Torah: Leviticus 26:3 - 27:34
Haftarah: Jeremiah 16:19 - 17:14
Iyar 27, 5779 / May 31-June 1, 2019
Please note: NO Lunch and Learn on June 4 due to change in rabbi’s travel plans. We’ll resume June 11.
Dedications and Calendar of Events follow. Full calendar and lots of other info available at: http://www.bnaihayim.com
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PRESENCE
“And I will set My tabernacle amidst you; and My soul shall not abhor you.” Leviticus 26:11
The Hebrew word for tabernacle, mishkan, has the same root as the word shekhinah, meaning “Divine Presence” or “Sheltering Presence”. The idea is that the shekhinah dwells in the mishkan. (See also, Exodus 29:45 – “And I will dwell [v’shakhunti] among the people Israel”) So, where was the shekhinah before the tabernacle was built? And where has It been since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem? For that matter, where has It been during all the travels and travails of the Jewish people?
The answer is in the verse itself. Read it as “I will set My Presence amidst you.” Wherever and whenever we are, the Shekhinah, God’s Sheltering Presence, is always in our very midst.
In traditional siddurim one finds the bedtime Sh’ma. Within that set of prayers before sleep, one finds this reference to four angels and the Shekhinah: “In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, may Michael (the one like God) be at my right hand; Gabriel (God is my strength) at my left; before me, Uriel (God is my light); behind me, Raphael (God heals); and above my head, the Divine Presence of God.”
The late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach set this to music, and it sounds like a sweet lullaby. You can hear it here, performed by Reb Shlomo’s daughter, Nechama Carlebach:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0nWR28vNQA
The Hebrew words and transliteration are available at:
It can be a very pleasant and relaxing experience to quietly recite or chant this prayer. Wherever you are, wherever you lay your head, know this – the Shekhinah is with you.
Rest easy.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
Blogging at: http://rav-rich.blogspot.com
Visit me on Facebook
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 88a
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Candle lighting: 7:41 pm
Friday: Shabbat Rocks! Evening Service – 7:30 pm. An electrified service with Reb Jason and The Band! Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Torah Study/Breakfast – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday: Religious School – 9:30 am. Afternoon at the Colony Theater – “Old Jews Telling Jokes” – a bawdy (not suitable for minors) visit to the Catskills with Jokes, Skits, Song & Dance! – 3:00 pm
Tuesday: NO Lunch and Learn – resume June 11.
Friday, June 7: Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday, June 8: Torah Study/Breakfast – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Light Kiddush lunch follows. Tikkun Leil Shavuot - 9:00 pm – an evening of study in preparation for Shavuot – with Rabbi Flom and Reb Jason.
Sunday, June 9: Shavuot Morning Service –9:30 am.
Monday, June 10: Shavuot Morning Service and Yizkor – 9:30 am.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Mark Brownstein, Jerry Daniels, Maya Fersht (Maya bat Esther), Dr. Samuel Fersht (Shmuel Natan ben Gittel), Annabelle Flom (Channah Bella bat Kreina), 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, Marguerite Rassiner, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Bernie Seeman, 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.
