THE TORAH READING FOR 27 ADAR II 5784 APRIL 5-6, 2024

April 5, 2024 by templekol

OUR HEARTS ARE WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur” p.385

HELP ME PERFECT my ways of loving and caring. Inspire me to make myself whole so that I may honor Your name and create a world of justice and peace.

PARSHA

From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/shmini

Sh’mini (שְׁמִינִי — The Eighth [Day]) – Leviticus 9:1-11:47

On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel. – Lev. 9:1

SUMMARY:

Aaron and his sons follow Moses’ instructions and offer sacrifices so that God will forgive the people. (9:1-24)
Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offer “alien fire” to God. God punishes these two priests by killing them immediately. (10:1-3)
God forbids Moses, Aaron, and his surviving sons from mourning but commands the rest of the people to do so. Priests are told not to drink alcohol before entering the sacred Tabernacle and are further instructed about making sacrifices. (10:4-20)
Laws are given to distinguish between pure and impure animals, birds, fish, and insects. (11:1-47)

HAFTARAH – Shabbat HaChodesh

Ezekiel 45:16-25 [historic: Ashkenazi: Ezekiel 45:16–46:18 and some Sefardi: 45:18–46:15]

This Shabbat, Shabbat HaChodesh (announcing the new month of Nisan), is one of the four specially designated Shabbatot before Passover. Purim, Purim lano, Pesach a la mano!

From Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vayakhel#Parashah_Vayakhel%E2%80%93Pekudei

On Shabbat HaChodesh, Jews read Exodus 12:1–20, in which God commands that “This month [Nissan] shall be the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year,” and in which God issued the commandments of Passover. Similarly, the haftarah in Ezekiel 45:21–25 discusses Passover. In both the special reading and the haftarah, God instructs the Israelites to apply blood to doorposts. [In the Reform Movement the haftarah is Ezekiel 45:16-25.]

RECOMMENDED READING

From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/shmini

Drawing Too Close?

By: Rabbi Daniel Mikelberg

STRUGGLING WITH TORAH and REFLECTION

We will continue to meet every other Friday for Torah Study to read and discuss selections from Ketuvim, the third section of Tanach (Hebrew Bible), which follows Torah and Nevi’im. Please see the NEW Torah Study-Shazoom schedule below. THIS week we will finish studying the Book of Esther, which is found in Ketuvim (Writings). Read this week’s Torah Portion at https://www.sefaria.org/Leviticus.9.1-11.47, and Haftarah at https://www.sefaria.org/Ezekiel.45.16-25

From “The Torah / A Women’s Commentary” edited by Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea L. Weiss, Ph.D., Women of Reform Judaism/The Federation of Temple Sisterhoods and URJ Press New York 2008

שמיני Sh’mini – Leviticus 9:1-11:47

Contemporary Reflection – by Blu Greenberg, pp. 610-11

ALL ISRAEL IS a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6). Some among them are priests of priests. At the top of the priestly pyramid stands Aaron, the kohein gadol (high priest). The kohein gadol is vested with considerable power and responsibility. Though everything is new–and no models exist for him to follow–Aaron carries out his role with great competency and dignity as he offers up the first sacrifices to God.

In parashat Sh’mini, we find ourselves with Aaron and his family at an exhilarating moment. It is the climactic eighth day of dedication of the Tabernacle. Exultant and joyful, Aaron and his sons bless the people–and the glory of God appears before all. A fire of heavenly origin consumes the sacrifices in their entirety; the people fall on their faces in awe and love of God. Aaron’s joy must surely be overflowing.

Suddenly, the scene turns into heartbreak. Though not commanded to do so, Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s elder sons, put incense into pans and bring it as an offering. Instantly, a fire of God leaps out and consumes them. Aaron is devastated. These two sons were outstanding young men: they were deemed worthy of ascending Mt. Sinai in a most prestigious order–after Moses and Aaron, and before the 70 elders–and worthy of participating in the festive meal at which God’s face was shown (Exodus 24:1, 9–11).

What could have happened? We struggle to understand. Was this a punishment from God, or a random accident? What crime could they have committed that was so heinous as to warrant death by flash fire? Perhaps they were acting out of enthusiasm and desire to serve. Perhaps they were overcome simply by the pure joy of being in the presence of God–and wished only to increase awe in the hearts of the people. And even if they were guilty of not following God’s word to the last, did not their father Aaron have credit in the storehouse of good deeds? Was there not some milder punishment that could have been meted out on the scale, such as that meted out to the other miscreants in the Torah?

Yet despite the fact that they performed everything else properly and created a glorious Tabernacle celebration, despite their father’s merit or their own, they are swiftly cut down.

When I was growing up, my high school Torah teacher, Mar Yerushalmi, communicated unequivocally to his students that Nadab and Abihu were punished for the grave sin of eating in the place where they should not have. Whenever a student would be caught chewing gum in class as we studied Torah with Rashi’s commentary, Yerushalmi would remind her of Nadab and Abihu. On the one hand, this devout teacher was implying that the sons were guilty and deserved what they got; on the other, likening their crime to a teenager’s act of chewing gum in the wrong setting was his way of subtly suggesting to a class of impressionable teenagers that he, too, felt the punishment did not fit the crime.

The Torah narrative teaches us that Moses struggles with the same issue, trying to find an explanation. He wants to offer consolation to his beloved brother and closest friend, yet he takes care not to betray his responsibility as the leader who must teach the people to follow God’s law. “This is what יהוה meant by saying, ‘Through those near to Me I show Myself holy’” (10:3). Moses’ delicate message to the people–and his only consolation to Aaron–is that this was not a random act but a sentence decreed on those closest to God, who are thus held to a higher standard.

What was Aaron’s response? Two simple words: vayidom Aharon (“And Aaron was silent”). The word vayidom means more than he kept quiet–vayishtok. Aaron responded with a profound, shattering silence, a stunning silence, a shocked silence. He does not justify the cruel decree by blaming his sons and accepting their fate as punishment for their sins. Yet, neither does he revolt or protest God’s action. Total silence.

Aaron’s response is the profoundest human and religious response to the reality that there are times when good people die unjustly or are consumed in tragedies that seem to be arbitrary, shocking, without justification, and with nothing to ameliorate the pain and loss of those who love them.

A few years ago, in 2002, my beloved son JJ, age 36, was killed while riding a bicycle in Israel. He had arrived the night before to celebrate the holidays with the whole family and was bicycling with his brother to visit his sister in Zichron Yaakov, when a young driver ran a yellow light with great speed–and took JJ’s life in an instant. JJ loved Israel, family, Judaism, athletics, God, nature, and life; and he was celebrating all of these loves when his life was snuffed out.

When my husband and I sat shiva, most people came with no forethought agenda or explanation, though a few–out of good intention and compassion–tried to justify God or soften the loss by giving it some meaning. “He was so good that God needed him by His side” was one such attempt, to which on one occasion–unable to hold back my words–I responded, “But we on Earth need him more!” Most people understood at the deepest level that there was nothing that could justify, nothing that could offset the pain or soften the blow, and they wisely remained silent. And we ourselves were silent, as there were no words we could speak that would make any sense of it.

At times, devout members of religions that affirm an afterlife are tempted to say that the deceased is “in a better place–living a better life in a better world”; or they are tempted to suggest that there must be some sin or error or judgment that has brought this fate upon the victim. Such persons cannot tolerate the thought that what has happened is unjustified, for it violated their deepest principles about good and evil, reward and punishment. They need somehow to internally rationalize and justify a reality in order to bring the world back to proper equilibrium.

The Jewish laws of bereavement, so exquisitely tuned to the needs of the mourners, stipulate that the shiva visitor should not speak until the mourner speaks. I had always thought that the point of that precept was to ensure that the conversation would flow to the place the mourner needs it to reach. But I now understand that the halachah enjoining the comforting visitor to hold back in silence serves a different function: to caution against offering a rationale for the decree of death. The deeper human religious response is to be silent, to live with the contradiction, and to affirm that we need not force meaning into tragedy. Sometimes, the deepest response of love is to be silent.

ROSH CHODESH NISAN 2024 / רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ נִיסָן 5784

From Hebcal https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/rosh-chodesh-nisan-2024

Start of month of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar

Rosh Chodesh Nisan for Hebrew Year 5784 begins at sundown on Monday, 8 April 2024 and ends at nightfall on Tuesday, 9 April 2024.

Start of month of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. נִיסָן (transliterated Nisan or Nissan) is the 1st month of the Hebrew year, has 30 days, and corresponds to March or April on the Gregorian calendar. רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ, transliterated Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh, is a minor holiday that occurs at the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar. It is marked by the birth of a new moon.

From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:

ROSH CHODESH – FOR THE NEW MONTH p.519

Our God and God of our ancestors, may the new month bring us goodness and blessing. May we have long life, peace, prosperity, a life exalted by love of Torah and reverence for the divine; a life in which the longings of our hearts are fulfilled for good.

FOR OUR COUNTRY p.376

THUS SAYS ADONAI, This is what I desire: to unlock the fetters of wickedness, and untie the cords of lawlessness; to let the oppressed go free, to break off every yoke. Share your bread with the hungry, and take the wretched poor into your home. When you see the naked, give clothing, and do not ignore your own kin.

O GUARDIAN of life and liberty, may our nation always merit Your protection. Teach us to give thanks for what we have by sharing it with those who are in need. Keep our eyes open to the wonders of creation, and alert to the care of the earth. May we never be lazy in the work of peace; may we honor those who have [served, suffered or] died in defense of our ideals. Grant our leaders wisdom and forbearance. May they govern with justice and compassion. Help us all to appreciate one another, and to respect the many ways that we may serve You. May our homes be safe from affliction and strife, and our country be sound in body and spirit. Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL p.552

O HEAVENLY ONE, Protector and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel which marks the dawning of hope for all who seek peace. Shield it beneath the wings of your love; spread over it the canopy of Your peace; send Your light and truth to all who lead and advise, guiding them with Your good counsel. Establish peace in the land and fullness of joy for all who dwell there. Amen.

FOR HEALING

We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of brutality, abuse, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, violence, and war; for all those at home alone; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!

YAHRZEITS/ANYOS

We say KADDISH YATOM for those of our friends and families who have died and been buried this last week; those in the period of Sh’loshim (30 days since burial); those who have died in the last year; and those whose Yahrzeits/Anyos occur at this time; as well as the victims of brutality, disease, natural disasters, war and violence.

This coming week, 27 Adar II through 4 Nisan, we lovingly remember:

Marilyn Bernstein

Mother of Elizabeth Bernstein

Temple Kol Hamidbar Memorial Board

Lillian Leah Salomon

Mother of Barbara Jo Salomon

Those victims of the Shoah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.

“Zichronam liv’rachah” – May their memories be for blessing.

TORAH STUDY AND SHAZOOM

We will meet as usual at the regular times for Torah Study and Shazoom this evening, Friday, April 5, 2024. Please see the NEW Torah Study-Shazoom schedule below. THIS week we finish studying the Book of Esther, which is found in Ketuvim (Writings).

Zoom regularly updates its security and performance features. Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this evening with wine/grape juice for Kiddush and Challah for Motzi.

Topic: Torah Study – Book of Esther – Chapters 6-10

Time: April 5, 2024 06:00 PM Arizona

and/or

Shazoom – Erev Shabbat Service

Time: April 5, 2024 07:30 PM Arizona

To join Torah Study and/or Shazoom click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09

Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854

Passcode: 4NrMk0

Hint: The last character of the password is the number zero.

Pesach 2024 / פֶּסַח 5784

From Hebcal https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/pesach-2024

Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread

Pesach for Hebrew Year 5784 begins in the Diaspora at sundown on Monday, 22 April 2024 and ends at nightfall on Tuesday, 30 April 2024. [In Israel and for Reform Jews Pesach is seven days. See Reform Judaism/Passover https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/passover]

Passover (Hebrew: פֶּסַח Pesach) commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar, which is in spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.

Temple Kol Hamidbar will have an in-person Seder in Sierra Vista on Monday, April 22, the first night of Pesach. For details, please see the email sent on March 25, by Dr. Sam Caron, Congregational President. The deadline to RSVP is April 15. The suggested donation is $35 for adults and $25 for children. Make checks payable to Temple Kol Hamidbar and mail payment to the Temple address as soon as possible.

Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat/Gut Shabbos!

-Ruben

PS – About the Book of Esther and the NEW schedule through June 2024:

From Reform Judaism

https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/purim

https://reformjudaism.org/what-shushan-purim

From Jewish Women’s Archive

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/esther-bible

https://jwa.org/topics/purim

From The Torah.com

https://www.thetorah.com/topic/esther

https://www.thetorah.com/holidays/purim