Parashat
Vayeishev
23 Kislev 5779 / 30 November – 1 December 2018
Torah: Genesis 37:1 - 40:23
Haftarah: Amos 2:6 - 3:8
23 Kislev 5779 / 30 November – 1 December 2018
Torah: Genesis 37:1 - 40:23
Haftarah: Amos 2:6 - 3:8
Calendar
and dedications follow below. For more information about our community, check
out our web site at: www.bnaihayim.com
Please
feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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WE’RE
NO ANGELS
‘A
man found (Joseph) wandering in the fields. The man asked him, "What are
you looking for?" He answered, "I am looking for my brothers. Could
you tell me where they are pasturing?" The man said, "They have gone
from here, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan." So, Joseph went
after his brothers and found them at Dothan.’ Genesis 37:15-17
This
meeting between Joseph and the man appears to be pure happenstance. If so, we
might ask, what would have happened had they not met? No slavery for Joseph and
the Israelites, no Exodus from Egypt, no receiving the Torah from God, no
history as we know it! Many commentators respond by saying that it was no man,
but an angel dispatched by God.
I
would like to suggest that it was in fact a man, but one with a holy purpose -
to give Joseph information and direction. Joseph had that purpose, too - to
ultimately give direction to his family as well as all of Egypt; and, to teach
something to and to learn something from every person he met. Each of us,
really, has the same holy purposes in life. Each of us has knowledge, wisdom
and Torah to share with others and to give them direction, and we should do so.
At the same time, we must seek out knowledge, wisdom and Torah from others.
Ben
Zoma said: Who is wise? The one who learns from all people, as it is written
(Psalm 119:99), “I have gained understanding from all my teachers.” Avot 4:1
We're
no angels, but we should treat others as if they were – or at least, like the
holy being with holy purpose that each of us is - think of what we, and they,
would learn! Think of what our world would be like! If we kindle even one
candle in ourselves and in our souls - the flame will spread to others and
light our world.
Shabbat
Shalom! Chag Urim Sameach! Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
Visit me on Facebook
Twitter: @DrahcirMolf
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is
consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
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CALENDAR
Candle lighting: 4:25 pm
Friday – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday – Breakfast and Torah study – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning
Service - 9:30 am. Aufruf for Hadassah Binkley and Sam Simani, who are to be
married on Sunday. Mazal tov! Kiddush luncheon follows, sponsored by Hadassah
and Sam.
Sunday – Religious School – 9:30 am. Chanukah!!
First light is at/after 4:45 pm. Chag Urim Sameach!
Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.
Friday, December 7 – Shabbat Evening
Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday, 8 December: Breakfast and Torah
study - 8:45 am. Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service –
9:30 am. Attn: all female members – your participation is needed! Contact
Carol Herskowitz or Lynn Kronzek for details. Kiddush luncheon follows.
Sunday, 9 December: Community Menorah Lighting,
Religious School Hanukkah Play, Reb Jason and his guitar, Latkes, Sufganiyot,
and More! - 5:00 pm. Check our website or weekly bulletin for details. RSVP to
TBH/CBM office.
Next time you come to TBH/CBM, please bring some non-perishable
canned and packaged foods and personal items (no glass) for SOVA.
TBH Religious School and TBH Pre-school have
open enrollment. Enroll your children now! Contact the TBH office for
information.
And be sure to tell your neighbors, friends, and relatives about
our warm and welcoming community and our programs!
We are looking for volunteers for services: chant Torah
or Haftarah, daven, lead English readings, and have aliyot and other
Torah/bimah honors. Training available! Contact Rabbi Flom by e-mail for
details and to sign up!
This d'var torah is offered in honor of my sister, Lorrie Flom
Goodman, celebrating her birthday today, November 29. Mazal tov! May you go
from strength to strength!
This d'var torah is offered in honor of my son, Robert Flom,
celebrating his birthday this Shabbat, December 1. Mazal tov! Ad me’ah v’esrim!
This d'var torah is offered in honor of Hadassah Binkley and Sam
Simani, on the occasion of their marriage this Sunday, December 2. Mazal tov!
This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Elisheva bat
Malkah, Ze’ev ben Adeline, Liora bat Sarah, Eilite bat Miriam, Sarah bat
Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat
Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Chanah
Bella bat Kreina), Bernard Garvin, Leah Granat, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein,
Philip Kovac, Tonya Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Emanu), Barbara Levy, David
Marks, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya
Feiga bat Kreina), Irwin Silon, William Sragow, and Jonathan Woolf.
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.
