Messianic Insights Into the Weekly Torah Portion
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Parashat Behar Bechukotai
Kol Rina An Independent Minyan Parshiyot Behar - Bechukotai May 16, 2020 *** Iyar 22, 5780 Kol Rina – An Independent Minyan, is a traditional egalitarian community. We are haimish (homey/folksy), friendly, participatory, warm and welcoming. We hold weekly services in South Orange as well as holiday services and celebrations which are completely lay led. We welcome all to our services and programs from non-Hebrew readers to Jewish communal and education professionals. Behar – Bechukotai in a Nutshell https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2904/jewish/Behar-Bechukotai-in-a-Nutshell.htm On the mountain of Sinai, G-d communicates to Moses the laws of the Sabbatical year: every seventh year, all work on the land should cease, and its produce becomes free for the taking for all, man and beast. Seven Sabbatical cycles are followed by a fiftieth year—the Jubilee year, on which work on the land ceases, all indentured servants are set free, and all ancestral estates in the Holy Land that have been sold revert to their original owners. Additional laws governing the sale of lands, and the prohibitions against fraud and usury, are also given. G-d promises that if the people of Israel will keep His commandments, they will enjoy material prosperity and dwell secure in their homeland. But He also delivers a harsh “rebuke,” warning of the exile, persecution and other evils that will befall them if they abandon their covenant with Him. Nevertheless, “Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away; nor will I ever abhor them, to destroy them and to break My covenant with them; for I am the L-rd their G-d.” The Parshah concludes with the rules on how to calculate the values of different types of pledges made to G-d. -
Parashat Korach 5773 June 8, 2013
Parashat Korach 5773 June 8, 2013 This week’s Dvar Tzedek takes the form of an interactive text study. We hope that you’ll use this text study to actively engage with the parashah and contemporary global justice issues. Consider using this text study in any of the following ways: • Learn collectively. Discuss it with friends, family or colleagues. Discuss it at your Shabbat table. • Enrich your own learning. Read it as you would a regular Dvar Tzedek and reflect on the questions it raises. • Teach. Use the ideas and reactions it sparks in you as the basis for your own dvar Torah. Please take two minutes to share your thoughts on this piece by completing this feedback form . Introduction Parashat Korach opens with a scene of intense political drama in which a coalition of disgruntled Israelites challenges Moses and Aaron’s leadership. An analysis of this rebellion and the motivations of its leaders provides an opportunity to explore questions of politics, power and leadership—our associations with them, why they are important and how we might be able to utilize them to achieve the justice that we seek for our communities and the world. The Torah describes the opening of the showdown between Korach’s coalition and Moses and Aaron, as follows: במדבר טז:א ד, ח יא Numbers 16:1 ---4, 8 ---111111 ַוִ ַ ח ֹקַרח, ֶ ִיְצָהר ֶ ְקָהת ֶ ֵלִוי; ְוָדָת Now Korach, son of Izhar son of Kohat son of Levi, took, along ַוֲאִביָר ְֵני ֱאִליב, ְואֹו ֶ !ֶ לֶת ְ נֵי —with Datan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Pelet ְרא%ֵב. -
Parshat Mishpatim 5773
Written by: Ruth Michaels Editor: David Michaels Parshat Acharey Mot-Kedoshim 5778 At the beginning of this parsha verse 2 states, “Speak to all the congregation of the to cleave to him (u'ldavkah bo). Moreover we are duty bound to do all that is good and children of Israel and say to them: holy shall you be... ". Rav Shimshon Refuel Hirsch perfect ...simply because G-d commanded us to do so." comments that only at the giving of the very first Law which Israel received, the command of the Pesach offering, do we find the order written in similar terms ,to He continues to ask " Why does the Torah say Kedoshim T'hihyu?" “You should be announce the Law to the whole community. The reason for this is because this holy...”. He answers that one should not think that kedoshim t'hihyu refers solely to admonition, "holy shall you be “ refers to the highest degree of moral human perfection forbidden sexual relations due to its juxtaposition to the laws at the end of Acharei Mot and every individual needs to be included in this call to very height of absolute morality. but this phrase refers to each of the Ten Utterances, This means the Jewish people should be holy and sanctify themselves in all matters. Rabbi M Miller suggests that Moshe had to speak to the whole congregation, to each one individually, because in the question of self restraint even from pleasures generally The parsha of Kedoshim follows the sedras from Vaiyikra to Acharei Mot. What is the permitted, each individual must know his own nature...detect in himself the inclinations significance of this order? According to Rav Shimshon Refuel Hirsch, the morality is that threaten to degrade him and exercise on himself those restraints that will restore learned from G-d’s word which rests beneath the wings of the keruvim. -
PARASHAT SHEMINI the Sin of Nadav and Avihu and the Animals
PARASHAT SHEMINI The Sin of Nadav and Avihu and the Animals Prohibited for Consumption By Rav Amnon Bazak A. The Problem In the aftermath of the tragic death of Nadav and Avihu, the Torah suddenly interrupts the narrative with a command highlighting an additional function of the kohanim: And to distinguish between the holy and the profane, and between the impure and the pure; and to instruct Bnei Yisrael concerning all of the statutes which God spoke to them at the hand of Moshe. (10:10-11) These verses set forth the framework for the chapters that follow in chiastic order. First, the Torah discusses the differences between the impure and the pure, in terms of the types of animals that may be eaten and those that may not (chapter 11), and the various types of impurity and purity (Parashot Acharei Mot, Tazri'a, and Metzora); thereafter, it addresses the differences between the holy and the profane (Parashot Kedoshim andEmor). What do these categories and the differentiation between them have to do with the sin of Nadav and Avihu? Why are the kohanim given the new job of differentiating between the holy and profane and between the impure and the pure specifically here, in the midst of the events of the "eighth day"? In order to answer this question, let us examine the animals forbidden as food as listed in chapter 11. We will find two groups of prohibitions in this chapter, and we will discuss the connection between them and the story of the death of Nadav and Avihu. -
Parshat Korach 5770 by Guy Izhak Austrian June 12, 2010
Parshat Korach 5770 By Guy Izhak Austrian June 12, 2010 “We will keep the victims and their families in our prayers.” So said President Barack Obama after the devastating earthquake in Haiti last January, before concluding with just such a prayer: “May God bless the people of Haiti and those working on their behalf.”1 At the same time, the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism distributed a “Prayer for Haiti” by Rabbi Naomi Levy,2 and no doubt, many other Americans prayed as well. Given all of the options for taking action after a crisis in a developing country—donating, organizing and volunteering—why do the President, a rabbi in Los Angeles and ordinary people across the U.S. feel compelled to pray for the victims? What impact can these prayers have? We can find a clue in the haftarah for Parshat Korach, a passage from the First Book of Samuel.3 There, Samuel bids farewell to the Israelites, and he rebukes the people for insisting on being ruled by a king. Yet Samuel promises that though he is no longer their prophet and judge, he will continue to pray for them: “Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.”4 Samuel juxtaposes his own prayerful support of the people with his prophecy, in an earlier passage, of the king’s coming oppression. The king, he says, “yikach”—will take—your children, vineyards and olive groves, your servants and livestock.5 In contrast, Samuel asks rhetorically, “Whose ox have I taken … from whom have I taken a bribe…?” and the people affirm, “You have not taken anything from anyone.”6 Samuel suggests that a righteous leader prays for the people, while an exploitative leader such as a king will only take. -
When Feeling Trapped: Torah Reflections on Parashat Shemot
When Feeling Trapped: Torah Reflections on Parashat Shemot Exodus 1:1 – 6:1 I have noticed that my prayer life often becomes richer when my life becomes more challenging. When things are going well with me, it’s easy for my heart to close to both the uncertainty and the possibility of the present moment. I start to believe that I’m in control of my life, and that I don’t need anyone’s help -- least of all, God’s. The first time I really prayed the Psalms I was on the bus, headed to the doctor’s office for a biopsy. My partner was pregnant with our son, and the prospect of dealing with a serious illness at the same time that I was about to become a parent felt like falling off a cliff and not knowing if I’d crash into the rocks or if a parachute would open so I could float to a gentle landing. That time, it was the parachute. But before I knew that, my heart opened to God in a way it never had before. There’s an ancient teaching about our ancestors, Abraham and Sarah that tries to explain why they were childless until their old age. It says that “the Holy One longs to hear the prayers of the righteous.” As long as Abraham and Sarah yearned for a child together, they called out for God’s help and needed God to answer. There’s a subtle but important difference between believing in a God who makes people suffer as a way of entering into relationship (which I don’t) and being aware of the ways that suffering and longing can draw us near to God (which I try to be). -
E-Oneg Vayetze.1.1
MILLER MUSINGS This page is sponsored by Federation Rabbi 3 Menachem M Junik Beis Gavriel, Lubavitch, Federation The Author can be contacted at [email protected] How to attain spiritual Parshah protection Life is complicated. From the moment that we awake in the morning there are various different pressures and demands on our time; many distractions and nuisances that get in the way of us fulfilling the days’ tasks. We may ask ourselves, imagine if Hashem had created the world in a way that we are not pulled in all different directions and in a world where we are not constantly being distracted from what is really important in life? Envision our day being occupied primarily with Torah, Mitzvos and acts of Chessed. Our financial worries would be to a minimum. In our Parsha, Vayeitzei, the Torah have the strength to overcome the challenges Dovid Hamelech writes in Tehillim (128:2) discusses the journey of our father Yaakov that he would now face in the new Galus Yegia kapecha ki sochel ashrecha vetov lach. from Be’er Sheva to Charan. The Torah of Charan, and that everything that he had Fortunate is you who eats from the labour describes Be’er Sheva as a holy and spiritual learned and experienced in Be’er Sheva of your hands, You will be happy and full of environment where Yaakov sat near his father should be a source of energy and strength for goodness. Yitzchak learning Torah. Charan, however, as him. When it comes to commerce and business, Rashi describes at the end of Parshas Noach, When Yaakov lay down to daven, the Posuk and our daily mundane routine, one should is a place that angers Hashem. -
Do You Know Parshat Shoftim
QUESTIONS ON PARSHIOT NITZAVIM-VAYEILACH Q-1. (a) On what calendar date did Moshe present the covenant of Parashat Nitzavim to Bnei Yisrael? (b) Why did he address (1) “your tribal heads, your elders, your officers, all men of Yisrael,” since the words “all men of Yisrael” include the others (2 reasons)? (2) “your small children, your women” here, mentioning the children first, but in the mitzvah of Hakheil (31:12), he stated “the women, the small children”, listing the women first? (c) (1) Why is the word, “va- yashlicheim” (He will cast them [Bnei Yisrael into galut]), spelled with an enlarged lamed (2 reasons)? (2) Why is the city, Tzvoyim, written with a double yud? (d) (1) Bnei Yisrael are not blamed for preventing others from committing which sins (2 views)? (2) Why, in the Torah scroll, are there 11 dots over the words “lanu u-le-vaneinu” (for us and our children)? (Devarim 29:9-19,22,27-28) A-1. (a) On 7 Adar, which was the day that he died; (b) (1) Moshe indicated that the tribal heads, elders and officers (i) had assembled in front of the others (Rashi). (ii) would be responsible for preventing only sins that members of Bnei Yisrael did openly, not those that are committed in secret (Ohr haChaim). (2) Here, Moshe discussed Bnei Yisrael’s responsibility to keep all of the mitzvot, and while women are not obligated in all of the mitzvot, e.g. time-bound mitzvot, male children, when they grow up, will be obligated, and therefore the children are mentioned first here, but for the ceremony of Hakheil, women, who would comprehend the reading by the king, unlike children who would not understand it, are mentioned first; (c) (1) (i) This prophesizes the end of malchut Beit David in the 30th (lamed) generation, since Tzidkiyahu, the last king of Beit David, was the 30th generation after Yehuda (Rokeach). -
Sample ISRAEL Tikkun Olam Activities Leslie Gubitz, NFTY-OV
Sample ISRAEL Tikkun Olam Activities Leslie Gubitz, NFTY-OV SAVP 2006-2007 Judaism is the only religion in which Tzedakah is not a once-in-a-while action, but instead is encouraged to be practiced every day. Jews are guided to give Tzedakah often, commit to Social Action regularly, as well as promote Tikkun Olam among other friends and families. Often it is difficult to involve youth group members in Social Action activities if the participants do not instantly see the effects of their actions. However, Maimonides’ Eight Levels of Tzedakah stresses that although Tzedakah may affect the recipient on many different levels, ALL Tzedakah is important. It is strongly encouraged that you teach this value to your youth group so that they can understand that not every Social Action activity provides visible advances, and yet all forms of Tikkun Olam are acceptable, appreciated, and necessary. EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS! TZEDAKAH: An Explanation of Maimonides Eight Levels of Tzedakah as well how Tzedakah and Charity can utilized through modern day Judaism. This program might be used in whole or in part and could aid in introducing Tikkun Olam and Social Action to any sized youth group. (Appendix A) Once your youth group has had an introduction to Tikkun Olam and Social Action, be sure to give them more opportunities to commit to helping others. BY organizing events, lock-ins, programs, or drives your youth group will be able to aid the community or world through outreach activities. A specific interest that you should relay to your youth group is the need for support for Israel. -
The Current State of Masoretic Studies*
SEFARAD, vol. 73:2, julio-diciembre 2013, págs. 423-458 ISSN: 0037-0894, doi: 10.3989/sefarad.013.015 ESTADO DE LA CUESTIÓN The Current State of Masoretic Studies* Elvira Martín Contreras** ILC-CCHS, CSIC, Madrid The foundation of the International Organization of Masoretic Studies (IOMS) in 1972 was a turning point in the studies on Masorah. Since then, Masoretic studies have undergone a true renaissance. The publications on Masoretic issues have proliferated, and the importance of the Masorah for the study of the text of the Hebrew Bible has been stressed in numerous reviews. This brief survey presents the evolution of Masoretic stu- dies, the main research lines and achievements, and some of the most relevant works in the last forty years. KEYWORDS: Masorah; Ketib-Qere; Grammar; Hebrew Bible Text. ESTADO DE LA CUESTIÓN DE LOS ESTUDIOS MASORÉTICOS.— La creación de la International Organization of Masoretic Studies (IOMS) en 1972 supuso un punto de inflexión en los estudios sobre Masora. Desde entonces, los estudios masoréticos han experimentado un auténtico renacer. Las publicaciones sobre temas masoréticos han proliferado y la impor- tancia de la Masora para el estudio del texto de la Biblia Hebrea ha sido resaltada en nu- merosas reseñas. Esta breve panorámica ofrece la evolución de los estudios masoréticos, sus principales líneas de investigación y logros, así como los trabajos más significativos de los últimos cuarenta años. PALABRAS CLAVE: Masora; ketib-qere; gramática; texto de la Biblia hebrea. Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the creation of the International Organization of Masoretic Studies (IOMS) by Prof. Harry Orlinsky brin- ging together all the modern “Masoretes” and enabling work in this field. -
Parashat Vaera 5774 by Rachel Farbiarz December 28, 2013
Parashat Vaera 5774 By Rachel Farbiarz December 28, 2013 Parashat Vaera continues the conversation between God and Moses following Moses’s first encounter with Pharaoh. God persists in his alternately tender and impatient wooing of the reluctant emissary, while Moses insists that he is unfit for the task. As before, Moses’s feelings of inadequacy center on his difficulty with speech, now captured, ironically, by his poetic lament: “I am uncircumcised of lips.” 1 The Torah does not identify the nature or origins of Moses’s difficulty. Rashi postulates that Moses had an actual speech impediment—perhaps a stutter or a severe lisp. 2 A midrash explains that Moses’s impeded speech dated from infancy when the angel Gabriel had guided him to place a hot coal in his mouth. 3 Perhaps Moses was deeply shy, a shepherd who preferred the company of animals over people with their insatiable demand for words. Lending further obscurity, Moses’s impediment is wholly self-described. We learn of it only through his own protests at having been chosen as Israel’s liberator. Whereas the omniscient biblical narrator provides the descriptions of its other central characters, 4 it is silent on Moses’s “heavy-mouthed and heavy-tongued” 5 condition. The absence of this narrative corroboration implies that Moses’s impediment loomed larger in his own mind than as a handicap perceptible to others. Whatever the impediment’s nature, it is clear that each utterance exacted a painful toll on Moses. God therefore sends Aaron to be his brother’s mouthpiece, and Aaron remains at Moses’s side as the two heap threats and plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians. -
Vaetchanan 5779
Vaetchanan Vaetchanan, 16 Av 5779 Speech from Fire Harav Yosef Carmel Our parasha describes for the second time in the Torah the incredible scene as Bnei Yisrael took a huge transformative step, going from a group who were recently slaves (deeply entrenched in the physical world) and turning into the Nation of Israel. The fearsome mountain surrounded by clouds, fire, and loud sounds, and especially the Divine Presence, is described (Devarim 5:5-25). As we have discussed many times in the past, much can be learned from multiple appearances of certain leading words in a section. The Torah is sending us a message through the choice of these words. In this section, the words are aish (fire) and the root davor , which is used in speech, whether the act or the things that are spoken. What is the connection between these two ideas? The revelation at Mount Sinai seems paradoxical. On the one hand, the One giving the Torah is the Creator of the world, who Himself is beyond anything in the physical world. He cannot even be accurately described with words like “present” or “outside,” for it is clear that He is fundamentally out of the physical world. On the other hand, the receivers of the Torah are mortal human beings, who are created from materials that Hashem created. They live in a world that is governed by nature and are affected by its rules. If a person tries to leave the world of nature, that basically means that he ceases to exist in the physical world. But here, in this one-time revelation, Bnei Yisrael received devarim (words, speech) from within fire, with fire representing the destruction of physical matter.