TORAH READING FOR 12 TAMUZ 5786 June 26-27, 2026
SHAZOOM 6:30 PM June 26, 2026
OUR HEARTS ARE WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL AND ALL THE VICTIMS OF CONFLICT
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur” CCAR, New York 2007, p.161
Baruch atah, Adonai, haporës sukat shalom alëinu v’al kōl amo Yisraël v’al Yerushaláyim.
GIVE US A PLACE TO REST, Adonai, our God. Bring us into shelter…. Spread over us Your shelter of peace, over all we love – over our Jerusalem and Yours.
WORDS TO REMEMBER
From The Haftarah Commentary by Plaut-Stern, p.394
It has been told you, O mortal, what is good,/ and what the Eternal requires of you–/
Only this: to do justly,/ and love mercy,/ and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
DOUBLE PARSHA
From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/chukat-balak
Chukat – Balak (חֻקַּת – בָּלָק – Hebrew for “The Ritual Law/Balak”) – Num. 19:1−22:1, 22:2−25:9
The Eternal One spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: “This is the ritual law that the Eternal has commanded: Instruct the Israelite people to bring you a red cow without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which no yoke has been laid.” – Numbers 19:1-2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. – Numbers 22:2
SUMMARY
- The laws of the red heifer to purify a person who has had contact with a corpse are given. (19:1-22)
- The people arrive at the wilderness of Zin. Miriam dies and is buried there. (20:1)
- The people complain that they have no water. Moses strikes the rock to get water for them. God tells Moses and Aaron they will not enter the Land of Israel. (20:2-13)
- The king of Edom refuses to let the Children of Israel pass through his land. After Aaron’s priestly garments are given to his son Eleazer, Aaron dies. (20:14-29)
- After they are punished for complaining about the lack of bread and water, the Israelites repent and are victorious in battle against the Amorites and the people of Bashan, whose lands they capture. (21:4-22:1)
- Balak, the king of Moab, persuades the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites so that he can defeat them and drive them out of the region. However, Balaam blesses the Children of Israel instead and prophesies that Israel’s enemies will be defeated. (22:2-24:25)
- God punishes the Israelites with a plague for consorting with the Moabite women and their god. The plague is stayed after Pinchas kills an Israelite man and his Midianite woman. (25:1-9)
HAFTARAH
Micah 5:6-6:8
From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balak_(parashah)#
The haftarah for the parashah is Micah 5:6–6:8. When parashah Balak is combined with parashah Chukat (as it is in 2023…), the haftarah remains the haftarah for Balak.
Connection between the haftarah and the parashah
In the haftarah in Micah 6:5, Micah quotes God’s admonition to the Israelites to recall the events of the parashah, to “remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him.” The verb that the haftarah uses for “answer” (עָנָה, ‘anah) in Micah 6:5 is a variation of the same verb that the parashah uses to describe Balaam’s “answer” (וַיַּעַן, vaya‘an) to Balak in the parashah in Numbers 22:18 and 23:12. And the first words of Balaam’s blessing of Israel in Numbers 24:5, “how goodly” (מַה-טֹּבוּ, ma tovu), are echoed in the haftarah’s admonition in Micah 6:8 of “what is good” (מַה-טּוֹב, ma tov) in God’s sight, namely “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
STRUGGLING WITH TORAH
Read this week’s double Torah Portion at https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.19.1-25.9, and Haftarah at https://www.sefaria.org/Micah.5.6-6.8.
RECOMMENDED READING
From Reform Judaism https://reformjudaism.org/torah/portion/chukat-balak
Paradox and Faith: The Art of Holiness
By: Rabbi Elyse Frishman
PRAYERS
From “Mishkan T’filah / A Reform Siddur”:
WEEKDAY T’FILAH – Al HaRishah – עַל הָרִשְׁעָה p.88
AND FOR WICKEDNESS, let there be no hope, and may all the errant return to You, and may the realm of wickedness be shattered. Blessed are You, Adonai, whose will it is that the wicked vanish from the earth. Amen.
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 – El Na R’fa Na Lah!
We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of abuse, brutality, conflicts, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds especially directed at individuals and specific communities including us, and war; for all those at home alone or lonely; 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, conflict, disease, natural disasters, pandemics, tragedies, violence of all kinds, and war.
This coming week, 12 Tamuz through 18 Tamuz, we lovingly remember:
Victoria Richard
First Yahrzeit – Mother of Ruben Gomez’s goddaughter
Donald Annino
Father of TKH Lay Leader Doug Annino
Julius Chee
Friend of Jane Kolber
Requel Espinoza
Aunt of Mary Caron
Carol Ginsburg
Acquaintance of Ruben Gomez
Danny Huber
Husband of Susie Morss
Louis Michael Levy
Friend of Ruben Gomez
Those victims of the Sho’ah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year.
“ZICHRONAM LIV’RACHAH” – MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR BLESSING.
SHAZOOM ONLY
We will meet for Shazoom ONLY this evening, Friday, June 26, 2026. Please see the Shazoom and Observances schedule through September 2026 below.
Zoom regularly updates its security and performance features. If a screen pops up when you first join Shazoom asking permission for the Host to unmute you during the meeting, for everyone’s ease and comfort, click on Allow. 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.
Shazoom – Erev Shabbat Service
Time: June 26, 2026 06:30 PM Arizona
To join 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.
Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat – Gut Shabbos
-Ruben
PS – Shazoom and Observances Schedule through September 2026 (Arizona Time Zone):
June 26, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[July 2, Tzom Tamuz – Fast of Tamuz]
July 3, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[July 4, Independence Day US]
July 10, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[July 15, Rosh Chodesh Av]
July 17, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[July 18, Shabbat Chazon]
[July 22, Erev Tish’a B’Av]
[July 23, Tish’a B’Av – Ninth of Av]
July 24, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[July 25, Shabbat Nachamu]
[July 29, Tu B’Av, Minor Jewish Holiday of Love]
July 31, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
August 7, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[August 13-14, Rosh Chodesh Elul]
August 14, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[August 14, Rosh Hashanah LaBehemot – New Year of the Animals]
August 21, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
August 28, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
September 4, 2026 – Shazoom ONLY at 6:30 pm
[September 5, after nightfall, Leil Selichot]
[September 7, Labor Day US]
September 11, 2026 – Erev Rosh Hashanah (TBD)
[September 12-13 – Rosh Hashanah (mostly one day in Reform Movement)]
September 18, 2026 – Erev Shabbat Shuvah (TBD)
[September 19 – Shabbat Shuvah (Shabbat of Return)]
September 25, 2026 – Erev Sukkot (TBD)
[September 26-October 2 – Sukkot]
[October 2, 2026 – Erev Shabbat (TBD)
[October 2-3, Sh’mini Atzéret (Eight Day of Assembly) and Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Torah); Reform Movement combines as in Israel]