TORAH PORTION FOR THIS SHABBAT 26 Tamuz 5780 and SHAZOOM 7 PM July 17, 2020
A MEDITATION
From PSALM 34:13-15 [JPS translation as found at Sefaria.org]
Who is the [one] who is eager for life, who desires years of good fortune?
Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from deceitful speech.
Shun evil and do good, seek amity and pursue it.
A SAYING
Sefardic culture seems to have a saying for everything. One such is “Dime kon ken andas i te dire ken sos” in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), and “Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres” in Spanish. It basically means: You are known by the company you keep. Is there a similar saying in Yiddish?
PARSHA
From ReformJudaism.org
Matot – Mas’ei (מַּטּוֹת – Hebrew for “tribes” and מַסְעֵי – Hebrew for journeys/marches) – Numbers 30:2–36:13
Moses spoke to the heads of the Israelite tribes, saying: “This is what the Eternal has commanded: If a householder makes a vow to the Eternal or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his pledge; he must carry out all that has crossed his lips.” – Numbers 30:2-3
SUMMARY:
- Moses explains to the Israelites the laws concerning vows made by men and women. (30:2-17)
- Israel wages war against the Midianites. (31:1-18)
- The laws regarding the spoils of war are outlined. (31:19-54)
- The tribes of Reuben and Gad are granted permission to stay on the east bank of the Jordan River. (32:1-42)
- The itinerary of the Israelites through the wilderness from Egypt to Jordan is delineated. (33:1-49)
- Moses tells Israel to remove the current inhabitants of the land that God will give them and to destroy their gods. (33:50-56)
- The boundaries of the Land of Israel are defined, along with those of the Levitical cities and the cities of refuge. (34:1-35:15)
- God makes a precise distinction between murder and manslaughter. (35:16-34)
- The laws of inheritance as they apply to Israelite women are delineated. (36:1-13)
The Haftarah is Jeremiah starting with 2:4-28
From Wikipedia.com
When parashah Matot is combined with parashah Masei (as it is this year), the haftarah is the haftarah for parashah Masei:
- For Ashkenazi Jews: Jeremiah 2:4–28 & 3:4.
- For Sephardi Jews: Jeremiah 2:4–28 & 4:1–2.
STRUGGLING WITH TORAH
In case the obvious is too obvious, Numbers is aptly titled in English. At least from the point of view of English readers who find yet again more censuses being taken and told about within this fourth book of the Torah. As such, people may find it rather boring – unless, maybe, you like lists and numbers!
The title in Hebrew is Bemidbar (בְּמִדְבַּר – Hebrew for “in the desert [of]”). The book begins with our ancestors at Mount Sinai; tells about Miriam’s death at Kadesh Barnea; and ends up with them in the plains of Moab about to enter the Promised Land. By the end of the book Aaron has also died, and Moses has been told he will not enter the Promised Land. The book is essentially silent about the thirty-eight years between leaving Egypt and the incidents recounted before our ancestors entering the Land.
The Book of Numbers ends with the following statement: “These are the commandments and the ordinances, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.” Like the Book of Leviticus before it, which ends with a similar statement referring to the commandments given on Mount Sinai, these two books of Torah are the only ones to end in this way.
For those who subscribe to the source criticism view of Tanach, this book appears to be hobbled together mostly from the Yahwist source and redacted by the Priestly source. For instance, the story of Pinchas, who becomes a priest because of his actions, begins with a polemic against the Moabite women and ends up with the Midianite women as the culprits. There are some clear repetitions and stories that seem to be inserted in various places. A good example of such a story is that of the daughters of Zelophehad [pronounced Zlofhád], which appears again toward the end of this book – with a twist: they must marry within their tribe.
What are we to make of all of this? We are about to begin the fifth and last book of Torah, which we will finish on Simchat Torah – perhaps it symbolizes our own getting ready to enter the Promised Land? Certainly, these months of COVID can feel like forty years in the desert, with the mundane days blending into each other.
How many will make it through to the other side? How many more battles do we need to fight to overcome the current situation and the craziness surrounding it? How long before we learn that a key lesson is that of doing what is right and just?
Something, by the way, that in the details meant one thing for our ancestors and means something else for us. Yet, the lesson at its core remains the same: Stop living in and acting out of fear.
In a recent D’var Torah on Matot, Rabbi Yoni Regev, Associate Rabbi of Temple Sinai in Oakland said something to the effect that as we continue to deal with the current pandemic and all its aspects, he has come to view our ancestors’ plight in the desert with much more compassion and understanding. Indeed, Torah has much to teach us about the human condition and how to survive our current travails and even thrive.
From Wikipedia.com
Parashah Matot is combined with the next parashah, Masei, to help achieve the number of weekly readings needed. This double portion ends the book of Numbers to which Ashkenazi Jews say, “Chazak, Chazak, Venitchazëk!” Sefardic/Mizrahi Jews say, “Chazak uBaruch” [be strong and blessed] at the end of each Torah reading.
From ReformJudaism.org
As we complete each book of the Torah, it is customary to repeat the words “Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazeik.” These words, understood as “Congratulations!” actually have a more profound message. They can be translated as either “Be strong, be strong, and we will be encouraged” or “Be strong, be strong, and we will make an effort.” The first part of the phrase uses the singular form; the individual should be strengthened. The second part uses the plural form, indicating two key outcomes of individual strength: not only the individual, but also the collective of which she or he is a part can be encouraged by the message and add its efforts to those of the individual.
ROSH CHODESH AV
The Jewish month of Av starts the evening of Tuesday, July 21, 2020. Av is the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar and the eleventh month of the civil calendar. It signals a period of preparation for Rosh Hashanah, which is two short months away.
In some traditions, the first nine days are an intense period of mourning. The destruction of the first and second temples, the expulsion from Spain in 1492, and several other tragic and disastrous events in Jewish history are recalled. This period of mourning culminates with a full fast day and reading the Book of Lamentations on the 9 of Av (Tisha B’Av).
At least two other noteworthy observances take place during Av. The date of Aaron’s death, which is explicitly stated in Torah (Numbers 33:38), is commemorated on the first of Av. The 15 of Av (Tu B’Av) is a minor holiday celebrating love similar to Valentine’s Day and is considered a great day for weddings.
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.
From LAMENTATIONS (attributed to Jeremiah) 3:40 [JPS translation as found at Sefaria.org]
Let us search and examine our ways, And turn back to the [Eternal One.]
PRAYERS
We recite MI SHEBËRACH for the victims of brutality, abuse, fear, natural disasters, pandemics, violence, and war; for all those in need of physical, emotional, and mental healing. “R’fuah sh’lëmah” – a complete recovery!
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. We remember, too, those victims of the Shoah (Holocaust) who died at this time of year and have us to say “Kaddish” for them. “Zichronam liv’rachah” – May their memories be for blessing.
ONLINE SERVICES – 7 PM
Making sure you have the latest version of Zoom, please join us online this evening:
- Topic: Erev Shabbat Service
- Time: Jul 17, 2020 07:00 PM Arizona
To join Zoom Meeting click on the following link [you may need to copy it into your browser]:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/72510500854?pwd=Z3VQZWF4U1BBZytNYmh3aHFTWkFDZz09
Or from Zoom go to join meeting and enter the following information:
- Meeting ID: 725 1050 0854
- Password: 4NrMk0
Hint: The last character of the password is the number zero.
Or, you may also access Erev Shabbat Services directly through the Temple Kol Hamidbar website at https://templekol.com/
Shabbat Shalom – Buen Shabbat!
-Ruben