Parashat Ki Tetze
Elul 11, 5784 /
September 13-14, 2024
Torah:
Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10;
(Fifth Haftarah of Consolation)
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My Cheshbon Hanefesh Worksheet - 5785 Edition, is now available at my blog:
I hope you find it useful.
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This d'var torah is offered in memory of Lynn's sister, Janis Devorah Kronzek, died far too young, whose 23rd yahrzeit was Tuesday, Elul 7. Y'hi zikhronah liv'rakhah - may her memory be a blessing.
This d'var torah is offered in memory of Lynn's sister, Janis Devorah Kronzek, died far too young, whose 23rd yahrzeit was Tuesday, Elul 7. Y'hi zikhronah liv'rakhah - may her memory be a blessing.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.
Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. On September 16, we'll be at BT Chagigah 9b, page 10 of Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) Volume 3:
"... תניא מעוות לא יוכל לתקן ..."
"We are taught in a Baraitha: That which is crooked cannot be made straight ..."
Volume 3 of Ein Ya'akov is now available and downloadable on Google drive at:
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Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/
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Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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Check out our wonderful community, and get lots of info about our various programs and becoming a Member at: https://bnaihayim.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Please feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source.
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Memories ...
"Remember what Amalek did to you, on the way when you were leaving Egypt… you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven - don't forget!" Deuteronomy 25:17, 19
Ba'al Shem Tov: "Memory is the source of redemption; forgetting is oblivion."
We Jews are a people of memories. We are told to remember Shabbat in numerous passages, such as the Ten Commandments. Shabbat and the various Holy Days, we are told by the Torah, are in memory of the Exodus from Egypt. On many Holy Days, we have a special Yizkor (Memorial) service. We are told to remember what our most dreadful enemies did to us, then to erase the memory of that enemy, then not to forget to remember to erase the memory.
_-_The_Olive_Trees_(1889).jpg)
"The Olive Trees" - Vincent van Gogh - 1889
(read the parshah to determine why I chose this picture)
Memory has power - the power to redeem, the power to generate incredible emotions, and the power to transform those with whom memories are shared. When you tell someone of your memory of another person, you bring the listener into the story - into your life, and into the life of the person you are talking about. In a very real way, you bring the subject of the memory back to life. This is the reason the Torah tells us to erase the memory of Amalek - so that Amalek will not live on in the memories of others. The way to finally kill a person is to forget that s/he ever lived. Regardless of how one may feel about life after death, few of us can disagree with the notion that people continue to live so long as they are remembered. In that way is memory the source of redemption - from oblivion.
God commands us to remember, and perhaps that is why the Amidah, the central prayer of every service, contains the following blessing - "Blessed are you, O Lord, who gives life to the dead." By remembering our loved ones, we act as God's agents in bringing them to life. Not magic - but what Lincoln called "the mystic chords of memory."
Even as the scientists try to figure out the bio/chemical processes which create and store memories in our brains, we are driven to create memories in our very hearts and souls. Ah, memories…
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B’nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
"From the place where we are absolutely right, flowers will never grow in the spring."
"מן המקום שבו אנו צודקים לא יצמחו לעולם פרחים באביב"
Yehuda Amichai
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