REJOICE IN THEIR REJOICING

Parashat Ki Tavo

Torah: Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8

Haftarah: Isaiah 60:1-22 (6th haftarah of consolation)

Elul 20, 5785 / September 12-13, 2025

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

ROSH HASHANAH begins the evening of Monday, September 22! And TBH's Selichot service in preparation for the High Holy Days is this Saturday evening, September 13, at 7:45 PM in person and on Zoom.

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

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 an end to the hunger crisis in Gaza.

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

Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. 

On September 15, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Yevamot, p. 42 (BT Yevamot 63a) - 

' ...וא"ר אלעזר עתידין'  - "Rabbi Elazar also said: 'In the future...'"

NO LUNCH AND LEARN on September 22.

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:

https://hebrewbooks.org/9630 
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents  
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

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.

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

REJOICE IN THEIR REJOICING

“¹¹And you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given to you, and to your house - you, and the Levite, and the stranger who is in the midst of you. ¹²When you have concluded tithing all the tithe of your increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within your gates, and be satisfied. ¹³You shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have put away the holy thing out of my house, and also have given it to the Levite, and to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me: I have not transgressed any of Your commandments, neither have I forgotten them: ¹⁴I have not eaten of it in my mourning, neither have I put away of it while unclean, nor given of it for the dead: I have listened to the voice of the LORD my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me.’” Deuteronomy 26:11-14

 
Rashi on verse 14: “I have rejoiced and caused others to rejoice.”

Image courtesy ariesjay on Pixabay

 
The Torah commentary Mikra Meforash makes this comment on Rashi: “All of the Torah is encompassed in the commandment, ‘You shall love your fellow as yourself.’ (referencing Rabbi Akiva’s dictum in Sifra Kedoshim) By helping others to rejoice, one fulfills this commandment, and is thus able to say, ‘I have done according to all that You have commanded me.’”
 
The third- and sixth-year tithe (10%) ma’aser shlishi (the third tithe) is also known as ma’aser ani – the tithe for the poor. With the destruction of the Temple, the two other agricultural tithes fell away, but ma’aser ani morphed into the rabbinic commandment of ma’aser kesafim – an annual tithe of money income. It is also more commonly known as the basis of tzedakah – charity, derived from tzedek - justice.

Setting aside 10% of one’s income (Maimonides says 20%) and donating it as tzedakah for the poor allows them to rejoice, to eat, and to be satisfied. In doing so, one fulfills what Rabbi Akiva called “the fundamental principle of the Torah” – loving one’s fellow as oneself.
 
If you are in a position to give tzedakah, rejoice in that happy status – but first, fulfill that central commandment - show your love and dedication to others by causing them to rejoice - with you.
 

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B’nai Hayim

שְׁתִיקָה כְּהוֹדָאָה דָמְיָא

Silence is like consent. 

BT Yevamot 87b

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

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 

WHO IS AMALEK?

Parashat Ki Tetze
Elul 13, 5785 / September 5-6, 2025
Torah: Deuteronomy 21:10 - 25:19
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10 (Fifth Haftarah of Consolation)
--------------------------------------------------------------

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 an end to the hunger crisis in Gaza.

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

Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. 

On September 8, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Yevamot, p. 39 (BT Yevamot 49b) - 

 '... תניא בן עזאי אומר' - "We are taught that Ben Azai says..."

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:

https://hebrewbooks.org/9630 
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents  
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

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.

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

Query: Who or what is Amalek?

Answer: More people than you might think.

 
This week’s parashah contains a large number (74 according to Jewish tradition, the most of any parashah) of seemingly unrelated mitzvot. These include: restraints on a warrior who captures a woman in battle; inheritance rights; the rebellious son; returning lost objects; safety measures at home; not mixing species in the field or in the yoke; punishments for rape and adultery, and false accusations thereof; rules of marriage and divorce; caring for work animals; feeding and paying human workers; prohibiting mistreatment of debtors; and, honest weights and measures.
 
The parashah then concludes with these verses:
 
“For whoever does these things, whoever perpetrates such injustice, is an abomination to the Lord, your God. (emphasis mine) You shall remember what Amalekites did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, how they happened upon you on the way and cut off all the defenseless who were (left) behind, when you were faint and weary, and the Amalekites did not fear God. [Therefore,] it will be, when the Lord your God grants you respite from all your enemies around [you] in the land which the Lord, your God, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You shall not forget!” (Deuteronomy 25:16-19)

Battle with the Amalekites, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1860) - Die Bibel in Bildern

 
Our tradition refers to Amalek as the eternal enemy of the Jewish people (Haman, Hitler, and their followers), that seeks to destroy us out of baseless hatred for us as the perpetual outsiders. Additionally, the Jewish people are sometimes described as canaries in the mine – how a society treats Jews is indicative of how it treats Others, outsiders, as well.
 
So it’s no wonder that I see from these verses that Amalek is an abomination that is equally the enemy of common decency and civilized behavior. Any society, even one that considers itself a liberal democracy, that mistreats, cheats, or exploits marginalized populations and defenseless outsiders – women, children, poor people, aliens, innocents, and animals – whether de facto, de jure, or structurally – is a society of Amalek. Such a society cannot long survive, and brings its own doom upon itself.
 
The Day of the Sounding of the Shofar is approaching. The Days of Awe are approaching. The Day of Atonement is approaching. Remember. Don’t forget.
 
Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B’nai Hayim

שְׁתִיקָה כְּהוֹדָאָה דָמְיָא

Silence is like consent. 

BT Yevamot 87b
-----------------------------------------------------------
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 

WELCOME TO SODOM

Parashat Shoftim
Elul 6, 5785 / August 29-30, 2025
Torah - Deuteronomy 16:18 - 21:9
Haftarah - Isaiah 51:12 - 52:12 (Fourth Haftarah of Consolation)
--------------------------------------------------------------

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 an end to the hunger crisis in Gaza.

Lunch and Learn meet again on September 8.

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

Our TBH rabbi Reb Jason has a weekly blog which you should read. This week's edition may be found at:

https://rebjasonblog.wordpress.com/2025/08/27/shavua-tov-whos-buried-in-security-grants-tomb/ 

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

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.

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

WELCOME TO SODOM

“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous justice. You shall not pervert justice: you shall not show partiality; neither shall you take a bribe; for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may live, and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you.” Deuteronomy 16:18-20

These opening verses of this week’s parashah are most famous – and most difficult to translate. Why? Because the word tzedek (צדק), traditionally translated as “justice” in verse 20, also means “righteous”, as in verse 18, and is the root of the word tzedakah (צדקה), “charity” or “righteousness”. In verse 18, the word for “justice” is mishpat (משפט). This word is closely related to Shoftim, “judges”, the name of our parashah. Hence, they shall judge with “just justice” or “righteous justice”.

In Likutei Yehudah, a collection of teachings from the Chasidim of Ger, we learn: “Whenever tzedakah is mentioned, mishpat is also mentioned (citing Gen. 18:19 and Psalms 99:4).” The reason, we are told, is that where there is no justice, there is no righteousness. One might well infer that where there is no righteousness, there is no justice.

Recently, the federal government announced that houses of worship and other non-profits that face security risks, such as from hate crimes, will be ineligible for monetary grants to enhance their security (NSGP grants) unless they agree to abandon any diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs they might have, and also give ICE permission to enter their premises without interference in order to search for undocumented immigrants.

https://jewishcurrents.org/a-federal-security-grant-program-popular-with-jewish-organizations-may-now-require-beneficiaries-to-cooperate-with-ice

Similarly, the government announced that non-profit groups which provide emergency disaster relief, such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, that utilize federal disaster grants distribute by their states, may not provide assistance to undocumented immigrants nor maintain any DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) programs.

https://wapo.st/3Jy4ptv (DHS moves to bar aid groups from serving undocumented immigrants)

Whatever “righteous justice” means, it’s not this. We are doing the exact opposite. There is a name for a nation that mistreats people in these ways – Sodom. The eighth century CE exegetical text "Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer" (PR'E) teaches that Sodom (and Gomorrah) were destroyed by God because of the way the citizens and government treated outsiders and the poor.

Sodom and Gomorrah afire by Jacob de Wet II, 1680 (Creative commons)

"'Rabbi Joshua, son of Ḳorchah, said: "(The people of Sodom) appointed over themselves judges who were lying judges, and they oppressed every way farer and stranger who entered Sodom by their perverse judgment, and they sent them forth naked, as it is said, 'They have oppressed the stranger without judgment' (Ezek. 22:29)."' PR'E 25

"(The people of Sodom) were dwelling in security without care and at ease, without the fear of war from all their surroundings, as it is said, 'Their houses are safe from fear' (Job 21:9). They were sated with all the produce of the earth, but they did not strengthen with the loaf of bread either the hand of the needy or of the poor, as it is said, 'Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom; pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy' (Ezek. 16:49) PR’E 25

It's almost as if Ezekiel is with us, right here in the United States, right now. To which voice shall we listen? The voice of the prophet? Or the voice of Sodom? Our country might not be destroyed by God - but we are certainly managing to do that ourselves.

It's now the month of Elul, just weeks before Rosh Hashanah, a time for introspection, which the Rabbis call Cheshbon HaNefesh - an accounting of the soul. 

This Shabbat, take account of yourself - and see how you measure up.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B’nai Hayim

שְׁתִיקָה כְּהוֹדָאָה דָמְיָא

Silence is like consent. 

BT Yevamot 87b
-----------------------------------------------------------
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 

SAY IT ISN’T SO!

Parashat Re'eh

Av 29, 5785 / August 22-23, 2025
Torah: Deuteronomy 11:26 - 16:17
Haftarah: Isaiah 54:11 - 55:5 (Third Haftarah of Comfort) Some Sephardic congregations add the first and last verses of the haftarah for machar chodesh.

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

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 an end to the hunger crisis in Gaza.

Lunch and Learn meet again on September 8.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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.

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

SAY IT ISN’T SO!

"You shall not do so to the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 12:4

R. Menachem Mendel of Kotzk: Your worship of God shall not be "so", as a monotonous routine - one simply meant to fulfill your obligation - but for the sake of God and with a feeling of holy reverence.

"For you shall surely open your hand to (the needy), and you shall surely lend him enough for his need, that is lacking for him." Deuteronomy 15:8

Rashi: You shall surely open even many times. (Citing Sifrei)

There is a conflict between two concepts relating to the fulfillment of the mitzvot. The concepts are keva' (regularity) and kavanah (focused intent). One must observe the mitzvot regularly and become accustomed to them. At the same time, whenever one performs any particular mitzvah, one should do so intensely, focused on the holy significance of the act, and what it accomplishes. That's not easy to do on a regular basis. That is possibly a reason for reciting a statement of intent (also called a kavanah) and a b’rakhah, a blessing, before performing a mitzvah.

Tzedakah boxes 

But the giving of tzedakah, charity (derived from the word tzedek - justice), is somewhat different. Tzedakah surely is a mitzvah. It might also be considered a form of worship in the sense of avodah – service to God. Thus, we learn from the Kotzker Rebbe and Rashi that no matter how often we give tzedakah, with keva', it cannot be done in a rote manner; we must do it with kavanah, with feelings of intensity and holiness.

Unlike virtually any other mitzvah, there is no b'rakhah recited before giving tzedakah. Perhaps the reason for no blessing is to prevent us from feeling too proud of ourselves for having performed the mitzvah. Another reason might be that it objectifies the recipient as a means for performing the mitzvah and could also embarrass them. Perhaps more important, the recitation of the b'rakhah delays the performance of the mitzvah, and with charity, time can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

Give tzedakah, often, and know that it is a holy act. But don't think about it for too long.

Shabbat Shalom! Chodesh Elul Tov!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B’nai Hayim
.אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם? הַלוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם
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 

ON HAUGHTINESS AND HUMILITY

Parashat Ekev

Av 22, 5785 / August 15-16, 2025
Torah: Deuteronomy 7:12 - 11:25
Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14 - 51:3 (Second Haftarah of Comfort)

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

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 an end to the hunger crisis in Gaza.

Lunch and Learn meet again on September 8.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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.

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

ON HAUGHTINESS AND HUMILITY

"And your heart will be haughty, and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery." Deuteronomy 8:14 

"And you will say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.'" Deuteronomy 8:17

There is an old joke that goes something like this: A noted scholar and philanthropist was being honored at a gala dinner. Speaker after speaker extolled his virtues - knowledge, wisdom, generosity, kindness, righteousness, etc. He reached up and tugged on the sleeve of one of the speakers, and said, "Don't forget my humility."

The Ba'al Shem Tov says that there is nowhere in the Torah a commandment to be humble. If there were, there would be those who would attempt to fulfill it by reciting a statement of intent ("Behold, I am prepared to perform the mitzvah of humility ..."), then a blessing (".... and commanded us to be humble."), and then … commence to be humble? It would become a conceit – the belief that, in addition to fulfilling the other commandments, they were observing the commandment to be humble. Unlike any other mitzvah, one would fail to observe it merely by believing that one was attempting to fulfill it or had observed it. "I can say with all humility that I have been humble." It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

What about people who aren't even "humility posers", if you will? In the verses between and surrounding our verses here, Moses exhorts the people to remember that their freedom and their wealth were not their achievements. Rather, they benefited solely from God's help - they had accomplished little on their own. And by extension, we can see that no person truly achieves anything completely on their own. Everyone relies on parents, teachers, friends, associates, employees, etc. To me, this is a simple truth that is undeniable. As Donne said, "No man is an island."

We know that a lack of humility can often be damaging to relationships. We tend to forget that neither we nor our accomplishments exist in a vacuum. Even praise for one’s humility can be a bit dangerous. Perhaps the only way to be truly humble is to run from any suggestion that one is humble - without being haughty about it!

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B’nai Hayim
.אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם? הַלוֹמֵד מִכָּל אָדָם
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 

SUBTRACTING BY ADDING

Parashat Va’etchanan – Shabbat Nachamu

Av 15, 5785 / August 8-9, 2025

Torah: Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26 (First Haftarah of Comfort)

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

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of Comfort, for the words of God and the prophet following Tisha B'Av (9 Av).

This Shabbat also falls on Tu B'Av, the 15th of Av, traditionally a day for celebrating the beginning of the grape harvest in the Land of Israel, and more importantly for us all, a day for celebrating love.

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

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 an end to the hunger crisis in Gaza.

Lunch and Learn will not meet until September 8.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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.

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

SUBTRACTING BY ADDING

“You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you subtract from it, that you may keep the commandments (mitzvot) of the Lord which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2

Rabbi Alexander Moshe Lapidot taught: “A Jew must find the golden, middle path (citing Rambam) in the fear/awe of God and in the observance of the mitzvot. Just as a wicked person is liable to violate the prohibition of “you shall not subtract”, a righteous person is liable to violate the prohibition of “you shall not add”, and can thereby bring tragedy upon the world.”

Jewish tradition understands that there are two general types of mitzvot: bein adam lamakom (between a human being and God) and bein adam l’chaveiro (between a human being and his/her fellow human). Rabbi Lapidot seems to be talking only about the first type. The Vilna Gaon taught that there was a third category: bein adam l’atzmo (between a human and him/herself). These divisions matter.

"Cities of Refuge" - Providence Lithograph Company, 1901

Whether a person violates or makes stricter upon their self a mitzvah bein adam lamakom is strictly between them and God – God can reward or punish as God sees fit. Regarding a mitzvah bein adam l’atzmo – the only one affected is the person – no one else.

But, someone who alters or ignores or makes easier (for themselves) or makes stricter (for others) the mitzvot bein adam l’chaveiro regarding interpersonal relationships, damages others and society. (One could easily frame this in the context of government and other leaders changing laws to their own advantage) For these mitzvot, the person doing the adding/subtracting must answer one simple question: Who benefits from my change to this mitzvah? If the answer is, “I do,” then one is upending their relationships and their society for their own ends, and could well be causing an otherwise preventable tragedy. This was the lesson of Tisha B'Av - the mistreatment or favoritism towards individuals because of their status in society, in violation of established norms, cascaded into the destruction of that society.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom, Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim

.הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה

He [Rabbi Tarfon] would say: It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it. Pirkei Avot 2:16

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

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call! Cyber Torah list management:

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.

To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body. 

RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE – IT’S A TRADITION

Parashat Devarim

Torah: Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22

Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-27 (Shabbat Chazon – Shabbat of Vision – the Third Haftarah of Rebuke)

Av 8, 5785 / August 1-2, 2025

Tisha B’Av reading: Megillat Eikhah – The Book of Lamentations

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

This Shabbat is Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat of Vision, so-called because we read on Shabbat morning the rebuking vision of Isaiah, leading into the observance of Tisha B’Av on Saturday night and Sunday, August 2-3, and the reading of the horrifying vision of the Book of Lamentations (Megillat Eikhah). Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, and numerous other calamities which have befallen the Jewish people on the same date.

This d'var torah is offered in memory of Sarah Labovitz Flom (my grandmother) and Martha Gottschalk Stern (Lynn's grandmother), whose yahrzeits fall Monday, August 4 (10 Av), and Wednesday, August 6 (12 Av), respectively. Both were US immigrants and asylum seekers, escaping antisemitic persecution from Romania (1902) and from Nazi Germany (1937 via France 1934). Their memories are blessings.

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 an end to the hunger crisis in Gaza.

Lunch and Learn will not meet until September 8.

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

RESISTANCE IS NOT FUTILE – IT’S A TRADITION

In this week’s haftarah, Isaiah warns the people what will happen to them if they continue to disobey God’s instructions – particularly with regard to matters of justice.

“… Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves clean; Put your evil out of My sight. Cease your evil ways. Learn to do good; devote yourselves to justice; aid those who have been wronged. Uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow.” Isaiah 1:15-17

“If you refuse and disobey, you will be consumed by violence – for it was the Lord who spoke.” Isaiah 1:20

"Your rulers are rogues and cronies of thieves, every one of them avid for bribery and greedy for illicit gifts; They do not give the orphan justice, and the widow's case never reaches them." Isaiah 1:23

This Saturday night and Sunday, Jews remember and mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, twice, on the 9^th of Av – in 587 BCE by the Babylonians, and in 70 CE by the Romans. Other calamities suffered by the Jewish people are attributed to or very close to the 9^th of Av.

The Book of Lamentations (attributed, probably incorrectly, to Jeremiah) describes the destruction by the Babylonians. The Talmud, in a number of places, attributes both destructions, particularly that by the Romans, to baseless hatred among the people.

Thus, we may read the Talmud as teaching that failure to take to heart the teachings of Isaiah leads to the moral and physical destruction of society.

We’ve seen resistance to injustice before. Abraham argued with God for the sake of Sodom and Gomorrah – he lost the argument, but he was not afraid to make the challenge - for people he didn’t know, for people who were not so nice, but who were nevertheless fellow human beings. Our Rabbis taught that one of the reasons God ultimately destroyed the cities was because of “the cry of the maiden” – a woman who was executed in Sodom for the crime of giving food and water to the poor and to immigrants.

More famously, Moses demanded justice from the Pharaoh of Egypt – and set an enslaved people free. It took a while, and God’s intervention, but our Rabbis teach that had Moses refused to do this, had he remained silent, the Israelites might still be slaves. This story of the Exodus led to constant reminders to love the Other because “you were strangers in Egypt” and “you know the heart of the stranger”. On this point, we learn specifically, “You will love the stranger, because you were strangers in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:19

Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and virtually all of the other Biblical prophets, have a few things in common. They challenged the status quo of an immoral and unjust power structure, and they demanded that the people act more justly. “For it is lovingkindness I desire, not sacrifice.” Hosea 6:6

At BT Pesachim 66a, Hillel the Elder says of the Jewish people, "If they are not prophets (who have directly heard the voice of God), they are the children of prophets (and thus will know and do the right thing)."

Remember where you come from. Do the right thing. Resistance is not futile - ever.

Shabbat Shalom! And have a meaningful fast.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom - Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim

הרחמן הוא יברך אותנו כולנו יחד בברכת אחוה, ובברכת אהבה,  ובברכת שלום

May the Merciful One bless us, all of us as one, with the blessing of brotherhood, the blessing of love, and the blessing of peace.

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

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  

PERFECTION? DESTROY THAT NOTION!

Parashat Chukkat

Tammuz 9, 5785 / July 4-5, 2025

Torah: Numbers 19:1 - 22:1

Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33

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

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the hostages.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the wounded and injured.

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

Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. 

On July 7, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Yevamot, p. 39 (BT Yevamot 49b) - 

 '... תניא בן עזאי אומר' - "We are taught that Ben Azai says..."

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:

https://hebrewbooks.org/9630 
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents  
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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.

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

PERFECTION? DESTROY THAT NOTION!

And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "This is the ritual law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the Children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, which has no blemish, and upon which there has never been a yoke.'" Numbers 19:1-2

How could the slaughter of a perfect red heifer, and the scattering of its ashes on someone who is ritually impure, make that person ritually pure? How does the ritual of the red heifer actually function? And, what does it mean for us today?

I have read many attempts at rationalizing this ritual; I am not about to try to formulate my own explanation. Rabbi Harold Kushner, z’l, in Chumash Etz Hayim, suggests the following, from a modern commentator whom he does not name. He says that the ritual serves a vital psychological purpose. For one who is burdened by a sense of wrongdoing, who feels spiritually impure, we offer up to God a perfect animal, as if to say that perfection has no place in this world - it cannot exist in this world.

What a relief! Let's expand on that. We know intuitively that we are not perfect, and that we cannot become so. (And we have all sorts of not nice ways to describe someone who thinks they are perfect!) But we also know that very often we try or are pressured to achieve perfection. When we fall short of that impossible goal, when we feel impure and guilty, we can offer up, we can sacrifice the very idea that we can be perfect. We can destroy that notion, take up the ashes and scatter them, and re-establish our sense of wellbeing.

Note also: We all too often expect perfection from others. We need to smash that notion as well. For when we demand perfection from others, it is so damaging that it could be understood as a sign that we really want to have no relationship with them at all. (Note: in this parashah, Moses is punished for demanding too much of the Israelites) And when someone demands it of us, we must call them out.

It is true that we are instructed to emulate God, by feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked, and by trying to perfect (better I should say "improve") the world. Although we cannot be perfect, we have the ability and the obligation to strive to be better, to be the best that we can be. Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good.

Shabbat Shalom! And have a meaningful and thought-provoking Independence Day.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom, Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim

.הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, לֹא עָלֶיךָ הַמְּלָאכָה לִגְמֹר, וְלֹא אַתָּה בֶן חוֹרִין לִבָּטֵל מִמֶּנָּה

He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say: It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it. Pirkei Avot 2:16

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

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call! Cyber Torah list management:

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.

To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body. 

IS AMERICA THE NEW SODOM?

Is America the new Sodom? What might Jewish texts and traditions have to say about our society?

The eighth century CE exegetical text "Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer" (PR'E) teaches that Sodom (and Gomorrah) were not destroyed by God because of homosexuality. Rather, we learn, it was because of the way the Sodomites treated outsiders and the poor. An interesting idea, as Pride Month comes to a close and a day after the Supreme Court gave the Executive branch license to wreak havoc over the United States.

"'Rabbi Joshua, son of Ḳorchah, said: "(The people of Sodom) appointed over themselves judges who were lying judges, and they oppressed every way farer and stranger who entered Sodom by their perverse judgment, and they sent them forth naked, as it is said, 'They have oppressed the stranger without judgment' (Ezek. 22:29)."' PR'E 25 (Another relevant text: "Your rulers are rogues and cronies of thieves, every one of them avid for bribery and greedy for illicit gifts; they do not give the orphan justice, and the widow's case never reaches them." Isaiah 1:23)

"(The people of Sodom) were dwelling in security without care and at ease, without the fear of war from all their surroundings, as it is said, 'Their houses are safe from fear' (Job 21:9). They were sated with all the produce of the earth, but they did not strengthen with the loaf of bread either the hand of the needy or of the poor, as it is said, 'Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom; pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy' (Ezek. 16:49) PR’E 25

It's almost as if Ezekiel and Isaiah are here with us, right now.
 
Are we Sodomites?

OH, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!

 

Parashat Korach

Tammuz 2, 5785 / June 27-28, 2025

Torah: Numbers 16:1 - 18:32

Haftarah: 1 Samuel 11:14 - 12:22

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

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the hostages.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the wounded and injured.

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

Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. NO LUNCH AND LEARN ON JUNE 30. WE RESUME ON JULY 7. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya'akov. 

On July 7, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Yevamot, p. 39 (BT Yevamot 49b) - 

 '... תניא בן עזאי אומר' - "We are taught that Ben Azai says..."

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:

https://hebrewbooks.org/9630 
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents  
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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.

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

OH, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!

“Now Korach, son of Itzhar son of Kehat son of Levi, took himself, along with Datan and Aviram, sons of Eliav, and On son of Pelet – descendants of Reuven - to rise up against Moses, …” Numbers 16:1-2

“What is an example of an argument for the sake of heaven's name? The argument of Hillel and Shammai. What is an example of an argument not for the sake of heaven's name? The argument of Korach and all of his followers.” Pirkei Avot 5:17

In his collected sermons, “Ye’Arot D’vash”, Rabbi Yonatan Eibeschutz (Poland 17th-18^th centuries) says, “Logically, the Mishnah should have said ‘Korach and Moses’. Instead, within the camp of Korach itself there were disputes, with each seeking glory for himself. That is proof that their dispute was not for the sake of Heaven.”

The Punishment of Korah (detail from the fresco "Punishment of the Rebels" by Sandro Botticelli (1480–1482) in the Sistine Chapel)

There are disputes that have an aspect of holiness to them, that actually matter in broad human affairs and whose outcomes have lasting effect; and there are those that are unholy and petty, that are really about self-aggrandizement and ultimately meaningless.

The arguments between Hillel and Shammai were not about the individual rabbis - who was right and who was wrong - but about the course to be followed by the Jewish people. “What is it that God and the Torah demand of us Jews?” On the other hand, R. Eibeschutz’ understanding of Avot is that, not only were Korach and his followers not interested in the future of the people, they weren’t even interested in each other. “What’s in it for me?” was their true mantra.

Whether in religion or politics or some other area of disagreement, the more personal it is, the less it will benefit the rest of the community. Beware of any “leader” who cares only for himself and his power over others.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom, Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim

שתיקה כהודאה דמיא

Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.

BT Yevamot 88(a)

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

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call! Cyber Torah list management:

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.

To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body. 

SOME ARE GUILTY, BUT ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE

Parashat Be'ha'a'lot'kha

Torah: Numbers 8:1-12:16

Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7

Sivan 18, 5785 - June 13-14, 2025

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

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the hostages.

This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for the wounded and injured.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May those who love you know tranquility.

Psalms 122:6

שַׁאֲלוּ, שְׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָם; יִשְׁלָיוּ, אֹהֲבָיִךְ

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

Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya'akov. Recently, we have also been learning some Gemara that was omitted from Ein Ya'akov. 
On June 16, we'll be at BT Yevamot 46b - 

 '... אָמַר רַבָּה: עוֹבָדָא הֲוָה בֵּי רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר רַבִּי' - "Rabba said: There was an incident in the house of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Rabbi..."

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:

https://hebrewbooks.org/9630 
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents  
---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
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.

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

SOME ARE GUILTY, BUT ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE

The following is an extensive and lightly edited extract from a sermon I delivered on the second day of Rosh Hashanah 5784 (September 2023). I think it is every bit relevant to the events unfolding around us in Los Angeles and throughout the United States this very week.

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

    I had occasion recently to read a speech by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel from 1963. The title is “Religion and Race”, delivered at a conference of the same name in Chicago. It was there that he met Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the first time. The speech contains this famous saying of Heschel: “Some are guilty, but all are responsible.” I read that aphorism, which I have heard innumerable times over the years, in its original context for the first time.

    Heschel’s statement conjured up for me, in a new light, something else. He reminded me of teachings from Tractate Shabbat 54(b)-55(a), which I will tell in story form, including my commentary.

    A group of rabbis were sitting and discussing Torah, teaching each other and learning from each other, as rabbis do, and they said: Anyone who had the capability to effectively protest the misconduct of the members of his household and did not protest, he himself is apprehended for the misconduct of the members of his household and punished. If he is in a position to protest the conduct of the people of his town, and he fails to do so, he is apprehended for the misconduct of the people of his town. If he is in a position to protest the misconduct of the whole world, and he fails to do so, he is apprehended for the misconduct of the whole world.

    Rav Pappa said: And the members of the household of the Resh Galuta, the Exilarch who was the leader of the Jews in Babylonia, were apprehended and punished for the misconduct of the whole world. Because their authority extends across the entire Jewish world, it is in their hands to ensure that nobody commit a transgression. Rabbi Ḥanina then said: What is the meaning of this verse: “The Lord will enter into judgment with the Elders of His people and its princes, saying: It is you who have eaten up the vineyard; the robbery of the poor is in your houses” (Isaiah 3:14)?

    The Gemara continues: The question arises: If the princes sinned by committing robbery, what did the Elders, i.e., the Sages of that generation, do that was considered a sin? Rather, say: God will enter into judgment with the Elders because they did not protest the sinful conduct of the princes…..”

    Think about this for a moment. According to these rabbis, anyone who fails to protest sin, evildoing, immoral conduct, the mistreatment of others, etc., is to be punished for that misconduct AS IF IT WERE THEIR OWN – because they did not protest. That sounds a lot like the Yom Kippur liturgy, doesn’t it, where we communally confess to sins we didn’t individually commit. And it sounds a lot like Heschel.

     The Gemara continues: “….With regard to the issue of reprimand, it was related that Rabbi Zeira said to Rabbi Simon: ‘Let my Master reprimand the members of the house of the Exilarch,’ as Rabbi Simon had some influence over them. Rabbi Simon said to him: ‘They will not accept reprimand from me.’ Rabbi Zeira said to him: ‘Let my master reprimand them even if they do not accept it….’”

    Rabbi Zeira challenges his teacher, his rabbi, with a big “So what? You need to confront them even if they won’t listen to you!” The Gemara then goes a step further, in defense of Rabbi Zeira’s position.

    After God’s angel separates the non-righteous Resh Galuta family from the righteous rabbis of the city by special markings, for the purpose of rendering justice, this next thing happened: “…The attribute of Justice (yes, Justice and Mercy and Truth and Love have voices in rabbinic literature) – the attribute of Justice said before HaKadosh Barukh Hu, the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, how are these different from those? God said to that attribute: These rabbis are full-fledged righteous people, they’re tzaddikim, and those members of the Resh Galuta’s house are full-fledged wicked people, they’re rasha’im. Justice replies: Ribono shel olam, Master of the Universe, it was in the hands of the righteous to protest the conduct of the wicked, and they did not protest. God said to Justice: ‘It is revealed and known before Me that even had they protested the conduct of the wicked, the wicked would not have accepted the reprimand from them. They would have continued in their wicked ways.’ Justice replies: ‘Ribono shel olam, though it was revealed before You that their reprimand would have been ineffective, was it revealed to them? (I.e., just because YOU knew that their protests would have been ignored, did THEY know?) God then retracted the promise to protect the righteous and decided that those who failed to protest would also be punished.”

     According to our rabbis, God changes God’s mind, and punishes those whose crime is not speaking out against injustice. This is what Heschel’s teaching reminded me of – it’s a kind of equivalence – if few are guilty but all are responsible, it’s because those who failed to protest against injustice are thereby responsible for the perpetuation of injustice.

    Are we really responsible for injustice even if we are not guilty? I would add: Are we foolish enough to deny the existence of injustice in America, or in Israel, or in any other place? Do we really believe that there is no pattern of brutality and deprivation of rights of people of color in this country? Or of “the strangers among us”? Just because we ourselves might not be racists, does that mean that there is no systemic racism in this country? Do we refrain from protesting because we think it will do no good? Like the good Rabbi Simon?

    A protest against injustice is not only for benefit of the current victims, but for the benefit, perhaps I should say the protection of the protesters as well. At the end of the story about the rabbis who failed to protest injustice, the Gemara offers a proof text as follows: Rav Yehuda was sitting before Shmuel when a woman came and cried before Shmuel about an injustice that had been committed against her, and Shmuel paid no attention to her. Rav Yehuda said to Shmuel: Doesn’t the Master hold in accordance with the verse: “Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard” (Proverbs 21:13)?   

 

    Rav Yehuda asks his teacher: Don’t you believe what you preach?

    We have a week or so until Yom Kippur to think about this and to figure out what we will do in the year ahead to protest the injustices of our society – to resist – even if we think we will be ignored – even if we think we might suffer as a result.

    If we are serious about connecting to the High Holy Day liturgy and theology, then we must understand that our failure to speak out can bring on, in some way or shape or form, a punishment.

    Yesterday, our synagogue president, Dr. Lee, reminded us of Martin Niemoller’s “First they came for the Socialists…etc.…. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.” Do we see a pattern here? If we do not speak out, there will be none to speak out for us when our time comes. If we ignore the cries of others, there will be no one who cares to hear our cries of pain and anguish.

    As some of you may know, I’m a big Star Trek fan. One of the primary nemeses in the series and movies is the Borg, who seek to destroy, through their warped idea of assimilation into their machine species, every other species and culture. Their catchphrase is: “Resistance is futile.” My hero, Captain Picard, despite the destruction of many ships in the fleet, despite the likelihood of defeat, fights back and responds: “Resistance is not futile!”

    He’s right. Resistance is not futile. Resistance is mandatory.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Richard A. Flom, Rabbi Emeritus

Temple B'nai Hayim

שתיקה כהודאה דמיא

Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.

BT Yevamot 88(a)

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

My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call! Cyber Torah list management:

To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.

To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.

To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.