Parashat Chukkat
10 Tammuz 5779 / 12-13 July 2019
Torah: Numbers 19:1 – 22:1
Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33
IMPORTANT NOTE:
We are changing our Shabbat Evening Service time for the month of August! On August 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, Shabbat Evening services will begin at 6:30 pm. This will give those who do not wish to drive at night, or who would like to have Shabbat dinner after services, or simply a more relaxed evening, the chance to do so. We’ll see you here!
Calendar and
dedications follow below. For a full calendar of events and other info about
Temple B’nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier, check out:
Please
feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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THE KASHRUTH OF MONEY
THE KASHRUTH OF MONEY
"The princes dug the well; the nobles of the people
dug it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the
wilderness they went to Mattanah." Numbers 21:18
The following story appears in Itturei Torah,
a compilation of commentaries:
A rich man who had acquired his wealth
by illegal means came to Rabbi Yisrael of Rozhin. The man brought a pitka -
a note asking the rabbi to pray for him - and a pidyon -
a gift of money (literally, “redemption”). The rabbi accepted the
note but not the gift, saying, "The Torah says, 'from the wilderness
to Mattanah.'" The wilderness is symbolic of uprightness and purity,
for according to tradition, it is a place where there is no
theft. Only from one whose money is obtained honestly and with clean hands could Rabbi Yisrael take a 'mattanah' - a gift - not from
this one, who made his fortune from deceit and oppression.
Who would have thought that money can be kosher or
treif? After all, it is morally neutral. It depends on what you do with
it. We can use it for tzedakah (charity), or to commit crimes. Apparently,
how we get our money matters, too. Rabbi Yisrael refused to accept the
gift of tainted money, even though he undoubtedly would have done good things
with it. Perhaps he could foresee what has befallen the beneficiaries
(like politicians and charities) of the "largesse" of criminals and
others whose money was not obtained in a kosher manner. More important,
perhaps, he did not want to be in a position of owing anything, even a “thank
you”, in exchange for the “gift”. (Think also of Abraham refusing gifts from
the King of Sodom - Genesis 14:21-24; and from the Hittites – Genesis 23)
Just as what comes out of our mouths is as important as
what goes in, how we earn our money is as important as how we spend it. We
cannot cleanse our souls by attempting to launder them with dirty money.
Shabbat Shalom!
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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Candle
lighting: 7:48 pm
Friday: Tot Shabbat
Service – 6:30 – 7:15 pm. A Singalong with Reb Jason and stories by
Rabbi Flom. Special Oneg Shabbat follows. Shabbat Evening Service –
7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday: Torah study/breakfast
– 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service – 9:30 am. Kiddush lunch
follows. Aufruf of Jenny Kahn and Steve Harris, who are marrying on
Sunday. Mazal tov!
Tuesday: Lunch and Learn
– 12:00 noon.
Friday,
July 19: Shabbat
Evening Service – 7:30 pm. Oneg Shabbat follows.
Saturday,
July 20: Torah
study/breakfast – 8:45 am. Shabbat Morning Service –
9:30 am. Kiddush lunch follows.
This
d’var torah is offered in honor of Jenny Kahn and Steve Harris, who are
marrying this Sunday. Mazal tov!
This d’var torah is offered in memory of my mother-in-law, Helena Kronzek, whose yahrzeit fafls next Friday, 16 Tammuz. Y'hi zikhronah liv'rakhah - her memory is a blessing.
This d’var torah is offered in memory of my mother-in-law, Helena Kronzek, whose yahrzeit fafls next Friday, 16 Tammuz. Y'hi zikhronah liv'rakhah - her memory is a blessing.
This
d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Leah bat Sarah
Imanu, Sarah bat Devorah, Susan Arbetman, Ken Bitticks, Mark Brownstein, Susan
Burke, 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, Brandon Joseph, Gabor Klein, Philip Kovac, Tonya
Kronzek (Zlata Malkah bat Sarah Imanu), Marilyn Lee, David Marks, Sandra Raab,
Marguerite Rassiner, Josef Sands, Debra Schugar Strauss (Devorah bat Chaya
Feiga), Helen Schugar (Chaya Feiga bat Kreina), Bernie Seeman, and William
Sragow.
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.
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!
Cyber Torah list
management (no salesman will call!):
To subscribe to
Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”
to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
Send requests
for dedications of Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah, in memory of a
loved one or for a refuah shleimah to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
To unsubscribe from
Cyber Torah, send an e-mail with the subject heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”
to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
