expect God to do it for us, take some of that spirit and give it to others - we have to do that ourselves. But it's not only the ultimate leaders who have the responsibility of sharing their spirit.

The people to whom that responsibility was given (including Moses), the people suggested by Jethro, never took the opportunity to exercise that responsibility. They did not seize the spirit of the moment.

Leaders need to share their spirit, and subordinates and members of their organizations have the primary responsibility of taking that spirit and distributing it even more. Delegating responsibility isn't enough; it often takes leadership in the form of enthusiastic sharing of spirit that really gets things done. Enthusiasm is infectious. Leaders need to be both inspired and inspiring to get the mission accomplished!

Have a spirited Shabbat!

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

"From the place where we are absolutely right, flowers will never grow in the spring."

"מן המקום שבו אנו צודקים לא יצמחו לעולם פרחים באביב"

Yehuda Amichai

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Candle lighting: 7:45 pm

Friday – Family Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30pm. A joyful guitar-accompanied service with Kerry Katz. Oneg Shabbat follows.

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

Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, June 16 – Shabbat Evening Service – 8:00 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

Saturday, June 17 – Shabbat Morning Service – 10:00 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.

Saturday, June 24 – Temple B’nai Hayim Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service. All women-led service – leyning, aliyot, other readings available. Contact Carol Herskowitz at (818) 708-1906 for details. Men, be there too‼ We will not have a separate service at Beth Meier on this date – we’ll be at B’nai Hayim!

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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Bryon Fendrich (Berel ben Chanah), Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Dena Kosche (Dena bat Sarah Emanu), Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, 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.

MASTERY OF MONEY, MASTERY OF SELF

Parashat Naso
9 Sivan 5777 / 2-3 June 2017
Torah: Numbers 4:21 – 7:89
Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25 

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.

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MASTERY OF MONEY, MASTERY OF SELF

"Each person's holy things shall be his; whatever a person gives to the priest, it shall be his." Numbers 5:10

The Talmud (Berakhot 63a), citing this verse, suggests that one who does not donate to the sanctuary ultimately ends up needy, while one who does donate becomes wealthy. There are several ways to look at this. One might read the Talmud literally; it also says that for the one who donates, "much money will be his" (they are talking about more than tax breaks!). Perhaps the Talmud is referring to spiritual need and wealth - the failure to give results in spiritual emptiness, but donating creates spiritual fulfillment.  

Rabbi Y.Y. Tronk of Kutno says that a miser is not the master of his money; only someone who is willing to part with his money is the master of it. Only by giving it away does he show that the money is "his"; i.e., it is under his control. Of course, the ability to give up that which is permitted and desirable demonstrates self-control as well.

Some use a piggy bank to save money for their own benefit; 
but a tzedakah box, aka a pushke, is for saving money to benefit the community

 

Judaism does not prohibit the accumulation of wealth, nor does it require self-denial. But it does prohibit the complete retention of wealth and it does require self-control. So, all of the viewpoints are correct. When we make donations to our synagogue, we literally make our community wealthier. We also assure that when we require the synagogue to fill our spiritual needs, it will be there for us. Nor can we deny the inner sense of well-being that comes from donating to an institution we believe in, for we are gaining something of value as well. It feels good to know that we are helping to build and maintain something greater than ourselves. Finally, in doing so, we demonstrate that we truly are the masters of our selves.  

When we donate holy things for a holy purpose, we increase our own holiness.

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

"From the place where we are absolutely right, flowers will never grow in the spring."

"מן המקום שבו אנו צודקים לא יצמחו לעולם פרחים באביב"

Yehuda Amichai

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Candle lighting: 7:41 pm

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

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

Sunday – Religious School Culmination – 10:00 am – 12:30 pm. Pizza and other fun stuff will be served. Everyone is invited to celebrate another year of educating our children!

Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.

Friday, June 9 – Family Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.

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

Saturday, June 24 – Temple B’nai Hayim Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service. All women-led service – leyning, aliyot, other readings available. Contact Carol Herskowitz at (818) 708-1906 for details. Men, be there too‼ We will not have a separate service at Beth Meier on this date – we’ll be at B’nai Hayim!

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, Ken Bitticks, Elsbet Brosky (Serach bat Miriam), Jerry Daniels, Bryon Fendrich (Berel ben Chanah), Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Leonard Foint (Eliezer Moshe ben Esther), Jerry Forman, Myra Goodman, Simon Hartman, Dena Kosche (Dena bat Sarah Emanu), Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Toni Linder, 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.