THE SECRET?

Parashat Vayeishev

Torah: Genesis 37:1 – 40:23

Maftir: Numbers 7:18-23 

Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7

Kislev 26, 5781 / December 11-12, 2020

Candle-lighting for Friday: 4:26 PM PST - Sherman Oaks, CA 

Light your Hanukkiyah first, then your Shabbat candles

How to Light Your Hanukkiyah/Menorah:

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hanukkah-candle-lighting-ceremony/ 

Our Refuah Shleimah/Prayer for Healing List can be found at: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing 

If you would like to have a name added or removed from this Prayer for Healing list, please write to me at: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 

This week's Yahrzeit List can be found at: 

A list of all of our on-line activities can be found below. All our services and programs are available at: https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source. 

---------------------------------------------------------------- 

THE SECRET?

 

"And Judah said to his brothers, "What advantage is there if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?" Genesis 37:26

 

A traditional understanding of this verse is that Judah sees an opportunity to get rid of Joseph and profit at the same time (while saving his life). That is why the brothers ultimately decide to sell Joseph into slavery. But Rebbe Menachem Mendel of Kotzk has a very different take on the verse.

 

The Kotzker focuses not on the profit motive, but on the idea of hiding the deed. He says, "If we are forced to conceal the matter and to keep it secret, that is a sign that it is wrong. Every secret is like a type of theft."

 

In the Kotzker's view, Judah is saying there is no benefit whatsoever in eliminating Joseph, since it will be a guilty secret among the brothers forever. Indeed, we see later in the Torah that the brothers become wracked with guilt and recrimination when they are confronted by the vizier of Egypt (the disguised Joseph), who seems omniscient in his penetrating questions and demands of them.

 

My father, z’tz'l, whose name also was Menachem Mendel, taught me a very simple lesson on the issue. "Don't ever say or do anything that you would not want on the front page of the newspaper."

 

There's no such thing as a secret.

Shabbat Shalom! Chag Urim Sameach!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom

TBH/CBM

הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם

Who is wise? The one who learns from every person.

Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1

------------------------------------------------------------------
UPCOMING EVENTS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO! 

Kabbalat Shabbat Evening Service with Reb Jason Van Leeuwen and Rabbi Flom Friday evening at 6:30 PM PST. On Zoom or at: 

https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

Shabbat Morning Service with Reb Jason Van Leeuwen and Rabbi Flom Saturday at 10:00 AM PST. Haftarah chanted by Robert Flom. On Zoom or at: 

https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

Community Chanukah Celebration and Latke Happy Hour! Saturday, December 12 at 7:00 pm PST. Have your menorah, your dreidel, and your latkes or sufganiyot (or both) ready for a singalong and show-and-tell and more!  

https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

Downloadable and printable Siddur for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat Ma'ariv, Shabbat/Festival Morning, and more, including the weekly Parashah and Haftarah, all available at: 

http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0 
Fill out the form - the download is free.

David Silon’s class “Jewish History” meets every Sunday at 11:00 am PST. 

https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

Join us every Tuesday at 12:30 pm PST for Lunch and Learn, a 60-90 minute study session. We're learning Hasidic teachings on the weekly parashah. The study materials for the December 15 class, Parashat Miketz, can be found at: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oeH5r6321-U_KmqEeITlPLJ96dX7nUqQ?usp=sharing 

Join us on Zoom or at: https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

Some excellent on-line Jewish resources are available at: 
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/ 

You can subscribe to the Conservative Yeshiva’s weekly Torah Sparks via email here: 
https://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/torahsparks/ 

Cyber Torah list management (no salesman will call!): 
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, and receive Cyber Torah every week in your mailbox, 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