Parashat Beshallach (Shabbat Shirah)
13 Shevat 5779 / 18-19 January 2019
Torah: Exodus 13:17 – 17:16
Haftarah: Ashkenazim – Judges 4:4 – 5:31;
Sephardim – Judges 5:1-31
Dedications and this week’s calendar are
below. For more information about our community, visit: http://bnaihayim.com
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend,
and please cite the source.
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FREE AT LAST – THE LONG SHORTER WAY
“Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did
not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer
(the short-longer way); for God said, ‘The people may have a change of heart
when they see war, and they will return to Egypt.’” Exodus 13:17
The greatest modern leader of
African-Americans, and America generally, was the late Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Dr. King and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement did not simply
guide African-Americans to freedom – they led the entire country to a new
paradigm in which all Americans were truly free and equal, through what can
only be called a non-violent revolution.
The Civil Rights Movement was steeped in the
language of Tanakh – the Hebrew Bible that Christians call the Old Testament. From
the beginning, African-Americans identified with the Israelite slaves in
Egypt. Through sermons, songs and more, they amplified that connection.
Not only was the movement led by Dr. King
committed to the principles of non-violence taught by Mahatma Gandhi – he was
also an astute observer of American law, politics and traditions. He and
his followers used the democratic American system itself to bring peaceful
change to that system. The movement could have advocated violence – after
all, the United States itself achieved freedom through a violent overthrow of
British rule. Alternatively, African-Americans could have left the US –
going to Canada, for example, or at least moving from the South to the North
where, despite much discrimination, they would have been able to vote and
participate in the democratic process. Instead, they chose to stay and
achieve their goals through the system.
In today’s highly polarized society, we hear
of those who advocate violence because they do not like the result of an
election. Others who are dissatisfied say they will drop out – no longer
participate in the system. They should learn from Dr. King, a modern-day
Moses, who understood the genius of the American way. Freedoms of speech
and press, the rights to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for
redress of grievances, regulation of commerce, elections – all were utilized to
set people free.
The “short-longer way” seems faster, but
ultimately leaves one far from the goal. The “long-shorter way”
takes more time and energy, but gets one to the true prize more quickly (see Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Chananiah’s story at B Talmud Eruvin 53b).
“Free at last, free at last, thank God
Almighty, we’re free at last” – the long-shorter way.
Have a wonderful Shabbat of song and freedom!
And a Happy Tu BiSh’vat!
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: 4:51 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. Kiddush luncheon follows.
Sunday – Religious School – 9:30 am. TBH/CBM Sisterhood Movie (“The Zookeeper’s Wife”) – 2:00 pm. RSVP to synagogue office.
Monday: Tu
BiSh’vat – Happy New Year, Trees! Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Please observe both days in a meaningful way – perhaps plant a tree in memory
of Dr. King.
Tuesday – Lunch
and Learn – 12:00 noon.
Friday, January 25 – Early Shabbat Evening Service – 6:30 pm. Shabbat
Dinner and Tu BiSh’vat Seder – 7:45 pm. RSVP to synagogue office.
Saturday, January 26 – Breakfast and Torah study - 8:45 am. Shabbat
Morning Service - 9:30 am. Kiddush luncheon follows.
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
Preschool 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 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
Imanu), Barbara Levy, David Marks, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya
Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Bernie Seeman, 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.
