13 Iyar 5779 / 17-18 May 2019
Torah: Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23
Torah: Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23
Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31
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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MAKING A CONNECTION
MAKING A CONNECTION
"And you shall not eat
bread, or parched grain, or fresh kernels until the very day that you have
brought the (omer) offering for your God; it is an eternal decree for
all your generations, in all your dwelling places." Leviticus 23:14
"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not completely reap all
the way to the corners (peah) of your field, and you shall not gather
the gleanings (leket) of your harvest; you shall leave them for the
poor and the stranger; I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 23:22
The Torah states at verse 14 that new grain, i.e., grain from the fresh crop,
may not be eaten until the omer (a measure of barley) offering has been
brought on the second day of Pesach, or, these days, until the time for making
the offering has passed. And at verse 22, the Torah commands us concerning
the harvests of our fields.
These commandments might seem pointless. How many of us have the direct
connection with the land that is required for fulfilling the mitzvot of omer,
peah and leket? When we buy bread in a bakery, how do we know what crop
the grain came from? How many of us have fields of grain?
There is a way to combine these commandments in a modern and meaningful way
that allows us to fulfill them in spirit. True, we no longer make
sacrificial offerings to God. And I suspect that there are very
few farmers reading this. However, there are many poor and hungry people
in our society. Before we eat, we are obligated to consider
them, and do what we can to feed them as well. Because it is impossible for there to be equal distribution of land and other resources, God tells us: “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brethren, to your poor, and to your needy in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11)
I suggest that we should be offering grain (or other foods) to other people,
who are, after all, created in God's likeness. The food comes from our
pantries and cupboards rather than our fields. We do the gleaning; they do
the eating. I am sure that there are very few people reading this who cannot
spare at least a few cans of food for those with nothing to eat at
all. Why should we do this? Hosea (6:6) quotes God as telling us,
"For it is loving-kindness I desire – not sacrifice." Further, we
read just last Shabbat, “… And you shall love your fellow, for s/he is just like you …”
Leviticus 19:18
Fulfilling the mitzvah of being
openhanded to our less fortunate fellows should be done with regularity. Give frequently to a pantry near you, such as SOVA (see below). It's a wonderful
way for you and your children to carry out the call that we made at the Pesach
Seder just a few weeks ago - "Let all who are hungry come and
eat!" Nor is there any reason to be selfish in this
regard. After all, it’s not really ours to hoard. "For the land
is Mine, and you are (merely) sojourners and residents with
Me." (Leviticus 25:23) God created it; God owns it; we are only
toiling in the King's vineyard. Give a little! Make the connection
with God, Nature and your fellow human beings!
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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CALENDAR
CANDLE LIGHTING: 7:32 pm
Friday – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat
follows.
Saturday – Torah Study/Breakfast – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning
Service – 9:30 am. Light Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday – Religious School – 9:30 am. TBH/CBM
Concert and Fundraiser – with music, comedy, silent auction, and
food and drink. For details, check our website: http://bnaihayim.com or
contact the synagogue office: bnaihayim@yahoo.com or office@bethmeier.org or (818) 788-4664.
Walk-ins welcome! Don’t miss out on this fun event!
Tuesday – Lunch and Learn – 12:00 noon.
Thursday – L’ag B’omer.
Friday, May 24 – Shabbat Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat
follows.
Saturday, May 25 – Torah Study/Breakfast – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning
Service – 9:30 am. Light Kiddush lunch follows.
Sunday, May 26 – NO Religious School – Memorial Day weekend.
Remember those who gave their lives that we may be free.
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!
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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 always looking
for more 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.
