Parashat Korach
/in announcements, Junior Congregation, Shabbat /by betheladmin11Hope you had a great week! Ready to wind down and bring the light and peace of shabbat into your life? We have just what the doctor ordered!
Friday night services Friday June 23 at 7PM.
Shabbat morning services this shabbat, June 24 at 9 AM, with the Torah service at 9:45 (enhanced by brief and enlightening explanations at each aliya), the children’s service at 10:30 and a lovely kidish lunch immediately following services.
Summertime Shabbat morning services as per our schedule of second and fourth shabbats are on the following dates – June 24, July 8 and 22, August 12 and August 26.
Candle lighting in Austin is at 8:18 PM
Friday January 6, Rabbi Daniel Septimus CEO of the Austin JCC will likewise be our guest speaker at Beth El.
Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week we read Parshat Korah, which details the rebellion of certain elements of the tribe of Levi and the tribe of R’uven against the leadership of Moshe and Aharon. One of the leaders of the rebellion listed in the beginning of the parshah is On Ben Peleth-but he is not mentioned later on in the parshah nor is he listed among those who were swallowed up by the ground as punishment. The Midrash fills in the gap for us. We are told that On’s wife convinced him to withdraw from the rebellion, as Korah, Dathan and Aviram, the main leaders, would not share power, and that he was taking an unnecessary risk for very little reward. Oftentimes, if we listen to advice from a trusted person, especially a spouse, who has our interests at heart, we can find the wisest course of action. May we always have the humility to take good counsel from others. Shabbat Shalom and Hodesh Tov.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
Enrolling now for our one of a kind school BERS. We will have a Hebrew immersion class as well as our Sunday Funday.
Contact us at bethelaustin@yahoo.com
to save your spot.
Thank you to last week’s Shabbat Shefs: Claudia, Vania, Sofia, Iris, Doris, Yesenia and Shereen. Please contact us to help in the mitzvah of preparing a beautiful meal to share with the shul.
Community News:
Margo Sack is retiring after 24 years at Texas Hillel. Join Texas Hillel and the Jewish Community Sunday, June 25 at 10 AM for Margo’s farewell gathering. www.texashillel.org
Jewish Film Series presents Cross Fire
Tuesday, June 27, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Each month, the Jewish Film Series brings two films on a Jewish theme to be shown at the JCC. Join us for free screenings and post-movie conversation. All are welcome. This month’s theme is Anti-semitism in America.
Korah and Modern Values Dr. Ronen Ahituv
This week’s reading describes a rebellion against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. The rebels, led by Korah son of Izhar, the cousin of Moses and Aaron, were joined by many assorted interest groups, but all of them accepted Korah as leader, at least in the initial stage. The uprising was put down by force, by divine intervention, and the rebels were put to death in a variety of ways, some being swallowed up by the earth, others being consumed by fire, and yet others dying in a plague.
Champions of liberalism and freedom of thought are likely to feel discomfort upon reading this story. The rebels being put to death gives the impression of suppression of free thought and presents a threat to those who express unconventional views. Such a response is not considered legitimate in the Western world, which prefers to resolve political and moral disputes without shedding blood. Indeed, at the end of this week’s reading, after Korah and his followers died, Moses adopts tactics of persuasion in the test of the staffs (Num. 17:16-24). Yet even in this test, which did not involve people dying, there is an implicit threat – “so that their mutterings against Me may cease, lest they die.” Thus when the people say, “Alas, we are doomed to perish!” (Num. 17:25-28), their fear for their survival is well-justified.
Korah’s primary, although not sole, claim is: “You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why then do you raise yourselves above the Lord’s congregation?” (Num. 16:3). This argument is aimed at reducing the gap between the rights of the leadership and the rights of individuals, and at placing at least some of the authority of political and religious leadership in the hands of the public, amidst whom the Lord dwells, as it is written: “that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). This argument can be supported by citations from many verses of the Torah, and it is also in line with western liberal principles; however, this argument receives no answer with accompanying justifications in this week’s reading. The wondrous signs may prove by show of force that the Lord did indeed choose Moses and Aaron, but that does not provide an answer to Korah’s reasonable request.
Many biblical commentators relate either directly or obliquely to the issues that we have raised. Their responses can be categorized according to three strategic approaches taken by the commentators:
The First Approach
One approach rejects liberalism and maintains, on the basis of this week’s reading, that criticism of the leadership is indeed out of place. In this approach a distinction is drawn between human government, where there might be room for discussion and dissent, and the Israelite theocracy, which is not to be criticized. The following homily illustrates this approach (Numbers Rabbah 18.9):
Thus Moses said to them: If my brother Aaron had seized the priesthood for himself, your complaints against him would have been well-put. But since it was given him by the Holy One, blessed be He – to Whom belong greatness, might, and majesty – is not anyone who rises up against Aaron rising up against the Holy One, blessed be He? Therefore it is written, “For who is Aaron that you should rail against him?”
Aaron and Moses rule as the representatives of the Holy One, blessed be He, on earth, and therefore they do not owe an accounting to any human being. It suffices for them to prove that they were chosen, and that dismisses any argument against them.
This approach essentially signifies that in a world without miracles, where it is impossible to prove unequivocally and objectively who is the Lord’s emissary delegated to lead the public, there is room for challenging the leadership. However, as Aaron proved his being chosen miraculously, there was no room to question his authority. Nevertheless, in later generations the argument of divine election re-emerged as justification for the authority of rulers, even if they did not always take the trouble to prove they had been divinely chosen.
The Second Approach
The second approach, most popular in the past few centuries, distinguishes between Korah’s words and his true motives. This approach acknowledges Korah’s argument as being justified in principle, but expresses reservations about the character of the person advancing the arguments and claims that he was not speaking sincerely. Some of the advocates of this approach describe Korah as power-hungry and not wishing to give rights to the broader public, rather wishing to rule the people high-handedly himself, and using righteous liberal rhetoric to cover his true intentions. Others describe Korah as a wicked sinner, irrespective of the rebellion he led. The flaw lay not in the argument, but in the person making it, and therefore the uprising was handled not by dealing with the argument itself, rather with the person of Korah.
An example of this approach is provided by the following homily (Numbers Rabbah 18.2):
Korah betook himself—what was it that made him divisive? It was Elizaphan, son of his father’s brother, who became chieftain of the family – “The chieftain of the ancestral house of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.” Korah said: My father was one of four brothers – “The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.” Amram was the oldest, and his son Aaron received greatness and Moses, kingship. To whom did it befit to receive the second honor? Not the second brother? As it is written (Ex. 6:18), “the sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar” I, the son of Izhar, ought to have been made chieftain of the clans, but he made the son of Uzziel chieftain! Shall the younger of my father’s brothers be greater than me? I shall challenge him and do away with all that he has done. Therefore it says, “Korah betook.himself.”
In other words, the true motive for Korah’s dispute was lust for power and jealousy of Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
Finding Flaws
This ad hominem approach necessitates finding personal flaws not only in Korah himself, but also in all those who joined him. Indeed, the claims of Dathan and Abiram, who wished to return to Egypt, indicate to us how evil they were, but the two hundred and fifty people who offered incense are described in the midrash simply as fools who were not careful with incense and assumed an unnecessary risk. It is a burdensome responsibility to prove so many people wicked and thus justify their deaths, yet those who choose this line of interpretation have to do so.
This also opens the way for those who wield power in our times to justify their haughtiness, being deaf to the criticism of their opponents, and to exempt themselves from answering explicit claims against them, by arguing that their actions are being opposed on the grounds of who they are and not on the grounds of substantive examination of the issues, or that their critics, because of who they are, have no right to their claims.
Substantively, this approach does not provide any answer to Korah’s justifiable claims. The centralized structure of Moses and Aaron’s leadership is not presented as a correct and justifiable model, rather as a local and temporary solution for a situation in which there was no fitting alternative, since Korah was not fit to be ruler. However, the day that a fitting and proper person might arise and repeat Korah’s arguments, only not with motives that are not germane, that day there would ostensibly be place to change the structure of the government and the leadership.
The third Approach
The third approach to resolving the difficulties we have raised involves a subversive reading of the parasha, and this is its primary weakness. According to such a reading, Korah was justified in his claims, and they were essentially accepted, important sections of halakhah being set according to them. Such an approach was brought up fifteen years ago by Aviah Ha-Cohen, [1] following Rabbi Tzadok Ha-Cohen of Lublin. [2] These are its main points:
In several rules of halakhah we find that the generality of the Jewish people are related to in terms that originally were reserved for priests alone.For example, in the matter of forbidding shaving the head, it is written: “Speak to the priests … They shall not shave smooth any part of their heads … or make gashes in their flesh” (Lev. 21:1-5), as against which it is written, “You are children of the Lord your G-d.You shall not gash yourselves or shave the front of your heads because of the dead. For you are a people consecrated to the Lord your G-d:the Lord your G-d chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be His treasured people” (Deut. 14:1-2).The commandments of the second tithe (Deut. 14:22-23), in which the owners eat the tithe, generally thought to be the portion given the levites and priests (see this week’s reading, Num. 18:24-28), provides another example of reducing the gap between the people and the priestly and levitical leadership. An especially notable comparison is the passage of tzitzit, presented immediately before the story of Korah (Num. 15:37-41), and the commandment to make a fringe of blue on the corner of one’s garment, resembling the cord of blue in the headdress which is part of the garb of the high priest (Ex. 28:36-37).In both instances – the fringes and the cord – the garment involves sha’atnez – combining wool and flax; indeed, the Sages interpreted that one is permitted to make tzitzit using wool and flax in the same garment, just as the clothing of the priests had sha’atnez in it (Menahot 43a). Thus the tzitzit is like a priestly garment but is worn by every Israelite.
The Torah is not clear about Korah’s end; was he burned up with the two hundred and fifty Israelites who offered incense, for he was one of them, or was he swallowed up by the earth?There are two views about this:“Rabbi Johanan said:Korah was neither among those swallowed up by the earth, nor among those who were burned up…but in the baraita it says:Korah was both among those burned up and among those swallowed up” (Sanhedrin 110a). According to Rabbi Johanan’s view, Korah must have survived, not died.In Deuteronomy (11:6) and in Psalms (106:16-18), the uprising against Moses and Aaron is described, but Korah’s name is not mentioned, only the names of Dathan and Abiram.In light of this we can suggest another explanation for the instruction given to use the incense pans of those who were consumed by fire, “let them be made into hammered sheets as plating for the altar – for once they have been used for offering to the Lord, they have become sacred” (Num. 17:3). All who enter the Temple are faced with a memorial to Korah and his followers, who consecrated themselves and died in sanctity.
A reading of the text that finds sanctity and positive sense in Korah’s arguments solves the difficulties which we raised at the beginning of our discussion and makes it possible to reconcile the biblical narrative with the values of justice and morality that we seek in our own time.
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Parashat Behaalotecha – Are you Humble?
/in announcements, Junior Congregation, Shabbat /by betheladmin11Shabbat shalom ya all!! Kabbalat Shabbat Friday June 9 at 7 PM. Can’t wait to see you.
Shabbat morning services Saturday June 10th starting at 9 AM. Torah service at 9:45 and children’s storytime, snack and fun with Morah Shereen at 10:30 AM. This week’s kidish lunch is sponsored by Iris and Kevin in honor of their son David’s High School graduation. They would be thrilled to see you all there.
We would like to wish Bam a refua shlema and note that his surgery went well and that he would be happy to have folks visit. He truly appreciates all the well wishes he has received!
Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week we read Parshat B’ha’alotcha, which begins with the commandment to Aharon to light the menorah each evening in the Sanctuary, so that there would always be light before the Holy of Holies. In ancient times, of course, this was the job of the Kohanim, the Priests. Their job was to enlighten the People-literally with the Ner Tamid, and figuratively with the teaching of Torah. We are all, however, commanded to be “a kingdom of Priests and a Holy People”. It is our job to bring light to each other and to the world-through the teaching of Torah, through bringing the light of lovingkindess to those in need. Indeed, the Prophet Isaiah enjoins upon us to be ourselves a “light unto the nations”. May we always live in such a way as to bring light to all whom we encounter. Shabbat Shalom.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
CONGREGATION BETH EL SUNDAY SCHOOL:
Enrolling now for our one of a kind school BERS. We will have a Hebrew immersion class as well as our Sunday Funday. Contact us at info@bethelaustin.org to save your spot.
Community News – Austin Jewish Business Network:
Join us all summer long for Networking and Happy Hour fun and No speakers. This is a FREE event at La Mancha Tex Mex Tavern, 2203 Hancock Drive, Austin, TX 78756. We will see you there on June 20th, July 18th and August 15th 6:00 pm -8:00 pm.
Admission for this meeting is FREE, and the restaurant has happy hour drink specials all night long!
Eat, drink and be merry with us. Meet new people and reconnect with old. Attendees may dine and drink while enjoying an evening of networking, camaraderie and door prizes! Please bring business cards, promotional materials, resumes, flyers, announcements about community activities, etc. to share.
All Jews, those partnered with Jews and/or members of the JCC Austin are welcome.
To RSVP and for details on all of our events go tohttps://www.meetup.com/Austin-Jewish-Business-Network/
Did you know Austin has a
Hebrew Free Loan Association?
The Hebrew Free Loan of Austin uses interest-free lending to help people transform their lives. This form of Jewish philanthropy is rooted in an age-old tradition that believes helping people become self-sufficient is the highest form of charity. For more information and to contact them:
Hebrew Free Loan of Austin
3571 Far West Blvd #233 Austin, Texas 78731
www.hfla.org
Updates on the Annual meeting – parashat BaMidbar
/in announcements, Junior Congregation, Shabbat /by betheladmin11Friday Night Live at 7 PM TONIGHT Friday May 26, please join us for genuine prayer, beautiful songs and an uplifting service.
Shabbat morning services TOMORROW, May 27. We will have our shabbat services from 9 AM, with the lovely Torah service at around 9:45 AM and a children’s service with Morah Shereen at 10:30. Delicious kidish lunch served immediately after, this week including healthy salads, bagels and lox and cheesecake in honor of Shavuot. HUGE thank you to the Jacobs family for sponsoring the kidish.
We want to wholeheartedly congratulate Yosef on being the new president of Beth El (see below for what was truly a heartening and inspiring annual meeting).
Have a very meaningful Memorial day. We salute the men and women who served to protect our country and note with awe that we are the “land of the free because of the brave”.
Candle lighting in Austin is at 8:07 PM
Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week we begin the reading of Sefer B’midbar with the parshah of the same name. The parshah is concerned with numbers-which gives the Book its English name. Specifically, the Torah gives us the numbers of the men in the camp eligible for military service, and of Levites eligible for work in the Mishkan. Counting and numbering are of course very prominent in Jewish Tradition-we count the hours in the day to determine when to perform certain actions, we count the days of the week, years in the Sabbatical cycle, and we are coming to the end of the counting of he ‘Omer. However, we should recognize that our ability to quantify things is limited. The Torah and the Prophets often rhetorically ask if we are capable of counting the sand on the shore or the stars in the sky-obviously to indicate that we cannot. We are limited, finite beings, and only God has the ability to know and number all things. Our task is to do what is within our abilities with an attitude of humility (and a sense of humor). Shabbat Shalom and Hag Shavu’ot Sameah.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
What an absolutely inspiring annual meeting last week! Thank you to all who came and made it so special. The love and dedication of members old and new was just beautiful. The meeting as always was filled with laughter, a few jokes and of course a couple of reports on the state of the shul, which thank goodness is good! Much was accomplished this year, but much more remains to be done in coming years.
Kevin stepped down as president after many years of tireless devotion. He noted that Beth El has truly made him a better person and has been nothing but a blessing for him and his family. He has seen the kindest and most generous people imaginable; has seen people through joys and through sadness and above all has been part of a truly beautiful congregation. Kevin will continue to be just as active in his new role as treasurer, but Yosef will now take the mantle of president. Yosef and Claudia are raising their three lovely children at Beth El and have been on the board for several years. They are tireless in their devotion and enthusiasm and always have a smile on their faces. We wish Yosef much nachas in his new role. The congregation is truly appreciative of the board. PLEASE watch this space next week for Yosef’s message and a list of the board.
We had a very special end of year celebration for the Beth El Religious School BERS! The children learnt an Israeli Shavuot song “Saleynu” and danced it joyfully. They also each received class photos and a beach ball and had all their friends sign it. Ms. Carol Rubin ended our class with a sing a long outdoors which was just amazing. Thank you again to our dedicated teachers, sweet children and wonderful parents. Sunday school resumes Sunday August 27. Have a great summer BERS. Tell all your friends about this one of a kind school – we are growing and are even adding a Hebrew immersion class for native Hebrew speakers.
Behar – Behokotai and annual meeting
/in announcements, Junior Congregation, Shabbat /by betheladmin11Friday Night Live at 7 PM this Friday May 19. Songs, prayers, friends old and new. We can’t wait to see you.
Las Sunday Funday of the semester this Sunday May 21. Ms. Carol Rubin is our special guest . Lots of fun planned – lots of learning accomplished!
THIS SUNDAY: Our annual “state of the shul” meeting will be held on Sunday, May 21, at 4:00 PM followed by a Kosher cookout. We plan to discuss shul business and elect officers for the upcoming year. Lots of great things happening at Beth El. Thank you to Barry and Audrey Mann for sponsoring the cookout.
Shabbat morning services as per our schedule of second and fourth shabbats are on the following dates – May 27, June 10, June 24, July 8 and 22, August 12 and August 26.
Candle lighting in Austin is at 8:03 PM
Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week we conclude the reading of Sefer Vayikra, the Book of Leviticus, with the combined parshot of B’har/B’hukkotai. B’har begins with the description of the Sabbatical Year, which occurs every seven years, followed by the Yovel, the Jubilee year after seven times seven years. We are now getting to the end of the counting of the ‘Omer, when we count the forty-nine days between Passover and Shavu’ot. Shavu’ot is a kind of reset-when we changed from a rabble of escaped slaves into a nation with a code of Law. At Sinai, we all stood equally to receive Torah. Similarly, the Yovel is a reset to that equality-when accumulated property is redistributed to its original owners, and all once again have equal opportunity. The Torah teaches that we should all stand equally before God, and that we should do what is in our power to ensure that equality. Let us always be mindful of that goal. Shabbat Shalom.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe
MELTON GRADUATION CEREMONY 2017
Celebrate Adult Jewish
Learning and congratulate
the Melton graduating
class of 2017!
Toast and reception to follow
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
7:00 PM
JCC Community Hall
7300 Hart Lane
Please RSVP to:
Lisa Quay
lisa.quay@shalomaustin.org
512-735-8086
SAVE THE DATE FOR SPLASH BASH AT THE J!
Sunday June 4 from 11 to 3. Everyone is welcome at the J.
“If Your Brother Becomes Impoverished”
by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald
In parashat Behar, the first of this week’s two parashiot, Behar-Bechukotai, we encounter the mitzvah requiring Jews to redeem the land of fellow Jews who become impoverished.
The Torah, in Leviticus 25:25 states, כִּי יָמוּךְ אָחִיךָ וּמָכַר מֵאֲחֻזָּתוֹ, וּבָא גֹאֲלוֹ הַקָּרֹב אֵלָיו וְגָאַל אֵת מִמְכַּר אָחִיו , If your brother becomes impoverished and sells part of his ancestral heritage, his redeemer who is closest to him, shall come and redeem that which his brother sold.
Rashi citing the Sifra indicates that one may not sell his ancestral land (patrimony) unless he becomes totally impoverished, and even then should not sell all of it.
According to the Talmud in Kedushin 21a, a dispute is recorded whether the Torah requires the relative to redeem the land or urges the relative to redeem the land. All agree, the closer the relative, the greater the responsibility. However, since all Jews are related, going all the way back to Jacob, the responsibility to redeem the land ultimately, applies to all Jews. (See Behar-Bechukotai 5769-2009).
Rabbi Chaim Dov Rabinowitz in Da’at Sofrim, notes that the sages attribute the poverty requiring the sale of the land, to the sin of not keeping the sabbatical year, Shemita–failing to allow the land to lay fallow during the seventh year. For this sin, the landowner may have to sell his property, including his land and his house. He may even have to sell himself–to serve as a Hebrew slave, or even as a slave to a gentile.
Says Rabbi Rabinowitz, even though the suffering is a result of Divine decree, the Torah insists that every Jew must be merciful, and stand at the side of those who are poverty stricken and redeem their land.
Rabbi Yaakov Filber in his volume Chemdat Yamim, cites the interpretation of the Or HaChaim on this verse who interprets it homiletically. If a “man” has no redeemer, is a reference to G-d. If no Jew sufficiently motivates the people to repent and G-d is left with no redeemer, then G-d must find His own way, and lift His hands. The Jews will receive punishment while in exile, until such time as they recognize the need to repent and serve G-d. Only then will they be returned to their ancestral patrimony.
Rabbi Filber quotes the work of Rabbi Issachar Shlomo Teichtal, “Aym Ha’Bah’nim S’may’chah,” אֵם הַבָּנִים שְׂמֵחָה , which was written as a response to the Satmar Rebbe’s strong objections to the establishment of the State of Israel. Rabbi Teichtal writes that the punishment that the Jewish people experience, is G-d’s way of arousing people to return to the Holy Land. He quotes Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, who cites the verse in Song of Songs 1:4, מָשְׁכֵנִי אַחֲרֶיךָ נָּרוּצָה , “drag me after you and we will run together.” Explaining that there are two ways of taking ownership of an animal: the first is to call the animal to follow; the second is to beat it with a stick, as it runs in front of the master.
Rabbi Teichtal declares that if the People of Israel heed the voice of G-d calling them to return to the Land of Israel, G-d will lead the people to the land and they will follow without pain or suffering. However, if the people fail to listen to G-d’s beckoning, then they will suffer greatly from the beatings of the enemies, until there will be no escape except to the Land of Israel.
As we approach the celebration of the 50th year of the unification of the Holy City of Jerusalem, the message of return should be ringing in our ears. Although it is difficult for many of us to leave the comforts of the diaspora and relocate to Israel, there are important steps that can be taken to show our unrequited love for the land. Among the important gestures are supporting charities and institutions in Israel, vacationing in Israel more frequently, encouraging our children to study and to even live in Israel, buying a second home and investing in business in Israel.
These steps, although limited, will serve as a strong indication of our sincerity and our willingness to place the land of Israel and the City of Jerusalem at the forefront of our joy, “Ahl rosh simcha’tay’noo,” עַל רֹאשׁ שִׂמְחָתֵנוּ.
May you be blessed