Parashat Chukkat-Balak
Tammuz 12, 5783 / June 30 - July 1, 2023
Torah: Numbers 19:1 - 25:9
Haftarah: Micah 5:6 - 6:8
-----------------------------------------------------------
This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Chanah Bella bat Kreina and Devorah bat Feigel.
This d'var torah is offered in honor of our retiring office administrator, Elaine Kleiger, after decades of service to our Congregation Beth Meier and Temple B'nai Hayim, as preschool director and synagogue administrator. Thank you, Elaine! You will be missed!
This d'var torah is offered in honor of our retiring office assistant and bookkeeper, Elise Schipper, also after years of service. Thank you, Elise! You will be missed!
This d'var torah is offered in honor of our outgoing Ritual Committee Chair, Susan Burke, after, as she put it, "eight years before the mast". Thank you Susan! We know we will still see you at meetings, but, ah, you have been relieved of major responsibilities.
Tuesday is Independence Day! Have a Happy and Meaningful Fourth of July! And don't forget to raise Old Glory!
-------------------------------------------
Lunch and Learn meets Tuesdays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live.
We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya'akov.
On July 11, we'll be at BT Shabbat 89(a), page 171 of Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) Volume 1 - "...ואמר ריב''ל" - "R. Joshua b. Levi said further:…”
Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at:
Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you should read at:
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
------------------------------------------------------
AN EASY DEATH, AN EASY LIFE
"Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of
the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let
my last end be like his." Numbers 23:10
Try as he might, Bil'am the sorcerer is unable to curse Israel - he is only
able to give blessings. One might say the ultimate blessing that he offers
is the request that he die the death of a righteous Jew.
Balaam and the Angel (Gustav Jaeger, 1836)
The Chofetz Chaim makes an interesting observation on Bil'am's
statement. He says Bil'am wanted merely to die like the righteous, but not
to live like the righteous. Living a committed Jewish life is not easy, he
says; there are so many commandments and customs that restrict the believing
Jew, 24/7. "This is permitted; that is forbidden." But
death for the believing Jew, he teaches, is only a crossing over from temporary
life to eternal life. For one who believes in the eternity of the soul and
reward and punishment, death is not frightening. Hence, Bil'am wanted to
die as a believing Jew. That's no great accomplishment, says the Chofetz Chaim.
The real challenge is to live a proper, committed Jewish life.
Far too many of us, I'm sorry to say, take the Chofetz Chaim at his word -
"shver tzu sein a Yid" - "it's tough to be a
Jew". What is left unsaid is that it is also wonderful, if not downright
awesome, to be a Jew and live a life of fulfillment! Reflect on the
significance of observing any particular mitzvah, and consider that the entire
system enables one to constantly join with the Divine. As well, we should
recognize that not only are we all in need of self-improvement, but that
practicing Judaism helps us achieve that goal! Yes, it requires learning
and commitment, but that's a small price to pay for a cosmic connection and a
life of meaning!
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
הַלּוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם ?אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם
Who is wise? The one who learns from every person.
Ben Zoma - Pirkei Avot 4:1
-----------------------------------------------------------
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
