בס״ד EMOR [email protected] www.torahactionlife.com THE COMMUNITY Parasha Sheet LONDON’S LEADING PLATFORM FOR STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS This week’s Parasha sheet is sponsored Lehatslachat Shaul Yonatan Ben Moshe Vechol Mishpachto. RABBI JONATHAN TAWIL TH An old fulfilled man, sits on his death bed, with his family 12 Iyar 5779 nearby, reliving the many happy years of his life. SHABBAT BEGINS: 8:30 PM “Oh what I would give for an extra few minutes in this world.” SHABBAT ENDS: 9:55 PM DIRECTOR He exclaims as his soul is returned to his creator. > MAZAL TOV TAL Some people say, “Time is valuable.” Others “Time is money.” An American poet Carl Sandburg once awesomely explained Francesca Caller & Daniel Shapiro on their engagment “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” THE WEEKLY QUOTE This weeks Parasha focuses on time. “Another way to bring The Parasha has a complete description of the festivals, from positivity into your life is to TIME IS PRECIOUS Succoth, Pesach and Shavuot, to Rosh Hashanah and Yom become a giver.“ TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Kippur. For our upcoming events > UPCOMING EVENTS check our website It is interesting to note that when describing the festivals the www.torahactionlife.com The crowd had gathered for a popular wedding. All eyes were Torah uses a seemingly unusual word: Moed (Moadey Hashem • 20th MAY now on the Chatan and Kalla. The Chatan prepared the ring for (Vayikra 23:2)) Monday Night Series Program • 23rd MAY his new bride. The Hebrew word “Moed” stems from the root “Vav.Ayin.Dalet” Lag Baomer BBQ He was shivering, and in his fear dropped the ring. - to meet. • 8th JUNE The crowds’ eyes lit up as they focussed on this poor mishap. Hence a committee in Hebrew is a “Vaad,” and a conference June Shavuot Learning Program The Chatan knelt down, picked up the ring and tried a second is a “Ve’iydah. • 16th JUNE time. Why does the Torah relate to festivals with the word ‘meet’? Football Tournament Alas again, fear struck, and the ring fell. Our Sages explain that the Jewish holidays are called Moadim, Sighs rang out from amongst the crowd. for their primary purpose is that we set aside special times DVAR TORAH P1 The Chatan determined to see it through, tried a third time. The during the year to meet G-d. Time is precious. Time is of the essence! ring barely entered the finger only to fall yet again. We need to arrange our timetable in order that we are able to RABBI JONATHAN TAWIL This had never happened before in the towns history and ‘meet’ and connect with Hashem through the special spirituality murmurings were rampant from amongst the crowd. created on the festivals. DVAR TORAH P2 The rabbi managed to finally calm the Chatan and eventually he Time is of the essence and we must treat it well. We must also be Parsha insights managed to place the ring on his brides finger – Mekudeshet! aware of it. Time enables us to place things into perspective and RABBI YITSCHAK HAKOHEN TAWIL The couple continued the process and settled down to a prepare ourselves for a higher spiritual experience. wonderful marriage. A further Mitsva relating to time is mentioned in this week’s The crowd were curious and approached the rabbi. Parasha – the Sefirat Haomer. OUR CHACHAMIM P3 RABBI ARYEH LEVINE Rabbi did you see that – three times, surely that’s a sign from “You shall count starting after the holiday (of Pesach)… seven above that perhaps this zivug isn’t meant to be. complete weeks (until Shavuot)” (23:15). The rabbi smiled the comment off. The days between Pesach and Shavuot are special. The Torah HALACHOT P3 My dear friends you just didn’t understand the situation. commands that we count these days as we lead up to the giving Sweeping and Mopping Floors on Shabbat / RABBI ELI MANSOUR Every event has its right time – the time for the marriage wasn’t of the Torah. We are excited and we need to prepare ourselves yet ripe, and so it was ‘delayed’ until the right time. Every time for this special day. has its Mazal and there is a correct time for everything! The counting shows that we are not content with the day in itself, Kid’s Q&A & CARTOON P4 Time is essential in our daily lives, but diverse people view it we must always aim to build higher and higher, counting the Time differently. days towards Matan Torah. This newsletter contains Divrei Torah and may contain Sheimot - Please dispose of accordingly 1 Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ztsl points out that when it comes to Secondly, we do not know in which limb our Neshamah, soul, The next day the two met, went on the boat and set out. After all of the Jewish holidays the Torah states the exact date upon is contained, rather the entire body is imbued with its holiness. a while they stopped in the middle of the ocean and started which they are to be celebrated. Pesach is the fifteenth of their competition. Man must bring Hashem into every time and place that he finds Nissan; Rosh Hashanah is the first day of Tishrei, etc. himself. Yossi commenced and threw one coin into the sea. Shlomo There seems to be one exception – Shavuot. The Torah does not followed. The game continued for hours, but as each hour went Thus Torah is eternal and always prevalent and available! specify the date for Shavuot, the sixth of Sivan, rather, we must by, Yossi’s face began to gleam. He seemed happy that he was figure it out based on the verses informing us that it occurs fifty Time is precious and throughout history the great sages have throwing his wealth into the ocean (he was of course happy as days after Pesach, why is this holiday different? valued every second of life, they have cherished and utilised it they weren’t really worth anything). He explains how this Yom Tov differs from the others. This day to the maximum. Shlomo on the other hand was distraught at each throw. Each is not an anniversary that commemorates a past event. Pesach The Ben Ish Chai contrasts the way of the world in that some time, he felt he was throwing away hard earned coins. is celebrated to remember the day which we were brought out people tend to want to ‘kill time’, whereas others especially the Finally the time came and Shlomo was out of coins. Yossi leapt of Egypt by Hashem; Succot remembers the Clouds of Glory by righteous value ever moment. for joy at his achievement, he had finally shown that he was which Hashem sheltered the Jews in the desert. However, the wealthier then Shlomo. giving of the Torah took place at Sinai but it continues to be He explains this contrast with a Mashal. The Ben Ish Chai explains that in life there are people that are offered to us everyday and every moment! There were once two rich people who always competed with happy to throw away time. For them time is cheap, they behave Torah is not an old instruction book from antiquity, rather it is each other in wealth. Yossi had less money then Shlomo, but as vibrant and relevant as ever! as they will live forever, they have plenty of time on their hands was more of a cunning person. to ‘waist/kill’. Torah is above time! One day he went over to Shlomo and said, let’s settle this once There are others who value every second, for them to throw time We must know that Hashem teaches us constantly, His voice and for all. away hurts, they realise the intrinsic value of every moment. is eternal; We will both take all our wealth and go on a ship and throw coin That is the difference; we must realise that each moment brings R Moshe adds two more hints to this idea. by coin into the ocean. Whoever finishes first has less wealth. with it its own Mazal. Each moment is special and can lead to a The Aron in the Mishkan, which contained the Torah inside of They both agreed that the contest would start the next morning. fulfilled life. Time is precious let us seize the moment! it, took up no physical space. Our Sages explain that this is Lirfuat David Rephael Ben Masouda. to signify that Torah is not earthbound or limited to a certain Yossi cunningly went over to the copper smith. He asked him to place! The Torah applies everywhere! mould fake coins and plenty of them! ■ Shabbat Shalom RABBI YITSCHAK HAKOHEN TAWIL - MIR KOLEL, JERUSALEM trees that branch over a grave or corpse. the effort and perform our utmost to go These laws are exclusive to Kohanim, and separate him from defilement! and do not apply to other sectors of the Jewish community. The necessity for the Torah to increase warning and command concerning Rashi notes the double expression with maintaining the purity of the Kohen which the Torah informs Kohanim not to stems both from the high spiritual PARSHA INSIGHTS defile themselves with the dead: “tell the class of the Kohen, and also from the Kohanim…and you shall say to them”. fact that these laws are exclusive to “Tell the Kohanim descendants of He quotes to us the Talmud Yevamoth the Kohen.