23
Adar 2 5779 / 29-30 March 2019
Parashat
Shemini – Shabbat Parah
Torah:
Leviticus 9:1 - 11:47
Maftir:
Numbers 19:1-22 (Shabbat Parah)
Haftarah:
Ezekiel 36:16-38 (Ashkenazim - Shabbat Parah); Ezekiel 36:16-36 (Sephardim -
Shabbat Parah)
We are
holding our annual Second Seder on Saturday, April 20. The absolute deadline
for reservations is 12:00 Noon, April 5.
Dedications
and this week’s calendar are below. For more information about our community,
visit: http://bnaihayim.com
My
annual Pesach Guide – 5779 Edition, is available at my blog:
More
Pesach information follows below this d’var torah.
Please
feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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THE
ORDER OF THE TORAH
“This
is the law (torah) of the beast, of the fowl, and of every living creature that
moves in the waters and of every creature that swarms upon the earth. It is to
separate between the impure and the pure, and between the living thing which
may be eaten and the living thing which may not be eaten.” Leviticus 11:46-47
Rabbi
Simlai taught that just as the creation of humanity came after that of all the
animals, the Torah of humans comes after the Torah of the animals. He was
referring to the readings for the next two weeks, Tazria and Metzora, as well
as to this week’s reading. Here, the kosher (clean;
permitted to be eaten) and tahor (ritually pure) animals, on
the one hand, and the treif (unclean; forbidden to be eaten)
and tamei (impure) animals are discussed. In
Tazria-Metzora, various conditions of ritual purity and impurity of human
beings are described. For each condition, just as with the animals, the
Torah concludes with the words “this is the law” - “zot hatorah”.
The
18th-19th century rabbi, the Chatam Sofer, teaches that the reason the animals
come first, in creation and in matters of purity, is to knock us humans down a
peg. An animal can become impure only after it is dead, by
happenstance. But we become impure (physically, ritually and spiritually)
while we are alive, through our thoughts and deeds. It is our arrogance
and our pride in believing and acting as if we are the rulers of the world and
of all creation that cause our impurity. Not only do we treat animals in
that way, but we all too often treat each other that way. Consider this: how do
human violence, hate, pride, greed, narcissism, etc., make us superior to animals?
It's
time to reorder our priorities. We cannot change the Torah to make
ourselves come first. But we can change ourselves to make the ethics of
the Torah come first.
Shabbat
Shalom! Chodesh Tov!
Rabbi
Richard A. Flom
Temple
B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
Blogging
at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com/
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence
in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT
Yevamot 88a
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CALENDAR
Candle
lighting: 6:53 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.
Sisterhood Meeting – 12:00 noon. Movie Time! Yentl - 2:00 pm.
Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00
noon.
Friday,
April 5 – Shabbat Evening
Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday,
April 6 – Women’s Rosh
Chodesh Shabbat Morning Service – contact Carol Herskowitz or Lynn Kronzek
for more details.
Saturday,
April 13 – NO Torah
Study/Breakfast – resume May 4. Sh’MA (Shabbat Morning Adventure)
Service – 9:30 am. A Guitar-led, singalong service with Dr. Steve
Pearlman. Designed for the whole family! Followed by kiddush luncheon.
Saturday,
April 20 – Community
Second Seder Shel Pesach – check your snail mail for lots of info on
Pesach! Call the TBH/CBM office for details and reservations.
Sunday,
May 19 – TBH/CBM Concert
and Fundraiser – with music, comedy, silent auction, and food and
drink. Check our website: http://bnaihayim.com for details. Or
contact the TBH office.
Sunday,
June 2 - Afternoon at
the Colony Theater – “Old Jews Telling Jokes” – a bawdy (not
suitable for minors) visit to the Catskills with Jokes, Skits, Song &
Dance! More info to follow.
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PESACH SERVICES
April 20 (Day 1) – 9:30 am; April 21 (Day 2)
– 9:30 am
April 26 (Day 7) - 9:30 am and Shabbat
Evening 7:30 pm;
April 27 (Day 8 - Yizkor) – 9:30 am
PASSOVER EVENTS
WALK THROUGH THE HAGGADAH – Adult education
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL MODEL SEDER
Sunday, April 14 – 10:00 am
FAST OF THE FIRST-BORN – STUDY
AND SIYYUM – Rabbi Flom’s office
Friday, April 19, 8:00 am
TBH/CBM COMMUNAL SEDER –
Catering: L.A. Kosher Caterers, led by Rabbi
Richard Flom and Reb Jason van Leeuwen
Adults: $60 (members); $70 (non-members)
Children: (6-12) $18; (5 and under)
Complimentary
Final day to reserve
dinner: Friday, April 5
Saturday, April 20 – 6:30 pm
INFORMATION FOR
PASSOVER
PESACH GUIDE - A brief
but very useful guide to Kashrut questions for Pesach is available for download
and printing at:
https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/sites/default/files/final_pesah_guide_5779.pdf
SEARCH FOR CHAMETZ: Complete cleaning of your
house of chametz by the evening of Thursday, April 18
SELLING CHAMETZ: Chametz not disposed of
must be stored out of sight and sold for the duration of Passover. To sell your
chametz, contact Rabbi Flom.
FAST/REDEMPTION OF THE FIRST-BORN: All first born Jews (except Kohanim and
Levi’im) must fast the day before Passover (from dawn April 19 until the Seder)
or be redeemed by a donation or Torah study. To redeem yourself or another, submit
a donation to the TBH/CBM Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund and/or attend
the siyyum on Monday, April 19
MUST THEIR CUP BE EMPTY? MA’OT CHITIM / PASSOVER CHARITY: Make true the words of the Haggadah, “Let all
who are hungry enter and eat, all who are needy come and celebrate the
Passover” through your donation for those in need.
PASSOVER
CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES: Light candles on April 19
for the First Seder at 7:10 pm, for the Second Seder on April 20 at 8:11 pm, on
April 25 at 7:15 pm and April 26 at 7:16 pm. Pesach ends at 8:17 pm on April
27.
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This
d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Sarah bat Devorah,
Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr.
Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Bernard Garvin, Leah Granat, Carol
Herskowitz, Diana Hirsch, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Tonya
Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Imanu), Marilyn Lee, David Marks, Debra Schugar
Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina),
Bernie Seeman, Hadassah Simani (Hadassah bat Sarah Imanu), 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.
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, deliver d’rashot, and have aliyot and other Torah/bimah
honors. Training available! Contact Rabbi Flom by e-mail for details and to
sign up!
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.
