Mizrachi Matters
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MIZRACHI MATTERS PARSHAT SHOFTIM Friday, 13 August (5 Elul) This week’s newsletter is generously sponsored by Raie Levy, Naomi Arber, Danny Levy, Pninah Lissauer & This newsletter is dedicated in loving memory to Tamara Rubinstein & families nee Schreiber) in loving memory of their husband & father) ע"ה Edith Kraus ח י ה ע טל בת ישראל זאב ע " ה ע" ה Manfred Levy on her 14th Yartzeit on 3 Elul ר משה אריה בן החבר יהודה הלוי ע " ה whose Yartzeit is Shabbat 6 Elul Candle Lighting: 5:24pm REGISTRATION & MASKS ARE MANDATORY FOR ATTENDANCE AT ALL MIZRACHI SERVICES. PLEASE ENSURE TO REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE AT WEEKDAY MINYANIM & SHIURIM VIA THE QR CODES ON CAMPUS. Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 13 August 14 August 15 August 16 August 17 August 18 August 19 August 20 August 5 Elul 6 Elul 7 Elul 8 Elul 9 Elul 10 Elul 11 Elul 12 Elul 1. Beit Yehuda 2. Beit Yitzchak 3. Beit Midrash (Beit Haroeh Shabbat Morning) 4 . Bnei Akiva 5 . Elsternwick 6 . Midrashah 7 . Goldberger Hall 6:30am1; 7:00am2 Shacharit 7:30am1 Dawn 5:57am 5:56am 5:54am 5:53am 5:52am 5:51am 5:49am 5:48am Tallit & Tefillin 6:16am 6:14am 6:13am 6:12am 6:11am 6:10am 6:09am 6:07am Sunrise 7:09am 7:08am 7:06am 7:05am 7:04am 7:03am 7:01am 7:00am 9:46am 9:46am 9:45am 9:44am 9:43am 9:43am 9:42am 9:41am ( ג ר ״ א) Sh'ma Earliest Mincha 12:52pm 12:52pm 12:52pm 12:52pm 12:52pm 12:52pm 12:52pm 12:51pm 4:36pm 4:36pm 4:37pm 4:38pm 4:38pm 4:39pm 4:40pm 4:40pm (גר״א) Plag HaMincha Mincha / Ma’ariv 5:30pm1 5:10pm1 5:35pm1 5:35pm1 5:35pm1 5:35pm1 5:35pm1 5:35pm1 Sunset 5:42pm 5:43pm 5:44pm 5:44pm 5:45pm 5:46pm 5:47pm 5:48pm Night/Shabbat Ends 6:23pm 6:24pm 6:25pm 6:25pm 6:26pm 6:27pm 6:28pm 6:28pm Second Ma’ariv DAF YOMI Sukkah 37 Sukkah 38 Sukkah 39 Sukkah 40 Sukkah 41 Sukkah 42 Sukkah 43 Sukkah 44 Via Zoom 8:15am 7:30pm 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am 8:15am Rabbeinu Bachye Lunch and Learn “Following in the Parsha Shiur for women R’ Danny Mirvis Footsteps of our R’ Danny Mirvis R’ Danny Mirvis 1:00pm Fathers” 8:00pm SHIURIM 9:30am Parsha HaShavua 11:00am (ZOOM Only) Shiur with Via Zoom Tzurba Communal R’ Leor Broh R' Dovid Gutnick Shiur R’ Jonny 8:30pm Gary’s Gemara Brull 8:30pm Shiur 8:30pm Ladies Tanach Shiur - Dr. Michal Kaufman 8:30pm MISHNAH Mikvaot Mikvaot Mikvaot Mikvaot Mikvaot Mikvaot Mikvaot Mikvaot YOMIT 7:1-2 7:3-4 7:5-6 7:7-8:1 8:2-3 8:4-5 9:1-2 9:3-4 EVENTS Brian & Debbie Raie Levy Anne Kelman Geri Kras Ursula Cher Anne Shnider Wiener (Husband) (Mother) (Mother) (Husband) (Father) (Father) Naomi Arber, Judy Berkovits & Lawrence Cher, Jennifer Wein Danny Levy, Jeff Lefkovits Leonie Balbin & YAHRZEITS (Mother) Pninah Lissauer & (Father) Nathan Cher Gary & Paul Tamara Rubinstein (Father) Korbl (Father) (Father) Mizrachi Matters can now be found on the Mizrachi website at http://mizrachi.com.au/mizrachi-matters/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MizrachiMelb We wish a hearty Mazal Tov to: Samantha and Adam Rischin on the birth of their daughter, Bella Miriam. Mazal tov to her grandparents: Gloria and Daniel Blau and Rachelle and Danny Rischin Lexi & Yoel Rosenbaum on the birth of their son. Mazal Tov to his grandparents: Stevan Lambert and Alan & Roxanne Kozica BAR / BAT MITZVAH ANNIVERSARIES: Mark Granek HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Saturday: Amanda Teller, Judy Seigel, Meir Leib Meltzer, David Cohney (HBD) Sunday: Raphael Mihalovich, Benjamin Cook Monday: Mark Granek, Ralph Greenberger, Trevor Shnider, Natalie Zuckerman (HBD) Wednesday: Leon Burman, Peter Kacser, David Slonim, Gabe Paneth (HBD) Thursday: Diana Izsak, Stephen Bloch Friday: John Kraus, Yonina Garfield WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: Saturday: Ruth & Reuben Wein Sunday: Amanda & Daniel Teller, Naomi & Geoff Bloch, Tammy & Chaim Kingsley Wednesday: Daniel & Amanda Teller (HWA), Deborah & Richard Zimmermann If you have an occasion or milestone event that you would like to be mentioned in Mizrachi Matters, please email it to [email protected] by 12:00pm on Thursdays Parshat Shoftim "You shall surely pursue justice in order that you shall live and you shall inherit the Land that Hashem your Go-d gives you. You shall not plant for yourself any idolatrous tree alongside the altar of the Hashem your Go-d which you shall make for yourself" (Devarim 16:20-21). The laws concerning the appointment of Judges at the beginning of this week's Parsha are immediately followed by the prohibition against planting a tree for idolatrous purposes. The Gemara in Sanhedrin explains the connection between these laws: "Reish Lakish says, 'anyone who appoints an unsuitable Judge, it is as if he is planting an idolatrous tree in Israel, as it says, 'You shall appoint for yourself Judges and officers', and juxtaposed to it, 'You shall not plant for yourself any idolatrous tree''." (Sanhedrin 7b). Reish Lakish explains that appointing an unsuitable Judge is as severe as planting a tree to use it as in idol. Nevertheless, the relationship between these laws remains unclear. What is the connection between pursuing justice and planting a tree? From its outer appearance, the idolatrous tree looks no different to any other tree. Like any other tree, it had the potential to inspire great belief in Hashem, highlighting the wisdom of Hashem as it appears through nature. However, despite its outer appearance, the idolatrous tree is spiritually rotten, abominable, and must be destroyed. Reish Lakish wants to teach us that a Judge who behaves inappropriately is like an idolatrous tree. Though his outer appearance may make him look as pious and righteous as any other judge, he is internally rotten. We must therefore be exceptionally careful when appointing Judges, not to be influenced by external appearance alone. Whilst this message is aimed at Judges in a formal legal setting, it is highly relevant to our individual lives as well. It is easy to righteously claim, "We should not judge", but the unavoidable reality is that we naturally make conclusions about the people and circumstances around us. As we move through the month of Elul and enter the build-up to the Day of Judgment when we will all be on trial, we must aim to improve our judgment of others. It is not enough to appear just or fair. We must ensure that we are purely motivated and entirely clear of any bias, prejudice, or search for personal gain. By judging those around us with understanding and compassion, may we be deserving of favourable judgments ourselves, Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Danny Mirvis Reb Leor Broh Riddle for Parshat Shoftim I am an object that appears twice in Parshat Shoftim, and nowhere else in the Torah. The first time I appear is in association with a Mitzvat Aseh (a positive Mitzvah). The second time is in association with a Mitzvat Lo Taaseh (a negative Mitzvah). What am I? Answer to Riddle for last week (Re’eh) Find a set of six words in a row that appear twice in the Parsha, in exactly the same order and with exactly the same “trop” (musical notes). Answer: ” כִּ ֣ י עַ ֤ם קָ דוֹשׁ֙ אַתָּ֔ ה לַה אֱ לֹ- הֶ ֑ י � " For you are a people consecrated to Hashem your G-d This exact phrase with the exact same ‘trop’ appears both in 14:2 and 14:21. Whilst not commenting on the repetition of this phrase, Rabbenu Bechaye does mention the double -:here, namely ”קדוש“ meaning of the word 1) Separate (from the nations of the world, and hence subject to dietary laws they don’t have) 2) Reserved for Olam Haba (and therefore forbidden to mutilate the body, as the nations do in grief for a lost relative). From the Gush Rav Moshe Taragin Global Warming and the Crime of Lost Potential Man is at his worst behavior during wartime - destroying lives and devastating his surroundings. Modern war feels slightly more civil, as it is generally brief and is conducted at a distance from the enemy. Ancient wars were more savage, bloody and vicious. Often military campaigns stretched years, as prolonged sieges gradually starved and suffocated the population into surrender. The Torah prohibits wantonly razing trees during these lengthy sieges. Barren trees may be felled but fruit trees must be spared. This prohibition, known as bal tashchit, serves a dual function. Firstly, it curbs excessive brutality and tempers vulgar reactions. Facing stress and fear, soldiers often commit hideous and gruesome crimes. Protecting Nature during wartime preserves human dignity, when it is most vulnerable. In 1969 Golda Meir commented "When peace comes we will perhaps, in time, be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons". The prohibition of bal tashchit restrains uncontrolled ruthlessness, preserving some measure of human dignity during war. Secondly and more importantly, the prohibition against vandalizing trees regulates our overall relationship with Nature. Man is expected and encouraged to manipulate the forces of Nature for human benefit, and on behalf of human progress. Yet, we must respect the Divine masterpiece of Nature, avoiding purposeless depletions of the environment. This iconic prohibition of bal tashchit extends far beyond the military application.