O C T O B E R 1M7A, Y2 082, 02 0| 2 B0E |R EEIMS HO IRT | P A G E 1 Congregation Beth Sholom TORAH WEEKLY Learning Initiative ז"ל A Project of the Linda Mitgang This week's edition is in honor of our Chatanim Jonathan Herschberg, Bill Hermes, & Dan Plaut & their Families To sponsor an upcoming edition, please click here From the Beginning to Now ZMANIM BY RABBI KENNETH HAIN Candle-lighting 5:54 pm [email protected] Mincha 6:00 pm Shacharis Hashkama 7:45 am DEDICATED IN HONOR OF RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS,HARAV Tent 9:00 am YAAKOV TZI BEN LIBA. MAY HE BE BLESSED WITH A REFUAH SHALEMAH Sephardic 8:45 am Joel Shiff/Main 9:15 am Yankel was having a tough time finding a job what with the Mincha 5:45 pm current economic situation. He couldn’t even get an Shiur w/ R. Dovid Horwitz 6:00 pm interview. Finally he secured an interview and needless to Maariv 6:45 pm say, he was trying his best to impress. The interviewer Shabbos Ends 6:52 pm explained to Yankel “In this job, we need someone who is responsible”. “I’m the one you want” Yankel replied. “At my last job every time anything went wrong they said I was IN THIS ISSUE responsible!” 1 From the Beginning to Now Rabbi Hain Like Yankel we all generally want to be responsible but I want to propose that this aspiration is a foundational teaching of the Torah. We know that there is considerable commentary 2 Creating Worlds From Words on why the Torah begins with the story of Adam and Eve. Yael Saffra Why not the Exodus story or the Avraham and Sara story? 4 The Value of a Mitzvah If we examine our parsha we see two significant failures. Dr. Miles Yacker The first is Adam and Chava eat the forbidden fruit and the second is Kayin murders his brother. There is a connecting 5 Halacha Al HaDaf thread between these two events. Before G-d commands Chayim Maza Adam about what is or is not permissible to eat in the garden, we read “Hashem took man and placed him in the 6 Return to Normal What is the need Rabbi Fogel .“ (לשמרה) garden to work it and protect it for protection? Nobody else is there! It seems Adam is being told to take responsibility. Nothing should go wrong on your 8 Making Early Shabbos watch! So when Chava is ensnared by the snake, she Rabbi Miller S E P TOMECMAOTJASUYBOUACEU GEM1TUBLJPAJJMJGURAU5OYUEAUGTU ASU,MN RLMBEY1UNG 31TSYGY M2AE SAEU,8 T2 1 U0 R, U1YT1B ,Y2 ,1S52 2 S,2 5G2E5 T19,021 2016T19, 0R2,U ,2072 , , 1 20 | 20S8,2 ,0520 2 0T ,02,B20| 02 2 0|202E | 200C 02|20H 0N | MH20 S0 |2| 2A| VI|0 U| BU0A 0 TR|A| B DPSK AK ETZ |EK- '|A|HIEBKBSMAOE MI N MVEHOT EITKVRIOOTCISALRICDO-T-IEAKREDSHARBEM H B'FECITU EB ICAUAT| V|AHSMDEHAVSL IZNKRS H V IM A R |EE|NOP |ATPI|OK |YI ITA I ON TAP |P P EOP |G|APG. A|IAA NP| A EILGE GP4GPG| AP EG EPAE3|AE 3EAGCE A G G 2PGEH2 P22GEE2A EA 2E |G 2G2 2 E2PE A32G E 2 doubles down on her sin by failing to own up to it. Instead she Upcoming Shiurim blames the snake! Sadly, Adam also fails to take responsibility and is unable to recognize his failings. This brings us to the story of the next generation where we find a similar failure. It is certainly not clear what the cause of the conflict between Kayin and Hevel was. Perhaps jealousy, perhaps a fit of anger, or perhaps a misunderstanding. What is clear is that Kayin failed to learn from his parents mistakes. hoping ”?(איכה) When Adam sins, G-d says “Where are you Daf Yomi Adam will recognize his guilt. When Kayin sins, G-d again acts with kindness. He opens the door to a conversation in the 7:30am with R. Weberman hope of hearing him accept responsibility for what he has done 8:30 am with Chayim Maza wrong. Instead Kayin responds with the infamous words: “Am ”?(שומר) - I my brother’s keeper Thursday From these two parallel moments the book of Bereishit 9:15 pm, R. Weberman, essentially teaches us what it means to be a “Shomer”. In fact Parsha Shiur when we encounter Avraham, we are not told why he is selected. But later, in a statement to Yitzchak, Hashem says: “You will be a great nation in the merit of your father. He listened to me – he was a Shomer” (Bereishit 26:5). And that is emblematic of what Jews should be all about. Avraham takes responsibility for his actions, for his family, for visitors, even for the residents of Sodom – a “Shomer”. And so IN CASE YOU MISSED IT his decedents have taken responsibility for our brothers, for our neighbors, Jews and non-Jews. Just look at the response of Israel to the call for help all over the world. We are a people who are fundamentally grounded in the principle of being a “shomer” - we take responsibility! AUDIO SHIUR ROUNDUP During our current struggle with this ongoing pandemic, the teaching of our parsha could not be more relevant. We must R. Miller: "The Importance of be mindful of the responsibility we have not only to protect Giving Tzedakah" our lives, but those around us. This is a time to think of how our actions can affect others. R. Wein: "Sukkot and The Meaning of the Mumbled Mishna: As Jews we are all Shomrim! Why is it Better to Have More Mitzvot?" Creating Worlds From Words TO PAY FUTURE SHUL BY YAEL SAFFRA CONTRIBUTIONS NOW, [email protected] PLEASE CLICK HERE I feel like a weight has been lifted off me. We are beginning TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE the book of Genesis and I am filled with happiness. After a RABBI'S CHARITY FUND, long and difficult journey, I am finally returning home to my beloved Bereishit. It is a book of new beginnings, fresh starts PLEASE CLICK HERE and endless possibilities. It is filled with lofty dreams, deep yearnings and Divine inspiration. The stories are familiar and comforting and the text is consistent. Yet, somehow, because I am different each year, Sefer Bereishit always restores my soul and never gets old. S E P TOMECAMJOTUJJASYUBUAOCEN UGE1MLUTJABJPJJEGUARU5YUOGUTEA US , NJ L1MERBUNYG1 31UTSGY2ME 2 SA,UE8 TN2, 1U0 R1,TB ,Y2 1 S2,5 2E S2 , E5 2T19021 ,20 6T089R,20 ,52072 ,0 2, 1, 02 |,0 82, ,2 05 22 0 ,0022 B,|0 0 |2 0 20| E2|2 | 0C202 |H0 B0 N | 0HM20 S | EA2 |V |0I| UA BH 0|R|TA DP SK TAK|AE -ZK '|HNIEBSAOKE MAIN VEHAET OKRTVRLIOCTIALRCSO--DIETOKIAEHABRMOE HM'F BECTI ACEI UTAV|A EHSM|HDLSVIZNKS CHRV MA I |AEP|O|HAP |OTIK I|Y AT TAPNI| P P PEO G|A|GP A|AIA|P EN IGAEL GPGPG | A P EGPA6EAE 2|EGAC AE G G 3PGE3H3P 3GEEA3 EA E3 |G 33G 3 9E3PE A23G E 3 To New Beginnings Rabbii Avii Miillller אמריי ברווך על פרשת בראשיית Rav Baruch Siimon,, Rosh Yeshiiva RIIETS כתב בתייקווניי הזזווהר ((תייקווןן א)) שהמלה בראשיית מוובנה ב׳׳ ראשיית.. ווכוווונה הדבריים הייא שייש ב׳׳׳׳ התחלוות בחיייי האדם,, התחלה הראשוונה הייא בתחיילת חייייוו כשנוולד,, ההתחלה השניי הייא אחריי שהאדם קלקל במעשייוו וושווב חווזזר בתשוובה וומתחייל מחדש IItt iis wriitttten iin tthe Tiikuney Hazohar,, tthatt tthe word ““Bereshiitt”” iis a composiitte off ““Bett”” and ““Reshiitt”” or,, ttwo begiinniings.. The iinttenttiion off tthese words iis tthatt each person has ttwo begiinniings iin ttheiir lliiffe.. The ffiirstt,, iis when a person iis born.. The second,, afftter a person degrades hiimsellff wiitth iimproper acttiion butt tthen retturns iin tteshuva tto sttartt agaiin.. Readiing Parashas Bereiishiis riightt afftter conclludiing tthe season off tteshuva iis a remiinder tthatt we allways have an opporttuniitty tto begiin agaiin.. JJustt as tthe miidrash iin Kohellett Rabba 3::11 ttelllls us tthatt HKBH creatted and desttroyed many worllds beffore ''gettttiing tthiis one iis riightt!!)) ,, so ttoo we have tthe power tto sttartt over and begiin agaiin.. Whiille ---- ְְוְו ִִִה ֵֵֵּּּנה־־ט ֹֹוֹוב ְְְמ ֹאֹֹד)) iitt riightt'' so tto speak wiitth ours tthe very ffiirstt word off tthe Torah dares us tto ,,((כל התחלוות קשוות)) iitt''s offtten nott easy,, especiialllly iin tthe wake off ffaiillure or adversiitty iimiittatte God and be bolld enough tto sttartt over and begiin agaiin.. Whatt new begiinniings are we hopiing ffor tthiis year? The Torah opens with two versions of creation. Sefer Torah and learning. God, like us, studies The first creation narrative is orderly and the Torah. And in this paradigm, it is the perfect. God, through the power of speech, studying of Torah, that leads to the creation of methodically creates the world and all that is in new worlds. In essence, these creation stories it and sets it in motion. God is King of the represent the very first Machloket and are the Universe, the world is God’s domain and gateway to Shammai and Hillel’s debates everything proceeds according to the Grand centuries later. Hillel and Shammai engaged in Plan. The second creation story, on the other over three hundred arguments that are hand, is a mess. There are challenges, pitfalls, recorded in the Talmud. Yet the Gemara punishments and banishment. Emotions are informs us: brought into play as well: loneliness, אף על פי שנחלקו בית שמאי ובית הלל...לא נמנעו בית temptation, desire and embarrassment. One שמאי מלישא נשים מבית הלל, ולא בית הלל מבית שמאי, .creation- two perspectives.