1 Nisan 5779 / 5-6 April 2019
Parashat Tazria (Shabbat Rosh Chodesh - Shabbat
Hachodesh)
Torah Reading: Leviticus 12:1 - 13:59
Torah Reading: Leviticus 12:1 - 13:59
Seventh Aliyah (Shabbat Rosh Chodesh): Numbers 28:9-15
Maftir (Shabbat Hachodesh): Exodus 12:1 - 20
Haftarah (Shabbat Hachodesh): Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18
(Ashkenazim); 45:18 - 46:15 (Sephardim)
We are holding our annual Second Seder on Saturday, April
20. The absolute deadline for reservations is 12:00 Noon, Friday, 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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HOLD THAT THOUGHT - REALLY!
‘And the person with tzara’at, in whom there
is affliction, his clothes shall be torn, his hair shall go uncut, and he shall
cover over his lips; and “Contaminated! Contaminated!” he will call out. All
the days the affliction is in him, he will be contaminated, he is contaminated;
he will dwell in isolation, his dwelling will be outside the
camp.’ Leviticus 13:45-46
The term tzara’at is often mistranslated
as “leprosy”, but it is obvious from a close reading of the text that this is
no typical physical disease. The person with tzara’at is called a “metzora”,
and the Rabbis taught that this is a contraction for “motzi shem ra” -
one who brings forth a bad name, i.e., a slanderer or gossip. Slander
itself is referred to as “lashon hara” - evil language.
In Jewish tradition, this is a spiritual disease, one
that each and every one of us contracts from time to time - some seem to have a
chronic condition! It is a highly contagious disease that is difficult to
stop from spreading. The story is told of a man who repented of lashon
hara. He asked a rabbi how to atone. The rabbi said, “Cut
open a feather pillow, and empty it out into the wind. Then go and collect
all of the feathers.”
The Torah’s “cure” is to require one to separate oneself
from the community for a time, cover up the lips, and cry out
“Contaminated!” Rabbi Israel Salanter says that the metzora is
told, “If you are so good at finding fault in others, separate from the community,
live in isolation and search out your own faults!”
How can we cry out when our lips are sealed? We must
cry within. Consider the meditation, following the Amidah,
which begins: “My God, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking
guile.”
This is a form of self-inoculation. If we isolate
ourselves from slander and gossip by covering our ears, if we cover our mouths
before we speak, if we examine ourselves before criticizing others, and if we
cry out from the heart, then we can eliminate the contagion of lashon
hara. Don't speak your mind - hold that thought!
Shabbat shalom, chodesh tov, u'lashon tovah - a peaceful Shabbat, a good New Month, and good language.
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
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CALENDAR
Candle lighting: 6:58 pm
Friday – Shabbat
Evening A Capella Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday – Breakfast
and Torah study - 8:45 am. Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shabbat Morning
Service – 9:30 am.
Kiddush luncheon follows.
Sunday - Religious
School - 9:30 am.
Tuesday – Lunch
and Learn – 12:00 noon. NO Lunch and Learn after this until after Pesach –
April 30.
Friday, April 12 – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg
Shabbat follows.
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.
See below for complete information on Pesach
at TBH/CBM
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 AND EVENTS
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
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 in honor of my
wonderful and loving wife and life partner, Lynn Kronzek, celebrating her
birthday on Monday, April 8. Mazal tov, my dear! Ad me’ah v’esrim!
This d’var torah is offered in honor of my
aunt, Helen Schugar, celebrating her birthday on Monday, April 8. Mazal tov! Ad
me’ah v’esrim!
This d’var torah is offered in honor of all the
women of TBH/CBM participating in the Shabbat Rosh Chodesh service this Shabbat
morning. Mazal tov!
This d’var torah is offered in memory of my
father-in-law, Abraham Kronzek, whose
yahrzeit falls this Shabbat, 1 Nisan. Y’hi
zikhro liv’rakhah – his memory is a blessing.
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, Sandra Raab, 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.
