GOT A LIGHT?

Parashat Tetzaveh
Adar 15, 5781 / February 26-27, 2021
Torah: Exodus 27:20 – 30:10
Haftarah: Ezekiel 43:10-27
  

Candle-lighting: 5:28 PM PST - Sherman Oaks, CA
 
This d’var Torah is offered in memory of Bernard Garvin, who passed away on Sunday. The congregation extends condolences to his wife, Dawn. Y’hi zikhro liv’rakhah – May his memory be a blessing. 
 
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 Refuah Shleimah/Prayer for Healing list, please write to me at: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 
 
This week's Yahrzeit List can be found at: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing  
 
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.
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GOT A LIGHT?

“And you shall command the Children of Israel, that they take for you pure olive oil, beaten for the light, that a lamp burn continually (tamid).” Exodus 27:20

What was the purpose of the lamp? For whom was the lamp kept burning? Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani interpreted the verse to mean: “They take for you and not for Me; I do not need the light.” The commentary Torah Temimah, citing Sefer Chinukh, says that the commandment for lighting the menorah was so that the sanctuary would be brightly lit, and that would be for “the glory of Israel”. All of the commandments regarding the sanctuary were for Israel’s glory. Thus, the Torah says, “Take for you” - and not for Me; it is for the glory of Israel.

Although our synagogues today all maintain a Ner Tamid (the only mitzvah associated with the Holy Temple still observed – Rabbi Harold Kushner), which we frequently translate as the “Eternal Lamp”, I have to wonder if that is sufficient glory for Israel. Note that Rashi, citing other verses in the Torah, explains that the Ner Tamid in our verse did not burn continuously; rather, it was lit “regularly”, on a schedule. It did not burn 24/7.  

That being the case, I would suggest that every one of us can establish our own Ner Tamid. You can turn your very own home into a sanctuary by kindling Shabbat candles on a regular basis. Get a new kind of light in your home - do it for the glory of Israel, and for sanctifying your own life.

Be Happy – It’s Adar! Shabbat Shalom!

HaRav HaGaon HaTzaddik Abba Reuven Ben Menachem Mendel Flom, Sh’lita
Der Heileger Rebbe of Sherman Oaks
Rosh Yeshivah – Chelm
Slivovitz Taste Tester
משנכנס אדר, מרבין בשמחה
From the beginning of Adar, we increase joy.
BT Ta’anit 29a
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO! 
 
All our services and programs are available at: 

https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 

Shabbat Evening Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom this Friday at 6:30 PM. 
 
Shabbat Morning Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom this Saturday at 10:00 AM. 
 
Religious School this Sunday at 9:00 am.
 
Downloadable and printable Siddur for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat/Festival Ma'ariv, Shabbat/Festival Morning, and more, including the weekly Parashah and Haftarah, all available at: 
https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0
Fill out the form - the download is free. 
 
David Silon’s on-going class “Jewish History” meets Sunday at 11:00 am. 
 
Join us every Tuesday at 12:30 pm for Lunch and Learn, a 60-90 minute study session. We're learning Hasidic and classic teachings on the weekly parashah. 
 
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 

THE WORLD YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN

 
Parashat T’rumah – Shabbat Zakhor
Adar 8, 5781 / February 19-20, 2021
Torah: Exodus 25:1 – 27:19
Maftir (Zakhor): Deuteronomy 25:17-19
Haftarah (Zakhor): 1 Samuel 15:1-34
 
SPECIAL BULLETIN! PURIM IS COMING!
A virtual Purim spiel and megillah reading will be Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 pm on-line. Thanks to Reb Jason for creating this year’s spiel! Barukh Mordechai! Arur Haman!
 

Candle-lighting: 5:22 PM PST - Sherman Oaks, CA 
 
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 Refuah Shleimah/Prayer for Healing list, please write to me at: ravflom@sbcglobal.net
 
This week's Yahrzeit List can be found at: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing  
 
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.
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THE WORLD YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN
 
“Speak to the Children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering; from every person whose heart so moves him you shall take My offering.” Exodus 25:2

The word “v’yik’khu”, usually translated here as “that they bring”, literally means “that they take”. The idea is that the Israelites willingly take from among their possessions and donate for the building of the tabernacle. Some commentators understand the verse to mean that leaders of the people are to “take” up a collection. However, the Hasidic master Menachem Mendel of Kotzk has a different “take” on the matter (pardon the pun).

He teaches that “v’yik’khu” also means to trade or engage in business. Simply because one has a setback in business, he doesn't stop trading, for then his business will collapse completely. The Kotzker says that the same is true for the Torah and the mitzvot. If one does not succeed once or twice, he must nevertheless continue to work at self-improvement, and not give up.

This all seems straightforward enough. But then he says, “If the Torah is not learned and the mitzvot not performed, the world simply cannot exist.” This is an astonishing statement! The world needs Jews who actually practice Judaism! Even if one disagrees with him about the state of the world (I happen to agree with him wholeheartedly), one cannot dispute the state of the Jewish people, which needs Jews who practice Judaism! If all we have is an identity fostered by lox and bagels (foodaism), or observance limited to a once a year visit to the synagogue (nostalgic tourist Judaism), we simply will not exist as a people. If our children see that Torah and mitzvot mean little to us, they will wonder why Judaism should mean anything at all to them. But if we live Jewish lives, then the Jewish people will survive and thrive.

“Take” the time to offer your heart and your mind and your limbs for learning and for doing Jewish. It might just save the world.
 
Be Happy – It’s Adar! Shabbat Shalom!

Grand Rabbi Abba Reuven ben Menachem Mendel Flom, Sh’lita
Der Heiliger Sherman Oaks Rebbe
Av Beis Din - Chelm
Mishenichnas Adar, Marbim B’simcha - From the beginning of Adar, we increase joy!

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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO! 
 
All our services and programs are available at: 
https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim 
 
Shabbat Evening Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom this Friday at 6:30 PM. 
 
Shabbat Morning Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom this Saturday at 10:00 AM. 
 
Religious School this Sunday at 9:00 am.
 
Downloadable and printable Siddur for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat/Festival Ma'ariv, Shabbat/Festival Morning, and more, including the weekly Parashah and Haftarah, all available at: 
https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0
Fill out the form - the download is free. 
 
David Silon’s on-going class “Jewish History” meets Sunday at 11:00 am. 
 
Join us every Tuesday at 12:30 pm for Lunch and Learn, a 60-90 minute study session. We're learning Hasidic and classic teachings on the weekly parashah. 
 
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 

BEING MINDFUL OF BEING THERE

Parashat Mishpatim/Shabbat Rosh Chodesh/Shekalim
Adar 1, 5781 / February 12-13, 2021
Torah: Exodus 21:1 – 24:18
7^th Aliyah for Shabbat Rosh Chodesh: Numbers 28:9-15
Maftir for Shabbat Shekalim: Exodus 30:11-16
Haftarah for Shabbat Shekalim: 2 Kings 12:1-17
 
This d’var torah is offered in honor of Jackie Aaronson, celebrating a big birthday on Thursday, 2/18. Ad meah v’esrim – until 120! Mazal tov!
 
This d’var torah is offered in honor of all the women of TBH/CBM who are conducting our services this Shabbat. Mazal tov!
 
SPECIAL BULLETIN! PURIM IS COMING!
A virtual Purim spiel and megillah reading will be Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 pm on-line. Thanks to Reb Jason for creating this year’s spiel!
 
Candle-lighting: 5:16 PM PST - Sherman Oaks, CA 
 
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 Refuah Shleimah/Prayer for Healing list, please write to me at: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 
 
This week's Yahrzeit list can be found at: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing 
 
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.
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BEING MINDFUL OF BEING THERE

'And the Lord said to Moses: "Come up to Me to the mountain; and be there; and I will give you the stone tablets and the Torah and the commandments that I have written, that you may teach them."' Exodus 24:12

Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (aka The Kotzker Rebbe; Poland, 1787-1859) says, "There is a difficulty here. If Moses went up the mountain, of course he would be there! Perhaps this is to show that one may struggle to climb the peak, being able to arrive there, yet not really be there. He may be standing at the summit, but his head is in another place. The main thing is not the ascent, but to be there, and only there, and not to be going up and down at the same time."

This is more than a rejection of the notion that the journey is more important than the ultimate goal. For the Kotzker, "being there" is not just physical, to be in a specific location. Being there is temporal and spiritual. The mind, heart, and soul, having struggled to reach God, must remain focused on the moment - what came before, and what will come after, are not then relevant. If this seems very much like the Buddhist concept of mindfulness - it is - and you can be pretty sure the Kotzker Rebbe never had any exposure to Buddhism. Mindfulness is equally a Jewish concept, and always has been so.

When engaged in prayer, when lighting the Shabbat candles, when reciting Kiddush, when blessing your children, when performing any mitzvah - be there. When you are fully present in the present, you experience the wonder of the moment. The awesomeness of the summit can only be experienced - and only for so long as one does not think about how one got there or how one will get down or what it all means. Our ancestors knew this. That is why they said, "All that the Lord has said, we will do and we will hear." Exodus 24:7. In short - do it, experience it - then try to understand.

Have an awesome Shabbat!
 
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 
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO! 
 
All our services and programs are available at: https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim
 
Shabbat Evening Service with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom this Friday evening at 6:30 PM. 
 
Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Morning Service with women from TBH/CBM with Reb Jason and Rabbi Flom assisting this Saturday at 10:00 AM. 
 
NO Religious School Sunday, 2/14. Resume on 2/21.
 
Downloadable and printable Siddur for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat/Festival Ma'ariv, Shabbat/Festival Morning, and more, including the weekly Parashah and Haftarah, all available at: 
https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0 
Fill out the form - the download is free. 
 
David Silon’s on-going class “Jewish History” meets Sunday at 11:00 am. 
 
Join us every Tuesday at 12:30 pm for Lunch and Learn, a 60-90 minute study session. We're learning Hasidic and classic teachings on the weekly parashah. 
 
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 

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Parashat Yitro
Shevat 24, 5781 / February 5-6, 2021
Torah: Exodus 18:1 – 20:23
Haftarah: Isaiah 6:1 – 7:6; 9:5-6 (Ashkenazim); Isaiah 6:1-13 (Sephardim)
 
SPECIAL BULLETIN! PURIM IS COMING!
Anyone who wishes to take part in our annual Purim Spiel should contact Reb Jason at rebjason613@gmail.com ASAP.  No one will be turned away. A virtual Purim spiel and megillah reading will be Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 pm. Thanks to Reb Jason for creating this year’s spiel!

A Special Letter for our community regarding Shabbat Rosh Chodesh - February 13:

Dear Friends,

Our Shabbat Rosh Chodesh service at Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier is a festive program honoring women. Aligned with the Hebrew calendar, it can occur from 1-3 times annually. TBH/CBM has celebrated the Rosh Chodesh ritual for quite some time, but the upcoming virtual event-- to take place on Saturday February 13-- elevates us farther than we expected: The Torah and Haftarah portions will be chanted entirely by women! This level of participation has not previously been achieved here.

As a result, we're now inspired to heighten women's involvement in davening, leading the Shabbat P'sukei D'Zimra, Shacharit, Hallel, and Musaf services.  If you or another chavera seeks such participation, we would be thrilled to speak with you and offer the "technical support" of Rabbi Flom or Reb Jason. (Also, virtual transmission means that volunteers won't be facing "the crowds" directly, offering a more relaxed experience).

Nor do you need to chant Torah or lead prayer to absorb the Rosh Chodesh spirit. Join us on February 13 at 10:00 AM and invite friends to zoom into our community!

We look forward to hearing from you. In advance, thanks so much for your participation-- and inspiration! 

Sincerely,

Susan Burke                   Lynn Kronzek                                        

susanmburke@att.net     lckronzek@sbcglobal.net  

 

Candle-lighting: 5:09 PM PST - Sherman Oaks, CA 
 
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 Refuah Shleimah/Prayer for Healing list, please write to me at: ravflom@sbcglobal.net 
 
This week's Yahrzeit list can be found at: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iT0tdp45ITSU6o1tykah41m3IXBxBwLxe8FORSIXzDo/edit?usp=sharing 
 
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. 
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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
 
Yitro said to Moses (his son-in-law): “The thing you are doing is not right. You will surely wear yourself out, and these people as well. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me, and God be with you! You represent the people before God; you bring the disputes before God, and enjoin upon them the laws and the teachings, and make known to them the way they are to go and the practices they are to follow. You shall also seek out capable people who fear God, trustworthy people who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, and let them judge people at all times…. Let them share the burden with you. If you do this – and God so commands you – you will be able to bear up; and all these people too will go home unwearied.” Exodus 18:17-23
 
In a way, this sounds like the establishment of an army, or a government, or any other type of human organization. It looks a bit like a model for setting up a synagogue – a rabbi, a board of directors and committees. The difference is that, usually, but not always, the rabbi does not choose the board of directors – the congregation does. And unlike Moses, the rabbi is not sent by God – the congregation, directly or through the board, chooses the rabbi.
 
Yitro sees a necessary separation of management and spiritual leadership. The management guru Peter Drucker wrote many years ago that the difference between leadership and management is that leadership is doing the right thing, and management is doing the thing right. Sometimes leadership, doing the right thing, requires going out on a limb. Management is the antithesis of going out on a limb. Doing the thing right requires management to be sure that processes and outcomes have consensus. It’s often about risk avoidance and shared responsibility. The modern synagogue is a bit more complicated – rabbis must be managers, and managers must be leaders. And always, everyone should share the burden!
 
Yet, the Israelites have problems. When the system breaks down, bad things happen. Sometimes Moses fails to lead, sometimes the managers go beyond their authority. When Aaron’s sons, the “managers” Nadav and Abihu, try to usurp Moses and Aaron, God punishes them – they are struck down. When Moses fails to rebuke the Israelites while the Moabite women are enticing them, the result is a civil war and a plague among the Israelites. But ultimately, they all manage to get through the desert together, because they take care of each other. They fight for each other, not with each other.
 
Leaders, managers, followers, workers – we all must join in the Jewish enterprise together, as a unified people – even when we disagree. This is how it is explained by Pirkei Avot. “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh” – All Israel are responsible for each other. 

We either build each other up, or we tear each other down. To tell you the truth, this sounds like pretty good advice for our society in general.

I wish you Shabbat Shalom Uv’rakhah – A Shabbat of Peace and Blessing.
 
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 
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND OTHER USEFUL INFO! 

 
All our services and programs are available at: https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHayim
 
Cool Shabbat Evening Service with Steve Pearlman, Reb Jason, and Rabbi Flom this Friday evening at 6:30 PM. SPECIAL TREAT - Our lead children's educators Lily Garcia (Children's Center) and Melinda Trauman (Religious School) are being honored by The Bureau of Jewish Education this Friday evening in a virtual gala. We will be honoring them at services as well. Please join us this Friday evening at services. For more info about the gala and to view a tribute video and our community's tribute ad, go to: https://www.bjela.org/gala 

 
Shabbat Morning Adventure (Sh'MA) Service with Steve Pearlman, Reb Jason, and Rabbi Flom this Saturday at 10:00 AM. 

Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Service - February 13 at 10:00 am. See the letter at the top of the page for details.
 
Downloadable and printable Siddur for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat/Festival Ma'ariv, Shabbat/Festival Morning, and more, including the weekly Parashah and Haftarah, all available at: 

https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0 

Fill out the form - the download is free. 
 
David Silon’s on-going class “Jewish History” meets Sunday at 11:00 am. 
 
Join us every Tuesday at 12:30 pm for Lunch and Learn, a 60-90 minute study session. We're learning Hasidic and classic teachings on the weekly parashah. 
 
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